LS, Bella is one more absolutely CUTIE PATOOTIE!!!! I don't blame her for having a crush on Rocky--what a stud! All of your dogs are simply stunning, LS. Please keep posting pics.

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"Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one is a life diminished."Dean Koontz

Bella's color is really beautiful and they both are very cute..I dont have pets..I didnt knew they could be so pretty and fun...

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Yup, similar to my girls, Bella is 2.5 lbs and Chanel is 8.5 lbs. Yet Bella is the big boss lady, lol.




K I S S I N G!


lol you silly monkey





Aww thanks Kat, I often think people find my taste boring, because I'm
hardcore into earth tones, and earth tones only, lol. Whether it's my clothes,
my furniture or my pups' accessories, I just love beiges, browns, creams, tans, etc.
They bring me tranquility.... I'm a little weird aren't I?! lol

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Thank you Christina, I'm crazy about them. Feel super fortunate for having them, they are great dogs.





Thanks Ashley. I love your handsome Toby boy.
Hope you guys are well.





Oh you are the cutie patootie! Thank you so much. I love love love sharing my precious pumpkins with you.

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They match!


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

They sure do. I even have a third redhead that matches them well... my hubby! LOL

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Those are the cutest pictures Its so nice that Bella has come so far with your love and reassurance. She must feel safe and secure with you, Hubby and your wonderful fur family. My new little Taz sounds very much the same as what Bella was like when you first brought her home. He is so scared of everything except other dogs. When it comes to people he is very timid and afraid. He hid under a dining room chair for the first 24 hrs he was here. After that he started to come out but would run away if I got to close or talked to him. He's finally excepted me and cuddles with me all the time. How did you get Bella to come out of her shell and not be afraid anymore? Some helpful hints would be so great. We need all the help we can get he's so afraid of people it makes me wonder what happen to him to make him like that?

Bella was not at all socialized, she feared everything from different surfaces, to sounds, sights, people, dogs, etc. She did not have the confidence needed in order to get through simple daily tasks and activities. She was very nervous, and would simply hide and tremble. Pat, what worked for me is building up Bella's confidence in herself, through training exercises. The second thing was lots and lots of exposure and socialization, but this was done slowly, little by little. And all this with a lot of positive reinforcement. These things take a lot of time and dedication, we are still daily working on certain aspects. For example one of the ways I handled Bella's fear of people was to first simply let her be exposed to them in non threatening situations, where she could observe, but not be touched by them or talked to. Once she started to feel a little more comfortable just seeing people while out on walks, I started letting children sit quietly not too far from her and let her come to them on her own terms, I would not let the kids touch her or speak to her, just sit there. She sometimes was afraid, other times she would be curious and sniff their shoe, etc. Eventually I allowed people, children to speak to her but softly, if she panicked I did not give into her fits by comforting her, I would simply redirect her attention, and when she did not mind or ignored the person I would gently praise. I acted with a lot of self control, and in a calm manner, on walks this was especially helpful because Bella felt through the leash that I'm calm even though there are people, dogs, cars, etc, and eventually that put her mind at ease as well, and she stopped focusing on the "scary" things and slowly became interested in exploring grass, scents, ect, which I also encouraged. If you give into their anxiety and fear by picking them up or cuddling them, then you are simply reinforcing the unwanted behavior. In the beginning stages I used a lot of treats, calm non threatening voice and even singing to win her over. I did not fuss over her however and let her come to me when she was ready, my apartment is very small, but I still let her get used to one area at a time, I did not expose her to the entire place all at once. I never forced her to do things, but instead tried my best to motivate her, or even trick her into doing things by making her believe they were her idea. Basic obedience helped raise her self esteem and the frequent daily walks helped her release her anxieties and stress and helped her adjust to the daily things we come across both indoors and outside. It's important to not get frustrated, and remain focused, rehabilitating a fearful dog can take a very long time, every dog is different, some were abused, others were never socialized, some were poorly bred, etc, it all plays a role. So just be patient, calm and positive, provide training, affection, mental stimulation, exercise and balanced nutrition, and do not give Taz any special treatment out of pity, make sure your pup has little tasks to do before meals, playtime, etc. such as sitting before getting his food. If he does not perform the asked tasks, never penalize or punish, simply try again later, perhaps after a good walk once the dog is in a relaxed state of mind. In Bella's case I put the time into her, but I never spoiled her, she had to earn things just like my other dogs, she had boundaries just like the rest, and that gave her a sense of security. She now knows what is allowed and what is off limits, she enjoys working, it's fun for her, because every task is followed by a reward, be it a treat, some praise or a little scratch/massage, etc. Training provides a clear communication line between you and the dog, which is tremendously helpful, because even though dogs are experts at reading us, we are not always very good at reading them. It's all about communication, exposure and confidence building. I think Taz is lucky to be a part of your family, and I wish you guys lots of happy & healthy years together.

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