And we just keep at it...

This is a photo of Oliver coming when called. I just love his enthusiasm.

We've had some up days and some down days but mostly, he's doing quite well. He is still barking his head off and there are times when he growls and snaps when someone tries to pick him up. He will let you pick him up most of the time and I am having some challenges figuring our what it is that triggers his dislike of being picked up. I can tell if he is going to have trouble with it but have no idea what it is that sets him off. Some of it is over excitement I think but there seems to be something else because sometimes when he's super excited, he will still let us pick him up.

I think I may start picking him up more often and then just put him back down after treating him. I think I have been picking him up when I wanted to move him somewhere instead of just picking him up. Maybe that'll help. We shall see.

And, here he is sitting when asked.

Lest you think all is dismal here with Oliver

Here Oliver is with my dogs sitting quietly for a treat after going out for a potty break. Not only does he sit quietly, but he is doing it for my husband who has never asked for a it with the other dogs before. Actually, I'm not training a clued sit. I'm training a default sit for greeting. No treat unless all 4 feet are on the ground. And it's very hard for this little bundle of energy. He is super smart and loves to figure out what you want him to do. Oh, please, someone who really wants a smart dog, find us!!! I have GOT to start videoing our training sessions. he just amazes me.

Snarl and snap

Oliver just snarled and snapped at me. It was kind of half hearted but he was digging in the bushes i the back yard and I called him to come in the house and he ignored me. I went over to get him and had a treat in my hand. He snarled and snapped at my hand but pretty quickly calmed down and let me pick him up and took treats from me. My husband is due home soon. I'm interested in seeing how he handles that.

Wishin' and Prayin'

Yesterday was another tough day. He's getting more and more anxious and barking at every slight sound. My dogs are getting anxious from his anxious demeanor. Last night  my puppy growled, barked, and lunged at the cat. Up until now, she has been so gentle and loving with her. So this morning I ran down to the pet store and got some calming drops. I've never used them but I felt like I had to do something. If they don't make a difference, I may try my vet. Or, I may bite the bullet and try the vet behaviorist. She's very expensive but we can't go on like this.

I don't know if it's the calming solution or what but he slept a good bit this morning  I took him for a walk around the neighborhood and have been keeping him in the ex pen most of the time. He has his big bed in there and he just curls up in it. When he's out with my dogs though, it's a different matter. He picks on my Cavalier and he and my puppy were far too rough. He still barks at everything. And both of my dogs are barking more now. My husband has been at work today so the house has been quiet. We'll see what happens when he gets home.

We worked for about 1/2 hour this afternoon on sit, down, impulse control, shake, and attention as well as mat work. I know I should be working on relaxation but I can't get him to be still very long yet so I am not pushing it. We are doing all our work on the mat though? Not sure if that's a bad thing to do.

I probably should be taping our sessions. He is really such a cool puppy to work with. He is so agile and picks things up pretty quickly. If we can get past his anxiety and reactivity, he will make someone a fabulous dog. I don't think will have him long enough, though and I am not sure it's in hte best interests of my own dogs to keep him very long.

Major Meltdown

And it was all human error.

I had been sitting on the sofa with Oliver and he went over and sat on the pillow where my husband usually sits. My husband came into the room and since we had an incident yesterday when he tried to move him off the pillow, we had a plan of action ready. He came over to him from the side and actually presented himself from the back all the while giving him treats. I also gave him some treats and he came over to my side of the sofa. My husband was able to sit down while he was with me and all was well. BUT for some reason, my husband got up to get something and he took the pillow with him (later stating so that Oliver didn't get back on it). When he came back, carrying the pillow, Oliver started barking and jumping around all agitated. My husband had left his laptop sitting precariously on the arm of the sofa and Oliver knocked it over. My husband reached for it with the hand that was holding the pillow. Oliver went so far over the top that I thought he would explode. Very understandable. I have to wonder what on earth has happened to this puppy. He didn't bite anyone but I imagine if there had been someone near enough, he might have.

The good news is that I was able to give him treats and calm him right away. He never redirected towards me and I realized pretty quickly that what he really seemed to want was for me to reassure him. He really responded to my soothing and holding and petting him.

