Puppy training

I have several sources of assistance for training Pixie. One is a personal trainer, who graciously donated her time and training program to help us with our Pixie. (Thank you Annie!!)
The second is a really cool free training guide located here You must have a PDF reader.
I was using the Pet Expertise guide first, and love the checklists! The checklists are written so I can sit with my kids and tell them the goal, and they get it.
She has learned her name, to Sit, and we're working on Come. She is very smart, and if she thinks she should get a treat for performing the task, she will not do as asked until she gets the treat. Once we get a few treats, she does as asked.
There was some sort of abuse... when we are feeding her treats, she shys away, making it difficult to offer more than verbal praise with the treat.
Most "accidents" are actually our fault... she has separation anxiety and barks when I leave the room. We tend to ignore the barking, and some of it is a let me out bark.
I tried the Cesar Milan way, and really liked that he thinks we all need balance in our lives, including our spirituality... but he wants to correct people, not pets. I have Jesus to correct me, so I stopped reading Cesar's book and used that time to read more Bible.
Pixie is also having to be taught to play with others, being abandoned. And we are trying to socialize her with other dogs, as she has a bit of aggression.
Post more updates later.

Life is tough

Like many Christians, I thought that when I accepted Jesus, I would never have any problems.
This was proven over and over in my life to be incorrect. I have had troubles, my kids have gotten into trouble.
What many of us realize at different times is, that though life is tough, God gives us the strength to endure, and He's with us during our tough times. You can pray anywhere, anytime, out loud or to yourself, and know that He hears you is is with you.
My current journey is becoming a godly wife and mother. Proverbs 31 is very high standards, that I don't meet yet, but I'm working on it.

Pixie

Thursday, May 7, my oldest daughter gave me my mother's day gift. A twice abandoned puppy we named Pixie. Pixie is part Chihuahua and part terrier and weighs in at 4 1/2 pounds.
She has been part of our family now for almost 3 weeks, and is fitting in nicely. She has learned her name, how to Sit, and Come.
Pixie has severe separation anxiety when I leave the room. This looks to be our toughest battle with her.
I will post updates on her as we progress.