Learning

When you foster dogs you see all kinds of issues. A lot stems from lack of training and is pretty simple to work on with some basic training. Equally as frequent we see dogs who didn't get the proper socializing as young dogs and have grown into underconfident, anxious dogs. While not everything can be undone, with time and patience there is so much we can do to help them.

The longer I foster, the more the dogs teach me and the more difficult the issues, the more I take away from the fostering experience. Don't get me wrong - I'm not really a fan of working with dogs that have a ton of baggage, but sometimes I end up with those dogs and they've definitely enlarged my understanding.

And the longer I do this the more it seems there is to learn. That's why I'm so excited to be attending a Kathy Sdao seminar this weekend. It's a two part seminar: What Not to Err, and Plenty in Life is Free. Hoping I'll finish the weekend with lots of new training ideas for working with the dogs and helping them have a strong start when they move on to what will hopefully be their final home.

Pictured below are the four dogs that have taught me the most over my journey as a foster parent. While fostering them I hit pivotal moments in growing my understanding of dogs and of the human-dog connection.

Tilly

Tilly was my 10th foster dog, and the first puppy mill breeder bitch that I fostered. She was 7 when she was rescued and had never been socialized. She was my introduction to fearful dogs and there were times when it felt like it was almost cruel to keep her alive, her fear was so great. Tilly really taught me that there is a way to connect more deeply to dogs but that I had to stop being so rigid with my "training plan" and instead let the dog set the pace and the type of training done. We ended up adopting her and she is now 11 yrs old and is a feisty 7 pound character. While she still is fearful in new environments and with new people, she no longer dissociates when around new people and at home she has turned into a brave and bossy little thing.

Catty

Franny, now named Catty, was another puppy mill breeding bitch. While Tilly completely shut down and went almost catatonic when frightened, Catty lashed out and was reactive when she was anxious. Catty helped me learn that the whole theory of "being the alpha" is not only ineffective, it will damage the trust a dog has in a person. I also learned that there is a difference between actual aggression and a dog who acts out from a place of fear. Actual aggressive dogs are very, very rare. Almost always there is some source of anxiety or fear that fuels most dogs labeled as aggressive. Catty found a wonderful adopter who has since become a New Rattitude volunteer, my Co-State Coordinator for WA and OR, and a close friend, so I'd say it was a pretty successful adoption. She's doing great in her home and has gone from not being able to be around other dogs to now being a house dog in a fostering family with new dogs regularly coming and going.

Huckleberry

Huckleberry was another undersocialized dog who had learned in his home that the only way to get a human to listen was to bite. Dogs give lots of signals, and Huckleberry always gave a ton, but when humans refuse to listen to them, sometimes a bite is the only thing that works. Pretty sad. He had lived in a home where the 2 very young kids were unsupervised with him and the dad did lots of yelling and intimidating. Huck was very afraid of men and we did a lot of work around rewarding him for using acceptable ways of letting people know he was overwhelmed. He also got lots of socialization. He now is doing great in his new family and they have continued the socialization work that we started with him.

Langley

And finally Langley. Just like humans, the environment a dog is raised in has a lot to do with the kind of dog they become. Most of the dogs that have behavior issues seem to have them as a result of how they were raised. But also just like humans, some dogs have mental health issues - neurochemical imbalances that lead to behaviors that wouldn't be called "normal". Langley taught me that sometimes behavior modification and extra activities and exercise is not enough. Sometimes medications are needed to help a dog move past anxious or compulsive behaviors. Langley has come so, so far. While he can still be a challenge on occasions, for the most part he's pretty typical high energy dog now. He's still waiting for that person who can see past the "issues" to the loveable, goofball of a dog that he is. I can honestly say that you will rarely meet a dog more sweet-natured than Langley. He wants to please so badly, and he connects strongly to his people. Even before the medication and training work when he was so anxious he never once snapped at me, even when I was restraining him from things that he had very strong compulsions toward. So Langley continues to teach me things and I hope that someday someone will see him for the gem that he is.