Nakina discovers a new favorite sport, earns two perfect scores, and shows wonderful progress toward a happier, more confident life.

🐾 Looking for Calm

Nakina has discovered another activity she loves — Happy Ratters! Of course, sometimes I feel like she loves absolutely everything she tries. It is so much fun watching her discover new activities and seeing her enthusiasm shine through.

Training

Our private session on Tuesday went amazingly well, and Nakina followed it up with an incredible performance in Novice Obedience class. She continued that great work in Rally, too!

To top off an already fantastic training week, we attended a Happy Ratters Workshop on Friday. Nakina was outstanding during the seminar portion, staying in her crate without me. And when it was time for Meet the Rat, she was absolutely ecstatic!

On Saturday, she was superb in her first trials. I mistakenly called “Rat” twice during her first trial, but those were the litter and clean tubes. Nakina still found the rat and successfully completed both the bridge and the burrow, earning 80 points. Her second Ratter competition was even better — a perfect score of 100! She then played the Box-a-Rat game and earned another perfect score of 100.

But there was another achievement worth celebrating: Nakina was comfortable in her crate on her own whenever necessary. Considering the challenges we have been working through, seeing her handle that time apart so well was just as exciting as her competition results.

What a wonderful introduction to another sport she enjoys!

Socialization

Her trainer and I are both so pleased that Nakina seems to be feeling much more comfortable in life. She is resting better, recovering between activities, and showing us that she may finally be in a better place emotionally to learn.During our next private session, we plan to begin focusing on car rides — our next challenge on the road to helping Nakina feel more comfortable in different situations.

On Thursday, after Rally class, we left her again to see whether we noticed any difference. This time, she barked and howled occasionally for about 20 minutes before settling. That was an improvement, although it is far too early to know whether the medication made the difference. We will continue watching, learning, and giving her time.

What's Next

• Emergency Stop & Hand Targeting — reintroduce and build consistency
• Grooming — begin grooming desensitization on the table
• Continue elevator desensitization

I am so happy that Nakina is doing so much better. She is resting and sleeping more like a typical dog, giving herself time to recover between all her adventures. It is wonderful to see her looking happier and more comfortable in her world. Watching her enjoy new experiences is exciting, but seeing her feel better in everyday life means even more.