I don't know if I mentioned it before, but a couple of months ago, I decided to consult with Dr. Perkins about Sydney's insecurities. Dr. Perkins has seen most of my dogs and limits her practice to acupuncture, chiropractic, and TCVM. I took Syd to see Dr. Perkins in hopes of some success from a "quiet the mind" type approach. An acupuncture treatment and an herbal supplement seem to have helped my girl. It did not surprise me at all to hear that by the definition in Eastern medicine, Syd is a "Fire" personality.
Last night, Syd went for a follow up visit to see Dr. Perkins and Syd was completely calm, no panting, no pacing, and accepted the acupuncture treatment with no stress or anxiety. Dr. Perkins was very pleased with Syd's progress, and it was nice to see Syd improved in yet another place where she had previously expressed anxiety.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Two Majors- First Weekend Back!
To say I'm speechless is an understatement! This weekend my girl really did me proud. Not only did she behave calmly and comfortably at the local Sunflower Kennel Club dog shows Saturday and Sunday, she won the 4 point major both days! How's that for getting back into the swing of things? :-) A huge thanks to co-owner/breeder Jacque Glenn for showing Syd like a superstar!Sunday, April 20, 2008
Keep on Ticking
It's been a while, but thought I'd update my blog so that I don't forget about the last couple of months. Syd continues to improve, with occasional steps backwards.
Because I'm showing Hawk frequently, Syd has been accompanying us on trips to the dog shows. I have not entered her *yet* but hope to get her out again soon. She has done very well at the shows. I try to be careful to get her out at times when I think it's not too overwhelming, and keep her feeling secure and safe at all times. She's done some snarking at strange dogs, but I am always cautious and careful about keeping Syd safe and under control and trying to be sure to distract her and keep her from stressing out in the first place.
In other venues, Syd has really improved. She finished her first session of beginning agility classes, and just finished the second level. She improves in her social skills every week. When we first started at agility, she liked being there, but was very nervous about other dogs. At the end of class, she's almost pull me to the door, ready to get outta there. I got to the point of giving her a short time out in her crate after about 20 minutes of class, so that she could settle down and have some private time. That worked really well for her, and I knew I had to try to work at a pace that was right for her.
Just in the last few weeks of class, I noticed that Syd could approach other dogs calmly, and without stress. Her confidence level in herself has really grown, and as we put together longer sequences of agility obstacles, I can see in her expression when she knows she's done something right. She loves toys and food, and she's a natural athlete with lots of drive, so she is an easy girl to motivate!
Because I'm showing Hawk frequently, Syd has been accompanying us on trips to the dog shows. I have not entered her *yet* but hope to get her out again soon. She has done very well at the shows. I try to be careful to get her out at times when I think it's not too overwhelming, and keep her feeling secure and safe at all times. She's done some snarking at strange dogs, but I am always cautious and careful about keeping Syd safe and under control and trying to be sure to distract her and keep her from stressing out in the first place.
In other venues, Syd has really improved. She finished her first session of beginning agility classes, and just finished the second level. She improves in her social skills every week. When we first started at agility, she liked being there, but was very nervous about other dogs. At the end of class, she's almost pull me to the door, ready to get outta there. I got to the point of giving her a short time out in her crate after about 20 minutes of class, so that she could settle down and have some private time. That worked really well for her, and I knew I had to try to work at a pace that was right for her.
Just in the last few weeks of class, I noticed that Syd could approach other dogs calmly, and without stress. Her confidence level in herself has really grown, and as we put together longer sequences of agility obstacles, I can see in her expression when she knows she's done something right. She loves toys and food, and she's a natural athlete with lots of drive, so she is an easy girl to motivate!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Back to the Dog Show!
Finally, after lots of work, trials and tribulations, Syd headed back to a dog show. Hawk was entered in Des Moines for their January show, and I decided to enter Syd. Thankfully, though, Don agreed to handle her, as I felt I would be a detriment to my dog. I knew I would be a nervous wreck, and I did not want to express that to my dog. The weekend went well. Syd was comfortable being with Hawk, and as a bonus her grandpa Harry was at the show, and she loves to hang out with him. Ringside she was more nervous, as there are usually more dogs crowded around. I thought Don did great with her, not allowing her to be stressed or act up. That is probably the best thing I did was to hand her off, as she got the picture from Don pretty quickly that there was no need and no place for misbehaving. He just has that way with the dogs, and if it had been me, Syd would likely have been a raving lunatic!
