Exerpt From Mom’s Journal

I know, it’s been a really long time since my last post. Things have been going well, but I’ve had a few minor relapses lately. Just some little slip-ups where I got nervous and overreacted toward another animal (our neigbor’s dog and my cat-bro, Oliver). So, Mom decided that she and Dad need to kick it back into gear and hop back on the training wagon with me. We kind of got out of the habit for a while, and my lack of confidence started to creep back up on me.

So today’s post is a repost from Mom’s journal, where she details our reintroduction to training last night:

I got home yesterday and found a basket to keep Jasper’s toys in, so they’re not laying all over the house and stuck underneath furniture where he scrambles endlessly until someone gets it for him — which does nothing but frustrate him. So to remind him of the “leave it” training we started with him a while back, each time he sniffed the basket and toys, I said “leave it.” If he looked up and walked away, I gave him a treat. I clipped my treat pouch to my pants and carry it around the house to reward him when he behaves or does something we ask him to. I still want to set aside time for training, but if we reward him for good behavior while we’re going about our everyday stuff, I think that will reinforce the positive behavior even more. I worked with him last night on “leave it,” “touch” and the trade-up exercise for resource guarding.

With “leave it,” I tell him to sit (or lie down), then wait, and place a treat on the floor in front of him. If he waits until I point at the treat, he gets the treat. If he goes for it before I tell him it’s OK, I pick up the treat. The closer I place the treat to him, and the longer I have him wait, the more difficult the task — so there are ways to add a challenge to it so it doesn’t become too easy.

With “touch,” I stick my arm out with my hand open, say “touch” and if he comes to my hand and touches it with his nose, he gets a treat. I learned this one in the obedience classes we started at PetSmart. It’s a great way to teach a dog to come when called, because you can attach the gesture to a command and eventually “touch” can become “come.” To mix it up, I switch up from left to right hand and move my arm behind me so he has to look in different places to find my hand.

The trade-up exercise involves giving him a high-value item, like his rawhide (which he guards with his life if anyone watches him or a cat is nearby), then getting him to take his focus off of it by showing him a higher-value item, like a food treat. I let him chew on the rawhide for 30 to 60 seconds, then I call his name and say “leave it.” As soon as he looks at me and leaves the rawhide on the floor, I give him a food treat, say “good boy,” and pick up the rawhide so he sees me take it away. Then I give the rawhide back to him in a few seconds and start the exercise over again. The objective is to get him to see that if he gives up a valued item, he gets a better one in exchange, and that the experience is a good one, instead of seeing me as a threat that will take away what he values. I’m hoping this exercise will condition the guarding behavior out of him so he doesn’t growl at the kitties when he has the rawhide (or another kind of treat — he does it with Greenies too). I want him to be able to have treats, and it isn’t fair to simply not give him anything because he growls if a perceived threat is nearby.

We’re also back in the habit of making him “say please” before he gets to do something or have something he wants — like go for a walk or get luvvins from mom and dad. He has to sit or lie down before we pet him, and if he nudges us for attention, we ignore it. He has a good idea of who the alphas in the house are, but being consistent with “say please” will reinforce that he doesn’t dominate us. He’s already perfected the sit-and-wait command when we feed him, and he can lie down on command without a treat present. So I think he has a good base of obedience to build on and we’re off to a good start.

I’m also looking on Craigslist for another wire dog kennel, so he has a “safe place” on the main level when we’re not home. He’s not allowed upstairs when we’re gone, which is where his kennel is currently. I also need to find some objects to put on the couches while we’re gone so he stays off of them. Apparently dogs associate high spaces with rank, so who knows what he does when we’re gone and he loafs on the couch all day — he could be growling at the cats to tell them to back off. If I had a webcam (or could find miniDV tapes longer than 2 hours), I’d record his behavior while we’re gone, which would be really helpful. Maybe another item to scour Craigslist for.

