Princess: Day 16

Princess has been with me for two weeks, now.  I have been doing umbilical work with her every day this week to help her learn to follow, to help her become better attuned so she’s in sync with my movements, to help her learn how to walk nicely when we’re moving around the house, and to help her learn to control herself around Violet. She has too much interest in Violet and tends to fixate and then charge if she isn’t redirected.

Though she is not alerting for potty yet, Princess is completely housebroken. She hasn’t had even one accident in the two weeks she’s been with me.

Where obedience basics are concerned, Princess is doing “okay”, but she still needs a lot of work. Her greatest and most frustrating [for her] struggle is to stay focused on me around distractions. It’s a bit easier for her when food treats are involved, so until she is able to control herself better, I’m continuing to use food rewards to reinforce the correct behaviors.

This weekend, Princess will be attending her first adoption event. We don’t know how she’ll handle the excitement and the large crowds, but Princess is very social with humans and other dogs, so we don’t anticipate any issues. I will be monitoring her for signs that she’s getting overwhelmed, but otherwise, I believe she’ll do just fine.

If you live in or near Calgary and you’re interested in meeting Princess, here is our schedule:

North Hill Pet Value    11am – 4pm
1632 14 Ave. NW

Dalhousie Pet Value    noon – 4pm
#515 – 5005 Dalhousie Dr. NW