First Impressions Last: Slow Introductions are Important

Here we are, four weeks after the girls arrived and Chima has still never had off leash introductions to Langley. Salinas has only had that happen once. I'd love to say that there was a good reason that I waited this long but mainly it just that life has been super busy this last month and introductions are not something that I take lightly.  For dogs, first impressions can be very difficult to let go of. I'm sure plenty of us humans have had trouble getting past a bad first impression of someone and dogs are no different in that regard.  And a nervous dog? Well getting them to let go of a bad first impression can take a ton of work. I've learned this the hard way. Separation until the dogs relax is much easier than having to undo a bad intro.

If the dog is a nervous ass the first time they meet another dog, chances are that other dog is not going to be a fan of them. And Langley, God love him, is the king of nervous asses when meeting other dogs. Because of this I typically keep him separate from new foster dogs with only the ability for the dogs to see each other - no physical touch. This goes on until Langley's body language tells me that the new dog is just another part of the pack to him and he's not excited by them. When I first started working with Langley it could take up to a month before his anxiety subsided enough for careful intros. Now typically it is just 3-4 days. Since Chima and Salinas are bigger than him, it took a bit longer, but I could have easily started intros after about a week. But our son was home from college for this last month and it just never happened. My bad.

I can laugh about it now, but there have been plenty of times when supervising Langley's interactions with other dogs have left me so frustrated that I wanted to scream but just cried instead since that was less likely to make the anxious dogs freak out even more. I mean, just because I do this whole "working with anxious dog thing" a lot doesn't mean I think it's fun. There are some people out there that love it, but it just makes me crazy sometimes. Don't get me wrong. It's rewarding as hell, but for me it is equal parts of love and exhausted frustration.

Langley is that big gangly terrier who has no clue what his body is doing half the time and he came to me with    the social skills of an 8 week old puppy.  He would sprint straight at a dog, face to face, stop in his tracks and stare just long enough that the dog felt pretty uneasy, and then out of nowhere would "SPLAT" drop flat to the ground, demand barking at the dog to play with him and play with him NOW!!!!  Needless to say, he didn't make many friends.

Then we got to the point where he learned to do a but sniff and that it was better to avoid face to face meetings. That would have been great if he just did a quick sniff but no. Not Langley. He would shove his nose into their butt so violently that the poor dog was not only roto-rootered but their back end was also lifted off the ground.  Again, this didn't go over well.

But over the past 6 months of training, he's gotten pretty good at exercising some control and I've gotten much better at choreographing these introductions.

Langley getting a quick butt sniff in with Chima - notice the  loose lead. It's really important that the human not be tense during intros because the dogs are going to think that you know something they don't and are going to tense up too.

So after work yesterday I decided that it was the day to get going on intros. I let the girls outside and waited until they were interested in things off the deck so they wouldn't startle Langley by charging the door. Next I leashed up Langley and out we went. To start with I kept him moving  so the girls could follow behind and get their sniffs in. Chima moved off to watch and Sal rolled around in the grass while Langley gently sniffed her. After observing awhile Chima seemed to be fine ignoring him. Langley got walked past her quickly so he could get a quick sniff in without enough time to be obnoxious. Chima let it happen and didn't tense up. Here's a video of Chima getting her turn at a sniff in:

Now he's checking out Salinas. Notice how I've got the leash a bit too taut in this  shot?

Here's sweet Sal rolling around while Langley inspects her:

Finally I got to the point where I had treats out and all the dogs were sitting on the top step of the deck focusing on me rather than each other. Langley was a bit uncomfortable - you can see in the photos how he is looking away (good boy Langley!) and how he leans away from the girls. This was great and I should have ended things here.

Langley looking away, a bit nervous by his close proximity to the girls

Here he's leaning away and lifting a paw as an appeasement gesture. Such progress for a boy who used to just go straight to "ATTACK" when he felt nervous.

But no, I always get so excited and don't stop when things are going well. Langley, after keeping himself pulled together as long as he could, in one fast move stepped over the top of Salinas with his stilt like legs and started humping her. Salinas shrugged him off and snarled - just like he deserved. Typically a snarl like that, no matter how deserved it was, would send Langley straight into anxious reactive fight mode. But I was fast and just walked him away quickly and he decided to follow my lead and let it go. Phew!

I learned from my mistake and Langley and I hurried inside to get a frozen kong for him before he headed to his crate.

While I can't just turn them loose together yet, we'll start trying to do potty breaks and some outside time together with close supervision until all of their anxiety with each other fades.  Wish me luck! I'm ready to be done with "crate and rotate" for their free time.