Sunday Syd was much calmer, and showed very well. She went RWB to a 4 point major, and I was just so thrilled to see her in the ring and comfortable. As an aside, I know my dog, and when she's stressed, her tongue is about 20 times it's normal size, lolling out the side of her mouth. VERY pretty... NOT!
So Syd survived, and I survived also! Hopefully things will continue to improve, and I'll be able to show her myself at some time in the future.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Look What the Big Brown Truck Brought Today!
Very exciting, the Big Brown Truck was here today, and delivered our highly anticipated new DVD. It's Susan Garrett's "Crate Games" dvd. No it's not specifically geared toward reactive dogs, but it's just something new for Syd to learn, and another avenue to build her confidence. All my dogs are good in crates, at home and on the road, but in no way are they the crate maniacs like the dogs trained this way. It looks like a great challenge, and I look forward to working on this with Syd and the other dogs.
Syd thinks the books are boring, but we also received the new Focus Not Fear book. That's for mom, although I'm sure Syd would be happy to chew on it a while. :-) No affiliation, but these came from dogwise.com
Syd thinks the books are boring, but we also received the new Focus Not Fear book. That's for mom, although I'm sure Syd would be happy to chew on it a while. :-) No affiliation, but these came from dogwise.com
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Is There ANYTHING Good about Tonight?
Tonight we had a very scary situation, unlike anything that's happened here before. And it just exemplifies the added challenge of working with a reactive dog in a multi-dog household. Pardon me while I take a deep breath, as I know for sure that I was the most traumatized by the explosion in the house.
I got home from work just a bit later than usual. Sydney has been going to work with me, and over lunch or in the early afternoon, we go for a walk and do a bit of training. The normal course of events when I arrive home is to put Syd in her crate to attend to the dogs that were left home during the day. Like clockwork, the other dogs went outside, and I started to prepare their supper. Supper involves heating up the chicken, getting various things out of the fridge (yogurt, probiotics, veggies), and setting up the bowls in a specific order on top of Syd's crate. Then I dispense the supplements and veggies, lastly adding the heated chicken to the bowls. I usually do this while the herd is still outside. Tonight they were impatient because I was running late.
I let everyone inside, and as I was shutting the back door, Syd started screaming. She had her toe stuck in her crate. The other dogs, frenzied for their supper and at the sound of the screaming Syd, started in our direction. I'm pretty sure an "Oh Sh*t" formed in my brain, as I was trying to free one dog and prevent the others from ganging up on Syd. Bree was first to arrive and grabbed Syd's thigh. She wasn't viciously attacking, but doing something I see freqently in corgis. Dart in, nab, and then back out. Repeat. I finally got Syd's foot free of the crate, and I just pulled her up with one hand, and swung her up as high as I could (I'm nearly 6 feet tall). Bree was still jumping trying to reach Syd, and Syd was snarling, growling, and generally acting like a furball of fury trying to defend herself. I could not blame her for her reaction to the situation this time.
The "joiners" were all barking and trying to get involved. Although my corgis are not typically the "go for the blood" types, the start of this event was a young dog screaming and yowling in pain, so I was not going to take any chances that things would escalate. It was definitely an adrenaline charged event. My corgi boys generally know when mom means business, and as soon as I could focus on them, I sent them OUT of the kitchen.
What good could possibly come of this situation??? Well, when Syd gets into her "mode" of snarly, ugly-face dog, she will NOT be deterred. Trying to get her attention has been an exercise in futility. Tonight, as Syd was snarling and trying to protect herself while hanging in mid-air above the gang of barking dogs, I called her name to try and get her to calm down. I was afraid I was going to drop her if she didn't calm down. I was so surprised when my ugly-faced dog stopped snarling and actually made eye contact with me. I was so happy with this breakthrough, in light of the massive fiasco that was NOT Syd's fault, I feel like my girl is definitely showing signs of rehabilitation.
The dogs all settled down, had supper, and none of them seems worse for wear. Surprisingly, Syd was quite subdued and submissive afterward, and we went outside and played ball for a bit to try and de-stress her. She acts fine, and I'm hoping that this won't be a huge setback for her.
All this goes to show that in a multi-dog household, the program to get Syd over her fears is going to be that much more of a challenge. And I have to be patient, and not get discouraged when Syd's program hits a roadblock. As I look at Syd at my feet, Hawk the Vallhund is licking Syd's face and ears. He's forever the nurturer, and always wants everyone to be happy.
