First Reactive Rover Class

Well we finally went to Delilah's first Reactive Rover class- the last two were postponed due to snow and icy roads. I really enjoyed it! I gave her a hemp oil treat before class hoping to take the edge off of any stress or anxiety she might feel during the class. She had gotten her fluoxetine earlier that morning.

The trainer taught us a handful of exercises to use to engage our dogs- some basic things like default sits, hand touch, eye contact when you say their name, etc. Delilah already knew these things pretty well. We had missed the previous class but I don't think they covered anything new for us in that class.

But then we applied them in some activities, and this was really helpful. There are four dog students with their owners and we each got our own corner of the room to work in (with a gate to block their view if needed). One activity we did was we took turns taking one step at a time towards the center of the room- the point was to use our voice and the exercises to keep our dogs engaged and non reactive as they moved closer to triggers. The trainer watched their body language and had us return to our corners before any of the dogs went past their threshold. 
The other activity was we all walked clockwise around the room and at each corner we came to we practiced a different activity that we had learned.

The trainer really emphasizes using a happy voice and praise and NOT verbally or physically correcting the dogs. Also a lot of clicker training so far.

Delilah did really, really well. I had no idea how she would react in that class. In the beginning she did bark at the trainer a few times but he tossed her chicken throughout the class and she liked it so much she even touched his hand when he asked her to touch. She's worked well with our agility trainers in the past but she's never worked with a male trainer before. 

She focused on me the entire time and did everything I asked (I had some really smelly tuna treats so I'm sure that had something to do with it). I could tell towards the end she was starting to get stressed but the class ended shortly after so she never got to the point where she would have lost it. It's at a dog kennel and there was a lot of hair and dust on the floor- when she gets stressed she starts fixating on things like that and that's a big problem we had during agility lessons. Towards the end she started looking at the hair on the floor but didn't chase it and was very easy to redirect, so that's good at least.

There's another little black dog there that was similar to Delilah- he seemed nervous and shy but the owner has done a lot of training with him so he knew all of the exercises too and didn't seem to react to anything. And there were a couple of other dogs and those two seemed to have more trouble in the class. One was pretty engaged with his owner but the other seems to be a very reactive dog and has a low threshold so had some difficulty with the activities. And when she starts reacting the other would sometimes bark and lunge back. I'm not judging those dogs and owners at all- Delilah used to be much more reactive herself so I understand. Delilah seemed a little unsure and worried by the reacting dogs but she didn't react to them herself- just watched.

I'm so proud of her- she tries really hard to be a good girl, it's just harder for her than it is for other dogs. She did a really good job last night.

I really like this trainer too and I saw he offers a recall class. Maybe if Delilah does well in this class we'll be able to take that one next. She still needs knee surgery before she can get back into agility but it would be nice to focus on foundational skills like recall, impulse control, etc in the meantime.

Whew that was a lot of writing- here's an obligatory Delilah photo!

Spring Finally Here?

Today is beautiful out!  Delilah and I went on a walk and I wore a short sleeve t shirt and neither of us got cold!  We did some training outside too.

I'm hoping it continues to get warm.  Last week there was a really gross sleet/snow storm and our Reactive Rover class got postponed.  Same with the week before.  We are still waiting to start our first class because it keeps getting pushed back on account of terrible weather and icy roads.  And then of course a few weeks ago was that monster of a blizzard.  I just want it to be spring!

We just moved to a new town.  My parents had moved to MA and so we're renting their old house (my childhood home) in Essex.  It's so nice, so much space, a big yard.  Delilah loves it.

My boyfriend had a friend over last night.  Delilah only barked a few times but overall was under control and seemed much more relaxed than in the past.  Our theories are she feels more comfortable and less claustrophobic/trapped in the bigger space, it's a new house so she may not be feeling territorial about it at all, and she was wearing her Gentle Leader for the first time during training.  I had a leash attached to it for the first ten minutes or so but when it appeared she was relatively relaxed I put the lead on her harness instead.  But I've heard dogs have a pressure point on their muzzle that promotes calm and compliant behavior, so I wonder if this tool has an affect on that area.

Conditioning to wear the Gentle Leader

Anyways, she only barked a few times but was easy to redirect and was calm and quiet for most of the evening.  The friend even brushed past her a few times and she didn't react.  This is huge!  I'm so hopeful that she will continue to improve!

Lastly, it was my birthday since I last posted.  So obviously that means I got some cool Delilah-themed gifts.  My grandma got me a dog bed that Delilah loves, where she can go under a flap and stay warm.  And my boyfriend got me the greatest gift- an amazing portrait of Delilah!

Custom portrait by Karin Viko

Happy National Puppy Day!

Facebook told me that today is #NationalPuppyDay!  While Delilah wasn't a baby puppy when I adopted her, she was 5-6 months old and still had some puppy-like behaviors (in fact, she still does at 2 years old).  In this video, she discovers cat toys for the first time.

Baby Delilah before I adopted her.

Winter Storm Stella

Delilah and I hope everyone on the east coast is staying safe and warm!

Yesterday morning I walked some shelter dogs before the roads got bad.  Just as I was wrapping up my boyfriend texted me.  He needed a ride home because they were getting out from work early.

I walked Trudy again- she is such a good girl, I wonder why no one's adopted her yet!

I also met a handsome lab named Marley.  

Delilah was NOT a fan of the snow.  She screamed at it from inside the house, but would not go outside.  Right now she's refusing to poop.  To be fair, it's higher than she is when she stands on two legs though, I can't really blame her.

Derplilah

Walking Shelter Dogs: Week 1

Last week I finally was able to start walking dogs for my local shelter!  I met some very sweet pups looking for homes.  They have such a variety of different personalities and breeds/mixes there, I love meeting all of the different dogs.  My goal is to volunteer 100 hours this year.  So far I'm at 13 hours.  Most of those hours have been cleaning rather than dog walking.

This is Crockett.  This handsome goofball basically looks like a giant Dachshund.

This is August.  She's very cuddly and snuggles up against me whenever I kneel down.

This is Gus.  He's a very high energy, intelligent dog.  He'd love agility, jogging, hiking.

This is Chloe.  She's a very sweet, playful girl and is getting bored in the shelter.

Delilah and I haven't really had anything too exciting going on.  It's starting to get cold again so we haven't done much outside.  We do start our Reactive Rover class next week though!

It's Been Warm Out!

After a long few months indoors, yesterday it was finally warm enough to take the tiny terrier outside!  Hailing from Tennessee and being only 6 lbs with a short coat, Delilah can't stand temperatures below 50F.  Yesterday got up to 63F!  She still hated it though, the ground was all wet from the melting snow and she hates getting her paws wet.  

Mom, it's wettttt.

Soon it will be spring though, and warm all of the time!  And we can start adventuring again.  We're moving at the end of March to my childhood house.  It's right across the road from some really nice hiking trails so that will be fun to hike and swim every day!

I also signed Delilah up for the Reactive Rover class in March.  It's going to be an interesting class, I'm looking forward to learning some new things and practicing with her in a class environment.