Two new service puppies, Rhett and Sam, arrived from California today. Sia was very excited to meet them and they were thrilled to meet her as well.
Sia is really good with young puppies...really good. She squishes them with her paw on occasion but otherwise plays really well. Soon after she met them we worked on her recalls, fast sits and downs, and some stays. It was a good opportunity to see if she would be responsive even with these two cute fuzzy distractions. Sure enough, she was wonderful and very responsive.
We're continuing to work on the barking. She is still barking some but she comes away from the window immediately when asked and she stops barking the second say anything to her. It's important with barking to keep an even tone of voice so it doesn't sound like I am barking too. If my voice is raised, she's more likely to continue barking (after all, if the leader is barking, she must be justified in doing so). But a nice, easy "Sia, no" or "ah" will stop her mid bark. Then a quick recall and lots of praise when she responds well.
She is doing really well with her on/off switch -- not an easy task for such a busy girl. But like I said previously, she loves those ear rubs and almost fell asleep standing up.
Thankfully she had a bed nearby.
She loves her creature comforts...
But the hard lesson is learned later in the day when you are the last to settle down and there are no dog beds left because some pesky little puppy has taken the last one.
I think she's got this all figured out. It's a good thing Rhett likes her...
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