Two Best Dogs! Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Things are brighter, if only because it is rainy and I had those beautiful brown eyes looking at me. Oh the trouble she is, wouldn't go toilet because the grass is wet lol. Terri I will send you a message around lunch. Thistle does seem to be less reactive around big black girls ;) well, 2 Russian guard types and a lab x. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I have caught up on a bit of this thread, and I am so happy to hear that Justice is on the improve! I know things were pretty grim there for a while, so I was so happy to read of your recent successes :) Thistle seems like she's is doing really well too! How has Didi been going Terri? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 How has Didi been going Terri? Didi's been doing pretty well raineth! I had a pretty proud moment a few weeks ago where we went for a Sunday afternoon walk along the river which was extremely busy and she walked perfectly passed so many different people, children running around and children on scooters/bikes (which were one of her biggest problems). She only got a bit pee'd off when we were nearly done and one of those instense lycra-wearing cyclsits zoomed past us without ringing their bell. Another moment that reminded me of the progress we've made was when she laid in my lap (she still manages to do that!) while I waited on a bench outside a cafe for food and she just chilled out while parents with children and prams filtered past non-stop and stopped to speak to us (no pats tho) We still have a lot of work to do when it comes to physical interaction with strangers but she is fine with being around strangers and crowds as long as there's no expectation of pats and I don't let anyone attempt to do that unless its a controlled situation and they're interacting with her on my terms. That's the next stage we need to get over but I haven't had enough time to dedicate to it recently so I've just been managing it and making sure she has no negative interactions with strangers until I can continue more dedicated counter-conditioning. She doesn't take long to warm up to people though and once she does she's very affectionate! But yeah she's at the point where it doesn't really impact on our lives, we live in a really busy inner city area with lots of potential triggers and I walk her everyday on and offlead without much fuss though I'm still precautious and don't expect too much from her. I still haven't sat down at a cafe and had a meal with her or taken her on the train which are things I think she's probably ready for again, I just need to be a bit more confident about doing it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 That is absolutely wonderful! You must be really chuffed with her progress :) I really relate to what you say about kind of knowing your dog is ready for the next step but you have to rally the confidence to take it. I knew for a while that Del was probably ready to start some meet and greets with new dogs again, but it took me a while after that to build up the courage to do so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 (edited) Thanks Raineth. I hope so! Thursdays is people rehab night at Best Friends (unless I'm lazy then it is friday or saturday...) It was a full house so she was a bit twitchier than usual so we did some LAT and then loads of Look at Me and a couple of heels/sits/drops. The usual start of session jitters after being home alone. We got increasingly closer to big-man-with-beard-who-is-usually-in-aquarium-section-on-other-side-of-caged-birds-so-we-rarely-go-there (big man for short). Big man was doing lots of worker things like building a kennel with loud noises and sudden movements (Thistle alarm level (TAL): frozen and intent), sneezing (TAL: flinch!), walking towards us (TAL: hide behind owner), driving a mini forklift (TAL: Curious and following). Loads of rabbits this week. So we walked past them and rewarded for looking away. Didn't do our usual snake training (reward for ignoring/moving away from) as the snake wasn't in the cage that has the air holes for her to smell. Too hot I think. We stood at a bigger distance than usual away from one of the senior staff because she JUST ADOPTED THE CUTEST TAN STAFFIE TYPE. Unfortunately Thistle was being twitchy AND all 3 of her "unprovoked" nips of dogs have all been boys so decided not to try for a sniff today. We'll start with gorgeous Didi and other laid back dogs and work our way up to it. Although this dog was a very calm fella, just standing there, walked in our direction a bit but walked back when lead got tight. Seems a darling. Abused in first home Second home gave him back. So third time lucky! We ended the day with a big challenge. Big Man, Senior staff lady + her new dog were packing in the aisle. We had been inching closer and chilling but were almost out of treats! So (with appropriate warning of what Thistle and I were going to do so they could avoid making eye contact and scaring Thistle) - we walked through the Aisle and them :D Much praise. TAL: reluctant but not flinching, didn't drag me in a rush once we passed them. Upon getting home we had to idle in the road a bit because an offlead SWF was walking along with his jogger behind him. I think our car stopping confused the dog but I just didn't want to run over it entering the driveway. Jogger sped up with dog and a wave, thistle got loads of verbal phrase for looking at me when I said her name (TAL: SWF alert) Also she got to see our neighbours/they got to see her! :D They called her pretty. She was sitting politely waiting for front door to be opened (to sweet sweet coolness and water). Yay small victories! /journal post basically. PS. Cooling down but making me wet https://vt.tumblr.com/tumblr_nw7ekjK8XA1qh8fin.mp4 