Grrrrrrrrr...

The new doggie may be on my last nerve. She is such a great dog as dogs go, but she does have a few bad habits, one of which may be the straw that made the camel kick the dog.
She barks (REALLY LOUDLY) when she hears people outside, and she is a total counter-surfer so I have to watch what I leave out on the counter. Those quirks are annoying, but the one that has me wondering if we might have to give her away is the way she torments the cats. It's weird, because the first day or two she was here she'd give them a sniff and be on her merry way. No big deal at all. They lived side-by-side in peace. Now, it's like she just waits for them to make an appearance so she can chase them away or make whiny noises at them like she's egging them on to play. Betty hides away in the guest bedroom all the time, and only comes out to eat and poop when she knows the dog is outside. She is a prisoner in her own home. Gaucho is a little more brave, and either punches Nellie in the nose, or skulks away into the guest bedroom, which Nellie can't get into.

We signed Nellie up for the intermediate obedience class, because she already knows her basic commands really well and just needs to fine-tune her behavior. I'm hoping that we can get some ideas on what we can do to calm her chasing instinct, or if it's even possible. I hope we can figure this thing out in the next month or two, because if we can't there is no way I'm going to torture Betty like that. She was here first! Poor kitty. Nellie and Peanut get along all right inside the house, but when we go outside and run around they are best buddies! It's really cute.

If all else fails and we do need to give her up, I'm going to make sure she goes to a really great family, preferably with kids. My plan is to put her up on Craigslist, and require that I meet anyone who replies at their home. I'm not going to charge a re-homing fee, I just want her to be somewhere that she is loved, happy, and healthy. She really is a great dog. Maya grabs fists full of dog hair and yanks away. Nellie doesn't even flinch. I think she actually like the attention. What a little masochist!

I'll keep everyone posted on Nellie's progress. Hopefully this class will be of some help. Wish us luck!