Today marks one week since Stella moved in.

We are at a point where she:

• Can go out and come back in from the bathroom
• Is not afraid when I enter a room unexpectedly
• (As of last night) takes food out of my hand
• Has started basic clicker training

Her day has many ups and downs. She has certain times at which she is very cheerful and brave: In the morning right after getting up, whenever I leave or enter the house, and when she comes back in from the bathroom. She is much more engaging then, follows me around a bit and sees if maybe the food lady (me) has some food for her (always).

I make use of these happy hours. When I come down in the morning, I go straight to the fridge, take out hotdogs and feed her a morning snack. When I leave the house and she comes to the door to see where I’m going I give her a treat, and I make sure to take enough treats so that I have some on me when I return and she greets me at the door.

Any interaction is backed up by food. Over time this will hopefully diminish as there will be other ways of connecting – play, snuggles, walks etc. For now food is our common denominator, so I make sure it’s abundant and plentiful every time she decides to engage with me.

I don’t feed my own dogs out of bowls but only through training and games, and Stella is no different. I do not actually own a dog bowl (I am also a minimalist – so this works out).
Food is such a powerful tool, and since dogs have to eat, why not use it as a daily option for training, connecting and communicating?

And now I’m off –  it’s breakfast training time.