Motivation and Mood
Friday, October 18, 2013 at 8:53AM 
Last week something was off with Adele. Was it the creaky floors or the big dogs all around her or? We don't know but she had a very non productive class. It would have been easy to say forget about this but you must persist, expose and be creative. It eventually comes together.
So last night she was waggy tail outside. We brought her into class and she was slinking and reacting. We went oh another non productive class this will be. Perhaps she is just in a fear stage as she didn't react like this before.
Loose lead, high valuable treats and making it fun and upbeat worked. She played recovery quickly and that's your goal not to never react but to play recovery. That moment what is this is normal.
She wanted to say hello to everyone with the waggy, waggy tail. She relaxed about the warped floor and the creaks. She had fun. The old Adele was back. What caused this? We still do not know but we didn't let it get to us. We approached it positively. We still exposed but in an upbeat way. We also upped the treats giving her pieces of hot dog.
We also last week took her on a walk through Kensington Market on purpose to condition her to unfamilar smells, noises etc. She did well there except for manhole covers. She didn't even mind the police on huge horses. Well, you can't assume. All you can do is to socialize, expose and do it in a way that is VERY fun and upbeat. If you are frustrated you need to stop, back off and do it when you are in a better frame of mind. They feed off your emotion.
She also has been walking when its not pouring in a variety of locations around the streets near our home with different dogs each time. We have been busy with her as she was always a dog that was not worried about anything.
So what do I suspect this reaction was? I haven't a clue but you approach it the same way. Remember that Scavenger list we are creating? Well you expose and expose throughout their lives. It's not just a puppy thing.
Reader Comments (13)
Thank you for insight into the list and Adele's learning; my girly is 5 and was bomb proof but for whatever reason she has become reactive to all sorts of things including the dog barking in the next yard which sends her wild and triggers fence fighting. I really don't know what has happened.
But I will try the exposure thing with her.
Su:
Do you have a solid focus? Before she starts to fence fight there are signs that this is what she is going to do. Early stage is her body, or licking the lips but something she does is a signal that this is what she is going to do. You have to catch her just before she goes from that stage to the fence fighting. Carry around a really exciting treat and when she starts showing this sign jackpot her over and over feed her treats when she focuses on you then take her away from it. If you are very consistent and are able to catch her before that lost in the moment stage you should be able to extend the time till eventually she will be more interested in the focus training than the dog on the other side of the fence. Now in all conflict each party plays a part. There was something that started it and something that creates the escalation. It may be simply the body language of the other dog. Not experiencing it, I can't tell you. But all you can do is to be responsible for iyour dog.
If you have a chain link fence you should block the view somehow even temporarily till you have that solid focus. Don't set your dog up to fail. If she does you step back and start again but don't get frustrated.
Exposures will help and is this particular dog the only one she fights with?
Interesting about Adele. Bentley has also been doing some things that we thought he got passed with. He certainly enjoys repetitive actions like his walk after dinner, a play around the house when he comes in, etc. And then every once in a while he is apprehensive in going for a walk past the driveway. Not sure what's up with that. We adjust and he adjusts. it will be interesting to see how Adele and Bentley do together at puppy class. Perhaps a little family motivation or encouragement when they see each other? Don't know. It'll be lively for sure!
It's actually normal to have that response. What you want to do is build on the coping skills. You know you have done a good job when the recovery is faster. Dogs and humans do this. Think about it. If you stopped driving you would know how to drive but you wouldn't feel quite secure. The more you and your dogs do the easier it is to deal with change.
Expose, expose, expose in an upbeat manner.
Dog shows, classes tend to do that. They expose them to other dogs, new environment etc. As you start mixing it up - new dog exposures, new noises, new venue those coping skills get challenged and that's okay as long as you bring the right attitude and fun is in the equation.
The idea is to build on their coping skills in a positive way. Don't flood and keep it fun.
Thanks Darlah, all this info about the changing and maturing is very helpful.
I see changes and some set backs in Kona from time to time, I just keep working
with him.