I got home from work just a bit later than usual. Sydney has been going to work with me, and over lunch or in the early afternoon, we go for a walk and do a bit of training. The normal course of events when I arrive home is to put Syd in her crate to attend to the dogs that were left home during the day. Like clockwork, the other dogs went outside, and I started to prepare their supper. Supper involves heating up the chicken, getting various things out of the fridge (yogurt, probiotics, veggies), and setting up the bowls in a specific order on top of Syd's crate. Then I dispense the supplements and veggies, lastly adding the heated chicken to the bowls. I usually do this while the herd is still outside. Tonight they were impatient because I was running late.
I let everyone inside, and as I was shutting the back door, Syd started screaming. She had her toe stuck in her crate. The other dogs, frenzied for their supper and at the sound of the screaming Syd, started in our direction. I'm pretty sure an "Oh Sh*t" formed in my brain, as I was trying to free one dog and prevent the others from ganging up on Syd. Bree was first to arrive and grabbed Syd's thigh. She wasn't viciously attacking, but doing something I see freqently in corgis. Dart in, nab, and then back out. Repeat. I finally got Syd's foot free of the crate, and I just pulled her up with one hand, and swung her up as high as I could (I'm nearly 6 feet tall). Bree was still jumping trying to reach Syd, and Syd was snarling, growling, and generally acting like a furball of fury trying to defend herself. I could not blame her for her reaction to the situation this time.
The "joiners" were all barking and trying to get involved. Although my corgis are not typically the "go for the blood" types, the start of this event was a young dog screaming and yowling in pain, so I was not going to take any chances that things would escalate. It was definitely an adrenaline charged event. My corgi boys generally know when mom means business, and as soon as I could focus on them, I sent them OUT of the kitchen.
What good could possibly come of this situation??? Well, when Syd gets into her "mode" of snarly, ugly-face dog, she will NOT be deterred. Trying to get her attention has been an exercise in futility. Tonight, as Syd was snarling and trying to protect herself while hanging in mid-air above the gang of barking dogs, I called her name to try and get her to calm down. I was afraid I was going to drop her if she didn't calm down. I was so surprised when my ugly-faced dog stopped snarling and actually made eye contact with me. I was so happy with this breakthrough, in light of the massive fiasco that was NOT Syd's fault, I feel like my girl is definitely showing signs of rehabilitation.
The dogs all settled down, had supper, and none of them seems worse for wear. Surprisingly, Syd was quite subdued and submissive afterward, and we went outside and played ball for a bit to try and de-stress her. She acts fine, and I'm hoping that this won't be a huge setback for her.
All this goes to show that in a multi-dog household, the program to get Syd over her fears is going to be that much more of a challenge. And I have to be patient, and not get discouraged when Syd's program hits a roadblock. As I look at Syd at my feet, Hawk the Vallhund is licking Syd's face and ears. He's forever the nurturer, and always wants everyone to be happy.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Be Careful What You Ask For...
Who Me??? 
This is evident every day with Sydney. I have a house full of boy dogs, sweet-natured, laid back, loyal with every fiber of their being. Kane (www.hurrikanecardigans.com/kane.htm) is about as compliant a dog as ever existed. He was fantastic as my Novice A dog, and fairly easily earned his CD, CDX, and RE titles. This was my first step back into competitive obedience since I competed in fun matches and trained my first Springer back in the 80's.
So, this time around, I wanted, I waited, and I was so thrilled to get a bitch. Sydney was just about made to order. Not only is she much more correct in conformation than my other performance Cardigan, she is eager to learn, very driven, and highly trainable. In the show ring she has sass and attitude that commands attention. She's showing that she's got potential with sheep, and every outing to the agility center is a whirlwind of drive and execution from this little brindle dynamo. Oh, I wanted a bitch. I wanted a dog that was smart and driven. I'll say that maybe my girl is too smart some days! And she's definitely a "lot of dog" most days. I have to keep on my toes with her.
It should not surprise me that my girl also tends to be reactive. If she were as lackadaisical as Kane, easy-going and a stranger to no one, Syd would *not* be the driven performance dog that she is. That edgy, driven dog is also more sensitive to stimuli, and I think that this plays a big part in her initial over-reaction to the collie-stepped-on-my-tail episode that seemed to start the ball rolling toward reactivity.
