Day Nine -- Goodbyes

It's hard to believe it's almost time for Little Labby Luna to go home. The time has flown by and we've enjoyed every second of it. She's working really hard on her sits for greetings because we know that tomorrow is her most exciting greeting ever...when she gets to see her family. She'll probably forget her sit because she will be so happy to see everyone. That's ok, we'll just try not to reinforce the jumping behavior and get through it as best we can.

So, some parting thoughts:

Ignore behavior that is not harmful to your puppy, yourself, or your belongings. She'll repeat behavior that you reward her for and a lot of the other behavior can just be ignored. Nagging a lot can be really frustrating to a puppy ("Can't I do anything right???") and it can be detrimental to your relationship. Focus as much as you can on the positive.

This tip is kind of a no brainer but sometimes people forget...smile at your puppy. It sounds so simple but they are so much more engaged and happy to do things with you when you smile and have a good time with them. Plus, it's a really easy thing to do. I mean, really, who doesn't want to smile at a puppy?

Praise her when she offers you behavior. It's ok that she may be laying down in front of you because she's hoping for a treat. That's fine. She's repeating behavior that works for her and you need to catch her behaving well so you can praise her to continue that behavior. What's nicer than a little puppy who is so well behaved they lay down next to you instead of jumping on you?

Remember that distractions can make it harder for her to comply with your requests. Avoid getting a treat out to help her comply. This will only cause her to be dependent on those treats. Instead, move her to an area that is a little less distracting and try again.

Don't forget how important it is that she come check in with you during play. It's pretty frustrating when you need to leave and your dog suddenly becomes hard of hearing. But if she is always keeping an eye on you no matter where you are, it's much easier to get her to comply with your requests.

Everyone here is going to miss her. Billings is going to be so sad come tomorrow.

So one last kiss. We can only hope we will see Luna again some day.