June has been an exciting month for Nana. She left her last sitters on the mainland and was brought to Vancouver Island to spend some time with some of the sitters over here. She had spent the weekend with one of the staff members at PADS, and I picked her up on a Monday. Nana was reluctant to jump into the back of our S.U.V and had to be lifted, so that was the first thing we started to work on once we got back to the Island. She is a fast learner, and it only took a few days, with the aid of some nibbles, to get her to jump in comfortably. The next thing we worked on was using a ramp to access the back of the vehicle. And again, with a little bit of food, she has been using it to enter and exit the vehicle. Nana has settled in here really well and enjoys a free run on our local trails in Qualicum and our regular walks. We can often combine a walk with visiting some of the local stores where she has charmed many of the customers with her good looks and excellent behaviour. We also walk on the Boardwalk in Parksville, and she is really good at ignoring other dogs.
Nana did show some hesitancy when we came across a group of black garbage bags at the end of a neighbour’s driveway. After a few minutes of walking by at a distance and gradually getting closer to them, she reached the point where she could sniff them and then all was good. On our return trip, she had no issues. A similar occurrence happened when we encountered a golf cart parked in front of the mailboxes. Again, after a little while and a good sniff, all was well. Nana practices her sits, downs and stands daily, often in a store setting when we go to a mall or our local stores. Her “go-ins” at restaurants and at home are great also.
Our elder granddaughter came to visit and brought her 14-year-old chihuahua cross with her. She is a very active “old girl,” and Nana played very gently with her. Nana loves to carry her “stuffie” around with her but is more than willing to give it to us when asked.
It has only been a few weeks since she joined us, but she has already won our hearts!
Thank you again for all your support of Advanced Dog Nana.
Advanced training location: Vancouver Island (Satellite)
Submitted by: Linda, Advanced Training Sitter
