strange dog

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I am a new dog owner. I got my dog from the humane society. She had been
left somewhere i believe. She was never spayed. Just got her spayed recently.
She had fleas, heartworms, intestinal parasites and some other things. She
had just finished her flea treatment when she was fixed. That was about a
week ago. She is due to get her stitches out Sunday. I have noticed some I
guess what would be called puppy behavior. She is definitely not a puppy
though. She is 6 or 7. A terrier lab mix. When I leave to go to work or other
things she seems ok with bathroom. She doesn't mess in the house.
When I come back shes like evil dog from the liar possessed with energy. I
literally can't calm her down. One thing she does which really scares me as
she still has those stitches is the Army Crawl. Sprawling her hind legs out and
crawling to me dragging her belly on the ground. I have seen some dogs do
this before. I don't want her doing this cause she could rip her stitches right
out. Why is she doing this though? Is she just happy? She does not normally
do this when I am home.
Adam

ANSWER: I wouldn't be too concerned about the crawling hurting the stitches.  If she hurt, likely she would stop.  Just give her plenty of attention.  She may not of had much attention for a while and may miss her old people.  Once she realizes you will come home every day, she will bond closely with you.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yeah,
I knew  that since her old owners had not spayed her I had to. I am not sure if
she needs training or if she is just adjusting to me and happy to have a good
home. Should I pursue training?
Adam

Answer
Yes, I am a strong believer in obedience training.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

I forgot to mention in my first answer that I am pleased you took the responsible step of having her spayed.