Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed Oscar has started to be better at settling down in the house. He still has his moments of craziness where he hauls ass around the house with a tuggy toy in his mouth, but he is learning to actually lay down at my side as his food is marinating (as the digestive enzymes are doing their thang). More and more at night he puts himself to bed in his crate, which is always available to him with the door open, and it truly is great to own a dog that does, indeed, enjoy his crate. Fanny never liked having a crate and only goes in Oscar's if it's thundering outside.
I enjoy these glimpses of maturity from my dear boy. Perhaps it is a sign that his brain is starting to slow down and process information better and, as many of us know, if you change behaviors - emotions will soon follow. I don't know if these moments of maturity (settling) are the effect of the fluoxetine or not, but I'm sure the medication has helped him and will continue to do so.
Speaking of which, the past week or so when Oscar has run and jumped on the fence to see the neighbor dog, there has been no barking/jump lunging. Sure, he's run over at full speed and jumped up on the fence, but that used to be followed with this weird bunny hop and high-pitched bark bark from him. Not lately and that's a good thing.
The emotional rollercoaster that Oscar has is quite the ride to sit through. He has moments of pure and utter brilliance and he has moments of complete butthead behavior. That said, I see the scale started to become unbalanced in favor of the former.
Showing posts with label Anxiety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anxiety. Show all posts
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
You Gotta Do What Ya Gotta Do
In many ways my dear Oscar is the perfect dog. He always has a wagging tail, is always up for a game of fetch or Frisbee and loves to be involved with whatever my husband and I are doing in and around the house. I love his wagging tail and body and the soft eyes he looks at me so lovingly with. It makes my heart melt. He is such a different and unique dog from my sweetheart, Fanny, and I love him for that.
True to his canine nature, Oscar loves to chase small furry critters (even a white bag when lure coursing), devours his food at meal time, enjoys his human and canine companionship in our pack and likes to lick his nether regions. These are all behaviors that I encourage him to do...it's what makes him a dog. He is not a human and I do not expect him to sit back, with his legs crossed talking about current events.
Also honest to his hard wiring, he sees the world in two very black and white perspectives. Scary and Safe. Unfortunately for Oscar, he thinks a lot of the world he lives in is scary. Plain and simple. Because of this, he lives the majority of his life in a state of anxiety...chronic stress. Sudden environmental changes startle him, whether it's a noise or a person suddenly coming into view out our front door, and cause him to jump up from a relaxing down...tail curled up over his back, eyes and head flying around, piloerect and woof-woof-woofing. While I expect a dog to be reactive, I know there is something deeper going on with Oscar that makes him so hyper vigilant.
The more reading and educating I do, the more I am of the belief that a dog's temperament is a combination of his genetic make-up (nature) and environment (nurture). Therefore, I am the first to admit that his reactivity and general anxiety is partially due to his daily living situation. The other part is just who he is...from his momma and papa's genetic make-up. Oscar is Oscar. He is exactly who he is supposed to be and handles every situation in life the best way he knows how to.
It has been over a year since I noticed Oscar beginning to become a rather reactive dog and there are multiple things that my husband and I have tried to help him gain confidence. Are we perfect in our attempts? Absolutely not. Have we tried to help in the best capacity that we could manage. Hell yes we have. We have done classical counter conditioning and desensitization helping him pair "scary" stuff with "yummy" and "good" stuff. We have adjusted our social life to prevent people from coming over because it is too stressful for Oscar. We have adjusted our goals with what we wanted to do with Oscar. I wanted to do therapy work with him and realized several months ago that it is very unlikely that will happen. I'm not upset about that, it's part of the journey Oscar and I are on together. Damn me if I am going to force him into something that he doesn't feel comfortable doing...that is why we pulled out of group agility classes too...he was too stressed with the other dog(s) in class.
There are several things we have tried to help take the edge off of Oscar's general anxiety. I don't know specifically what order they were tried in anymore, but they include plug-in DAP pheremone diffusers, the Thundershirt, Ttouch, massages, flower essences, essential oils, herbal remedies, speaking with an animal communicator and having energy work done with him. I gave each one of these a decent testing period...some things didn't work from the get go (herbal remedies gave him diarrhea)...some seemed to work a little bit (Ttouch and massage). With all of these treatments, I wasn't hoping for a miracle...just a significant enough of an improvement to help Oscar truly relax, take a deep breath and be a dog and enjoy life without being so anxious.
Recently I borrowed a wonderful set of DVD's from a seminar given by Dr. Ian Dunbar and Dr. Nicholas Dodman that discussed fear aggression, anxiety and medical causes and treatments for various canine problems. My hubby actually watched a good majority of the DVD's with me, which was shocking. Usually he is off doing his "man stuff" when I am entrenching myself in dog nerd stuff, but not this time and boy-oh-boy and I thankful for that. What we both discovered (together!) through watching these DVD's is that we have done a pretty good job trying to help Oscar get past his fears and anxieties. These DVD's coupled with the experienced advise from our wonderful private trainer Aaron and I both learned (again, together!) that it is probably time to turn to prescribed medication to really help Oscar.
