Our experience with a foster dog

[ajbrown]

We lost our family dog about 6 months ago. Full disclosure, I am not a fan of getting another dog yet… or maybe ever to be honest. I have had a dog or dogs for all of my life. There is a freedom that comes with not having a dog. Do I miss having a pooch around the home, of course I do, but I also enjoy staying in bed when it has to go out at 4 AM and the freedom to hop on a plane and visit somewhere/one with a moment’s notice.

That said, my lovely wife has been talking about a particular dog for quite a while. Finally I caved and suggested we foster the dog and see what she is really like. There seems to be a common denominator whenever I cave… good times and vodka. A beautiful night with friends and a few vodka tonics and when I get home I am silly putty, emphasis on silly. In the morning I tried the old ‘I did not say that’ which failed, I knew I said it, I never have that much vodka that I forget.

This is our first foster.

I am not sure how this thread will go, I am not sure how long it will last, I am not sure how up to date I will keep it. I am not much of a writer, I just figured it maybe interesting for me to try and share our foster experience.

Folks may enjoy it, I also may get some help from people with more experience at handling dogs. I consider myself a decent dog handler. With time I can have a dog able to be off leash, stay, come, etc., but I am ‘no dog whisperer’. I am amazed by someone like Cesar and his understanding of behavior and the timing of his actions. The only thing I can do like him is stay calm and never take an action out of anger.

This dog will remain anonymous. If it seems to resemble a dog you know, it is coincidence only. Remember this is the Internet, for all you know, I may just be making this up to get my post count up?

[ajbrown]

Week 1 (3/29)

This is a week where very little work will be done. This is the time where this new member of the house has to learn first and foremost to trust that the people here are worthy of trust and respect.

This is one sweet dog to humans. This is a major plus for her in her journey to find a home.

Oh my the toe nails on this girl…
Off she went to Paws. They could do three nails, they could not keep her down. I have always loved Paws. I was surprised that professionals could not handle this. Back to the SPCA vet she went. They took care of this without issue, I am guessing it is because she was familiar with the person from the SPCA and the vet.

The rest of week one was just walking on the leash, not training anything but leash manners, not forcing anything. Nothing but cookies and praise. She did nothing that went beyond a point that needed rules or boundaries lesson. The volunteers at the SPCA did a nice job at walking her on a leash, so all of the basics are there, that was a great help.

We have taken multiple trips to town square in the cart. The first time my wife drove, I had the dog on the floor between my legs with my hands on her collar. The son of a gun tried to hop out once or twice; I had her, I smiled and said nothing…

We have a cat, they have not met, I will not let that occur based on the dog’s posture.

[CFrance]

We lost our family dog about 6 months ago. Full disclosure, I am not a fan of getting another dog yet… or maybe ever to be honest. I have had a dog or dogs for all of my life. There is a freedom that comes with not having a dog. Do I miss having a pooch around the home, of course I do, but I also enjoy staying in bed when it has to go out at 4 AM and the freedom to hop on a plane and visit somewhere/one with a moment’s notice.

That said, my lovely wife has been talking about a particular dog for quite a while. Finally I caved and suggested we foster the dog and see what she is really like. There seems to be a common denominator whenever I cave… good times and vodka. A beautiful night with friends and a few vodka tonics and when I get home I am silly putty, emphasis on silly. In the morning I tried the old ‘I did not say that’ which failed, I knew I said it, I never have that much vodka that I forget.

This is our first foster.

I am not sure how this thread will go, I am not sure how long it will last, I am not sure how up to date I will keep it. I am not much of a writer, I just figured it maybe interesting for me to try and share our foster experience.

Folks may enjoy it, I also may get some help from people with more experience at handling dogs. I consider myself a decent dog handler. With time I can have a dog able to be off leash, stay, come, etc., but I am ‘no dog whisperer’. I am amazed by someone like Cesar and his understanding of behavior and the timing of his actions. The only thing I can do like him is stay calm and never take an action out of anger.

This dog will remain anonymous. If it seems to resemble a dog you know, it is coincidence only. Remember this is the Internet, for all you know, I may just be making this up to get my post count up?
Bless your heart, ajbrown.:o

[Bitsee]

Life will reward you for your act of kindness and dedication. Also, there is no shame in being a foster-failure.....we were, and mighty glad we made Ernie our own !

[Trayderjoe]

Thank you for fostering! We have fostered twice and while it was a little tough to let go, we went into it with a goal of finding good forever homes for our fosters. We are glad when we see Duke (Joe the Bassett moved out of state) come into PetSmart for a visit. It is great to see how happy he is and how much his current humans care for him. Good luck with her and know that all of your work will make it easier for her in the long run.

[autumnspring]

We lost our family dog about 6 months ago. Full disclosure, I am not a fan of getting another dog yet… or maybe ever to be honest. I have had a dog or dogs for all of my life. There is a freedom that comes with not having a dog. Do I miss having a pooch around the home, of course I do, but I also enjoy staying in bed when it has to go out at 4 AM and the freedom to hop on a plane and visit somewhere/one with a moment’s notice.

That said, my lovely wife has been talking about a particular dog for quite a while. Finally I caved and suggested we foster the dog and see what she is really like. There seems to be a common denominator whenever I cave… good times and vodka. A beautiful night with friends and a few vodka tonics and when I get home I am silly putty, emphasis on silly. In the morning I tried the old ‘I did not say that’ which failed, I knew I said it, I never have that much vodka that I forget.

This is our first foster.

I am not sure how this thread will go, I am not sure how long it will last, I am not sure how up to date I will keep it. I am not much of a writer, I just figured it maybe interesting for me to try and share our foster experience.

Folks may enjoy it, I also may get some help from people with more experience at handling dogs. I consider myself a decent dog handler. With time I can have a dog able to be off leash, stay, come, etc., but I am ‘no dog whisperer’. I am amazed by someone like Cesar and his understanding of behavior and the timing of his actions. The only thing I can do like him is stay calm and never take an action out of anger.

This dog will remain anonymous. If it seems to resemble a dog you know, it is coincidence only. Remember this is the Internet, for all you know, I may just be making this up to get my post count up?

You mentioned that show Dog Whisperer with Cesar. I'm sure you are aware that the show is edited. If, nothing else the people are all aware of the camera and the dog sees strange people in the house. To use your tale, the husband does not even get a beer. Like those woodworking shows the projects that you see in 1/2 an hour take a week or more. The star just comes in for the camera after someone else has set up the machine etc.

A second hand dog is like a second hand car there are going to be defects some you may not be able to correct.

ENJOY THE DOG. Aside-perhaps too late since you have posted this BUT since your wife wanted the dog you should at least get the fishing rod or???????? that you wanted

[ajbrown]

One thing, this thread has to be is about dogs, not me fostering, many people do so much more. Me fostering this dog is somewhat selfish (tongue in cheek). I get a dog around the house, I get a happy wife and I hopefully learn things about helping dogs with behavioral issues. I am hoping others chime in with their experiences and I welcome suggestions.

Doing this could actually be a wonderful thing in retirement. Today I still work for a company in Lexington, MA from The Villages. Pretty sweet IMO. When I do finally hang up my keyboard, maybe I can train and work to become a dog whisperer and help many dogs over time. Who knows what life will bring?

Still catching up...
Week 2 (4/5)

My wife is away visiting friends… you heard me right... She says honey, how about if we foster a dog, then leaves me alone for a week…. 35 years of marriage, what choice do I have except complain :D

Much more of the same, this dog has no reason to trust or respect us yet. She follows my wife everywhere, I suspect because she volunteers at the SPCA that had her. If not for being used to years of woman not following me around, I would be hurt by this...

Observations so far.
This dog can sleep. If they had sleeping dog shows I would take her to compete. She sleeps in her crate overnight. She is very comfortable there. I get up early in the AM, she comes out and we hang around together for a few and she then goes and lays on her bed, out like a light. I am a bit jealous. Due to this, I think a good name for her on this thread will be ‘Z’.

She takes an aggressive posture with other dogs. We are continuing the ‘leave it’ philosophy used by the SPCA for now to avoid issues. The only time an issue could escalate is if a dog approaches nose to nose, we do not let this happen. It is way too early to know if that is a bit of fear (feigning confidence) or she really if dominant aggressive.

Sometime in week one or two she got an anole (or whatever they are called) on the lanai. Lesson for adults in the house, no more lanai without a watchful eye.

There is no way I am comfortable introducing her to another dog. I am no dog whisperer. Instead we purchase a “basket muzzle”. My goal is being able to get her to wear the muzzle over the next week or so. This is what it looks like: Amazon.com : Baskerville 8-1/2-Inch Rubber Ultra Muzzle, Size-5, Black : Pet Muzzles : Pet Supplies (https://www.amazon.com/Baskerville-2-Inch-Rubber-Muzzle-Size-5/dp/B0051H45GC) . The quest starts with holding a small cookie at the front of the muzzle and having her stick her nose in to get cookie.

We start to gently work on general manners, e.g., dog do not rush out doors ahead of us, dogs pay attention to the holder of the leash.
Our cat is older and stays in the bedroom most of the day. We have gated off where Z is so she cannot get in the bedroom. We now bring the cat out in the evening to sit on the couch with us. Z and her have been nose to nose. One time the cat hissed, Z jumped back and then barked. No one died. We will continue this and I suspect soon they will simply ignore each other. Remember dogs are from Mars and cats are just nuts :throwtomatoes:

Sadly some of the week was lost as my wife was away and I was sick for a few days.

[jebartle]

Can't wait to hear about "Z" and ajbrown, giggle!

[Mrs. Robinson]

Can't wait for week 3. Keep 'em coming.
Many of us are waiting with bated breath for the next exciting episode!

[ajbrown]

Can't wait for week 3. Keep 'em coming.
Many of us are waiting with bated breath for the next exciting episode!

Are you just teasing me <lol>?

[Terri TVG]

Looking forward to reading more of your foster dog stories! I foster dogs also and really enjoy them.

Thanks for giving that sweet dog a safe and loving place to stay. :mademyday:

[Mrs. Robinson]

Are you just teasing me <lol>?

Nope. Not yet!
:girlneener:

[graciegirl]

You are a good man, AJ Brown.

Hoping for a happy ending.

Also enjoying this adventure.

[ajbrown]

Week3 (4/12)

Muzzle work continues, now she will keep her nose in the basket muzzle (straps not attached), waiting until I give her a cookie through the front of the muzzle, 5, 10 , then 15 seconds… time and patience…

Golf cart update, she rides like a pro. I have a board on my cart so it would be very difficult for a dog to jump out. I can take her out alone now, between the board and a leash with the pinch collar. It has got to the point, I do not even worry about her riding along.

Muzzle work update, she will now take walks with the muzzle on. I do not put a muzzle on her for our normal walks, having her comfortable with the muzzle on in preparation for meeting my friend's dogs next week.

With the muzzle on, she can drink water and get cookies. This is a great achievement for her and allows me to now try to measure how serious her issue is without fear she will hurt another dog. There is no evidence that she would, but I want to be safe.

We took a journey in the cart down to the dog park off if Moyer Loop. No muzzle, I had zero intentions of meeting another dog. Instead we spent 20 to 30 minutes hanging out next to the path folks use to walk their dogs to the park. Our goal for the visit was for Z not to lunge, not move away, not bark, but relax, even if a dog barked at her. A couple of times we did not succeed, which was my fault as I reacted late.

There were no dogs in the large section of the dog park, so I ventured down to the park and we went into the large dog section alone. I left her leash on so I could provide feedback. The nice part about this setup is that there is a chain link fence separating the large dog section from the small dogs. There were quite a few dogs in the smaller dog section. I walked her up and down that fence. In short order a small anxious dog came over barking it’s head off on the small dog side of the fence. This was perfect, I stopped within 18 inches from fence and Z and I just stood there. She did very well, a couple of very minor leash corrections and she just stood there, eventually sitting on her own and then laying down ignoring the nutcase a couple of feet away from her. Meanwhile the dog on other side of fence never stopped. I was so happy for Z.

On the way out some large dog passed us on path, the dog glared and growled at her to which she showed aggression back. I corrected her and had her stay and watch dog walk away. When she finally relaxed, we drifted home. It was a quick reminder how difficult this journey will be.

All in all, some good things, but no real progress yet with dog aggression. Next week we try to meet a friend’s dog. As I have said and will say again, I am not sure I can do this, but I am sure she deserves it and with patience and time I am optimistic we will prevail.

This thread will focus on helping her deal with this ‘anxiety’ around other dogs, so it may seem negative about Z at times. I want to be clear. This is one great/sweet dog. There is no aggression around food, toys or people.

One thing I need to do is find a way to exercise her. We go for walks, but she needs to run and this old fella (me , not Z) is not capable of doing that any more. Previous dogs I have had loved to chase a ball, so I could take a tennis rack and ball to exercise them. Need to consider something for Z; since she is so good on a leash, I am considering a bike ride with her alongside in a quiet area. Yes, I have pondered the crazy things that could happen to me if things go off the rails :)

[OCsun]

I love your posts and appreciate you sharing this journey. As I quietly read your stories, I am cheering you both on!
Good job!

[jimnc]

"Z" is a very lucky dog to have crossed paths with you. On behalf of dog lovers everywhere, thank you.
Please don't give up. I'm quite sure you'll succeed. "Z" needs your help.

[Abby10]

I'm so impressed with your patience and kindness in trying to train your foster dog. What a lucky pup to have someone like you and your wife to love and encourage her.......really enjoying your journey on here. With all the season finales on television these past couple of weeks, I look forward to this becoming my new thing to "watch". Keep the updates coming!

[plimit56]

What type of dog are you fostering? Is is from the SPCA of Sumter County? Cannot wait to hear more!!!!

[ajbrown]

What type of dog are you fostering? Is is from the SPCA of Sumter County? Cannot wait to hear more!!!!

This dog will remain anonymous. If it seems to resemble a dog you know, it is coincidence only. Remember this is the Internet, for all you know, I may just be making this up to get my post count up?

Nice try :D

I do not know why I wish to keep the name anonymous, but I do for now. I will give some clues:

She is a sweet heart, with one caveat that she might want to eat a dog :shrug:

My wife told me which SPCA she came from, but I forget. This is not my fault, as my wife will attest, it seems I never listen :1rotfl:

[Boomer]

aj, about the exercise, it might not be ideal but if you have an open stretch of space inside your house, maybe she would like playing ball. I know that might sound a little silly, space-wise, for a big dog because there would not be enough room to get up any speed, but sometimes it is simply about playing and having fun and bonding and interaction with people.

I know a dog that is about the size of a lab. He is obsessed with playing ball. He lives in a relatively small house......but that house does have a staircase. He will play ball as long as anyone is willing. He goes to the top of the stairs (at the landing part) and catches most of the pitches. He then drops the ball back down the steps to the person who is playing with him. (He tries to talk anyone who comes to the house into playing ball, including the plumber.) This dog gets to go for walks, too, but his ball-playing career is very important to him. It seems to be about concentration and/or entertainment. When he used to have a bigger yard, he could play ball there. In fact, when he would run the ball back, he always had to touch his nose to a certain tree on the way. That tree seemed to be some kind of base. But now he has adapted to more of an inside life with walks and staircase ballgames to look forward to.

Of course nobody has a staircase in TV, but as I sit here looking at our Villages house, I am thinking where I could play ball with a big dog......maybe from the front door to the back of the lanai but........might get a little dicey for you...... if the dog is really big.........or if you collect and display Waterford......

Oh well, just a thought. Keep us posted. :)

[ajbrown]

"Boomer", you have no idea how much I appreciate comments to help us. There are many folks on TOTV who have more experience than me and I appreciate any insight.

