April 28, 2012 - Hazel's Journey, Part 3
Some real changes have happened over the last few weeks! Hazel can now be distracted away from many of the scents that have previously engulfed her entire being. When I call her now, she responds much more quickly and eagerly. That is a huge victory for our girl! This success comes after a great deal of repetition and relationship building. Hazel loves to have fun. Spending time playing with her and doing the things she loves together have helped us tremendously.
Another huge victory came earlier this week. My husband was out of town and I was on my own to walk the dogs around the neighborhood. I decided to try taking all four of them at once because my time was limited. Our neighborhood is full of children, a few loose dogs, lawn mowers, and lots of people who enjoy stopping to say hello. I didn't know if this walk would be a disaster or just a mild pain in the behind. As it turns out, we had a very nice walk together. My dogs never cease to amaze me. Hazel, Jake, Missy and Maggie all walked pretty well together and seemed to enjoy (or at least not mind) having the close company on the walk.
Hazel has done some other things in recent days that show us, yet again, what an amazing pup she is. Her playfulness and love of other dogs has helped me with some otherwise challenging training situations. I've been working with some very high energy dogs and Hazel is great at running around and playing with them to help burn off some of that energy. Training sessions with a dog who has burned off some energy first, are often much more successful.
We will have company later this week and I know that Hazel will be slightly concerned about a new person in her house, so we will take our time with introductions. Hazel does better meeting people outside and in large, open areas, so that's where we will start. We will make her feel as comfortable as possible so that she can enjoy our company and they can enjoy her too.
The last few weeks have been really great with Hazel. She has improved so much that her freedoms and privileges around the house have increased. My husband doesn't know this yet, but just yesterday, I left Hazel out of her crate with the other dogs while I ran an errand (I was gone about 30 minutes). As far as I can tell, Hazel did great. I didn't find any pieces of the sofa or area rug missing and she greeted me at the door with a happy body wag.
We are entering into a whole new phase of Hazel's training and life with us, so this will be my last "Hazel's Journey" blog. Hazel will continue to learn and change and so will we. We will learn and grow together. The journey for Hazel and our family is by no means over, it is truly just beginning!
April 12, 2012 - Hazel's Journey, Part 2
We adopted Hazel in September 2011 and while we knew she had many behavioral challenges, we decided to get started with a behavior that would have a ton of benefits in the long term; leash walking!
When you have a dog that is uncomfortable with people, startles at new things in the environment, has a nose that works 10,000 times better than yours and has a strong, genetic pre-disposition for working as a "sniffer" dog, you are in for some hard work. Getting Hazel's attention in an environment where there was anything to catch her attention (other than me) was very difficult. I worked on focus (watch me) skills endlessly and rewarded her generously for looking at me in a variety of situations. This helped, but leash walking was still a challenge.
The leash walking was a challenge for many reasons. Hazel was worried about so many things in the environment, so at the same time we worked on leash walking, I was working to desensitize her to new sights, sounds and smells. To help her make better associations with new things, we played games, fed her treats, and tried to help her have as much fun as possible when new things were present.
Hazel also had a lot of nervous energy and we needed to find ways to help her use that energy productively. We took walks, played with a variety of toys in the back yard, invited dog friends over for play dates, used KONGS, Bully Sticks, Bouncy Bones, Busy Buddy Twist n Treats, tennis balls, stuffed toys, and provided as much mental and physical stimulation as possible to keep her focused on good things.
Even with all of these distractions, toys, and stimulating activities, Hazel was still a challenge. There was still work to be done and we were really just getting started. Watch for part 3 of Hazel's Journey to learn more about our training efforts with this sweet, but behaviorally challenging new pup in our lives.
April 11, 2012 - Hazel's Journey, Part 1
I have been reflecting a lot the last few weeks on how far our dog, Hazel has come since we adopted her last Fall (September 2011). When we brought Hazel into our home (first as a foster dog), we had no idea what we were getting into. Even though I had met Hazel a few months prior to fostering her, I had met her in situations where she was engaged with other dogs, not really interacting with people. Now THERE was actually the first clue as to what we were getting into...and I had totally missed that glaring message at the time!
Hazel was definitely more into other dogs than into people. I could guess at the reason(s) for that all day. It could be because she had been surrounded by lots of dogs for the first several months of her life and human interaction was just during a few minutes out of each day (i.e. feeding times and a few other interactions for outside time, playtime,etc.). It could be because her interactions with humans were not as fun and pleasant as those with dogs. It could be for any number of reasons. As Hazel's new foster mom, I now had the job of living with and working with this dog who did not have the ability (or maybe not a desire) to focus on people. In any case, this dog was a bit of a "project."
In addition to the fact that Hazel was not people focused, we soon learned she was very frightened of men, was a resource guarder (around other dogs, not people), got sick when riding in the car, was a destroyer of carpeting and all things wood (my dresser included), and loved the taste of leather. Oh, my poor sofa and loveseat!
So, knowing all of this, what did we do? We adopted her! That's when the real work began. Seven months in, Hazel is a very different dog. She is still a work in progress, but who isn't? Watch for part 2 of Hazel's Journey to learn about the work we have done to help with Hazel's transformation.
February 20, 2012 - Reflections of a Weekend With Missy - Part 1
For my first blog post, I have decided to reflect on an amazing weekend with my 4 year old Rat Terrier/Jack Russell mix, Missy. To understand why this blog (and this weekend) holds so much meaning, I will start with a little background on Missy.
