One Year Of Completely True Rue!

Miss True Blue Eyed Rue!

On January 1st we are celebrating the one year anniversary of adopting Completely True Rue!  Although I don't often write about Rue, perhaps it's the fact that she is a very...well...a very well behaved dog, and she lacks the material needed to supplement a reactive dog blog. However, even though she makes for a uneventful blog subject, she's no less significant in our home. I write a lot about Chico because his struggle with reactivity is often  misunderstood, in addition I feel that sharing his story might, even if in a small way, help other people by learning from our journey and maybe help to develop a greater bond with their reactive dog. 


Not too long ago I was asked if Rue had any "issues" since, she too, is adopted.  This comment made me smile.  I've never met a dog that didn't have some sort of "issue".  Whether it's a dog that was adopted, or bought from the top breeder.  Well socialized dogs still have "issues."  Issues can range from fear of people to fear of thunderstorms.  Some dog issues are less intense than others. In my opinion, just as there is no perfect human, there are no perfect dogs. But that doesn't mean that our dog's issues define who they are as a whole. Although Rue's issues are minimal, sometimes quirky, and easier to manage than Chico's,  they are there.  So this post is dedicated to the Miss True blue eyed Rue, who arrived in a frantic panic, frightened, and completely frazzled one year ago.

Completely True Rue-Female Border Collie

Rebellious Rue

When Rue first arrived at our home she displayed, what I would describe as, manic behavior.  Her behavior was so frantic, and her stare so intensely unwavering,  that we, for a moment, wondered what the heck had we gotten ourselves in to!?  Rue ran from room to room, jumped on people, jumped on the counters, door dashed, and played with toys obsessively.  Even Chico, who is three and a half years younger, seemed confused and worn out by her energy. Rue had many homes prior to coming to us.  From the information I have gathered that seems to be the way in which Rue copes with change and adjustments.  


We spent 6 weeks working on house manors and teaching her to have an "off switch". We used massage, calming voices, music, and we removed as much stimulus (stuffed squeaker toys and tugs) as possible. We established a chill out time. Normally the chill out time would commence around 8pm. During chill out time all the toys get put in the toy closet. After about 3 months, Rue was more calm, confident, and comfortable in our home.  Now when we put the toys away, Rue enjoys getting on the couch and snuggling up close to me or my husband. Rue has a wonderful temperament, and a tremendous amount of patience with Chico, kids, and other dogs. She is very easy to love, but initially she was very hard to manage.  You can read more about Rue's start to life in the blog post Who Is Your True Dog. 

Wild Rue!

Rue meet Pat...Pat meet Rue. Another issue we have had with Rue is her obsessive stalking of our, amazingly old, house cat. Pat the cat, also known as, the Queen of counter tops, and Chico's boss, has had to put up with constant stalking and the penetrating blue eyed laser stare. This a big change from how Pat used to live. She ruled the castle. But Pat has found her own ways of dealing with Rue's behavior. Waiting until Rue is asleep and sprinting past her has become the cat's favorite thrill sport.  We have managed, and thankfully, and minimized this stalking behavior with tons of patience, diligence, redirection, and lots of yummy treats. Pat is no longer the 8th wonder of the world, although she still a ranks right up there.  Rue has learned "leave her" means, put your tongue back in your mouth and redirect that stare to the treats in my hand. Rue has learned the cat is far less interesting than some lovin, treats, or praise. Rue seems to know now that the Pat is part of the pack as much as she is.  The house is a much happier place now that we can manage that behavior. 

Among other things we worked on was jumping.  Like many dogs, Kanga-Rue had a bad habit of jumping on people.  This is something that we continue to manage even a year later.  During the first months Rue would jump up and hit you in the face, often because she wanted attention.  I can't tell you how many headaches were caused from her jumping and hitting me in the nose and eyes.  We curbed her jumps two ways: I taught her to "Leap" on cue.  Yep, I rewarded the heck out of that! And now, look out when I say "Leap!"  Rue is an excellent jumper and my guess is she can leap as high as 5 feet!  The other thing we did was asked Rue for a "sit" which was a behavior she knew. We made it into her default for getting petted.  In order for her to get her loves, she had to be sitting.  This helped her to understand jumping didn't get her what she wanted.  It's made a huge difference and a year later does really well... But sometimes still needs a little reminder. 

