Good article on rehabilitation

How to Help Your Fearful Dog: Become the Crazy Dog Lady

Case study - Vicki and Vivian

So my reputation is slowly spreading and I am getting more experience with behavioral issues outside of my own fosters. I thought I would share a recent problem posed to me and see what you guys think. Vicki and Vivian are twin mystery mixes (we called them shepherd mixes but they are really too small) that we adopted out a month or two ago. Vicki is *extremely* people shy and Vivian is a bit better. I received an email over the weekend telling me that they haven't socialized to the family, Vicki seems to have adversely affected Vivian instead of the other way around, and they are not very well house trained yet. When they go outside, the hide under the deck and have also been getting out of the yard. Based on the way a few things were phrased, I keyed in on their routine and asked for a full report on that, as well as what they are eating, favorite treats and activities (which help to know in training). Keep in mind that I don't really know these dogs on a personal level. I'd be interested to know what you think of my advice.

Here are some excepts form the original email as well as responses to my questions:

The dogs have extended their pack to include [daughter] to the extent that she can bring them inside at the end of the day, and they sometimes come up to her during the day. Otherwise, they avoid the rest of the family.

Once we let Vivian and Vicki outside in the morning, most of our family is not able to engage with them until [daughter] brings them in at the end of the day. If we go out to the back yard, they bolt to hide under the deck. When [daughter] brings them in at the end of the day, they will head for their cage (where they sleep for the night). If they come out (when only [daughter] is in the area) they will bolt back to the cage when anyone else arrives (or at any noise). The boys and [husband] have been very gentle with the dogs, but this has not had any apparent result. [husband] and the boys attempt to engage with the dogs (for example, slowly moving to pat them while the dogs are in the cage or when [daughter] is holding them), but Vivian and especially Vicki are in full submissive mode if they can’t get away, and will bolt at the first chance.

We have attempted to take them on a leash for a walk, even just in the yard and just to do their business, but this seemed to be totally unproductive – they attempt to bolt, and when they find they can’t, they cringe and crouch and don’t move unless pulled.

What is especially disheartening is that the connections we thought we were making with Vivian during the first week have eroded. It seems that Vicki is influencing Vivian to be less trusting of us, rather than Vivian helping Vicki to be more trustful. For example, if Vivian does start to move to one of us, Vicki starts barking (at Vivian? at us? we can’t tell) and Vivian backs away.

Equally disheartening is that we have all agreed from the start to be patient, but we are not seeing any positive results – even tiny ones. We have followed the vet’s advice, such as having [husband] and the boys prepare the dog’s food, but to no avail.

We have some thoughts:

- The dogs may have a strong negative association with male humans.

- The dogs have a strong bond with each other and don’t need to form other bonds.

- The behaviors may have been established over a longer time than we first thought – our vet believes they are about 18 months old.

1) what do they eat?

Blue Buffalo dog food, adult dog variety. Morning and evening feedings per vet's advice.
2) favorite treats?

We have a variety of dog treats. We don't have a way to determine favorite treats. When they are in the crate we can give them a treat and they will eat it. Outside the crate, Vivian will come out to the edge of the deck to get a treat; Vicki will not.
3) favorite activities that you have observed?

When they are outside and we are inside, we have observed them running around the yard together. They clearly like barking.
4) can you give me a blow by blow description of their current daily routine including who is the human usually interacting and their usual reaction to each event in their day?

- Let dogs out of crate and outside in the morning ([husband] or [daughter]).

- Put food outside for dogs ([husband] or [daughter]). We tried to put the food inside first thing before they went out, but this made us nervous: (a) they wouldn't eat while they could see us and (b) they are not safely housebroken to the point that we trust them unobserved in the house.

- At some point in the day, [daughter] would go outside to attempt to interact with the dogs (sit, talk to them, try to cax them to come to her). However, Vicki has begun to associate [daughter] with being brought inside at the end of the day, and is not coming to her during the day.