Z does not care about the ball. We do play in the house with ball, but unlike my previous dogs she loses interest after a few throws.

[JSR22]

"Boomer", you have no idea how much I appreciate comments to help us. There are many folks on TOTV who have more experience than me and I appreciate any insight.

Z does not care about the ball. We do play in the house with ball, but unlike my previous dogs she loses interest after a few throws.

A lot of dogs that are not interested in retrieving like tugging. There are good tug toys at Pet Smart.

[CFrance]

Maybe she would like one of those puzzle/treat toys that you put treats in. My friend's Rottie had one that was roundish but split in the middle. He would spend a lot of time playing with it to get the treats out.

[Barefoot]

We lost our family dog about 6 months ago. Full disclosure, I am not a fan of getting another dog yet… or maybe ever to be honest. I have had a dog or dogs for all of my life. There is a freedom that comes with not having a dog. Do I miss having a pooch around the home, of course I do, but I also enjoy staying in bed when it has to go out at 4 AM and the freedom to hop on a plane and visit somewhere/one with a moment’s notice.
That said, my lovely wife has been talking about a particular dog for quite a while. Finally I caved and suggested we foster the dog and see what she is really like. There seems to be a common denominator whenever I cave… good times and vodka. A beautiful night with friends and a few vodka tonics and when I get home I am silly putty, emphasis on silly. In the morning I tried the old ‘I did not say that’ which failed, I knew I said it, I never have that much vodka that I forget.

This is our first foster. I am not sure how this thread will go, I am not sure how long it will last, I am not sure how up to date I will keep it. I am not much of a writer, I just figured it maybe interesting for me to try and share our foster experience.

Folks may enjoy it, I also may get some help from people with more experience at handling dogs. I consider myself a decent dog handler. With time I can have a dog able to be off leash, stay, come, etc., but I am ‘no dog whisperer’. I am amazed by someone like Cesar and his understanding of behavior and the timing of his actions. The only thing I can do like him is stay calm and never take an action out of anger. This dog will remain anonymous. If it seems to resemble a dog you know, it is coincidence only. Remember this is the Internet, for all you know, I may just be making this up to get my post count up?

I'm enjoying your tales of being a foster dad. Thanks for giving Z a safe place to learn her lessons.
She is a lucky dog to have you in her life. :thumbup: Please keep up the good work, she needs your help.
On behalf of dog lovers everywhere, a sincere thank you. :bigbow:

[Boomer]

"Boomer", you have no idea how much I appreciate comments to help us. There are many folks on TOTV who have more experience than me and I appreciate any insight.

Z does not care about the ball. We do play in the house with ball, but unlike my previous dogs she loses interest after a few throws.


You bring up an interesting point. I think different breeds have different things that interest them........

My ball-playing friend has retriever in him somewhere.

We had a bird dog, a Brittany Spaniel, for many years. She lived in the house and was never trained to hunt. But when she was outside, she always had her nose up to the wind and she would go into a point sometimes. She just knew how to point, knew from somewhere deep inside her DNA. She was gorgeous, orange and white. And she had the longest concentration span of any dog I have ever seen. She came from a line of field champions. But I did not even know what that was. I just thought she was pretty and the perfect size for our lives at the time. We did give her lots of outside time to practice with her natural gifts. Even though she never got to actually hunt, I think she liked her cushy life with us.

And then there was the 80-pound dog who was given to me when she was a puppy, given with the promise that she would grow up to be only 35 pounds. She had a beard and a tail that looked like it was stuck on with Play-Doh. She was beautiful in her own way. She had lots of different breeds in her DNA, but she had a whole lot of retriever. She would sneak out of the yard and steal, uh....retrieve things from the neighbors' yards. I trained her to bring in the morning paper for us. But....alas, she would sometimes bring the neighbors' paper, too.

I know some Corgis. Corgis are herding dogs. Those Corgis are so much more relaxed when the whole family and any company are all in the same room.

Our last dog showed up at our back door. She chose us and lived with us for 16 years. She was a beauty. I called her breed "Nature's Finest Genetic Engineering." She looked like she might have had a touch of Afghan Hound. Afghans are sighthounds. They gaze into the distance and have speed and endurance. She watched for deer all the time, from the window and when she was outside. She knew they were somewhere out there. And she knew the approximate time to expect them. She joyously chased those deer and would not have it any other way, no matter how much we called her back and no matter how fast Mr. Boomer could run after her--he was never fast enough. We had to get an Invisible Fence--of an acre. I really think she probably got lost from her original home when she went on one of those high-speed, long chases after deer. She could not help it.

(sigh) :) Dogs.........all with different interests and different gifts.

[marianne237]

Please keep your tale of fostering a fur baby current. I haven't found anything on TOTV in quite a while that I wanted to really read about. Truly enjoying your adventure.

[CFrance]

I think you had a retriever, didn't you, AJ? They love balls. They love to retrieve. They love to have things in their mouths.

Perhaps, as Boomer suggests with her many wonderful descriptions of her dogs, you could determine some of the genetics of Z and from there develop things she might like to do. One thing... are her paws "webbed"? She might like to swim. If so, Flagler Beach with Z on a very long line comes to mind. Especially in summer you are not overly likely to encounter many dogs, and they must be leashed.

I suspect you probably have your hands full right now with just getting Z used to surroundings. But things to think about for the future.

[Sable99]

I was just reading your posts to my Mom and aunt and we all got a chuckle!! Love hearing about "Z" and your progress! Keep up the good work. Have you tried Chris Kinstler here in The Villages. My Lexi took classes with Chris through the Lifelong Learning College and Chris was going to have classes now at Doggie Do Run Run. Chris is wonderful with dogs and also does private lessons. I have her information if you want it.

[ajbrown]

I think you had a retriever, didn't you, AJ? They love balls. They love to retrieve. They love to have things in their mouths.

<snipped by Alan>

Caly was a lab, she had no papers to prove it,but she was...

She loved to chase balls and swim. What was funny is when we first had her she would not jump in our above ground pool (in Massachusetts). We took her down to a lake and let her wade in to get her ball. After a few times her ball drifted away and she walked out and to her surprise she was swimming. That was that, we brought her back home and she would jump in the pool.

She could also get out of the pool on her own. I used to enjoy sitting on the deck watching her play by herself. She would take a tennis ball and drop it in the pool, the current would take it around and when it got towards the other side she would jump in, get the ball and climb back out and do it all over again ...

I was fortunate in life that I could spend a lot of time on Martha's Vineyard (thank you Dad). I would take Caly down to the beach in Oak Bluffs and throw balls into the ocean. The fun part was she could carry two tennis balls. I would throw one out, when she got that one and started to head back I would throw the second one 30 feet or so to the left. Off she would go and get that one and then come in. People would stop and watch and they got a kick out of it...

You should have seen her in the surf of 'South Beach, MV', holding on to her ball as waves threw her all over the place.

It has been six months since Caly was put down. Just typing this post causes my eyes to well up... this slide show puts me over the edge :cryin2:

Caly Memories Slideshow by ajbrown2007 | Photobucket (http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/ajbrown2007/slideshow/Caly%20Memories)

[ajbrown]

I was just reading your posts to my Mom and aunt and we all got a chuckle!! Love hearing about "Z" and your progress! Keep up the good work. Have you tried Chris Kinstler here in The Villages. My Lexi took classes with Chris through the Lifelong Learning College and Chris was going to have classes now at Doggie Do Run Run. Chris is wonderful with dogs and also does private lessons. I have her information if you want it.

Thank you, we are researching places and people to go and learn. The classes would not be for Z, but for us. I do not need a lot of help with general obedience, but would love to understand behavior.

The art of helping a dog be 'calm submissive' is something I would love to be able to do.

We have no plans, but it is something we are seriously considering...

[Boomer]

aj, As I look back over your posts, I see that socializing Z with other dogs seems to be a top goal. Although it sounds like you are definitely making progress, I feel like I have to throw in my opinion here..........

Not every dog wants to be around other dogs. For instance, my ball-playing friend I wrote about earlier refuses to get along with other dogs. He is a sweetheart who likes people a lot.

AND he has even learned to know his place where the cat of the house is concerned. (The cat uses psy-ops to get to the sweet big old dog who is more than 10 times the size of that cat. The cat curls up in the dog's bed sometimes and pretends not to see the dog looking longingly at his big pillow. But the meanest thing is when the cat "accidentally" lies down on THE BALL and looks ever so innocent while the dog looks like he is going to cry and sometimes does.)

BUT when it comes to other dogs, that big sweetie can get downright rude. He barks and growls and, worst of all, strains at the leash. (I hate to think about what names he is calling the other dog.) I think he would probably fight if he could get away. He is not my dog, but if I am at his house, I will not take him for a walk because I think he could pull my arm out of the socket if he saw another dog and decided to start something.

He lives in a town where dogs get to be a part of events like Halloween costume contests and where some restaurants have a patio section where dogs are welcome. But (sigh) no matter how much his owner tries to explain the fun he would have if he would just learn to be polite to other dogs, he does not care.

He was a pound puppy so he has been with his family forever but he quite simply does not like other dogs. That is who he is. He plays and cuddles and is really quite wonderful with people but he will never be a bon vivant when it comes to being out and about with other dogs. Besides, I bet he thinks it is undignified to wear a Halloween costume, even if he could dress up like his favorite ball player.

His family feels like it is their responsibility not to push it. He is about 65 pounds and though he is a sweetie, he is big enough and strong enough to do some damage if he had the chance. (The cat thing though is hilarious. That cat has some serious attitude and is quite a manipulator.)

Nature/Nurture -- No matter what -- my ball-playing friend is never going to want to be around other dogs. The best his family can do has been to make him behave in a somewhat tolerant manner when out for walks, on a leash, held by someone much stronger than I am. Not every dog wants to go to a dog park.

[ajbrown]

A lot of dogs that are not interested in retrieving like tugging. There are good tug toys at Pet Smart.

Z does enjoy tugging. We do that on occasion. Tugging is also a good way to teach her to drop, so we have fun tugging and she gets to learn that I say when the game ends...

She is such a good dog... so many positive things...

[CFrance]

Caly was a lab, she had no papers to prove it,but she was...

She loved to chase balls and swim. What was funny is when we first had her she would not jump in our above ground pool (in Massachusetts). We took her down to a lake and let her wade in to get her ball. After a few times her ball drifted away and she walked out and to her surprise she was swimming. That was that, we brought her back home and she would jump in the pool.

She could also get out of the pool on her own. I used to enjoy sitting on the deck watching her play by herself. She would take a tennis ball and drop it in the pool, the current would take it around and when it got towards the other side she would jump in, get the ball and climb back out and do it all over again ...

I was fortunate in life that I could spend a lot of time on Martha's Vineyard (thank you Dad). I would take Caly down to the beach in Oak Bluffs and throw balls into the ocean. The fun part was she could carry two tennis balls. I would throw one out, when she got that one and started to head back I would throw the second one 30 feet or so to the left. Off she would go and get that one and then come in. People would stop and watch and they got a kick out of it...

You should have seen her in the surf of 'South Beach, MV', holding on to her ball as waves threw her all over the place.

It has been six months since Caly was put down. Just typing this post causes my eyes to well up... this slide show puts me over the edge :cryin2:

Caly Memories Slideshow by ajbrown2007 | Photobucket (http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/ajbrown2007/slideshow/Caly%20Memories)
Aww... great slideshow.

I still have guilt feelings over dragging our golden away from his Lake Michigan dog beach. Amazing to watch four-foot waves smack him silly as he went out after a ball. He didn't care; all about the ball. Both our goldens would/will walk beside us carrying their leash (we don't allow that in TV) and would carry their ball to the beach. Must be a retriever thing to have something in their mouths.

Z must have something that would be "her thing." The trick is discovering it. Hopefully you will soon.

[jebartle]

Our dog Moses, also has issues with dogs, but only when there is a fence between them. When we go to the small dog section, he smells a few butts, BUT if for any reason a LARGE DOG appears on other side of fence, he turns into Napolean. Also is VERY possessive of HIS golf cart. I'm constantly on guard, and I might be the problem, because dogs sense anxiety. I'm learning from your post aj, keep up the good work.

[Barefoot]

Caly Memories Slideshow by ajbrown2007 | Photobucket (http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/ajbrown2007/slideshow/Caly%20Memories)

Our beloved Portuguese Water Dog unexpectedly crossed the Rainbow Bridge six months ago at the age of 9.
It's still so painful for me, I can't look at pictures of her.
Well done AJ Brown -- a beautiful memorial to Caly.

[OCsun]

AJ Brown, Your slideshow was awesome! I made a book of pictures when my dog Ginger died. It was so painful at first I could not even look at the book when it arrived.
Thanks for sharing!

[Mrs. Robinson]

Your slideshow is a walk through Caly's wonderful life as part of your family.
From viewing those photos, there is no doubt that "Z" is receiving the best of everything you can offer.
She is so fortunate to have you!

Every dog is a challenge one way or the other. We recently adopted a deaf pup, as you know.
It is MUCH more of a challenge than imaginable, but like you, we are also learning although our situations are very different.

Please continue your posts. It's encouraging for everyone to hear about your progress.

[ColdNoMore]

Please continue your posts. It's encouraging for everyone to hear about your progress.

I totally agree!

While current situation and pain of losing our last family members (beagles) has precluded getting more, reading AJ's trials and tribulations...brings back many great memories.:cool:

Please keep it up. :thumbup:

[ajbrown]

Been pretty slow around here...

As stated, Z appears to be aggressive to other dogs. She postures and then lunges. All she has ever been taught is to leave it when this happens. This makes sense and Z is pretty good at that with an observant handler. If that is the way it must be forever, so be it, but we are not giving up on her. IMO, she does not need to leave it, but rather adapt and relax around it. Cesar would do this in a 30 minute show or take Z back to the ranch, for us we will take our time, we are no dog whisperers.

One issue I have is that I do not know that many dogs.

We go and pick up a friend’s dog and bring her over to our place. She is a lab rescue, about eight years old, not as good as Z on a leash and also exhibits behavior (albeit minor) when meeting dogs that elevates the other dogs aggression. Z had on her muzzle and we met outside. They had gotten within 6 feet when the visiting dog gave a bark, to which Z made a very aggressive lunge. It could not get to the other dog as I had her on a leash, but it was clear, there was not going to be any meeting today.

I reacted late, I should have seen this coming and missed it. A part of me wanted to see what would happen. No harm and no foul, no yelling or anger, we are training. I simply put Z next to me and we stood there until she sat on her own. After that we headed out for a walk around the neighborhood, giving space between dogs, moving in the same direction. When walking the dogs have a purpose. We did not push it too much the first time and after we were done we gave the girls some water on the front lawn and had them hang out within 8 or 10 feet apart.

Two days later, we bring our friend’s old lab back for another ‘session’. Today I have no aspiration for a meet, I am interested in a desensitization process; slow and easy. Just in case our girl Z gets the muzzle put on. Is Hannibal a good name for a dog? Today was walk only trying to challenge the girls slowly.

We head down the street in our little pack, from left to right, visiting dog, wife, Z and me. I am allowing Z to get very close to my wife and I am very focused on Z’s eyes. She is treating this as any heel session and working to simply walk, I see no tension. At this point we decide to raise the ante. I have Z fall back in behind the other dog, allowing her to get as close as she is comfortable.

We continue switching positions, now Z is directly in front of the other dog. I slow Z down, so now the other dog is right on her butt.

We end the walk with Z quartering the other dog, directly behind my wife with Z's head at the other dog's hip. She was perfectly capable of striking the other dog from this position. Nothing happens...

It is becoming clear that the dogs have no issue if moving in the same direction. At least today...

