My puppy girl has this squeaky toy that she loves. I think it was made for teething dogs because it's this oversized molar, like the type you see in cartoons. Like, a doggy dentist kind of toy. Anyways, I started incorporating it into our training and she took really well to it! She learned the "Sit!" command quickly, and I was attempting to get her to respond to "Speak!" commands when it broke, and she was absolutely heatbroken.

So I figured, since I'm a good pet owner, I'd get her a replacement. The issue is she's very particular with her toys, and she loved this one so much because it had a really good mouthfeel. I knew I had to get the same exact one so I did some googling around for the company that made it. Turns out they were bought by another company and underwent a lot of changes. Luckily they still produced the exact same toy except they had to change the color to navy blue to match the new logo. I figured a color change probably wouldn't matter to her since it'll mostly be in her mouth anyways and placed an order on a replacement.

Now, something I should mention about her is that she doesn't have the best eyesight. To make up for it, I verbally communicate what I'm holding up when giving commands so she can tell what reward she'll get. For example, I used to wave around her old toy saying "Tooth! Tooth!" before following it up with a "Sit!". While waiting for the new toy to come in, I attempted to continue teaching her the "Speak!" command with treats, but it wasn't enough to get over her shyness.

unsuppressed "yip!"

She practically ripped the toy from my hands, chewing and gnawing and squeaking away on the ground. My partners emerged from their rooms, curious at the commotion in the living room and watched the scene, a smile spreading across their faces. One of them couldn't contain it any more and started petting away at our little pup and, to my surprise, the only reaction from her was more wriggling and happy whines.

Ever since then she's been far more comfortable being her true puppy self around the whole household, even to the point where my partners have taken to training her as well! She claims that the new squeaky toy has an even better mouthfeel than the old, a claim I'm willing to believe based on her enthusiasm with tricks. She's been happier and more social than I've ever seen her before, and I'm amazed at how much improvement she's undergone.

And to think, just a few months ago I needed wired headphones to hear her bark, but now I just need to "Blue Tooth! Speak!" her.