Papillon Kisses

Thanks for the update. :) The sookiness is possibly just him feeling a little thrown about internally by side effects from the new medication. Did your vet say what side effects might be seen? If vivotonin doesn't have sleepiness as a side effect, then it's probably potentiating the Ami. If it is a side effect, then it may be one that wears off as his body adjusts. Good luck on the bone hunt. :D

A Greyhound and an Iggy would look adorable walking together. :D I once saw someone out and about with the full set: an Iggy, Whippet and Greyhound. :D

I don't. Thanks Raineth. :)

Another enrichment thing which might help? I suppose it depends whether Scottie still has his sense of smell or forgets what he's doing and wanders off. If he's not at that stage though, it might help calm him and promote better sleep. https://www.dog-games.co.uk/sprinkles-tm/

Fifth go at Day 1 today. I'm not sure if my criteria to move on is too high, but there was zero shaking today and only maybe 5 or 6 instances of getting up (some were my fault). I want to see less breaking and a little more of a relaxed expression before going up a level. He's feeling a little heavy, lol. I think I need to cut back on kibble.

I predict a Corgi explosion if there hasn't been one already. Like Frenchies and Doxies, they are all over Facebook and Instagram. Oh and Sandgrubber, you have forgotten all the toy breeds that are not necessarily white and/or fluffy. Just saying ????

Truth. We have a snooza bed that is still around and kicking after 2 dogs and at least 15 years. It does need a replacement insert, except they no longer make the style of bed. That's how old it is.

How did the vet appointment go? I'm glad to hear that you have found some ways to help manage the CCD, like the before bed training, and finding a cheaper pharmacy is awesome! The Aktivate sounds very interesting, too: it seems to have a number of the same ingredients that are in Hills B/D. Good find. x

Oh, would you look at that. Gorgeous, Kirty. :)

And Malcolm. :D I love the picture of Lola manding. Which puppy was it who manded to the speaker? That cracked me up.

We did it! We completed Task/Day 1. It took three attempts — I wasn't able to do it yesterday due to business. I am going to repeat it again tomorrow as I'd like him more relaxed before challenging him further. He was not quite as relaxed today as we were out of good-but-not-overly-exciting treats, and I was using the best treat in the world.

It was absolutely a win!! YOU GOT STAND FOR EXAM — AND NOT ONCE BUT TWICE!! And you got in some excellent behaviour modification with the trainer! Well done Thistle and mum! You're both doing so well. You might be the last in your group to advance, but you've probably come the furthest with your dog. Thistle has achieved the 10m drop before, right? I bet you'll be in advanced very soon. Either way, she overcame a huge hurdle today with her fear of people, and did not react negatively in a tricky situation with the heeler. She also did not get stung by a bee! That's a huge cause for celebration! That said, you've both been through quite a bit this weekend, so perhaps the celebration can be with ice cream, treats from the Dog Lovers Show, and a nice long cuddle on the lounge. :)

How's your little Buddy, Swain?

I just saw the picture above. Your Danny is such a darling little man! I'm so sorry to hear that he is unwell, losing weight and not eating well. Your description of him reminds me of our late papillon who passed on his 17th birthday. I too used to carry him downstairs for a "turn about the garden" (a little potter and sniff) and then back up again. He'd wait at the stairs for his chariot. Your dear little red man knows he is loved. :) It hurts. It feels like your heart has been ripped out. But when you feel like you can't cope you carry on, because they loved you fiercely and it's what they would have wanted.

:cheer:

If anyone wants to join the Facebook group for anxious dogs just PM me with your full name and I'll send a request to the mods for you. It's just become a secret group. Many many pages back there was comments about favourite blogs. A couple I like are Paws4udogs / Paws Abilities https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com which is written by a trainer who has a dog with Generalised Anxiety Disorder; and Mutt About Town. And it's not a blog as such, but Suzanne Clothier's articles: http://suzanneclothier.com/content/articles/ Thistle, here's a recent article which probably links into what I assume is said in Bar 2.0 about labeling dogs: https://muttabouttown.com/2016/05/09/fearful-dogs-are-not-broken/ You might also like to read up on "people-first language". There are pros and cons to person-first language, but I think the intention of it is good: to recognise that we are more than our diagnoses, that illnesses or physical or mental limitations are only one part of who we are, and to shift the focus from disability to ability.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

We've done a bit better today. To start he was a bit jack in the boxy, but then he got so bored he went and sat in his bed and then laid down. :laugh: He only started trembling at the stage of counting out loud to 20, so I back tracked, did some easy things and stopped. I need to re-read the handout another 5 times so so. It's a lot to take in and remember, and my brain is a little foggy as it is. I'm also a bit confused because it says if your dog is laying down that's a good thing, but if you're telling him to sit doesn't that confuse the dog about what the word sit means? I substituted 'stay'. But that's probably doing it wrong. I guess it's time to re-read the handout again, lol.

I gave it a go last night, but made mistakes before I even started. 1. Choosing the wrong place and time. Malcolm is more anxious at night and downstairs where he can see light reflections. I thought the treats would negate that but it probably wasn't enough. 2. Starting at all. It says to stop if the dog is concerned, but Mal was trembling before we even started. I thought he'd stop shaking as we got going but no. Sorry Mal. We got to the first of the 15 second stays, so about 1/3 way through Task/Day 1 (they are called task sets in my handout). At that point he kept readjusting his sit thinking that it wasn't good enough to earn the reward. He knows stay though, so I'm not sure why that happened. Perhaps it was all just too much. I stopped it there and asked him for a high five. He thinks (well I assume from body language) that high fives are a lot of fun, so we ended on a good note and with a bunch of treats. :) I'll try again today during be daytime as see how we go, and get back to our VB if still struggling. I did learn that the shaking lessened if I talked and gave him more feedback/reassurance.

I know this is an old thread but I thought it silly to create another. I need to start this program. Any tips? I am finding it very daunting and I'm not quite sure why. ???? I think I'm mainly worried about inadvertently stuffing it up and not training the actual relaxation part. That and it looks like a massive undertaking. ????

Naww, look at him. ☺️

I think the trolley is partly what makes it safe. It's like a little wall. I suspect he'd love a crate, but there might be other little nooks in the house.

He is so adorable. ????

Oh look at him in his red cape!

But would an African Swallow have the required air-speed velocity to grab a Chihuahua puppy?