08/27/2025
Mia is a nervous dog when she's not around her housemate, so we've been doing a lot of work aimed at confidence-building separately from him. Tucker is a super high energy dog that has a great way of pulling puppies out of their shells, so we wanted to introduce them.
As we always say: Neutrality Before Play. So, while Tucker got a play session, Mia worked on her ability to stay on Place around all that excitement. She did great!
Mia, expectedly, was a little nervous, especially since we had Emrys out, as well. But you'll notice that, when Mia showed signs of being too uncomfortable, we advocated for her. When she ran into the stairs, we called Tucker and Emrys away. When she ran between Shalene's legs, she made sure Tucker and Emrys gave her space and allowed MIA to decide when she wanted to come out.
This is EXTREMELY important, and it illustrates that, even during play, we're still training. We never want a dog (especially a nervous dog) to feel like they have to handle any situation by themselves, with no backup. If they do, then they'll handle it like dogs do: First with vocalizations, then with their bodies and their teeth. So we want the puppy to recognize that we will always be fair referees. And that doesn't mean that we'll always back up Mia, in this situation, but rather it means that we will not tolerate bullying or anything that makes any dog uncomfortable (even if it's because of something playful).
In that way, Mia starts to trust US in these situations, which allows her to feel more comfortable and confident. This confidence, as we see in the video, makes her WANT TO get out there and do the thing that made her nervous, ergo more confidence, and so on and so forth. But it starts with this very specific relationship. 🐶❤️
