Applied today to join the Seattle Walkabulls group that does regular walks with imposed space restrictions between folks on brisk walks. This sounds great for Sagan. Friended that group, and found another "Reactive Champion" who also has a blog I followed.
This article was posted and I related to it a great deal:
http://loveandaleash.com/2012/04/05/five-phases-of-reactive-dog-ownership/
The five phases being:
1) Realization
2) Denial
3) Panic
4) Progress
5) Management
This does encapsulate my frustration, since I feel like I am always trapped between panic and progress. I intellectually know what to do, but I struggle, often, to execute and then panic. I do see progress with Sagan in the people fear issue (on a scale of 1-10, his people fear is at a 1-2....he occasionally reacts to an odd person, but often just looks and ignores). YAY. Now, I am managing situations when I see a particularly odd-looking person (hat, hood, odd gait, etc.). The reaction, at most, involves staring, rather than barking or anything worse.
With dogs, we are unpredictable. With some dogs we are fine with a few short minutes of protocols, and I can get him within 10 feet. With others, I either have to offer much larger distances, or severely manage with treats/toys. I cannot help but tighten up on the leash with off leash dogs. I need to practice the abandonment idea our trainer suggested and stop worrying about the random off leash dog. Sagan ALWAYS figures this out at daycare. ALWAYS. I've watched hours of his daycare time, and he either ignores, or informs the other dog he wants his space (appropriately with short snark). I've never seen him act reactively or aggressively toward another dog there (and I've watched hours of the webcam). His connection to me, through the leash, is the issue.
Today, we met Teddi and Cathy for another BAT protocol with 2 of their cocker spaniels that Sagan has not met. He did fabulous. He also did fabulous with 2 dogs that showed up to play chuckit. We move outside the fence, but he ignored them moving in as we moved out. He watched them running through the fence. The worst we got was a slight forward-posing stare (since I'm working on BAT, I allowed it, waiting for the head-turn toward me).....he eventually stopped, looked toward me, and got the distance he wanted. One dog in question was a high energy Britanny spaniel, so I consider it a huge success..
As a herding dog, I know he is inclined to react to movement, so I think our additional steps (in addition to more BAT) is to find safe situations with fast moving dogs to expose him to, to practice self control.
All things told, I am very proud of him today for his ability to deal with a variety of situations at Auburndale park.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Rally Obedience Fun Run at Pawsabilities
So we took Sagan (and Doppler) to a fun run at Pawsabilities in Fife. First I'll share our novice run (we also did an advanced run), and then I'll share the experience.
The Bad: The run itself was extremely unorganized. It was supposed to begin at 6, and they didn't have any of the rings even remotely set up. Ross and I had to tell the ring stewards that they had 2-3 signs in the wrong place or facing the wrong direction. They fixed them, but stuff was still kinda off. After the courses got set up, nothing happened for another 10 minutes. We finally ASKED if we could go, and they were like "oh sure!" Who knows how long we would have waited otherwise. And backing up a minute...the registration form said "we have THREE rings!" So we signed up for 2 rings, and they didn't say that the rings were differentiated by novice, advanced, and excellent. (and it didn't match up with the numbers on the form anyway. We signed up for rings 1 and 3, and they signed us up for advanced and excellent).
Then, the shining scary moment of the night. Sagan goes up to (I think) the owner and sits for greeting. Nice. He did/does have some people fear issues still. She then politely pats his head, leans down in his face, nose to nose, and grabs his head and excitedly says things to him
!!!!!
OK, I understand that many pet owners and others are not aware of proper dog language but holy heart attack, batman. She was in his face before I could even say anything. My logic and emotions prevailed, and I managed not to tighten up the leash. Thank doG he had decided he liked her anyway.
On to Sagan: This environment was challenging for him and the sudden environmental contrast "thang." There were lots of places for us to separate ourselves from other dogs, around corners, etc. But when a dog did appear, it was out of the blue and usually just one dog (the fun run was not well attended). We did fine until we were in the main walkway and he had a little temper tantrum. The tantrum involved a little lungie growl toward 3 separate dogs. Was minor, he recovered quickly, but still unprovoked by the other dog staring or being spastic. It didn't help that they were about 40 minutes late starting. I wish they had said this up front, because I would have kept him in the car longer, and gotten him out later. So that was disappointing, but....
