Welcome help: new puppy tricks

I had the trainer, Bonnie, here Friday afternoon. She is absolutely wonderful. And she rescues dogs. She also has two from a breeder for the same reason I got Lila. She wanted something warm, soft, loving and easy in her life. Meanwhile she has eight dogs, six of them rescues. She works with dogs from shelters that are aggressive, rehabilitates them, if possible, and finds homes for them (also, if possible, which is the reason she has eight dogs now—six were not adoptable).

The main area she helped me with was the biting, chewing, nipping. Basically she said to freeze, not look at the pup, wait until she stops (which she will out of boredom, not getting the attention she is looking for), say “thank you” and move on. Of course, if she bites, a simple “ouch” stops her. Amazing, her vocabulary at nine weeks!

In the meantime, Lila’s beginning to get a bit cheeky: not coming when called. Just looks at me with a “ya gotta be kidding” look. So I’m going to get a long line tomorrow and other training paraphernalia (a cheap lead to put on her to drag around the house, get her used to the idea of it). Bonnie is coming back next Friday. It is such a relief to have someone help me.

We go into Halifax this afternoon. School tomorrow. Two classes, actually. My adult painting class is meeting again Monday afternoon. It will be a long day for both of us. Lila seems to have adapted easily to my peripatetic lifestyle. And crating her gives me enough freedom to appreciate the time I have with her.

Tomorrow I will talk about something other than my puppy!

Posted by leya at January 15, 2006 07:50 AM