Bailey: Week 2

In this second week with me, Bailey has been learning a lot. Glimmer has been teaching her boundaries, and I’ve been doing clicker training with her. She’s been learning the house rules, appropriate play, bite inhibition, and appropriate chewing – to name just a few things. She’s also being potty trained, and she’s learning how to interact nicely with Violet the cat.

Bailey is happy to accept food as a reward, but her preference seems to be the clicker. With food, she accepts it and then returns to whatever she was doing. But the second she hears the sound of the clicker and the “yes” marker that follows, she immediately stops what she’s doing, looks to me for direction, and actually waits for it. I haven’t taught her to do that; she just does it on her own. It’s wonderful.

Bailey is doing really well with kennel training. She goes in voluntarily, she settles within a few seconds, she doesn’t kick up a fuss, and she’s calm and quiet when I open the door to invite her out. Considering that this only her second week, she’s doing remarkably well.

Today, I’m going to be introducing Bailey to the front yard. It’s a new place for her to explore, and it will expose her to new smells, sounds, and sights. She needs this desensitization so that she can learn to be calm when she’s in busy environments with her owners.

Bailey is only with me three days a week. Considering that limitation, Bailey is making remarkable progress all across the board. She hasn’t made the connection, yet, that Glimmer shares space with her when she’s calm, but that’s okay. Bailey is only 8 weeks old; she’s still learning. She’ll get it… eventually.

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