It's a Scary World Out There

Gracie still refuses to take a walkie along her former route.  She prefers to stay within the boundaries of our property.

A few nights ago, she was intrigued by furiously barking dogs in our neighborhood.  She ventured outside the property line but retreated in fear not long afterwards.  Fortunately, I had a toy in my pocket.  As soon as we returned to our yard, I whipped out the toy and engaged her in a game of fetch.   (“Fetch” is a loose term.  She prefers to taunt me with the toy rather than politely relinquish it.)

I realize some trainers may say I reinforced the “happy place” quality of our yard.  My goal was to prevent her from “shutting down.”  When Gracie becomes truly afraid, she will not listen to anyone.  She retreats into her own little world, shaking and panting.  I could tell from her posture that we were moments away from that happening.  I decided it would be better to redirect her attention to the toy and use exercise to burn off the anxiety. 

It worked.  Her attention was fixed on the toy.  She forgot about her romp outside the property line and had a wonderful time chasing after the toy.

Fearful dogs are a challenge.  I encourage you to read books about positive training methods so you can help your dog.  As I said, my method may not have been 100 percent approved by a trainer.  It worked for my dog – and that’s what you must do.  Find something that works for your dog.  Just make sure it is positive training – no choke collars, no painful corrections. 

Good luck!

Rescue Mommy

Interesting Experiment

As I have mentioned, Gracie refuses to take long walkies here at our home.  She was zapped for the second time by an electric fence a few weeks ago.  Ever since then, she only wants to walk around our property or at Meemaw’s house.

While we were at Kiawah, we decided to take Gracie for several long walks.  We visited Night Heron Park.  We ran on the beach and swam in the ocean.  Gracie was a little tired but nothing out of the ordinary.  She had no qualms about exploring the island. 

When we returned home, she refused to walk more than a few feet past our gate.  This proved that there is nothing physically wrong with her.  She has some sort of issue.  Is it Angel, the neighbors’ pesky dog?  Is it the electric fence?

Well, the work continues.  It is nice to confirm, though, that she has no issue with exercise.  She just hates the walkie options here.  I guess we should just move to Kiawah!  Sadly, the Powerball win eludes us, so this is not an option, Gracie.

Rescue Mommy

Dominance Theory

In the September/October 2011 edition of Bark magazine, Patricia McConnell wrote an interesting article about dominance training entitled Action/Re-Action: The Temptation of the Dominance Fallacy. The practice of establishing dominance over your dog used to be viewed as good training technique. In recent years, though, more animal behaviorists are turning their backs on the approach, favoring positive reinforcement instead.

I have been a dog owner, guardian, companion – whatever term you want to use – for over 20 years. When Perdy came into my life, achieving dominance was something you were supposed to do. Positive reinforcement really was not something I recall as a topic of discussion.

Don’t worry. I am not about to tell you that I beat her into submission because I followed the dominance training techniques. Anyone who has ever had a Dalmatian knows they are happy-go-lucky, albeit stubborn dogs. Both Dino and she would do just about anything for affection. Dino would give me his best used car salesperson look as if to say, “What’s it gonna take to close the deal?” Then, he would go through his whole repertoire of tricks (all 3 of them) to get the treat.

The same thing goes with Gracie. She wants belly rubs and treats. Since she is an anxious, fearful dog, I know that she would shut down with harsh discipline. It has taken two years to gain her trust. Why would I do anything to jeopardize that?

I admit that, at first, I thought the whole backlash against dominance theory meant we were supposed to let dogs run free, do whatever it is they want to do, and never say “no” to the dog. As you have probably gathered from reading my blog, I believe in structure and boundaries.

You still have rules with positive reinforcement. You define them, teach them to the dog, and reward the dog when he/she succeeds, not roll the dog onto its back and say, “Bad dog!! I am the Queen; do my bidding!!” (Well, Kiki still favors that method, but that’s another story.)

The article is definitely worth a read. It is time we all open our minds to a better approach to training. Here is a link to the article, if you are interested: http://www.thebark.com/content/down-dominance

Rescue Mommy

We Need Professional Help

When you adopt a dog, obedience training is essential. You can read books. You can surf the Internet for tips and tricks. You can watch TV shows. You can take classes. Please plan to do some sort of basic training with your pet in the manner that works for your schedule and budget. Training helps establish structure and routine for your dog, who wants you to be the leader.

I took the late Dino to an obedience class offered by a local group several years ago, so I knew the basics before Gracie came into our lives. About a month after she came to live with us, I decided that a refresher would be nice but did not want to attend a six-week course. My vet recommended a training facility where he took his dog. They offered private, weekend instruction for as many visits as our schedule (and budget) allowed. We got several great tips. We really liked the instructor.

Lately, we have been considering the addition of a canine companion for Gracie. She just seems to need a buddy. We hesitate, though, because we still have one challenge with Gracie. When she is in an unfamiliar situation, she is frantic and does not respond to training. She has other fear-based behaviors too. Before we add another dog to this environment, we decided to seek professional help.

We reviewed the list of professionals provided by the vet last year. We decided to go to a training facility that specialized in dogs with anxiety issues. The trainer gave us lots of great tips, which we will share in this week’s posts.

We discussed whether or not another dog would help in the situation. The trainer was uncertain. She said the right dog could ease Gracie’s tension – or the new dog could feed off of Gracie’s anxiety and then leave us with two frantic dogs. She recommended that we look for a mellow dog who was not in the working/herding group or a terrier (thereby nixing the cute JRT we spotted at a local rescue group).

In the end, we decided to devote more time to easing Gracie’s anxiety. When the time is right for Gracie, we will look for a companion. Sadly, plenty of dogs are always in need of homes, so we can be patient.

Rescue Mommy & Daddy