Langley and Hunter

Langley had a great time playing with Hunter over the last month and is really going to miss him now that Hunter is back in New Mexico for his summer internship. Here's a fun play session he had with Langley - a long high speed game of Tail Teaser in the living room followed by a frozen Kong.

Here's Langley playing ring around the coffee table...

And after downing a bunch of water, here he is resting with his frozen Kong...

A big thanks to Hunter and all the help he's given with Langley over the past month.

An afternoon of just 'being'

With a fearful or anxious dog, on occasion the very best training a person can do is to just go about life. I'm not talking a hectic, scheduled, no time for anything kind of "going about life" but have a simple uncomplicated day and leave the training to-do list in a drawer. Sometimes it is in subtracting from our life that calm is found, not in adding to it.

Yesterday the dogs and I had one of those simple kind of days. The girls and Langley had been crated for most of the morning while Hunter and I did some shopping so when we got back they needed some free time. Hunter got Langley duty and I took the girls outside.

Chima helping out with the weeding

I got out my gardening gloves and weed bucket and decided to just let the girls have true free time and  pretty much left them to themselves while I weeded in the back yard. At first they were curious about what I was doing. Salinas is a little worried about the dandelion digger that I like to use while I weed but Chima loved sniffing the variety of weeds and grass being tossed in the bucket, occasionally pulling one out to chew on it a bit. She also took a great liking to the knee pad that I was kneeling on and the moment I would walk off, she would tear off with it and give it a few good death shakes before she dropped it for me to retrieve.

The knee pad, after being shaken to death by Chima

This went on for about 30 minutes and Frodo and the girls were getting a little bored. So the Tail Teaser came out and we played with that for about 20 minutes until the girls were panting with exhaustion and draining the water bowl.

Tired Chima

Tired Salinas

Hunter was playing with Langley inside so we handed in the tail teaser for them to play with and while we waited for Langley and Hunter to finish up, I went and kicked back in the hammock with some ice water under the maple trees. It was pure blissful relaxation to sit there and stare up into the the layers of green overhead. Salinas took a snooze in the grass nearby but Chima loves when I'm in the hammock since she can sniff at me from behind a barrier of sorts.

Chima sniffing with a literal "safety net"

She kept that up for quite awhile until it was discovered that Frodo had found a treasure. Ends up that he scored a peanut shell that some squirrel had left behind. Chima wanted it sooooo bad but she's a good girl and she didn't attempt to steal it, although she was quite obvious in her body language that she was very, VERY interested in it. Frodo was equally clear that he didn't want to share. We call it his "Gollom pose" - you know, all hunched up around his "precious".

Frodo and his treasure: Chima says "please?"

"Pretty please?"

As we prepared to head inside, I forgot myself and reached over to stroke Chima and she flinched a tiny bit but then relaxed and went on with what she was doing. I didn't push it, but it was plain to see that an afternoon of her having the freedom to explore and choose her activities had greatly relaxed her and all of us went back in the house relaxed and more centered.

All the dogs, including Langley were hot and tired so it was crate time with Kong-sicles and before long everyone was happily snoozing.

Salinas and her Kong-sicle

More Play! Trying out the Teaser Pole

Salinas' serendipitous tennis ball find and the subsequent play session that it inspired gave me the idea to try out my Tail Teaser toy with Chima. While Salinas' play involves more romping and throwing things around, Chima's play is all about practicing the kill. She has a high prey drive and no matter if the toy is a floppy stuffed animal or your average tennis ball, her instinct is to run around pouncing on the toy and practicing her "death shake" on it. So my Tail Teaser seemed like a perfect toy for Chima. The Tail Teaser (TT) is a long pole with a rope attached and at the end, a furry squeaky "tail" that is drug around. Of course it would be easy enough to make your own but the one I use is made by Kyjen and you can now buy replacement tails for it. 

Chima catches the tail

While Chima is quite wary of humans, when it comes to new objects she is the less frightened of the two girls so I didn't expect this to be something she would be nervous about. I do think initially when she caught it the first time she was a little disappointed that she couldn't then disconnect the toy and go enjoy it at a greater distance from me. I on the other hand loved that this would be a game we could play together that she would actually enjoy and not just tolerate. In this video you see her being introduced to the TT for the first time and learning that it was a pretty fun game. 

Chima is pretty fast and quite effective at catching her prey so it wasn't long before she had the squeaky in her mouth. At first she attempted to take her prize somewhere away from me to enjoy more thoroughly but when she realized that it wasn't going to release from the pole, she laid down for some squeaky fun. 

Tail Teaser game combines chasing, tugging and squeaking - what's not to love?