Kanga-Rue!

The Big Bang "Issues"

Besides some manor issues we also quickly noticed that Rue had separation anxiety. When we were not home Rue was initially crated.  We spent  time playing crate games which seemed to help with her anxiety some, but truly she hated being separated from Chico and missed her people.  So after we deemed her trustworthy, she and Chico (who already had run of the house) earned the privileged of  roaming the house while we are gone.  This seems to have helped her separation anxiety greatly.  She also loves her stuffed Kong.  Every time we leave she's learned that she gets a wonderful treats.  It appears the separation anxiety is most extreme when we are getting ready to leave.  After a short time of our absence she seems to settle in and is much less anxious.  Who could blame her? She's had a lot of homes and a very unsettled life.  

Spring always brings a bang and particularly this year in our home with Rue.  Much to our surprise Rue has a fear of thunderstorms.  Again we took to conditioning her with food, but Rue was so frightened she couldn't eat when it stormed.  We tried the Thundershirt, DAP spray and Thunderstorm recorded CD's.  These didn't seem to help ease Rue's anxiety.  Since the weather is unpredictable we decided to train her to go to her safe spot when it stormed, which is her crate.  Whenever it storms, she goes to her crate and rests quietly.  This is probably the best training for her since we often work when it's storming and can't be there to help.  This training was just what she needed and seems most confident and calm in her crate.  We'll continue to work through it, but at least I know she's safe and as comfortable as possible when we can't be there.

Completely True Rue

It's been a great year with Rue.  We are so blessed that she fit right in with Chico and our family.  The two dogs are great companions and completely compatible.  Even with a few "issues" Rue is Completely True!  I'm curious to know what kind of issues your dog has had?  Were you able to work through them and how? 

Like True Dog Facebook 

The DINOS (Dogs in Need of Space)™ Movement

What Is DINOS™? 

There is this beautiful scenic trail not far from our house.  It's not heavily traveled by people, dogs, or bikes which makes it ideal for running with our dog Chico who is fearful and reactive to just about anything that moves while he's on a leash.  We have leash laws in our city which makes it unlawful for dogs to be off leash within the city.  Besides the law, we always leash our dogs while out walking and running for their safety and others as well. On this day, the weather was mild. A perfect day for Chico and I to go running along on our scenic trail.  After about a mile into our run I saw a couple walking towards us with two larger dogs that were both off leash.  The couple immediately leashed one dog the dogs, but never leashed the other dog.  (I assume this is because the one dog wasn't friendly, while the other was.)  Initially, I stepped off the path so they could pass, however the unleashed dog insistently kept trying to approach Chico and I.  When I saw they weren't going to leash the dog nor could they recall it, I had to come up with another get-a-way plan.  Here we were weaving and bobbing around like a beer bottle in the water trying to stay reactive free and stay clear of the off leash dog.  Finally the owner grabbed their dog by the collar and took him on their way.  Unfortunately Chico did react to the dog, which is probably the only reason they took their dog by the collar.  It was incredibly stressful for Chico and I as we tried to calmly get out of this unnecessary situation.  

 Rue and Chico 

There is a movement spreading the nation.  It's called DINOS (Dogs in Need of Space)™.  This evolution focuses on educating the general public that some dogs need more space while out in public. This concept was created by fellow blogger Jessica Dolce, Notes From A Dog Walker.   Many dogs need more space for a variety of reasons, the DINOS Facebook Page lists a variety of reasons that includes: contagious diseases, leash reactivity, service and working dogs, injuries and painful physical conditions, intolerance of other animals, recovery from surgery, fearful of unfamiliar or rowdy dogs, aging and elderly, learning self control around other dogs and lastly, are owned by people that want to be left alone.  I have a DINOS™, do you?

Click this hyperlink to see more wonderful illustrations by Lili Chin



A Manifesto?

What good public movement doesn't have a Manifesto? Jessica Dolce covered this too when she created a public declaration for DINOS™.  To briefly outline the Manifesto it has eight main points, four pledges to uphold and a subsection.  Check out Notes From A Dog Walker for the full Manifesto. 