Edited October 15, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 That is absolutely wonderful! You must be really chuffed with her progress :) I really relate to what you say about kind of knowing your dog is ready for the next step but you have to rally the confidence to take it. I knew for a while that Del was probably ready to start some meet and greets with new dogs again, but it took me a while after that to build up the courage to do so Thanks raineth. :) It sounds like Didi is doing great, Terri! It makes such a huge difference once you can get to a point where your dog's issues don't have a significant impact on your life. I hope she continues to make awesome progress and that you find the confidence to take her to the next level. Thanks guys, I'm pretty happy with how things are going! If we made no more progress from here on she would still live a very normal and fairly easy to manage life but I'm fairly sure as soon as uni finishes and I'm able to put more work into her that we'll make even more progress on the stranger interaction front :) Hopefully with the extra free time I can also start attempting the things I'm still sitting on the fence about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 We sniffed the one dog twice and a half before class today. Yay! We go pass out from tired and heat now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisaspence Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 That's great, Thistle. :) Justice had a follow up appointment with his VB yesterday and she's so thrilled with his progress and the direction we're headed that we were only there for half an hour instead of the usual hour and she only wants to see him every 6 months from now on, unless of course there's some kind of deterioration or we need help. Even Justice's behaviour in the consultation was dramatically different to his first appointment when he wasn't on any medication at all. During the first consultation he wasn't able to relax for the whole three hours and was pacing and moving back and forth between the three of us for pats, lying down at the door and whining at the sounds of dogs elsewhere in the clinic, had a really hard, snatchy mouth when taking treats etc. Last time he was drugged up on Clonidine because he was in the process of coming off of fluoxetine so he was dopey and just lay down and slept. Yesterday was the first appointment on just the paroxetine with nothing else in his system and he was awesome. He politely took some treats from the VB and when she stopped and was focusing on talking to me and writing notes, he just lay down calmly next to her with his head on his paws or the floor and was nice and relaxed and just wagged his tail every time she looked at him or spoke to him. It really shows how much generalised anxiety there was before we started medication. The email updates are dropping from weekly to monthly and she would like me to send a new video with each update if I can, as she wants to use Justice as a 12 month case study to show a dog's starting point, rapid deterioration when the medication isn't right and then what happens when the he gets on the right medication combined with training. I couldn't be happier with how he's doing and the decision to pursue help from a VB. :) On a not so awesome note, Justice has hurt himself again. We went to see Paxie after the VB appointment and he hit his face when they were playing chasey and ripped off a chunk of skin under his eye, although thank god he missed his eye! After no self inflicted injuries for years he's managed to hurt his leg and toe by ripping skin off of them on a play date, broken his tooth and now his hurt his face, all in just a couple of months. He doesn't seem bothered by it at least and was still trying to play yesterday after he did it. I've cleaned it with betadine and will just keep an eye on it, clumsy possum that he is. Just joining the convo here! (thanks for the suggestion to join Snook!). After going through my mind of what i could be doing wrong with my anxious dog. I saw a vet behaviourist (the lovely Dr. Jacqui Ley at the glen waverley clinic) at the start of the year and was given medication and training tools. We have had some concerns as to whether the drugs (fluexotine) was the appropriate dosage or whatever, but thought it must have been as she seemed more calm around the house. But still highly reactive on walks. But i have never been back to the vet as it cost so much the first time, and i've been so busy.. excuses excuses and i guess i should just take better care and responsibility for my dog. Did you find that switching to find the right medication was significantly better for your dog? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) @Snook and Justice, oh no his beautiful face! But I'm so glad on his progress and how awesome it is that your journey with Justice can be used in such an educational way! I hope it helps many behaviourists, vets and owners/dogs in the future All quiet here Balance is exercise! @lisaspence, welcome! I posted in your thread about our obedience/behavioural classes with Chris from positive k9 training in melbourne. They've been very helpful for one on ones and group training. Come and scope us out sometime! I hope your dog progresses soon Edited October 20, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) Achievement post! (in the right thread this time) Guests are gone, it went well. Minimal barking, minimal cowering, LOTS of scared dog sneaking closer on her tummy to guests for pats. Kid friendly! Even when kid dropped her tablet on thistle's head *wince* We're graduating to level 2 in obedience, finally. Was getting a bit embarrassed there. Positive sniffing has continued with a nice 1yo kelpie who is happy to meet everyone and has the softest