Princess: Day 12

This past week, Princess has been learning how to work with the leash. She has been leashed to me at all times due to her determination to surf the counters and chase and harass the cat. In some aspects, she is fantastic [e.g. she is excellent with the “wait” and “okay” commands at meal times]; in others, she is really struggling [e.g. she invades personal space]. A lot of this is normal adolescent behavior, and for most dogs, these behaviors can be resolved fairly easily. However, Princess has not had the kind of life most dogs her age have, so it’s much more challenging for her to learn what she needs to learn in order to become the very best family dog she can be.

All things considered, Princess is a real joy. She is playful, compassionate, even nurturing at times. She wants very much to please her humans, she works very hard to earn affection, and she is very loving. She loves to meet new people, she wants to participate in everything from greeting people at the door to curling up on the floor near us when we watch tv, and she is curious about absolutely everything. Basically, Princess loves life and everything it brings her way, and she wants very much to experience as much as possible, all at once.

Princess still has a long way to go in terms of her obedience training, but she’ll get there. She has already learned quite a bit in the short time she’s been with me. As we approach Week 2, I’m going to push her a bit harder on her focus [she’s very easily distracted] as well as her basics. Weather permitting, we’re going to be doing a lot more of that work outside. If she can learn to stay focused while she’s outdoors, that will be a huge achievement for her.

Have a great day, and remember: Stay calm and lead on.