We owe it to Oscar to continue helping him in the best way we know how. Anything else would be a disservice to him and his quality of life. After doing a lot of talking back and forth, I picked up the phone and called our holistic vet on Monday morning and explained to him that the most recent methods we have been trying are falling short and it was time to consider the next step. He did some checking and researching and called back on Wednesday and recommended that we try Oscar out on fluoxetine (Prozac). I have to admit when I heard Prozac, part of my stomach hit the floor...for some reason I felt a moment of failure that I was considering putting my dog on Prozac.
Those feelings were soon extinguished when I did some quick reading up on exactly what fluoxetine is and how it functions. When I realized that fluoxetine is not a sedative, I was much more on board with giving it a try than before. A lot of what I read about other people using it seems to be quite positive and I'm hoping (and praying) that this will help Oscar out by chemically allowing him to learn better behaviors. I realize that it takes a number of weeks before an evaluation of effectiveness should be measured and I'm willing to see what happens.
Of course, as urged to by my vet, if Oscar shows any sign of side effects I should call him immediately and we'll talk about another treatment, but for now...I'm hoping that this may be the last piece of the puzzle to help Oscar enjoy a life with less stress and anxiety.
(There is an absolutely wonderful and informative article written by Mary Straus here. that I encourage everyone to read when they have time.)
True to his canine nature, Oscar loves to chase small furry critters (even a white bag when lure coursing), devours his food at meal time, enjoys his human and canine companionship in our pack and likes to lick his nether regions. These are all behaviors that I encourage him to do...it's what makes him a dog. He is not a human and I do not expect him to sit back, with his legs crossed talking about current events.
Also honest to his hard wiring, he sees the world in two very black and white perspectives. Scary and Safe. Unfortunately for Oscar, he thinks a lot of the world he lives in is scary. Plain and simple. Because of this, he lives the majority of his life in a state of anxiety...chronic stress. Sudden environmental changes startle him, whether it's a noise or a person suddenly coming into view out our front door, and cause him to jump up from a relaxing down...tail curled up over his back, eyes and head flying around, piloerect and woof-woof-woofing. While I expect a dog to be reactive, I know there is something deeper going on with Oscar that makes him so hyper vigilant.
The more reading and educating I do, the more I am of the belief that a dog's temperament is a combination of his genetic make-up (nature) and environment (nurture). Therefore, I am the first to admit that his reactivity and general anxiety is partially due to his daily living situation. The other part is just who he is...from his momma and papa's genetic make-up. Oscar is Oscar. He is exactly who he is supposed to be and handles every situation in life the best way he knows how to.
It has been over a year since I noticed Oscar beginning to become a rather reactive dog and there are multiple things that my husband and I have tried to help him gain confidence. Are we perfect in our attempts? Absolutely not. Have we tried to help in the best capacity that we could manage. Hell yes we have. We have done classical counter conditioning and desensitization helping him pair "scary" stuff with "yummy" and "good" stuff. We have adjusted our social life to prevent people from coming over because it is too stressful for Oscar. We have adjusted our goals with what we wanted to do with Oscar. I wanted to do therapy work with him and realized several months ago that it is very unlikely that will happen. I'm not upset about that, it's part of the journey Oscar and I are on together. Damn me if I am going to force him into something that he doesn't feel comfortable doing...that is why we pulled out of group agility classes too...he was too stressed with the other dog(s) in class.
There are several things we have tried to help take the edge off of Oscar's general anxiety. I don't know specifically what order they were tried in anymore, but they include plug-in DAP pheremone diffusers, the Thundershirt, Ttouch, massages, flower essences, essential oils, herbal remedies, speaking with an animal communicator and having energy work done with him. I gave each one of these a decent testing period...some things didn't work from the get go (herbal remedies gave him diarrhea)...some seemed to work a little bit (Ttouch and massage). With all of these treatments, I wasn't hoping for a miracle...just a significant enough of an improvement to help Oscar truly relax, take a deep breath and be a dog and enjoy life without being so anxious.
Recently I borrowed a wonderful set of DVD's from a seminar given by Dr. Ian Dunbar and Dr. Nicholas Dodman that discussed fear aggression, anxiety and medical causes and treatments for various canine problems. My hubby actually watched a good majority of the DVD's with me, which was shocking. Usually he is off doing his "man stuff" when I am entrenching myself in dog nerd stuff, but not this time and boy-oh-boy and I thankful for that. What we both discovered (together!) through watching these DVD's is that we have done a pretty good job trying to help Oscar get past his fears and anxieties. These DVD's coupled with the experienced advise from our wonderful private trainer Aaron and I both learned (again, together!) that it is probably time to turn to prescribed medication to really help Oscar.
