Riley Saga - Part 1

I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday! I like the super cold weather we've been having since it means I get to wear cute scarves and hats. Thankfully those items still fit me!

So Riley has been feeling left out lately with all this baby talk, so I agreed to write a post about him tonight.

Unfortunately, I don't have many good things to say about him. Riley has had some "issues" lately. Over the past 6 months he has become more aggressive and has developed some bad habits. I used to feel comfortable taking him to the dog park and letting him interact with other animals and people. I liked taking him for walks and letting him say "hello" to other dogs. But now he gets really snarly with dogs, and pretty much flips out if another human being approaches me. We've even had friends over who he has tried to bite for no apparent reason.

With a new baby entering our household in just over 4 months (so soon!), this is obviously worrying me. How will Riley react to a new "brother"? Will he be jealous and get aggressive towards the baby? Obviously I do NOT want anything like that happen......Enter BARKBUSTERS!

I've done some research on dog obedience classes, and have concluded that Riley needs some one-on-one training. Barkbusters is a program you pay for up front, and then get their services for the life of the dog. Whenever you are having a problem with your dog, you simply call Barkbusters and your local trainer comes out to work on the dog's issues. I've heard really good reviews about their training methods, so we're going to try them out. This Saturday they are coming over for an intro meeting. I'm really hoping this works, because I don't want to have to get rid of Riley. But of course if he showed any sign of aggression towards our baby, we might have to. Wish us luck!

Riley is really a sweet dog when he's with just Adam and I. He has never had an "accident" inside, he knows how to sit, stay, lay down, and shake. Here's proof that he shakes my hand on command.

"See Mommy, I'm a good boy!"