One thing that has been a struggle is getting enough exercise for Chima. I'm trying to help her lose some weight but she's not even close to a point where she's comfortable with me putting a harness on her. So I think getting in 20-30 minutes each day of this high speed chase game is going to be great exercise for her. It will not only help her lose weight, but will also help her better manage her anxiety. Exercise of the body has the great side effect of helping animals psychologically as well.

While all this fun was happening, Salinas was skittishly watching from the edge of the lawn. It all just seemed a bit too scary for her and she also tends to steer clear of Chima when Chima gets into "prey play" mode. Probably a good idea. But after awhile she came to inspect the tail. 

After a close sniff while Chima was squeaking it, Salinas started to follow along during the chase, not really joining in, but sticking close to the game. Once she seemed really interested in playing and wasn't concerned about the TT being dangerous I tried to keep the tail closer to her so she had a chance against Chima who is an instinctual hunter and very good at this game. She loved this and before long was actively part of the game.

Unlike her sister, Salinas is not naturally talented at catching prey so it took her awhile before she actually caught the toy. I couldn't make it too easy because then Chima would just swoop in and steal it. Eventually though Salinas was able to make her move and she caught the toy.  Chima was a good sport and waited her turn while Salinas got her squeak on.

I think I was having as much fun as the girls throughout this activity. It was just plain fun to play with them, but it was also rewarding to watch Chima enjoying interacting with me in this game she understood and was good at. It was also an amazing experience to watch Salinas go from very afraid of the toy to actually taking part of the game and joining in. More amazing work from my dynamic foster duo!

Play! It's Necessary

Play is so important. I mean, sit down and really think about what makes up your dog's day. Other than sleeping and eating, playing is the third part of a wonderful trifecta of dog activities. And like everything in life, there should be a relative balance. I'm not saying equal parts of the three. But each dog has a healthy balance of those three things: too much of one and not enough of the others and things will be physically/mentally off.

Chima after playing with the tennis ball (and Tilly hoping I'm about to start tossing treats)

Chima and Salinas are not house dogs. I mean, they are living in my house now, but my guess is that most of their lives has been spent outside. And just because I personally am very comfortable in this house I call home, does not mean I can assume that the girls are comfortable here. It's going to take time for them to get used to the new textures of carpet and tile, the sounds of things like dishwashers and oven timers going off, smells of food that they aren't allowed to take, and getting rushed outside every time they have to pee. Every little thing around them is new and likely a bit frightening or even interesting but it all leads to a somewhat heightened awareness of everything around them.That can be really stressful.

Sal playing in the house: it has a much different feel to it than when she plays outside

For a dog who is chronically anxious there is very little play in their lives. Think about times when you've been in high stress mode. Are you able to really relax and enjoy yourself? It's tough, isn't it? So it's important for me as their guardian to try to find that safe place for them where they can relax and be themselves. Some dogs are so stressed that it seems impossible, but don't give up. Watch them. Be a detective and note where they are most relaxed. Is there music playing? Is it a specific time of day? What are the humans in the house doing? Are they inside or in the yard? The more aware you make yourself, the more effective you can be as you work on the counter conditioning that will be needed to make a house be a relaxing place for them.

While the girls are able to relax enough to play when they are loose in the house, it takes very little to startle them and send them darting for their crates - my son running up the stairs, something being dropped accidentally, the dishwasher changing cycles. I've found that the back yard is where they can really let loose. While a Western Washington back yard is a far cry from the great outdoors they were used to in the desert environment of Barstow, California, they have made the landscape their own. They love to sniff all the green, roll in the grass, tear right through the middle of shrubs, snuffle through the duff under the fir trees. And sometimes if I sit quietly enough something magic seems to come over them and I witness play that can only happen when a being is completely relaxed. To someone who doesn't know them well it might not seem much different, but I watch these girls all the time and to me it is more a feeling than something I could point out that is different about their behavior.

Does that sound too woo-woo to you? I hope not because this is one of those rare times when words fail me. (Grin).  It's like all of us have let out a deep breath after we've been holding it a little too long. It feels amazing and is a pure joy to witness.

The videos below show one of those times in our back yard. Salinas found this old, mildewy tennis ball that had been marinating in the back yard for God knows how long. It was as if she had found buried treasure. And then she broke into the most hilarious play session, throwing the ball for herself and bouncing around the lawn.  After she was done with it Chima took a turn. Hope you enjoy. I sure did.

Smile and say "CHEEEESE"

My great friend who writes the blog A Day in the Life of a New Rattitude Foster Dog has this wonderful photo of her dogs and fosters as the banner for her blog. She takes these occasionally in the same location  in their house but with a variety of foster dogs and it's fun to see the newest attempts to get everyone sitting still and looking at the camera.

