The Ultimate Tranquilizer

Sunshine is such a prized thing here in Western Washington. Its rarity makes it quite a treasure and us webbed footed humans are not the only ones to appreciate it.

Check out the girls out catching some rays on the warm deck. I think that is the most relaxed I've seen Salinas since she's arrived. There's just something about a warm deck and sunshine that can tranquilize any dog. Even Langley kicked back for awhile and Frodo sat there but he doesn't lie down on anything but blankets, dog beds or furniture. Ever. Don't ask me why.

Salinas got things started by plopping down for a snooze while the other dogs were all still sniffing around the yard.

Then Tilly decided to join her.

And then surprisingly even Chima joined the  club. She typically won't  lie down when I'm so close but the warmth  of the deck was too much to pass up. 

Frodo works on rebuilding confidence

Frodo: happiest when he's either eating or burrowed away somewhere soft

Frodo can handle the foster dogs but Langley's not your average foster dog and over the last year that Langley's been with us I've seen the signs of stress in Frodo steadily increase. And as Frodo's stress increased, my guilt increased because fostering is not supposed to make my dogs miserable. I mean, they don't have to love the dogs but I don't want them to be frightened in their own homes.

Langley and Frodo sharing couch space - a new thing this last month

About a month ago Frodo went on a low dose of fluoxetine, an SSRI, to help with his anxiety. His veterinarian and I made this choice after behavioral work, natural remedies and Chinese medicines prescribed by his vet weren't alleviating his stress enough. And it's helping. Finally I'm starting to see a bit of the old Frodo I know and love and he's no longer marking the area where the fosters sleep. I mean, he's still a snobby asshole but hey, that's part of what I love about him.

Long suffering Frodo during puppy duty: Zuni was a pup who liked to push, push, push

Frodo is good about telling puppies to mind their manners,

Along with the medicine, I decided to take an Intro to Nose Work course with the wonderful Dorothy Turley, CPDT-KA. I have a friend who's been taking Nose Work classes with her extremely timid dog and it's really been a confidence builder for him so I decided to try it out with Frodo.

We had our first class the other night and it was a great experience! Frodo is so obsessed with food that I honestly didn't think he'd do very well. I mean, a food drive makes it easier to get them started but Frodo's food drive is so intense that I didn't think he would have the self control to slow down and sniff. I know he's timid in new situations but I thought the food would overpower that. Nope. On his first try he really slunk around, low to the ground, ears back, tail tucked. He was afraid to put his head in the box to get the treats out and just stood there shaking, conflicted between his desire for the treats and his fear of the box. But pretty soon he realized that Dorothy couldn't be all that bad the way she was flinging food around and he started to move faster, tail still tucked but not slinking so much.

Frodo, worriedly hovering near a favorite ball while Zuni considers whether to go for the steal or not

When he came out for his second search he forgot to be afraid and got his terrier on. He went straight up to Dorothy and started demand barking for treats. He figured why look for the freaking treats when this lady is standing here with a bag full in her hands. When that didn't work for him he sat in front of her, hoping some belated politeness might get her to hand over the bag. Nope. That didn't work either. I swear if he could have given a big sigh and said "FINE" he would have. He then turned around and looked and sniffed his way around the boxes, turning abruptly when he caught the scent a couple times. This time he didn't even pause when the treats were inside the scary old box. He just stuck his head in and vacuumed them up. His one fault is that when finding a treat he likes to lick and polish the cardboard until he has gotten every molecule of food off of it so Dorothy had her work cut out for her to keep him moving and working.

Frodo never misses one of the foster dogs' training sessions  since treats are involved. Here he is with Neah and Langley

For me it was great that the class was so pressure free. It was okay that he was shaky and that he was a bit of an asshole to the teacher over treats. She has some Chihuahuas at home so I figured she was totally used to that kind of stuff. When we left for home it was like a little of that weight of guilt was lifted off. It's been too long since Frodo and I did something together without the interference of the other dogs. There were no touch sessions for Chima, or self control work with Langley or exercises to build Salinas' independence and confidence. No desensitization or counter conditioning. It was just me and Frodo with nothing hanging over my head and we both enjoyed it immensely.

If you have a dog who has some social deficits, is reactive around other dogs or is timid and fearful, I highly recommend that you try an intro class. It's pressure free, no special equipment is required, and is a great way to get out with a dog who normally might not be welcome in a group class. The dogs each work one at a time and never meet each other so you don't have to worry about reactivity.

Off to the vet

The girls had most of their vetting done down in California but there were a few things that needed to be done up here so off we went to the clinic yesterday morning.

Chima and Sal, about to head into the vet and quite concerned about it

I took them in one at a time and Chima went first. She was obviously pretty scared and I felt so bad but she really needed a nail trim and also needed her microchip inserted. She handled the chipping fine but after a couple of nails she had enough. The vet tech felt that she was so afraid that it wasn't right to push her. I agree and we will try to figure something out here at home. Poor girl - I hope she thinks her trip to the Rat Terrier meetup this weekend is more fun than that vet visit was.