I took him outside and let him just decompress. Unfortunately, there was the garbage truck making all kids of noise out front right after we went out but he came over to me and took treats. It seemed he was seeking my reassurance. Not sure.

Spoke too Soon

We had such a good day yesterday and this morning  I thought we had turned a corner. Then this afternoon, he was just a snapping growling machine. I'd like to think it was an extinction burst but I dont think we've come so far for that. He growled and snapped at my husband twice. Once when he came in from outside and put his hand down for Oliver to sniff. The 2nd time happened soon afterwards when my husband tried to move him from the sofa so he could sit down.

A bit later, our son came out and he was ok with him at first, even let him pick him up and hold him but later, when he bent over to pcik him up, he did his vicious dog imitation.

I talked to my trainer and at her suggestion, I began mat work with him. He is doing really well with sit and down. We've been working on them all day. Well, he started throwing sits and downs at me. Cute as could be. We did get some mat work done though and I let him have some free time.

It was dinner time so I gave my guys their food and fixed him a very small meal. When I tried to pick him up to ut him in his pen, he acted like he wanted to snarl and snap at me but didn't quite do it. Not sure if it's because he has developed a bit of a relationship with me or if he is getting better. Wil watch.

I had taken him outside just before we started working and he peed. I should have taken him out again after we finished. He had diarrhea all over the kitchen floor:-( I should have expected it after all the treats he has had today along with having eaten a big breakfast. Oh well, hopefully we have had all the excitement for 1 day.

And We are on Day 4

I am seeing SO MUCH improvement. At least with people. He is starting to be growly with my Cavalier. I think it originated with my dog. He's a bit jealous of having to share his castle with another dog. He's adjusted to my puppy but I think he feels this is just one dog too many. So far it hasn't been more than grumbles from them and they will quit with a verbal instruction from me.

Oliver has decided that he loves our son. He (son) was sick yesterday and didn't come out of his room much but when he did, Oliver went right into his arms. No growls at all and seemed to be very happy to be held and petted.

This morning, I worked with all 3 on the floor in the kitchen. I put my dog and puppy in sit/stays and worked on Oliver's sit (as well as a bit of inadvertent It's Yer Choice/Leave it as he was mugging me for treats and I needed him to back off so we could actually do something:-) All during our session, he was happy and upbeat. He's getting sit ok. Not real fast but I think perhaps since he's never been taught anything, he doesn't yet catch on to the concept of learning but he's getting there. Haven't added a verbal cue yet but am fading the lure.

One thing I see that makes me very happy is that he has learned "wait" without me even trying to teach it. If I take one dog out at a time (to make sure they actually potty and not just play), I will tell my guys to "wait" at the door. He seems to have picked up on that just by watching them.

I don't think he has growled or snapped since the newspaper incident yesterday morning. He let me take another Day Lilly out of his mouth a bit ago. Seems not to have a problem with resources, again at least from people. He and my Cavalier are constantly trying to hoard the chew toys. They'll gather them up and then grumble if another dog comes near. Prim just plays happily with something else or follows them around to see if they will drop it.

I'd really like to see how he is with other people but think I may wait a bit longer. I do think he is decompressing and gaining a feeling of safety. I just can't imagine what was going on in his last home.

Have to Share this one!!!

My husband was out grilling chicken this afternoon and I took the dogs out. They were barking and running all over and after they had done their pottying, I call them all in.

Now, the Day Lillys are in full bloom right now and the puppies think they are a rare delicacy. Oliver had one in his mouth and I tried to trade him one for a treat. No way! o, I tried to take it out of his mouth. Stuck my fingers in his mouth (all very gently). All the while he is chewing away. He finally swallowed it and I swear, he had a sly look of triumph on his face. BUT, never once did he growl at me or act at all defensive.

I have no idea if this is a sign of improvement or just that this isn't a trigger for him but I was so proud of him. He would be absolutely perfect if we can get the snarly, growly, snapping under control. Everything I read points to this being possible, especially with a bit of basic training. I am very hopeful.

