on-leash reactivity

On-leash reactivity was something I learned a lot about in a short period of time when I was fostering Ollie, who was extremely reactive to both dogs and people. I found this video to help a friend who is currently dealing with it in her labrador.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMLrYaoxNOs

Although neither Piper nor Ace are particularly reactive, I still think about counter-conditioning and keeping them under threshold, and I am more willing to make the space they need. Probably why I rarely have leash-walking problems anymore, since my dogs are certainly not perfect.

foster failure

Well, I must admit, Ollie is a foster failure. When most people say that, it means they just cannot give the dog up and decide to keep it. But that's not what I mean. I am sending Ollie on to another foster family - I cannot keep him until he is adopted. I have failed in providing even a temporary home for him. Despite how horrendous he behaved in the beginning, I am giving him up simply because life moves forward, and I need a break from him before the next chapter begins.

Ollie's behaviour has improved tremendously in the two and a half months he has been with me. He is now fairly comfortable with Archie, still occasionally chasing him but he calls off very easily. We have developed a routine (relying very heavily on games of fetch) and he has relaxed in his barking. Still annoying though, I must admit.

Ollie curled up in the blue armchair, watching me.

In truth, the only thing we have made no progress with are his reactions to other dogs when out for a walk. His barking fits are so focused and intense he scares me. Nothing I can do will break his focus. We spent several weeks working with other dogs on leash and he made quite a bit of progress, even being able to walk beside my friend's German Shepherd after only three sessions, however he begins all over with a new dog. So when we go for walks I take him to a nearby heritage cemetery, where we can do obedience drills and practice heeling without worrying about the dog that may be around the corner. It is a little odd, but that is the only place I am comfortable walking him.

Since I am heading out for vacation next week, the timing was right to give him back. I hope his next foster home is with someone more confident, who can help him overcome his issues with other dogs so he can find his forever home!

ollie the terrible

Well. It has been a turbulent three weeks, I must admit. Ollie the Australian Shepherd has been with me almost a month now. He is an interesting fellow. He's about 6 weeks older than Ace, but acts more like a 1 year old.

Ollie mouths, jumps on people, chases my cat and barks. He gets nervous and barks at people, gets excited and barks at dogs, gets anxious and barks at the people upstairs, and finally, gets playful and barks at Archie. Have I mentioned that I HATE BARKING???

But really, he is getting better. Just very slowly. I'm hoping I will start to actually enjoy having him here soon, but for right now, he's still a pain in the butt.

He's very driven, which I was expecting. But he reminds me of a little kid, the way he always has to win. He throws a bit of a tantrum if he doesn't win. His biggest problem is that he focuses on the wrong things, and I have a hard time getting him to focus back on me. But I think that is a bonding issue as well - he'll get better as he's with me longer, and likely have to start again with the next person.

I was in touch with the coordinator today, trying to get his status to move up. After almost a month, they still had not started looking for a home for him, or advertised him as up for adoption. Now I'm happy to have him here, but he is a very trying dog, and I would like to see him placed permanently earlier rather than later.

So his bio is written, and hopefully it goes up soon!

imminent arrival

It appears my first ARPH rescue dog will arrive next Sunday! After years of thinking and months of planning, I have officially been approved as an ARPH foster family. Yay!

Ollie is my intended first foster dog, a young male with black tri colouring. Housebroken, crate-trained, good with kids and other dogs - he will likely only be with me for a few weeks, but I think he will make for a great first rescue foster!

As you may know I've pretty much been obsessed with Australian Shepherds for a few years now, and I'm hoping they will live up to my expectations :)

goodbye willow

Well, Willow has been adopted. And not by me, although I did get to re-home her myself. It was a sad day, but to be honest, it was a long time coming. She was never meant to be mine, and although I will miss her very much I think she is better off. At least I hope so.

Willow was adopted out to an older, retired woman who lives about an hour away. She has two new collie siblings, a seven year old rough tri named Weston, and an eight year old collie cross named Keely. I think Weston and Willow will be great friends, both are exceedingly gentle personalities and love to play chase! And since Willow is the only one of the three agile enough to jump on her new owners bed, I'm sure she will get lots of special cuddle time.

I've been trying to encourage Willow's new owner to continue to feed her Acana (which I switched her to once she was DQ'd), however she is not sure about switching off her vet food (yuck!). I hope Willow and Keely's continuing allergies will help her decide to make the switch.