- Boys or [husband] had been going outside to attempt to interact with the dogs, but this results in the dogs running under the deck. As indicated below, Vivian is less likely to come out than she had been, possibly based on Vicki's reaction.

- The boys put out the evening food, and go inside so the dogs will eat.

- In the evening, [daughter] will spend some time attempting to get Vicki inside; Vivian usually will follow. Sometimes Vivian will come in, but Vicki will usually not follow.

- The dogs will be in the sun room but will bolt for the crate or under the table if someone comes into the room.

- At bedtime, we close the crate.

Variations:

- We have tried taking the dogs out on a leash to do their business. Usually successful with Vivian; no point with Vicki (she will not do anything other then attempt to bolt or cower).

- Despite fixing our fence and inspecting for any gaps, the dogs have been getting out of the yard and into neighbor's yards. We are not sure how (for example, we don't know if they are fence jumpers or climbers, or if they found a very small gap that we can't detect). The good news is that they are staying in the area, and have even gotten back into our yard. The bad news is that they will not come to any of us when outside our yard.

Here is what I see. The dogs are alone all day because they are outside. The dogs do not place any value on interaction with the family because they get no positive reinforcement from it. The interaction they do have is forced upon them, and they have no safe opportunity to get used to being around the people. They have no structure and do not know what to expect from the people. So here is what I recommended as a first step. I think they will see results of some kind within a week from this approach.

Based on what you have told me, I think that the dogs would be better off on a more restricted regimen for a while. Right now they are outside and can do whatever they want. They have no motivation to allow you to get close to them and as far as they know - food magically appears in their bowls outside. I know you said they will generally not go on the leash, but if that is their only option, I think they will. They need to spend more time around people. I would full on crate train them. It will be a massive pain in the butt for a while, but I am pretty positive it will work. And you guys are so dedicated, I know if you just have a little success it will help immensely. So it would go like this:

• crate should be located where the most activity is in the house (at least to the extent that it is feasible)
  
• overnight in crate
• leashed walk in the morning* (*if one of them doesn't go, try again in an hour until they do)
• Bring some cut up hot dog or american cheese with you on the walk. Whenever one of them eliminates, say "good girl" in a high pitched upbeat tone, and throw ONE treat in front of the one who eliminates. If they will accept it from your hand, fine, but don't force it or it is not a reward. When you toss it, give them time to discover it. If they refuse it, just ignore it and go back inside. Repeat this process for every walk. Note: if they come to enjoy being on the leash outside, be sure to wait a little after they eliminate to go back in; otherwise they will associate going potty with going back inside and that could cause problems. However, if they hate being out there, take them inside right after they go as an added reward.
  
• after walk, breakfast in the house in a quiet place, but not entirely away from everyone. MAKE SURE THEY SEE YOU PUTTING THE FOOD DOWN FOR THEM. If they won't eat after 20 minutes, put them back in the crate (make sure there is water in the crate). No food until the next mealtime (exception if they go potty). **If you have an instance where they eliminate in the crate instead of when you take them outside, start feeding them in the crate and they will be less likely to do that. Maintain the 20 minute rule though.
  
• walk again 20 mins after breakfast
• back in crate
• it will depend on whether they are going to the bathroom outside as to how often you let them out. Initially you will probably have to let them out every hour or two. Once they actually go, every 3 or 4 hours should be OK. Start out with less time and increase it to see what they can handle.
  
• Once they go potty outside, let them have 20 minutes out of the crate IN THE HOUSE. If you can gate off a room that would be great. Keep them in your vicinity. Ignore them (or rather appear to ignore them) - do not try to interact at all. Let them make any overt gestures - this will take them a while.
• They must be watched at all times while they are out of the crate - if someone has an accident *and you catch them at it* startle them into stopping with a firm NO (or word of your choice - just be consistent) and get them outside (on leash) immediately. If you do not catch them in the process of doing it, just put them back in the crate and clean it up with an enzyme cleaner. If you try to tell them what they did wrong, they will have no clue even if it is 2 seconds after they finish.
  
