We went off today for our usual dog walk. It was the first real opportunity to test out new found skills on passing by other dogs We found ourselves with plenty to practice on and our first chance was with Collin the Collie, Sonny's nemesis! Sonny has always reacted very intensely to this particular dog. Being a collie, his body language is quite intimidating as he tends to adopt a 'stalking' pose whenever he sees Sonny. Fortunately his owner is very affable and always jokes he doesn't know if Sonny just doesn't like him or, his dog.
So today, there we are walking along a narrow path and there is Colin. Quick as a flash I began my zigzagging behaviour as I realised that if I just used the triangle this time, Sonny would have too much time to fixate. Off we go up and down up and down, Sonny is wrong-footed, somewhat perturbed that I am actually walking TOWARDS this dog rather than away from it as I normally would. That I am not pulling him on the lead, yanking him or anything else ineffectual I might have tried in the past. Sonny's is breathing hard, I can tell he's trying his best to hold it together....and HE DOES! We are past the dog with no lunging, barking, yelping behaviour, what a result!!! I am elated and my partner and I do a high five. This feels like a massive shift for us all.
We move on meeting various other dogs in different circumstances, and I am walking tall, head up, striding forward. For the first time in 10 YEARS I am outside with my dog, feeling happy, confident and not living in fear of what might come around the corner.
I am by no means saying that Sonny is cured, I am sure we will continue to have good and bad times, but we are finally on our way and that is the main thing.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Friday, 11 March 2011
What a result!
Last night I got in from dog training and lay down on the sofa and did not raise my head the whole night. Yesterday we did so much work and with so much exposure to other dogs I think I must have let go of a lot of anxiety, and Sonny, he slept well too!! Today we are upping the anti and continuing the work with various dogs in the trainer's pack. Did I mention she has 15 dogs? Everything from Great Dane to Chihuahua, mostly rescues.
Sonny is learning other skills today, excitable dogs, owners who are not taking any notice of their dogs on flexi leads, arrogant dogs with arrogant owners. How to meet a dog on a narrow path....mmm, interesting. What do we do here then? Remember the triangle manoeuvre we talked about? This time we are doing a sort of tacking motion from side to side, again this puts the dog off balance and in a 'follower' mode rather than trying to take over and being out in front. He manages it beautifully and now I'm beginning to feel more in control. Instead of anticipating the approaching hound, rather like learning the waltz, I'm having to concentrate on where my feet and body are supposed to go. Guess what, I don't feel nervous any more and because I can feel and see it working, my confidence is growing!
And by the end of the day, guess what this is the result...........I never thought I'd see it happen, but it has!!!!!!!
Monday, 7 March 2011
Bermuda Triangles
It's the first day of training and I'm feeling nervous, I didn't sleep that well. The prospect of being exposed to strange dogs with the 'whirling dervish' in tow is not something I look forward to. Off we set, both dogs in the back. We arrive at the trainer's house and we begin some work on the grassy verge nearby, introducing one dog after another (she has 15 by the way!) Sonny is being taught to 'avoid' using a particular kind of manoeuvre which I will call the Triangle. The purpose of this is to break eye contact and put him in a follower position.
We are given a different lead, a slim rope which slips over his head. We have used one in the past but it was much thicker. The purpose of this lead is to give us better feedback about what Sonny is doing. I am told not to look at the other dog and to focus on the tops of the telegraph pole ahead of me. I look around rather nervously. The ground is uneven and it has not been unknown for me to go face down in the presence of my dog. Is the woman quite mad? Does she not realise that I have a homing device for potholes and once managed to disappear down a hole and I might add, up to my knee in water whilst nonchalantly walking a path. Oh well, trying not to think about the possible weeks in traction that await me, I give it a go. The purpose of this stance is to look decisive and in command. I must admit it's a great relief not to be looking at what I fear, although it does give you quite an unnerving feeling as you are not quite sure whether the other dog is!!
We set off and Sonny does his usual launching himself in the direction of yet another canine adversary. We try again and again, interestingly the triangle manoeuvre seems to put him off balance. Once nearing being opposite to the other dog we are taught to veer off in the other direction. Returning on course again once we have past it. This is a strange feeling. If Sonny starts to strut his stuff I am to stop, gently pull the lead up and wait, looking up to the sky. Right now I'm beginning to realise that you can sort of feel him relax and then you similarly know when he is following you again. We continue to practise, eventually moving on from a triangle to a gentle curve till eventually being able to walk straight past the other dog. Once we have managed this, we walk alongside, noting how now both dogs are much more relaxed. The trainer has taught me how dog's not only mirror us and our feelings but also eachother. So, if another dog reads Sonny's behaviour as aggressive, it will similarly mirror this back to him. When the other dog is not reacting to him, this is a sign that Sonny is calming down. The walking alongside is a bonding activity, the starting to form a 'pack'.
