Life on the Leash

Oh, Bodie.

Bodie’s has an unusual issue. He hates hates hates windshield wipers. Bodie’s person works at a local vet clinic - one that happens to send a fair number of new clients my way - so I was more than happy to stop by one sunny (thankfully) afternoon to help out.

We had an audience as we began working in the back parking lot … seems Bodie’s car-based freak outs were legendary around the office.

“Wait till you see it!” they crowed.

“Oh, but I don’t want to,” I replied.

Although I’m sure it would have been entertaining to witness Bodie in kill-or-be-killed mode, I made sure that we kept him low key for the entire session. Once a dog tips over into extreme reactivity, all hope of progress is lost. That adrenaline coursing through the body short circuits the ability to process anything other than fight or flight … think about it; would you be able to learn a new skill after being confronted by something unnerving or scary? “Ok, the masked intruder is gone now. Time to memorize the Gettysburg Address!”

We took it very slow with Bodie … got him used to getting in and out of the car (often a freak-out trigger), got him comfortable with the usual sights and sounds of car travel (ditto) and made sure to reward him with hot dogs for keeping his cool. I wanted Bodie to think, “This car stuff is easy! I get hot dogs for doing nothin’!”

We had a very successful first lesson … “freaky Bodie” did not make an appearance!

“Whirly is a great model,” my new client told me as I unpacked my camera.

I’ll say! Whirly the six month old JRT posed like a pro for me. Taking a page from ANTM, let’s break down Whirly’s many “looks.”

“Catalog”:

“Commercial”:

“Couture”:

Just to keep me guessing, she threw a little “Pret a Porter” my way as well:

Hooray, summer is over!

I’m back to writing the book on the porch again now that sweaty season is officially over … I’m nearly done with part 2, so I took red pen in hand and did some editing over lunch. (That Noodle Salad is amazing … try it!)

Zeke and Sum joined me outside. Zeke kept throwing me looks from the ground. “Really? You really want me to lay on this crappy little thing? I’m sick, you know.”

I’m such a sucker. Two seconds later I brought him up on the chair with me and he got to work “making” his bed. (Notice his unsteady back right leg.)

Before I knew it he’d taken over.

Not everyone was happy about Zeke’s special privileges, though …

I gave Sum lots of extra hugs to make up for the comfort discrepency.

I’m happy to report that Zeke is still doing well. The neurologist said I need to think about “what will happen next,” since the steroids can only slow the tumor’s progression for so long.

What will happen next? Another good day with my little man.

I’m in the middle of a “training trend.”

Sometimes I’ll have a breed trend, where, because of the way the stars aligned, I spend a month working only with one breed, like Greyhounds. Sometimes it’s a location trend, where every client lives within a mile of each other. Right now the trend is based on behavior: I’m seeing a ton of “reactive” dogs.

There was Maxie the Grumpy Teddy Bear, and these two … lovely Lola:

And handsome Henry:

Both lessons had us prowling the streets of DC, looking to hone our “be kind to strangers” skills on unsuspecting canine victims. Of course, as is always the case, the streets were deserted, and we wound up chasing every shadow that resembled a dog so that I could demonstrate how to deal with the reactivity. We had more luck in Lola’s neighborhood - she lives close to a very popular dog park.

She rocked it. We were all impressed with her ability to focus on us instead of the dogs leaving the park.

We weren’t as lucky in Henry’s neighborhood … we never got close enough to any dogs to really dive in to the meat of the technique. It bummed me out, but it’s par for the course … I show up and every other dog disappears.

Henry has a very sweet, very old sister who charmed the dog out of me. She’s sick, but she didn’t let on:

I think the surly dog season is coming to an end … I don’t see any others on the books. But I wonder - what’s next? The fluffy white dog trend? The boxer trend? (Yes please!)

Stay tuned …

Maxie looks like a love, but he’d prefer you keep your hands to yourself.

I met with Maxie to help him brush up on his social graces. He can be a little, uh, rude to folks who pass him on the street or try to connect with him.

He’s six years old and he’s been with his people for about a month. His eye? No one knows.

Maxie’s people are doing double-duty from now on … they have to help Maxie feel comfortable passing people on the street through counter conditioning (people = treats), and they need to act as his advocate and tell pushy but well-meaning folks to back off. (”It’s ok,” these clueless people say, “Dogs love me!” Meanwhile they fail to notice that the dog is nearly foaming at the mouth as they approach. Grrr.)

Maxie rocked it - we didn’t see one surly outbreak during the entire lesson, which is always the goal when addressing a reactive behavior.

Zeke update: He’s holding steady. (Well, not literally. He’s still really tippy.) There are moments when I think, “He’s faking it - the guy is totally normal!” Then he wanders off and gets lost in a bush.

I had my first session with Hazel the Newfie today …

(Yes, that’s her tongue hanging out on the right side. Automatic cuteness points.)

We started off strong (it seemed like she was digging me - I have the appreciative slobber on my clothing to prove it) but half way through the lesson she just … gave up. Like, “Hot dog? Eh, keep it. I’m going to take a break over here.”

It happens. The first lesson can be weird, as I’ve mentioned before.

We’ll see what she thinks next time … will she be game for the tough stuff to come in lesson two?