Chip LOL...how we change our training with different dogs...I think it shows you are a good owner and we do whatever we need to do to get the result we want. Sounds to me like you are getting Bella on your side now. Its taken some work but alway remember where she came from and being a little older she was set in her way. You eem to be doing great with her and changing your methods when need be. I think thats all we can do, they are all different. This poodle has been my most challenging maybe because he is smarter than me, lol and I am getting old.. *note I said getting. Our local rescue recently took in 3 5 month old st poodles, I didn't apply as we are not ready but I do think poodle to poodle playtime would be fun for him, maybe not me.. LOL
Well good owner perhaps?? But great trainer ... not so much???
Sigh the more you think you know, the more you have to learn?? And pretty much as "often," is the case sigh I "stumbled onto/into, something ... no one had mentioned??
Carrying and loading "emotional baggage" onto a new dog??? I had no clue, that was a thing?? But sigh ... I did just that?? With "Boxer Breed's," I have had a very hard "introduction!" I lost my first, intro Stewie to the breed, a Boxer/APBT mix in an auto accident that was my fault he was one year old! He was my first dog/puppy that I saved on a walk from 80 lbs of charging ... out of control APBT! That dog, burst out of the screen dog on a walk! He was maybe five months at the time (Stewie) ?? And a friend gave him to me. So he was not my choice, really but whatever ... I'll find him a home??
Well Mr APBT busted out the house at him?? And I swung him (Stewie) out of danger, to face that dog down! No more plan that that. But get by my if you can, Dog!!! The dog paused as he was not expecting to see me?? And that pause gave the owner time to get the dog under control!
Stewie did great, he stayed behindme and at that point ... I knew he was not for "adoption" as he was now my dog! But the accident (that was my fault) turned everything upside down for me! Stewie died and it was fault ... he was "literally to smart and I put him in a situation" ... he was not trained for and he paid for mistake with his life! That pretty much destroyed me!
At the time, I tried to find another Boxer/APBT mix?? And no luck, so you know split the mix and Boxer, maybe?? And yep that was it! So my wife found me, Heidi a Brindle Boxer pup. From a local BYB (We had no idea what that was at the time??) Yeah that did not work out so well?? Heidi turned out to be a very expensive puppy She had Parvo?? She went to the vet during the day and I administered, IV's at home in the evenings! She would have been a great dog .. but she was to small and to weak to fight the virus and she died in my arms, we had her for one week.
So much for getting over a loss?? Now that was now on top of the Stewie, Loss and it was too much for me! I was incidental diagnosed with "PTSD!"
I pretty much loss about 4 year's of my life on "Drug Therapy!" Fast car's and suicidal ... is not a good combination?? I was on "Clexa" daily for 4 years. I thought it was crap?? But I did not care?? A chemical in balance, in the brain ... it's a thing, apparently?? And it worked to the point where I became afraid not to take it! And dog wise, sigh cuz of "Parvo" we could not now get another puppy for at least a year??
Cuz "Parvo," stay's in the grass for at least a year or you know more?? But as I said ... "Heidi" was smart. And so our property was not contained with the "parvo virus??" She always threw up on newspaper inside and outside she always went to the same part of the yard. She would have been a great dog ...
And then came Struddell! I was still damaged at the time, so one year was still to soon?? I was on Celax for four year's because I was afraid ... not to take it! Without it, all I saw was a deep dark well of darkness and despair with Stewie waiting for me at the bottom!
But Struddel helped but even though I worked with her, I thought?? Gunther did all the work?? As I always trained them together?? And it was only one day when we moved to NV in 2003, that I happened to take Struddell alone in the car and I opened the car door and she just "popped out??" That I realized ... "Struddell" did not know crap, WTH??
At that moment, I woke up! I tapered off the drug and started to work on Struddell, alone. As I thought I had trained her but it was always both dog's together and Struddell had been taking her cue's from Gunther?? Her doing that is what "bolting out the car" woke me up!" I was finally able to start tapering, off the drug. And well came to life to again.
But yeah I did lose about four years of my life in mourning ... And my "White Boxer Obsession ... yeah that is left over "blow back???" Stewie my first APBT/Boxer mix was a fawn dog and for year's ... I could not look at a Fawn Boxer ... without breaking into tears?? And sigh Heidi was a Brindle, Boxer so yeah ... that was now two color's down?? But I stilled wanted/needed a Boxer in my life?? So you know maybe White?? And yep that did pretty much work for me!
But you know, that load of left over baggage, leaves a lot of crap behind ... when your better half ... tries to help, by getting you another a dog, after a few uh year's of "still" whining at my lost of lost of my beloved Struddell, I will add in her defense. So you know she "tried to help?? Hmm well this got long?? And I have not got to my point?? So I'll do a part two as there is a word limit for post.
