Nona and Avery  - Training Photos, Videos and Updates

Pawsitive Notes - Tracking Nona and Avery's Milestones

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  • ​5/4 - Nona is nervous, as is normal, but starting to show signs of settling in. She ate her breakfast this morning and got out into the run with Mark and Jen. She was eager to receive pets and love from both of them!
  • 5/8 - Nona is settling in now and has been giving lots of kisses to both Mark and Jen. She also enjoys running around in the run with Jen. She's still very edgy around the other dogs in the office and hasn't warmed up to the concept of being out and about with any of them yet.
  • 5/11 - Nona had an excellent walk today. She was a great listener and only did a bit of pulling but corrected herself quickly. She was a rockstar at ignoring other dogs that we passed, especially a guy jogging with his pup in the street right next to her!
  • 5/12 - Another good walk for Nona today. She's passing dogs on walks without any issues. She is still super nervous in general, however. My foot made a loud sound coming off the curb today and she hit the deck. We will work on building her confidence to help mitigate the issues that stem from that fear and uncertainty.
  • 5/13 - Nona got out on leash with Mark's dogs, Rodeo and Drogo, today. She was very nervous, of course, and didn't want to overly interact with them. However, she did some courteous sniffing. She did start to show some posturing signs with Rodeo at one point and get a quick verbal intervention from Mark, which got her to immediately stop. After that, she did very well for her first up close and personal work with the LOTP boys!
  • 5/15 - We had some new dogs join the office and Nona did a good job of not being reactive when they were sniffing around her crate. Progress!
  • 5/18 - Nona had a good walk today. She's doing very well listening to "Leave-It" and ignoring other dogs and people that we pass. She did struggle with the fence-line challenge, which is the hardest thing for most dogs on walks. Three dogs were barking along their fence line as we passed. At first, she tried to avoid them and get to the other side of me, with a bit of whining. She ignored the commands to "Leave-It" and at the end, lunged towards the dogs, getting a correction. It's a lot of stimulation and tough for most dogs, but we'll continue to work that.
  • 5/22 - During today's walk, Nona came upon some dogs barking along their fence-line again. This time, she did her avoidance tactic, moving to the far side of me and then proceeded on calmly, but nervously. We were unable to walk the full fence line this time, due to someone else coming down the sidewalk and the need to social distance, but it was a much better encounter than our previous run in with the fenced dogs!
  • 5/25 - Nona ran up to another dog's crate today and licked his nose through the crate and then ran off. It was adorable and confidence inspiring!
  • 5/27 - Nona is gaining confidence during her walks. She can still be a bit skittish at times, but no longer panics if a foot steps off the curb loudly! When she got out in the office today, she ran up to a couple of different dog's crates and did some play bowing. She's finally showing non-reactive interest in other dogs and it's very exciting to see! She got out with Rodeo and Drogo and while the lead was still attached, we allowed her free reign to move about and interact as she pleased. She did very well, only posturing with the boys once and receiving a verbal correction very well. Super proud as we continue to build successful encounters!
  • 6/2 - Nona got out with Rodeo and Drogo. At first, she showed some teeth right off the bat, out of the crate, at Drogo and got corrected from Mark. She immediately checked herself and behaved appropriately after that. Out in the run, she did an excellent job of minding her manners and graduated to being off leash in the run with the boys. Excellent progress!
  • 6/5 - Nona is getting more comfortable being around Rodeo and Drogo, off leash. She's not eager to engage in play with them, but tolerates their presence. In the office, she eagerly runs up to other dogs crates and tries to lick them, so we are hopeful that she's starting to understand that she's safe and doesn't need to go on the attack with everyone.
  • 6/9 - Nona got out into the big pack today! She was very unsure at first. She started on leash and prong collar and did some posturing when other dogs came around for awhile, getting a few verbal corrections. After a while, as she relaxed a little more and our confidence grew in her interactions, she got off leash and eventually off prong collar as well. She mostly sat in the corner once off leash, but would venture into the pack every now and again to get some reassurance and pets from Jen. She even had dogs crowding her without any issue at the end. We will continue to work her pack skills and help her build confidence with the group! So proud of her! Avery is still adjusting to the new environment, but doing so quickly! She's eating and going to the bathroom without skipping a beat. A great sign of adjustment for the sweet girl! She and Nona are bunked in crates right next to each other in the office and haven't had any issues next to one another thus far.