We owe it to Oscar to continue helping him in the best way we know how. Anything else would be a disservice to him and his quality of life. After doing a lot of talking back and forth, I picked up the phone and called our holistic vet on Monday morning and explained to him that the most recent methods we have been trying are falling short and it was time to consider the next step. He did some checking and researching and called back on Wednesday and recommended that we try Oscar out on fluoxetine (Prozac). I have to admit when I heard Prozac, part of my stomach hit the floor...for some reason I felt a moment of failure that I was considering putting my dog on Prozac.
Those feelings were soon extinguished when I did some quick reading up on exactly what fluoxetine is and how it functions. When I realized that fluoxetine is not a sedative, I was much more on board with giving it a try than before. A lot of what I read about other people using it seems to be quite positive and I'm hoping (and praying) that this will help Oscar out by chemically allowing him to learn better behaviors. I realize that it takes a number of weeks before an evaluation of effectiveness should be measured and I'm willing to see what happens.
Of course, as urged to by my vet, if Oscar shows any sign of side effects I should call him immediately and we'll talk about another treatment, but for now...I'm hoping that this may be the last piece of the puzzle to help Oscar enjoy a life with less stress and anxiety.
(There is an absolutely wonderful and informative article written by Mary Straus here. that I encourage everyone to read when they have time.)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Focus & Control; Class 8 (Graduation!)
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| Great accomplishment, Horrible picture |
Oscar and I completed our last class of Focus and Control last night and, boy-oh-boy, did that little man make me proud. He has come such a long way since our first class and he, once again, proved to me that he is capable of being a fantastic doggy.
Our last class consisted of more box work and he did great. We were next to Nala (I think that's her name, right Cheri?) a sweet, brown Aussie and they did fabulous next to each other. A couple times during our box work, Oscar actually offered some interest seeking behaviors (air sniffs with ears back and low, slow tail wags). I just stood back and watched him offer these as I definitely did not want to correct polite behavior. He auto-checked back in with me and off we went having more fun. Who knew a box could be so much fun?!
The next activity we did was a game I knew quite well...the infamous Car Crash Game. I won't spoil the fun for those of you who don't know what it is, but those that do (Eric!)...Oscar did awesome! Cheri did a fantastic job setting up the dogs in teams to minimize any reactivity...so, Oscar, of course got to be with all the ladies and did fabulous. He wasn't giving me 100% attention, but I didn't want it. I wanted him to check out the environment as we went through the exercise and I marked and rewarded auto check-ins and any nice LAT behaviors.
Class ended with a lovely (and silly, which I LOVE!) graduation. The training assistant put on that one song that is synonymous with the graduation commencement ceremonies...and each dog and handler team got called up to receive their diploma! Oscar did great and got a WOOT-WOOT! from some of his classmates.
I cannot say enough how proud I am of my little white fluffy butt. 8 weeks ago he was the class terror and last night at class he didn't even make a peep and was comfortable...laying on his mat, wagging his tail and had nice soft eyes. Ooooooooooh, how I love to see those soft eyes.
Who knows what is going to be next on our training agenda...CGC class? Rally? For now, Oscar and I will sit back, relax through the holidays and enjoy all we have accomplished together.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Focus and Control; Class 7
Last night was our second to last class for Focus & Control and it was another good one.
I'm proud to report that Oscar did not have any reactivity problems with his nemesis, Major, and did very well overall. There were a few times when he did a couple bark-barks, but he recovered very quickly.
We continued to do box work exercises and the fabulous instructor brought in one of her dogs to walk around while we all played LAT and "Incoming!" games. Oscar did great. We were next to Sophie, a 5 year old Shar Pei mix who is such a little spit fire...totally cute and full of energy. I kept Oscar on leash the whole time we were doing box work, but "accidentally" dropped the leash a few times and he did just fine. Woot-woot!
After box work, we moved onto more mat games. Oscar did quite well...he was definitely distracted and I had to use a food lure to get him to work, but no reactivity what-so-ever.
I've noticed a shift in his behavior the past couple of classes in that he is actually relaxed enough to lay down on his mat in class. Reflecting back to the first night of class, he couldn't even lay down with a food lure he was so stressed.
Watching his transformation has been such a delight and I know he will continue to get better and we will continue on our life journey together.
One more week! Eek!
I'm proud to report that Oscar did not have any reactivity problems with his nemesis, Major, and did very well overall. There were a few times when he did a couple bark-barks, but he recovered very quickly.
We continued to do box work exercises and the fabulous instructor brought in one of her dogs to walk around while we all played LAT and "Incoming!" games. Oscar did great. We were next to Sophie, a 5 year old Shar Pei mix who is such a little spit fire...totally cute and full of energy. I kept Oscar on leash the whole time we were doing box work, but "accidentally" dropped the leash a few times and he did just fine. Woot-woot!
