The wife picked Nala up at the kennel while I was off doing my volunteer thing at the aquarium this morning. Apparently Nala had a good time at the kennel and seems to have barked herself hoarse. All that comes out now is a raspy bark. Very unusual because at home, Nala’s not really a barker. Even at the dog park she hardly ever barks. About the only time she will bark at home is when she spots a squirrel, bird or some other dog roaming through the back yard. We’ve been trying to keep her quiet so she can rest her vocal cords and recover. It’s kind of tough because she still wants to bark at whatever she happens to see in the back yard.
Hopefully she recovers her bark soon. She’s sounding kind of pathetic right now.
Nala Protector Dog
Lately Nala’s taken on the role of Fierce House Guardian, faithfully alerting us to all kinds of potential intruders – squirrels, birds, the occasional neighbourhood dog that’s escaped from its’ house and wanders through our yard. That kind of thing. She doe sthe job very effectively, and stands guard at the back door looking out for the little menaces.
First it starts with a huffing noise, which might turn into growling if she thinks she sees something. If she actually sees something (usually a squirrel), then she lets out a surprisingly deep bark or two.
A couple of times the last few weeks some of the neighbours’ dogs have become escape artists, and for some reason they always end up wandering through our back yard. Once Nala spots them, she lets out a bunch of growls and barks, but when they come close she’s all about playing and can’t wait to get out there to join them.
Then there are the stray dogs who come out of the woods every now and then. She definitely doesn’t like those intruder dogs, so they always get the fierce ‘Go away’ growls and barks.
So now we can rest safely at night knowing that Nala will keep us safe from the squirrels and birds. People on the other hand, she’d probably open the door for if she could.
Happy Birthday Nala!
Nala turns 1 year old today! Yay! Since we’re not at home, she can’t celebrate with her other dog buddies at the park today, but we’ll probably take her out tomorrow so she can have a good romp. In the meantime, it’s been lots of fetch and running around at the in-laws place today, which I think she likes just as much.
Meet Nala
This is Nala, the newest member of our family. We picked her up yesterday from the breeder, Fortune Labrador after a 10 week wait. She’ll be 11 weeks on Monday. Isn’t she just so cute looking? That’s a Puppy Kong chew toy she’s trying to figure out.
Her first night with us was a little bit stressful (as expected), but she’s doing all right now. She’s learning the lay of the kitchen, but still cries a bit when she’s left alone. The hard part is trying to figure out the difference between the ‘Give me attention’ whine and the ‘Gotta go to the bathroom’ whine.
She hasn’t quite figured out how to play when she’s the leash, but we’re working on that. She’s young, so it doesn’t take much to tire her out. A few short training sessions teaching her Sit and Down, and then a short trip outside for a bit of a walk pretty much does it for her at this point. So far she’s a lot of fun to have around, except for the 2AM bathroom break. We’re really looking forward to when she’s a little bit older and we can teach her more interesting tricks.