Nahla's Intro!

Hi everyone!

I was pretty bushed from our drive home yesterday so I didn't get much of a chance to update/post pictures like I'd hoped I would! So, having said that, I have quite a few extra as a result now. :]

For those who don't know, a few days ago (October 3rd, to be exact) I adopted a beautiful six year old from a shelter. :] I was told she was a borzoi mix of some sort, and I think she's probably got some collie in her, but I'm not the best with dog breeds so I'm really not sure. She does have some periodontal disease issues and we're going to see the vet about that as soon as possible to get her looked at, and she has trigeminal muscle atrophy, though that's apparently benign so nothing to worry about. :]

I decided to name her Nahla (her name at the shelter was Buddy Girl ) and she's such a beautiful soul. <3 She is very calm and sweet, very submissive with my cats and friendly towards other dogs and people. She's very much a "velcro" dog but she doesn't seem to have any separation anxiety issues which is just perfect. :] She's hit or miss with food at the moment, but I believe this is somewhat common, given the stress issues? She does eat her kongs well (I've been following the shelter recommendation of a cup in the morning, two kongs throughout the day, and a cup in the evening) but she seems to be a bit disinterested in the kibble. We'll see how that progresses. :]

As promised, here are pictures (and hopefully I did that right - I've never posted pictures to a forum before)! As a fair warning, some are taken on a camera and some are taken with my crummy iPod, so if the quality is shoddy on some of the pictures, that's why. :] If anyone has any tips or anything that would be great - she walks well on leash and does well with taking food/high value items like toys, and we're starting on clicker training for some neat tricks. :] I am however struggling to teach "Sit" - she doesn't ever seem to sit voluntarily (she'll lie down or stand readily, but I've never seen her sit) and she doesn't appear to be able to be lured into a sit - any ideas there?

Anyway, on to the pictures! <3

Caught her sleeping like this, heehee. :]



Just ignore my ucky self in the background. >> My friend and I were trying to get pictures at the same time!



She looks a lot bigger than she is - her official weight is 48.75lbs. :] I am not sure if we should be aiming to "fatten her up" - a friend of mine thinks she should be 70+ lbs but she is not at all big, she's very willowy and seems to have a frame that does better with a bit of a lighter build. I haven't ever owned a sighthound or any kind of similar mix before, though, so if anyone has any information for me I'd appreciate that. :]



Another sleepy pic. :]



Headshot! :]



Naptime on the bed with Charizard. >



This is the first picture ever taken of her! :] When I adopted her she hadn't even had a picture taken for the website yet. X3



Another just-hanging-out picture. I love her face so much. <3

She is lovely! What a lucky girl to find her way into your home! I can't wait to see more pictures as she settles in. The description of her personality just makes me smile. She sounds like such a sweet soul.

Is she incredibly bony? It's so hard to tell with that nice thick coat of hers, but nothing in the pictures makes me think she looks thin at all. 20 lbs is a LOT of weight. I wouldn't worry about trying to put any on her until she's seen your vet and you can discuss it with him/her.

Thank you! She is an absolute darling. <3 The local vet I took her to for her rabies shot and a nice nail clipping couldn't stop gushing about her. She did very well for her exam and was all tail wags. <3 I couldn't have been prouder!

No, not at all. She could probably stand to gain a few pounds comfortably, but you can't see her ribs really and when I press to check they seem comfortable to be. I think she just assumes big dog = big weight but I feel like she's quite good where she's at. I have only ever owned small dogs before, though, and none with her frame, so I wasn't at all sure where to go with that.

Just after her dinner (which she ate just fine). :] She says hello everyone!

OMG!!!! GORGEOUS!!

I doubt she has any Borzoi in her at all. She's all Smooth Collie.









Good luck with her. She sounds like she'll fit in great.

Ahhh, she looks so much like those pictures! She was surrendered as a Borzoi mix so that's what's on all of her papers, but people keep saying greyhound/collie mix to me. I really have no idea what she is at all but those pictures look a lot like her, especially her face! :] I'm totally in love with that needle nose, haha. <3

She has fit in so wonderfully. <3 I have to say I'm so very glad I took a chance on her as an older dog with health issues - I don't regret a thing and I feel like she was exactly the kind of dog I was looking for. <3

Y'know, I was gonna say Greyhound/Collie too lol. She is so cute!