  • 6/10 - Nona is doing great out in the pack and has even begun to play with her pack mates! Avery is still adjusting, but warming up quickly. She's starting to complain a bit when Nona goes outside without her. 
  • 6/13 - Avery is adjusted well to the environment now. Another new member joined the pack and Nona was infatuated with him. She really wanted to play and would put her paws on him, but the big GSD would panic her if he put a paw on her, just due to his sheer size. Overall, she handled herself well!
  • 6/16 - Nona had a couple of moments in the pack today where she got some corrections. One time she was being overly possessive of Jen and snarfed at another dog, earning her a quick spritz from the hose and verbal correction. Another time, in play, she got a bit too intense, causing the other dog to yelp and received another spritz and verbal correction. She came over and apologized with kisses and was much more respectful in her play afterwards.
  • 6/17 - A new pack member joined the crew today and Nona did pretty well. She was a bit assertive in her play at first and got a quick hose spritz. After that, she was a little more cautious in her play but very appropriate overall!
  • 6/19 - Nona and Avery are both out in the full pack (5 - 7 other dogs) and are engaging in play (Avery more than Nona) and doing well! Avery can be a bit overbearing in her play at times and has gotten some verbal corrections to settle down and she is listening. Nona is skirting play a little more, a bit unsure with more friends in the pack, but is conducting herself well around her sister and so many other pups!
  • 6/23 - More dogs have joined the pack and the girls are not missing a beat! We had 9 other dogs out with them today, some of which are new to the program and haven't been out with them before and they took them into the fold without issue. Nona is avoiding the bulk of the activity/play, but has no problem trotting through the crowd. Avery is much more comfortable with engaging in play. They are rocking it!
  • 6/24 - Nona attempted to get one of the new, smaller, dogs to engage in play with her today, but he's still nervous and wasn't too interested. She took his denial well and disengaged. Avery is still having a blast romping around with everyone.
  • 6/29 - Nona and Avery continue to do well in the pack. The pack shrunk by a few dogs this weekend (as new ones are not quite ready to join) and the girls are sniffing around each other a little more, without any issues. 
  • 6/30 - The girls are enjoying the smaller pack and while they aren't overly engaging with one another, they find themselves near each other more frequently, will sniff at one another kindly and then move apart without issue.
  • 7/1 - Another new pack member joined and the girls did a great job welcoming her in. They both received pets from Jen, next to one another and simultaneously without any adverse reactions or competitive/possessiveness. In addition, each had stellar walks today! Avery had dogs barking along a fence-line, aggressively at her and she listened to "Leave-It" and completely ignored them, following Jen's lead. Nona had an off leash dog pass her in the park, looked to Jen for instruction, got told to "Leave-It" and passed by without a second look at the dog. So proud!
  • 7/3 - Nona lost pack privileges after her tussle with Lucas yesterday and has to go out into the run by herself again for a bit.
  • 7/6 - Nona graduated back into the pack over the weekend and has been doing well. She's still avoiding everyone to the best of her ability, but some of the more high energy youngsters have gotten in her face to try and get her to play and she's done well not being reactive towards them.
  • 7/7 - Another successful day in the pack for Nona. Mango, one of the wild youngsters barreled straight at Nona's face today and bumper her nose and Nona looked at me for guidance instead of instantly reacting. Excellent work!
  • 7/8 - Nona had a stellar walk today. Her confidence has grown immensely!
  • 7/10 - A few times today, Nona went nose to nose with Mango, one of the more spirited pack members and gave some great cues that she was happy and contemplating play, however she didn't quite commit to full engagement. It's great to see her entertaining the idea with these new pups though!
  • 7/13 - Nona briefly attempted to play with Mango today. She stood up and had her paws on Mango, but when the roles reversed, Nona panicked and the game was done.
  • 7/14 - Absolutely stellar walk today!
  • 7/15 - Nona had an excellent pack walk today with another aggressive dog, Luna. The girls didn't interact much, except the occasional sniff, but did an excellent job on their walk and somewhat shared space.
  • 7/21 - Nona and Mango shared a water dish today without any issues!