adopt your foster dog if it meant that you had to give up fostering??
Would you..
Charliethree
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Joseph's face can be hard to read due to his coloring but Miss Kaya keeps me 'up' on the signals I should be watching for. In the first photo she is fairly relaxed. Then the tongue flick, just a split second, telling me she is feeling a bit stressed but curious. Then the ears go down and back, she begins panting and the obvious creases at the corner of her mouth appear. As she becomes more at ease, her ears move forward again, and the creases at the corners of her mouth relax. All these signals occur in a matter of seconds, and are so easily missed. With Joseph I watch closely for the tongue flicks, his first signal that something is bothering him (a stress signal seen more often in black dogs, perhaps an adaptation due to their coloring), take note of his ear position, and signs of tension in his body and panting. He tends to 'speed up' and become more vigilant if the situation becomes more stressful for him but he has learned to quickly automatically 'check in', and sit, it helps him to focus on me, and relax a bit.
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Was watching Joseph ask Kaya to play!! He can be a bull in a China shop, intimidating to her, but I watched as he politely play bowed, barked and asked her to play. She stood and looked at him, a bit wary, unsure whether to accept the invite, he got a little impatient, approached her and pawed at her, 'Come on! Let's play!'. She snapped at him, letting him know she didn't appreciate his rude behavior, he backed off, play bowed again, bounced away from her, and chase was on. Joseph is 'into' contact sports, Kaya would rather not play like that, she would rather play 'chase'. It was wonderful to see Joseph willing and eager to play her way.
He has come a long ways, learning how to be 'appropriate', how to be a polite boy (most of the time). So proud of him!!!
He has come a long ways, learning how to be 'appropriate', how to be a polite boy (most of the time). So proud of him!!!
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Ahhh.....Joseph is just so amazing
he's really come into his own Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Joseph had learned to play well first with Milo, who was 'okay' with his 'line backer' style, and loves to wrestle with other dogs, and then with Charlie, who prefers to play chase, Kaya was the last 'hold out'. Her timid nature causes her to withdraw, hide, from those things that she was afraid of, especially when interacting with other dogs, (she has had some pretty negative experiences with other dogs) so it was pretty heartwarming to see her with confidence enough to play with him. A 'win' for both of them!
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What if??
Dogs were all shades of black and white?
How would we choose?
Would our perceptions of how they behave depend on how dark or light they were?
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Dogs were all shades of black and white?
How would we choose?
Would our perceptions of how they behave depend on how dark or light they were?
I've never considered this but since so many of my dogs have been rescues I don't know that it has ever really been an issue. I've always seemed to end up with the dog who was in the most dire straits,regardless of what they looked like. With Jack I looked into his eyes and saw a dog who was terribly fearful but at the same time the way he held his head was so noble. As if he was telling the world, "I know I have been kicked around but I am still worth something". I knew that he was a special boy that first day I saw him and every single day he reminds me of that.
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You are so right, it is in the eyes, the windows to the soul, that we see and 'feel' what they are feeling, that takes hold of our hearts.
I do find Joseph's face harder to 'read' than those of the lighter colored dogs, and maybe that is why, in the past, I have always 'leaned' towards lighter colored dogs. Joseph has shown me, that it is not what is on the 'outside', but what is on the 'inside' that counts - they are all truly amazing dogs!!
I do find Joseph's face harder to 'read' than those of the lighter colored dogs, and maybe that is why, in the past, I have always 'leaned' towards lighter colored dogs. Joseph has shown me, that it is not what is on the 'outside', but what is on the 'inside' that counts - they are all truly amazing dogs!!
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and he has a pretty cool sense of humor.
Hide and seek! Usually I hide the treats and Joseph does the seeking, but once in a while he takes the initiative and hides a treat for me.
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Can you find me?
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Bet you can't see me now!
Hide and seek! Usually I hide the treats and Joseph does the seeking, but once in a while he takes the initiative and hides a treat for me.
Can you find me?
Bet you can't see me now!