After box work, we moved onto more mat games. Oscar did quite well...he was definitely distracted and I had to use a food lure to get him to work, but no reactivity what-so-ever.
I've noticed a shift in his behavior the past couple of classes in that he is actually relaxed enough to lay down on his mat in class. Reflecting back to the first night of class, he couldn't even lay down with a food lure he was so stressed.
Watching his transformation has been such a delight and I know he will continue to get better and we will continue on our life journey together.
One more week! Eek!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Focus & Control; Class 6
Class 6 of 8 is in the books. Oscar did well overall, although he had a few little snarky moments. He continues to amaze me with his fabulous recovery time...I've said this in the past, but last night was another reminder how wonderful he really is.
We started off with some more box work and all of the dogs were put into their designated spots. Oscar and I were the last to enter, but before we went in, we walked up and down and played LAT and stopped a couple of times to do some hand targeting. Oscar did fantastic when we were moving around outside the box. Everyone else took a turn doing the same thing we did outside their respective boxes and the only time Oscar got all poopy was when his nemesis, Major, was walking around outside our box. Too long of eye contact without timely interuption is what caused it. I knew it and could have prevented it, but I want Oscar to learn on his own that he has other choices...he has the choice to turn and look away from scary stuff...or at the least not react.
Continuing on for the rest of class we did some fun mat work games with 2 mats and a chair, then with 1 mat and 2 chairs. Oscar really enjoyed the games and it helped him get comfortable working in close proximity to other dogs. He was being such a goofball jumping up on the chair like a circus animal.
So, overall the class was a success. Oscar had a little bark-bark at some people on our way home that were waiting at a bus stop...I'm finding that he is more reactive to "things" in the dark, but he was like that last year and so far this year he hasn't been as spooked by things.
2 more classes to go and it will be a bittersweet end. I really like being able to work him in a classroom setting where there are other dogs and people working in a structured environment (and I love his instructors!), but I won't mind having my Monday nights back (hello, Dancing With the Stars is on!).
We started off with some more box work and all of the dogs were put into their designated spots. Oscar and I were the last to enter, but before we went in, we walked up and down and played LAT and stopped a couple of times to do some hand targeting. Oscar did fantastic when we were moving around outside the box. Everyone else took a turn doing the same thing we did outside their respective boxes and the only time Oscar got all poopy was when his nemesis, Major, was walking around outside our box. Too long of eye contact without timely interuption is what caused it. I knew it and could have prevented it, but I want Oscar to learn on his own that he has other choices...he has the choice to turn and look away from scary stuff...or at the least not react.
Continuing on for the rest of class we did some fun mat work games with 2 mats and a chair, then with 1 mat and 2 chairs. Oscar really enjoyed the games and it helped him get comfortable working in close proximity to other dogs. He was being such a goofball jumping up on the chair like a circus animal.
So, overall the class was a success. Oscar had a little bark-bark at some people on our way home that were waiting at a bus stop...I'm finding that he is more reactive to "things" in the dark, but he was like that last year and so far this year he hasn't been as spooked by things.
2 more classes to go and it will be a bittersweet end. I really like being able to work him in a classroom setting where there are other dogs and people working in a structured environment (and I love his instructors!), but I won't mind having my Monday nights back (hello, Dancing With the Stars is on!).
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Focus & Control; Class 5 (We NAILED it!)
Last night was class #5 of Focus and Control and I couldn't be happier to report that Oscar (and I!) nailed it! He did AWESOME and made me so incredibly proud!!!
We got there and there were a few dogs already in the room and two of them started barking their heads off at Oscar and I, but we skated by without any problems what-so-ever! 100% of my attention was on Oscar and "listening" to him...in turn he communicated beautifully with me and told me exactly what he wanted and was comfortable doing.
The new things we worked on were:
1.) Box work with increased distractions (people running by, people bouncing tennis balls, a new dog walking by)
2.) "There's a dog in your face!" (the instructor had her bombproof dog and walked him up to us - about 8-10 feet away as we practiced saying "Incoming!" and shoving treats in our dogs mouth)
3.) Go to place (we worked this with all the dogs at the same time - spread around the room - and introduced an object (a chair) that we sent our dogs around and onto the mat.)
Oscar did wonderful and I dang well know that he will have reactive episodes in the future, but he is definitely learning how to cope better with things. That-a-boy! :)
We got there and there were a few dogs already in the room and two of them started barking their heads off at Oscar and I, but we skated by without any problems what-so-ever! 100% of my attention was on Oscar and "listening" to him...in turn he communicated beautifully with me and told me exactly what he wanted and was comfortable doing.
The new things we worked on were:
1.) Box work with increased distractions (people running by, people bouncing tennis balls, a new dog walking by)
2.) "There's a dog in your face!" (the instructor had her bombproof dog and walked him up to us - about 8-10 feet away as we practiced saying "Incoming!" and shoving treats in our dogs mouth)
3.) Go to place (we worked this with all the dogs at the same time - spread around the room - and introduced an object (a chair) that we sent our dogs around and onto the mat.)
