Our experience with a foster dog
 

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?

Catching up slowly...
 

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.

Bless your heart, ajbrown.:o

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 !

Can be rewarding
 

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.

Amusing read
 

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

Still catching up...
 

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 . 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.

Love this post
 

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

Are you just teasing me <lol>?

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:

You are a good man, AJ Brown.

Hoping for a happy ending.

Also enjoying this adventure.

OK, all caught up...
 

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 :)

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

"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.

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!

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

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:

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. :)

"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.

Tug
 

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

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.

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...

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.

Love this post aj
 

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.

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!

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.

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:

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...

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.