The Good: Sagan REALLY focused well when in the novice ring. About 80% of the time we were in the building, he was completely focused on what I was asking (including for him to face me/away from other dogs and calm down). He also was EXCITED to see new people. This has been developing for some time, and I am happy about it. His run in the advanced ring was OK...his brain was fried at that point, just due to the 40 minutes around other dogs. I have to get him to focus while in the building, even when we're not working, to prevent his reactivity from appearing and escalating. I did keep him on leash for the advanced run, and dropped the leash for the jumps and stay/come to heel exercises. He did GREAT with these. Given the less than ideal environment for his issues, I am very proud of the poochy!
The Bad: The run itself was extremely unorganized. It was supposed to begin at 6, and they didn't have any of the rings even remotely set up. Ross and I had to tell the ring stewards that they had 2-3 signs in the wrong place or facing the wrong direction. They fixed them, but stuff was still kinda off. After the courses got set up, nothing happened for another 10 minutes. We finally ASKED if we could go, and they were like "oh sure!" Who knows how long we would have waited otherwise. And backing up a minute...the registration form said "we have THREE rings!" So we signed up for 2 rings, and they didn't say that the rings were differentiated by novice, advanced, and excellent. (and it didn't match up with the numbers on the form anyway. We signed up for rings 1 and 3, and they signed us up for advanced and excellent).
Then, the shining scary moment of the night. Sagan goes up to (I think) the owner and sits for greeting. Nice. He did/does have some people fear issues still. She then politely pats his head, leans down in his face, nose to nose, and grabs his head and excitedly says things to him
!!!!!
OK, I understand that many pet owners and others are not aware of proper dog language but holy heart attack, batman. She was in his face before I could even say anything. My logic and emotions prevailed, and I managed not to tighten up the leash. Thank doG he had decided he liked her anyway.
On to Sagan: This environment was challenging for him and the sudden environmental contrast "thang." There were lots of places for us to separate ourselves from other dogs, around corners, etc. But when a dog did appear, it was out of the blue and usually just one dog (the fun run was not well attended). We did fine until we were in the main walkway and he had a little temper tantrum. The tantrum involved a little lungie growl toward 3 separate dogs. Was minor, he recovered quickly, but still unprovoked by the other dog staring or being spastic. It didn't help that they were about 40 minutes late starting. I wish they had said this up front, because I would have kept him in the car longer, and gotten him out later. So that was disappointing, but....
The Good: Sagan REALLY focused well when in the novice ring. About 80% of the time we were in the building, he was completely focused on what I was asking (including for him to face me/away from other dogs and calm down). He also was EXCITED to see new people. This has been developing for some time, and I am happy about it. His run in the advanced ring was OK...his brain was fried at that point, just due to the 40 minutes around other dogs. I have to get him to focus while in the building, even when we're not working, to prevent his reactivity from appearing and escalating. I did keep him on leash for the advanced run, and dropped the leash for the jumps and stay/come to heel exercises. He did GREAT with these. Given the less than ideal environment for his issues, I am very proud of the poochy!
Love this picture of us.
Added: This was just a lovely day. The weather was wonderful, and I PRed on my 5K this morning: 26:08 for my final time...about 8:20/mile pace!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Agility Runs 4/18
A couple of our agility runs this evening. Wasn't Sagan's finest hour, but we're making it:
This one was a short 3-jump sequence ending with the chute. He did very nice on this.
This was a 5-obstacle sequence. In later runs, we added on a jump, a tunnel, and two more jumps. This was 10 obstacles, kinda split up.
This one was a short 3-jump sequence ending with the chute. He did very nice on this.
This was a 5-obstacle sequence. In later runs, we added on a jump, a tunnel, and two more jumps. This was 10 obstacles, kinda split up.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Removal of Drama and Calming Influences
So.... Spring Break was lovely. Went back to work this week. Sagan has still done a nice job this week. He did a few visits to a tiny off-leash dog park with Ross where he encountered one or two dogs, successfully. Though I don't worry about him off-leash, he is a definite victim of SEC (sudden environmental contrast), so was very pleased he did so well.