Oscar did wonderful and I dang well know that he will have reactive episodes in the future, but he is definitely learning how to cope better with things. That-a-boy! :)
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Focus & Control; Class 4 (Husband Saves the Day)
Well, week 2 of my husband flying solo in class, bless his soul, because I had to attend a work function that I found out about earlier in the day (gotta love last minute schedule changes).
I'm not exactly sure what our take home work will be, but from what it sounds like they did some active attention exercises much like Leslie McDevitt does when one dog is working in his/her own box and other dogs are sitting/laying on their mats around the ring. Oscar did quite well and only got into trouble when the doofus dog, "Coach" had a stare off. After class, the instructor said that it was all the other dog who initiated the naughty dog behavior.
Overall, Oscar did very well...he still had a reaction, which I was not thrilled to hear...I WANT BORING for the boy and other owners' lack of understanding proper canine behavior (DUH! Don't allow your dog to stare down another dog! Even in human language staring isn't polite!).
Next week I will be there, with bells and whistles on, to take Oscar and be there with him. He's had some habituation now and I think he is progressing. Maybe I'm being too hard on him and asking too much of him not to have a reactive spat, but I'm also not upset with him for being who he is...a dog...and acting like one if the situation deems appropriate (like getting stared at, or chasing a squirrel, or getting super duper excited at dinner time).
...the quest for boring continues...
I'm not exactly sure what our take home work will be, but from what it sounds like they did some active attention exercises much like Leslie McDevitt does when one dog is working in his/her own box and other dogs are sitting/laying on their mats around the ring. Oscar did quite well and only got into trouble when the doofus dog, "Coach" had a stare off. After class, the instructor said that it was all the other dog who initiated the naughty dog behavior.
Overall, Oscar did very well...he still had a reaction, which I was not thrilled to hear...I WANT BORING for the boy and other owners' lack of understanding proper canine behavior (DUH! Don't allow your dog to stare down another dog! Even in human language staring isn't polite!).
Next week I will be there, with bells and whistles on, to take Oscar and be there with him. He's had some habituation now and I think he is progressing. Maybe I'm being too hard on him and asking too much of him not to have a reactive spat, but I'm also not upset with him for being who he is...a dog...and acting like one if the situation deems appropriate (like getting stared at, or chasing a squirrel, or getting super duper excited at dinner time).
...the quest for boring continues...
Monday, October 3, 2011
Focus & Control; Class 3 (I love my husband)
This post is a little late...a week to be exact...as I was on vacation last week and my husband took Oscar to class all by himself (bless his little heart).
Night 3 of Oscar's Focus & Control class went off without a hitch. Remembering an earlier blog post I had talking about the quest for boring...well, that is exactly what happened on night 3 of class. Figures! I was off in California on vacation and my husband flew solo to class and Oscar was a perfect student. Gosh golly.
So, while I don't have a detail explanation of what happened at class, here are the new exercises that were introduced...
1.) "LOOK at THAT!" (a.k.a. "LAT")
2.) Crate Rules
3.) Start Line Stays
4.) Go to Place
All of these exercises were, basically, taken right out of Leslie McDevitt's fabulous book, "Control Unleashed" so if there was any week were I should have missed class it would have been this one.
I can't help but think that Oscar's behavior was a direct reflection on my husband's. He tends to run with such a calm and cool temperament and Oscar knows this. I'm the one who's wired...constantly moving...needing to do more, more, more.
Perhaps I should leave town more often or have Aaron take over all the dog training! :)
Night 3 of Oscar's Focus & Control class went off without a hitch. Remembering an earlier blog post I had talking about the quest for boring...well, that is exactly what happened on night 3 of class. Figures! I was off in California on vacation and my husband flew solo to class and Oscar was a perfect student. Gosh golly.
So, while I don't have a detail explanation of what happened at class, here are the new exercises that were introduced...
1.) "LOOK at THAT!" (a.k.a. "LAT")
2.) Crate Rules
3.) Start Line Stays
4.) Go to Place
All of these exercises were, basically, taken right out of Leslie McDevitt's fabulous book, "Control Unleashed" so if there was any week were I should have missed class it would have been this one.
I can't help but think that Oscar's behavior was a direct reflection on my husband's. He tends to run with such a calm and cool temperament and Oscar knows this. I'm the one who's wired...constantly moving...needing to do more, more, more.
Perhaps I should leave town more often or have Aaron take over all the dog training! :)
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Focus & Control; Class 2 (Holy Trigger Stacking, Batman!)
Let's start this thread with a little story about our day yesterday...
Has anyone reading this heard of trigger stacking? Well, if you have, then yesterday - as a whole - was Oscar's version of a perfect storm.