However, I know she will be loved to death, and that is the important thing. She will be brushed, taken on walks, and treated with respect and affection. And her owner has promised to send me updates of her welfare, and even suggested I go visit in the spring. Yay! After loving and training Willow for almost a year and a half, I'm glad she will not completely leave my life.

December Update

 To the People Who Read My Blog:

I apologize for not writing in so long. Computer troubles, combined with end-of-term madness helped the month of November to fly by without any blogging. I have no excuse for December though, I've just been lazy!

Here is my news for the month December:

1) I officially finished term one of my masters! Only two and a half years left. Sigh. Why did I choose this route again?

2) Willow was recalled on December 2nd, a very sad day for both of us.

3) Last week I visited my parents in the country, and realized that it is actually way less safe than the city! Everywhere I walked Ace, he was at risk of getting shot by stupid hunters or grouchy landowners. Let me tell you, he was all decked out in red ribbon in order to be an obvious pet!

4) My poor little Willow was disqualified from ADS due to her allergies. Although I wish they would have been willing to try her on a better food, I understand that they don't want to place an unhealthy dog with a child who has a disability. My mission over the next few weeks is to find the BEST possible family to adopt her.

Life goes on, as it always does. I am continuing to work at the pet store, which is madness this time of year. I never realized so many people buy their pets Christmas presents.

More posts coming soon!

the saga continues

So, you know how a few weeks ago I posted about being ready for Willow to leave?

I lied.

As health problems arise, I feel a desperate need to keep her with me. Although no decision has been made yet, disqualification has been brought up. And as much as I love her, I cannot afford to keep another dog.

My fingers are crossed that this is just another blip in her life, and that she will go on to become a successful service dog. I hope that making a difference in a child's life will make it easier for me to lose her. Otherwise, what is all this heartache for?

destruction

Ace is not my favourite pooch this week. After leaving both dogs loose during the day for the past two weeks, we had some destruction the past two days. Yesterday I came home from an 8 hour school day to kleenex scattered around the floor, and two pairs of now un-wearable underwear.

Nice.

This morning I thought maybe it was a fluke (they've been so good lately!), and left them loose for a shorter amount of time, around 6 hours. I lost another pair of underwear and a bag of tortillas which was sitting on the counter.

I was also short a crate today (I gave away a crappy one yesterday, and was not able to pick up my new, but still used, crate this afternoon), so since I suspected Ace was the culprit, he was crated. Willow was left loose, to great success.

1 point for Willow, the foster
0 points for Ace, the pet

I'm going to have to test Ace a bit, to try to figure out if this is behavioral or if he is just not getting enough exercise. Maybe both?
Time will tell.

willow

As much as I love Willow,  I am definitely ready for her to be recalled. I feel like I have spent so much money on her this summer (wet food, dry food, treats). Now her constant itching is driving me crazy. Pretty much any time she is awake, she is itching. I have to double check for fleas, but I'm pretty sure it's seasonal allergies. So now I have to decide if I should try getting her benedryl (although I'm worried about her getting sleepy), or a more natural anti-itch supplement.

I will also not miss her whining in the car, how picky she is with her food, and her lack of a bowel movement schedule, among other things. She is unfortunately just not a good match for me, personality wise. However she is not all bad. When she is recalled, I will miss her dependency to sleep on my bed, how cute she is when she plays with Archie, and how she stops right in front of me and stares with her tail wagging. She is a very sweet dog, just not the perfect fit for me.

I am hoping to book her for her spay in two weeks, then she will go directly to the head trainer once she has recovered. I will miss her, but I am ready to move on.

mirror image

                                              Willow and Archie hanging out in my bedroom.

Willow Meets the Boar

blog carnival

Check out the Assistance Dog Blog Carnival at http://thetroubleisme.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/the-3rd-assistance-dog-blog-carnival/

Enjoy!

dog aggression in a multi-dog house

Last week, while my apartment was being renovated, I stayed with my friend and fellow puppy-raiser. Let me tell you, it is quite the production to pack up two dogs and a cat for a week-long visit, and not an experience I care to repeat frequently. My friend was as accomodating as possible, considering the dog drama she deals with on a regular basis.

