Echo has helped me A LOT, in that time. My wife has commented, multiple times, how Echo's presence, in my life, has helped me.
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That is not the point of this post. Though, it is close to it.
When I first heard of The Veteran (I am, purposefully, not giving a name, or, even, a gender to this person. I don't want to give personal information out that I don't have explicit permission to reveal.), I was told that The Veteran, mainly, needed Echo for companionship, and, maybe, some stability issues.
At that point, I started doing things to make sure that Echo was EQUALLY comfortable sleeping in her crate/kennel, and my bed. ... That way her Veteran has options, depending on his level of comfort with Echo.
I started doing more things with her off of her lead. HOWEVER, when working off lead, I pushed even harder for Echo to focus on me (her person). ... With the idea that she would transfer that focus to her Veteran, eventually.
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To "The Veteran":
Watch her. You know "body language", learn hers. Echo will tell you more with a glance, or a shift in the position of one of her ears, than most people will tell you in a 10-minute conversation.
When she "tells" you something, respond. ... With words, or actions, it doesn't matter. ... It's rude, when someone says something to you, to not respond. ... Echo will tell you, if you watch, when she thinks you are being rude.
Finally, Echo is a puppy. She passed 5 months old this last week. Depending on what expert you read, she is not going to be an "adult" dog for 7-17 months. She will want to play "games" with you. Those games are her games, not anything else. ... She, still, likes to play whatever game it is that we played her first morning here (watch out for the claws on her paws ...and THANK GOD, that she no longer has those needle-like puppy teeth). But, play that game with her. ... Find ways for her to chase you (NEVER chase her). ... THOSE kind of things will "bond" her to you. NOTHING in a "treat bag" will do that. ... The "bond" that comes from a treat bag is only as good as the treats in it ... and the value of "high value" treats has to forever escalate for that bond to be maintained. ... At some point, there are no more "high value treats". ... You are left with whatever bond that you and the dog have formed. So, form the bond, and the quality of the treats are superfluous, to an extent.
Once you have that bond, she is going to want to please you, and be near you as much as possible. Along those lines, Echo has a "soft soul." A kind word, looking into her eyes with a smile on your face, or a good scratch along her sides are going to get 10 times more from her than a single harsh word ever will.
Back to her being a puppy, there are going to be times where she is "done". It could be that she is tired, and wants "her spot" to take a nap. (In all likelihood, there is going to be a spot in your living area that she is going to claim as "her spot". When she goes there, she is telling you that she needs to rest or nap.) Then, there are times where she is going to hit "information overload". When that happens, she is going to get kind of crazy. In those times, you are going to have to find a way to get her to stop and rest. I would suggest, since Jean is going to have you "tethered", that you go to "her spot", and keep her there for about 10 minutes, or so. She will struggle, at first, to stay "crazy", and, then, she will settle in for a nap.
Another thing you need to know about Echo is that she is a "noisy" dog. Her "noises" are a good sign. If you pet her the right way when she is relaxing or trying to get to sleep, she groans. When she yawns, and it is a good thing, she does kind of a squeak. Those are just a few examples. But those noises are a sign of a happy dog.
If she uses her voice, on the other hand (barks, yips, or "bipes", to cite a few examples), something is not right, and you need to pay attention to it. Collies are known to be barkers, but Echo is not. If she uses her voice, then it is something that you need to pay attention to. For instance, a few nights ago, she went out and sat in my backyard, staring at the back fence. Then, she started barking at a specific area of the fence. Apparently, there was something on the other side of the fence, because her barking got Gimli's attention, and he "worked" the back fence for about 10 minutes. There was something there, but it never came into the backyard, while the three of us were out there.
Which brings us to another quirk of hers. It might be a "collie thing", but Echo has it. According to everything I have read about collies, they like to figure things out. They want to know more than "how", or "what". They need to know "why". To that end, Echo ... well, you have heard me talk about Echo "planting". Echo has two kinds of "plants". The first is Echo not sure/afraid/startled by something. In this case, she stands, and won't move. All four feet are planted, and if you pull on her lead, she leans in the other direction. ("Little Girl" understands the physics of "leverage", and will use all of her weight against you.) The second is the "plant" caused by curiosity. In that instance, she is going to "sit" and watch whatever it is that she is trying to figure out. Once again, if you try to move her, she is going to use the physics of leverage against you. If it's possible, in this case, let her watch. She is watching, and analyzing what she sees. Whatever it is, let her figure it out. You will be amazed by the results.
That is enough, for now. Jean wants me to come up with a comprehensive, yet concise, document that expresses these kind of things, and Echo's day-to-day things.
This is a decent start, AND I hope to have a hard copy of this kind of material to give you on Wednesday.
If this works with you and Echo, you are a lucky person. She is an AWESOME puppy, and should grow into being a wonderful dog.
I look forward to meeting you.
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