I received a voicemail wanting to know how Billie is doing.  We have had some rough patches with her but she is doing very well now.   We got her fully house trained about 1 week after we got her.  On occasion she will have an accident in the house if she isn’t feeling well. She lets us know when she needs to go out and we’ve come to recognize her signs as well.  She LOVES to be outside, meeting new dogs and people.  Playing tag is her favorite game outside.
 
We have changed her diet and have been training her every day with positive reinforcement.  We found out last month through a neighbor that she was howling almost every morning when we would leave for work for several hours due to anxiety. We have been training her daily with positive reinforcement and desensitizing her to “triggers” that we are leaving.  (I would go up and down the stairs several times in a row until she would ignore me, I would carry my keys around the house or my purse and jacket, leave the radio on while I’m home, have her in the kennel for 20 minutes before we leave and for an hour while we are home so she is use to it, give her treats when she didn’t react). She may whimper a little when we leave but its nothing like before.  She is also much calmer when we come home and she doesn’t whimper and go crazy like she did.
 
Other than when we leave, she rarely barks unless she wants to play with another dog or someone knocks on our door (not when they ring the bell).  She is afraid of small children but we are working with her daily.   She has become less afraid and more confident to say “Hi” to new people that come to our apartment.
 
She becomes more independent and confident everyday.  She LOVES to play with toys in the apartment  She will often go to her toy box and take out her toys one by one and play with them.  She’s comfortable enough that she doesn’t follow me everywhere I go. She loves to cuddle and is very affectionate.
 
My boyfriend and I are both in love with her and are so glad that we came to Paws and found her. We continue with training everyday.
 
Here are a few pictures of her from Halloween.  Enjoy!  
 
Thanks!
Sarah Slusarz