And now for my next trick...

An ongoing lesson is learning to wait in doorways. She is getting very good at this trick. "Wait," I say before opening the door. All the dogs wait patiently, well except the puppy who waits not so patiently. There stands Looker, who I am more often calling Kiss now, waiting calmly in the middle of my pack. On the way back in it is hard. She must wait her turn as I bring the dogs in one by one, so I can wipe their feet before releasing them. I am happy to say that today little Kiss waited patiently as two other dogs were let in one at a time. She then stood calmly in the entry way while I wiped her feet.

She is also learning to wait for me to put her food bowl down & then release her before eating. She is already a polite girl with people but these things are rules in my house to prevent chaos in our multi dog household. The Greyhounds catch on to these things as faster or faster than any other fosters we've had. These may seem like minor niceties to some folks but it helps life to be calmer & easier for all involved.

The dogs learn quickly & even enjoy this. We keep some structure & order without making things too rigid. They still get to show their own style in everything they do. When I bring the dogs in, I wipe their feet then release them to do their own thing. Venus just trots over to her bed to lay down. Luke bounds through the living room, sometimes grabbing a toy & doing a "victory lap" around the dining room table. (He's an almost 12 yo Greyhound, btw.) Kiss/Looker acts more like Luna the puppy. When I release her she stays put in hopes of getting extra lovin'. I have to shoo her off so I can let the next dog in. Only then does she trot off to find a toy to play with or a bed to stretch out on. She would be happy to just stretch out & let you give her tummy rubs all day.