• back in crate; repeat the letting out/activity in the house as necessary
• around dinner time; let them out of crate and walk as usual.
• upon return, repeat the process for breakfast. If they won't eat after 20 minutes, put them back in the crate. No food until the next mealtime.
• Evening walk before bedtime; 20 mins free time; crate for night.
• No one should ever, under any circumstances, reach into the crate for any reason. If they retreat to the crate during "free time" that's fine. Just shut the door after 20 minutes. Be sure not to slam it or smile at them (that is baring your teeth and scary for them).
• You may find that you have more success with walking one dog at a time. But play with it and see what works best.
  

If you would like, I can stop over on Sunday and show you some body language stuff for the dogs. Please let me know if that works for you and what times are good. Things that seem friendly for people (like smiling) are aggressive acts to a dog or at the least can be scary. If you have any questions about any of this, I can be reached tonight at ...

Belle update 9.28.09

Belle is doing great.

As promised, we are having long LONG walks everyday, she seems to like it, and again, she starts felling more confident, although sometimes she gets very scared about very simple things such a trash bags, weird big plants or even umbrellas (Saturday was raining so I pull out and umbrella from the closet and she cuddle down scared right away, so we walked without it) therefore I'm avoiding things that may scare her.

***

I wouldn't completely keep things away from her she is afraid of. Just introduce them slowly and a teeny bit at a time. For example, now that you know she is afraid of the umbrella, maybe leave it out where she can see it once in a while. Once she seems ok with that. Pick it up and put it down when she is watching. Once she gets used to that, open it in front of her - maybe leave it out where she can see it opened for a while. Once she is ok with that, pick it up in front of her a few times. Once she is ok with that, open it and close it in front of her. And so on. Just teeny steps in amounts she can handle over a period of plenty of time. Otherwise she will never get used to it and chances of her never coming across an umbrella in her life are pretty slim! :-) Then eventually, when you take the umbrella out when you actually need it, she won't think it is such a big deal. Same kind of thing with the vaccuum cleaner and other things you notice she is afraid of. And if you can think of a way to make it into a game - all the better. You can reinforce with treats as well.
***

Beside that she is really getting use to the place and of course to us, she LOOOOOVES being kissed and hugged, sometimes she kisses back and lately, sometimes, she follows more commands, but once she sees a toy, then she can't focus anymore, I know it is a matter of training and time.

I have to confess that I'm such an easy mom, yesterday, she just "upgrade" herself to nap on the couch, and I let her be, little by little she is gaining some space toward her boundaries but at the same time she's getting use to obey other unbreakable rules, such as not jumping or look for food over the oven (never) or chewing furniture (she tried), chewing our clothing or sleeping on our bed, somehow we are getting along with each other, we like her very much.

Yesterday she was very cute, I gave her a shower and she behaved very well, after I dried her hair, she started jumping and running all over the place very happy and exited, after all her running she decided to take a nap. She seems happy to me, and we are really happy to have her.

Belle update 9.22.09

Everything goes well with Belle inside the house, she seems happy and apparently is getting used to us, the only thing about it is that now she starts crying when we need to go to work, and cries very sadly as complain when we get back, I sincerely feel very guilty of leaving her by herself for so long, so although I do go on lunch time to walk with her, I am hiring a dog walker for Belle not to be alone for so long.

Another thing I wanted to mention, yesterday morning we were doing our usual walk, when all of a sadden a very aggressive dog came barking at us from one house's fence, the dog went insane trying to jump out of the wooden fence to attack us and Belle panicked horribly, first she went behind me and as the dog keep barking furiously at us, she started shaking very hard and getting is this weird position kind of cuddling with her legs below her body REALLY tense, when I tried to calm her she wouldn't listen to me at all, she keep shaking badly and as I was trying to take her away from that situation since she was cuddling as rock, it was impossible first for me to lift her, so I had to take her face and said "he can't hurt you, you're with me", so I put myself in front of her in a way that she could hear the aggressive barking without seeing the dog inside the fence. so she finally moved, but sadly, her confidence went down again, her tail is not coming up as it did before, now no matter where we walk, she just walks nervously fast with the tail hidden between her legs like escaping. Meaning, she is not enjoying the walk at all.