I can see Greyhound/Collie! But if you told me she had papers and was pure Collie I'd believe you, haha. LOVE her markings.

Agreed! Wonderful, gorgeous pup - I'm so happy you got her

Awww she is gorgeous! She really really looks Collie x Greyhound... that pic of her ears up near the litterbox, her head screams greyhound to me .

She looks almost overweight to me from the pictures? I don't think any weight is necessary.

She's so pretty. Thank you for adopting her.

She's beautiful
Congrats!

Thank you for all the kind compliments, everyone! <3 I am absolutely grinning like a fool, haha. I'm so in love with this girl, she's absolutely wonderful! <3

Good morning, Chaz!



Mom is settled at the computer... which means I have to be settled right behind her!

awwww congrats!

Thanks everyone! :]

I haven't been feeling very well today so I decided to be lazy and work some of her energy off by playtime inside today! They might not be the best quality but I really loved how they turned out so I decided to share them anyway, haha. :]

I have since given her a little bath to get some muckies out of her coat and because I couldn't quite decide if her coat was patchy or just wonky. It seems it is indeed a bit wonky! What I thought were patches are apparently just white-coloured fluffy bits of coat... a bit odd, but I think it adds to her character. :]

We have also since been to our regular vet, and the verdict is that we will not yet extract the teeth because, while they're definitely a bit worrying, they apparently aren't quite at "these have to come out" level, so we're monitoring. In the meantime, she gets her teeth brushed once a day and gets some nice things to chew on! :]

On to the pictures!

"Throw the toy, mum! "



Random cat toy in the background, haha.

SHe looks so intelligent. beauty and brains, Congrats!

She is beautiful! She looks all Collie in all the photos you've posted. I'm glad she is working out for you.

Such a pretty girl! She probably does not like Kibble due to the dental issues.

I thought i saw Borzoi and maybe german shepherd? One picture looks a lot like it. The light frame comes from the borzoi/hound is my guess.

The sit should be pretty easy using the usual methods where you offer a treat, go up and back with it, and gently push down on the rear hips followed with the CR praise. I am not that experienced but that is how we did it in training class.

Congratulations on the new dog!!

-Mark.

Thank you everyone! :]

She does have a very collie-like look to her so I'm fairly sure she's at least part collie, but I do see a bit of sighthound. We were told Borzoi mix initially, but I'm not sure! Lately I've just been referring to her as a collie/greyhound mix, haha, since most people in my area that we meet don't know what a Borzoi is. :]

She is so, so clever! She's already figured out the house rules, and while a few things have cropped up it's nothing major or anything I don't feel equipped to handle. :] She loves the clicker and it makes training super fun to see how excited she gets about it!

@Stingr69 - she actually doesn't seem to mind her kibble! :] I asked the vet if I should soak it or mix it with wet food and I was told to leave it as-is unless she should stop eating it, then to mix it with a bit of wet food. :] I've had people ask if she's part shepherd but I'm not sure... I'd be more inclined to say collie, but I really don't know! Borzoi is what she was listed as so it's possible! :]

Sitting has been a pain, haha. I've been using MilliesMom's technique since that seems to do it for us the easiest but it's still slow-going. But, we practice once a day on Sit so I'm sure that eventually we'll get there, haha. :]

I have three borzoi, and my first thought was borzoi, not collie, but the angle of the photos makes it difficult to tell. Can you get a picture of her from the side while she's standing.

Queen Victoria bred borzoi into collies to pretty up the heads, so there are some similarities between the breeds, and therefore, trying to figure out which breed is behind a mix can be difficult. Also, black and tan is a common color in borzoi, not just in collies, so the color isn't a clue.

She's absolutely adorable, whatever she is.

@protodog: Does this picture help at all? She's a bit difficult to take a picture of from the side directly as she doesn't seem to understand yet why I wouldn't want her all up in my business, haha. The only time I can really seem to get her is while she's eating, and she does crouch down a bit in the front.