Lakota Labrador Retriever Female 6 Months Old ID #3603

Lakota came to Brookline on January 4 as an owner surrender.  She lived with a smaller dog who wasn’t fond of Lakota’s size.  The owners kept the two dogs separated both inside the house and while outside in the yard.  The family was not able to walk Lakota due to some physical limitations of her owner.  It was a hard decision to surrender Lakota, but they felt like they were doing the best thing for the sake of both dogs. Please read the blog posts from bottom to top.

January 20, 2025

So many updates on Lakota…

She had a nurse visit to get her Bordetella vaccine.  She was excited when she arrived in the lobby and the nurse reported that Lakota was a good girl while they were together! Her bowel movements have some shape to them thanks to beef, rice and pumpkin!

Lakota is hesitant to meet (some) new people.  Sometimes it’s men, sometimes it’s women.  I can’t find a rhyme or reason. Usually in about 15 seconds she decides they are OK (after sniffing) and is open to being greeted. She was happy to meet my husband, son, and daughters, as well as our neighbors, but she didn’t warm up to my son in law.  She sniffed him and then backed away.

Lakota knows “down” now and she learned how to walk up and down steps inside the house. She really, really, really wanted to be upstairs with me but she couldn’t bring herself to walk up the steps. First, 2 steps up, turn around, and right back down.  A little crying, 5 steps up, a turn, and right back down!  She finally brought herself to walk up the entire flight of steps (she’s very brave) but there was no way she was going back down, no matter how much turkey was placed on each step! In fact, she went up another level of steps and was “stuck” on the third floor!  Eventually, she channeled all of her puppy power to walk down both flights of steps all by herself!!  It was the cutest thing to watch!

Speaking of cute, Lakota and I went on a 4 mile walk on a rail trail this weekend. She loved exploring all of the sights and sounds – snow geese really intrigued her! Sticks were a close second. It was a little rainy so there weren’t many people on the trail.  We did come across another man on our travels.  Lakota gave him a little growl and didn’t want anything to do with him.

The following day we went to the beach. Lakota walked well in the sand, enjoyed putting seashells and seaweed in her mouth and had a chance to meet two other dogs.  She was very friendly to them!  This walk provided us with a lot of opportunities to practice “leave it.” As we got closer to the ocean, Lakota was a little afraid of the small waves coming toward her.  She preferred to keep her distance. She did allow me to do a photo shoot of her while on the beach!

When we got home from the beach, Lakota got to walk in the snow!  She rolled around, jumped (while on leash) and ate it!

Lakota fell asleep next to me on the sofa this weekend while I was reading. Puppy cuddles are the best and she makes a good foot warmer!

Life with Lakota is not always Instagram perfect.  She’s an active puppy who needs to be lovingly taught limits or she will try to be the boss of you.  When Lakota is tired or needs to play, she will let you know.  She has been known to nip at our pant legs and sometimes that nip meets skin and it hurts. She did this with her original owners too. We are working with the trainer to redirect her and break her of this behavior.  After that will come the counter surfing, stealing remotes, and all of the other usual puppy behaviors!  Wait, our resident dog counter surfed for 14 years…. maybe someone else is better equipped to stop this habit!

Lakota currently resides in Lancaster, PA.  As of this writing she has 6 puppy classes left to attend.  Any remaining classes will transfer to her new owners if you live in the area or are willing to drive here on Thursday nights.  She’s worth it!

January 16, 2026

Lakota is still the most adorable brown eyed beauty with a puppy curiosity about most things in the house. She always seems to be wondering…Why is that toilet paper so soft?

What do you do with that tea towel? Why can’t I chew on the corner of the kitchen cabinet? If I steal a pillow, how many humans will chase me?  Luckily, she will quickly trade all stolen items for a treat!

Lakota and I went to our second puppy training class today.  “We” are learning to:

1. Sit until a release word is spoken (We use “Let’s Go.”). She’s pretty good with this because we have her sit when we put her dinner in the bowl.  We’ll be extending this command to be used when she is exiting a car and when she goes in and out of the house.
2. We reviewed “Look.” Lakota is great with this in the house, but in the real world where there are distractions, she needs some practice.
3. We introduced “down.” Lakota didn’t want anything to do with this so the trainer had to step in with a high value treat. We modified “down” for now by using my leg as a bridge for her to go under.  The confinement of my leg encouraged her to eventually lie down on the floor.  She’s a smart girl and I’m sure she will pick up on this in no time!

Lakota is now a pro at ringing the bell on the doorknob and asking to go outside.  Her bowel movements have been loose or runny since she came to our house almost two weeks ago.  We’re trying to fix that with rice and beef.  I think the change in food and various new treats upset her belly.