I am buying the book you suggested me today, but meanwhile, do you have any suggestion about how to make her feel better?

I will appreciate any advice.

{I am showing my response here as I feel it could be useful info to others.}

Belle would definitely prefer to be with you rather than alone. But rememebr that whining growling and barking is her only form of verbal communication. It doesn't always mean she is sad when she whines. She may be saying - hey I'd rather you didn't go - when you leave in the morning, but she does fine by herself. When you come back she is whining with excitement and joy so see you again - she's not sad at that point. Her mom does that too when she is excited. If you respond to her feeling guilty - she will pick up on that and do it more - either to elicit the response or because she feels you being sad and uncomfortable so she figures it is justified that she is concerned you are leaving. What I always did with her (and Cheetah) was to give them something fun - either a toy or a chew - and say in a very happy voice that it was time for me to go but I would be back and to have a nice time and be good while I was gone. Then I would quickly and confidently slip out the door. If you are able to do this consistently - eventually she will get the idea that when you leave you come back, and that there is nothing to worry about because you are happy and confident walking out the door.

I saw Cheetah this weekend (she is currently at a no cage boarding place where she has loads of fun). When I left she whined and barked like "hey you are forgetting me!" and I felt lower than dirt. I cried all the way home. However I guarantee you that she gave it about a minute before she moved on. Dogs live in the moment, so when you are gone she is not sitting around thinking how lonely she is or how awful you are for leaving her. She is probably sleeping. I would never tell you NOT to get a dog walker. But in these economic times, if the money is at all a concern, I can tell you that (especially if you are coming home in the afternoons to walk her) she does not NEED one.

As for the other dog, that is really unfortunate. It is going to take some time to build her confidence back up after a bad scare. It was a perfect response that you got in front of her and told her you would protect her. That increases her confidence and bond with you. And it did work - she was able to move. Now what you will need to do, beside avoid that path for a while, is make every outing really fun for her. Bring special treats she loves but does not otherwise get, bring a special toy she gets to have at certain times on the walk that she loves to play with and doesn't otherwise get (maybe the purple thing?). Then she will start focusing on you and the thing she wants and not think so much about how afraid she is. If you give them to her at certain times or places in the walk - that will give her a goal and something to look forward to after she starts to see the pattern. It will probably take a while, but that is what I would do. Also I would start working with her on some more complex training. Training is believed to increase a dog's confidence level. Teach her to look at you, target, sit and stay - that thing I gave you is helpful for that. The training should take place initially at home but as she gains aptitude you can start using it in more stressful situations to help focus her. The only other thing is do your best not to feel bad for her. Definitely reassure her, but don't feel sorry for her. Again, she will pick up on the fact that you are feeling bad and think she must be justified in being scared herself! Try to stay positive and happy and confident around her and that will help her a lot.

Sadie, Cheetah, Belle and Swiffer update 8.30.09

I saw Sadie today and she is like a different dog. She is so much more confident, she has some meat on her bones and she wants to play with the other dogs. She has that doggy sparkle back in her eye. What a difference from the tail tucked entirely under her, wouldn't stand up, emaciated little thing I first met.

I have to tell you, Cheetah was pretty cute with her. There were a good 15 dogs or so in the enclosure today and if someone got too rough with Sadie, Cheetah took it upon herself to herd them right away from her. Cheetah was the enforcer generally. If someone was barking too much - she would get right in their face and bark once sharply and back away. It was as if someone whistled through their fingers (I always wished I could do that) bc that dog would be shocked right into silence. It was fun to watch.