The “leave it” exercise with the basket of toys seemed to sink in last night — I came home today and all of the toys were still in the basket. And I know he didn’t take one out and put it back before we got home. I’d like to eventually teach him to pick a toy from the basket and bring it to me. That would be cool.

It’s a small victory, but you have to crawl before you walk, right?

I’m Walkin’, Yessiree

Whew. We had a very exciting and productive weekend, but man, am I pooped.

Yesterday morning was my big debut at the Animal Humane Society’s Walk for Animals. It was my first year walking with Mom. She formed a walking team with some co-workers, and together they raised $680 for the Animal Humane Society. I’m really proud to be part of it! And I’m really proud of Mom for organizing her team and raising all that money for a good cause — after all, I wouldn’t be part of such an awesome family, if it weren’t for the Humane Society, where Mom and Dad found me.

We had a lot of fun on the walk. We walked with Mom’s co-worker Denise and her chocolate lab, Rocco, who was a good walking buddy for me. I didn’t feel too overwhelmed by all of the people and dogs around me, except when we rode the shuttle bus and went indoors — I don’t like being surrounded in small spaces, but I only showed my discomfort briefly, and Mom did a good job calming me until we could get outside. But during the walk, I was relaxed and comfortable; I even let people pet my head, which I almost never allow! I didn’t shy away from anyone who greeted me, and I loved meeting all of the dogs. We walked the entire 5 miles and by the end, I was just so tired out. I’m already looking forward to next year’s walk.

We saw Dr. Antenucci a little over a week ago (for my annual checkup), and he gave Mom some prescriptions to help soothe my allergies — the omega 3s and hypoallergenic shampoo weren’t doing the trick by themselves. So I’ve been taking an antibiotic to clear up the bacterial yuckiness and a antihistamine to help alleviate the itchiness. Plus, we got a prescription-strength shampoo that Mom bathes me with once a week now. I just had my weekly bath — Mom tried bathing me in the kitchen sink instead of the bathtub, and she thinks it was less stressful for all us. I’m so glad she doesn’t have to dump cups of water over my head, now that we can use the kitchen spray hose. I hate having water dumped over my face. Who likes it, right? And Mom’s pretty amazed that I’m small enough to fit in the sink.

I seem to be feeling less itchy since we started the medication, although I’m still getting the urge to scoot my butt on the rug and chew between my paws, but a lot less than before. We’re going to try this routine for a few weeks, and if this doesn’t work, we do a food trial to test for food allergies. If that’s not the problem, then we go to the veterinary dermatologist for a skin test — then we’ll know exactly what it is I’m allergic to. I guess we’ll see. But I have been feeling better over the last week, and my armpits and belly aren’t nearly as red as they used to be. That has to be a good sign that we’re headed down the right road.

I Am Pooped Out

Uff da, was my weekend a busy one.

We did indeed go to the Battle Creek Dog Park, and man, was it awesome! There were so many friendly dogs to meet and play with, and plenty of walking trails to explore. I played with a beagle for quite a while — she chased me, and I chased her. She was my size, so we made good playmates, I think. I had tons of good meetings with other dogs, so all in all, I had a great time. We met a German shepherd-Great Pyrenees puppy, and his parents said I was the first small dog he didn’t run away from. Yay! We will definitely go back to Battle Creek to play again soon.

Yesterday we went to River Falls, Wisconsin, to visit Dad’s parents for Easter. My kid pals Mason and Madelyn (Dad’s nephew and niece) were there, and we all played outside at the park down the street. I got to run in the backyard, too, so that pooped me out. The neighbors have a dog who stays tied up outside all the time, and I was sad to see him tied up like that. I went over to say hello, but he didn’t take very kindly to me being on his turf. Mom called me back to her before the dog got too upset, so at least I didn’t get myself in too much trouble. But I like hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, and everyone is super nice to me. I was glad Mom and Dad brought me with, so I didn’t have to stay home alone. I zonked out on the car ride home!

Here are a few pictures of me with Mason and Madelyn, from when they came to visit at our house a few weeks ago.