1.  Obey Leash Laws
2.  Ask permission Before Approaching
3.  Listen to our Response
4.  Respect Our Space
5.  Do Not Give Chase
6.  Lock your Leashes: If you walk your dog on a retractable leash (aka a Flexi Lead)
7.  Zip it: Keep your judgments and nasty comments to yourself
8.  No Matter How Nice You Are, the Rules Still Apply


Dynamic DINOS™ 

If you own, know someone who does, or have ever owned a DINOS™, you know that life with these dogs are often a challenge.  We've all encountered other people and dog owners who have violated the DINOS™ manifesto.  But that's actually the cool thing about being a part of this movement.  We can join together to spread the word about Dogs In Need Of Space.  Maybe even help take away some of the stigmas about our DINOS™.  After all, we know there's more to our dogs that meets the eye.  Do you have a dynamic DINOS? Share your stories.

My DINOS, My Chico

Like True Dog Facebook 

Like DINOS Facebook Page

Dream Dog, But Not A Reality

The Dream 

Even before Chico's adoption was complete, I had big plans for him.  I knew that we would take him with us to the farmers market on the weekends.  I'm an avid runner, so Chico was going to accompany me on local running trails.  I wanted to do agility with him.   Chico was a young dog, just a year old when we adopted him, so all of these things we were going to do were very possible.  You can read more about  the circumstances of Chico's start to life, and adoption, in the post Who Is Your True Dog.  


When we got Chico home It seemed, he was going to be up to just about anything.  In the first weeks of having Chico we took him to a foundations agility class, we ran at of the local running trails.  Chico even spent time visiting Dustyn's work where he got to socialize with many people.  After about 9 weeks there was a sudden change.  Like a light flipping on in the dark of night, Chico's reactivity and fear to motion, people, bikes, dogs in certain situations, shattered my dreams.  The barking and lunging at anything outside our home was extreme. At the time, I'd never heard the word "reactivity" nor did I know what it meant.  I desperately searched for explanations and answers for people in the dog community and what was wrong and what to do with our Chico. 

 True Dog-Chico

Is This A Nightmare?

In hindsight, Chico was giving us warning signs that he was fearful and bordering on reactivity, but as novice dog owners we didn't see them or understand what was happening with our Chico.  After about 6-9 weeks of "honeymooning" with Chico he starting barking and lunging at anything that moved.  People walking across the street were scary.  Bikers, dogs and their people moving in agility class all surpassed his threshold in seconds.  It was all too much for Chico.  I was at a loss as to what to do with this wild dog.  So like any "good" dog owner, I enlisted him in more positive training classes.  <Insert groan here.>  In Chico's case, this was the wrong thing to do because he was displaying so much fear and anxiety towards people.  Class may have been a good idea had I been able to keep him under his threshold for reactivity.  But when we went to classes Chico practiced the ever so rewarding behavior of barking and lunging at anything that moved.  This fear based behavior turned into a very rewarding routine.  Bark/lunge, people move away from Chico as fast as can be.


My disappointment and fear about Chico's behavior ran deep.  I cried because I was worried about him and his deplorable behavior.  I was dismayed by the reactivity.  The loss of my agility dog, running buddy and social butterfly that I had been dreaming for years left me feeling disappointed and desperate.  

Not a dream situation: Rue and Chico sassing each other over who gets possession of the Frisbee 

Not A Nightmare, Not A Dream:  The Truth

I think it's very natural for people to feel disappointed, sad and hurt when they adopt or purchase a dog with the intentions of doing a certain activity with their dog that doesn't work out the way they dreamed.  For each person the activity might be something different along with the reasoning for not being able to do the desired activity.  For some dogs like Chico, reactivity to movement, dogs or people make it very difficult to do the sport like agility where there is chaotic movement everywhere.  While other dogs don't enjoy the activity and will withdraw my ignoring their owner, sniffing and disengaging.  Some owners get a herding dog that is a couch potato, a pointer that doesn't point, the retriever who missed the memo on the retrieve.  