Her canines include:
1 Belgian Shepherd, Summer, pet - dog aggressive
1 Smooth Collie, Wizard, ADS foster - friendly
1 Labrador, Maggie, Lab Rescue foster - dog aggressive

Since she introduced the Lab Rescue foster three months ago, her life has been one of baby gates, crates, and aborted attacks between Summer and the Maggie. Wizard has learned enough to be able to float between the two, however this past week he joined my pack on the upper floor of the house. Maggie stays in the living room or the car, and Summer now lives permanently in the kitchen. My pack lived on the second floor, so to take them out for a pee, we first had to move Maggie to the car, or through another baby gate into the basement. The animosity between Summer and Maggie is so extreme that a crate has to be placed in front of the gate to ensure there is zero contact between them.

After several days in this house, I was moving Maggie from the basement to the living room, after having put Willow, Wizard and Ace in the car. The crate was moved further back than was normal, but I figured Maggie knew the routine enough by now that if I opened the gate she would move into her regular space. Boy was I wrong. As soon as I opened the gate, Maggie dashed in the other direction, towards Summer. The gate sprang open, and I had to try to pull Maggie off Summer before she could do serious injury. Luckily I was able to grab her collar and pull her away before any damage could be done.

Now, Maggie is a very sweet dog, one on one. She is fun-loving and affectionate, and very food motivated so in principle she should be easy to train. However, she has been in and out of various foster homes for the past year. At one point she was adopted out, but someone stepped on her and broke her back leg, so she was taken back by the rescue. Her original owner bought her at a pet store, and surrendered her to the rescue becasue he didn't realize she would get so big. Maggie has been through about seven homes now, most in the past year. See her story here: http://www.lab-rescue.ca/Adopt_Me.html

I cannot imagine having to live my life constantly jumping over baby gates, crates, and the fear the one dog could injure another. I have heard of pit bull rescues operating like this, and I have a newfound respect for this type of dedication. I have to wonder about the quality of life for dogs who live in such stressful environments - yes they are better than in a kennel, or tied up in a backyard, but when the patience of both dogs and humans is shorter, how much can you really accomplish?

dogs and family

A friend of mine has been involved with the Assistance Dog Blog Carnival for the past several rounds, and has encouraged me to participate, even though I am a new blogger. The topic for this Carnival is "reactions". I have decided to write about my family's reactions to my foster puppies. My family has always reacted negatively to my fosters, they think it is a lot of work and don't really understand the joy I get from fostering. I live on my own, but like to visit my parents every few months.  



When I brought home my first foster (Honey), she was a year and a half old and pretty much a terror. She stole food, would shove toys in their faces, and generally make a mess. She was definitely a work in progress, but for a dog that had been a rescue she was very loving and outgoing. After the first weekend I took her home, they decided that Honey could not come visit again. I was very disappointed that my family did not support my involvement in the program, and that they were not willing to make accomodations for my foster puppy.



c

Honey (fostered February - April, 2009)



My second foster followed shortly after Honey (who was disqualified for the reasons above). Ace was an adorable 9 week old puppy, and I was so happy when he was welcomed with open arms. Until he grew up. My parents would get upset when he would get excited and scratch the hardwood floors, pull sticks from the forest and leave them on the grass, and get hair all over the back of the car. When Ace was disqualified for having a health issue, I decided to keep him, so these issues continue today.



Ace (fostered June 2009-Feburary 2010,
then adoped)

When I told my family that I was going to get another foster puppy, they were very upset. Their comments went something like this: "you already have a dog, why do you need another one?" "You are wasting your life with these dogs" "Well it can't come home, so you'll have to think about that". To be honest, if they were not going to support my decision, I decided that I just was not going to come home. Fortunately I found out I was going to get Willow when she was only about 2 weeks old, so I had lots of time to prepare my family. In the 8 week period before I brought her home, they decided that maybe she could come to the cottage, and then maybe she can come home when my dad wasn't there, and finally "ok bring both dogs". Willow was allowed to come home with me from when she was 10 weeks until 10 months, and now my parents have decided that it is just too many dogs (what!?!) and that she cannot come.



Willow (fostered August 2010 - present)

I should mention that my family had a lab/shepherd cross when I was a kid, and currently has a small poodle cross, so overall they like animals. My mother was also an Educational Assistant (EA) for several years, and has a degree in Disability Studies. She is always promoting rights for the differently-abled, but cannot understand why I would want to spend my free time socializing a puppy to help children with autism. She supports service dogs, but just thinks someone other than me should raise them. This type of reaction has always baffled me, as I don't understand how you can support an end result without supporting the process.