mx5055
Well-Known Member
I went to New Jersey last Sunday ( I live in Baltimore, Md) and picked up my Bella Mia (13 weeks) from an iffy rescue situation. She is my first Cane Corso (I have had boxers/rottis all my life). When I got her she was thin as a rail, flaky, itchy skin, and scared as all get out at any sound, movement, etc; and every time I would go to touch her (even just to pet her, and speaking in a really soft voice) she would totally freak out and immediately go on her back straight into submission.
I brought her home, and have spent the last week totally concentrating on making her feel safe and secure, more confident in herself, and of course, housebreaking. The difference between last Sunday and today is amazing! I live right in the middle of Baltimore City, but I am lucky in that I have a fenced front and backyard. It is extremely noisy where I live (helicopters flying over constantly, kids playing in the street, people walking their dogs by at all hours of the day, neighbors coming and going, and constant traffic noise). My front yard is cyclone fenced, so I chose it to begin with, exposing Bella not only to all the sounds, but also to all the visual. We started going out for 5 minutes at a time, and the first day she never left the front porch (except for all the times I carried her down the steps to the lawn and gave her the command, "Get Busy". To fast forward, now Bella stays out for 30 or so minutes at a time (never without me by her side), runs up and down the steps playing fetch with me and her toy alligator, has learned that neighbors coming and going, kids playing, helicopters flying above, etc., are ok things. The first time she found her voice and barked, she scared herself so bad that she went and hid under the porch chair...lol. Mostly though, I think Bella is realizing that she is someplace safe, she is going to be fed 3x a day, she has a warm bed to sleep in (and that her crate is a safe place), no one is going to hurt her, and that above all else, she is loved! And, I got my own reward out of all this by my first puppy kiss given freely by her last night!!!
This is just the beginning of course; she goes for her 2nd set of puppy shots tomorrow, and hopefully soon we can begin expanding her world.
I want to take a moment to thank all the wonderful people on this site that have experience with these types of dogs and take the time to answer questions, give advice, and share their experiences with people like me. I have spent hours pouring over the threads/discussions, and using the search option on this site looking for information on a breed of dog that is new to me. Your input has been invaluable to me, and I have learned so much....with so much yet to learn. Thank you all so much
) Cindy
I brought her home, and have spent the last week totally concentrating on making her feel safe and secure, more confident in herself, and of course, housebreaking. The difference between last Sunday and today is amazing! I live right in the middle of Baltimore City, but I am lucky in that I have a fenced front and backyard. It is extremely noisy where I live (helicopters flying over constantly, kids playing in the street, people walking their dogs by at all hours of the day, neighbors coming and going, and constant traffic noise). My front yard is cyclone fenced, so I chose it to begin with, exposing Bella not only to all the sounds, but also to all the visual. We started going out for 5 minutes at a time, and the first day she never left the front porch (except for all the times I carried her down the steps to the lawn and gave her the command, "Get Busy". To fast forward, now Bella stays out for 30 or so minutes at a time (never without me by her side), runs up and down the steps playing fetch with me and her toy alligator, has learned that neighbors coming and going, kids playing, helicopters flying above, etc., are ok things. The first time she found her voice and barked, she scared herself so bad that she went and hid under the porch chair...lol. Mostly though, I think Bella is realizing that she is someplace safe, she is going to be fed 3x a day, she has a warm bed to sleep in (and that her crate is a safe place), no one is going to hurt her, and that above all else, she is loved! And, I got my own reward out of all this by my first puppy kiss given freely by her last night!!!
This is just the beginning of course; she goes for her 2nd set of puppy shots tomorrow, and hopefully soon we can begin expanding her world.
I want to take a moment to thank all the wonderful people on this site that have experience with these types of dogs and take the time to answer questions, give advice, and share their experiences with people like me. I have spent hours pouring over the threads/discussions, and using the search option on this site looking for information on a breed of dog that is new to me. Your input has been invaluable to me, and I have learned so much....with so much yet to learn. Thank you all so much
) Cindy
