I'll concure with others and say it sounds like Leather Ear. Was Lexie used for breeding or was she in a kennel environment? This could be part of the reason for her stiffening up when you pick her up. Little ones that have little or no contact will do this. As far as jumping on the furniture as Jen said it's not a bad thing, BUT I'm pretty certain over time she will. She may not have had great nutrition, and she needs to build muscle. I have five that are rescues and none could jump up on furniture etc. They just weren't not strong enough to do that. Over time I noticed the difference, from playing and being able to run and of course the good nutrition, that they put on weight and developed nice muscle tone.
Elaine (mom to five rescues and one little xmas midget) |