My life has gotten exponentially easier now that I've removed some people from my life. It is crazy how you become connected to people who judge you and you just internalize and accept the judgment. I had people who were judging my every last movement ("you know border collies aren't always sports dogs").... you judgmental LOUT. I'm talking about exercising his brain.) At any rate, Companion Animal Solutions is the source of my drama. Owner criticized the hell out of everything I was doing, judges every dog owner. Someone who works for her thinks I'm a self-absorbed lout because I decided to keep Sagan and figure out what in the hell I was doing wrong. Roommate of said person sicked her friend on me to supposedly post anonymous judgmental crap on my blog about what I was doing wrong.
Guess what? I don't need your acceptance to determine what is best for my dog. I don't lose any sleep at night. I consult people in the know, constantly. And now, I can sleep at night, not trying to please people who don't even know me.
Pardon the immature, teenage rant. Sagan is my dog. I will make the best decisions for him, and you can keep judging all you want. Life is a process of surrounding yourself with people who will support, but challenge you. I don't need to keep anyone in my life who determines criticizing what I do will somehow motivate me to be better.
And by the way, Sagan is improving day by day. He is the loviest guy on the face of the planet. I can only hope to keep doing justice by him.
My life has gotten exponentially easier now that I've removed some people from my life. It is crazy how you become connected to people who judge you and you just internalize and accept the judgment. I had people who were judging my every last movement ("you know border collies aren't always sports dogs").... you judgmental LOUT. I'm talking about exercising his brain.) At any rate, Companion Animal Solutions is the source of my drama. Owner criticized the hell out of everything I was doing, judges every dog owner. Someone who works for her thinks I'm a self-absorbed lout because I decided to keep Sagan and figure out what in the hell I was doing wrong. Roommate of said person sicked her friend on me to supposedly post anonymous judgmental crap on my blog about what I was doing wrong.
Guess what? I don't need your acceptance to determine what is best for my dog. I don't lose any sleep at night. I consult people in the know, constantly. And now, I can sleep at night, not trying to please people who don't even know me.
Pardon the immature, teenage rant. Sagan is my dog. I will make the best decisions for him, and you can keep judging all you want. Life is a process of surrounding yourself with people who will support, but challenge you. I don't need to keep anyone in my life who determines criticizing what I do will somehow motivate me to be better.
And by the way, Sagan is improving day by day. He is the loviest guy on the face of the planet. I can only hope to keep doing justice by him.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Sagan's Spring Break with Mom
Sagan had a great week with me on Spring Break:
Monday: A 1.2 mile walk in the sunshine
Tuesday: BAT protocol with Janey and her boxer Macy.
Wednesday: Agility class
Thursday: Swimming and the vet (OK, vet was no fun at all)
Friday: Doggie daycare and running around in Mommy Monique's sheep fields with Rye and Lucy
Saturday: Party at our place with all his favorite people (overwhelming, but he got lots of lurve).
Sunday: Rally obedience
What a great week we had!
Monday: A 1.2 mile walk in the sunshine
Tuesday: BAT protocol with Janey and her boxer Macy.
Wednesday: Agility class
Thursday: Swimming and the vet (OK, vet was no fun at all)
Friday: Doggie daycare and running around in Mommy Monique's sheep fields with Rye and Lucy
Saturday: Party at our place with all his favorite people (overwhelming, but he got lots of lurve).
Sunday: Rally obedience
What a great week we had!
Monday, April 2, 2012
12 Weaves: One inch apart!
We've been teaching Sagan the weaves using the method found in the article "Teaching Weaves Using Channels and Guides" by Nancy Gyes. This is about 2 months worth of work, though he has seen the weave poles before in a "new things are fun" context.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
A Good Week and Congratulating Myself
So, after a bit of drama with people who decide they know best (read: better) than I do about reading my dog and what he needs....we had a pretty good week.
While he wasn't a rock star at agility, he was: focused, calm, and willing to work for me. His recall was great when he wandered a few times. Nice. He was calm and able to work in rally obedience. In a 5-minute down across from his arch nemesis, Leon, the black lab....Leon kept creeping toward him while in a down. Sagan watched, and would look at me each time for treats. Super nice.