It all started off with the rain yesterday morning. Oscar has a problem with rain...I don't know why, but he just does. He doesn't like to walk in it, doesn't like to walk in puddles, sometimes refuses to go out of a building if it's raining. It's perplexing b/c he LOVES the hose and doggy pools, but I appreciate it for what it is; one of his many quirks.
Anyway, so it started with the rain. On top of the rain, he had a vet appointment yesterday morning to have blood withdrawn. He was an angel in the car the whole trip, although each time the windsheild wipers went on, he gave me "the look" like, "Really, you HAVE to use those things?" Once we got ot the vet, I had him wait in the car as I went in to scope out the environment...there was a guy who walked by the car with a beagle in his arms and Oscar didn't make a peep, so I was feeling pretty good that we would get in and out without any problems. I had kindly asked the vet staff that I wanted to bring him in only if/when a room was ready so we wouldn't have to sit in the waiting room, which is rather stressful for him...so, when a room was ready, I brought him in. Well, apparently I speak a foreign language because one of the staff was just standing there staring at him when I came in, which made him go berko! Bark-bark-bark, lunge-lunge-lunge. I kept him moving and we got into the room without too much drama...
The vet came into the room and he barked at him, eventhough the last time we were there he was totally fine with him. UGH! He took treats from the vet and did a couple more barks and when I had to restrain him for the blood draw, he was not happy, but willing to comply. I felt so bad for him, but I didn't coddle him. I continued to tell him, "Oh, silly Oscar...I don't like blood shots either...tee heee! We're almost done...I hate mornings too..." All-in-all he did OK. Could have definitely done without the stupid lady staring at him though. What is wrong with people! BLARGH!
Fast forward to our evening walk and I thought it would be a good idea to walk around the block and see if a dog that Fanny likes was tied out, like normal, so I could do some BAT with a decoy dog. Well, that backfired in my face. Sure, the dog was out, but what I never realized before is that this dog SUCKS at giving calming signals. So, there I was with my adolescent butthead male dog in a staring contest with this adult male dog (intact, BTW) and they had quite the barkfest. If someone would have handed me a rubber mallet I would have beaten my head into my neck right then and there.
So, on top of these three events, off to Focus and Control class we go...
Lastnight was the second class in the installment of Focus and Control and, well, Oscar didn't do so hot at the beginning because of the shitty day he had been having.
The new "stuff" we worked on in class last night:
1.) Leave It
2.) Whiplash Turns
3.) Targeting
We started off class by doing mat work...well, Oscar wasn't having that (AGAIN!), so we did a little awareness walking as all the other 5 dogs/people did mat work. He did quite well with auto check-ins.
After that, we moved onto box work where the instructor put all of us into designated spots. Last week we were at the end of the line so we only had one person and dog on one side. Last night the instructor put us inbetween two dogs (BOTH males with male handlers) and we started to do auto check-ins while the dogs were on leash. Oscar did good, not great, but not bad where I was concerned. We progressed to unclipping the leash and that's when the shit hit the fan. Oscar and one of the neighbor dogs saw each other and went to sniff...Oscar's language was good - as was the other dog's - and then something happened (shame on me for not noticing) and he and the other dog went bezerko. I got him back rather quickly and we tried again. I got a couple of auto check-ins then he noticed the other dog - on the other side- and just started barking at him.
It was obvious that Oscar was in over his head so we had him move to the end of the class again and resume working. He did much better there, but I felt like an idiot for having put him through that. NOT what he needed.
The good news is that this was at the beginning of class and his recovery time was wonderful. We did more stationary exercises after that and Oscar shined like an A+ student. Eye contact with distraction, leave-it, targeting...all things Oscar knows quite well. So, that was good, good, good!
Oscar ended the class on a high note. He was very comfortable with the instructor to let her come up and pet him and gave her a couple of hand targets. We all walked out of class together and Oscar didn't have a single problem with the other dogs moving about with their humans.
Aaron will be flying solo with him next week as I'm off on vacation. I'll be thinking of them dearly and hoping that they have a wonderful connection and trust one another to get through class without any hiccups.
Has anyone reading this heard of trigger stacking? Well, if you have, then yesterday - as a whole - was Oscar's version of a perfect storm.
It all started off with the rain yesterday morning. Oscar has a problem with rain...I don't know why, but he just does. He doesn't like to walk in it, doesn't like to walk in puddles, sometimes refuses to go out of a building if it's raining. It's perplexing b/c he LOVES the hose and doggy pools, but I appreciate it for what it is; one of his many quirks.