We finished the day with water and sitting in front yard. The older dog is tired, and would simply lay down with her head up. If the other dog moved, I would wait until she laid down and then bring Z near her, approaching from behind. With both dogs facing the same direction, I would have Z stand within 5 or so feet of the other dog.

I would keep her there until she would lie down and relax. Then she could have a small cookie.

It is unclear if any progress was made today...

We make plans to do this two to three times a week. Then we find out the other dog may have cancer, she is scheduled to have a tumor removed and biopsied.

Without our test dog, we have other plans, including trips back to the dog park and the SPCA for more exposure.

Will have to see what happens...

[Nipper]

You mentioned that show Dog Whisperer with Cesar. I'm sure you are aware that the show is edited. If, nothing else the people are all aware of the camera and the dog sees strange people in the house. To use your tale, the husband does not even get a beer. Like those woodworking shows the projects that you see in 1/2 an hour take a week or more. The star just comes in for the camera after someone else has set up the machine etc.

A second hand dog is like a second hand car there are going to be defects some you may not be able to correct.



ENJOY THE DOG. Aside-perhaps too late since you have posted this BUT since your wife wanted the dog you should at least get the fishing rod or???????? that you wanted


No, a "second hand dog" is not like a second hand car. Dogs sometimes lose their homes through no fault of their own. Imagine a child who loses his home and goes into foster care. It takes a lot of patience and love. You do not foster to do a test drive of the child --- nor a dog
. How hideous. You foster because you want to help a dog and ready it for a forever home. I hope this is not the forever home for this dog. She deserves better.

[ajbrown]

We had an idea to start bring Z back to the SPCA. Last Friday my wife did just that, here is what happened in her words.

Friday morning I took Z to the Humane Society to see if I could get her “acquainted” with different dogs without any aggressive behavior. I put the muzzle on Z because I didn’t want anyone getting hurt if things did not go well. We first walked with a small, calm dog which she basically ignored. Then came a little beagle who was a very happy little dog. We walk and then sat them together; but Z gave a little bark and so we had them walk together and then went for a third dog.

She is a large pitbull who is not yet a year old but, a sweetheart if there ever was one. She was energetic and wanting to play. So we walk around and they seemed ok, Z barked but only once so we decided they might want to play so we brought them into a paddock and let the pitbull run free and I left the leash on Z and let her go. And to my surprise Z happily started to play and run around with the pitbull. The pitbull was very submissive, laying down in front of Z and then when they were playing, even jumped on top of Z without any signs of aggression from Z. The pitbull was faster and Z soon slowed but they both laid down afterwards. It was a great to see Z being happy and playing with another dog. I will try again hopefully next week.

[Mrs. Robinson]

We had an idea to start bring Z back to the SPCA. Last Friday my wife did just that, here is what happened in her words.

Friday morning I took Z to the Humane Society to see if I could get her “acquainted” with different dogs without any aggressive behavior. I put the muzzle on Z because I didn’t want anyone getting hurt if things did not go well. We first walked with a small, calm dog which she basically ignored. Then came a little beagle who was a very happy little dog. We walk and then sat them together; but Z gave a little bark and so we had them walk together and then went for a third dog.

She is a large pitbull who is not yet a year old but, a sweetheart if there ever was one. She was energetic and wanting to play. So we walk around and they seemed ok, Z barked but only once so we decided they might want to play so we brought them into a paddock and let the pitbull run free and I left the leash on Z and let her go. And to my surprise Z happily started to play and run around with the pitbull. The pitbull was very submissive, laying down in front of Z and then when they were playing, even jumped on top of Z without any signs of aggression from Z. The pitbull was faster and Z soon slowed but they both laid down afterwards. It was a great to see Z being happy and playing with another dog. I will try again hopefully next week.

It's so nice to hear some good news. What an improvement! It sounds like all your hard work is paying off, slowly, bur surely.

[Taltarzac725]

We had an idea to start bring Z back to the SPCA. Last Friday my wife did just that, here is what happened in her words.

Friday morning I took Z to the Humane Society to see if I could get her “acquainted” with different dogs without any aggressive behavior. I put the muzzle on Z because I didn’t want anyone getting hurt if things did not go well. We first walked with a small, calm dog which she basically ignored. Then came a little beagle who was a very happy little dog. We walk and then sat them together; but Z gave a little bark and so we had them walk together and then went for a third dog.

She is a large pitbull who is not yet a year old but, a sweetheart if there ever was one. She was energetic and wanting to play. So we walk around and they seemed ok, Z barked but only once so we decided they might want to play so we brought them into a paddock and let the pitbull run free and I left the leash on Z and let her go. And to my surprise Z happily started to play and run around with the pitbull. The pitbull was very submissive, laying down in front of Z and then when they were playing, even jumped on top of Z without any signs of aggression from Z. The pitbull was faster and Z soon slowed but they both laid down afterwards. It was a great to see Z being happy and playing with another dog. I will try again hopefully next week.

All Dogs - Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County, Inc. (http://hsspca.org/al-dogs/page/2/)

Nice story. Also hope it will get some people to look at these pooches.

[Taltarzac725]

We had an idea to start bring Z back to the SPCA. Last Friday my wife did just that, here is what happened in her words.

Friday morning I took Z to the Humane Society to see if I could get her “acquainted” with different dogs without any aggressive behavior. I put the muzzle on Z because I didn’t want anyone getting hurt if things did not go well. We first walked with a small, calm dog which she basically ignored. Then came a little beagle who was a very happy little dog. We walk and then sat them together; but Z gave a little bark and so we had them walk together and then went for a third dog.

She is a large pitbull who is not yet a year old but, a sweetheart if there ever was one. She was energetic and wanting to play. So we walk around and they seemed ok, Z barked but only once so we decided they might want to play so we brought them into a paddock and let the pitbull run free and I left the leash on Z and let her go. And to my surprise Z happily started to play and run around with the pitbull. The pitbull was very submissive, laying down in front of Z and then when they were playing, even jumped on top of Z without any signs of aggression from Z. The pitbull was faster and Z soon slowed but they both laid down afterwards. It was a great to see Z being happy and playing with another dog. I will try again hopefully next week.

All Dogs - Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County, Inc. (http://hsspca.org/al-dogs/page/2/)

Nice story. Also hope it will get some people to look at these pooches.

[ajbrown]

Pretty sure we are not doing any hard work :D. 'Improvement' is a hard thing to measure, so I cannot say that yet.

We no longer 'pen' her at night. She has free run of the house. It has become 'pretty' clear she will not eat the cat. She will come right up to it sniffing. If the cat moves, Z jumps backwards with a bark. Clearly the cat rules that relationship.

I still do not have the 'courage' to throw her into the dog park. I keep going, but have yet to see the 'right mix of dogs' there.

We have two human guests visiting us today through Monday, will be good for her to have some new pack members.

[goldendog]

Well it has been a bit since there has been an update on “Z”. Sorry for the lapse. Sometimes changes are so minute they don’t seem to show at all. It has now been a little over 2 months that “Z” has been with us and she seems to have adjusted well to our home.

Her interaction with our cat is improving. They have been face-to-face with the cat staring at the dog, sometimes the cat will siss which “Z” does not like. Z will back away, cry and then bark. Z still has the desire to chase after her when the cat jumps from the couch to go back into the bedroom. But we have been able to stop her with a “tsh” or at least change the direction of her attention.

She sleeps on her bed every night in the living room instead of sleeping in her kennel. And doesn’t seem to have an interest in sleeping in our bedroom with us. She remains there on her bed until we get up in the morning to begin the day.

She loves going for cart rides and knows just what position she has to be in to enjoy the ride.

She has been going back to the Humane Society to visit on Mondays and some Fridays to get used to having dogs pass by and either play with them or ignore them. This has been semi successful. She has even played with several of the larger dogs a bit.

She has excelled in walking on a leash and healing and is getting better at ignoring the little barking dogs who are tethered at the end of the leashes..

Over the past week we have learned that she is extremely afraid of thunder and lightning, or any loud noise actually. I had to literally drag her from the house tonight to get her to take a walk and then she did not calm down the entire walk. It is going to be a long summer for her with our daily storms. Hopefully we can give her enough calm and balance that she can begin to ignore the storms.

So that is the update for now.

[marianne237]

Thank you for the update. Have missed reading about you and Z.

[plimit56]

Purchase Z a thunder shirt for the ...well ..thunder. Works great on my dog glad I purchased one.

[sandybill2]

Oh, please continue to post updates. Just found this thread and read everything you have written out loud so my husband could enjoy as well. We both think you definitely have the art of writing down pat----think you could write a book! Thank you for fostering Z. Have thought about it but we stay on the road a lot now-still traveling but our plan is to provide a forever home eventually to a rescue.

[ajbrown]

Oh, please continue to post updates. Just found this thread and read everything you have written out loud so my husband could enjoy as well. We both think you definitely have the art of writing down pat----think you could write a book! Thank you for fostering Z. Have thought about it but we stay on the road a lot now-still traveling but our plan is to provide a forever home eventually to a rescue.

Thank you. Write a book? Lucky if I actually read a book. I am reading "A short guide to a happy dog" which is just about the right size for me... I am a slow reader, so Z may be adopted by the time I finish... :D

I can only take credit or try to defend AJBrown's posts, Mrs. AJ posted the last update. She has been doing wonderful things with Z.

[Ecuadog]

I love this thread. Thanks.

[goldendog]

Well Ms. Z. has hit a milestone. We would normally put her in her kennel when we go off to play golf to make her feel safe and keep her from doing anything we are not sure she would or would not do. Well we decided to let her be out and on her own in the house while we were out this weekend; except making sure the area where the cat stays was blocked just in case Ms. Z was tempted to visit with the cat. Well we came home and everything was perfect. Ms. Z greeted me at the door, went out to the lawn, came back in, greeted both of us again, and went back to resting comfortably on the floor again. Big leap for her!

[redwitch]

Sure you don't want keep her? She sounds like a sweetheart.

[CFrance]

Well Ms. Z. has hit a milestone. We would normally put her in her kennel when we go off to play golf to make her feel safe and keep her from doing anything we are not sure she would or would not do. Well we decided to let her be out and on her own in the house while we were out this weekend; except making sure the area where the cat stays was blocked just in case Ms. Z was tempted to visit with the cat. Well we came home and everything was perfect. Ms. Z greeted me at the door, went out to the lawn, came back in, greeted both of us again, and went back to resting comfortably on the floor again. Big leap for her!
What a relief, huh?

I'll never forget the butterflies-in-stomach the first time we left our last golden out of the crate alone, age 1 year. He was lounging on the foyer rug. We said goodbye, rushed to church, skipped social hour, rushed back home.

He was still on the foyer rug.

[ajbrown]

Sure you don't want keep her? She sounds like a sweetheart.

I am not sure I am ready to adopt a dog. Of course if this thread continues for 7 years what is the difference:D? Z is with us to give her a safe place where she gets affection/training and we get to enjoy her company.

Z is a wonderful dog, but not a dog I am used to. I have adopted dogs prior to Z when they are a younger age and have not been subjected to whatever Z has. These dogs and I were on the same page, almost like they spoke English. Z does not seem to learn words/phrases as easy. “Where is Linda”, “get your ball”, etc. Does this make her a bad dog, of course not… in fact kudos to her for standard training, she sits, stays, comes when she is called, etc. When I take her to an open field where we are alone, we work off leash and she is doing pretty good.

I wish to digress about Z to tell the story of my favorite dog. Caly was my smartest dog, if smart is a word that can be attributed to a dog. Casey was the best dog I ever had (sorry Caly). Why was Caly ‘smart’? After training her and spending time with her she seemed to know what I wanted. I could almost make up words on the fly and she would learn them quickly. When we were in MA, I taught her the command ‘yard’. I remember when I first brought her to The Villages and she was off leash in our yard (yeah yeah, sorry about no leash). I was out there with her and as she would approach the neighbor’s yard I would say ‘YARD’ and she would turn back and keep sniffing. I could set her boundaries no matter where we were with the command YARD, pretty neat I thought… another example is she knew the difference between ‘heal’ and ‘with me’. With me simply meant stay close, not the rigidity of heal …

Back to Casey…

We lived in MA, we already owned an adopted shepherd/lab mix from the SPCA. We were pondering getting another dog for reasons I forget, likely silly human reasons like they need a companion. I was at the vet and I saw something on the cork board for a lab (no papers) less than a year old.

I took the number, I called and asked why they were getting rid of the dog. The answer was that when they got the dog it was small and cute, but now it was bigger and starting to pull the couch around. I did not ask for clarification, but had visions in my head of a dog with its mouth on the living room couch pulling it out to the kitchen. Off I went to investigate this couch pulling dog…

What I learned was they kept her on a front enclosed porch with her leash around a PVC couch. I took her outside and there was an immediate connection. This was not an alpha dog, this was the kind of dog people dream of. These ‘people’ had no clue what they had; it was ‘calm submissive’ out of the box. I told them I would take the dog home to be sure it could live with our existing dog.

She had one mark against her. They named her Buffy (sp?), really, Buffy? I could not imagine myself out in the yard yelling Buffy, Buffy, come on girl….

I got her home and the two dogs met in the yard, ran around a bit without issue, so I figured we were good to go. I had never seen any aggression from my existing dog. I went in the house with the dogs and I went to the bathroom and as I am in there I hear a load ferocious growl and a whimper. It was over in a second. I rush out and ‘Buffy’ has a hole in the top of her nose.

I looked at her, stopped the bleeding, and renamed her Casey. If I was not sure I wanted to keep her, I was now. It would be hard to bring her back with a hole on her nose…

This story has no purpose; I share because it is a funny story as to how I found my favorite dog… this dog never needed a leash anywhere, it just followed. Z and I do not have that which is not her fault, but we will keep working…

[CFrance]

I love your dog stories, ajbrown. You should give yourself a lot of credit in training, as well as giving credit to your various dogs. Some people just have the knack. We have goldens because they forgive our lack of ability and obey us anyway.:o

[Barefoot]

You should give yourself a lot of credit in training, as well as giving credit to your various dogs.
Yes, kudos to ajbrown. Thanks for sharing, from the dog lovers who are enjoying your stories.
You have patience and consistency, both requirements of pet owners/trainers who have well-trained dogs. :ho:

[MrGolf]

This is, without a doubt the best posting thread on TOTV. Was about to give up this site entirely tired of all the garbage and political BS. Then along came the saga of Z. What a breath of fresh air. Easily the most favored thread on the site. Cudos to you for taking time to share it. Hilarious and heart warming

[ajbrown]

Kind words, thank you. Do not let my posts lead you to believe I am a dog trainer. I have read TOTV for years, there are many folks out here better than I.

I am OK at little stuff, e.g., come, heel, stay, etc., but pretty clueless with behavioral issues. I have learned quite a bit by how Cesar is around dogs, the way he stays calm and never gives up until the dog is calm... There are times I feel like I have no idea what to do...

Z's current challenge. Alan must cut her nails. For a 55 pound dog, she is like a slippery pig. I imagine she is, I have never held a slippery pig. If you try to hold her down and touch her nails, she will wriggle, try to get up, slip out from under you. She could be an all-state wrestler, I mean if they had dog wrestling. She is obviously scared of something.

I have never dealt with this. With past dogs, I said lay down, I put a little weight on them, enough so they could not pull away their paws and I 'Dremel'd' their nails. Caly would almost fall asleep. The Dremel was great. I used to use clippers, but no matter how I tried I would cut too much on one of them and then we had a bleeder ...