I decided too, since I am tired of being criticized (including by me, since I'm my own worst critic), I would make a list of all the lovely things I do for Sagan. Yeah, this is just to make me feel better:
1) I researched agility places, and take him somewhere where we kennel dogs inbetween runs.
2) I take him to rally obedience classes, and have taken him to some obedience class since he was about 9 weeks old.
3) I take him swimming, because it is great exercise, and he doesn't have to interact with dogs there.
4) I take him running, and stop my run or alter my run to avoid other dogs or do protocols appropriately.
5) I take him on walks, and stop or alter the walk to avoid other dogs or do protocols appropriately.
6) I have read at least 6 behavior books in an effort to persist in what is often an unsuccessful venture to get him calm around other dogs.
7) I keep a socialization log about how things are working (or not).
8) I've consulted two different behaviorists about what I can do for him, and practice those things on a regular basis.
9) I bought him an agility jump so we can practice at home.
10) I take him to a doggie daycare that screens dogs, so I know he isn't getting bullied, and is getting good socialization off leash.
11) I lather up Sagan's feet with paw toughener and Musher's wax so he doesn't rip up his paw pads at daycare.
12) I bought Sagan dog toys to feed his meals to him in to exercise his brain.
13) I took him to private agility classes as a pup to work on our relationship stuff.
14) I got him 100 free tennis balls from the local tennis club. :-)
15) I hand make bags of treats to use for socialization and classes.
16) I set up protocols with other dogs we know we can trust so he can work on his issues.
I'll add to this list as I think of more today. I really am doing what I can, so I'll just have to wait and see if he gets a little better with some more maturity.
A fun picture for giggles. Ross and I watched a movie last night on the Apple TV. Sagan developed an obsession with the clicking noise coming from the remote. Awesome. LOL
While he wasn't a rock star at agility, he was: focused, calm, and willing to work for me. His recall was great when he wandered a few times. Nice. He was calm and able to work in rally obedience. In a 5-minute down across from his arch nemesis, Leon, the black lab....Leon kept creeping toward him while in a down. Sagan watched, and would look at me each time for treats. Super nice.
I decided too, since I am tired of being criticized (including by me, since I'm my own worst critic), I would make a list of all the lovely things I do for Sagan. Yeah, this is just to make me feel better:
1) I researched agility places, and take him somewhere where we kennel dogs inbetween runs.
2) I take him to rally obedience classes, and have taken him to some obedience class since he was about 9 weeks old.
3) I take him swimming, because it is great exercise, and he doesn't have to interact with dogs there.
4) I take him running, and stop my run or alter my run to avoid other dogs or do protocols appropriately.
5) I take him on walks, and stop or alter the walk to avoid other dogs or do protocols appropriately.
6) I have read at least 6 behavior books in an effort to persist in what is often an unsuccessful venture to get him calm around other dogs.
7) I keep a socialization log about how things are working (or not).
8) I've consulted two different behaviorists about what I can do for him, and practice those things on a regular basis.
9) I bought him an agility jump so we can practice at home.
10) I take him to a doggie daycare that screens dogs, so I know he isn't getting bullied, and is getting good socialization off leash.
11) I lather up Sagan's feet with paw toughener and Musher's wax so he doesn't rip up his paw pads at daycare.
12) I bought Sagan dog toys to feed his meals to him in to exercise his brain.
13) I took him to private agility classes as a pup to work on our relationship stuff.
14) I got him 100 free tennis balls from the local tennis club. :-)
15) I hand make bags of treats to use for socialization and classes.
16) I set up protocols with other dogs we know we can trust so he can work on his issues.
I'll add to this list as I think of more today. I really am doing what I can, so I'll just have to wait and see if he gets a little better with some more maturity.
A fun picture for giggles. Ross and I watched a movie last night on the Apple TV. Sagan developed an obsession with the clicking noise coming from the remote. Awesome. LOL
Also, Sagan met Tonka, a 4-month old Mastiff puppy, who belongs to Donnelle and Jason. While we didn't do any nose to nose greetings, Sagan did great with this, and OMG, is Tonka CUTE.
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