Anyway, so it started with the rain. On top of the rain, he had a vet appointment yesterday morning to have blood withdrawn. He was an angel in the car the whole trip, although each time the windsheild wipers went on, he gave me "the look" like, "Really, you HAVE to use those things?" Once we got ot the vet, I had him wait in the car as I went in to scope out the environment...there was a guy who walked by the car with a beagle in his arms and Oscar didn't make a peep, so I was feeling pretty good that we would get in and out without any problems. I had kindly asked the vet staff that I wanted to bring him in only if/when a room was ready so we wouldn't have to sit in the waiting room, which is rather stressful for him...so, when a room was ready, I brought him in. Well, apparently I speak a foreign language because one of the staff was just standing there staring at him when I came in, which made him go berko! Bark-bark-bark, lunge-lunge-lunge. I kept him moving and we got into the room without too much drama...
The vet came into the room and he barked at him, eventhough the last time we were there he was totally fine with him. UGH! He took treats from the vet and did a couple more barks and when I had to restrain him for the blood draw, he was not happy, but willing to comply. I felt so bad for him, but I didn't coddle him. I continued to tell him, "Oh, silly Oscar...I don't like blood shots either...tee heee! We're almost done...I hate mornings too..." All-in-all he did OK. Could have definitely done without the stupid lady staring at him though. What is wrong with people! BLARGH!
Fast forward to our evening walk and I thought it would be a good idea to walk around the block and see if a dog that Fanny likes was tied out, like normal, so I could do some BAT with a decoy dog. Well, that backfired in my face. Sure, the dog was out, but what I never realized before is that this dog SUCKS at giving calming signals. So, there I was with my adolescent butthead male dog in a staring contest with this adult male dog (intact, BTW) and they had quite the barkfest. If someone would have handed me a rubber mallet I would have beaten my head into my neck right then and there.
So, on top of these three events, off to Focus and Control class we go...
Lastnight was the second class in the installment of Focus and Control and, well, Oscar didn't do so hot at the beginning because of the shitty day he had been having.
The new "stuff" we worked on in class last night:
1.) Leave It
2.) Whiplash Turns
3.) Targeting
We started off class by doing mat work...well, Oscar wasn't having that (AGAIN!), so we did a little awareness walking as all the other 5 dogs/people did mat work. He did quite well with auto check-ins.
After that, we moved onto box work where the instructor put all of us into designated spots. Last week we were at the end of the line so we only had one person and dog on one side. Last night the instructor put us inbetween two dogs (BOTH males with male handlers) and we started to do auto check-ins while the dogs were on leash. Oscar did good, not great, but not bad where I was concerned. We progressed to unclipping the leash and that's when the shit hit the fan. Oscar and one of the neighbor dogs saw each other and went to sniff...Oscar's language was good - as was the other dog's - and then something happened (shame on me for not noticing) and he and the other dog went bezerko. I got him back rather quickly and we tried again. I got a couple of auto check-ins then he noticed the other dog - on the other side- and just started barking at him.
It was obvious that Oscar was in over his head so we had him move to the end of the class again and resume working. He did much better there, but I felt like an idiot for having put him through that. NOT what he needed.
The good news is that this was at the beginning of class and his recovery time was wonderful. We did more stationary exercises after that and Oscar shined like an A+ student. Eye contact with distraction, leave-it, targeting...all things Oscar knows quite well. So, that was good, good, good!
Oscar ended the class on a high note. He was very comfortable with the instructor to let her come up and pet him and gave her a couple of hand targets. We all walked out of class together and Oscar didn't have a single problem with the other dogs moving about with their humans.
Aaron will be flying solo with him next week as I'm off on vacation. I'll be thinking of them dearly and hoping that they have a wonderful connection and trust one another to get through class without any hiccups.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Focus & Control; Class 1
Tonight was our first night at the Focus & Control class that Oscar and I have signed up for. The class will run 8 weeks and going into tonight's class I was a little skeptical about what we would be doing.
Well, much to my delight, our first night was fantastic....we talked about each of the dogs and owners at the beginning and why we were all in class and, well, Oscar decided to make his presence known (i.e. have a barking fest) a couple of times, but he settled down after about 15-20 minutes.
The first night of class was based around a couple of concepts...
1.) Massage / TTouch
2.) Awareness walks
3.) Passive attention exercises (auto check-in)
4.) Default behavior
Oscar was not having it when we tried to do the massage/TTouch. That was no surprise to this girl...he didn''t want to enjoy "relaxing" when he could be scanning all the ongoings in the classroom. So, while I tried my best to stay calm, breathe and syncronize - it just wasn't happening.
On to the awareness walks. Everyone in class took a turn and basically walked their dog down and back in the room and were instructed to stop in their tracks if/when their dogs went off to sniff stuff. We were told to simply wait until the pups reorientated to us and mark and reward that. Oscar was pretty dang good at this - we (well at least I) do this all the time on our walks.
For the last two exercises, we each went into our own gated off area. We were all told to put a handful of treats on the ground while we unclipped the leash, then take one or two steps away. When our pups reorientated to us, we were to mark and reward, then move another few steps. Oscar did quite well with the auto check in. I do this around the yard and in the house quite often (although I'm going to ramp it up now)...so we were very familiar with that exercise.
