Housewife Life: Dog Training

Wow! I can't believe how much time and energy it takes to train your dog.

I am totally committed to training her because we will be together for more than ten years and I have seen, first hand, what an untrained dog can do to your life.

Here is what my day looks like with Miss Ellie:

6:00 AM-Outside and Breakfast
9:00 AM-Outside
Noon-Outside and Lunch
4:00-Outside
6:00-Dinner
8:00-Outside

Training Tasks through the day: Kennel training (Almost done), Hand feed one of the meals (30 minutes), 30 minute walk, 10 minute game of fetch, 10 minute game of tug, 10 minute training on new trick...right now it is lay down.

Even with all of that, I feel like I have been really productive, like she is giving me energy and motivation...mostly because I just want to get back to cuddling her.

Ellie is just one big, furry, cuddle monster who lacks manners (we are working on that and it is already better 2 days post training session!)

She likes to be held like a baby...

Just one of our morning cuddle sessions...she is not a morning dog.

Our first solo walk in the park after doing our civic duty!

She loves face kisses...I do not.

Have you trained a dog? Did you use a trainer? Share below!

Housewife Life: Introducing Ellie!!!!

Flashback to a few weeks ago...

I had been dropping hints that I felt it was time to find ourselves our dog, but my husband was ignoring those hints. He wants us to concentrate on what we need to do. But after almost three months of being alone in the house all day, I was extremely lonely.

Finally, I got him to agree to go look at dogs on October 4. It was a tough day because three months before, we had to take Lexi to the vet for her last round of fluids because we had made the decision to let her go on Friday, July 6.

We went to see the dog I had had my eye on and it was not a great fit. On a whim, we went to the Nashville Humane Association just to look around.

In the first room we went into, there was Ellie. She was calm and quiet in the shelter. She was a beautiful, spotted Australian cattledog mix. We continued looking and went to the front desk because we wanted to meet Ellie.

The adoption counselor took us outside and gave us the rundown on Ellie. As a cattledog, she would need a ton of work. She needs to be busy, she needs to be exercised and she needs to be the only dog in the house.

We took her on a short walk and found that she listened well, she was sweet and she inched her way into Chris's heart.

We went back in and started the paperwork and excitedly got to bring Ellie home!

I drove Ellie home and Chris went to the store to get dog supplies. We investigated the house, walked around the yard and waited for Chris to come home with dog food and human food.

We learned that Ellie pees when scared and is super cuddly. She even wriggled her way into our bed.

A little about Ellie...
Ellie is a 2 year old Australian cattledog mix. She was brought to Nashville after Hurricane Florence damaged the shelter she was in in North Carolina. She HATES other dogs and LOVES cuddling.

Ellie has already been such a blessing. We have a few things to work on...not biting me when she is playing and sleeping in her own bed.

We have been taking walks, going on car rides, playing fetch and mostly cuddling.

So, welcome Ellie! We love you so much already!!!!