Stout yet Stubborn
Mama here today to give you an update, or a "journal" for my future reference if you will,
on the continuing saga between Arty and Sunny. Our motto here at LLB Gang headquarters is "One Day at a Time" and we have some really good days and some really bad days too.
Let's start with Arty. We are lucky enough to have a big downstairs living area, big enough that we can have it fenced into two areas...Right now, Arty is staying on one side of the house during the mornings and evenings. During Sunny's afternoon naps, Rosy and Arty go for a walk and then Arty spends some time with Rosy and Jakey before heading back to his part of the house. Arty needs to be watched around Jakey, as he will, at times, decide he doesn't like Jakey's face and will go after him (this has been going on since before Sunny came to live with us). Arty's impatience and short, unpredictable fuse make it very difficult for us to trust him alone with any of the pups at the moment. But while Arty's stubborn and aggressive behavior may have started the problem, Sunny's fierceness has not helped anything.
Tiny yet Fierce
Sunny, at almost six months old, is starting to come into her own. While she is now getting big enough to play with the big dogs, she has taken to barking non stop whenever she even hears Arty moving around in the other room. This, of course, ends up in a major barking battle between Arty and Sunny with hackles up and tails flicking(posturing). Needless to say, they won't be spending time together anytime soon. Sunny can be a bit bossy, especially with Jakey, and we have had to break she and Jakey up a few times.(no blood has been shed from any dog, we do have that going for us). Luckily, Sunny and Rosy get along well. Rosy doesn't take any of Sunny's bossiness seriously and they play together showing no signs of aggression.
Enter our "thankfuls" for this week. With input from our awesome Vet, Dr. R, we decided to look for a trainer/behaviorist for both our problem children. Living in a VERY rural town, we have no access to Behaviorists(but have a list from friends of some in Southern California to call if we need a consult) but have found a wonderful, patient trainer we have been working with. With her help we are teaching Sunny that playing with us(and getting delicious noms) is much more fun than barking at Arty. We can't thank Dr. R enough for taking the time to coach us via email and continue to take good care of Arty. Sunny and the rest of the Gang.
It is hopeful that with time, training and possibly medication for Arty, we will be able to all live together in harmony during vacations in the RV we plan to get early next year!
Thank you Brian for hosting the
Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