Z must not trust me enough, or I am not relaxed enough, or she is just too afraid. I can put her on her side and make her stay and pat her, I am working to be able to hold her there using some of my weight. This is progressing well. As soon as I touch a nail, we are back to slippery pig…

In addition I have started to make her stay near me while I touch her nails. Even using my fingernail to simulate a cut noise. This requires me holding her collar so she cannot flee. As we are just starting this whole session lasts a minute or so.

This could be a multi week process and I hope I am up for it.

Will let you know…

[CFrance]

Kind words, thank you. Do not let my posts lead you to believe I am a dog trainer. I have read TOTV for years, there are many folks out here better than I.

I am OK at little stuff, e.g., come, heel, stay, etc., but pretty clueless with behavioral issues. I have learned quite a bit by how Cesar is around dogs, the way he stays calm and never gives up until the dog is calm... There are times I feel like I have no idea what to do...

Z's current challenge. Alan must cut her nails. For a 55 pound dog, she is like a slippery pig. I imagine she is, I have never held a slippery pig. If you try to hold her down and touch her nails, she will wriggle, try to get up, slip out from under you. She could be an all-state wrestler, I mean if they had dog wrestling. She is obviously scared of something.

I have never dealt with this. With past dogs, I said lay down, I put a little weight on them, enough so they could not pull away their paws and I 'Dremel'd' their nails. Caly would almost fall asleep. The Dremel was great. I used to use clippers, but no matter how I tried I would cut too much on one of them and then we had a bleeder ...

Z must not trust me enough, or I am not relaxed enough, or she is just too afraid. I can put her on her side and make her stay and pat her, I am working to be able to hold her there using some of my weight. This is progressing well. As soon as I touch a nail, we are back to slippery pig…

In addition I have started to make her stay near me while I touch her nails. Even using my fingernail to simulate a cut noise. This requires me holding her collar so she cannot flee. As we are just starting this whole session lasts a minute or so.

This could be a multi week process and I hope I am up for it.

Will let you know…
When we took in an abandoned 15-year-old golden last year, he had never had his nails cut in the two years his owner dumped him with her parents. It must have been quite painful for him to have nails that long, as he wouldn't let me touch his paws. he would pull his paws away even if you just stroked them. My solution was to have them done professionally by our mobile groomer. It preserved our bonded position (that had taken a while to achieve) because I wasn't doing it. I really didn't care if he bonded with the groomer, as long as his needs were met without harm done to him. And the groomer understood.

I have never felt comfortable with my level of expertise at nail clipping. All our dogs have relied on groomers for that.

[dbussone]

When we took in an abandoned 15-year-old golden last year, he had never had his nails cut in the two years his owner dumped him with her parents. It must have been quite painful for him to have nails that long, as he wouldn't let me touch his paws. he would pull his paws away even if you just stroked them. My solution was to have them done professionally by our mobile groomer. It preserved our bonded position (that had taken a while to achieve) because I wasn't doing it. I really didn't care if he bonded with the groomer, as long as his needs were met without harm done to him. And the groomer understood.

I have never felt comfortable with my level of expertise at nail clipping. All our dogs have relied on groomers for that.



I agree. BUT, we found a solution on Amazon 2 months ago. Oster Pet Nail Grinder. It comes with guides you size to your pet. Harry lets my wife do his nails a couple of times a week. No more "click, click, click."


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Nucky]

Great experience AJ. I wonder how we are going to get thru the experience of what looks like a bad situation happening now with our Boxer Barney. The good thing is my wife baby sit's small dogs when people go on vacation so I'll still have them to spoil. I just love these dogs they add so much to our lives. I've followed your story and I love your experience and you probably solved my upcoming problem. Bless you.

[Chi-Town]

Kind words, thank you. Do not let my posts lead you to believe I am a dog trainer. I have read TOTV for years, there are many folks out here better than I.

I am OK at little stuff, e.g., come, heel, stay, etc., but pretty clueless with behavioral issues. I have learned quite a bit by how Cesar is around dogs, the way he stays calm and never gives up until the dog is calm... There are times I feel like I have no idea what to do...

Z's current challenge. Alan must cut her nails. For a 55 pound dog, she is like a slippery pig. I imagine she is, I have never held a slippery pig. If you try to hold her down and touch her nails, she will wriggle, try to get up, slip out from under you. She could be an all-state wrestler, I mean if they had dog wrestling. She is obviously scared of something.

I have never dealt with this. With past dogs, I said lay down, I put a little weight on them, enough so they could not pull away their paws and I 'Dremel'd' their nails. Caly would almost fall asleep. The Dremel was great. I used to use clippers, but no matter how I tried I would cut too much on one of them and then we had a bleeder ...

Z must not trust me enough, or I am not relaxed enough, or she is just too afraid. I can put her on her side and make her stay and pat her, I am working to be able to hold her there using some of my weight. This is progressing well. As soon as I touch a nail, we are back to slippery pig…

In addition I have started to make her stay near me while I touch her nails. Even using my fingernail to simulate a cut noise. This requires me holding her collar so she cannot flee. As we are just starting this whole session lasts a minute or so.

This could be a multi week process and I hope I am up for it.

Will let you know…
I think for $20.00 a vet could cut the nails. We take the cat in for that; it's money well spent.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[dbussone]

AJ, you are a warrior where Z is concerned. Your patience and faithfulness to your task are just wonderful.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[ajbrown]

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, we took Z to PAWS a while ago and they could get three cut and gave her back to us :).

I never got the details of why professionals could not get the job done as I was away, maybe my wife did. Basically they could not hold her down.

In the meantime on days my wife volunteers has been taking Z to the SPCA to be with other dogs. Occasionally their vet will cut her nails, so we know it is possible. We think it is because Z is familiar with the vet...

Even if I never can cut her nails, I need to get her calmer so others can.

[Chi-Town]

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, we took Z to PAWS a while ago and they could get three cut and gave her back to us :).

I never got the details of why professionals could not get the job done as I was away, maybe my wife did. Basically they could not hold her down.

In the meantime on days my wife volunteers has been taking Z to the SPCA to be with other dogs. Occasionally their vet will cut her nails, so we know it is possible. We think it is because Z is familiar with the vet...

Even if I never can cut her nails, I need to get her calmer so others can.
I didn't know PAWS was an animal hospital, thought it was a groomer. Wish I could offer any other suggestions. Perhaps one at a time when Z is settled down before sleep or just awakening.

Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

[ajbrown]

I didn't know PAWS was an animal hospital, thought it was a groomer. Wish I could offer any other suggestions. Perhaps one at a time when Z is settled down before sleep or just awakening.

Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

PAWS is our vet for our cat and past dogs, they seem very nice and I assume competent. They were wonderful when Caly was put down. We had them come to the house so she would be comfortable. I could see them tearing up looking at our pain. Seems like a terribly hard job.

Doing this with Z will be 'fun', like trying to learn how to hit a tight draw under the wind... patience and time... and fingers crossed :D

[FosterMomma]

We have fostered 17 dogs ajbrown so I can say with certainty that you are doing a fantastic job. Your patience is outstanding and your logical approach to dealing with issues one at a time is obviously working out very well. The truth is there's always a reason a dog has been handed over to a shelter or into foster care and sometimes the reasons aren't pretty, so for instance her aggression with other dogs may be a lifetime problem but if someone can undo it I'm sure it's you!

Not sure if you know this but the person at Paws who looks after nail trimming is a kind hearted groomer who spends a lot of time trying to ensure that the dogs are not afraid and consequently happy to be groomed again. If your dog shows the panic that you describe I'm quite sure that she would stop the process for the benefit of the dog. That obviously doesn't help with the specific problem of long nails but it might be the reason. The solution that we have found to work is to basically trim one nail, followed by lots of love and treats, and then let it go for a day. Over time we found that this worked, eventually allowing us to trim two nails and then three etc.

Exercise... as I'm sure you know a tired dog is a good dog so finding a place where she can run without difficulty is very important and there aren't many places in the villages where that's possible. Doggie Do Run on 301 has a training section that is completely fenced off and quite large (in length) so you might want to go there and talk to the owner explaining your difficulties and training needs and arrange to use that section by yourself. You would be able to throw balls or even try to start agility training there which would occupy her brain and blow off some energy. It's usually one of the quiet spots in the park and is definitely the area where only one dog is allowed in at a time.

I was delighted to hear that you have trained the dog to be comfortable in a muzzle. It shows great responsibility on your part and undoubtedly protects both of you in the case of fear aggression but did you know that there are soft muscles that have the benefit of not making the dog look ferocious? Sometimes the very look of the cage sets other owners into a fearful mode that can be reflected in the behaviour of their own dogs and a cycle of nastiness can start to happen. The soft muzzles are very effective and sometimes go unseen by other people... just a thought. Aggressiveness may just be part of her baggage though so finding a place where she can run and you can both be happy is pretty important . I know people who go at odd hours to the area behind the polo field specifically for this reason. Maybe that would be helpful for you as well .

One last hint... we have found that new Foster's being trained almost needed a training "outfit" so we have a harness that we put on them when we "mean business". It's not for punishment and it isn't harsh (made of soft material) but it just gets their attention, sort of like a Service Dog putting on their work coat. We have found that the dogs seem to know the difference and stop pulling or feeling panicky... maybe it makes them feel more secure because someone is in charge but for whatever reason, it turns a pulling lunatic into an easy dog to walk and an aggressive dog into one that can pass other dogs without the need to show their dominance. My theory is that it works a bit like a thunder shirt but that's just an opinion. Whatever works!

I can't tell you enough how wonderful you are to put all this time and thought into Z.... I'm sure you will enjoy her for years! :)

[airstreamingypsy]

AJ, there's a term you need to be familiar with. "Failed foster" Z sounds a lot like my female Border Collie, she is a failed foster. Oh, I found her a home, but the adopters weren't amused when she came in with their cat in her mouth. The cat was fine, but she came back..... and never left again. She's my second failed foster, I 'fostered" the last one for 13 years...... :D

[ajbrown]

MiaW1948,

17 dogs, holy cow, that is wonderful. Thanks for sharing...

[ajbrown]

AJ, there's a term you need to be familiar with. "Failed foster" Z sounds a lot like my female Border Collie, she is a failed foster. Oh, I found her a home, but the adopters weren't amused when she came in with their cat in her mouth. The cat was fine, but she came back..... and never left again. She's my second failed foster, I 'fostered" the last one for 13 years...... :D

Fostering is odd for sure. When Z meets people, I tell them she is available for adoption.

Then, I find myself thinking about Z and how a bad handler would affect her life or even worse, punish her behavior. Even though Z and I have yet to connect like past dogs, it is hard not to grow fond... time will tell...

She is laying at my feet as I type this...

[villager]

Have you tried Rescue Remedy for dogs? You can purchase it at the health food store in Spanish Springs shopping center. It's a Bach flower mixture - purely holistic. It seems to take the edge of for a nervous dog. We started using it for our dog during thunder storms. She would get so wound up, shake terribly and pant - a true state of panic. The Rescue Remedy works wonders for her, in fact, it works better than her Thunder Shirt. Now that we have used it several times during a storm, the storms don't affect her as much and many times she is good without it. Maybe Z would benefit from a dose before a nail trim.

[CFrance]

Fostering is odd for sure. When Z meets people, I tell them she is available for adoption.

Then, I find myself thinking about Z and how a bad handler would affect her life or even worse, punish her behavior. Even though Z and I have yet to connect like past dogs, it is hard not to grow fond... time will tell...

She is laying at my feet as I type this...
Maybe she'll be at your feet for years to come.

I have used a form of Rescue Remedy on our young golden when he had to be transported. It was recommended by our vet. There were different ways to administer it. One type was affixed to his crate during transport, and then, because we were leaving a country setting to live in the middle of a big city, he wore a collar of it around his neck at all times. They last a month. It issued some kind of pheromone that was calming. It was called DAP but I see is now called Adaptil.

I think it worked. He's such a laid-back dog to begin with, it was hard to tell. But at the time he was only two, so a little more rambunctious.

[kcbeachgal]

What has happened to Z? We all need to know. Did he get a forever home?

[Barefoot]

Fostering is odd for sure. When Z meets people, I tell them she is available for adoption.
Then, I find myself thinking about Z and how a bad handler would affect her life or even worse, punish her behavior. Even though Z and I have yet to connect like past dogs, it is hard not to grow fond... time will tell...
She is laying at my feet as I type this... Z is a lucky girl to be spending time with you and your wife. You obviously both love dogs.

[goldendog]

I just got back from a small vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. My husband and Z picked me up at the airport and I was excited to see Z, and my husband of course. She seemed happy to see me but not as excited as my past dogs have been.

When we were on our way back home she did let me pet her and she even gave me a lick or two and then settled in for the ride home.

Back home she seemed a little excited and I petted her and gave her a back massage and chatted with my husband. Since it was close to midnight we decided to hit the sack and to our surprise Z came into the bedroom and went to sleep on the floor beside the bed.

We were unsure what this meant and I was a little apprehensive as the cat sleeps with us and gets on and off the bed several times during the night. And where they are still not 100% comfortable together had me keeping my eyes on any movement. Z slept there for a few hours and then I noticed she got up and went back on her bed in the living room.

All was back to the normal routine the next morning. But I have noticed that Z is now going in my husband’s office to visit a bit more and sometimes even sleeping on the office floor while he works. She is still barking a various dogs, but mostly walks on a loose leash without any problems.

She also seems more comfortable in the house when it thunders outside. She is still a work in progress but little things will hopefully add up to a dog that can lead a happy and normal life.

[Barefoot]

I just got back from a small vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. My husband and Z picked me up at the airport and I was excited to see Z, and my husband of course. She seemed happy to see me but not as excited as my past dogs have been.

When we were on our way back home she did let me pet her and she even gave me a lick or two and then settled in for the ride home.

Back home she seemed a little excited and I petted her and gave her a back massage and chatted with my husband. Since it was close to midnight we decided to hit the sack and to our surprise Z came into the bedroom and went to sleep on the floor beside the bed.

We were unsure what this meant and I was a little apprehensive as the cat sleeps with us and gets on and off the bed several times during the night. And where they are still not 100% comfortable together had me keeping my eyes on any movement. Z slept there for a few hours and then I noticed she got up and went back on her bed in the living room.

All was back to the normal routine the next morning. But I have noticed that Z is now going in my husband’s office to visit a bit more and sometimes even sleeping on the office floor while he works. She is still barking a various dogs, but mostly walks on a loose leash without any problems.

She also seems more comfortable in the house when it thunders outside. She is still a work in progress but little things will hopefully add up to a dog that can lead a happy and normal life.
Sounds like Z is becoming more loving and trusting.
Thanks for the great update.

[ajbrown]

Sounds like Z is becoming more loving and trusting.
Thanks for the great update.

Actually the only thing I saw in that post was her husband was an after thought when she came home... "I was excited to see Z" :D

[ajbrown]

Please share your experiences. I know from reading there are some good handlers out there...

I wish I could tell you that I see great progress. There is an art to helping dogs with behavior issues such as being scared. This experience has taught me one thing, I need to take an art class. I really want to find a place and learn more. I am not sure where to do that, but it is something I will look into during retirement. I still watch Cesar shows, I am blown away by his ability to remain calm, how he takes a dog and just drops it into his pack and uses the pack to tell him about the dog. I would be afraid Z would be eaten as my timing and ability is way off. Like in golf, the word 'afraid' cannot be in a dog handlers vocabulary.

