Thursday, February 16, 2012

11 Things at 11 Months!

This month, for Carrie's monthly post, I decided to write 11 things that I love about her!

Naughty puppy climbed over the seat to say hi
1. Carrie is a Cuddle Bug! She loves to snuggle and if you sit on the ground she will come try to sit on your lap.
2. Carrie is a little Shadow. She follows me from room to room and likes to keep an eye on me. I can't even take a shower in this house without the dog following me into the bathroom!
3. I love love love her "Smart Bump". I guess one of her more "goldeny" traits is her silly bump on top of her head. It is pretty enormous and looks quite rediculous at times but it deffinately suits her. I swear it changes with her water intake! The more she drinks, the bigger it gets!
4. Another trait she inherited from her golden retriever genes is her feathery tail. She looks like a lab until you see her tail-which has just recently sprouted feathers that swish back and forth with each wag!
5. Carrie is smart! She picks up on things incredibly fast and is especially good at things that involve food.
6. Which brings me to the next thing I love about her: She is Food Motivated! Carrie will do just about anything for the magic word  ("Nice") that means food is coming. This is one of the things she inherited from the Labrador: She LOVES food. It has really come in handy when it comes to getting her over the car problems she had in the beginning.
7. Carrie is trusting. Being a softer-type dog, there are occasionally times when she gets a little uncomfortable. When this happens, it has been amazing to see her look up at me, see that I'm not scared, and choose to trust me and continue on without any fear.
8. She is a Goof Ball! Carrie is my silly, silly girl. She likes to clown off during her free time at home. She does 360 spins when the food bowl comes out and she will prance when she is happy.
9. Carrie has the prettiest smile ever! When she is really happy, she will give the biggest smile you have ever seen and it ends up looking a little goofy because of her crooked teeth!

10. I love her Size. She is the biggest female I have raised so far at about 60lbs. I have always had a soft spot for the super big boy dogs and I love that- while not huge- I don't have to bend over to pet her like I did with my last two girlies.
11. Carrie is the first altered puppy and also the first cross I have raised. She was altered at 6 months because of her funny teeth and I am excited to send her back and not have to wait through the agony of breeder evals.  And having a cross has been a ton of fun! She is different than the labs I have raised in so many ways and I feel like I am learning so much through her.

4 comments:

  1. She is beautiful!! I am thinking of going with a cross the next round, and a boy. I know every dog has it's own personality, but in general do you have any thoughts you'd like to post about that combo? =)

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  2. Hi Elle! I have a secret preference for the boys (shh don't tell Carrie). Before I began raising we only ever had boy dogs and I love their size most of all. I think they are also more dependent although as I said above, Carrie follows me around too.
    As for the crosses, I think they are going to start using a lot more of them at guide dogs. Carrie is MUCH less distractable than any of my labs were. She hardly blinks when other dogs walk by and is pretty much always focused on me and waiting for commands On the other hand though, they can be slightly softer dogs. They are also sometimes known for not being food motivated. Carrie is thank goodness

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  3. Or we wouldn't have gotten her over her fear of the car...

    Overall, it has been a great experience to raise a cross and I think it has taught me a lot about handling and especially dog body language which I am always looking at to make sure she is still doing okay around the cars.

    Im excited that you are talking about raising again!

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