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I saw Spirit twice this week. Our first visit was a make up visit after my van broke down and I was forced to cancel. Spirit is happy to see me and has improved on her door manners, but still has a long way to go before she's a lovely hostess. She is no longer jumping on me or mouthing me and she's able to offer sits when she wants something from me now. This is a major improvement from our first few visits where Spirit was either disconnected from the training or so over excited she couldn't control herself.
I spoke at length with her handler about our goals, realistic expectations and time frames. Spirit is on the fence of whether she can or cannot do public access and thus she's in a holding phase while we attempt some confidence building, DS/CC work and focus work while laying in her basic obedience skills. Spirit will be starting classes shortly and hopefully will gain the extra skills she needs to feel confident in her working environment.
After talking with her handler I took her into the yard. It took her 5 minutes before she stopped trying to drag me back to the house and shake off. Once she did, she was able to take treats and I sat in the front lawn with her and worked LAT with two men down the street and a little later a lawn mower when it started. We worked on Level 1 Zen and I rewarded all focus back to me when outside.
We then worked on loose leash walking. Spirit is collar insensitive, so starting with Level 2: Step 1 Lazy Leash won't exactly work right now. I could be in a holding pattern for a very long time with her trying to solve the problem without the skills to think outside the box and could accidentally frighten her if I do. Instead I played "Loose Your Dog" in the courtyard outside of her property. She caught on quickly, but if very distracted when outside.
I will share my update on her on the Fearful Dogs Facebook Page about our lesson on Friday.
Spirit is a 14 to 16 month old Boxer mix. Her history is not totally known, but from what I can see, she appears to have been separated from her mother too soon (probably before or near 6 weeks) and then became a backyard dog until about 11 months of age. She was found on a busy street corner at 11 months of age, unspayed and terrified and taken in by a shelter. From there a local SD organization (not mine) took her from the shelter and worked for "50 hours" and placed her as a working SD at 12 months. Her owner contacted me because she had many fears - traffic, children, men in uniforms - and many behavioral problems.
I have been working with her for just over a month now. She's started basic training and is finally developing some level of impulse control. Her owner has limited her outings to locations she is very comfortable with and we are DS/CCing her to the things that frighten her.
Last night I saw Spirit's family to talk about door manners and used my dog, Malcolm, to show them the final product they are working for and practicing the mechanics of the behavior chain. While I was talking with the owner she told me that Spirit had a total meltdown when the garbage trucks came earlier. She ran into her safe place after a panicked and frantic race around the house.
We have worked out a series of things to help her. The owner works from home, so she'll take Spirit into the office and shut the door while playing Through A Dog's Ear and using DAP in the room for the time we use recorded sounds of the garbage truck set on the lowest possible level Spirit can remain calm and treating during short 3 to 6 seconds of playing the sound and slowly increase the sound as she improves until it's loud enough to be like the real truck. We'll then introduce Spirit to the sound of the truck coming when she's in the basement and in the office and slowly get her to be okay with the sound of the truck when she's upstairs - I mentioned this could take a long time since Spirit is setting the pace for when and if she can handle the noise.
Meanwhile, we'll continue to work on her other fears and reduce them. At this point the hope is to give Spirit the experience she needs to be able to work in public, but I have already cautioned her owner that Spirit may not ever recover enough for that and may need to be career changed. The owner is okay with that and wants to give Spirit until December to see how she's fairing with this DS/CC program and if she suddenly rebounds and can work.
Thankfully, her owner is willing to keep her feeling safe and secure during this critical phase of learning how deep seated her fears are and if she can continue on her jounery. Spirit is in no danger of loosing her home - the family already decided that Spirit has landed in her furever home, no matter the outcome.
If Spirit cannot handle the garbage trucks with the current setup we are going to use next week for garbage pickup, I have recommended anti-anxiety medication prescribed by her vet for garbage days.
