I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated this and I’m sorry for the lapse. Life has been pretty hectic with my job and of course, raising an energetic vizsla puppy!
Zara turned 5 months old on Tuesday! Hard to believe we’ve had her for 3 months and that she used to be a little 12 lb. baby. Now she weighs about 34 lbs. and is starting to look less like a puppy and more like a small adult vizsla. She has all her adult teeth since her front canines just came in this week. I think we found 3 or 4 teeth (mostly weird-looking baby molars!) during the teething process. I guess she swallowed the rest or they just got swept up in the other dirt on the floor. In general, I would say that the teething process wasn’t bad. I had read that puppies will increase the amount of chewing they do while teething to relieve any uncomfortable sensations. Zara has been a pretty chewy puppy since we got her so I was a bit worried but I didn’t notice much of a difference once she started losing her teeth. She’s been pretty good about sticking to her toys and bones and not chewing our stuff, unless of course she wants attention. ;)
Two weekends ago, Chris, Zara, and I went away for the weekend with a bunch of friends. We rented a house in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland which is a four-season destination with a ski resort for the winter and lake activities in the summer. Zara’s friend Jax was there as well and our other friend’s dog Sasha. This was the first time we had Zara away from home for an overnight and I wasn’t sure how she would do, especially in a new environment. Thankfully, Zara is usually happy to go anywhere with us, especially if other people or dogs are around. She loved the house we were staying in since it was huge and she could run around up and down the stairs. She also loved being around so many other people – so many possibilities for attention! And of course, she and Jax had some good games of tug of war and chase. When we got home that Sunday, Zara was exhausted from all the excitement until Monday!
We’ve been continually trying to expose her to new places and experiences. Last week, I was excited to find that another neighborhood near us (Clarendon) has lots of dog-friendly stores. Last Friday night we went to the Apple store, Lululemon, and Loft. Dogs are also allowed in Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Orvis, but we didn’t go in those. I called all of the stores ahead of time just to check. I had read that some Barnes and Nobles allow dogs, but unfortunately the one in Clarendon does not. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I think it’s awesome that dogs are allowed in so many stores. That was not something I realized before we got Zara, but I love having the option of taking her places.
We also went hiking last weekend in Rock Creek Park with my friend Sarah. The weather was warm and the trails were pretty nice, although some were a bit muddy. There is a horse center near the place we started hiking and toward the end of none hike, we happened upon a training ring with a horse in it. The horse was very friendly and calm and walked over to us. It was behind a fence. I was quite excited because it was a great socialization experience for Zara. She was definitely scared at first and her legs were shaking. She stood still staring at the large creature while Sarah went over to pet the horse. We stayed like that for a couple minutes and the whole time, the horse was very calm and let Sarah pet her. I gave Zara a few treats while we were standing there to help her see the experience as positive. After a few minutes, I slowly walked toward the horse and she followed. I started petting the horse as well and she warmed up to the idea. Her tail started wagging and she tried to sniff the horse. We didn’t stay long and continued on our way. Below is a photo of Zara observing the horse.
Zara thinks: What is that?!