Mason and Me

Madelyn and Me

Mason, Madelyn and Me

And here are some pictures of me at the Battle Creek Dog Park. I guess it’s kinda hard to snap photos of me when I’m tearing around like a jackrabbit!

That's Dad on the left

My meerkat impression

Good Day, Sunshine

I love weekends! Mom and Dad are home most of the time, and I don’t have to be alone.

Today we’re going to PetSmart so I can have my toenails clipped — I have a few black nails that are hard to deal with, and I much prefer PetSmart’s dremel tool to those scary nail clippers.

After that, we’re going to the dog park! Dad wants to go to the Battle Creek Dog Park, so we’ll probably head over there to check it out — we haven’t been there before. We also might go to Lilydale Regional Park, but I’ll have to stay on leash there because there’s no off-leash area.

I’m having a much better day today — I got up this morning and snuggled with Mom for while, which made me feel comfortable and relaxed, so I had no problems heading down to the kitchen by myself. It’s the first time this week I went by myself without being coaxed. Mom let me hang out outside for a little while too; I love lying out in the sun in the backyard, and it’s pretty warm out today, so I stayed out for quite a while. I’m so glad spring is finally here.

We also did more relaxed down training this morning, but I’m having a hard time with the doorbell exercise. I really, really want to get up and bark at the door when the doorbell rings. I haven’t been able to stay put — yet. So we’ll need to do a lot more work on that one before I can stay down without barking at the door. We’ll get there eventually, I know it.

Training Day 7

More relaxed down training, this time with Dad.

Training Video!

Better late than never, right? Here’s a 6-minute clip from our day 2 relaxed-down training — way back at the beginning of March.

A Minor Setback

I think Mom and Dad are a little worried about me. I’ve been doing really well around kids and other dogs lately, but when Mom and Dad are getting ready for work in the mornings, I’ve been acting a little more anxious than usual.

I really don’t want to go out the back door to go potty in the yard, so I won’t come when Mom or Dad calls me to go potty. I just sit in the living room and look at them. But, if Mom takes me on a potty walk, I really like that, so I run to the door and wait to go for a walk.

I also didn’t want to eat my breakfast right away this morning, like I usually do. Maybe I’m sad? Maybe I don’t want Mom and Dad to leave? We’re all a little perplexed because I’ve never behaved this way before.

Hopefully we can find a good solution so I can be happy again.

Weekend Update

Just a quick update today. Life’s been pretty normal lately — nothing out of the ordinary. Mom and Dad have been training with me, and we think that maybe the omega 3s are starting to help my allergies. My armpits are much less pink and my belly isn’t as itchy as it used to be. I think Mom wants to give it another month before we check with Dr. Antonucci about trying some antihistamines.

Yesterday we went to the Arlington-Arkwright dog park on the east side of St. Paul — we like that one a lot. There are trails and hills to walk up, and lots of play areas. I finally got to run myself tired! I met a few big dogs that I played nicely with too. There was a really pretty doberman who likes to be chased like I do, so we made a good pair. Hopefully we’ll see her again. We also met a very sweet pit bull who seemed to like me. So many pretty ladies! Mom was really proud of me for playing so well with everyone. Every time I met a dog, I wagged my tail way up in the air!

I’m finally getting to socialize more with other dogs, and it seems to be going quite well so far. I can’t wait to go to the dog park again!

Weekly Recap

I had a pretty good week last week. Pretty uneventful, but I’m doing well with the relaxed down exercises. Mom’s really happy that I can lie down right away without her having to put a treat in front of me first. I guess I know she has a bag of treats ready to give me, so I figure I’ll get a treat at some point. Mom and Dad have been alternating training days, so it’s Dad’s turn to work with me tonight. We’ve done a few tasks where Mom or Dad jogs a circle around me, and I stay put. Pretty cool, huh?

