My name is Valentine!

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If you're looking for a partner to explore the world with, look no further! Valentine is intensely curious about everything and loves to meet new people and dogs. Val has lived with an unfriendly cat that she just wanted to get to know, so she would probably love to meet a more tolerant cat! Valley Girl has had some training in the past, but is highly intelligent and food motivated so she would love to learn more!

POTTY TRAINING

Val has never had an accident with me. She does her business on or off leash in any location, even the artificial grass at the daycare I work at. When we first got her at work, she only went on the grass but has adjusted and goes on the turf yard. If she's playing with other dogs, she does need a few verbal reminders and some space but she will go. She doesn't like the rain so you have to walk outside with her but she does her business quickly.

CRATE TRAINING

She's been left alone a couple days for 7 hours max. She was in her crate with a blanket and covered by a thin sheet. She's also crated at night and she did great from the start. In taller kennels at work, she does bounce around and bark, but in her crate at home the most she has ever done is make quiet noises. She has obviously been crate trained and knows to be quiet, but does tend to test limits and whines or barks quietly if she knows we are nearby.

LEASH WALKING

Val is intensely curious about everything and that's evident when walking her. She really wants to sniff every bush and meet every dog, but isn't as intense with people. She does tend to jump up as well, especially at doors and when greeting other dogs. She gets overstimulated in the kennels and is a bit worse, but does settle down at home. On walks, I've only been approached by another person and dog once, the dog was obviously older and had bandages but the owner came up to us and Val responded very well, she did get excited and wiggly but exchanged polite sniffs instead of jumping on that dog so I was impressed! She would respond well to consistent training and has obviously been trained before (knows sit, down, and paw so far, still working on stay). We live in the suburbs but doesn't have much of a reaction to sirens, trucks, loud neighborhood kids, thunder, or anything else. She watched our neighbor's dogs run around and bark through the fence without much of a reaction but does occasionally respond to the two mastiffs that always bark from behind a tall privacy fence. She calmly watches people, kids, and dogs walk by our front window.

INTERACTING WITH OTHER DOGS

We slowly introduced her to dogs at work, and she is a very rough player. Initially she was very rough and persistent and got overstimulated very quickly, but she is learning to match the other dog's play style and energy. She mostly plays with a Rhodesian ridgeback and a Pyrenees at work and is currently living with my chocolate lab and whippet mix (about Val's size). We have not introduced her to any very small dogs yet. She tends to over correct by snarling and lunging, but does listen to verbal redirection. She got into a squabble with the ridgeback because he bit and pulled her tail a couple times; when she snarled and lunged he did too so i grabbed her by the collar, knocked him out of the way with my leg and they both backed off until someone removed the ridgeback from the room. They have since continued to play. She got into another tiff with my whippet when they were outside and they both came running to the door when I shouted from inside the house. The Pyrenees is a lazy but rough player, so they wrestle around on the floor. My lab is older and doesn't enjoy her biting so she does bully him a little, but she's easy to verbally redirect again. She also sometimes plays with a black lab at work that tends to mount her and Val just keeps playing. She has shown some toy possession at home, she hoards them and initially overcorrected my dogs when they tried to play too. She was not okay with sharing an 8 ft. tree branch with my dogs or each of them having their own equal toys the first day so we have taken all the toys away. Since then, my whippet mix (Izzie) and Val have resorted to pulling sticks out of our mulch and it has gone okay. Izzie likes to play keep away to get Val to chase her and Val responds well to the game as long as she gets the stick eventually which Izzie always obliges. Izzie waits until Val gets bored of the stick, takes it back and restarts the game. I would be hesitant to give toys to her and other dogs, my two are very passive and immediately allowed her to take all the toys every time. All three also get jealous of attention but no more than the average somewhat spoiled dogs.

CAT

Val has only met our 17 year old cat that is not very friendly. Their first few interactions, the cat was on the table or tall bed while Val paced around her, trying to sniff her while avoiding the cat's attempt to swat her. They have somewhat adjusted to each other but we do generally keep them separated. When the cat tries to move around Val usually chases her, but occasionally she hesitantly approaches her which the cat still doesn't like. I think she would do well with a cat that at least allows her to sniff them.

KIDS

Val has really only ever seen the neighborhood kids. She listened and watched the neighbor kids and dogs occasionally. Izzie likes to watch the kids that play across the street and Val sometimes joins in but is always calm.

TOYS/ENRICHMENT

Anything and everything we've given her. We don't have any soft toys because our lab eats them so mostly bones, nylabones, ropes, and sticks at home. Rubber toys and empty plastic containers at work. She did have stomach issues after a peanut butter Kong but she enjoyed it!

ANY BAD BEHAVIORS

Toy possession explained in dog's behavior with other dogs.

Val is a bull in a china shop in nearly every situation. She didn't immediately jump all over my cat and the one (obviously older and injured) dog we encountered on a walk but she gets especially wound up in the kennels. Her energy is always at 11 and she bounces around like crazy. Since she's been living with me, she does self regu