More trouble with Megan

I am getting pretty concerned about Megan. I’m not sure what to do.  We had two little girls over today – they came with Pam’s sister. We started out things slowly – with Meg on a leash. When she seemed calm, I let her off the leash. She was still calm. She approached Laura (Pam’s sister) and each of the girls calmly with a wagging tail. She accepted petting without any problem. Then out of nowhere she jumped up and nipped one of the girls on the cheek.  It was very strange. There was not growling or barking or baring of teeth. It was just a quick nip and then she got down right away. When we reprimanded her she ran straight to the door to go outside. Shelby was kind of jumping on her at the time and competing for the girls’ attention. Right now we’re thinking the only thing to do is not allow Megan around small children. This makes us kind of sad as it really limits what we can do with her. Is there hope for training her to be more accepting of children?

Megan and the big party

Didn't go so well, actually. Luckily it was a nice enough day that she could stay out in the backyard. The party was a selling party for food products so with the amount of samples sitting around the house, it was in our plan to have the dogs outside most of the time. We did let them in for short visits, however. Shelby did fairly well. It was clear she was a little spooked, however. Especially when she refused a treat and preferred - instead - to remain safely in her corner. Megan really surprised me as she became quite aggressive. Not to everyone, only to a couple of little girls who desperately wanted to play with her. She growled at them. When the girls repeatedly called Shelby and tried to pick her up, Megan snapped, growled viciously and lunged. I thought perhaps she was tired at being outside, so I brought her in. She seemed okay until one of the girls walked toward her and reached out to pet her. Then she did the lunging, snapping, FEROCIOUS growl again. She never bit anyone and she was calm with Pam and me and other adults. Megan is usually so easy going that this behavior shocked me. Luckily we don't have small children over much, but I hope I can do something about this behavior

The animals after the big party

Megan is getting lighter

I took Shelby to the vet on Friday for her lepto booster and heartworm test. Megan came along for company. I put her on the scale and she was down 1.2 kilos in a month. I sure wish I could lose weight like that. In other news, Megan's behavior on walks seems to be improving. I don't know if she was feeling crabby or what. She is going to the groomer tomorrow. Maybe that will help her feel better. It just occurred to me that Shelby doesn't really care about petting. She loves to cuddle and sit on laps, but she doesn't really seem to enjoy petting that much. Strange. Also, she has discovered she can jump up on our bed by herself so now it's up and down, up and down constantly. Dulcinea the cat isn't too happy about this development!! I finally had to throw out my favorite armchair because Shelby had torn it to shreds.

Megan is regressing

While going for a walk yesterday I realized that Megan is regressing. She used to be such a calm, gentle girl. Now she pulls on the leash (NEVER a problem in the past) and is aggressive toward other dogs. It used to be no problem for her to greet other dogs on a walk. Now she growls and snaps. Of course, I need to work with her more. I'm wondering if it has something to do with Shelby being along. Could she be protecting "her" puppy?