Well, while I was outside in the backyard playing with 4 of the 5 dogs currently living here, I had the bright idea to take a similar photo on our deck. I knew my personal dogs Frodo and Tilly would sit-stay but Salinas and Chima were another thing.

Here's why this was a stupid idea. Of the four dogs I've got one dog who doesn't want to be more than 2" away from me, and another isn't real hot on the idea of being close to me. Then you've got Frodo who isn't fond of being near the other dogs but will suffer through if treats are involved. Finally you have 8#, 11 yr old Tilly who does not know she is tiny and is not above opening a can of whoop-ass on the other dogs, no matter what their size, if she thinks they've transgressed against her in some manner.

The following 8 photos are presented in the order taken. I really should have stopped after the first one because it just went downhill from there.

Frodo finds if he looks away from the camera he can pretend this isn't happening.  He wants so badly to leave but he'll be damned if he's going to miss a treat. I assume if I just keep snapping photos, he'll eventually look at me, right?

And  in this one Salinas is off the deck, plastered to my leg.

In this one Tilly isn't sure it's worth the effort anymore and everyone else gets distracted by some birds.

Here is where I lowered my expectations - since Frodo wouldn't look at the camera, maybe just a shot of the girls? But Salinas had an itch...

Back to all four. This would have been a good one if Frodo would just look at me.

And, we've lost Salinas again.  What you aren't seeing are the other 10 photos that looked just like this one - 3 dogs and 1 dog butt.

Here you see Chima and Frodo, the stereotype of long suffering dogs, putting up with some confusing human craziness all in the name of a treat.  At this point I actually uttered Frodo's nickname which is "God damn dog". Of course that is said in the gentlest, most loving of voices.

OMG! He looked! He looked at the camera!
And the moral of this story is NOT that you should swear at your dogs. 

No one was harmed in the taking of these photos and even little old Tilly didn't feel the need to put anyone in their place, in spite of Salinas bouncing all over the place and nearly on top of Tilly a couple times.  I pay in really good kibble so they totally thought it was worth the hassle. I on the other hand don't think I'll be trying this again any time soon.

Food Rewards and Canine Weight Loss

Remember back when the girls first arrived and I talked about how chunky they were and that I was going to get them on a portion controlled diet? Some of you may be scratching your heads now after my recent posts about them and all of the food rewards they are getting. I mean, how is it possible to have a dog on a weight loss plan and at the same time train them using food treats?

Salinas and Chima are proof that it is possible though. We are nearing the one month mark of the time they've been in foster care. When I weighed the girls early this week Salinas had lost a little over 1/2 pound and Chima has lost a whooping 1.5 pounds!

Chima and her new waistline

Salinas is starting to get a bit of a waistline too. She's tougher to  photograph since  if she isn't right at  your feet, she's rolling around and goofing off. She's not one for standing in place, sedately like Chima is.

Because we are doing a lot of counter conditioning work the treats are really flowing here so to make sure the girls don't stop losing weight (or worse, start gaining) they get about 1/2 of their daily food at their mealtimes and the other half of the kibble is given out as rewards throughout the day. Luckily they are highly food motivated so even plain old kibble is super rewarding for them.

Right now I'm feeding them Orijen Regional Red kibble - a high quality grain free food. However, the kibble size is much larger than what I want to give out as a treat. I'd probably only have 15 treats to hand out if I used the Orijen for training. At work a rep for Addiction gave me a bag of their Viva la Venison grain free puppy kibble. It's a fully balanced food but since puppy food has some extra fat it's tastier than your average kibble. The other great thing about it though is that Addiction kibble is tiny. I mean really, really tiny. One of the Orijen kibble is equal to about 4 of these puppy kibbles.

Some people have candy bowls on their table. We  have kibble bowls.

Teensy, tiny Addiction puppy kibble

So when the girls go in their crate when they are asked - they get a couple kibbles. They get kibbles tossed when they follow the cue to sit. Salinas gets kibble for keeping her feet on the ground and not jumping and mouthing when she's excited - kibble for calm. Chima gets kibble for doing the touch desensitization work we do.  Kibbles for potty breaks outside. Kibble, kibble and more kibble. And yet still they continue to lose weight.

It's not magic, though. The treat kibble is measured out in the morning when I get their meals ready and I ration that throughout the day. So all those treats and meals added together equals the correct amount of calories a dog at their goal weight should be eating.

I know this sounds like a lot of work but once you get the amounts correct, it's just a matter of one extra bowl that sits out in a handy area (out of the dog's reach) with the kibble in it. You can do that, right?  My dining room table's centerpiece happens to be a square stainless steel dish with kibble in it. Some people have candy bowls, I have kibble bowls. What can I say?