We are given a different lead, a slim rope which slips over his head. We have used one in the past but it was much thicker. The purpose of this lead is to give us better feedback about what Sonny is doing. I am told not to look at the other dog and to focus on the tops of the telegraph pole ahead of me. I look around rather nervously. The ground is uneven and it has not been unknown for me to go face down in the presence of my dog. Is the woman quite mad? Does she not realise that I have a homing device for potholes and once managed to disappear down a hole and I might add, up to my knee in water whilst nonchalantly walking a path. Oh well, trying not to think about the possible weeks in traction that await me, I give it a go. The purpose of this stance is to look decisive and in command. I must admit it's a great relief not to be looking at what I fear, although it does give you quite an unnerving feeling as you are not quite sure whether the other dog is!!
We set off and Sonny does his usual launching himself in the direction of yet another canine adversary. We try again and again, interestingly the triangle manoeuvre seems to put him off balance. Once nearing being opposite to the other dog we are taught to veer off in the other direction. Returning on course again once we have past it. This is a strange feeling. If Sonny starts to strut his stuff I am to stop, gently pull the lead up and wait, looking up to the sky. Right now I'm beginning to realise that you can sort of feel him relax and then you similarly know when he is following you again. We continue to practise, eventually moving on from a triangle to a gentle curve till eventually being able to walk straight past the other dog. Once we have managed this, we walk alongside, noting how now both dogs are much more relaxed. The trainer has taught me how dog's not only mirror us and our feelings but also eachother. So, if another dog reads Sonny's behaviour as aggressive, it will similarly mirror this back to him. When the other dog is not reacting to him, this is a sign that Sonny is calming down. The walking alongside is a bonding activity, the starting to form a 'pack'.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Sonny the tester dog
It's been a long winter but the Spring is here and with it came renewed motivation to tackle my issues of meeting other dogs.
A few weeks back my partner and I had a tense conversation about the dog, him saying he felt we were not making progress and me saying how can I do more with him if I feel so scared? In short stalemate.
Soul searching and lots of hynotherapy, which has revealed some interesting truths about the issues around my fearful reactions, not always immediately obvious, have had some effect. However, the gaining exposure to other dogs and stopping the lunging behaviour was bugging the pair of us. I recognised that feeling that I had to do nothing when another dog came along, even if Sonny reacted, left me with a load of fear and a sense of disempowerment, not a good place to be.
Idly googling as usual I came back to a website that I had visited before and a trainer that had apparently got a large pack of dogs at her disposal. I decided to contact her really to find out if she would consider taking Sonny into her pack for a few weeks. I was really keen to see if he could learn how to build his confidence and remember the ancient language of dog something he had never seemed to learn to speak. She wrote back and told me that she could not take an aggressive dog into her pack but that she might be able to help, so this began a conversation about what we were doing in relation to canine encounters and her explaining a method that she used which was to teach him to avoid. She explained that within a wolf pack certain dogs have the role of being 'testers' they apparently travel out in front and scout for danger, if this was in Sonny's DNA there was nothing that we could do to change it, but there was a way we could teach him to use alternative strategies.
The prospect of getting Sonny to stop lunging after 10 years was' as you can imagine, an attractive prospect, however I felt a strong personal dilemma as I was already working with a very good trainer and the last thing I wanted to do was to upset her, I was also worried that I was just being a butterfly again, dipping in and out of training methods without really committing to anything. As Sally as previously told me some people just want you to put magic paint on the dog's tail to solve it's problems. Was I one of those people after all then?
After further talks we decided to give it a go and booked a holiday near the trainer's home. With two full days of training ahead, I was nervous the night before but actually found the method's reasonably easy to learn. Interestingly she introduced me to a friend of hers who had several highly excited dogs over which she clearly had no control. So Sonny was put through his paces well and truly with high, medium and low energy dogs. The first morning he was reacting as usual but gradually he began to calm down and by the end of the two days he was.... well you'll have to wait and see.
A few weeks back my partner and I had a tense conversation about the dog, him saying he felt we were not making progress and me saying how can I do more with him if I feel so scared? In short stalemate.
Soul searching and lots of hynotherapy, which has revealed some interesting truths about the issues around my fearful reactions, not always immediately obvious, have had some effect. However, the gaining exposure to other dogs and stopping the lunging behaviour was bugging the pair of us. I recognised that feeling that I had to do nothing when another dog came along, even if Sonny reacted, left me with a load of fear and a sense of disempowerment, not a good place to be.