3rd Day here

Oliver showed his snarly side this morning when we were on the sofa. My husband and I were reading the paper and it was piled between us on the sofa. He started chewing on the edge and my husband reached down casually, as he would if our own puppy was chewing on the paper, to just move it out of his reach. He snarled and lunged at him. Did that again so I picked him up and put him in the exercise pen. I don't have any idea if that was a correct thing to do or not. I don't want for him to think that growling in and of itself is bad. Don't want to lost the early warning signal. But I  would like for him to learn that growling and snapping does not get him what he wants.

I've been doing some reading and part of the problem may be inadequate socialization (hard to be socialized when you spend all your time in the back yard) coupled with adolescence. Add on top of that the genetic predisposition to fearfulness and you've got quite a combination.

I worked with him on his sit this morning along with a bit more impulse control. I used the homemade treats I use with my own dogs but their value was way less than the chicken I used the day before so I'll probably have to up the ante there and he had no trouble at all ignoring the treats:-)

Other than the newspaper incident, though, he's been pretty good. My puppy woke up around 5:00 this morning and I really didn't want to get up then. Once I get up with 1, then all 3 have to go out. She barked a time or 2 and got Oliver to whoofing (soft sound). I petted her and told her to go back to sleep and she did. Amazing but what was more amazing was that Oliver quieted down too. He is sleeping in a crate in our bedroom. Our guys sleep on our bed but with 2 dogs and a cat already, we figured we didn't need 1 more animal in the bed. Also, he might not be allowed on the bed in his next home. So we got another hour of quiet before the pandemonium of morning toileting and feeding.

He had a bit of a hard time the 1st night he was here and a little bit less difficulty the 2nd night but by last night, he was sleeping well in there.

I'm still not sure what I can do to help him. Sure wish I did. But I'm just keep on loving him and trying to make him feel safe.

Responses to a few people

Well, when Oliver got here, he growled and snapped at me. He wouldn't take a treat from me. He wouldn't even eat one thrown on the floor at his feet. He did, however take a treat from my husband. Several, in fact.

Once his owner left, however, he settled down. At lease with me. I was holding him when my husband tried to pet him and he growled and snapped at him. No contact so that's a good sign.

Yesterday a friend came over so that we could see how he does with people. He adored her and never once growled or snapped at her. I was very encouraged.

Then today, our older son who lives with us (he works nights so we havent seen him since Oliver got here) came out to meet him. Boy, did he ever growl and bark at him. He took treats from him ok but if he tried to pet him, all he did was growl and snap. Still no contact with teeth.

Oh, and when I came home the first evening he was here from training class with my other dogs, he was loose in the house (my husband had him out). My dogs were on leashes and I hadn't known he was loose. My husband tried to pick him up and he growled and snapped at him several times. Still not contact.

I'm really not sure what the best way to proceed is. One trainer told me to just let him chill for a while. I'm going ot continue to treat him in situations in which he finds himself scared. My understanding is that you cannot reinforce an emotion. Hopefully he can learn to associate good things with the things he fears and that will help him overcome the fear.

My puppy, his sister, responds to her fear by retreating. he responds by aggressing. I'm hoping I can help him feel safe and learn ways to cope with his fear. We shall see.

I need to get more people over or take him out more to see if we can help him that way.

A New Life for Oliver

I named the puppy Gael when he was born (after the character in The Hunger Games). He was one of five puppies that my foster dog, Gidget had on September 19, 2012. When he was adopted, they named him "Guy".  He is back in our home and in honor of his new life, we've named him Oliver.

His story is a classic example of what happens all too often when someone adopts a puppy. He is now 8 months old and pretty much in full blown adolescence. Rather than work with the puppy from the time they got him or seek help when he began to exhibit behaviors that they didn't like, they just continued to leave him in the back yard to maybe "grow out of it"? I really don't know but it was a recipe for disaster. The good news is that they gave him back while he is still young enough to really make a difference in his behavior and help him grow into a great pet.

I worked extremely hard raising this litter of puppies (my first and last!). If you're interested in learning all the opportunities he had during his first 8 weeks of life, you can read all about him, his mother, and siblings here. I tried to be very selective about the homes that adopted the puppies as I wanted to avoid exactly what happened here.

