Meet My Dog, Misha

This is Misha...

Misha was a gift from my youngest nieces. A week after my Lab died, they showed up at my house with a 2 pound package. She was 8 weeks old and the tiniest thing!

Misha is white with brown markings. She has the Dalmatian spots that Jack Russell's are known for. Her ears are huge. You can't really tell in this photograph but they stick straight up in the air. Her ears were tipped when I first got her. They stayed that way for about four months. They one popped up and then a couple of months later the other one popped up.

Misha is a clown. She is constantly entertaining us with her antics. She loves to tricks. I'm always try to find something new to teach her.

Misha is going to be three years old in a couple of weeks. She's been through quite a bit in her short life. She was doing so well the first year. Then my Dad died and three months later we had to move. The upset messed up Misha's development. She became unruly, protective, and fearful. She went through a horrible period of 6 to 8 months where she didn't trust anyone.

I've been working on her behavior the last year and a half. It's been a long process and it hasn't been easy. She lost her trust in people, so I had to win that back at first.

We've still have work to do. I can say that she is much better now than she was two years ago. She has matured quite a bit in the last few months and some of her behavioral problems have gone away in that period.

I continue to work with her. Hopefully, she will eventually turn into the good dog that she was on track to be.

 

She really looks cute and playful.
And nice to know that she is getting better now. Out pets can really make us feel happy as they are natural entertainers.

 

She sounds like quite a character, thanks for sharing a photo!

Just noticed that she is has a very similar pose to your avatar!

 

Aww, I'm glad we finally get to meet her! I've been reading your stories about her throughout the forum, but didn't have a face to put with them. <3

I hope your progress with her continues, too. It sounds like everybody had a rough time for a while.

 

Becky, how funny! I never noticed that before. Yes, we do have the same pose. Maybe I am starting to look like my dog or vice versa.

Thanks for all the greetings. Jessi, thanks for the encouragement. I try to remember that training a dog is a long term commitment, not a short term one. That helps me stay focused.

It was a tough time for all of us after my Dad died. I suspect some of my grief and then the stress of moving rubbed off on the dog without realizing it. If my world was shaken up, her world had to be, too.

She has come a long way, but there is still work to be done.

 

Hi there Melody. My lovely dog is called Mishka. Mishy for short.
Is Misha still a clown doing her antics after the upheaval?
My Mishy makes me laugh so much. Dogs are great for this. I hope all goes well for you both, good luck.

 

Look how cute she is, I love those eyes and ears! She looks like she is the queen of her castle, and that house she is in is really cute and neat looking!

 

Misha is adorable and I'm sorry that she had gone through some tough times. I'm sorry for your loss, Melody. I hope you're both feeling much better now. I can see that her ears are huge but gee whizz, look at those eyes - so mischievous.

 

I found that tent bed on Ebay. She loves it. It's like her own private room.

Mystique, thanks for the kind words. It's been a difficult time, but it's getting better. Misha's problems shows how much our dog is reading us and how our behavior can affect them. They pick up on negativity and nervousness very well.

She has shown some positive signs over the last month. She's responding to commands much more readily. She seems more agreeable. I think she must be entering adulthood. I can see the maturity in her now. She's still energetic but the puppy wildness is going away.

By the way, her ears are not supposed to be like that. Jack Russell's have tipped ears. Her ears were tipped for her first 4 or 5 months. Then, one slowly popped up. They would switch off, one up and one down. She looked so funny with a bent ear and one standing straight up. Eventually, they stayed in the upright position. They are hard to miss.

 

Haha! You're right. I think Misha already knows how to tilt her head like Melody. She look like an active dog. I bet she loves to play.

 

Awe, what a comforting post about your dog. How is Misha? Was it ever strange from you to go from owning such a large dog to a smaller one?

 

Shepherd, it was a big adjustment! First, a 2 lb. puppy can get into a lot more places than a 8 lb. puppy. I ended up borrowing a playpen so I could put her somewhere safe when I had to do things around the house. Otherwise, she would get lost under beds and living room furniture like a hamster.

One important adjustment I had to make was how I walked her on leash. When you walk a 75 lb. dog, you have to use more strength especially when correcting or controlling the dog (like when a cat runs by you). I had to learn that there was less than 10 lbs. at the end of my leash and adjust my pulls. We had some mishaps. Thank goodness Misha was hearty because she took a couple of spills at first because of me.

Also, there is a tendency to treat small dogs differently than big dogs. I think it's because they look like puppies even when they are full grown. I've seen people baby small dogs to the point where the dog is a brat. It is a habit I've tried to keep myself from forming.

I think the bigger adjustment was going from an older, well trained dog to a puppy. Sierra was just shy of 14 when she died. Not only was she well trained, but she understood my every move. We communicated non-verbally a lot and she would react intuitively to what I was asking. Then, I got a 2 lb. puppy who couldn't sleep all night without peeing and who didn't understand anything I said. It isn't easy starting over and remembering that you have a puppy who must learn everything new.

 

Your dog is really cute.. I also have a dog with the same color as your Misha's and he also has those Dalmatian spots.. I will try to put a photo of my dog named Sparks..