Pupdate: Stevie Goes Camping!

Remember Ellsworth (now Stephen) from earlier this year? Well he's doing great in his adoptive home and took his first camping trip recently. He did great and had a blast tent camping, hiking and sailing. Good job Stevie. He really liked the camp chair so his mom and dad decided he might need his own on future camping trips since they only have 2.

When they got home he and his brother Sullivan were worn out from such a great adventure!

Stevie stealing his dad's chair

All cozy, snoozing in the tent with his brother Sullivan

Back at home, recuperating from his adventure on the couch

Pupdate!

Remember Ellsworth? Well his name is now Stephen and he is doing wonderful.

His new family makes sure he gets plenty of exercise and between that and having a great Rat Terrier brother, Sullivan, he has transitioned seamlessly into his new life. He gets daily walks or hikes, time to run and play in secure off leash areas, and then plenty of play time with his brother.

Stephen was labeled as unadoptable at the shelter because he was so highly stressed out that he couldn't stop pacing and was unable to engage with people. And when he initially came into foster care he was a complete mess - compulsive, panicked, pacing and needy...

With the help of a vet, some training, and a very special couple adopting him, Stevie has relaxed and become a very easy, goofy, lovable dog.

Happy life, Stevie!

New Bed in the House

When something is new in the house, the dogs all have to check it out. I had brought home a pallet from work after I saw this cool project using pallet wood to make a dog bed. When I set to work, the dogs watched through the baby gate into the garage as I built it.

New bed, waiting for its wheels and cushion

At first they weren't sure what it was for. Everyone sniffed it trying to decide why the wooden box was in the rec room. Chima thought that maybe this was a "101 things to do with a box" kind of game and stepped into it, seeing if that would get the clicker going and the treats flowing. It got her a laugh at least.

Frodo giving it a good sniffdown

Chima playing "101 things to do with a box"

I finally got the casters added and stuffed a Molly Mutt cushion to make it nice and cozy. Then Chima used it as a hurdle for awhile as her and Ellsworth played a game of chase. After that she used it as a perch to supervise the other dogs from on high.

Queen Chima on her throne

Ellsworth, trying it out

Finally though, Ellsworth got the idea and he and his football had a nap.

Our new finished bed

It was a fun project so today I brought home another pallet. This time I think I might make a long narrow one that fits two Molly Mutt cushions and use it outside on the deck. As much as they love to sunbathe I think that one will be a hit this summer.

Ellsworth at Logan Ridge

Dog's learn the value of having humans in their life through experience. While some dogs are more drawn to people than others, they still learn from their experiences if a human is valuable or not. A dog who lives outside most of the time and doesn't spend much time with his people isn't going to know that working together with a human can be rewarding for them. 

There's no way to help a dog learn to connect to people faster than to start doing rewards based training with them. To start out with food rewards will get them to sit up and take notice that maybe, just maybe these humans are worth the time of day. The food doesn't have to always be part of the equation but if you want to see progress quickly, food rewards can make amazing things happen. 

Anyhow, Ellsworth and I have been taking clicker training classes with Timko Training in Gig Harbor at the beautiful Logan Ridge training location and he is just starting to make that connection that humans are worth paying attention to. His new family trains their current dog using positive reinforcement so they will continue working with him to build a great dog to human relationship. 

Before class each day we arrive about twenty minutes early so we have a chance to walk around the upper field area which gives Ells a chance to relax and settle so when it's time to work, he can focus better. The photos in this post are from our pre-training walk. 

I can't wait to hear how he does in his new home. Transitions are tough for Ells but once he makes it through the first couple weeks it should be smooth sailing. 

Ellsworth's Adopted!

Yesterday Ellsworth took a trip with us to meet up with applicants who were interested in adopting him. They adopted another Rat Terrier from New Rattitude a couple years ago and when they saw sweet Ellsworth posted on Facebook they wanted to add to their family. 

At first Ells was pretty keyed up from the car ride and then when we got out of the car he saw a squirrel which revved him up even more. He was being too obnoxious to meet their dog Sullivan face to face so instead we just walked with them and Sully until both dogs could relax enough to forget about each other. Then after a couple of butt sniffs they calmed down and decided they could hang out together without stressing out. 

