Comments

6/30/10
Hi Jeanne,

I wanted to send you a few photos as well as a quick update for your website.  Biscuit is doing great and we just love him to death! He has a wonderful personality and is incredibly friendly with people, dogs, kids, and just about anyone that wants to say hello while we are out for a walk. In fact, going for walks can be quite a challenge because he is so busy getting compliments :)

As expected he has tons of energy but I've found that he's pretty mellow during the day as long as he get some good morning exercise. 
Now that he is fully vaccinated, we can visit dog parks - there is nothing Biscuit loves more than other dogs so this is fun for both of us.

Nipping wasn't a problem at all with Biscuit and although he barked 
quite a bit the first week, he rarely barks while in his crate now.  
Our biggest challenge has been potty training but it is getting better each day! He sleeps right through the night without any barking or accidents.

We also used a professional trainer for basic obedience which made a world of a difference.  Our little guy is clearly very smart and can be a bit stubborn, so this made life a lot easier for the entire family. We were also able to prevent bad habits from developing (on our end and his) at an early age. I'm proud to say he was the most well behaved dog in the vet's waiting room last week!

I wish we had more space so we could bring another doodle home to keep Biscuit company.....maybe in another year....

6/28/10

The other strange (unique?) thing about Biscuit was that he didn't seem to be affected by "no!" until after camp. Perhaps he didn't respect us enough to care when he did something bad....like pee or poop inside.  That was one of the biggest changes since camp. Even if he has an accident or does something bad, he definitely realizes it's bad and acts sad/unhappy. This helps a lot from a training standpoint since it's clear to all three of us that he did something he shouldn't do! I've never seen a puppy who was so immune to negative attention before our little guy :) Now when he has accidents I know that hope is on the horizon.....

6/20/10

Hi Jeanne - Our little guy has a great mellow temperament but he was surprisingly stubborn at only 9-10 weeks of age! That being said once he learns that he won't get his way (barking in the crate, etc) after a few tries he will give up or come up with a new way to make his point :)

Anyway, Biscuit just came home from his puppy camp and I can't find words to express what an amazing job Chris did. He is still our wonderful little puppy, but with a major attitude adjustment (he knows who is in charge!) and much less anxiety.  He used to refuse walking but now he happily walks like a model dog with his tail wagging the entire time.  I wanted to recommend Chris in case the other couple is willing to give training a try. He offers in-home sessions as well as overnight camp.  Here is his website: http://www.stronghaus.com/ 

I don't know if Chris can help with barking and potty training, since these weren't things we focused on, but it might be worth a try!
p.s. I will send you an update on Biscuit shortly with photos for your website! He looks like a teddybear right now and is growing like crazy.

5/13/10

I finally got him to go #2 outside this evening! A small victory after many accidents, but a big achievement regardless. Someone from a dog walking company recommended feeding him IN the crate (to prevent him from going while eating, which he had been doing). This worked wonders and after an hour outside he finally went!