Day 8 - A full week in

I have a dog.
It still sounds a bit weird, but it is starting to settle in.
What a roller-coaster this week has been–ups, downs and lots of teeth. Steadily increasing sleep quality and steadily decreasing sanity.

Energy level: ∞

Today, a friend came to visit– after not seeing Tera after picking her up. He could clearly see her physical growth, and got a taste of her seemingly unlimited energy. After playing with her for roughly 20-30 minutes, he asked when she was going to wind down. "She won't", I answered. Even though only in the last few minutes she started to really ramp up the energy and become mouthy, she was running and bouncing the whole time. She wasn't as mouthy as before, so that was a plus– something she started to make up for in the afternoon.

Life goes on

Today I decided to start picking up normal life again for a bit– some grocery shopping had to be done, I needed more treats for 'Sharky', and I still have a plant rack that needs finishing. I was avoiding the latter, due to the noise of the power tools, but it is time for her to get used to my life.
Most of my absence was while she was asleep, but I do have to take a look at separation anxiety– is it there, and if so how bad is it?
Since I also have to go places, Tera often has to come with. Getting her used to the car is very high on the priority list. Today was another repetition in the car; put her in the crate with the door open and drop treats on the floor. In the end I also closed the door for a while. Gave her treats for being a quiet little lady and took her out again. Tomorrow I will expand this by closing the hatch of the car and sit in the back seat, so she can see me. Maybe I will consider starting the engine. I will see.
Another priority is to figure out what can settle her down, maybe I will have to employ the powers of a stuffed frozen Kong.
Not only will being able to get her to settle be invaluable in the car, it will also greatly benefit us inside during our ever decreasing structured free time. Her bouncing around the house like a lunatic is not benefitting either of us. Being highly excited all the time is not fun for anyone. It is only a matter of time before she draws first blood. I would love for her to be out of the crate more, but having her outside for longer than 5 minutes just is not fun a lot of times.

Upsides

There are some things that are going quite well; she has not barked at passers-by for a few days now. I am training her to come to me when she sees a person or a dog, eventually ignoring them. She also only had one potty break last night, and only because I needed one myself. At this pace, she will be ready to sleep through the night and move to her big-girl crate (Amano Iwato) by the end of next week. Time will tell, and I won't rush things. I will at least start to transition her to that crate this week for during the day.

Obedience

I have been training her name and 'sit' today again. I do feel that her excitement is making it hard for her to focus.
I have also been continuing with 'voet', and she sits beautifully next to me with the lure. I really want to have 'sit' down as soon as possible, since that is one of the most useful pieces of obedience she can have in her life.

Manners

I have been trying to teach her threshold manners; no exiting the crate without my permission, and an open door does not mean you can just plow through. With this as well, her high energy makes it a challenge.

Mission

My mission for next week is as follows:
- She knows sit inside, and we are working on it outside
- We can drive for a short amount without freaking out
- She waits in her crate until I let her out
- I need to get a handle on her energy

Nothing that sounds impossible to me. The first week was overwhelming, but now that I have a good grasp on how she is, I can start to make a plan.