Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Hi Bobbie
Hope I’m still in time to post this message. Yesterday I took Addy to classes at my club barn where he happily participated in class and watched while I taught the next one. A few hours later it was time for me to set up for the 3 day trial that began at 5 pm. After my work was done, I asked Addy to exit the car, which he did willingly. Bonus! I could tell he didn’t want to go further in the parking lot than my car, so we just hung out and had a tailgate party which he thoroughly enjoyed, even without the beer. Lots of food. People started to arrive so I put him back in the car and did a few things on the course. Then I came back to the car and sat in the back seat with him and did the slow feeding on his blanket exercise. Then out of the blue he sat up bolt upright and was staring out the front window. And wouldn’t you know, Scary Lady walked right by the front of our car. I didn’t even know she was on the property at that point. I said nothing and just continued to feed him and he slid down into his laying down position and continued to eat. THIS WAS HUGE in my opinion. I think we can do this. We’re on our way. Next stage is engaging Scary Lady in our journey until she becomes Barb, the Papillon lady and nothing to worry about. I feel confident we’ll get there and I thank you for your help.
Cheers, HildiWe had a busy weekend of CKC rally obedience competitions. While we have competed in Canadian Association of Rally Obedience competitions for a couple years and have reached the Versatility Excellent level, we hadn’t ventured into CKC trials. This one was indoors and had two active rings (obedience and rally). I rented some ring time the night before to acclimate Addy and Babs, my older poodle. The 123 game was put to good use and Addy was relaxed and happy. He Q’d in his 2 runs on Saturday but Sunday was a mess. We started off well but our course led us to the edge of the ring, straight towards a cluster of competitors who were loudly celebrating someone’s high in trial. I couldn’t keep Addy’s attention in the midst of the noise, so we bit the run and ended the weekend on a less than positive note. But today was agility class, and Addy was no worse for wear – happy in his work and loving the 123, u-turn and face front games as shown in the following videos. We started out at the opposite side of the barn from another student and her sheltie. Then in videos 2 and 3 we are walking around in the same space as the sheltie team. He hardly noticed them. I even started out my rally runs at the trial with the 123 game which really helped as the facility was fairly noisy. Thanks Bobbie!
Hi Bobbie,
The women and dogs in the corridor were the students in our class, so all people and dogs he is familiar with. Another scary thing that has occurred in that corridor is the porta poddy door slamming behind us during a strong wind. We often feed walking through the corridor, especially when there are multiple dogs in the area. Last October he was crated in the overhang of the building, right outside the door into the barn. It wasn’t an ideal location in retrospect as everyone passed by that spot to go into the indoor ring at the trial. I was the course builder, so I spent much of my time inside the barn and not outside near Addy. Dogs were not allowed to crate inside because of Covid restrictions. This was the time of his big meltdown. Scary Lady was there, and it wasn’t until later in the day did I realize how stressed Addy really was. We had no further competitions in 2021 until March 2022 and Addy had no contact with Scary Lady until March/22. There have been 3 trials in 2022, 1 in March and 2 in April where I have been course builder and Scary Lady has been a participant. Each trial was worse than the previous one, so bad that I pulled Addy from everything and kept him in my car all day. So I considered it a big win with his relatively relaxed behaviour as seen in the video, going from the car to the barn and everything in between. It has been such a heartbreak to see this big athletic happy dog go downhill so much. So I very much appreciate your input and help with what seems like an unusually intense fear period for Addy.Hi Bobbie
Here’s a video from yesterday’s class. Addy had no trouble getting out of the car or walking the gauntlet into the barn. That corridor between the parking lot and the door into the barn has been a place with many triggers, especially when he has seen Scary Lady. In this video Addy seems relaxed and quite normal. He was great in class too in the barn and in the outside ring. I think his meds have really kicked in since we started them on April 4.
Hi Bobbie
Thanks for all your help in last night’s zoom call. When discussing shadow handling, you said you cannot reinforce an emotion. I’m unclear about that statement: do you mean it’s not possible to reinforce an emotion (as opposed to a behaviour) or that or that we mustn’t reinforce an emotion. (I’m way too literal for my own good.). Thanks for your thoughts on this.Hi Bobbie
I am not sure if the woman is willing to work with me. I have broached the subject with her. My veterinarian is also a member of the same club as this woman and will advocate for me to this end. It may take a month or two before we get to that point. I would like a plan of action for this woman, Addy and I and am hoping you can help me that.Now I’m not sure which video you aren’t able to open. Is it this one? This is from a trial on April/22 first thing in the morning before he has seen his primary trigger.
I am a techno peasant and have recruited a young person to help me with YouTube. I hope you can now see this video from first thing on April 2/22. It is the start of an FEO JWW class. https://youtu.be/A17CY5d56Yc
Here is another short sequence from my handling class. He is focused and I love his energy at the end for his toy.
I am reposting the video from April 2/22 where Addy saw his primary trigger on April 1/22 at this facility. At this point on April 2/22 he has not seen his trigger. https://youtu.be/fO-SIiBkk-4
This is our shadow handling video taken in class at the same facility on April 8/22. He is a bit wary at first, looks at the gate a few times, but begins to relax into the work. This was taken at the start of our class.
This is a video from same class on April 8/22. His primary trigger is not on the property. We did several different short sequences in this hour-long class, and Addy was a happy worker throughout. He held his start line and retrieved his toy at the end each time.
Clomicalm is a longer term medication. Dogs are often on it for several months or more. I was told I probably wouldn’t notice much difference in his behaviour for a couple weeks or so.
I will have video taken in tomorrow’s class. Thank you!Addy started 4 mg twice daily of Clomicalm (Clomipramine hydrochloride) on April 5/. My vet witnessed the meltdown on April 2/22 and thought we should give him meds for 30 days and then evaluate.
I have had Addy since he was 13 weeks old. He is big, athletic and pushy. He is also extremely sound sensitive and worried at times. He has had at least 8 encounters with offleash dogs getting in his face in a bad way while he was on leash. Before he was two, he showed fear of a few people, barking at them and backing away. And he did display that same behaviour in his first few agility trials. Then came Covid and no more trials for a year. And then his shock at the ring crew with the flesh-coloured mask at my local agility trial last year. The agility trials are held at the same facility as our agility and rally obedience classes. He is a happy worker in those situations. His primary trigger does not attend these classes.This is a video from a trial in September/2020. Addy is working well and is focused. https://youtube.com/shorts/2cyAbVqNaQ4?feature=share
This is a video from April 2/2022. Addy saw his primary trigger on the previous day but has not seen her at this point when this video was taken. https://youtu.be/ucKWqh4L2qg
This video was taken about an hour after the previous video. Addy had by this time seen his primary trigger on the property and at a distance. He is thoroughly stressed, keeps looking at the barn entrance, pulls out of his collar, and runs to the opposite end of the barn. https://youtu.be/4Pwue0-jV3w
