Puppy Love....

Update: I've been working with Bella on "Stay". I can leave her favorite jerky treats in front of her and she won't eat it until I say "Okay". I tell her to stay and then toss her favorite toy and she stays until I give her an okay and then will run and retrieve it. What's funny is with the toy toss, I say "okay" and she won't go get it, I count, "1, 2, 3!" and she runs on 3 to get it, lol. I guess it's the natural hunter in her(lab) and the worker(australian shepherd) in her. So tonight I was telling Mr. D I put the treat down RIGHT under her and told her to stay and walked around the corner and came back and it was still there. So we were showing off for him. I told him I wanted to eventually get to putting it on her nose, so just for the heck of it, I had her lay down and set it on her paw and she did it again! So I did both paws and she was awesome! The kids heard us and when I told them what I did they were laughing at me(un-believers!). I had my doubts that I could get her to do it again because I have better training sessions when she's not distracted by them, but she gets totally focussed on me when I have my fist balled up like I have treats. They were so excited to see her do that. Add that to her letting herself into the house(she did it 3 times today, thankfully we were here), and she's getting quite a few tricks up her paw.

We have her favorite "training" treats all cut up into little pieces in a cookie jar by the door where we take her potty and another jar with "potty" treats, they're cheaper. She loves us to toss her those when she gets back from pottying and will run ahead of us and sit by the jar waiting. She's really good at catching them too. Gotta tell the vet when we take her in on Friday to get fixed that she loves to have treats tossed to her. She's getting SO sweet now too. It used to just be play play play, but now she loves to just come lean on us or lay on us, or bear hug us when we're sitting on "her" bench. She's still not allowed to roam the house without a leash on, but she's getting better and better and we can distract her enough to get her to calm down by asking her if she wants a treat. Anything for food, lol. Aren't kids the same way?

Here are a few pictures, and you can really notice the size difference of her by her pillow. When we brought her home she weighed 13 lbs., now she must be at least 40, she was 31 last month at her last check up. She was afraid of the camera tonight for some reason and was hiding behind K-Bug, lol.

That's not a potty spill by the way, I overfilled the bug washer fluid thingie in my car. That's my "spot" that she's taken over.

She's smiling for me!!!


Today.

The day we brought Bella home.