I've learned that it's okay to be disappointed for a short time that things didn't work out they way they were intended to.  After you allow yourself that, you must move forward and find the TRUE in your dog.  What does you dog like to do?  It might not be your favorite thing, but when you do something your dog enjoys, it in turn brings you so much joy.  My relationship with Chico has grown and changed so much since he's become reactive.  I never would have considered taking him sheep herding if he was an agility dog.  It turns out, herding is perfect for Chico and it's more  compatible with his reactivity.  He enjoys it, I enjoy it, and we work as a team while building our relationship.  Had Chico not become reactive, I would have never started this Blog or True Dog Facebook Page.  I would never had the opportunity to talk to great people, hear their stories and share ours.  Working through challenges with our dogs is exhausting and rewarding.   


I made a lot of mistakes the first year after we adopted Chico.  In fact I make mistakes all the time.  But I'm learning from my mistakes.   I've learned that it's okay that I don't take Chico to the farmers market, he isn't comfortable with it and it isn't fun to him.  It's okay that we don't go running on bike paths, there are many other places he can run with me that are more scenic.  And it's okay that Chico can't compete in agility.  It was always my dream, not his.  He dreams of sheep, and now, I count sheep before bed too.  True Dog didn't start from a dream.  It started from the truth, a reality, looking you in the face with amber eyes glowing. My true dog has thought me more than I could ever teach him. 


I'd like to hear if you've ever been disappointed because you weren't able to do you dream activity with your dog?  What was the activity and how did you handle the loss?

Counting sheep

Winner of the Frisbee! 

Sports For Reactive & Disabled Dogs!?

Don't Worry, You Can Be Nosey

Finding classes, training, and doing sports with a dog that is disabled, or a dog that is reactive to movement, other dogs, or people can be a real challenge.  This is a problem I have faced over the past two years with Chico.  But, I have found an activity that is highly rewarding and fun for reactive and disabled dogs.   K9 Nose Work®, is catching on in many communities across the country. This sport is perfect for reactive/fearful and shy dogs.

Chico

Making Good Use Of That Nosey Dog!

I can't tell you how many times I've been out, or walking, with my dogs and they get a whiff of something wonderful.  In turn they nearly rip my arm out of it's socket as I try to put the breaks on.  We often forget our dogs where bred to hunt and search naturally.  Overtime, we tend to forget about their talents or get annoyed by it. K9 Nose Work® is a sport designed to develop your dogs natural abilities to scent by searching for your dogs favorite rewards whether it's toys or food.  One of the coolest things about this sport is that one dog works at a time.  Reactive dogs and their "owners"  (that phrase never sits well with me, considering Chico and Rue TOTALLY own me) don't have to be stressed about these encounters.  Dogs are crated while other dogs/handlers are working. The dogs must be crate outside the search area. Some people crate their dogs in the car away from all the activity together (if the weather allows.)  The primary goal of K9 Nose Work® is to have fun.  The other goals are for the dogs to be allowed to be dogs, to play games, and hunt!  Is it really that easy?

About a month ago I was approached by a few friends that had taken a K9 Nose Work® workshop with their reactive dogs.  They loved the sport instantly and asked if I wanted to start working Chico.  At the time I knew very little about Nose work but said we would love to try it.  When starting Nose work you make the game very simple so dogs can be successful.  Several boxes on the floor of our search area, one box designated as the "food box".  Once the dog detects the scent (food in the case) the handler will reinforce the find by putting more treats in the box.  The box is then taken away to be placed for the next search.   

 Bourbon sniffing for the find 

Bourbon on the hunt                        Vito made the find

Our group determined that we would crate our dogs in the cars as our working space is limited.   Since we working in a small enclosed area we worked our dogs off leash. My friends worked their dogs first so I could watch and learn the game.  When it was Chico's turn I determined that I wanted to set his food box since he had recently had been acting very anxious at the club we meet at.  It's very fun and very easy.  In fact at some points you can't help but smile because the dogs are having so much fun!  Chico found the food very fast and has been progressing nicely with expanding the search area.  It's very interesting to watch different breads of dogs scent, they each search a different way.  Some dogs prefer their noses to be in the air, some to ground.  Chico keeps his head low to scent.  The dogs are just completely excited and focused on the find that the dogs don't seem concerned about people moving around the search area. 

K9 Nose work is broken down in classes:

Intro to Nose Work: This class focuses on teaching you how to encourage and develop your dog's scenting abilities.


