Update on Bella

Here is the latest from the trainer:

Fri, March 20

I brought Bella to a networking meeting and I put her in the bag. I hoped everyone thought I just got into a new Large Purse Craze. Well, at first, that is exactly what everyone thought and then one lady said, "Do you have a dog in there?"

Usually I bring my big dogs and they sit under the table quietly and everyone is shocked that they are so good.

So, I opened the little hatch and out pops Bella's head. Everyone "awed" and even this lady who doesn't like dogs went on and on about Bella and decided she wants a yorkie. I got such a kick out of that and so did the other ladies. I put her on the floor in the bag and she was quiet the whole meeting. After the meeting, she got to meet everyone else.

We are going to work on "stay" today. We are getting closer to her pottying on command.

What I have been doing is walking her in the morning and night and putting paper in the bathroom in the afternoon. I check on her and when she potties, she gets to come out.

Or, I put her in an open kennel and tell her "go potty" "go pee" and she waits until I turn my back and goes.

She is going quicker each day and more comfortable with me seeing her go on the paper. She has no problem having me stand right there outside.

Sun, Mar 21

Today was an interesting day. I was hoping to get Bella to go really far in her training today. She didn't want to stay on the paper to pee, but peed next to the toilet and pood on the other side. It was not the best day so far, but I think I have to remember to have lots of small steps to get to our goal. So, I am thinking that maybe we could cut those papers in half and put one half on one side of the toilet and the other piece on the other side.

Bella slept with me and my daughter for some hours the night before. After I dreamt that she moved over a foot and peed on the bed, I woke up and put her in the kennel. She sure was happy to sleep on my shoulder and head. Later today, she got to be held by a bunch of people when I had a party for Grandpa's birthday.

This picture was taken while Bella was in my son's lap. There is no coffee in the cup, but we wanted to send it to Starbucks and hope they could use it as a commercial.