Idly googling as usual I came back to a website that I had visited before and a trainer that had apparently got a large pack of dogs at her disposal. I decided to contact her really to find out if she would consider taking Sonny into her pack for a few weeks. I was really keen to see if he could learn how to build his confidence and remember the ancient language of dog something he had never seemed to learn to speak. She wrote back and told me that she could not take an aggressive dog into her pack but that she might be able to help, so this began a conversation about what we were doing in relation to canine encounters and her explaining a method that she used which was to teach him to avoid. She explained that within a wolf pack certain dogs have the role of being 'testers' they apparently travel out in front and scout for danger, if this was in Sonny's DNA there was nothing that we could do to change it, but there was a way we could teach him to use alternative strategies.
The prospect of getting Sonny to stop lunging after 10 years was' as you can imagine, an attractive prospect, however I felt a strong personal dilemma as I was already working with a very good trainer and the last thing I wanted to do was to upset her, I was also worried that I was just being a butterfly again, dipping in and out of training methods without really committing to anything. As Sally as previously told me some people just want you to put magic paint on the dog's tail to solve it's problems. Was I one of those people after all then?
After further talks we decided to give it a go and booked a holiday near the trainer's home. With two full days of training ahead, I was nervous the night before but actually found the method's reasonably easy to learn. Interestingly she introduced me to a friend of hers who had several highly excited dogs over which she clearly had no control. So Sonny was put through his paces well and truly with high, medium and low energy dogs. The first morning he was reacting as usual but gradually he began to calm down and by the end of the two days he was.... well you'll have to wait and see.
Friday, 14 January 2011
slow progress
It seems as though I'm not doing much doesn't it because I'm not giving you any feedback on what we're up to. However, steady progress has been made in some areas.
Before fearful of taking dog out on my own, partner nearly always walking him Now can take him out more on my own on road only
Before walking dog alone with headphones to distract fearful thoughts and give another focus if we met a dog Now able to walk dog without headphones using hypnotherapy techniques
Before use of tapping techniques to dissipate anxiety and calming 'mantra', worked to reduce anxiety in some situations Now able to use calming mantra without use of tapping, it has the same effect - result!
Before unable to tackle walking with partner and our other dog as both dogs kicked off if they met another dog Now walking dogs together is mostly ok but still feeling unable to tackle offroad walking and fearful of meeting dogs offlead, BUT walking ahead with other dog, separating my nervous energy from Sonny, focussing on dealing with the dog offlead, explaining situation to the other owner can help him and me to be less reactive!
Ongoing issues
My nervous reactions, which are very ingrained, mainly an issue when Sonny very reactive and lunging which I find very wearing,
Feeling confident to:
walk him offroad
deal with other dogs offlead without avoiding or fear
deal with walking in close proximity to people, he can still react aggressively even when the other person is some way away, and not just when he is with me
being suprised, people and or dogs emerging from turnings
Finding him a pack to mix with, does anybody want to take this on for 6 weeks so he can learn dog language and accept pack rules?
Before fearful of taking dog out on my own, partner nearly always walking him Now can take him out more on my own on road only
Before walking dog alone with headphones to distract fearful thoughts and give another focus if we met a dog Now able to walk dog without headphones using hypnotherapy techniques
Before use of tapping techniques to dissipate anxiety and calming 'mantra', worked to reduce anxiety in some situations Now able to use calming mantra without use of tapping, it has the same effect - result!
Before unable to tackle walking with partner and our other dog as both dogs kicked off if they met another dog Now walking dogs together is mostly ok but still feeling unable to tackle offroad walking and fearful of meeting dogs offlead, BUT walking ahead with other dog, separating my nervous energy from Sonny, focussing on dealing with the dog offlead, explaining situation to the other owner can help him and me to be less reactive!
Ongoing issues
My nervous reactions, which are very ingrained, mainly an issue when Sonny very reactive and lunging which I find very wearing,
Feeling confident to:
walk him offroad
deal with other dogs offlead without avoiding or fear
deal with walking in close proximity to people, he can still react aggressively even when the other person is some way away, and not just when he is with me
being suprised, people and or dogs emerging from turnings
Finding him a pack to mix with, does anybody want to take this on for 6 weeks so he can learn dog language and accept pack rules?
Friday, 24 December 2010
Christmas wishes
Yes I know I'm not blogging regularly at the moment. 1. Icy weather, when it's slippy underfoot the thought of trying to reign in a dog that's lunging at another dog is not great for your confidence, he can pull me over at the best of times. I wish I could stop him lunging it's wearing.
2. Bloody cold walking so find it hard to be out for long, I think I was probably a bear in a previous life. My desire to hibernate in the winter months is very strong. If I had my way I would draw the curtains in October and emerge when the bad weather was over! 3. A racking cough which is now on it's 4th week and making me feel wretched, I sound like old man Steptoe on a bad day! 4. Virtually not meeting other dogs or, as usual all untrained/dominant/generally lairy beasts. Poor Sonny, why can't he be surrounded by nice sensible non reactive dogs who could help him build his confidence!
