The Crew

Hello!
We are starting this blog to chronicle our training process. Before we begin that I'm going to introduce the furballs:

Toby is 6 years old. He is a Bichon mix. I adopted him from the shelter as a puppy. He is my social butterfly. He loves everyone. He is the white fluffy love machine. He loves my parrots and walks. He can spend all day in the bird room. He can be anxious and therefore I'm usually in his sight. He is very stubborn and doesn't give in.

Wilbur is also 6 years old. He's a Boston Terrier and what I call, my golden child. He is mild and timid. He loves car rides and sun bathing. He gives great kisses. He listens and responds the quickest to training. Wilbur just wants to be loved. He used to be very shy but has come out of his shell in the last few years.  He is my little sweet boy. I'll be honest, Wilbur can do no wrong. I probably shouldn't say that, but it's true.

Porkchop, is a 5 year old English Bulldog/Boston Terrier. Porkchop "was" Jer's dog before we moved in together. While Wilbur is the golden child, Porkchop is the love of my life. We have a bond that is special. He walks me out when I go to work.  If I'm watching/reading something that makes me cry... Porkchop is right there with me comforting me. He makes me laugh when I need to, he sits quietly when he senses I'm tense. He lays next to the exercise bike. His face melts my heart. His little motorboat tail makes me smile. He is my dream dog. He's not perfect... he's 51 pound of power and can be a bit overwhelming. He's an enthusiastic linebacker.

Peaches is a happy go lucky 3 year old French Bulldog. She's spunky with the sweetest smile. She is a little tomboy. She loves to run and play and is a rough and tumble kind of girl. She is daddy's girl. She loves to nap on the couch. She wins everyone over with her cuteness. However, Peach is our problem child. She attacks Toby. She has never been best friends with Toby but the aggression has escalated to the point where last weekend she cut his leg open. Toby is now in a cone and some time to heal.

We decided a while ago to take Peaches to a behaviorist. We are unable to fix the problem on our own. We need help to find a way to make our doggie family work. It's not going to be easy.
I know personally,  I reinforce a lot of the bad behaviors. I always give in the Toby and his doggie demands. I know I baby him. I know I spoil Peaches and reinforce her bad behaviors. I know I could be more firm with all of them. I love my dogs. They bring me more joy than you can imagine. They are my furry kids and I will do what it takes.

I know I am going to have a harder time with this than Jer. I know that already. I am not their fearless leader. I need to work on that.