I do see certain progress with things like thunder. There were quite a few storms while our favorite pack member was away. Z would head under the end table in the corner of our living room (Wisteria style home). My approach is to do nothing, I go about my business as if nothing is happening, the whole time hiding the fact that I hate thunderstorms also. During storms, I will occasionally train her; for example, stand in the kitchen and issue the ‘come’ command. It is the one command that once it leaves my lips MUST be obeyed. She is excellent at it normally. On days where it is stormy I may have to say it twice and she comes slower, but she comes, gets praise and a little cookie, then saunters back to the safe end table ;)

Z will still bark at certain dogs. If I am walking her I ‘leash correct’ her to be sure she cannot advance, but I also body correct her. What do I mean, I touch her in the side until her focus changes to me (I do not hurt her), then I make her sit and watch the dog until she relaxes. I do not know if this is perfect, I am no expert.

As my lovely posted, Z now stays in my office while I am working which is nice. Do not forget she is a world class sleeper, so when she is there it is like having a new rug. I have yet to cut a nail on her. I am able to hold her paw and pick at her nails with my nails, this is progress albeit slow. I would like to use a dremel so I can just sand a small bit off, but I know the sound will be an issue. I have an old electric razor, so I have been holding her paw and running the electric razor over her nails and reinforcing the ’stay’ command. I see progress, but have yet to just get in there and cut a nail.

Happy fourth folks, today we may get thunder and fireworks. I know she will be fine…

[shrink]

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but we have a dachshund/beagle that we adopted at age 6 months (she is now 8 months). She is also fiercely lunging and barking (but not snarling) when we encounter another dog, and the bigger the other dog, the worse. We took her to Pet smart for private lessons with Jen (very good). She felt our puppy was responding out of false bravado to cover fear. We started giving her multiple tiny treats every time she encountered another dog. We would do the "watch me" command (distracting her), then pop her a quick chicken treat while saying, "nice friend" (trying to hook up the works with a treat when she encountered another dog). We are starting to see progress on our daily walks. The combination of positive reinforcement when she accesses the "watch me" command, and negative (spraying water into her face while saying "NO") when she is lunging and barking and too crazed to listen, definitely has brought improvement. Maybe worth a try? BTW, Jen did not suggest the water thing, but we found that positive alone wasn't sufficient.

[Schaumburger]

I have really enjoyed reading this thread. Please continue posting on Z's progress. A shout out to all people who foster and adopt rescue dogs and cats. :bigbow:

[ajbrown]

Z is still here. I do not have any interesting update at this time. My wife sent me this which I thought was interesting.

Pit Bull Breed Profile (http://www.rescueeverydog.org/pitbull_breed.html)

I take anything I read with a grain of salt, but a few things hit a chord for me with regard to Z.

[goldendog]

I have been taking Ms. Z to the SPCA on Mondays hoping to get her used to other dogs and being around them. She has good days and some bad days.

I was so disappointed and assumed maybe I had bitten off more than I could handle with this dog I was trying to save. She is so sweet with people and getting a whole lot better with our cat; but if she could not deal with being around other dogs, things were not looking good for her.

So this past Monday when I took her with me to the SPCA I told myself okay, it is do or die time. So I asked my other dog walker to just hold her while I go and get a dog to walk even as he was holding another dog and then hand her off to me when I walk up to you.

So I got a little dog who is a sweet one and said okay, let’s go for this and I walk up and took Z on one side and the little sweet dog on the other and kept all thoughts of trouble out of my mind and walked them both into a pen together. To my extreme delight Z followed right along and did not snarl, bark, growl or anything. I then released them both and just watched. The little dog started to run and Z immediately went on the chase. I told her “gentle” and she reacted, much to my surprise, perfectly.

I am now realizing that Z does not know how to play as a dog. So we did this with four dogs. She did well with all but the fifth dog. Unfortunately, the fifth dog growled and advanced on Z who then growled back and then the other dog attacked Z who just stood and did nothing back. I was truly amazed. It happened so quickly and was under control in a split second and no dogs were hurt. Just one dog trying to assert authority over Z.

I have also been taking Z to the polo field for a walk and learning session.

I have been working on walking and then when I stop Z is to stop and sit at my side. It was not working in week one, week 2, only when I asked or tugged on the collar. Then I went back to Caesar, The Dog Whisperer, my fall back helper. I saw in one episode where a dog would not respond the way he wanted. So he said a dog first realizes smell, then hearing, then sight. So he said he was going for the “smell” sense and used pieces of cold cuts to get the dog to do as he wanted. So……, I tried this and week three was lots better and this week, she did it perfectly.

And now today, Wednesday, I said okay Z it is you and me only today and we are going to do this. So I picked my first dog to walk, just walked into the pen, took Z’s leash and off we all went without any incident whatsoever. Then I released both in the pen and she actually played with the dog. No aggressive moves or chase. She was chasing the dog but barking in a playful mode. After a few runs she wanted more but the little dog was not interested so she went on her own and found a nice wet spot on the ground and went down and rolled on her back wiggling around like a dead cockroach and barking at herself.

It was truly a happy event for me; she was actually finally acting like a dog; having fun and playing. After three other dogs she was exhausted and hot so I put her in a pen to relax and stay cool.

I am very proud of Z today; and she seems happier today as well.

[ajbrown]

For reasons that are not important, my lovely's update did not show up as a new post, so bumping thread.

[Mrs. Robinson]

GoldenDog and AJBrown:

A wonderful, wonderful rendition of events.
Z is changing and coming along.
Her future is so promising.

You are two incredible and exceptional people.

[marianne237]

AJ Brown, the Village dog whisperer! Love your stories of Z and the other dogs you and Z have encountered. Lost my Jack Russell almost a year ago and not ready to get another dog, but you and your stories are sure working on me. Thank you.

[Barefoot]

GoldenDog and AJBrown:
A wonderful, wonderful rendition of events.
Z is changing and coming along.
Her future is so promising.
You are two incredible and exceptional people.
I agree 100%. You are both exceptionally compassionate. Z is a lucky dog.

[CFrance]

I have been taking Ms. Z to the SPCA on Mondays hoping to get her used to other dogs and being around them. She has good days and some bad days.

I was so disappointed and assumed maybe I had bitten off more than I could handle with this dog I was trying to save. She is so sweet with people and getting a whole lot better with our cat; but if she could not deal with being around other dogs, things were not looking good for her.

So this past Monday when I took her with me to the SPCA I told myself okay, it is do or die time. So I asked my other dog walker to just hold her while I go and get a dog to walk even as he was holding another dog and then hand her off to me when I walk up to you.

So I got a little dog who is a sweet one and said okay, let’s go for this and I walk up and took Z on one side and the little sweet dog on the other and kept all thoughts of trouble out of my mind and walked them both into a pen together. To my extreme delight Z followed right along and did not snarl, bark, growl or anything. I then released them both and just watched. The little dog started to run and Z immediately went on the chase. I told her “gentle” and she reacted, much to my surprise, perfectly.

I am now realizing that Z does not know how to play as a dog. So we did this with four dogs. She did well with all but the fifth dog. Unfortunately, the fifth dog growled and advanced on Z who then growled back and then the other dog attacked Z who just stood and did nothing back. I was truly amazed. It happened so quickly and was under control in a split second and no dogs were hurt. Just one dog trying to assert authority over Z.

I have also been taking Z to the polo field for a walk and learning session.

I have been working on walking and then when I stop Z is to stop and sit at my side. It was not working in week one, week 2, only when I asked or tugged on the collar. Then I went back to Caesar, The Dog Whisperer, my fall back helper. I saw in one episode where a dog would not respond the way he wanted. So he said a dog first realizes smell, then hearing, then sight. So he said he was going for the “smell” sense and used pieces of cold cuts to get the dog to do as he wanted. So……, I tried this and week three was lots better and this week, she did it perfectly.

And now today, Wednesday, I said okay Z it is you and me only today and we are going to do this. So I picked my first dog to walk, just walked into the pen, took Z’s leash and off we all went without any incident whatsoever. Then I released both in the pen and she actually played with the dog. No aggressive moves or chase. She was chasing the dog but barking in a playful mode. After a few runs she wanted more but the little dog was not interested so she went on her own and found a nice wet spot on the ground and went down and rolled on her back wiggling around like a dead cockroach and barking at herself.

It was truly a happy event for me; she was actually finally acting like a dog; having fun and playing. After three other dogs she was exhausted and hot so I put her in a pen to relax and stay cool.

I am very proud of Z today; and she seems happier today as well.
Wow. I am just amazed at how astute and creative you are with her. You are just what she needs. Your ability to dissect her behavior and start at the ground level with tiny steps is so impressive. A lot of people don't have that kind of patience. Or intuition. Brava!

[ajbrown]

We are glad you enjoy the posts of our everyday challenges and joys of working with Z. She is a good dog and is coming along, and hopefully one day she will be part of a forever family.

My first reaction to these compliments is thank you. Who doesn’t love to hear wonderful accolades about themselves occasionally. This is quickly followed by… it just ain’t so…

I do not want this thread to come across as a self-promoting ‘look at us’ thread. I started this to share our experience as people who love dogs, but ARE NOT experts at dogs. It is from that perspective we write these posts.

Exceptional? Hardly. We are fostering one dog because I hated hearing she was not being adopted. So many people do so much for dogs that I flinch a bit when we garnish praise because we post about it.

Nail update coming ...

[ajbrown]

For those not familiar with a Dremel, here is a picture with a sanding bit on the end: Product Details - dremel.com (https://www.dremel.com/en_US/products/-/show-product/tools/200-series-rotary-tool)

I do not want the perception to be that I work on trimming Z’s nails daily. I do not, life gets in the way. It may be a few days a week when I feel the urge. If you have ever used a Dremel you know it is loud and whiny. Reminds me of a few …. hmmm let’s not go there. I really want to trim this dogs nails. It is embarrassing for me to be fostering a dog and have to bring her back to get the SPCA vet to do it.

When hanging around watching TV I would get out the Dremel and have Z come over and be curious about what it was, she would sniff it and occasionally lick it. The next phase is the same deal, but this time the Dremel is on at the lowest speed. The first thing I notice is that the fan on the Dremel scares her, so I face it in such a way that it would not blow on her face. She is clearly scared of the thing, like many things quite frankly.

Since she arrived we have worked on the stay command. It will be this command that will greatly help to shave a nail or two someday. She is also becoming more confident in all situations. I give my wife credit for this as she spends a lot of time with Z.

Finally I took a chance as she was sleeping next to an outlet. I plugged in the Dremel turned it on and held her back leg. Her immediate reaction was to get the heck out of dodge, to which I told her to stay. She was clearly nervous, licking her lips, eyes darting for an escape route. The stay needed to be reaffirmed several times, and when I could see she was going to stay I shut the Dremel off without doing a nail. I did this a couple of days later, and then the third time I touched a nail for a few seconds. I remained as calm as I could and more important, Z survived.

I doubt Z was too pleased, but I was darned psyched.

More to come…

[graciegirl]

We are glad you enjoy the posts of our everyday challenges and joys of working with Z. She is a good dog and is coming along, and hopefully one day she will be part of a forever family.

My first reaction to these compliments is thank you. Who doesn’t love to hear wonderful accolades about themselves occasionally. This is quickly followed by… it just ain’t so…

I do not want this thread to come across as a self-promoting ‘look at us’ thread. I started this to share our experience as people who love dogs, but ARE NOT experts at dogs. It is from that perspective we write these posts.

Exceptional? Hardly. We are fostering one dog because I hated hearing she was not being adopted. So many people do so much for dogs that I flinch a bit when we garnish praise because we post about it.

Nail update coming ...

You are, and always have been a good man, Charlie Brown, or at least I have agreed with all posts on this forum for a very long time. It is not surprising that your mate is a good person too. Thank you for your patience with this dog.

[CFrance]

Keep on plugging, ajbrown. It surely takes a lot of patience, doesn't it. Nothing can make one feel more inadequate than having a dog you can't "fix." We have a foster now who simply won't eat dog food. And even with the people food she'll eat, we never know from meal to meal if she'll eat it or turn up her nose. She came to us after a traumatic week for her, losing her home at age 11.5, needing six pills a day. Thank goodness for my vet suggesting marshmallows, because she shuns cheese, fake cheese (Velveeta), hotdogs, bread, peanut butter... you name it.

Forget about Come, Sit, Stay. She's apparently hard of hearing. Obviously never walked on a leash. But at this point I'd be happy if she just ate on a regular basis. Her owner died after a long illness, and the daughter took her to a shelter in Louisiana. She was driven 18 hours to Tampa in a van wth other dogs. My vet thinks she's grieving and traumatized somewhat. But she's starting to wag her tail.

All these poor rescues have their back stories & problems. I hope to achieve the same level of patience as you have. Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I thought you might like to know you're not alone.:o

[Schaumburger]

To those who foster dogs who have been through traumatic situations, my hat is off to you. :ho: :BigApplause:

[dbussone]

Keep on plugging, ajbrown. It surely takes a lot of patience, doesn't it. Nothing can make one feel more inadequate than having a dog you can't "fix." We have a foster now who simply won't eat dog food. And even with the people food she'll eat, we never know from meal to meal if she'll eat it or turn up her nose. She came to us after a traumatic week for her, losing her home at age 11.5, needing six pills a day. Thank goodness for my vet suggesting marshmallows, because she shuns cheese, fake cheese (Velveeta), hotdogs, bread, peanut butter... you name it.



Forget about Come, Sit, Stay. She's apparently hard of hearing. Obviously never walked on a leash. But at this point I'd be happy if she just ate on a regular basis. Her owner died after a long illness, and the daughter took her to a shelter in Louisiana. She was driven 18 hours to Tampa in a van wth other dogs. My vet thinks she's grieving and traumatized somewhat. But she's starting to wag her tail.



All these poor rescues have their back stories & problems. I hope to achieve the same level of patience as you have. Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I thought you might like to know you're not alone.:o



You are a really neat & kind person.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[CFrance]

You are a really neat & kind person.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
Aw shucks, DB. Thanks. Just a sucker for old animals in need.

[ajbrown]

Cfrance, posts like yours are not off topic. Sharing experiences good and bad is perfect for this thread. I have only shared the good ones :D

The older the dog, the tougher the task. It is wonderful you are taking on such a task, have fun with it and please let us know how it goes...

[Barefoot]

We have a foster now who simply won't eat dog food. And even with the people food she'll eat, we never know from meal to meal if she'll eat it or turn up her nose. She came to us after a traumatic week for her, losing her home at age 11.5, needing six pills a day. Thank goodness for my vet suggesting marshmallows.

CFrance and her husband are very kind indeed. This is not the first old dog they've fostered. :clap2:
I can rescue dogs (we adopted a rescue in March from Max's Pet Connection, and rehomed a second dog in April).
I just don't think I could ever part with a foster, and that's actually selfish on my part.
It takes a really special selfless person who can see the greater good.
There is a critical need for fosters, and it takes a very special person to offer a foster home to needy animals.
I applaud anyone who can foster; I think they are selfless, and amazing people. :ho:

[ajbrown]

I now can ‘sand’ Z’s nails with the Dremel. I am doing them more frequently than normal to reduce the length of the quick. Sometimes a do one paw, sometimes two, never four yet. I stopped doing just one as I would forget which one I did :). After the whole process there is much ‘good dog’ praising and ‘tail wagging’ and a half of a cookie.