So we went into a fenced dog park area that was luckily empty and both dogs got a chance to play off leash. At first they both did their own thing but by the end of the visit Ells was rolling around in the grass and trying to initiate play with Sullivan. Good boy Ells! Here are some photos from their time in the park: 

Ellsworth is still pretty obsessed with his football

Sullivan is checking with the humans for treats - or maybe checking to see why this weird dog won't put his football down

Still with the football

Cute Sullivan

Ahhhh, sunshine

All loaded up for the drive back home

It didn't take long for him to conk out after his big adventure

So the paperwork is now being done to finalize the adoption. Ellsworth's new name will be Stephen or Stevie and he'll be moving to his home in Oregon in a couple weeks. 

We will miss this big, beautiful, sweet boy but are super happy that he found such a stellar home. 

The Beloved Ball

Ellsworth has found a couple JW squeakie footballs in the bottom of the toy bin and decided they are absolutely amazing. He carries one everywhere and even slept with one of them last night. Another funny thing he did is when offered a treat he tried to get the treat into  his mouth without letting go of his football.

Happily he doesn't feel the need to nonstop squeak it but he sure likes to have it close by. Here are some photos from yesterday of Ells and his ball.

Wondering why he has to be on the other side of the gate from me

Keeping his football close while he eats breakfast

Sad because I made him keep his ball inside

Ahh, he has his ball again because foster mom caved and let him run back inside to get it

While it's super cute, I'm always careful when a dog at the house gets strongly attached to a toy since that can lead to some resource guarding. So far with Ells we haven't run into that problem but the other dogs are also not at all interested in the footballs. Ellsworth hasn't tried to guard food or lap time with me from other dogs but that doesn't mean that he wouldn't guard his beloved footballs so I'll just be sure to watch everyone while they are hanging out together.

More Ellsworth Burrowing

I know I've posted photos of Ellsworth burrowing under blankets before but he is just so cute when he does it that I had to post some more.

Hmm. Well, where could Ellsworth be?

How is that comfortable, Ells?

Ellsworth and Chima Wrestle

Chima is not too sure about Ellsworth. Both of them want to play but when Chima initiates play it is so abrupt that it startles most dogs and when Ellsworth wants to play, Chima gets overwhelmed fairly quickly.

Ellsworth (back) and Chima

Chima has been turning into the fun police every time that Ellsworth gets the zoomies in the living room so I was starting to think that they'd never try to wrestle.

Yesterday though they finally played! I caught about half of it on video. Love Chima's little Judo move of sidestepping him and slapping him with her paw as he sailed past. Chima was a little overwhelmed after about 30 seconds of this and ran under the table and I distracted Ellsworth so she could have a break but I'm happy that Ells finally got one of the dogs to play with him.

Ellsworth the Burrower

We have discovered that Ellsworth, like most Rat Terriers, loves to burrow under blankets. And when there wasn't really one available? Well, he figured it out. Here he pulled the throw blanket off the top of the couch.

Where's Ellsworth?

There he is!

Chima always likes to get in the photo. She knows that occasionally photos mean I'll start handing out treats.

He loves all the blankets down on the couch in the rec room and regularly wraps himself up there. In fact last night I panicked because for once he wasn't right with me and I couldn't see where he was. I look over and all the blankets on the couch seemed to stand up  and then move off the couch. Finally a cute little head popped out as the blanket heap headed across the room after I called his name.

Ells with his favorite pile of blankies

Fetch

LOVES playing with balls. Squeaky or not, squishy or hard - he doesn't care. He has a weird way of playing fetch though. As soon as he sees you with a ball in your hand, he perks up and goes on alert, crouching and ready to take off.

After I throw the ball he tears off and gets it but then he gets very matter of fact about making sure to take the ball somewhere away from me so I am not so careless about just tossing it around. He will then set it there and go back to what he is doing. Sometimes he will see me coming and decide he needs to move it again but eventually I get the ball and the whole thing starts again.

Right after I threw the ball in the video above, Ellsworth went up on the deck and I was distracted and doing something else. When I looked back to see what he was doing, he had found a comfy spot on a chair and this time, had decided to keep the ball safe with him.

None of the other dogs have ever thought to jump up in the lawn chairs and Chima was interested in how he did this.  She stood and looked at him for a bit and then looked underneath the chair and sniffed him. I think she was impressed.