We adopted Missy from a rescue group here in Georgia in September 2008. She was 10 months old. Missy's former home had decided that they didn't want to care for a dog anymore so they literally put her outside in the street. They did this "knowing" that someone would take her in and care for her. At the time, Missy was an 8 month old, 12 lb puppy who was left to fend for herself. A good Samaritan found her, took her in, and began looking for her family. When her family was located after several weeks, they explained that they didn't want her anymore. Missy was surrendered to the local rescue group and 1 day later, I showed up with Jake to introduce him to a small lab mix I had fallen in love with.
Jake is my poodle/terrier mix who has opinions about everything. He very clearly let me know that the lab mix was NOT going to live with us. I was a little disappointed, but would never bring a dog into our home that the other dogs didn't "approve" first.
As Jake and I wandered around the kennel looking at the other dogs available for adoption, we came to a kennel filled with 6 or 7 small dogs. Jake was very interested when a small, black nose appeared through the kennel door. He casually walked by, sniffed, and immediately went back for a greeting. Missy was brought out of the kennel and the two dogs immediately hit it off. Jake had made his choice and I couldn't say no. Missy was precious....but as we would quickly discover, she was terrified of the world. Missy had obviously been through more than we would ever know during her days spent outside and alone in what was a very big and scary world to her.
In the last 3+ years since Missy came into our lives, we have come a long way. We now have two more dogs, Maggie and Hazel. Maggie is Missy's dog soul mate and you will quite often find Maggie comforting Missy during the tougher moments. Missy is still sometimes afraid of long distance car rides, thunderstorms, windy days, rainy days when the rain is noisy, or weird noises she cannot identify. She does much better when she has our other dogs with us, but this past weekend, it was just me and Missy during a very long, three and half hour car ride up to Greenville, SC, in the rain.
February 22, 2012 - Reflections of a Weekend With Missy - Part 2
Missy and I were driving to Greenville, SC for a K-9 Nosework Odor Recognition Test (ORT). We were going to test Missy's skills at locating the scent of Birch. After the long drive to Greenville, SC from Carrollton, GA, Missy and I were ready for a relaxing evening in our hotel room. For Missy, that was easier said than done. We were sharing our hotel room with a friend and her 1 year old Newfoundland puppy. He's adorable and funny and he knew how to push Missy's buttons. Missy figured out that she could "outrun" the Newfie by hiding under the covers. She wasn't afraid of him. She was tired from a stressful car ride and wanted some quiet. After a final potty trip outside in the rain, Missy snuggled up under the covers, behind my knees, and went to sleep.
The next morning, Missy was ignoring the Newfie pup and was more interested in learning what was in store for her on this new, still rainy day. We had coffee and breakfast and then held a practice nose work session. Missy very proudly false alerted on the incorrect box two times during our practice. I knew the stress of being away from home without her buddies was tough and I knew that another car ride to the ORT venue was going to be even tougher.
We arrived at the ORT venue about one hour later (after a quick stop for lunch). Missy was shaking from the car ride and it was obvious the Thundershirt alone just wasn''t enough for my stressed out pup. Inside, I spoke to a few of my fellow trainers and learned that there was a lavender hand sanitizer available. Woohoo! I got some and rubbed it on Missy's Thundershirt to help calm her. Let's face it, at this point, I probably needed it too.
Missy and I were given the 9th spot. As we waited our turn, we alternately walked in the drizzle and then huddled in the car for warmth. Missy was still shaking and I was worried for my girl.
When our name was finally called, Missy and I walked into the building. Just being indoors seemed to calm her a bit and I was grateful. After just a 2 minute wait, we were invited into the search room. Ahead of us were the boxes that Missy was to search and then identify the one containing the birch. Could she do it? We entered the search room together and when Missy saw the boxes, I could almost hear the happy sigh as I watched her body relax. She knew this game and it got her excited! Relief ran through me and I asked Missy if she was ready to find it. With one happy look up at me, we crossed the start line.
The room was large and there were 7 or 8 volunteers watching, including a video camera that followed our moves. Just knowing that Missy was happy to search put a smile on my face that only got bigger (and goofier, I am sure) as the search continued. Missy was not feeling rushed and she took her time investigating the room with her nose. I will admit that there was a small amount of concern as she was really ignoring the boxes. Ignorant human that I am, I should have realized that she just wasn't interested in the boxes that did NOT contain her target odor. Of course! Silly me.
Missy took me to the other end of the room where she wanted to investigate a hallway. I simply stopped and she turned around to go back to work. As soon as she turned, she must have caught the scent because she went to one box and then another. She stayed there with her nose to the box for a quick 2 seconds before she moved a coupled of steps away, then stopped and looked up at me. Had she done it? Had she found the prized box with the birch? I couldn't be sure, so I asked her. Is that it? She then went back to the box, nosed it again, looked up at me and her body language clearly communicated that she had located the birch.
I turned to the judge and very nervously said "Alert?". He hesitated for a brief moment that was long enough to make my heart stop. Then he smiled and said "Yes." I don't remember what I said, but I quickly knelt down to reward Missy with her well deserved treats. I gushed at her and told her how very, very proud I was of her and I remember my eyes tearing up. I held that back and gave her one more treat. My heart was soaring with pride for my once fearful and stressed girl.
While I have loved the sport of K-9 Nosework from the first moment I watched a dog search, I fell in love with the activity all over again as my Missy showed me just how much it has helped her in the last year and a half. She had passed her Birch ORT and the ride home was much more relaxed for both of us. This was a hard weekend that ended with the realization (once again) that this sport can make so many things possible for our dogs in such a beautiful and positive way.
Thank you to Ron Gaunt, Jill Marie-O'Brien and Amy Herot for bringing this amazing sport to our dogs! It has truly been life-changing...