| Nicki |
| How did I end up with such a little dog? A 20 pound shepherd mix? Anyone that knows me will tell you, they would never expect me to have a small dog of any kind. I love dogs of all types, however I have always preferred larger ones that can keep up with me and won't get tired too quickly when we go out running or walking. A very good friend of mine from Tampa FL called me one day while I was stationed in Camp Lejeune NC to ask me if I could help a little 10 week old pup that her mom had recently adopted and was not being able to handle. Allegedly, this dog would pee and poop all over the house and was untrainable. My friend's mom kept Nicki in a bathroom all the time and long story short had not done proper potty training and much less crate training. This 4 month old pup was about to be returned to the Tampa Humane Society, however I was told that HS of Tampa euthanizes any returns regardless of the reason. Morally, I could not allow an innocent pup to be killed just because of an owner not giving appropriate training. |
| Nicki is a very playful pup and she turned a year old in November 2006. Before turning a year of age, Nicki had been trained by me and trained certified by Bob Dover at Kentuckiana Canine Nicki loves her toys, she is crazy about her Nylabones and Kongs. Here she plays with her Nylabone, while being watched by my little Annie and by Kris Kringle. Kris came to me for several issues, one of them toy possession so an exercise where Nicki helps me here is by playing with her toy and taking it away from Kris every time Kris would take it from her. Nicki showed no fear to Kris despite of his growling and so she would grab the toy and hang on to it until Kris would let go. Once Kris let go then I would come in and praise him for letting go of the toy. I keep Annie always around as a deterrent to any dog from going aggressive. Annie has saved a dog's life twice by stepping in and controlling the aggressor just because I make her seen by the others as a higher ranking dog in my pack. Humans in my house are first, Annie and Rajah second, and so on. Nicki is everyone's playmate, she never gets tired. This 20 pound pup would go run and walk 8 miles daily with me. Usually, I would take 2 teams of 4 Rotties each with me for a 4 mile walk/run, well Nicki would go for both rounds, and she never wanted to be left home and never got tired. |
| Aida has become very fond of Nicki and given her a lot of discipline and love, making her a very well behaved dog. Nicki still has to mature a little, but smaller dogs usually take a bit longer to mature. Nicki is a chewer, but that is what we got her Kongs and Nylabones for. Nicki has a lot of energy and needs to channel that energy away so I also trained her to run on a treadmill I got in my basement gym at home, so we can keep her tired and from getting bored. So that is pretty much it about Nicki, the little dog that came to stay. |
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| I drove from North Carolina to Florida over a weekend to save this pup and train her. The original plan was to train her and return her to my friend's mom as soon as this dog could behave normal. Well in the end my friend suggested I found a better home for Nicki and someone that can really give her a good life. I worked with Nicki for about 2 months training her to do obedience work. While I was working with Nicki, I noticed that dog aggressive dogs would not display aggression towards Nicki. I had a few dogs that belonged to a rescue that I was volunteering and fostering for. I had been working with these guys for a while and having some progress but not a quick as I needed. Well somehow Nicki never showed to be threat to any of these guys and she actually made friends with them pretty quick. My primary job is making dogs adoptable by getting rid of behaviors that are not desired, such as aggression, fear, etc. My personal dogs Annie and Rajah have learned to assist me to a certain extent, especially Annie. Juno used to be my right hand until she died, then Annie surprisingly somehow stepped up to the plate. I always expected Rajah would be my next right hand, but Annie has worked out pretty well. |
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| Annie actually helped Juno and me training Nicki to behave properly in the house. Annie or Juno would bring Nicki back to me or block and herd her back to me any time she would not come to me on command. Nicki being such a social dog, I use as the first dog that I introduce to any dog aggressive dog, or just when doing an assessment on how a dog reacts to another dog. Nicki being so little presents no threat and is a first step at dog to dog introduction. After failing to find a home for little Nicki, I decided to keep her just because of how helpful she had been at helping me with other dogs. When Juno died, I begged Aida (my wife) to allow me keep Nicki since I could not find her a home and she was so well trained. To the right there is Nicki walking side by side with Baron, a very nice Rottweiler I rescued from the Ft. Knox veterinary clinic. Here I assess how Baron would behave next to another dog and allows me to go to the next step which is introduction to a large dog (Annie and Rajah). Nicki's self confidence and calm submissive attitude to me while calm assertive when around other dogs has proven very useful. |
| Nicki during training on her first week with me while in NC. |
| Nicki and a plush sheep toy |
| Above Nicki, Annie and Kris Kringle Below Nicki and Kris Kringle |
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| Nicki sitting in front of Annie with me while in NC. |