Last we built on the above by waiting for the dog to not only reorientate, but offer a default behavior (sit or a down) and mark and reward that. We were then told to release them, then move a couple of steps and mark and reward for the default behavior. Oscar, again, did quite well with this. He was being quite silly and kept going and laying down on his leash that I left on the floor. Silly puppy.
I'm really looking forward to progressing with my classmates. The instructors were very understanding and told everyone that each individual dog will be progressing at different paces and will be working on different things. I can't wait for our next class! :)
Well, much to my delight, our first night was fantastic....we talked about each of the dogs and owners at the beginning and why we were all in class and, well, Oscar decided to make his presence known (i.e. have a barking fest) a couple of times, but he settled down after about 15-20 minutes.
The first night of class was based around a couple of concepts...
1.) Massage / TTouch
2.) Awareness walks
3.) Passive attention exercises (auto check-in)
4.) Default behavior
Oscar was not having it when we tried to do the massage/TTouch. That was no surprise to this girl...he didn''t want to enjoy "relaxing" when he could be scanning all the ongoings in the classroom. So, while I tried my best to stay calm, breathe and syncronize - it just wasn't happening.
On to the awareness walks. Everyone in class took a turn and basically walked their dog down and back in the room and were instructed to stop in their tracks if/when their dogs went off to sniff stuff. We were told to simply wait until the pups reorientated to us and mark and reward that. Oscar was pretty dang good at this - we (well at least I) do this all the time on our walks.
For the last two exercises, we each went into our own gated off area. We were all told to put a handful of treats on the ground while we unclipped the leash, then take one or two steps away. When our pups reorientated to us, we were to mark and reward, then move another few steps. Oscar did quite well with the auto check in. I do this around the yard and in the house quite often (although I'm going to ramp it up now)...so we were very familiar with that exercise.
Last we built on the above by waiting for the dog to not only reorientate, but offer a default behavior (sit or a down) and mark and reward that. We were then told to release them, then move a couple of steps and mark and reward for the default behavior. Oscar, again, did quite well with this. He was being quite silly and kept going and laying down on his leash that I left on the floor. Silly puppy.
I'm really looking forward to progressing with my classmates. The instructors were very understanding and told everyone that each individual dog will be progressing at different paces and will be working on different things. I can't wait for our next class! :)
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Shining
What a difference a couple glasses of wine can make! As promised, I had a few glasses of red on Tuesday night and had a much needed decompression from Monday evening's mayhem. I'm feeling much better now, thank you very much. Aaaaahhhhh...delicious red wine. My cryptonite.
My little butthead, Oscar had a check-up at the holistic vet last night and he did amazing. I was completely floored by his behavior, but I will take some credit...tee hee. In order to put the odds in our favor, I put his ThunderShirt on prior to leaving the house and was marking and rewarding him the during the car ride (about 40mins.) for calm behavior - NOT easy to do while driving a stick shift in stop-and-go rush hour traffic, by the way.
When we arrived at the vet, I did both of ourselves a favor and took my time getting him out of the car and into the building. We both sniffed around outside a bit and then started doing some BAT work in the parking lot. I also clipped on the head halter to help manage him better if he decided he wanted to be a butthead...and proceeded into the building.
In my "Doggy Diaper Bag," - wait...that's an actual marketed product?! - I had packed a ziploc bag full of chicken and liver for the vet to give to Oscar when he came in the exam room and Oscar was very happy to be getting such super num-num treats from Dr. M. He sat down politely and was just perfect. (OK, OK...he did one little "woof" when we didn't give him treats in an orderly fashion, but that was it - I swear!)
So, once again, this dog has proved that he does have the ability to be a nice little member of doggy society...what a Wednesday!
My little butthead, Oscar had a check-up at the holistic vet last night and he did amazing. I was completely floored by his behavior, but I will take some credit...tee hee. In order to put the odds in our favor, I put his ThunderShirt on prior to leaving the house and was marking and rewarding him the during the car ride (about 40mins.) for calm behavior - NOT easy to do while driving a stick shift in stop-and-go rush hour traffic, by the way.
 |
| The installation of the wonderful ThunderShirt. What a great product! |
When we arrived at the vet, I did both of ourselves a favor and took my time getting him out of the car and into the building. We both sniffed around outside a bit and then started doing some BAT work in the parking lot. I also clipped on the head halter to help manage him better if he decided he wanted to be a butthead...and proceeded into the building.
In my "Doggy Diaper Bag," - wait...that's an actual marketed product?! - I had packed a ziploc bag full of chicken and liver for the vet to give to Oscar when he came in the exam room and Oscar was very happy to be getting such super num-num treats from Dr. M. He sat down politely and was just perfect. (OK, OK...he did one little "woof" when we didn't give him treats in an orderly fashion, but that was it - I swear!)
So, once again, this dog has proved that he does have the ability to be a nice little member of doggy society...what a Wednesday!
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