Cheetah was unamused that I was with Belle today. She did not like that one bit. I am HER person and that is that. She has been staying the last few days with Kristina, head of the rescue, to give this household a break. She has always like Kristina and literally (I kid you not) rolled down the car window and jumped out when she saw Kristina when I was dropping her off. Luckily I was going about 1 mph and she was leashed by her harness as opposed to her collar. I was able to release her from the seatbelt quickly and Kristina grabbed the leash with Cheetah none the worse for wear. I usually keep the child locks on the windows bc while she has never jumped out, she has done the roll down the window trick before (damn smart dog), but I had rolled down the front window to talk to Kristina so the child lock was off.

Anyway, she was herding dogs away from Kristina too when she was in the pen. She is crapped out on the floor right now - busy day of protecting everyone for her!

Kristina said she did awesome at her house and wasn't even territorial! Woo hoo! I declare her cured. I think she really would do best in a household with another dog. So Cheetah will be with me for this week, and then Sat night she is going to another senior foster's house so I can take Belle, who needs me more right now.

Back to Sadie, she has had all of her bloodwork and this week has the actual heartworm treatment. This treatment is painful so please keep her in your thoughts. She will also be on pain meds for her hip - I spoke to Kristina about it today. And we are investigating specialists to work on her leg. Our goal is not to amputate, but follow Ashley's suggestion of the procedure with the big long name that will stop bone from rubbing on bone. She is already functioning with the leg. The musculature has healed around it and she has figured out how to work with it. So we just want to deal with the pain it must be causing her. My guess is that it would be cheaper to amputate, but no one really wants to do that.

So Belle. She is a tiny little thing! She's only 35 pounds and looks so little to me next to Cheetah. She is smaller than the other puppies I have seen as well. She is cute as a button and I know there will be a ton of interest in her. As a matter of fact, we already had one application! (3 kids though). I spent about 20-30 minutes with her just getting her used to me, and before we were done, she turned her back to me (I was flattered by this!) and she jumped into my lap and licked my face. So we are buds. I brought chopped up hot dog with me to offer as a high value treat, but she was slow to accept it. She did finally eat out of my hand and we started some basic targeting training. She is not super food motivated, which will make training a little more difficult. But certainly not impossible.

She is very fearful, but not as bad as Cheetah was, nor as reactive. Add to that that she is younger, and I am very confident that I can get her where she needs to be. Here is my plan:

1. Get her spayed ASAP. Her owner was advised by her vet to hold off bc she was so skittish. I don't agree with that evualtion, but regardless, I am of the opinion that now, hormones are exacerbating the situation. Plus, it needs to be done.
   
2. Once she is spayed I can take her to an off leash park - I found this helped Cheetah immensely. Fearful dogs are often more fearful on leash, bc they can't run away if they are scared. This can mean they feel they have to defend themselves, which is never good.
3. Change her food! She is currently on Puppy Chow, a corn based dog food. We have discussed before how corn can block seratonin uptake in a dog, increasing anxiety, fear and aggression. The Rescue has changed over to Blue Buffalo - to which I say BRA.VO. Cheetah has been getting Solid Gold, but I will probably switch Belle to Blue Buffalo for consistency. We'll see how I feel when I go shopping :-)
4. I will start a basic obedience regimen with her. This will cause bonding with me and increase confidence. It will also help me to control situations better and distract her more effectively when we are facing her fears.

Swiffer is still limping :-( We are still on pain meds and I have scheduled an appointment with a different vet in the practice for Saturday. My biggest fear is that she has an injury which is healing improperly. We will likely need to do some x-rays next. She and Lexy had a very nice break while Cheetah was visiting. Lexy followed me from room to room like a dog and Swiffer did too, come to think of it :-)

The Adolescent Dog

I recently reached out to the remaining puppy owners to offer some resources. I thought perhaps they might be helpful to some of my readers as well.

As you are probably well aware by now, your puppies have entered adolescence. Just like a human teenager - this can be a trying time. As someone who works with a rescue, I see tons of dogs come through because they were given up by families who thought their sweet puppy had gone Cujo on them. One of our own litter has even been surrendered already. So I wanted to reach out.

