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Saturday, February 13, 2016

A Mr. Pickles update

I will start this post by saying that Mr. Pickles is the sweetest dog and he is a permanent part of our family. He loves the girls and us well and is really snuggly and affectionate...and super, super cute. We love him a whole lot and have many great moments with him. He is going to be a great dog but needs a good bit of training to get there.


He is so so so so so naughty. We have enlisted the help of a private trainer. She has come once and gave us some tips that we are working on. Some of the more minor, annoying things such as his biting at our ankles, clothing, blankets, towels and fingers are getting better. The bigger issues seem to be ongoing and like I suspected we have a super strong willed little dog.

Below is one example of his naughty behavior this past week. Keep in mind things like this happen weekly and drive me near insanity.

Neal was traveling and I was managing dinner, baths and straightening just a little one evening before a babysitter got to the house so that I could go to community group. I had the girls eating leftover beef/ vegetable soup at the table while I was warming a roast beef sandwich on the stove. Ella got up from the table for some reason and I look over and Pickles is on top of the table finishing her soup. I was instructed to yell at him like a crazy woman (by the trainer) when this particular thing happens so I proceeded to yell and scream at him at the top of my lungs and this did scare him and he got down, but he has done this again multiple times so it didn't really make the impression we are hoping for. I had warned the girls that I would do this crazy act if he got on the table again but it still startled them a bit. I got a new bowl of soup for Ella and then realized I had burned my sandwich. I got all of that cleaned and got myself something to eat and was then trying to get the girls dressed for bed. Ella was trying to get her shirt on herself and Pickles grabbed the shirt from her and went running. I ran after him and he thought it was so much fun, I was so angry with him. He proceeded to run out the doggy door with the shirt and then run back in to taunt me. He then ran back out the doggy door, grabbed the shirt and ran back in with it. He dropped it on the floor and I went for it, he then grabbed it and ran back out the doggy door with it and he came back in without it. I quickly grabbed him, yelled at him and put him in his crate. I then went outside and found the shirt in the cold, darkness and brought it back in for Ella to put on. Mr. Pickles spent about an hour in his crate. Uggghhhh!

He went to the beauty shop last week and came home looking like a different dog. We believe in this cute, sweet dog and have hope for better behavior.

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