fur, one sniff Thistle even initiated! But redirected her after a second as she was still pretty tense and looming over the pup. Looking forward to us meeting the gorgeous Didi next week maybe ;) How's everyone else going? Big or small? I need my dog update fix ;) Edited October 25, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 There has been some absolutely fantastic progress from you Ladies and your gorgeous dogs. It is so encouraging to read and also exciting. A huge pat on the back for all your work and persistence. I have been flat out with a new job, so no trialling and very little training in this house over the last few months. But we had a major major win with Dee. We visited the kids/grandkids/grandpuppies in Canberra at the beginning of October and Dee coped brilliantly. Did not eat the puppy Ebony, who is an 8 week old black Lab, even though she was chewing Dee's tail, jumping up at her face and barking at her. She was great with Sasha, 9 year old black Lab, and would discretely move away when Sasha came close, after I told her off for a sneaky snap as Sasha went past. They went for walks (Dee on lead, Sasha off lead with Zeph) in close proximity to each other. They were both off lead in the house with the kids and Dee was respectful. No pre-emptive snapping, or lunging with Sasha or prey drive around the puppy. Confident around new people. I could not have been more rapt or prouder. Yes, she was carefully managed. All introductions with Dee on lead first, with the lead removed when all concerned were calm. Plenty of treats and rewards. Five days of fantastic dog interactions. I couldn't have wished for better. I suspect that Dee was so well behaved because they were both black Labs and not light coloured dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Does Dee have a color preference?I wish I could workout Jake, I used to think it was light dogs but it doesn't seem so. He does seem better at training if the dog we are working with is also reactive, I think because then they both pointedly ignore each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 (edited) Exhausted driveby to say Terri and Didi are GREAT. Thistle wagged at Didi! Thistle licked Didi's face (Didi seemed confused), butt sniffing was rampant, Thistle gave no shits about personal space! Thistle yanked my arm nearly out of my socket by trying to initiate chasies! Thistle tried to do chasies in a puddle on a dinky little city lead and worked Didi up a bit! Wet puppies! Wet puppies walking together and bumping into each other and sniffing things together. No reactivity, no growling, no lunging, minimal whale eye, lots of pulling because she wanted to sniff Didi's butt. Good girl! Go Didi! Didi was a calm rock of awesome. Then we went up to the mountains and Thistle earned some tiny offlead privileges at a dam. Edited November 3, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Oh I am so happy for you!!!!! Great news ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 OH and I forgot: Didi is SO SOFT and so gentle. I want to smoosh that little face some more. So smooshable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 So glad you and Thistle got to have a big win today, she was so lovely I'm hoping they'll become good pals! I was also really proud of Didi today, it was nice to be reminded that despite her issues she is still really reliable around other dogs and is just very intuitive of how to behave around them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Perhaps Didi can become DOL's very own dog rehab dog, she really helped Thistle be at ease. Even when Thistle got the stares going on (so rude, I know). I also feel honored she snuffled my hand. I definitely think long lines next time, so they can romp properly with some supervision so no-one gets too excited (Thistle's got to learn dog playing rules all over again sigh) and without ripping our arms off. But everything exceeded expectations! In other news, Thistle is stupid and ate a bee or wasp. So after some injections I'm at home today. She has a fat face and is looking very sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Does Dee have a color preference?I wish I could workout Jake, I used to think it was light dogs but it doesn't seem so. He does seem better at training if the dog we are working with is also reactive, I think because then they both pointedly ignore each other. Yes, it appears that she has a definite colour and a size preference. At water training she is great around the Newfies, even brown ones, and she seems calm and practices avoidance around them and black dogs. Smaller white or cream dogs and she is on the defensive. Dogs that bark or have a go at her and she is off the scale. I used to think that it was a sex preference, liked males not females, but it appears that size and colour are bigger triggers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 OMG how awesome are Didi and Thistle together. Absolutely fantastic to see. I am so rapt for you girls. May I ask where you were walking? It looks like a great place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Perhaps Didi can become DOL's very own dog rehab dog, she really helped Thistle be at ease. Even when Thistle got the stares going on (so rude, I know). I also feel honored she snuffled my hand. I definitely think long lines next time, so they can romp properly with some supervision so no-one gets too excited (Thistle's got to learn dog playing rules all over again sigh) and without ripping our arms off. But everything exceeded expectations! In other news, Thistle is stupid and ate a bee or wasp. So after some injections I'm at home today. She has a fat face and is looking very sad. Oh poor Thistle. Ice cubes in her water bowl will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now