Lakota walks about 4-5 miles a day.  I walk her with a gentle leader; my husband prefers the flat collar.  Either way, she likes to sniff and zig zag. She doesn’t pull so hard that I feel like I’m going to lose my balance, but she does need to learn to walk nicely on one side of her human.  When we see other dogs on our walks, Lakota sometimes stops walking to watch them.  The really nice thing is that she doesn’t bark or pull really hard to meet them.

The best way to tire out Lakota is to give her a puppy play date.

She’s been getting along beautifully with the neighbor dogs and likes everyone in her puppy class, even the HUGE bull mastiff who has a very deep bark!  If you watch the puppy play date video that is attached, Lakota is wearing the green collar. Lakota would do well living with another dog of equal energy, but it’s not necessary.  She will need a fence in the yard to chase balls and run, run, run! I love watching her play. She’s muscular and fast.

Lakota loves car rides and this weekend she’s road tripping to Rehoboth.  It will be her longest car ride with us. We may take her onto the beach and see what she thinks about walking in the sand.

Lakota has jumped up on the sofa and fallen asleep next to my husband a few times.  She’s learning to relax with her humans.

On Friday, Lakota will go to the vet for her Bordetella vaccination.  It’s the only one she hasn’t had.  The nurse notes from her prior visits say that she can be a little squirmy but she is sweet.  I’ll let you know how tomorrow’s appointment goes.  Lakota is also going to have a visit with the neighbor’s cats to see what she thinks of them!

This little girl will soon be ready to be put up for adoption.

January 9, 2026

It was an exciting day for Lakota!  She spent part of her morning having a playdate with the neighborhood Brookline alum/foster dogs.  Introductions went well and everyone played nicely.  There was a lot of chasing and wrestling. Lakota responded well to a few appropriate corrections when she got carried away.  I’m so proud of her!  My neighbor sent me a video but it is too long to post.  I’ll try to get another one soon!

I decided to take Lakota to the first puppy training class, even though it was going to be mostly lecturing.  Our homework this week is to practice “Look” & “Sit.”  She already knows how to sit!  It’s interesting to hear what the trainers have to say about dog behavior.  I appreciate that this trainer is giving us a free 8-week session as a thank you to Brookline for bringing her into foster care.

Last night Lakota walked over to the door to signal that she needed to go to the bathroom.  That was the first time she was the initiator!

January 8, 2026

Lakota had another good night of sleep in the crate last night.  She needs to be coaxed inside with treats, but settles quickly once inside.

Lakota happily played in our neighbor’s yard again and then got to meet their Brookline Foster.  Their foster is a pretty chill breeder mama.  Lakota did most of the sniffing when they were introduced.  Neither of the dogs barked or growled, so it was a great first meeting.  Tomorrow we are going to introduce Lakota to some of the more active and opinionated dogs in the house. I was happy to see that she enjoys being around other dogs!

After our play time, we headed to the gas station.  Lakota enjoys car rides & I was curious to see how she would react toward all of the people pumping gas.  Guess what she did… nothing!  She didn’t bark or try to stick her nose out the window, and she didn’t run around in the car.  She was happy to sit nicely and take it all in!

Lakota is napping next to me on the floor as I type.  She is slowly learning to take breaks and entertain herself with toys.  She enjoys chewing on all types of bones and Kongs filled with spray cheese.  She’s a pretty fast eater, so I have been using the snuffle mat when feeding her.

Tomorrow I am heading to puppy school. You read that right; I am heading there.  The first week is mostly talking and logistics, so Lakota will stay at home while I learn the ropes.  Next week is her big chance to go to school!

January 7, 2026

Lakota came to our house full of spunk! She is a typical puppy who wants to play, steal remotes, eat shoes, counter surf and beg for attention!  But oh, how quickly she is learning to follow the rules!  Prior to coming to our house, Lakota was not crate trained.  48 hours later she slept in her crate from 11:00 PM -7:00 AM without making a peep! Previously, Lakota was able to freely go in and out of the house through a doggy door. She had some accidents upon arriving, but now she is accident free!  She’s an A+ pup!

We have been enjoying getting to know this brown eyed beauty.  She likes going on long walks and chasing balls in our neighbors fenced in yard.  She will drop the ball for a treat, and sometimes for a compliment and a good scratch. Soon, she will get to meet one of the neighbor dogs (a Brookline alum)!

Lakota is interested in squirrels. She pulls to look at them when we walk.  We switched her to a gentle leader or a harness and this helps with the pulling. There are so many puppy rules that Lakota will need to figure out. But rest assured, she’s a quick learner and she will be the best girl in no time!