One criteria I had was that I didn't think the puppies should be in homes with young children. They all weighed barely 2 pounds when they wer adopted. I also wanted them to go to homes where people understood that puppies do not raise themselves and that they would be responsible for making sure that they did the kinds of training necessary to grow into healthy, well adjusted family pets.

I can only say that I wasn't choosy enough and didn't stand by my assessment of the kind of home this puppy should go to.

The puppies are Toy Fox Terrier/Wire Haired Fox Terrier crosses. When someone contacted me about adopting, I always asked if they had read my blog (the link to which was on each adoption biography) and whether they had researched the breed. Very few people had and a great many were not in the lease interested in doing so.  The puppies began to bark at 3 weeks and the first time I took them outside, they immediately tried to dig to China. Very typical Terrier traits. I was "encouraged" not to tell people about these things (like they wouldn't notice the barking when they came to my house:-)

The family that adopted Oliver had 2 young children, an 8 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. I tried very hard to dissuade them from this puppy due to their children's ages as well as the fact that both of them worked outside the home but they assured me that one or the other of them worked from home every day so they could be there to house train, care for, and raise the puppy. I really liked them and against my better judgement, I relented.

I gave each family that adopted a puppy links to Ian Dunbar's excellent free ebooks, Before you Get your Puppy, and After you get Your Puppy. I encouraged them to find a trainer and take puppy classes. I gave them Sophia Yin's handout on house training. They had many, many links to positive training articles online. I know that one family bought Sophia Yin's book but do not have any idea if anyone else did. I especially encouraged them to take their puppies out to stores and around the neighborhood (in their arms, not on the ground) and not to wait until they had finished their shots.

I kept one of the puppies from the litter. When she was around 10-11 weeks old, she began displaying strong signs of fear. I couldn't take her towards the front of my house (she had been taken all over the house as well as outside and around the neighborhood in my arms for a young age, again, you can read all the early development activities I did with the puppies on my other blog) let alone go outside with her. She would tremble uncontrollably and try to climb out of my arms. I immediately contacted my trainer and began a plan of action for a much more focused socialization and desensitization program. I also contacted all the families that had adopted the other puppies and explained to them what I was seeing and what I was doing to help her. I encouraged them to let me know if they were seeing any fear related behaviors and told them I'd be more than happy to help them and that they should contact a local trainer and begin working with them, if they hadn't already. I heard back from one family, not this one.

Two days ago I got "THE CALL". Someone has to take this puppy now. He has been growling and biting us. We can't keep him.

Bear in mind, this was the first response by this family. Not, help, he's out of control, what can we do (preferrably much earlier than this but still...)  Just, we have done absolutely nothing that you recommended to help raise a healthy, happy puppy. Now, he's a mess, and we do not want to deal with what we have created.

This puppy, who spent his first 8week as the center of attention in my home has spent the past 6 months outside during the day. Left to raise himself. And they are surprised that as he enters adolescence, he is displaying typical behaviors for a puppy raised like this!

Thus begins our adventure. I've never worked with a dog that bites. So far, he has only growled and snapped at us. The Mother told me that the incidents (3 in all) were all level 2 per Ian Dunbar's scale (Level 2. Skin-contact by teeth but no skin-puncture.) This is great news. We know he has some bite inhibition. But I have to figure out what his triggers are and how to help him feel safer so that he doesn't have to resort to aggression in order to keep people at a safe distance (per his feeling of safety). 

I have a lot to learn:-) I am hopeful that the rescue will help me pay for a Vet Behaviorist to help evaluate him and set up a plan of action. In the meantime, i am beginning to work with him on impulse control and a few basic behaviors. So far, just sit. He caught on to IYC (It's Yer Choice or leave it) fairly quickly. Still very much a work in progress but I was happy with his response. It took a while to get him to sit the 1ft few times I tried luring him. By the time we quit, I was getting a sit more easily. I'll give him some time to process what he learned. I'm always amazed that they do this but it really is true. Quit working when you have the beginnings of a behavior, give them time to process, and when you come back, you're amazed at how much better the behavior is.