Susie oozes confidence these days…
When we decided to bring Twinkle Berry into our home, I thought long and hard over several weeks whether it would be a good idea for Susie-Belle. I considered whether she was sufficiently settled to accept a dog who would bring with her huge fears and anxiety. The atmosphere in the house would change for a while with Twinkle, as she has so much nervous energy and is scared of the most normal (to us) things, that I did worry that this may take Susie-Belle back to her own bad past and prove to be a set-back for her. This I was very sure I did not want to happen. Through talking with Janet, who had fostered both SusieB and Twinkle, I was reassured that Susie-Belle had healed sufficiently well that this would not happen.
Well. Why did I worry? I could not have been more wrong in my thoughts. Since Twinkle Berry has arrived, Susie-Belle has accelerated her move towards being a confident, sassy schnauzer. She was doing well beforehand, and we were seeing little signs every day of her increasing confidence. Now, it screams out at us that we have a confident little Susie-Belle in the house….and a lot of time outside too.
Yesterday I even had to say a fairly firm “no” to her, something that has rarely, if ever happened up to this point. She was grabbing every single liver biscuit that I attempted to give Twinkle. She must have grabbed five before I managed to get one close to Twinkle. I am having to remind Susie-Belle that she has manners these days and the ways of the barn are not the ways of the house.
Susie-Belle’s greediness is legendary but since her new sister has come into the household, she has stepped it up a notch….she now makes sure that no-one ever gets a single crumb before she gets her hefty portion, no-one ever gets more than her, no-one ever gets anything in fact without her trying to get it first. She is always there, first in the queue, first to spot any signs that food or treats maybe on offer. Whether it’s treats…meals…..cuddles….attention…..she is there, at the front, demanding she gets it first. No more hanging at the back trying not to bother anyone. No more pretending to be tiny and small and not really there. No more cowering and hanging her head. Nope, that Susie-Belle has gone, she is now showing Twinkle that if you sit at the back, you miss out. She is showing Twinkle that it’s a very good idea to bounce up and down in the kitchen when the food preparation starts. She is showing Twinkle that if the lid comes off the smelly pot of tripe sticks it’s very important to stare intently with your stump held high and wiggling hard so that you don’t get overlooked. And she’s showing Twinkle that if you hear the word sit, it’s best to plonk a fat little bottom hard down on the ground with shoulders spread wide, head held high, eyes brightly shining and if you do that quick enough, not only will you get one treat, you’ll be ready to grab the others that are bound to follow for the slow coach Renae.
….and to think I worried that bringing Twinkle into the house might lead to a little set back in Susie-Belle’s confidence…how wrong I got that. And in case anyone is wondering, we love the newly confident, sassy Susie-Belle even more than we did before, if that’s at all possible.
