Nikki and Bella were adopted together and are litter mates. I think it is very important to treat siblings as individuals. I work with each dog separately as well as working with them together..
The following pictures show Nikki and Bella outside on a 20ft leash learning how to sit/stay and down/stay with all the distractions of a New York City sidewalk. I try and keep the level of distraction in proportion to how well they know the exercise and make each increment (duration, distance and distraction level) harder all the time but only to the extent that I think they can be successful.
Success=Fun Failure=Frustration
Nikki and Bella are 1 year old on January 14th! Congratulations!
How far they have come!
They are seasoned international travelers, they are avid water dogs (which is quite funny considering their breed), they have a full repertoire of fun behaviors and most impressive for 2 high energy puppies : they have graduated out of their crates when alone.
Congratulations guys!
BellaNikki
House training is not an issue at all and has not been for many, many months. Behavior issues (both puppies had a lot of fear when they first were adopted) are solved..no destroyed furniture, all this while Janet launched a new and very successful career.
Do you remember the story of June, the rescue mini dachshund with the megaesophagus? Yesterday I got a text that June was able to stay alone without any signs of anxiety or barking for a whole hour! It is an excellent example demonstrating that separation anxiety is largely a function…
I find different behavior cases so interesting, challenging, and gratifying when I can find a way to solve the path. Today I went to see a dog with megaesophagus. This is a malformation of the esophagus that makes keeping food down very difficult. The dogs have to be put into…
Well, we started right away and after a few days I was able to send this video: Lola started to thrive. The process is so joyous for Lolabelle that everyone around Loli felt uplifted by her enthusiasm. Laurie and Lou were astonished at her ability to acquire new skills and…
In July of 2009 I had the great pleasure of meeting a little rat terrier named Lolabelle. She had been diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer called insulinoma in January of 2009 and her prognosis was grave. In fact when I met her she was expected to succumb…
Mya and Elias One of the most amazing things I am discovering is not only how eagerly dogs learn but how quickly they accomplish things that seem quite counter intuitive to a dog. A prime example for this is the exercise “leave it” where I place cookies on the paws…
Isis is a very smart puppy. Here she is, just like Nikki and Bella , in a sit/stay on the 20ft lead on a busy New York City sidewalk. Her greatest accomplishment is that she comes every single time when called . That allows her to go to Central Park…