Doggie Training (again)

I cannot believe it, but it has been two and a half years since we bought Eu-mi. She is almost 3 years old (her birthday is December 14th)! When I look back, I can remember her as a tiny 8-week old pup. I can remember waking up two or three times during the night to take her out to potty. I remember boiling water in the middle of the night to put it in a Nalgene bottle and then stuffing that bottle in an unwashed undershirt of mine that would go in her crate with her. Why, you ask? It would calm her down enough to sleep alone, after just being yanked from the comfort and familiarity of her litter. Oh, the things we would do!

The list could go on and on. Teaching her to potty outside. Teaching her to sit and wait until we commanded her that she could eat. Teaching her to lay down. Teaching her not to bark... no matter how much she may want to. Teaching her to be good in the bathtub. And teaching her to get in her crate at night and not whine, moan, yelp even though she may want to get out.

Fat little dog! Eating her nummies!

Her first bath!

Snuggling in her blanket (~ 10 mos. old)

At the park (~10 mos. old)

Fast-forward a few years. Eu-mi has settled down a bit more. She's still rambunctious (don't get me wrong!), but she's not quite as crazy as she used to be. She knows the rules of the home, and - for the most part - she behaves herself. I do believe she's gotten a little lazy....

Well, since we are going to Virginia for two weeks over Christmas and New Years, we decided that it would be cheaper and far less scarring than boarding Eu-mi to bring her along with us on the plane. So we looked on AirTran's website and found out what was allowed. Then we went to the store and bought a pet carrier that is airline-approved.

Now we are using every means we can to help Eu-mi adjust to the traveling carrier, so that she's ready for the challenge in a few months. 

Our goal: for Eu-mi to successfully manage the long flights without  1) hurting herself, 2) having an accident, 3) annoying us, or 4) annoying the other passengers on the flights. 

Our plan of action:  TREATS! We are shamelessly bribing our dog to get in the crate, to be closed inside the crate, to be carried in the crate around the house. The crate is in the living room, and we are going to make it part of Eu-mi's every day experience from now until the day we pack her up. We have also contacted the vet to find out what she recommends for pet travel.

The Ultimate Test: The mall. Or some other such place that will be similar to an airport terminal. 

Please pray for us! And for Eu-mi! As I said earlier, she has gotten a little lazy, so a little training will probably be good for her (and for us). Don't want to get rusty, do we? We'll let you know how it goes...