I have learned a couple of things. The front paws are tougher for a dog that is nervous as their nose and eyes are closer. They can smell the ‘naildust’, see the Dremel. Physically restraining a dog is not the best method; it just makes everyone more nervous and a handler can never be frustrated or nervous. I am fortunate with the fact that I do not have to worry about any behavioral issues to humans <knock on wood>. My ‘knock on wood’ should not be taken to mean I think Z may have aggression issues to humans. I do not, she is a sweet girl. I just often add that in for my own superstition…

What does this process look like? I rely heavily on her other training and IMO this is critical to everything we work on. I use the commands come, sit, down and stay when doing the nails. It is not until Z is down and somewhat relaxed that I get in position. Even before the process starts the Dremel is on. <IMO> This is not the time to comfort the dog by petting or saying things like "it's OK" and " do not worry". All the dog knows is that she is working on come, sit, down and stay and hopefully learning that nothing bad will ever happen while she is with me.</IMO>

I recently did her front paws. It was about noon, I was headed out to find out why my step mom’s cart only goes in reverse and on a whim, I decided to cut her nails. I am in the living room, I turn on the Dremel and set it on the floor. I call Z, ‘Z… come’… and she comes over. I tell her to sit and she does. Down takes a bit more convincing. I will repeat a command two or three times in a situation like this (but ordinarily I never like to repeat a command). She lays down and I move into position, I am trying to lay on my elbows with an elbow on each side of her and almost no weight on her. I do this and pick up the Dremel and she backs out. I do not try to stop her or restrain her. I set the Dremel down and we start all over. The second time she let me take her paw and almost start; the third time was the charm.

You get to the point when handling the same dog that you know the task at hand is going to happen. The dog may not know that but the handler must. It may take 10 times to start, but this is going to happen, even if it is only one nail. It is also not done until the handler says it is done. If she leaves it must restart, the handler must end it. As stated, this time it took three times before we started sanding. The fact that she comes back, sits, lays down is a huge deal and tells me she is becoming a darn good dog. :clap2:

Once she is down, we start, if she moves I simply say ‘stay’. If she breaks stay, this is not the time to correct, I just start the whole process over. That day we did both front paws.

My best experience to date was doing her back paws. I was watching TV on the couch, she was lying near my feet. The Dremel is tucked under the end table. I turned on the Dremel and get off the couch to get next to her and she flees, not fast, just nonchalantly walks away like shes getting a drink. I call her, sit, down and this time I give her a light shove on her shoulder and say 'over' (she does not know this command yet). To my amazement she stayed there on her side. I moved in and started sanding; by the time I was done with her two back paws Z almost looked asleep. I looked at my wife who was in the kitchen and said wow, did you see that? :shocked:

Next we need to get back to dog on dog work… my wife is visiting friends up north, so Z and I will be spending lots of time together…

[Parker]

Z and his handler get a big fat A :popcorn:

[Schaumburger]

Z and his handler get a big fat A :popcorn:

I second that!

[CFrance]

I now can ‘sand’ Z’s nails with the Dremel. I am doing them more frequently than normal to reduce the length of the quick. Sometimes a do one paw, sometimes two, never four yet. I stopped doing just one as I would forget which one I did :). After the whole process there is much ‘good dog’ praising and ‘tail wagging’ and a half of a cookie.

I have learned a couple of things. The front paws are tougher for a dog that is nervous as their nose and eyes are closer. They can smell the ‘naildust’, see the Dremel. Physically restraining a dog is not the best method; it just makes everyone more nervous and a handler can never be frustrated or nervous. I am fortunate with the fact that I do not have to worry about any behavioral issues to humans <knock on wood>. My ‘knock on wood’ should not be taken to mean I think Z may have aggression issues to humans. I do not, she is a sweet girl. I just often add that in for my own superstition…

What does this process look like? I rely heavily on her other training and IMO this is critical to everything we work on. I use the commands come, sit, down and stay when doing the nails. It is not until Z is down and somewhat relaxed that I get in position. Even before the process starts the Dremel is on. <IMO> This is not the time to comfort the dog by petting or saying things like "it's OK" and " do not worry". All the dog knows is that she is working on come, sit, down and stay and hopefully learning that nothing bad will ever happen while she is with me.</IMO>

I recently did her front paws. It was about noon, I was headed out to find out why my step mom’s cart only goes in reverse and on a whim, I decided to cut her nails. I am in the living room, I turn on the Dremel and set it on the floor. I call Z, ‘Z… come’… and she comes over. I tell her to sit and she does. Down takes a bit more convincing. I will repeat a command two or three times in a situation like this (but ordinarily I never like to repeat a command). She lays down and I move into position, I am trying to lay on my elbows with an elbow on each side of her and almost no weight on her. I do this and pick up the Dremel and she backs out. I do not try to stop her or restrain her. I set the Dremel down and we start all over. The second time she let me take her paw and almost start; the third time was the charm.

You get to the point when handling the same dog that you know the task at hand is going to happen. The dog may not know that but the handler must. It may take 10 times to start, but this is going to happen, even if it is only one nail. It is also not done until the handler says it is done. If she leaves it must restart, the handler must end it. As stated, this time it took three times before we started sanding. The fact that she comes back, sits, lays down is a huge deal and tells me she is becoming a darn good dog. :clap2:

Once she is down, we start, if she moves I simply say ‘stay’. If she breaks stay, this is not the time to correct, I just start the whole process over. That day we did both front paws.

My best experience to date was doing her back paws. I was watching TV on the couch, she was lying near my feet. The Dremel is tucked under the end table. I turned on the Dremel and get off the couch to get next to her and she flees, not fast, just nonchalantly walks away like shes getting a drink. I call her, sit, down and this time I give her a light shove on her shoulder and say 'over' (she does not know this command yet). To my amazement she stayed there on her side. I moved in and started sanding; by the time I was done with her two back paws Z almost looked asleep. I looked at my wife who was in the kitchen and said wow, did you see that? :shocked:

Next we need to get back to dog on dog work… my wife is visiting friends up north, so Z and I will be spending lots of time together…
Your story is such a great reminder that these things take time and patience. I've often read the key to teaching a dog new tricks is to break the process down into individual steps and address them one at a time. You seem to have done that and achieved good results. Bravo!

[angiefox10]

Awww What a wonderful story!

What a wonderful thing you are doing.

Thank you!
Angie Fox

[ajbrown]

I know what you are thinking... another post already... Z was too adorable yesterday to not share.

A couple of weeks ago a typical FL downpour started. Z gets up and casually goes under the end table in a corner of the room between a chair and a couch (thunder cave).

I was surprised as there was no thunder just wind and rain. I opened the lanai door a bit and called her and she came over. She would not even look out the door never mind go out. I went out she went back to the cave and slept.

This leads up to yesterday. First she had a long ‘detoured’ ride to Chatham from Mallory, then spent a couple of hours in my step mom’s HOT garage watching me work on a golf cart. On the way home, I took her down to the Polo Field to let her run. She does not run wild, she will heel to the cart so she is never far away. I can allow her off leash when there is no one around. I can see someone coming from a quarter mile away and if someone comes she goes back on leash.

Yesterday, she never did run, we were just hanging out walking around off leash about 50 feet from cart when a distant thunder could be heard. With no panic or rush, Z simply turns to the cart and walks back and hops in. I laugh when I see her do this like if she goes slow enough no one can see her. One time I called her and she came out of the cart all the way to me long enough for me to say ‘good come’ and then she walked back.

She is not in a state of panic, not panting, licking licks or shaking… I called her again and this time she would not come. This is the first time she has done that for quite a while, but it is understandable in this situation. I could have headed home, but the storm was distant and right or wrong I felt this was a moment to help her and learn more about her (selfishly I was hoping she would poop so I could drop it in the poop canister :evil6:).

I put the leash on her (normal collar) and gave her a slight tug to get her started and off we went, as we walked we heard another distant rumble, and I could feel her try to turn on the leash. I do not even look at her and keep going which she follows :2excited:. Again we are about 50ish feet from the cart, no one around, so I take her off the leash. She walks around a bit but then ‘sneaks’ back to the cart. This time as she was about half way back I head out another 20 feet and hide behind one of the big trees on the edge of the driveway that runs around the property.

I was extremely curious what she would do. I peeked out from behind the tree and she was standing next to the cart looking back trying to find me. She then started sprinting to where I last was and as she approached I popped out and she came over with a big tail wag. She is always such a happy dog.

If you are familiar with the Polo Field, I cross over the driveway towards where the horse fields are and still off leash, she follows. We walk around a bit, I could not hear any more thunder and she finds a spot and … well you know… We head back to the cart, drive over and drop off her payload and head for home.

To top the day off as we head back to Mallory we were caught in a heavy downpour. She managed just fine.

There is no point to this post, Z is not ‘cured’ of thunder, I just found Z adorable through all of the drama.

[CFrance]

" I laugh when I see her do this like if she goes slow enough no one can see her."

I love this story, especially the part quoted above. We had a big black fluffy dog when I was a kid, and he would hide his head behind a tree if he didn't want to come inside when my mother called him. His whole body from the neck back sticking out, but he thought he was hiding!

[goldendog]

Nice to see that "Z" and you are bonding nicely while I am away!

[ajbrown]

Just when I was beginning to think I knew what I was doing with Z an event happens that reminds you things are never easy and require more effort…

Z and I were down the Polo Field again like many days, parked on the driveway furthest from Buena Vista by the horses.

I go there to do off leash training with Z. We stay off the polo field, between the driveway and horse fence. It is a place that there are no cars, I can ensure there is no other people and there is no danger for her.

She was doing her exercise, walk/trotting next to the cart off leash. She is off leash so that at the end of the exercise I speed up and she falls behind and begins to sprint. This time she was exercising off leash ‘cart heeling’ when out of the Polo field comes a dog with no human. I knew I was in trouble as Z is just in the 4th grade when it comes to off leash work and other dogs. As soon as I saw the dog I stopped the cart and it was too late; the chase was on. I could not break Z’s mindset, At the top of my lungs I yelled her name, come and stop (a command I have not taught her). I was just trying to break her attention with any sound I could.

As I run after her my brain flashes odd thoughts, the first is Z is going to eat this dog and it is my fault, followed by should I contact TOTV person angiefox about a lost dog, what kind of dog is it I ponder. The things the brain considers under stress are pretty humorous (after the fact). The whole chase only went about 50 – 60 feet. My worst fears were not realized. Z, with hair on back raised caught the other dog and they stood next to each other facing in opposite directions (head to tail). I was about 20 feet away and approaching making lots of noise; hardly calm assertive…

The silver lining is that Z did not attack the other dog, she just loved the chase. I suspect the other dog was submissive. My wife has seen this behavior at the SPCA when Z goes to visit other dogs.

After 5 to 10 seconds the other dog headed away towards the poop bucket and Z wanted to follow. I was fortunate she finally heard me, not sure if it was my clapping or my yelling, but she stopped and I was able to get her to come. If I was 20 years old I would have whacked her upside the head (relax, it is just an expression), but after many dogs and life experiences it was clear to me that if anyone should be whacked upside the head it would be me.

It looked to me like the dog found its handler in a car down by the poop bucket. The incident happened about half way down the polo field.

So… instead of admonishing anyone, I collected myself and Z and I completed her ‘cart heel’ exercise (on leash) and worked on sit, stay, come off leash. I need to get her non distracted commands much better, and then slowly start with distracted commands. For example sit/stay and have a dog walk by… we are not ready.

[Mrs. Robinson]

My heart was pounding mid-stream in your dialogue and I couldn't read fast enough to know what happened next with the "intruding other dog!"

Whew!

Three cheers and two beers; all's well that ends well.

[CFrance]

In a similar vein, one of the hardest things I've ever had to do surrounding care for a dog is when they accidentally get outside free, or escape their leash. Chasing them does not work. And they're usually romping around the street. We never had a dog with any kind of traffic sense.

Sitting down on the ground is what brought them back. In both cases, each dog was so surprised that I would do something so odd, he came over to see what was up, and I was then able to grab the collar.

Of course, this wouldn't have worked with Z because she was focused on another dog . But I know well the panic you must have felt.

[ajbrown]

So many folks with so much experience following and commenting on this thread is great...

I learned to not chase a dog running away, but to go away from the dog to make it change its behavior. In this case Z could have cared less about me because of the other dog... but thankfully, no harm no foul...

[ajbrown]

With all the worry... how about some calm...

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af146/ajbrown2007/totv/94dae1f8-f1b7-40d5-b1f4-c48c81ca2338_zpsvyekljst.jpg (http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/ajbrown2007/media/totv/94dae1f8-f1b7-40d5-b1f4-c48c81ca2338_zpsvyekljst.jpg.html)

Not sure why my image tag above did not insert photo... will investigate.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af146/ajbrown2007/totv/94dae1f8-f1b7-40d5-b1f4-c48c81ca2338_zpsvyekljst.jpg

[Barefoot]

Is Z anxious about the impending storm?

[ajbrown]

Obviously not yet from the picture :)

It will be interesting to watch her. From experience I know when it downpours and she hears it on the roof she drifts under a coffee table in the corner of the living room.

I am sure if we get the rain, wind and thunder as forecasted, she will be there.

She is not panicked under there, she just sleeps. My job which may be challenging in this event is to pretend things are normal...

[Mrs. Robinson]

Obviously not yet from the picture :)

It will be interesting to watch her. From experience I know when it downpours and she hears it on the roof she drifts under a coffee table in the corner of the living room.

I am sure if we get the rain, wind and thunder as forecasted, she will be there.

She is not panicked under there, she just sleeps. My job which may be challenging in this event is to pretend things are normal...

Getting her out to "go" with the rain and wind will be another test, I suspect.

My thoughts are with all dog owners right now.
Our "twinkle toes" gals don't even like a drizzle!

[ajbrown]

She just went out and peed. I am amazed she is not in the 'cave', but just sleeping away in the living room.

I am taking credit for this behavior :a20:

[Mrs. Robinson]

She just went out and peed. I am amazed she is not in the 'cave', but just sleeping away in the living room.

I am taking credit for this behavior :a20:

Well deserved credit, I might add!
:BigApplause:

[lovsthosebigdogs]

I think one of my woosie dogs will pee on Tuesday when the sun comes out. The other one is perfect and does anything mom tells him to do. I love reading all your tales of Z. I have fostered over 100 dogs, mostly greyhounds, but you sound like you are doing an amazing job. Kuddos!.

[ajbrown]

We did not feel like walking around the yard in the wind/rain. Z and I have been caught in several storms in the golf cart lately (one I should share), so I figured why not go for a ride? I put the sides down on the cart and we headed for a common area.

My lovely wife came along and did the hard work of walking Z for a few minutes until we had number 2. Picked it up and headed home.

As they did that, I was busy keeping the lights on in the cart :angel:

To be honest, riding in the cart was a lot nicer than I thought it would be after watching the news...

Z should be set for the night fingers crossed...

Be safe!

[ajbrown]

I think one of my woosie dogs will pee on Tuesday when the sun comes out. The other one is perfect and does anything mom tells him to do. I love reading all your tales of Z. I have fostered over 100 dogs, mostly greyhounds, but you sound like you are doing an amazing job. Kuddos!.

You are one of many folks on TOTV that has so much more to offer than I. I cannot imagine 100 dogs, I am hoping to foster two :)

[CFrance]

My poor foster got so nervous. (She's a bit of a nervous nelly to begin with.) She barked and barked. We went out with the big golf umbrella. She paced and paced and did her business. Then inside she paced and paced and had diarrhea, thankfully on a cheap throw rug. Then she threw up, on another throw rug. Then she had another episode of the former kind on the tile. She has now settled down, but we have blown up the aerobeds and are sleeping out in the great room because it's all tile. Well, I said I was sleeping out here, and next thing I know, my dear husband was dragging out another aerobed to stay with me.

The other golden is remarkably calm, probably because there's no thunder. I know we will not be going outside again until this is over. I also know he can hold it. Hopefully I will be able to get Annie out to either the lanai or the front porch.

[ajbrown]

My poor foster got so nervous. (She's a bit of a nervous nelly to begin with.) She barked and barked. We went out with the big golf umbrella. She paced and paced and did her business. Then inside she paced and paced and had diarrhea, thankfully on a cheap throw rug. Then she threw up, on another throw rug. Then she had another episode of the former kind on the tile. She has now settled down, but we have blown up the aerobeds and are sleeping out in the great room because it's all tile. Well, I said I was sleeping out here, and next thing I know, my dear husband was dragging out another aerobed to stay with me.