Chima sniffing Ells from under the chair

It was a pretty day and all the dogs enjoyed some much needed sunshine.

Ellsworth and Frodo: A One Sided Bromance

Ellsworth is a dog who likes to have a pal. He feels safer that way but he's also just a playful dog, even at 10 years old. He seems to prefer male dogs. In this house I can't blame him since the girls are not to be trifled with.

You can tell from Ellsworth's ears and him looking away that he's not fully sure of Chima's motives for jumping up next to him on the couch. This time she was just photobombing but Ells was smart to question her.

What's unfortunate though is that the object of Ellsworth's affection is Frodo and Frodo is notoriously snobbish to new foster dogs. That doesn't keep Ells from trying though. He regularly checks in with Frodo to see if this is the time he won't get snubbed. Poor Ells. So much hope mixed up with a dash of obsession.

Ellsworth: Hey Frodo, whatcha looking at? Whatcha doing? Wanna play?

Frodo: RESPECT THE BUBBLE, MISTER!

Ellsworth: Okay, I'll just wait right here until you're ready to play. How long do you think that will be? 15 seconds? 20 seconds? Any guesses?

There was some progress today though. Ellsworth dropped into play position and then bopped around on his belly with his nub wagging at full speed. Frodo actually started to play with him and there was a bit of chase however, it only lasted about 2 seconds before Frodo got nervous and ended things. 

Keep trying Ellsworth. He'll learn to love you.

Let's Eat!

One thing that I like to do when dogs seem stressed initially, is to use their meal times to work their brain a little. Instead of just chowing down out of a bowl, I put Ellsworth's food in what is called The Green. This is the original but they now make a smaller version.

The Green not only slows down his eating but it makes him really focus on how to use his snout, paw, and tongue to flick the kibble around the blades so he can get to it. And it has been shown that when the brain is in "seeking" mode like this, the part of the brain that causes stress reactions shuts down for awhile.

Ellsworth immediately got the hang of it and seemed to enjoy it and stay engaged. Good job Ells!

Chima, checking to see if Ellsworth missed any crumbs after the green was set up on the hearth.

Meeting the Girls

Yesterday Ellsworth spent some time meeting two of his foster sisters, Salinas and Chima. He was a bit nervous and rightfully so, since Chima isn't always the most welcoming of dogs. We spent a few minutes together and then Ells got to spend some time chasing a ball (a favorite activity of his) to run off the stress.

He and his foster brother Frodo are doing great together, although Ells has tried to hump poor little Frodo a few times. Frodo let him know right away it wouldn't be tolerated. Now that Ells is neutered that behavior should start to fade.

The sniff circle - Ells better get his sniff in fast before Chima notices him

Doh! He's been spotted.

Settling In

It was a busy, busy weekend so Ellsworth is still feeling a little shell shocked from all the change in the last few days. He's been bathed, met the house dogs from a distance and even spent yesterday at the vet getting neutered. Now that we've got some of that stuff out of the way we can start to settle into everyday life and give him a chance to see that he's safe and can relax.

He's pretty overwhelmed and still doing lots of pacing but occasionally he'll kick back and rest. At bedtime he is sad to be in his crate and lets out long, mournful howls to let the rest of us know he is not happy with the crate situation. Lucky he gives up on the whining after a few minutes and then starts back up at 5am to let us know he still would like to be out of his crate. Happily the sleep pattern seems to adjust quickly for new foster dogs so we're hoping he'll wait until 6 tomorrow.

But even with his stress level being high he was able to finally kick back and rest on a dog bed we have in our rec room while we watched TV. Even better, he came over to the couch and jumped up to be next to me, falling asleep with his head resting on my leg. Not bad for just two days into a new home!

For now we are waiting to introduce Ells to Salinas and Chima since his current pacing and stressiness will make them uneasy and I want introductions to be a positive thing. He's met Frodo already and they are fine with each other and he and Tilly have sniffed each other approvingly through the gate.

We'll keep you posted as we learn more about this stunningly handsome guy.

Lots of sniffing and peeing going on in the backyard

Meeting tiny Tilly

Hanging out on a dog bed in the family room

And finally, snoozing on the couch with Troy, Frodo and me