Adele is a little cutie! She reminds me so much of Laci. And, as you've advised us, time, patience and exposure does show improvement w/ shyness. Laci didn't show signs of hesitance until over one yr. I believe a part of it has to do w/ more awareness of her surroundings and her intuitiveness of other beings. So yes, life is not always the same. The only thing that remains the same is that life is always changing! :-)
Our biggest issue with Adele is we couldn't start classes early enough due to a litter of 10. :-) She did not get as much exposure as we usually do. It does help and the earlier you do it the easier the process is. But its a lifetime thing. They will always be presented with something new. If they have a good base of coping skills they will be able to deal and recover fast on the changes they are facing. With Adele its not a 'shy' thing. She wants to say hello to all dogs, all people but a creaky floor, a new environment - well I don't know yet exactly what it is. We took her to Kensington and she saw people, dogs, horses, cars whizzing by and her reaction was due to the manholes only which is a common issue with downtown dogs. It was noisy, busy at least for me that isn't used to those noises. No reaction except with the manhole but she had Spice with her out front and that may have given her comfort, at least at first. I find the right combo of dogs in a new environment helps. Spice was so confident with downtown I started thinking she was deaf. Oh big police on big horses, no problem. Loud noises, construction, trucks close by racing by no problem. So I whispered behind her Spice and she twisted her head to say WHAT?
A very confident dog walked with an under confident dog can work wonders in helping them find and perfect their coping skills. That is not to say there is anything wrong with the dog that is under confident in a certain environment etc. It just means they have to be exposed and build up their coping skills and that is a lifetime thing for humans and dogs. Remember dogs feed off of the emotion of others including US. But if you don't have a really confident dog to work with exposures in small doses consistently do help. Remember we fear what we do not know or understand. That is true of your dogs.
Deb: I look forward to spending time with Laci. It's hard to figure out what the obstacle is as they can't talk but by exposing and conditioning in a positive way you can cultivate their coping skills.
Dogs do have a variety of fear periods. One is in the 5-6 month range, another at a year, another 2 but dogs don't do calendar dates. These are an approximate timeframe.
I told you about Adele not because I am concerned. I am not in any way. She will get there. I shared so you would understand that if you laugh, relax, enjoy and are consistent and challenge their coping skills then their reactions will be fewer. It's important to condition, socialize and expose them to many things and its also important to do classes.
Even the most confident dog can be thrown off by something.
Our late Whitney - a golden that came to us as a rescue frightened of everything and I mean everything taught us a great deal. She was so afraid of the dog barking behind the fence at the corner that we started walking her across the street and slowly but surely we got her walking by the fence. Nathan would talk upbeat to the dog behind the fence. The dog would relax and Whitney relaxed. We didn't coddle her in any way. We actually talked to the dog on the other side and ended up helping both dogs. It didn't happen overnight but in a couple of months she was walking by that fence with confidence and the dog that barked was looking forward to our chats. Sometimes it simply takes being creative and having a good head space. If the first solution doesn't work try another if you gave it sufficient time.
Your pups even when they react do not have the fear this dog did. She had deep seated fears. We do a great deal to expose and condition them but we are limited in what we can do due to shots.
I think wouldn't it be wonderful if I kept them till 14 weeks and started lead training and exposing them to street sounds etc but think of all you would lose if I did.
I love reading about the importance of exposures and everyone's experience. We try to always expose Cooper to new things. The one things that still gets to him sometimes is the sight of little kids. They often expel a lot of energy and that can get to him. What we do is we walk in school zones to get him more exposed to kids. Yesterday we exposed him to the sounds of a "big band" at a festival that we went to. It was loud and there was a big crowd but he didn't back away. Manhole covers and grates are still an issue sometimes. He walks around them as much as he can :-)
Anne: I find that exposures to small children early on conditions them well but later exposures take longer. Both are doable just exposures at 10-16 weeks on a regular basis helps them cope with unpredictability. That is exactly what concerns them. Our Wasabi still does not appreciate young children that move fast. She won't harm them but she won't play with them. She keeps her distance. Early on she used to bark at them but that no longer occurs. She may even go as far as sitting on the lap but it depends on the child. The grandchildren when younger one was fast moving, always busy and the other quiet and deliberate in her movements. She appreciates the quieter more deliberate grandchild. She doesn't appreciate unpredictable movements. It bothers her. She was not conditioned when young. But I find those that are exposed very young to fast, unpredictable movements do adapt. But some appreciate it and some do not. Of course it also has a great deal to do with the child as well. The child must learn to allow downtime, not be so unpredictable and be more deliberate. I also think the reaction to young pups in a pack is the same. It's the sheer number and unpredictability of it all. Exposures on a regular basis is a good thing.