The only real bummer about her program of working for her food is that she has to be back on kibble for the most part. I cook for my dogs, but not for myself! It's OK to give her some bits of chicken with her supper, but too messy to dole out mashed sweet potato, pureed carrot, yogurt, cottage cheese, salmon, etc. But that's OK, Syd is fine with kibble, and loves every minute of working for her food. :-)
So, this time around, I wanted, I waited, and I was so thrilled to get a bitch. Sydney was just about made to order. Not only is she much more correct in conformation than my other performance Cardigan, she is eager to learn, very driven, and highly trainable. In the show ring she has sass and attitude that commands attention. She's showing that she's got potential with sheep, and every outing to the agility center is a whirlwind of drive and execution from this little brindle dynamo. Oh, I wanted a bitch. I wanted a dog that was smart and driven. I'll say that maybe my girl is too smart some days! And she's definitely a "lot of dog" most days. I have to keep on my toes with her.
It should not surprise me that my girl also tends to be reactive. If she were as lackadaisical as Kane, easy-going and a stranger to no one, Syd would *not* be the driven performance dog that she is. That edgy, driven dog is also more sensitive to stimuli, and I think that this plays a big part in her initial over-reaction to the collie-stepped-on-my-tail episode that seemed to start the ball rolling toward reactivity.
The only real bummer about her program of working for her food is that she has to be back on kibble for the most part. I cook for my dogs, but not for myself! It's OK to give her some bits of chicken with her supper, but too messy to dole out mashed sweet potato, pureed carrot, yogurt, cottage cheese, salmon, etc. But that's OK, Syd is fine with kibble, and loves every minute of working for her food. :-)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Good Work Continues
Sydney continues to improve. Now that she's got such structure in her life, it's more and more obvious that she's insecure. The improvement is that she now looks to me when she's nervous, rather than lashing out with ugly-face behavior. It's not 100%, and I expect it will always be a work in progress. The "I'm nervous, please don't let bad things happen" behavior seems to be Syd jumping up against my leg. Now we are working on that, so that she will sit, or put a paw on my foot, etc.
Yesterday we went to the agility center to work on some fundamentals. First up was the boom-board. A 5-6 foot plank with a pivot point of a 4 inch diameter PVC pipe. It's not designed to be used as a teeter, but more something to acclimate the dogs to the sounds of a teeter hitting the ground, and the feeling of a board moving under their paws. Object is nose-touch c/t (click & treat). Then we worked up to paw touch, c/t. Then paw on either side of the plank (either the downside that's already on the ground and won't move, or the up side that will then fall down with pressure from the paw). I'm using the boom-board to get Syd more confident about the noise, and the idea of just shaping yet another new behavior. She did some whining and trying to avoid yesterday, mostly by running around the sides of the boom-board, trying to get from point A to point B by circling around. Once she got it, though, she was a good sport. I could see the nervousness in her body language, but she got to where she'd use one paw and bang the boom board anyway. She wasn't slamming the board with great enthusiasm like Hawk does, but she knew that to get that treat, she had to make the board go "boom."
Saturday afternoon, Syd and I took a short walk, with leaves flying by, and scary garbage cans sitting curbside at many homes on our street. Lots of attention work, and Syd did pretty good. We had a perfect opportunity to work on reactivity and confidence when we passed a house with just a slight bit of fencing off to the side. A small dog in the backyard barked as we walked by. A neighbor one house down was kind enough to have left his car parked on the street, so it was the perfect set up for Syd. She saw the dog, started whimpering and trying to decide what she was going to do about it. We kept moving and stopped next to the car, which put the barking dog out of sight. I got Syd's attention, and we did c/t for eye contact several times. She even got to feeling comfortable enough to do a spin/twist combination for me. I've discovered that when Syd is way beyond her comfort zone, she is too nervous to do a sit, and no way she'll think about a down when she might need to flee the country in a flash! ;-P So, I'll take a good stand, get back, eye contact, or spin. We'll have to work up to the tougher stuff like sit and down.
Yesterday we went to the agility center to work on some fundamentals. First up was the boom-board. A 5-6 foot plank with a pivot point of a 4 inch diameter PVC pipe. It's not designed to be used as a teeter, but more something to acclimate the dogs to the sounds of a teeter hitting the ground, and the feeling of a board moving under their paws. Object is nose-touch c/t (click & treat). Then we worked up to paw touch, c/t. Then paw on either side of the plank (either the downside that's already on the ground and won't move, or the up side that will then fall down with pressure from the paw). I'm using the boom-board to get Syd more confident about the noise, and the idea of just shaping yet another new behavior. She did some whining and trying to avoid yesterday, mostly by running around the sides of the boom-board, trying to get from point A to point B by circling around. Once she got it, though, she was a good sport. I could see the nervousness in her body language, but she got to where she'd use one paw and bang the boom board anyway. She wasn't slamming the board with great enthusiasm like Hawk does, but she knew that to get that treat, she had to make the board go "boom."