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Came across this article, a great reminder, for those who are living with, or working with a fearful or reactive dog. Working with Joseph was a 'process', and at times it felt counter intuitive, but sticking to the program, really, really does work!!
https://muttabouttown.com/2016/04/28/when-getting-the-behavior-isnt-the-priority/
https://muttabouttown.com/2016/04/28/when-getting-the-behavior-isnt-the-priority/
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A little celebration post! With the weather being colder and snowier, it is pretty quiet in the neighbourhood, perfect for more street walks with Joseph, we can relax and he can enjoy being a dog. We got a bit of a surprise yesterday, heading out the gate, out on the street goes by all of Joseph's triggers in 'one', a stranger with a dog pulling a sled with kids on it. This was all a little 'too much' for Joseph, and he reacted, something he hasn't done in a long time, he barked, he pulled on the leash, then all of our practicing 'paid off'. We automatically did a U-turn, heading the other way, as soon as his eyes were off the dog, he looked up at me, though still quite anxious, he took the treats I offered him as we walked back into the yard. I walked him around the yard a bit, gave him some time to 'shake it off' and recover, then we headed out the gate again and took a short walk. He was anxious, 'on his toes', checking 'over his shoulder' on occasion, but he settled quickly, with lots of reinforcement for being such a good boy our walk ended on a good note.
A bit of a reminder for me, that even though we may not need the skills we learn ourselves and teach our dogs, on a regular basis, it never hurts to practice and reward them, keep them 'fresh'.
A bit of a reminder for me, that even though we may not need the skills we learn ourselves and teach our dogs, on a regular basis, it never hurts to practice and reward them, keep them 'fresh'.
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You are so in tune with Joseph. You did exactly what he needed
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It was definitely one of those 'Wow!' moments, so proud of him!!You are so in tune with Joseph. You did exactly what he needed
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Had a chance to read the article today. I actually see how that can apply to humans as well. For example, if your workplace is completely stressful, are you going to get the best creative thinking out of your people? Or, are they going to be so focused on is this meeting is going to make me stay one hour later tonight? You're not going to get the best out of your team.
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You might be surprised how much we learn about working with dogs, is applicable to people as well, fundamentally we are very much the same.
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Cold weather fun. What's in the box???
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Not sure how he can sleep like that, but he often does!!
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https://wheresyoursit.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/exercise-dog-reactivity/
Something to think about. This has been a real 'game changer' for Joseph. Over the last several months, I have focused on providing mental 'exercise' vs physical exercise for Joseph, the results have been amazing. It has been very beneficial to my non-reactive dogs as well resulting in over all more relaxed and content dogs . I don't do 'tracking' (officially) but 'seeking' (finding kibble in the grass/snow), I suspect provides a similar experience, uses multiple senses - sight, smell, and the opportunity to 'think' for themselves.
Though this article focuses on reactive dogs, I suspect following such a program with a newly rehomed dog, who is experiencing an extremely stressful life change, would be very beneficial in making the 'settling in' period easier for them.
We tend to think an over active, hyper dog, with little self control simply needs more physical exercise, needs to be physically 'drained', when perhaps, for some, if not many, what they really need, is the opportunity to relax, and use their brain.
Something to think about. This has been a real 'game changer' for Joseph. Over the last several months, I have focused on providing mental 'exercise' vs physical exercise for Joseph, the results have been amazing. It has been very beneficial to my non-reactive dogs as well resulting in over all more relaxed and content dogs . I don't do 'tracking' (officially) but 'seeking' (finding kibble in the grass/snow), I suspect provides a similar experience, uses multiple senses - sight, smell, and the opportunity to 'think' for themselves.
Though this article focuses on reactive dogs, I suspect following such a program with a newly rehomed dog, who is experiencing an extremely stressful life change, would be very beneficial in making the 'settling in' period easier for them.
We tend to think an over active, hyper dog, with little self control simply needs more physical exercise, needs to be physically 'drained', when perhaps, for some, if not many, what they really need, is the opportunity to relax, and use their brain.
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