Spirit will begin the Up/Down Game, 1-2-3 Treat and LAT games when I work her each week with changes in her environment. I used LAT and the Up/Down game in her front yard with two men talking 200 feet away from us and Spirit did very well with it and quickly tuned them out and could begin working on basic training.
Yoda/Malcolm
Yoda is a 4 year old black German Shepherd. He is working on his CGC and focus work and DS/CC work with cats. Yoda has been assisting Malcolm with his training for the CGC and comes to Tao's Dojo once a week. Yoda practiced his 3 minute separation for the CGC without issue. We then worked on Level 1 Target because his owner would like him to learn to retrieve. Currently Yoda is working CGC, LAT, Level 1 Target and Level 2 Focus. I will be adding some
Pattern Games in his lesson plan to improve his overall focus when in a distracting location.
Jewels/Max
Jewels accidentally injured her owner when she tried to chase something and left him unable to use his hand properly for the lesson. He decided to leave Jewels out of the lesson and wanted to work on the mechanics of the lesson with Max. I brought Max and we worked on Level 2: Step 1 Sit, Level 2: Step 2A Lazy Leash, the Up/Down Game, LAT and 1-2-3 Treat. I will add a page to my blog that explains each game and how to play for reference later this week.
Minnie/Max
Minnie is a Min Pin/Dachshund mix who is working on bonding, confidence and learning to settle into her new home. She was adopted by her loving family two weeks ago and they dearly want to give her the best start in everything and asked for help with her. She is starting her basic obedience training, working on the Up/Down Game, LAT (Look At That), Level 1 Target, Level 1 Sit and Level 1 Down currently.
Curly/Malcolm
Curly is a Yellow Labrador who was placed as a working SD at the age of 11 months with no proper socialization, foundation training or task training. Like Spirit, the family thought he was up to the job and only after a period of time discovered he wasn't and have since sought help with him. He too has become fearful in his working environment and may not recover from the fear. We are currently working on Level 1 in Sue Ailsby's Training Levels and Pattern Games to build confidence.
I brought Malcolm as my demo dog, since my fearful clients don't wish to work with me until I too have established a relationship with them. Malcolm demoed the Up/Down Game, 1-2-3 Treat Game and LAT. He also demoed Target and the Come Game. Curly is starting on Level 1 Target and Come, Level 2 Sit and Pattern Games to build his confidence.
What an amazing sight to meet me as I am walking up to the house and Coco, who was leashed and ready for her lesson, was play bowing, wiggling herself to death, barking and chatting with me while I asked her if she was happy to see me. She was making full eye contact, moving close to me and doing her Min Pin mightiest to engage me. So, this is what an overjoyed Min Pin looks like!
She was eager to get in my van, ignored Malcolm and rode comfortable and calm to the park.
We did Manito Park one last time before upgrading to Riverfront Park next week. She was eager to explore the park, unfazed by playing children, people or dogs and moving with that pride only a Min Pin carry's.
We've gone from stress sniffing to Ping Pong exploration of every blade of grass and Pee Wall Street Post in the park as we move through the pathways. Passing cars no longer disturb her unless they are noisy and even then she quickly recovers.
We stopped by the duck pond and I taught her owner how to use sniffing as a reward, how to keep her walking and not stopping every 3 feet for a good sniff and how to not Ping Pong when walking.
We took it out into a new section of the park with slow moving cars coming behind or before us and Coco was really getting it. Her owner, who had seen her walking with me for a few minutes while I demoed how to get Coco's attention and keep her walking, saw for the first time the amazing changes in her body language.
Coco got tired, so she rode in my lap in the power chair and was totally happy with it. No increased breathing, heart rate or fussing. We went along a busier street for one block with normal moving traffic coming from behind while she was in my lap and she was perfectly calm and even peered down at the moving tall grass on my right.
She finished the walk striding beside her owner like a mini queen and was content and happy when we went in the house.
Her owner gave her a toy and the silly, playful, laughable Min Pin came out. This is a new dog who is calmer, less stressed and happy most of the time.
We have some work left, but overall, Ms. Coco has made me look good! Great job, Team!!!!