Sad Salinas and her raw neck. The harness was just on for the visit since it has metal on it.

Salinas had to have a stitch removed from her spay incision that didn't dissolve like it was supposed to. She also had to have a rash on her neck looked at that wasn't clearing up. She's sensitive to the metal in her collar so we have taken that off while she heals and we find something metal-free. However, her scratching of her neck led to a secondary bacterial infection so she will be taking an antibiotic as well as having an antibiotic spray applied twice daily. Poor girl. Sal did manage to have her nails trimmed and her microchip inserted so at least she doesn't have to head back for awhile.

Salinas was definitely ready to get the heck out of there

Closer and closer and closer...

Getting close is never an issue with Salinas. She loves being next to you, or on top of you if she can manage that. But as you have read, Chima really takes her time when it comes to actually touching a person. She'll sniff you all over but to lay her head on your lap or curl up beside you, well she's just not there yet.

One of the very best (and easiest) training strategies with dogs like Chima is to become a human treat machine. Chima is super food motivated and the more I toss out the treats, the more she has decided it pays to stick close to me and to check in on occasion, just in case the treats are flying. The more treats I give throughout the day, the quicker her she's letting go of her skittishness around me.

There is a method to my madness - a reason behind the rewards... Now, I'm new to all this behavior/learning theory stuff so be gentle with me if I get it wrong but here's why I'm pretty sure it's working. I want to increase her interest in interacting with people.  In the past interactions with people have been negative so she's not likely to choose this behavior on her own. But something that is powerfully rewarding to Chima is eating. Her waistline when she first arrived here is proof of that. So now she's performing a behavior that she didn't previously find rewarding - approaching/interacting with a human and that behavior is rewarded with food, something she finds very rewarding. And the great thing is the emotions that she's feeling about getting the food are getting linked to me since every time she approaches me she gets a dopamine surge in her brain from anticipating that choosing to be close to me will be rewarded.

Eventually the food gets faded out or becomes more intermittent but we're still in a stage where it's important that I have a very high rate of rewards for Chima when she chooses to interact with people. Do I care that she's only paying attention to me because she wants food? No, I'm ecstatic that she's paying attention to me so I could care less why.

So why am I telling you this? Well check this out. While she likes to sniff at me all the time she's never chosen to sit close enough that she's touching me, even when she knows I have food in my hand. Typically she sits 12 inches back and leans forward to sniff at me.

In this series of photos you see Ms. Cheems after she's gotten bored playing in the yard and she really, really wants some treats that she knows are in my pocket. She isn't annoying or pushy about getting the treats, but look! She is touching me while she waited! Of course this earned her the mother lode in hopes that I'll start to see this behavior more often. Good girl, Chima!!!

Not touching my knee, but hovering there

Resting her head on the hammock and touching the side of my leg while she stares longingly at my left pocket - the sacred  vessel of kibble

Getting a treat for being such a good girl - and Salinas joining the fray since she's a smart girl and smart girls never miss a chance at extra kibble.

Check it out! Head resting in my lap!! (Chima is on the right in this photo) I had to contain my excitement by taking deep breaths and control my urge to reach out an scritch her ears for being such a good girl. Ear scritches are definitely not on Chima's list of things that are rewarding yet so even though I love to give them, I respect her and control myself by giving the ear rubs to Sal instead, who is always welcoming of more touch.

The great thing about training dogs is that the same reason that the dogs' preferred behaviors are increasing (because they are being rewarded) will work on the human as well. When I work with the girls and we are successful, it is rewarding to me. That feeling of being rewarded is great and I want more of it, so I focus on learning ways I can be even more successful in helping rehabilitate dogs. Try it! Pretty soon you'll craving your next training seminar, just like me.

What is Typical?

Ha! I had to share these photos. Right now I'm reading a great book called Terrier-Centric Training: From Tenacious to Tremendous by Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell. I like to have some reading time out in the hammock on this nice afternoons while the dogs play and since the girls know I always have a pocketful of kibble they regularly check-in with me.

When I got to chapter 3, "What is Typical Terrier Behavior" I snapped these cute pictures of the girls. They are really looking for birds and squirrels in the tree branches above us (which is typical terrier behavior) but it reminded me of the "I'm all that and more" attitude that many terriers exude. Salinas doesn't have that attitude at all. Chima, well......

Salinas

Chima

Salinas' Brave Adventure

One thing that is important when you have a foster is to help them build confidence and also to test them out in different situations to see how they fare. That allows a foster parent to give future adopters a better picture of what a dog can or can't handle and let's me know if there are situations that a dog needs more practice with.