The other golden is remarkably calm, probably because there's no thunder. I know we will not be going outside again until this is over. I also know he can hold it. Hopefully I will be able to get Annie out to either the lanai or the front porch.

Bless you, good luck... that sounds so tough. I am shocked how calm things are here ... so far...

[CFrance]

Bless you, good luck... that sounds so tough. I am shocked how calm things are here ... so far...
So here's how sleeping on the aerobed is panning out...

Plus having to take Annie out three times because she still has the runs.:loco:

[ajbrown]

Cfrance, been there, good luck.

I was very worried about Z in this storm, but this is her at 1:35... Olympic sleeper :). I am quite surprised ...

[CFrance]

Aww, what a trooper!

[Mrs. Robinson]

So here's how sleeping on the aerobed is panning out...

Plus having to take Annie out three times because she still has the runs.:loco:

Ahhhh . . . a bed fit for the prince without the pea!

[Barefoot]

Cfrance, been there, good luck.

I was very worried about Z in this storm, but this is her at 1:35... Olympic sleeper :).
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/attachments/all-about-pets-120/71333d1505108762t-our-experience-foster-dog-20170911_012821-jpg

I am quite surprised ...
Excellent.

[BK001]

Your writing reminds me of Mitch Albom's book "Tuesdays with Morrie". Short, to-the-point, and leaves you wanting more. Thank you.

[Taltarzac725]

Z getting some zzzzs.

[ajbrown]

Your writing reminds me of Mitch Albom's book "Tuesdays with Morrie". Short, to-the-point, and leaves you wanting more. Thank you.

Amazing book... thank you so much, but my writing is not that :D

[TOTV Team]

This is an issue with photo bucket they went to a subscription program.

With all the worry... how about some calm...

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af146/ajbrown2007/totv/94dae1f8-f1b7-40d5-b1f4-c48c81ca2338_zpsvyekljst.jpg (http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/ajbrown2007/media/totv/94dae1f8-f1b7-40d5-b1f4-c48c81ca2338_zpsvyekljst.jpg.html)

Not sure why my image tag above did not insert photo... will investigate.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af146/ajbrown2007/totv/94dae1f8-f1b7-40d5-b1f4-c48c81ca2338_zpsvyekljst.jpg

[ajbrown]

This is an issue with photo bucket they went to a subscription program.

Thank you for the info. I was oblivious to Photobucket doing this. Now that know and I read about online, it sure p*ssed a lot of folks off.

[Taltarzac725]

Thank you for the info. I was oblivious to Photobucket doing this. Now that know and I read about online, it sure p*ssed a lot of folks off.

It seems when your Photobucket account gets a certain number of views they want $399 per year for a different kind of account for Third Part Hosting. Happened to me a few months ago. Your Photobucket account must be popular though.

[goldendog]

I took Z to her first obedience class yesterday. I was a little apprehensive as I didn’t know how many dogs would be there or how she would react. I arrived early and waited till 11 when the class was to begin. But no one showed. After another few minutes people were starting to leave, but then a trainer came out and said they would be starting late due to their being involved with assisting those in Puerto Rico. As the trainer approached the car, Z used her big girl voice and barked at him as he neared. That was a first for us both, though I never had been in the car with Z and waited for any period of time, usually it is in the car, drive to where we are going and out of the car.

So now class was to start and the trainer who was teaching the class just happened to be one who had helped Z before when she was at the SPCA. Just so he would be aware, I told him I was not sure how she would react to the other dogs as she sometimes barks when we are on walks.

So there were 5 dogs in total, 3 big shepherds, 1 golden and Z. We were told to have our dogs sit next to us as we sat in a chair and were then instructed to individually walk our dogs around the other dogs to see their reactions. Z did pretty good, not one bark or wayward glance. Next, they were to sit, down and stay on command. Z did fine on the sit, a little slow on the down, but did it, and I forgot to tell her to stay. She still needs work on these commands but in my opinion did the best of all the dogs.

Next, the trainer took Z and led her around to the other dogs close enough for them to sniff but no contact and she did fine, then he had her sit in front of each dog to see their reactions. I took a deep breath to calm myself and watched with anticipation. To all but one dog Z sat and turned her head away from the dog. The trainer said that was her way of saying, “I pose no threat and don’t want to fight”. I was excited. However, she came to Boris, a nice looking, stud of a shepherd, and actually looked at him and he looked at her; but not in a confrontational way. And the trainer said that Boris had great energy and that is why Z looked at him. I think she just liked him!

He said we found out one thing about Z today, she is not aggressive. If she acts out when meeting another dog it is more than likely the other dog sending nervous or excited energy and that is why she acts out. I was extremely happy to hear this!

Z came home and was so relaxed. My husband even commented on how relaxed she was.

All in all it was a good day for Z. I can’t wait to see what next week’s class is like.

P.S. Z was asleep on her bed by 8PM last nite!

[Mrs. Robinson]

I took Z to her first obedience class yesterday. I was a little apprehensive as I didn’t know how many dogs would be there or how she would react. I arrived early and waited till 11 when the class was to begin. But no one showed. After another few minutes people were starting to leave, but then a trainer came out and said they would be starting late due to their being involved with assisting those in Puerto Rico. As the trainer approached the car, Z used her big girl voice and barked at him as he neared. That was a first for us both, though I never had been in the car with Z and waited for any period of time, usually it is in the car, drive to where we are going and out of the car.

So now class was to start and the trainer who was teaching the class just happened to be one who had helped Z before when she was at the SPCA. Just so he would be aware, I told him I was not sure how she would react to the other dogs as she sometimes barks when we are on walks.

So there were 5 dogs in total, 3 big shepherds, 1 golden and Z. We were told to have our dogs sit next to us as we sat in a chair and were then instructed to individually walk our dogs around the other dogs to see their reactions. Z did pretty good, not one bark or wayward glance. Next, they were to sit, down and stay on command. Z did fine on the sit, a little slow on the down, but did it, and I forgot to tell her to stay. She still needs work on these commands but in my opinion did the best of all the dogs.

Next, the trainer took Z and led her around to the other dogs close enough for them to sniff but no contact and she did fine, then he had her sit in front of each dog to see their reactions. I took a deep breath to calm myself and watched with anticipation. To all but one dog Z sat and turned her head away from the dog. The trainer said that was her way of saying, “I pose no threat and don’t want to fight”. I was excited. However, she came to Boris, a nice looking, stud of a shepherd, and actually looked at him and he looked at her; but not in a confrontational way. And the trainer said that Boris had great energy and that is why Z looked at him. I think she just liked him!

He said we found out one thing about Z today, she is not aggressive. If she acts out when meeting another dog it is more than likely the other dog sending nervous or excited energy and that is why she acts out. I was extremely happy to hear this!

Z came home and was so relaxed. My husband even commented on how relaxed she was.

All in all it was a good day for Z. I can’t wait to see what next week’s class is like.

P.S. Z was asleep on her bed by 8PM last nite!

A wonderful recounting of one more "test."

Progress knows no boundaries!

[Barefoot]

She still needs work on these commands but in my opinion did the best of all the dogs.
Thanks for your detailed report, I very much enjoyed reading it.
And it's nice to hear the pride that Z is doing well -- it's attributable to the loving care and patience you and your husband show Z. :ho:

[CFrance]

Great account! It sounds like this will be a good experience for Z. Does this trainer give classes to the general public, or does he only work through the shelter?

[Rita M]

Thank you for sharing your experiences as they are helpful, yet entertaining! Sounds like Z is giving you an enjoyable time.

[goldendog]

Great account! It sounds like this will be a good experience for Z. Does this trainer give classes to the general public, or does he only work through the shelter?

I took her to Boondocks K-9 Search and Rescue. It is a free class offered to the public on Saturdays at 11AM. You just have to show up at their location in Sumterville.

[goldendog]

This week’s adventure started with our normal 4pm walk around the neighborhood to the post office and back through the neighborhood.

Everything was going fine and the walk was uneventful until…..we were going to cross the street to walk our final neighborhood home when I noticed a woman walking two dogs crossing the street heading in the same direction we were going. She had a small poodle and a collie. So to keep things calm I waited a little and held back giving them space for their walk.

As we cross the street to continue the walk I noticed the woman was slowing down and her dogs then spotted us and the poodle barked. Z does not like to be barked at so she barked back. I gave her my best Cesar “tsch” to correct her and said with me and we continued on.

The woman next stops at her house and walks to the garage with her dogs. So I decided they must be in the house or at least under control and continued to walk past. Then the little poodle comes racing out of the garage to the edge of his lawn barking away. Z starts to bark but I correct her and move forward to the opposite side of the street. The poodle, which is dragging its leash, is now coming into the street and running towards Z and barking. The woman tries to catch the poodle unsuccessfully, apologizing. I stopped so that she could catch the dog as it is a street well-traveled and did not want the dog to get run over.

I have now shortened the leash on Z and I noticed her hair on her back is rising up. And now to complicate things the collie comes charging out at Z from her backside. Z is being patient much to my surprise. I am holding on to her while a poodle is barking at her face and a collie is charging up from behind. I told the woman this was not good as Z was scared. She apologized and gathered her two dogs and Z and I proceed on our walk home.

I praised Z telling her she did well. As it could have been very ugly with the two dogs if Z had decided to stand her ground instead of being good.

[Barefoot]

The woman next stops at her house and walks to the garage with her dogs. So I decided they must be in the house or at least under control and continued to walk past. Then the little poodle comes racing out of the garage to the edge of his lawn barking away. Z starts to bark but I correct her and move forward to the opposite side of the street. The poodle, which is dragging its leash, is now coming into the street and running towards Z and barking. The woman tries to catch the poodle unsuccessfully, apologizing. I stopped so that she could catch the dog as it is a street well-traveled and did not want the dog to get run over.

I have now shortened the leash on Z and I noticed her hair on her back is rising up. And now to complicate things the collie comes charging out at Z from her backside. Z is being patient much to my surprise. I am holding on to her while a poodle is barking at her face and a collie is charging up from behind. I told the woman this was not good as Z was scared. She apologized and gathered her two dogs and Z and I proceed on our walk home.

I praised Z telling her she did well. As it could have been very ugly with the two dogs if Z had decided to stand her ground instead of being good.
Z did very, very well indeed!
Not many dogs would stay calm in that situation.
Our two dogs would be freaking out with excitement, not hostility. But freaking out nevertheless.
Good dog Z! And good training! :thumbup:

[CFrance]

Had you not given Z such good training, it might have ended differently. Good job! Nice that the owner of the two dogs realized the error and apologized. Sometimes dog owners get overly defensive, even if they're in the wrong.

Way to go, Z! And goldendog.:BigApplause:

I ascertain from both of all your posts that Z is on a fairly regimented schedule of walks and training. So hard to be consistent, but you two are very good at it. And I suspect it is doing Z well.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Good dog. Good dog. Whew!

[ajbrown]

I ascertain from both of all your posts that Z is on a fairly regimented schedule of walks and training. So hard to be consistent, but you two are very good at it. And I suspect it is doing Z well.

Not really regimented, likely comes across that was because we post examples.

I do like to work with her, but never scheduled and not that often. That said, life offers training opportunities all of the time. An example is every time I want to head out to garage she would follow. From day one we worked on teaching her she cannot follow out of the house without being invited. Now when I head to garage, she waits at threshold 90% of the time :)

A tough one we try periodically is greeting people at the front door. If someone knocks or rings bell she barks, this is good. What we work on is once we approach the door, we claim the door, we work with her to understand we own the door and whoever comes in. It is not until she is invited she can greet the guests. It is good to have friendly guests as it can take minutes until she calms down :) This is a very hard exercise for all of us, but if you do not get frustrated in can be fun to see her grow albeit slowly

We try to do all of this without talking, no names, no 'NO', , no "Stay', just by blocking and claiming and waiting for her to relax...

[Barefoot]

We try to do all of this without talking, no names, no 'NO', , no "Stay', just by blocking and claiming and waiting for her to relax...
You are a good lesson to a lot of dog people.
I hate to say it, but our house abounds with no's, stays and names!
When you get through training Z, would you like to try a rambunctious, excitable goldendoodle puppy?
And how about an extremely stubborn cairn terrier rescue?

[CFrance]

You are a good lesson to a lot of dog people.
I hate to say it, but our house abounds with no's, stays and names!
When you get through training Z, would you like to try a rambunctious, excitable goldendoodle puppy?
And how about an extremely stubborn cairn terrier rescue?

No!! I get him first, for the door thing. Ours doesn't bark when the bell rings or someone knocks, but no amount of blocking the door or the dog will keep him from "the greet." Oh, but there's time... he's only 10.

[ajbrown]

Easy now... I think you missed a word in my post... TRY.

I am as close to being a professional dog trainer as to being a professional tour golfer. That is not quite accurate, one could be in my reach with training and work :read:

Z and us have not mastered any of these, but it is fun to try...

[CFrance]

Easy now... I think you missed a word in my post... TRY.

I am as close to being a professional dog trainer as to being a professional tour golfer. That is not quite accurate, one could be in my reach with training and work :read:

Z and us have not mastered any of these, but it is fun to try...
Oh, rats! I thought you had the magic dog-at-door wand.:D

[Barefoot]

Easy now... I think you missed a word in my post... TRY.
I am as close to being a professional dog trainer as to being a professional tour golfer. That is not quite accurate, one could be in my reach with training and work :read:
Z and us have not mastered any of these, but it is fun to try...
You obviously get first prize for having mastered the art of staying calm.
And for your patience and consistency. :eclipsee_gold_cup:

[Mrs. Robinson]

Oh, rats! I thought you had the magic dog-at-door wand.:D

You obviously get first prize for having mastered the art of staying calm.
And for your patience and consistency. :eclipsee_gold_cup:

Anyone who owns a Golden is calm!:thumbup:

[ajbrown]

I am up in MA for a long weekend; goodness I love the fall in MA but that is a different subject. MY lovely wife had to put down our cat today in my absence. It was a wonderful cat, but old. For reasons I cannot explain cats even nice ones do not attach to my heart like a dog, but I felt so bad for my wife. Not sure what Z will think about her missing ‘friend’ .... time will tell...I doubt it will be an issue…

New subject… Z poop story... we need another poop story right :)? This is just another example of how good this dog is...anyone would be lucky to have her.

Z is becoming part of our home for sure, she now sleeps in my office while I am working. This is new in the past month’ish. One day as I am working; in fact on a conference call, she leaves the office. In thirty seconds she comes back and walks around my legs then lays down behind my chair. Thirty seconds later she is up again and leaves the office and thirty seconds later she is back… This repeats three times…

It is at this point this dum*ss realizes this is not normal and I figure she is trying to tell me ‘we’ need to go out. I grab a leash and she is chomping at the bit. Chomping at the bit or not I still make her go out the door behind me. We get to the back yard and :censored:. Not to be too specific, but no bag would help, this required a hose.

This happened one more time that afternoon.

How a dog that we no little of her history would fight that hard to hold it is just another reason this is a special dog for some wonderful people…

[Mrs. Robinson]

I am up in MA for a long weekend; goodness I love the fall in MA but that is a different subject. MY lovely wife had to put down our cat today in my absence. It was a wonderful cat, but old. For reasons I cannot explain cats even nice ones do not attach to my heart like a dog, but I felt so bad for my wife. Not sure what Z will think about her missing ‘friend’ .... time will tell...I doubt it will be an issue…

New subject… Z poop story... we need another poop story right :)? This is just another example of how good this dog is...anyone would be lucky to have her.