Saturday afternoon, Syd and I took a short walk, with leaves flying by, and scary garbage cans sitting curbside at many homes on our street. Lots of attention work, and Syd did pretty good. We had a perfect opportunity to work on reactivity and confidence when we passed a house with just a slight bit of fencing off to the side. A small dog in the backyard barked as we walked by. A neighbor one house down was kind enough to have left his car parked on the street, so it was the perfect set up for Syd. She saw the dog, started whimpering and trying to decide what she was going to do about it. We kept moving and stopped next to the car, which put the barking dog out of sight. I got Syd's attention, and we did c/t for eye contact several times. She even got to feeling comfortable enough to do a spin/twist combination for me. I've discovered that when Syd is way beyond her comfort zone, she is too nervous to do a sit, and no way she'll think about a down when she might need to flee the country in a flash! ;-P So, I'll take a good stand, get back, eye contact, or spin. We'll have to work up to the tougher stuff like sit and down.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Fun New Behaviors :-)
Syd is doing an excellent job of working for her meals. Thank goodness she's a dog who thinks kibble is just as exciting as cookies! She is just as enthusiastic about the last bite as the first. I don't thinkthat Syd is getting bored with our limited repertoire of behaviors, but I am!
The cure for both of us is to learn some new behaviors. We've added "jump in the box" where Syd will jump inside a rectangular frame of our stacking box. "Touch" hand targeting, as well as targeting a small paper plate. Pick up the plate, and my new personal favorite "Go through." For this, Syd will run through my legs, and then turn and pop her head back through and look up. Very cute, especially from a smiling, happy girl.
The cure for both of us is to learn some new behaviors. We've added "jump in the box" where Syd will jump inside a rectangular frame of our stacking box. "Touch" hand targeting, as well as targeting a small paper plate. Pick up the plate, and my new personal favorite "Go through." For this, Syd will run through my legs, and then turn and pop her head back through and look up. Very cute, especially from a smiling, happy girl.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The First Agility Class
Syd had a good day today, and tonight we started her first agility class. Syd has class first, then Hawk has his class directly afterward. I tried to be very calm and not get stressed out about this new adventure with Sydney.
We were just a few minutes late getting to class, and when we entered the room, the two terriers in class erupted in barking. I was able to maintain Sydney's composure and attention, and we moved to the only available seat... directly in between the terriers. ;-}
I went to class prepared. I had a container of hot dogs, a container of Aunt Julie's Liver Brownies, some petrified hot dogs, a container of soft liver treats, and several tug toys that Sydney loves. I could barely zipper our gear bag! I guess I was determined to have whatever I needed to make class fun and hopefully Syd would rather pay attention to me than be afraid of the other dogs. Only once did Sydney have to be re-directed. The other dogs heard something in the next room and started barking. Syd caught eye contact with the Schnauzer, and started to rumble and whimper, all at the same time. I got her attention back pretty quickly, and I was very happy with her reaction.
All in all, I think Syd handled the pressure of her first agility class very well, and I'm glad I kept her enrolled in the class. She was crated in the building for the duration of Hawk's class, and she was pretty relaxed watching another group of new dogs working.
We were just a few minutes late getting to class, and when we entered the room, the two terriers in class erupted in barking. I was able to maintain Sydney's composure and attention, and we moved to the only available seat... directly in between the terriers. ;-}
I went to class prepared. I had a container of hot dogs, a container of Aunt Julie's Liver Brownies, some petrified hot dogs, a container of soft liver treats, and several tug toys that Sydney loves. I could barely zipper our gear bag! I guess I was determined to have whatever I needed to make class fun and hopefully Syd would rather pay attention to me than be afraid of the other dogs. Only once did Sydney have to be re-directed. The other dogs heard something in the next room and started barking. Syd caught eye contact with the Schnauzer, and started to rumble and whimper, all at the same time. I got her attention back pretty quickly, and I was very happy with her reaction.
All in all, I think Syd handled the pressure of her first agility class very well, and I'm glad I kept her enrolled in the class. She was crated in the building for the duration of Hawk's class, and she was pretty relaxed watching another group of new dogs working.
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