Intro to Odor: This class advances the dog's scent discrimination skills learned in Intro to Nose Work.  In addition dogs are taught to identify a natural essential oil.


Advanced Nose Work: This class is designed for more experienced teams.  This class will expand the handler's and the dog's understanding of the target odors and concepts.  Learning is geared towards tactics, advanced handling and off leash work.  Teams are taught to navigate more intricate training scenarios.


Competition Nose Work:  Check out The National Association of Canine Scent Work  National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) web page to learn about Nose work trials!

Chico catching a whiff

 Jackpot!

Can Your Dog Be Nosey Too?

Probably!  According the K9 Nose Work® website dogs must be able to handle confident outside the work area or in a vehicle away from their owners.  Dogs with any"aggressive" behavior towards people are not permitted.  The National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) says that all breads (including mixes) and dogs with disabilities are permitted to play this sport!  The NACSW has had dogs in wheelchairs win titles, how cool is that?

Check out K9 Nose Work® website to look for instructors and workshops in your area.  You and your dog will love it!

"Ready!" Reactivity On Cue

"Ready", Set, React!

My agility girl, Rue, has been working hard to get ready to compete in her first Agility Trial.  In preparation, we practice in the living room, at the park, the kennel club, the basement, pretty much anywhere we can.  As much as I'd love to trial with Chico, it will be years before that can happen (if ever.)  He's much to motion reactive and we would be disqualified from our run before it even started.  That doesn't mean we don't practice and train in agility.  Agility is a great sport that teaches dogs attention, patience, and self control.  When I work one dog the other dog must do a down stay.  Again, this teaches the dog self control.  While working with Rue last week in the living room on weaves, I said to her as she was at the starting line, "Ready!?"  My tone was clear, friendly, loud, but not yelling.  This word had more meaning to Chico than it did to Rue. 

Hey, Who's Training Who Here?

After, asking Rue if she was "Ready", Chico jumped up in a fit of reactivity and started barking and lunging at the windows.  With a bit of bad timing, a biker happened to be riding by and caused the reaction to move from one window in the back of the house to the front door and every window in between.  It appears, over the span of Agility, Rally and Obedience classes that I have classically conditioned Chico that the word "ready" equates to "react".  Just when I thought we were getting a leg up on reactivity!

Rue, anxious for the ball to be thrown

Who would of thought I managed to capture Chico's reactivity and put it on cue?  (Cue is the term used to describe a the verbal or physical stimulus that elicits a behavior.  Traditional trainers often call a cue, a command.)  To put it simply, when I ask for my dogs to perform a sit, with my hand extended, palm in the air with an upwards motion, paired with the word "sit" my dogs should sit on "cue."  So what I did with the word "ready" is put a reaction of barking and lunging on cue by capturing that moment and rewarding or reinforcing it with a treat.

Retraining "Ready!?"

After I scratched my head and asked what the heck all that reactivity was about, I realized what the word "ready" meant to Chico.  How could I have been so clueless and not noticed on other occasions that Chico was giving me what I asked for?  It was a great learning lesson for me.  I've started the process of counter classically conditioning Chico with the word "ready".  It's actually not been to difficult at home, but I have a feeling under the pressures of another more stimulating environment it my be more challenging.  To counter condition Chico's reactivity to the word '"ready", I say the word very calmly and quietly.  Then treat him immediately after saying it.  Slowly adding more excitement and volume to the word.  The night I found out he was reacting to the word, I started counter conditioning.  We have continued and are having successful "READY!" lessons now. Whew! 

Take a look at the video below.  I took it after 3 short lessons of "ready" counter classically conditioning.  On a level of reactivity, this would be considered a very low reaction.  On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most reactive I will give this a 1.5-2.0.  His original reaction to the word "ready" was a 7, with an added point of a biker to make it a 8. Had I chosen to try to redirect Chico while taping this video, I'm certain I could have done it without much hesitation.  For training/learning purposes I let him do what he naturally did without redirection.

"Ready", after 3 training sessions of counter conditioning

What lessons have you learned from your dog?  Have you ever trained a bad habit without even knowing it?  What did you do to resolve the problem behavior?

No reactivity here, Chico is enjoying a drink after a hike