Z is becoming part of our home for sure, she now sleeps in my office while I am working. This is new in the past month’ish. One day as I am working; in fact on a conference call, she leaves the office. In thirty seconds she comes back and walks around my legs then lays down behind my chair. Thirty seconds later she is up again and leaves the office and thirty seconds later she is back… This repeats three times…

It is at this point this dum*ss realizes this is not normal and I figure she is trying to tell me ‘we’ need to go out. I grab a leash and she is chomping at the bit. Chomping at the bit or not I still make her go out the door behind me. We get to the back yard and :censored:. Not to be too specific, but no bag would help, this required a hose.

This happened one more time that afternoon.

How a dog that we no little of her history would fight that hard to hold it is just another reason this is a special dog for some wonderful people…

I think the time has come to change this thread from a "foster dog" to "My four-legged son!"

Z os not only a wonder , but simply wonderful! :spoken:

[CFrance]

What happened with our foster, Annie the night Irma was approaching: We'd not had her very long, but long enough to know she was housebroken. At the time she was a very nervous dog, paced frequently and set to barking for seemingly no good reason, no matter how recently she had been taken out. I put her on a leash to restrict her pacing that Irma night, and sat on the floor with her, allowing her only the length of the leash. To be honest, I didn't want to go out in that wind and rain. She paced and paced, and finally ruined a throw rug.

Stupid me. I once read a book about a golden guide dog who had to be retired and so was given to a noted mystery author. At the time, they told him, "If this dog does anything wrong, it will be your fault." They had company over one evening, ignored the dog when she kept coming up to the author, until she finally peed in a corner. As they were chastising the dog and cleaning up, the author remembered the comment of the guide dog people and felt terrible.

I too felt terrible for Annie, although I didn't chastise her. My penance was taking her out in the storm four more times during the night. I had to throw the rug out. I think you are faster at the switch than I, ajbrown.

Annie is over the runs (took a week and a trip to the emergency vet day after the storm because everything else was closed). She has also become less anxious the longer she is with us. However, I'm not sure I've become any more perceptive!

Again, not trying to hijack your thread, but thought you might be interested in a similar story with a less fortunate outcome. :-(

[ajbrown]

<stuff snipped by Alan from OP>

Again, not trying to hijack your thread, but thought you might be interested in a similar story with a less fortunate outcome. :-(

Your post is anything but a hijack, it adds to the thread IMO. The more experiences the merrier...

[ajbrown]

Z has come a long way, but still:

barks at other dogs occasionally
pulls at the leash on occasion
wants to eat anoles
cannot always remain calm when folks come to the door
is not the brightest dog we have had ( to be fair, Caly set the bar pretty high)


Linda and I finally realize we are not doing the girl any good with our foster care and have decided to give up. Do not be too disappointing, it was harder that we thought.

As of today, she is now part of our pack. There is no way we could let her go anywhere else. She is so sweet it makes me smile every time I see her.

We are foster flunkies and pretty happy about it.

Z will now be referred to as K if I post more about her.

[Boomer]

Z has come a long way, but still:

barks at other dogs occasionally
pulls at the leash on occasion
wants to eat anoles
cannot always remain calm when folks come to the door
is not the brightest dog we have had ( to be fair, Caly set the bar pretty high)


Linda and I finally realize we are not doing the girl any good with our foster care and have decided to give up. Do not be too disappointing, it was harder that we thought.

As of today, she is now part of our pack. There is no way we could let her go anywhere else. She is so sweet it makes me smile every time I see her.

We are foster flunkies and pretty happy about it.

Z will now be referred to as K if I post more about her.


You are keeping her!! YAY! Double, triple YAY!

There have been so many times when I had to keep myself from typing, “Hey! That dog adores you and wants so much to please you! Please, please keep her.”

Thanks for the happily ever after tale/tail! :)

[CFrance]

OMG! I thought you meant you were giving her back, and I was prepared to say how good you should feel about your help and how hard you tried. But this is the greatest failure ever!

So I suspect she is a wonderful coffee liqueur, and you and your wife are saints.:a040:

[graciegirl]

I have always liked you to pieces AJ. Now I like you and Linda even more.

Wishing you continued happiness.

[JSR22]

I am 100% delighted that she is a permanent family member!

[Ecuadog]

Good for you and Linda. Good for Miss K. All is right with the world.

[Taltarzac725]

Z has come a long way, but still:

barks at other dogs occasionally
pulls at the leash on occasion
wants to eat anoles
cannot always remain calm when folks come to the door
is not the brightest dog we have had ( to be fair, Caly set the bar pretty high)


Linda and I finally realize we are not doing the girl any good with our foster care and have decided to give up. Do not be too disappointing, it was harder that we thought.

As of today, she is now part of our pack. There is no way we could let her go anywhere else. She is so sweet it makes me smile every time I see her.

We are foster flunkies and pretty happy about it.

Z will now be referred to as K if I post more about her.

That is such a great thing to hear. :a040:

[plimit56]

How wonderful! Nothing better than being a foster failure! Happy...Happy!!

[rufflesmom]

:a040:Z has come a long way, but still:

barks at other dogs occasionally
pulls at the leash on occasion
wants to eat anoles
cannot always remain calm when folks come to the door
is not the brightest dog we have had ( to be fair, Caly set the bar pretty high)


Linda and I finally realize we are not doing the girl any good with our foster care and have decided to give up. Do not be too disappointing, it was harder that we thought.

As of today, she is now part of our pack. There is no way we could let her go anywhere else. She is so sweet it makes me smile every time I see her.

We are foster flunkies and pretty happy about it.

Z will now be referred to as K if I post more about her.



Like many others here I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts of "Z" and each milestone you reached together with great enjoyment. I cannot tell you how much I looked forward to each of your posts as well as others here that have shared their experiences. I too have a shelter pup that I have had since the summer of 2009. I love her dearly and yes-even after all this time all she has to do is look at me with those beautiful big eyes and I just melt. She knows it too! Thank you so very much for sharing your experience with your wonderful pup! We loved it!!! Thank you and your wife for taking her in and giving her a wonderful and loving home!!! I am jumping up and down with happiness for she will always have a forever home with lots of love!! I can't stand it-I'm so happy! Another pup that went from an orphan with a grim looking future to a safe and loving home!! HOOORRAYYYYYY!!!! Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

[Barefoot]

As of today, she is now part of our pack. There is no way we could let her go anywhere else. She is so sweet it makes me smile every time I see her.
I have been so worried about what would happen to Miss K when you returned her to the shelter.
She obviously adores and trusts you and Linda.
I am so very happy to hear she is now part of your pack.
That is the best news ever!
I join Rufflesmom in saying thank you, thank you, thank you!
You are a good and loving couple. :bowdown:

[Mrs. Robinson]

Three cheers and two beers!
I couldn't be happier for the three of you, but especially your little girl.
As you might recall, before you got Miss K, I had gone out to the Humane Society to see if adopting her would work.
I went out with my pups and it was a disaster. No need to go into any details.
In thinking back, had that experience been okay, we never would have been able to give her the attention she needed and deserved.
You did and it worked!
I'm currently all choked up thinking all's well that ends well.
I am so happy to hear the news and all the right words evade me right now.

[ajbrown]

Stuff snipped by Alan

As you might recall, before you got Miss K, I had gone out to the Humane Society to see if adopting her would work.
I went out with my pups and it was a disaster. No need to go into any details.


Of course I recall and appreciated you answering any question I had about Kalu (pronounced Kay Lou)

For all the rest of the replies, thank you so much. They are so kind. The reality is you give us praise for things you folks already do, so right back at you.

To be clear you may not be rid of us yet. My wife always says I like to hear myself 'talk' :D

[ajbrown]

K is getting pretty good at tug of war and it is a great way to teach 'drop'.


Picture of K with toy (https://vgy.me/A5hH1p.jpg)

https://vgy.me/A5hH1p.jpg

[ajbrown]

I cannot figure out how to embed a pic like I could do from photobucket (figured out how to embed).

Who needs a pillow? (https://imgur.com/a/Ag67W)

https://i.imgur.com/QccUlGS.jpg

[CFrance]

K is getting pretty good at tug of war and it is a great way to teach 'drop'.


Picture of K with toy (https://vgy.me/A5hH1p.jpg)

https://vgy.me/A5hH1p.jpg
What a cutie, and I love her ears!

Our command for "drop" is "leave it." We once had a talking bird, Isa. When we got Isa, our former golden was a ripe old age, very calm. Isa could land on him and he would just look at him and sigh, "Dang, there's a bird on me. Oh well..." So Isa wasn't afraid of Bear.

Fast forward; Bear passes on, and we get Crosby. Isa is not afraid of Crosby (why should he be, he's the same color, just smaller), but young Crosby thought Isa was a chew toy.

I put Isa's travel cage on the floor, door closed, and spent hours with Crosby teaching "Leave it." I had no choice--it was a crash course. I would say Leave it when he looked at Isa, and treat him when he looked away. It took two weeks.

I enjoyed teaching that command more than any other training. I think because there was always a treat at the end. After a year, Isa could land on Crosby, and I could let Isa's wings grow out.

When Crosby gave up on Isa he graduated to socks, by the way. That Leave it command for socks usually resulted in a staring contest that lasted a minute before he complied. I was taught you should only say the command once.

Crosby's slowing down now. Every once in awhile, I wish he would steal some socks.

[ajbrown]

Cfrance, nice post with some good training techniques for all of us to follow...

[Boomer]

I cannot figure out how to embed a pic like I could do from photobucket (figured out how to embed).

Who needs a pillow? (https://imgur.com/a/Ag67W)

https://i.imgur.com/QccUlGS.jpg


Ah, yes, the foot pillow. :)

When Annie got really old, she lost her hearing completely. She could not hear anything.

We then noticed that she seemed to use the foot pillow more and more often.

We thought it was so sweet.

But eventually we realized that because she was by then completely deaf, using the foot pillow was how she knew if we got up and possibly could be heading to the kitchen. —

— Yes. We shared a little bit of people food sometimes — a little cracker, a little cheese, holding an apple for her so she could trim the last bites around the core. (I know there are dog owners who think it is terrible to share people food. But it was not all kinds. And she mostly ate regular dog food that came from the vet. Besides, she lived more than 16 years so we must have done something right.)

Thanks for the sweet memory of the foot pillow and how its use evolved over all those years with Annie.

[ajbrown]

Boomer, another really nice post. The way I treat my dogs, as long as a dog in not begging, a 'people food' treat is nice; especially if they earn it with a 'sit' or down'...

It strikes me, with all of the threads on TOTV, it would not be terrible for a new thread along the lines of "My dog stories"

Not sure many folks would follow, but I suspect there are so many good stories that many people would enjoy...

[Schaumburger]

Kalu is one lucky dog! Great news. :)

[Boomer]

Boomer, another really nice post. The way I treat my dogs, as long as a dog in not begging, a 'people food' treat is nice; especially if they earn it with a 'sit' or down'...

It strikes me, with all of the threads on TOTV, it would not be terrible for a new thread along the lines of "My dog stories"

Not sure many folks would follow, but I suspect there are so many good stories that many people would enjoy...



Oh my! Here you have over a 170 replies and more than 11,000 hits.

You know — this thread is kind of like a “baby book” for K because it is a record of all the important steps she has been taking along the way to becoming a part of your family — for real. :)

The thread is coming to an end, but I have to wonder if for sentimental reasons, you might want to print it and put it in a folder or binder.

If that idea appeals to you, there is a “Thread Tools ” tab on the green bar, at the top of the page, below the page numbers. That tab will drop down to give you a printable version. — in case you did not know that and in case you are a dinosaur like me who likes a hard copy of some things. (This just might empty your printer though.)

[Mrs. Robinson]

Excellent, excellent post, Boomer.
Many posters were not aware of this, present company included.
Thank you from all of us!

[marianne237]

Thank you for your wonderful stories of Kalu and her training...and for posting a picture of her. That is the cherry on the top. I kept wondering what she looked like.

[Barefoot]

K is getting pretty good at tug of war and it is a great way to teach 'drop'.


Picture of K with toy (https://vgy.me/A5hH1p.jpg)

https://vgy.me/A5hH1p.jpg
I love K's feet! She is very bright and alert in this picture.

[ajbrown]

The thread is coming to an end, but I have to wonder if for sentimental reasons, you might want to print it and put it in a folder or binder.

If that idea appeals to you, there is a “Thread Tools ” tab on the green bar, at the top of the page, below the page numbers. That tab will drop down to give you a printable version. — in case you did not know that and in case you are a dinosaur like me who likes a hard copy of some things. (This just might empty your printer though.)

Coming to an end? We will see :)

I was unaware of that feature, thank you. I am not a paper person, but it is a nice way to review a whole thread or share with friends that are not on TOTV.

[spk7951]

Coming to an end? We will see :)

I was unaware of that feature, thank you. I am not a paper person, but it is a nice way to review a whole thread or share with friends that are not on TOTV.

Glad to see how this has worked out for all three of you. I am sure K is very much enjoying her new life.

You should be able to save this thread as a PDF file. As Boomer suggested open the thread in print view, then right click anywhere to bring up the menu with print and other options. When you select print the next page to open may have a default destination to your printer but there should be a Change function which should allow you to save as a PDF onto your computer rather than printing it out.

[ajbrown]

Glad to see how this has worked out for all three of you. I am sure K is very much enjoying her new life.

You should be able to save this thread as a PDF file. As Boomer suggested open the thread in print view, then right click anywhere to bring up the menu with print and other options. When you select print the next page to open may have a default destination to your printer but there should be a Change function which should allow you to save as a PDF onto your computer rather than printing it out.

Yep. I had done that after learning about the feature to send to folks back 'home'. I am sure they will be thrilled reading the whole thread...

Much like a friend having you over for slides after ther trip :D

[ajbrown]

My favorite gifts this year (sorry honey :)).... the painting and the sweet dog.

[JSR22]

I have chills! The best story ever love going both ways!

[Abby10]

My favorite gift this year (sorry honey :)).... the painting and the sweet dog.

Two great gifts that come complete with lasting, loving memories.

Merry Christmas!

[ajbrown]

Been almost a year since the post in this link, where 'Z' showed aggression towards a friend's dog.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/1388826-post39.html

Last week Miss K stayed at that friend's house (with the same dog) while we traveled north. No issues... 'selfish Alan' can travel again :)

K has changed so much in this journey I am scared my wife will show up with a second one :oops:

[Taltarzac725]

Been almost a year since the post in this link, where 'Z' showed aggression towards a friend's dog.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/1388826-post39.html

Last week Miss K stayed at that friend's house (with the same dog) while we traveled north. No issues... 'selfish Alan' can travel again :)

K has changed so much in this journey I am scared my wife will show up with a second one :oops:

So glad that K is doing very well. It took me a long time to figure out Z was actually K.

[CFrance]

Been almost a year since the post in this link, where 'Z' showed aggression towards a friend's dog.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/1388826-post39.html

Last week Miss K stayed at that friend's house (with the same dog) while we traveled north. No issues... 'selfish Alan' can travel again :)

K has changed so much in this journey I am scared my wife will show up with a second one :oops:
Uh-oh, you better not travel then!

Such a great story.

[Barefoot]

Been almost a year since the post in this link, where 'Z' showed aggression towards a friend's dog.

Last week Miss K stayed at that friend's house (with the same dog) while we traveled north. No issues... 'selfish Alan' can travel again :)

K has changed so much in this journey I am scared my wife will show up with a second one :oops:

Such a wonderful, sweet love story.

[Mrs. Robinson]

You have earned the blue ribbon and so very well deserved!

The "K" also stands for Kudos!