Bella is off on an adventure - January 16

We met today and Petsmart. Bella sat and waited inside the door. When she say Jaclynn come in she got excited, wagging her tail and happily went up to her lap as if she had known Jaclynn for years.

This is definitely a bond that will continue to develop and grow over the years. I left the two of them alone as the went about shopping for a crate, bed and treats. Jaclynn is going to continue with the work of easing Bella through her stressful times and reinforcing the positive playfulness of Bella's personality.

Foster Update November 13th

I have not had the time to seriously work with her on the Halti and the Heel command. As a result she still pulls on her leash, standing on her hind legs whenever there is a bag or leaf blowing by, a squirrel, or a larger moving vehicle like a bus or truck. Before I put her up for adoption I want her to be more controlled on her leash. I plan on spending 10 - 15 mintues a day in the next few weeks with just her walking on the Halti

One of the main reasons for not concentrating on the training has been another rescue pug who is now staying with us. My former foster dog - Barnaby - was returned. I was very spleased at how well Bella and him integrated. Bella made no move to challenge him nor was she agressive in any way. They sniffed each other a few times and then did not bother each other after that. This may be a good indication that she is learning to live with/adjust to having other dogs around her. She will still be adopted to an only dog household, but it shows she has the ability to change and adapt.

Her nature as a fun loving, energetic, inquisitive dog has blossomed. I now attach a long rope on her, allowing her to run with certain known dogs in the park. When a I call she always comes back to me for a reward.

Foster Update Oct 8th

We had a bit of a set back when I left the leash and Halti on the coffee table. After I went to bed, the smart little Bella went and got the Halti and brought it back to her bed. The next morning I found it - the loop that went around her nose had been cleanly chewed through on booth sides - like the work of a skilled surgeon.

She now gets along well with Dante (my eldest dog) and Odin. This is a good sign that she can learn to respect and find her social place with other dogs. We are continuing our work with introducing her to other dogs while in the training collar. When she responds with the behaviour I want - she immediately gets a liver bit. it will take a few more weeks but I already see a vast improvment to her socialization than when she first came to me.

Bella is bursting with energy and loves to run in circles when I come home. She will jump to the couch to give me licks and then go on to her back for a belly rub. Her place to sleep in on her dog bed beside mine. On weekend mornings she loves to come up, crawl under the covers and rest her little chin on my shin.

We are going to be working on the Heel command over the next couple of weeks. I'll give another update at the end of October.

Foster Update September 21

Bella's vet check went very well. She is 14 lbs. The vet noticed some old scars on her head and lower back. She was most likely a dominant pup and got into some fights with larger dogs. This may explain her need to take agressive control of the situation/environment. But she is in very good condition, eyes, teeth, ears, lungs, heart and overall body are all tip top. Her wellness blood test results were good, she is free of parasites.

We have been working on establishing my authority, gentle touch and eye contact and the command "Sit". Bella gets easily distracted by motion and sounds around her so getting her to respond to her name, look at me and sit on command has been the focus of our training.

We have now started walking on a leash. I've decided to use the Halti harness to work with her on this and then the heel command She has reponded fairly well to the Halti and is now walking easily by my side. The Halti harness is a tool invented by a British veterinarian that aids in bringing control to dogs who are pullers or have not had walking on the lead training. It has a slip ring just below the jaw that will move up if she pulls forward. It begins to close the mouth which is her signal to slow down, loosen the resistence and her mouth remains open. (Dogs to not like to have their mouths closed on them). At first she tried to take it off with her paws. We worked at this in the safety of the backyard until she realized it was more rewarding to have the Halti on than off. Praise and treat reward were used so now she sits quietly while I put on the Halti. She loves to go for walks so the Halti slipping on her snout is her signal that she is going out. All of these positive reinforcement has meant she accepted the Halti over a 24 hour training period

She is being more submissive now that the Halti training has begun. She is less and less jumping up and barking at the other dogs in the park. This is good because it shows her behaviour will be able to be changed for the better. She is responding very well to the calm, gentle approach I have been taking. She now greets me at the door and gives me little licks. She sits along with the others while I put away my stuff and then everyone gets a treat. She follows me around the apartment and sleeps beside me when I'm at the computer. I will continue to work on her Halti training and provide an update in mid-October.
Larry

Foster Update September 7

We have started with simple eye contact. She gets hand feed and I command her to either sit or lay down before I give her some food. She now sits on command and will go into her crate and lay down when I give the command.

She has not been taught how to walk on leash. Her inquisitivness, although endearing, makes her walks on the lead uncontrolable. She will zig zag back and forth or go around in a circle as evey little movement, squirrel, pigeon, pedestrian or car will attract her attention. She has a curious habit of wanting to look into store front windows - standing up on her hinds legs and looking in. So I will taking her out on her own and begin her training on walking on a lead

She is house trained and is comfortable with going into her crate for time outs. When I go out, I have her go into her crate so there will be no dominance conflicts with the other dogs.

Bella is a lovely little dog who needs to understand that there are rules she has to follow. She has a lot going for her which gives me the confidence that she can overcome her behavioral problems. This is going to take awhile to develop but in the end a confident, happy and socially adjusted dog will emerge

Introduction, September 2

She was an owner surrender and the initial assessment was a dog with a lot of nervous energy but had not been given the rules of behaviour. She is reported to be agressive with children and other dogs - even attacking 3 dogs much larger than her. Part of her assessment with me will be to see how she integrates with Dante, Dublin and Odin. So far she is obedient when I direct her to lay down. There have been a couple of skirmishes but I expected that.

She came into the Ohio shelter covered in fleas, with a touch of Dermatitis. She is in the last stages of Kennel Cough which she is taking medication for. As no foster homes for the Ohio rescue group were available, she stayed at the rescure worker's home until she could be transported. She had her spaying operation and rabies vaccination in Ohio on August 29.