I think that maybe the new shampoo Mom bought is helping my allergies a little bit. Dr. Pachel says if my skin doesn’t look a lot better in six weeks or so, that we should go see Dr. Antonucci to try some antihistamines. I’m hoping that my baths and the omega 3 pills will help so I don’t have to see a veterinary dermatologist to test for allergies, but I guess we’ll see what happens.

This weekend, it was really sunny and warm out, so I walked a lot. I mean, a whole lot. On Saturday, Mom and I walked down Summit Ave. from Snelling Ave. all the way to Milton St. and back. She said it was about 3 miles. I had a good meeting with a nice black lab, but there were a couple of little dogs we walked by who weren’t very nice to me. They start to pull on their leashes, and one of them barked at me. Mom just pulled me to the side and we waited for the dog and his owner to pass us. I think I did OK, but I can’t help but get excited and a little riled up when another dog gets anxious. I didn’t go after any of them though. So that’s good.

Today, Mom, Dad and I walked all over the Mac-Groveland neighborhood, which is just south of our neighborhood. We were out for 2-1/2 hours! It was so beautiful outside that it was hard to want to go home. I got pretty dirty on both walks, but I clean up pretty easily. It was a lot of fun to slosh through the sidewalk puddles and sniff around the muddy boulevards. Oh, and on today’s walk, we met another rat terrier. Her name is Daisy, and she’s two years younger than me. She was really nice to me, and I was very well-mannered around her. We rarely ever see rat terriers out and about, so I thought that was pretty cool. Daisy’s parents told Mom and Dad about a “small dog playtime” on Saturdays at the Lexington-Dale dog park, so we might check it out sometime. Hopefully we’ll see Daisy there and we can play together off leash. I think she’d be a good pal for me.

I’m also getting a lot better about sharing the bed with Marty and Oliver. This morning, Mom and Dad let me cuddle under the blankets with them, and I didn’t even grumble once when the kitties got on the bed and hung out with us. When I got in the bed, Marty was already under the blankets, and I was totally OK with it. I think I’m learning that snuggling on the bed is a privilege — I have to sit first before I’m allowed up, and I know that if I misbehave and guard my space, Mom and Dad will make me get off the bed. It’s one of my favorite rewards, so I know I should behave. I think Mom and Dad are pretty proud of me when I relax and hang out without getting tense about sharing my space with the kitties.

I’m pretty pooped out from today’s walk. We must’ve walked at least 5 miles. I’m off to take a nap!

Saturday, Here in the Park …

Uff da. Today was a busy day!

Dad’s friend Paul and his kids, Otti and Sig, came over this afternoon. I like the kids, and I recognize them right away, so I don’t get territorial or scared when they come over. Otti is 8, and Sig is 4. Mom decided to gate me in my room so they could come in the house without me jumping all over them. As soon as she let me out, I greeted Sig with a sniff and a smooch. I like him because he’s little and he likes it when I follow him around. We played in the house for a little while, but mostly I sat on Mom’s lap while the kids played. She didn’t want me to get too excited and lose control while they were playing with Dad. I was pretty calm and wasn’t bothered too much by kid noises and such.

After a while, we decided to drive to the Airport Dog Park in Bloomington. It’s a huge dog park! It was my first time there. I did a lot of sniffing around on my own at first, but when we got to the spot where all the dogs were playing, I jumped right in and played with some of them. Mom noticed that I greeted the other dogs nicely, and I didn’t get too overwhelmed by the big dogs who kept coming over to check me out. I even got a few of them to chase me in circles — that’s my favorite game. I played mostly with a little white Jack Russell and a couple of friendly pit bulls. There was another big curly-haired dog who wanted to play with me, and I obliged. (Mom’s not sure what kind of dog he was.) There were a few times when the other dogs picked little fights with each other, but I stayed out of it. Overall, I had a good time, and Mom made sure that we didn’t stay too long, so I wouldn’t get crabby or anxious.

Here are a few pictures to share. The first one is of me wearing my body wrap last night. The other is me with my friends Otti and Sig. (It’s a little blurry, but Mom didn’t want the flash bouncing off our eyes.)