Most of you have already reported some Dr Jekyl & Mr. Puppy behavior :-) I just want to reassure you that if your pup is suddenly shy, nippy, barking more, possessive, territorial, showing separation anxiety, etc etc... that this is a normal part of puppy development and you have not adopted a monster. Nonetheless, I know that it is not an easy period to deal with so I thought I would offer my support as well as some resources. If there is anything I can do to assist you during this period, please let me know. Your reaction to your pup during this period is critical in helping him/her develop into the dog you hope he/she will be. Consistent training is critical. And fear not, it usually only lasts about 6-8 months, unlike the fun of a human teenager, which can last upwards of a decade!

• An article from Dog Star Daily, a trainer blog that I really like. This is written by Ian Dunbar, a father of the positive reinforcement method of training. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/adolescent-dog-training-18-weeks-2-years

• A Q&A that you should relate to :-) http://www.canismajor.com/dog/adol01.html

• An article by a vet** that gives a quick overview of what your dog is physically experiencing http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1701&S=1&SourceID=47

** please note: While the vet is THE FIRST PLACE I go for health issues, I am NOT A FAN of taking much behavioral advice from your vet unless he/she is a veterinary behaviorist. If you are concerned about behavioral issues, please have your dog checked for any physical issues by your vet to be sure it is not a response to a health problem, and then consult a certified dog behaviorist - it is their area of expertise.

There don't seem to be a ton of books focused specifically on dog adolescence, but a few authors I recommend:

• Nicole Wilde: Help for Your Fearful Dog: A Step-by-Step Guide to Helping Your Dog Conquer His Fears
• Ian Dunbar - A number of his puppy books have sections on adolescence
• Patricia B. McConnell Ph.D. - You can't go wrong with any book by her.

If you have any specific problems, let me know and I may be able to recommend more resources to you.

lesson for the day

Do not try to teach "off" with a peanut butter sandwich. It is both futile and messy.

More dog stuff

Shocking I know. I went to PetSmart tonight and picked up an Easy Walk Harness for Cheetah. I only tried it briefly. I am not sure if I had it fitting her properly. But she did walk loose lead. That is a first so I am hopeful.

Of course I could not go into PS and buy just one thing! So I got a few toys and chewies and 2 hard sided dog pools. In August I am hosting a rescue reunion party for everyone who has ever adopted from Rescue Angels. (Not to be confused with the litter reunion I will have next Spring.) This is because I have the biggest back yard and am crazy enough to offer :-) I believe the tally is up over 150 dogs at this point. Even if only 1/3 come that is a lot of dogs! (not to mention people.) So I thought it would be good to have a couple of dog pools on hand. They were only like $9 - how could i resist! That's how they get ya.

But the end all be all purchase. . . they had the SHAM WOW!!! At PetSmart! OK, I am coming out of the closet - I am an infomercial freak. But I never actually order anything. But it was sitting RIGHT THERE!!! How could I resist?! AS SEEN ON TV!!!! Now if I happen to see that lawn edger weed whacker thingy, my universe will be complete.

You'd bite too!

So we tried the calming collar on Cheetah again last night. Both dogs got agitated around 9pm, but especially Cheetah. Not sure what it was about. I think it might've been bugging Cheetah that Dan and Swiffer were in the basement and I was upstairs watching TV. The pack was not together! Anyway, my impression this time was that the calming collar made her worse. I gave her some Rescue Remedy and that helped. After I took the collar off of her, I put it on myself for a while! I figure if I am going to subject the dogs to it, I should see what it is like. It made me sneeze and gave me a headache. Dogs have a keener sense of smell than I do, and I found it overwhelming. I know it works extremely well for some people, but so far I can't buy in. Neat concept though.

My soap box moment for the day:

I have to get this out. I have been thinking a lot lately about what makes a good trainer (and a good owner for that matter). I don't necessarily think there is one correct school of thought, although I am more inclined toward the positive reinforcement methods, especially when dealing with a fear case. But I do think that an indespensible element is the ability to see the world from the dog's point of view. They are not people and they do not think like people. But it is possible to put yourself in their shoes once in a while.

