We had our first snow storm since Brody arrived and he obviously loved it!

Brody has been with us for almost 2 weeks. Boy our lives have changed!! Lots of work, but so much love.

We signed up for the Baxter and Bella training and have barely scratched the surface of all it has to offer, but I can’t believe how helpful the techniques we’ve been applying are working.

He’s been responding well to commands like sit, come, and down with treats. He does remarkably well not jumping on people when they walk through the door, however we’ve been having trouble keeping him from not jumping on the cabinets in the kitchen or tables in the living room. He will get down with the command, but in no time at all he’s right back up.

He’s remarkably well behaved and calm most of the day, but when play time starts, he still thinks we’re one of his brothers/sisters and wants to nip at our heads and faces instead of his toys. Working at redirecting with success about 50% of the time. I think that’s the piece we’re struggling with the most. Teaching him how to be playful during those moments and respectful when we’re not playing.

As far as potty training goes, we also take him out usually hourly and after he wakes, plays or seems to start circling. He’s doing remarkably well with it and knows in the morning he immediately goes out, but that seems to be the only time he asks.

If it strikes him while we’re playing in the house he’ll just go right then, so he definitely hasn’t learned how to ask yet. We bought the bells for the door and he did ring them a few times initially and we thought he caught on real quick, but we now think he just liked playing with them. Lol.

During times of frustration the Baxter and Bella training redirects us and has been such a useful tool. I feel it has made a huge difference in our continued success.

Overall, he’s been a gem with such a sweet soul!! He’s been such a joyful addition to our family and I can’t wait to see what they all look like this time next year.