Salinas has likely spent her life with the same dogs - one of them being Chima. Because she is under-confident, she seems dependent on other dogs to be able to feel safe or comfortable. We haven't done a lot of separated practice on skills with Salinas and Chima and one of my worries is that without practice, the transition into a new home without her sister could be tough on both girls.

I decided to take Salinas to the Seattle Rat Terrier Meetup on Mercer Island yesterday to see if she'd be able to manage her nervousness without Chima there to follow, and also to see if she would be able to relax enough in a situation like that to leave my side and meet new dogs and people. I was happily surprised when Salinas not only managed without Chima, she actually was able to relax enough to enjoy herself a bit.

She REALLY didn't want  to get into the crate in the car and I ended up lifting her into it. I talked to her as we drove off and occasionally passed her pieces of kibble through the side of the crate. Pretty soon I looked back and she had relaxed enough to lie down and chew on the rope toy I had put in there for her.

The next challenge was the walk from the parking lot to the small dog off leash area. I used a leash with her harness that clipped at both her chest and on her back and clipped a fully loaded treat bag at my waist and off we went, very, very, very slowly. I wasn't going to drag her or carry her and wanted her to make the choice to follow along. So we'd stop and start and stop again when things overwhelmed her. Treats would get her moving again but sometimes we just stood there and watched whatever it was that made her nervous.  Surprisingly she didn't bark during this walk but would instead sit plastered to my leg. She was able to let large dogs pass her and sniffed a very, very fat beagle who waddled by. It was slow going but we made it to the small dog area finally.

Salinas looking very nervous and not at all sure that she wants to be at this place. That's  NR alum, Corwin, sniffing behind her.

After some initial nervousness, she started to wander around and as expected, had no trouble introducing herself to the humans in the park. She was a bit shyer with her fellow canines though but did meet several dogs and was fine with milling around with the group of terriers who were sticking close to the humans on the lookout for unguarded treat pouches. This video was taken soon after arriving at the event.

Making friends with the humans

Here Salinas is hanging out close to former NR foster girl Vespa's moms. Sal is thinking, "ignore the Frenchie, ignore the Frenchie, ignore..." 

A few of the many French Bulldog's that Salinas tried to ignore. She wasn't a fan after a few of them tried to hump her.

NR Alum Maddie introduces herself to Salinas with a sniff.

Still a bit nervous but starting to relax, Sal hangs out with NR alum Skittles.

Pretty soon she was able to roll in the best stinky spots, participate in butt sniffing conga lines and explore the park without feeling the need to check in with me constantly. Eventually she got tired and laid down to wait for the humans to finish chatting so she could head home.

Rolling in the prized stinky spot in the grass. I think all the dogs in the park took a roll there at some point during the meetup

NR foster girl Besoleil getting some love while Salinas sniffs in the background

Fully relaxed and kicking back at the end of the event, waiting for the humans to be done talking

The walk back to the car was much easier since we were with a group of her new friends and she had other dogs to follow as we made our way down the path to the parking lot. As a reward for managing her adventure so bravely, she was given a very stinky bully ring to chew on the drive back home.

The trip was so successful that I think next Sunday we may attend the Rat Terrier Meetup in Bellevue with both her and Chima to see how Chima manages. (Crossing fingers that the ball obsessed, resource guarding Jack Russell will not be attending.) Robinswood Park is quieter and secluded so I think will be a better fit for Chima who I am guessing will be somewhat leash reactive with big dogs and we can avoid them there. Who knows - she may surprise me too.

Tail Teasing their Tails Off...

The girls have been with us four weeks as of June 8th and since they've been here they've been on a weight loss plan - a low carb, high protein diet with small portions and then tiny little kibble pieces for our training rewards throughout the day. On top of that we do several sessions of playing with the Tail Teaser in the back yard each day and that includes a ton of running and jumping that leaves the girls panting, exhausted, and very happy.

So, drumroll please.........

Salinas, who started at 20 pounds when she arrived is now 18.5 pounds.  Good girl Sal!  She still has a little bit more to take off. Right now my guess is that 17 pounds is going to be a good end weight but we'll know by how she looks and feels, not by a number so we'll keep you posted. Kind of tough to see the change from this picture but we are starting to see a nice tuck at her waist and her legs are getting pretty muscly.

May 11, 2013

June 2, 2013

Chima is our biggest loser. She started here four weeks ago at 28.5 pounds. At Saturday's weigh in she was 25.5 pounds - 3 pounds lost so far! It's hard to know what is going to be a good final weight for Miss Chima but my current guess is around 22 or 23 pounds. I know she's happy to keep playing with the Tail Teaser for her workout sessions - we don't have to ask her twice to work herself into a sweat chasing that squeaky, rattly, plush tail.

May 11th, 2013

June 2nd, 2013

These "after" photos were taken at around the 3 week mark since I didn't have any nice side shots from this weekend.