This last week we've been trying him OFF medication to see how he would fare, in our view not much difference to his behaviour either way. Only thing I did notice was that his todger was sticking out again, this is possibly a sign of stress so whether this is a good enough reason to keep him on it, I don't know as the meds are hugely expensive if we have to keep them going over a long period. Will need to discuss this with Sally and get her advice on this.
Classic example of Sonny not exhibiting any common sense recently. A girl in the village has just got herself a very sweet Jack Russell pup. It is TINY, did Sonny react, yes he did. It's obvious he shows absolutely no judgement about what could be a danger to him or, me. Another day we past what is a habitually yappy Yorkie who is forever boundary-chasing in the garden. Glad I don't live next door! Whenever Sonny sees him, he goes mad. I thought that if we had been able to keep Sonny there long enough he would not have been able to react for ever and would eventually have to calm down. He tried all tactics, the usual bark and lunge. I put him in a sit, he would not take a treat, he would look at me, briefly, then he would start again. At one point he tried 'flight' tactics and appeared to be trying to climb up into my arms, that's when you really see his fear, poor lad. Unfortunately the yorkie was by now completely frantic and the owner came out to remove him, probably not best pleased that I was making his dog bark even more than usual. Hey ho, a missed opportunity for both of us to have more well behaved dogs, never mind.
Well the next few days are Christmas so hope all of you have a great time. Don't forget to keep all the grapes and chocolates well out of the dogs way as they can be lethal and you don't need an expensive vet bill to add to your Christmas financial burdens.
Sonny and I wish you all a Merry Christmas xxx
2. Bloody cold walking so find it hard to be out for long, I think I was probably a bear in a previous life. My desire to hibernate in the winter months is very strong. If I had my way I would draw the curtains in October and emerge when the bad weather was over! 3. A racking cough which is now on it's 4th week and making me feel wretched, I sound like old man Steptoe on a bad day! 4. Virtually not meeting other dogs or, as usual all untrained/dominant/generally lairy beasts. Poor Sonny, why can't he be surrounded by nice sensible non reactive dogs who could help him build his confidence!
Classic example of Sonny not exhibiting any common sense recently. A girl in the village has just got herself a very sweet Jack Russell pup. It is TINY, did Sonny react, yes he did. It's obvious he shows absolutely no judgement about what could be a danger to him or, me. Another day we past what is a habitually yappy Yorkie who is forever boundary-chasing in the garden. Glad I don't live next door! Whenever Sonny sees him, he goes mad. I thought that if we had been able to keep Sonny there long enough he would not have been able to react for ever and would eventually have to calm down. He tried all tactics, the usual bark and lunge. I put him in a sit, he would not take a treat, he would look at me, briefly, then he would start again. At one point he tried 'flight' tactics and appeared to be trying to climb up into my arms, that's when you really see his fear, poor lad. Unfortunately the yorkie was by now completely frantic and the owner came out to remove him, probably not best pleased that I was making his dog bark even more than usual. Hey ho, a missed opportunity for both of us to have more well behaved dogs, never mind.
Well the next few days are Christmas so hope all of you have a great time. Don't forget to keep all the grapes and chocolates well out of the dogs way as they can be lethal and you don't need an expensive vet bill to add to your Christmas financial burdens.
Sonny and I wish you all a Merry Christmas xxx
Sunday, 5 December 2010
We've been quiet for a while
We've been quiet for a while. The snow is falling and the icy roads do not make the dog walking any easier. A mixed bag of experiences over the last few weeks. Either not meeting any dogs or, meeting all the wrong ones. I have started some hypnotherapy sessions to help me manage my anxiety in relation to walking Sonny. If I can't take my own capacity to trigger him out of the equation he does not have much chance of rehabilitation.
I've only had one session so far so it's early days. I'm supposed to visual a confident me walking my dog, it's extremely hard to do but I'm working on it. In addition I'm supposed to tap various areas which apparently rebalances the meridians, I do find the effect calming but wonder if it works by distraction. Maybe I could get someone to kick me every time I see another dog, would the effect be the same? Anyway, if you see a mad woman tapping herself whilst walking along with a rather confused looking dog, it's probably me!
This weekend we were away so consequently had to walk Sonny in a different area, I dealt with this by separating myself from him and walking our other dog ahead of him if we encountered other dogs. This helps him distract onto where I am rather than the dog he is about to encounter. He did really well and even managed to pass a collie and 4 kids at close proximity, it just goes to show the more confident the handler the better he is. This is my mission to get to the point where I feel able to face these situations with him rather than avoiding them and giving that responsibility to other people but at least I got to see that he could do it,
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