[Ocean]

Hi Nina&Bill,

Ocean is outside while I am at work; she has a special yard with her house, pool, Kongs, etc. and seems quite content. She doesn't seem to bark in her yard, maybe she does't feel she has to protect us when she's in there? She is crated at night and always has a few nerve-wracking minutes of WOOFing before she settles down (that's when I turn on the A/C fn and shut th windows for white noise).

As for the spray bottle, I filled it and put it by the back door, but she doesn't seem to care when I shoot her. She has, however, learned NO BARK and if I tell her that with upraised finger, she shuts up right away. She barks at birds too, strange voices (which is good, we think), but mostly at the faintly heard barks of other dogs in the neighborhood. I hate to think that I am stifling her "conversations" but she is going to make us nuts with the noise!

She has definitely simmered down a lot in the past two days, since she learned NO BARK and what it means. Heck, she learned to heel in about 4 minutes flat, so I hope she is a fast learner! We have not started classes yet, I wanted her to get settled with us and feel secure before I begin that; I have only had her 11 days.