Darlah - Since you brought up about "wishing thinking" in keeping a dog until 14 wks, this topic just came up yesterday between myself and my parent's Retirement Home. They've been looking to get a dog from "on'line" sources and I asked them why they were taking that route? Their response was surely you don't mean to purchase from a pet store? I asked them why they weren't looking at local breeders and seeing if they can find one that will keep the puppy longer and train him/her for them. They thought that was a great idea and asked me to look in to it. Soooo, I'm starting w/ you. Would you consider keeping a puppy longer to basic train for a life in a senior's home? The dogs aren't penned in. They've always had the run of the 3 floors and a special place w/ food and drink. The issues in the past have been that they don't train these puppies and then, well . . . they give them away. I told them I've been very upset that they bring young puppies in and don't train them. One employee brings her dog in all day and he seems to love it there. There is a resident cat as well. Just thought I'd run this by you for your thoughts on this subject.
Darlah: She does run at other dogs when we go walking but not everyone of them. If she sees a dog at a distance that she has issues with her tail goes rigid and produces short sharp wags. If I am not quick to get her on her lead she will charge toward the dog growling or if it gets close and she hasn't done the run she snaps. I really don't know what has happened to bring about the behaviour as she has many doggy friends. The dog in the next yard whines and barks a lot as the people who own it don't walk it or like dogs at all, they told me they only got the dog for the daughter but the daughter doesn't bother with it now she is a teenager. This dog was a rescue. My havanese is very much loved but I am so upset that she has issues. I will work my socks off to help her over these issues using your methods.
Thank you
Su: I can't tell you without seeing her but your described wagging sounds like she is fearful (short sharp rigid wags is a warning or a sign of being timid) for whatever reason. You have to set her up to succeed so she gets her confidence back.
You do not have to meet and greet any or all dogs on a walk. If a dog is growling cross the street before you get to that dog, go a different way without fleeing. You are confident and being proactive not running away. Talk upbeat to your dog as you do. When you do meet a new dog that is friendly you have them say hello and then redirect your dog to you and treat her if her response was good. You don't flood. It's a quick hello, back to you. You can do this several times but think of it this way. If you were at a party and someone was acting passive aggressive and you were forced to deal with him as he was your partners boss or what have you how would you feel? How would you feel about being put in this position? It may be tolerable to say hello, how are you and them move on but not if you were forced to hang out with that person for a prolong period of time.
So what you want to do is keep it short, upbeat, treat if the hello was proper but by not doing it for a prolonged period you set your dog up to succeed. It is different if you know the dog and your dog WANTS to play/hangout.
If the meet and greet is not successful take a step back and enter a driveway each time a dog is coming by. Get your dog to focus on you. Tell your dog to sit, focus - whatever command they know so well they don't have to think it through. Treat them the entire time the dog passes and they are doing what you want (tiny pieces of course). Once that is successful for a number of times start the meet and greet. If they do not succeed go back to the driveway, focus and start again.
It sounds like a lot of work but it will pay off.
Is the next door neighbours dog out all the time in the back? Do you have a fence that the dog can see through? Without your dog, talk in an upbeat voice to the dog next door and tell me how he reacts.
The next door neighbour should think about the fact that the dog rescue or not deserves humans that love him/her. It makes a difference. A dog can tell when he is not loved. :-( He will act accordingly.
I don't know what type of dog it is but there are people that rescue and foster and rehabilitate. I do so with Havanese. Each breed has their own rescue or should. I don't advocate giving your dog up. I think putting in the effort changes everything for the humans and for the dog. It becomes quite rewarding for both. But that's just me, I suppose.
Darlah: The fence between the yards is wooden but with slight gaps. When I go out alone and speak to the dog quietly and softly it cries then will suddenly start barking and running back and forth along the fence line. It is a cross breed, I think there is a lot of terrier or lurcher type in the mix.
I talk to my havanese all the time when we are out and she responds well until her focus goes to another dog. We didn't realise that the type of wag could be a timid one we actually thought she was becoming aggressive and that felt scary.
She will run up to her doggy friends and wag in a leisurely way and sometimes very quickly but it is a loose wag if you know what I mean, but then when we walk the dogs do they own thing so to speak, sniffing here and there, running together.
When she wants to play there is nothing more lovely than the bows and spins and mad running.
I would never part with my dog I love her to bits and I do want to succeed with her that is very important to me and to her.
I am going to do as you say on our walks and try to build her confidence I don't care how much work it is, she is worth it.
Thank you so much.