Grumpy Teddy Bear
September 22nd, 2008
Filed in: Uncategorized
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.
