Now, before I even start, I'd just like to say that I love Yeti (my dog), but sometimes she is overwhelming. Yeti is my family's almost two year old St. Bernard-Great Pyrenees mix. When we got Yeti, she was barely any bigger than our dachshunds. Now Yeti is roughly the size of a miniature horse. For those of you who cannot load the photos, I will put that in perspective. I am five foot and three inches tall. When on all fours, Yeti's back is level with my hips. When she is sitting, her head is above my waist. In other words, when she is good she is a lovable teddy bear. But when she is bad, she is a not-so-little monster. Although my family has had large dogs in the past, Yeti is completely new territory. So over the past year and a half, I have noticed some things that have been a struggle with Yeti that we have not had to deal with before.
1. Yeti thinks she is a wiener dog.
As I mentioned before, my family also owns dachshunds, and Yeti was their size when we first got her. So, Yeti grew up watching Missy and Scrappy (our Dachsies) and has always tried to copy them. Sometime this means she still climbs on to my lap. Other times this means that she tries to fit under various pieces of furniture. This also means that Yeti still thinks that she needs to come inside all the time, even though she is technically an outside dog.
2. Yeti is not a fan of colorful objects.
Admittedly, this is partially my fault. When Yeti was going through her teething stage, I used to wear a pair of floral printed rain boots to keep her from biting my ankles. As a result, Yeti now hates those boots and tries to destroy them every time I take them out. Unfortunately, she also now dislikes anything colorful or floral, including my mother's garden. After Yeti's first spring on the farm, mom has learned to stick with hanging plants. This is partially because she does not want them dug up, and partially because Yeti broke every single one of her ground pots.
3. Yeti follows cars.
Normally this wouldn't be an issue for my family, because we live in the country on a long dirt road that has little to no outside traffic. However, Yeti has the issue of following us when we leave, though she has gotten a little better. It use to be we would have to trick her with food in order to leave. Now she does not really follow my parents anymore. She still follows me though. I think it might be because while she has realized that my parents return with in the day, she still thinks that every time I drive off I am leaving for college and not returning for a bit. So for me, I have just taken to locking her in the house before I leave.