Imagine, if you will, that you are in a foreign country. You do not understand them and they do not understand you. You are in an environment that is unfamiliar, surrounded with strange people. The tour guide with whom you are familar just introduced you to a new guide and walked away. There is a lot going on around you so you are trying to be as alert as possible. Shortly after your familiar tour guide walks away, a strange & daunting man walks up to you, gets in your personal space and puts his hand on your shoulder. You yell, "hey! get off of me right now!" and push him away. With that the new tour guide comes up behind you and immobilizes you, putting his hand over your mouth so you can't speak or defend yourself. What would you do? Personally I would struggle, bite and try to get away. I would be terrified.

This weekend I dropped off Cheetah at the adoption event. I handed her leash over to another foster (we'll call him Foster A) and started discussing her care for that evening. In the mean time another foster (Foster B) walked up with one of the other dogs. I felt like I was in a bad dream because I saw that the body languages of the other dog and Cheetah were not good, but I was positioned poorly to do anything about it or say anything fast enough. Sure enough a fracas broke out. The two other fosters pulled them apart and foster A clamped his hand down on Cheetah's mouth and held her mouth shut. At this point I got between Cheetah and the other dog, and knelt to calm her. I said "please take your hand off of her mouth." No movement. She was wide eyed and struggling. So I grabbed his hand and got in his face and said "do not do that" and stroked and calmed her back down. I left feeling very uncomfortable and watching foster B + dog getting too close to foster A + Cheetah again. I still feel guilty that I left. It was reported to me that she had one of her worst adoption days ever and nipped at multiple people.

My point in this is not to put down the other fosters. Everyone does the best they can. After the event, Foster A took Cheetah for a two mile walk and played with her all afternoon. I think she probably had a grand old time with him. And I am certainly not without fault in the whole scenario. I let social ettiquette get in the way of protecting my dog.

Those negative interactions could have been avoided. I want to find a way to raise awareness and need to think of the best way to do it.

• If you are handling a dog, pay attention 100% of the time.
• It is your responsibility to protect your dog and make him/her feel safe.
• Read the body language of your dog, the dogs around it AND THE PEOPLE.
• Think about what you are doing and how the dog might interpet your action and the actions of those around you. Remember - your dog is always in a foreign country. All they have are gestures.
  

Calming Collars

I got the dogs each a calming collar. This is to help them calm down, particularly during thunderstorms. They came today and we are expecting a huge thunderstorm tonight. Great, right? So I put the collars on them this evening, so that they could acclimate before the storm comes in. They are pretty darn fragrant let me tell you. The two of them are walking potpourri.


Are they more calm? Hard to say. It doesn't seem like it to me. But of course, it is still not raining. It rained in the city. The sky looked ominous. But because I have these damn collars it is not going to storm by my house. GREAT. Well, they are more calm then, right? So I guess the collars work!

Seriously if it storms I will let you know what happens. In the mean time here are some shots of them modeling their glorious new collars.

Miracle Stuff

OK, you've all heard of Rescue Remedy right? Well, last night both Cheetah and Swiffer were a mess. Cheetah was feeling contrary all evening. She was barking so much on her walk I thought I was going to lose my mind. So every time she barked I would immediately stop cold in my tracks. It only took about 1/2 a block of this (once it occurred to me) before she got the clue that we were going nowhere if she was barking and she stopped. But she was clearly keyed up anyway.

By the time we went to bed she was all over the place, putting her paws up on the bed, trying to jump in with us, and clonking around with one of her bones on the hard wood. The sound of the bone dropping freaks Swiffer out to no end. So she was on the bed quivering away and could not sit still. So I got up and got two little pieces of wheat bread, and dropped Rescue Remedy onto each of them. I gave one to each dog, and sprayed DAP on our bed and Cheetah's bed. I kid you not when I say they were both out cold in under 5 minutes!! This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Swiffer did hurl in the middle of the night at some point, so maybe I gave her too much. But they both completely relaxed so fast, it was like I gave them tranquilizers! I was pretty amazed.