We had a lovely getting-to-know-you kind of day. There were a few attempts at training, but I have discovered early on that Saoirse is not a terribly food motivated puppy. And what's more, she doesn't exhibit the unextinguishable energy I expected. Girl sleeps a lot. A lot. And she really enjoys lying down even when she is awake. I assumed the Aussie Shepherd side of her ancestry would be dominant, and I would struggle to keep up with her. Instead, for the first day at least, she is all Pyr, more interested in snuggles than training. I am going on the record now as not holding this against her. If she doesn't have the drive to be a service dog, she may have the temperament to be an excellent therapy dog. We will go with her strengths rather than fight them.
She made quite a racket last night. It was her first try at crate training. She yipped for about half an hour before finally getting quiet. I stayed mostly silent, only occasionally interjecting an "I'm still here" into the gaps. I have learned through YouTube not to reinforce behavior like that with soothing. It teaches them that screaming wins calming praise. My gambit paid off. She slept until about 3:15, and when she started pacing around, I zipped her out for a pee in the front yard, and then back in the crate. She protested for about the same amount of time, and then slept on through morning.
Three cats are pretty chill with her, but Athena is still a jerk. I hope it doesn't take long for them to find a way to coexist. The older dogs are pretty interested in her. When we go to the side yard to train and eat grass, Murray watches every second. He gets really jealous when she goes through the gate. He's convinced she gets a truck ride that he wants. Elsa watches through the sliding glass door. I keep telling her she has to wait until she has the next set of shots before I let them play in the same space. I think I can keep them apart that long.
If it isn't obvious, I am enjoying Saoirse's company every bit as much as I thought I would. I'm pretty sure she is fond of me too.
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