SENIOR MEETS SENIOR

Although I have a fair amount of experience in integrating dogs into my life, adopting a dog and one that is a senior is a different adventure. I wasn't quite sure what to expect although I had a lot of information from Dakota's foster mom. You automatically figure there will be adjustments and problems. I was sure I could handle problems but my major worry was psychological adjustments for both of us. This would be new to me. It didn't seem to worry all of my "doggie friends". My husband didn't even give it a thought.

Through the years my approach to dog training and potential problems has been "thinking". I have found that observing the situation, evaluating it, and working through a process of how best to handle it in my mind first has worked the best. This worked beautifully with Dakota. Each step brought about positive results and we became closer and closer to a trusted relationship.

It was a perfect sunny Sunday when Sheila and Gordon arrived in their van with four of their own Goldens, a black lab, and Dakota. What a wonderful afternoon we had - wall to wall Goldens. While all of them spent their time freely going between the backyard and the house, we ate lunch and I had time to observe Dakota and his reactions to the gang and people. He was pretty much pushed aside by the other dogs when it came time for seeking attention. They all had been together for some time and Dakota was the new kid on the block even though Shelia and Gordon had made him very much a part of the home.

Parting time was difficult on everyone. I don't remember much about those first hours alone with Dakota. I planned on trying to keep everything normal - whatever that was. Sheila had taken him upstairs to show him his bed. At bedtime he went right to the huge, round snuggle bed and stayed there all night.

Dakota was a Velcro dog. I couldn't go to the bathroom or get a cup of coffee without him pasting himself to my leg. This guy was loaded up with insecurity. Unfortunately I didn't know a lot about his background. So I decided to let things ride for a while. Sometimes I took clues from him. Other times I gently encouraged him to go with me while I watched his reactions.

Thanks to the warm weather it wasn't difficult to let him out in the morning when I got up. My surprise came when he wouldn't go out. I was trying to keep Sheila's schedule, so it was very early. It was light outside but the sun had not fully come up. I went out onto the deck and encouraged him to follow me. That part was easy. I started back into the house and he turned around and followed me back in - never having gotten off the deck. Quietly I turned around and went back out on the deck with Dakota following me. I sat down in one of the chairs. During this whole process I was casually chatting with him. Nothing in particular, just jabbering on and on. He decided he'd go down into the yard and potty. He came across a scent. I think it was from one of Sheila's dogs. One sniff led to another. He spent more time seeking more scents. Finally he came back up on the deck and sat next to me seeking a hand for a petting session.

I had been thinking about Dakota's huge bump of insecurity that was with him every minute of his life. I needed a plan to help him turn his life around. I determined that if I started with giving him freedom to make decisions on his own, he would be well on his way toward confidence and the insecurity would diminish. This would take a lot of time, patience, and stability.

For weeks Dakota and I were a team. Each morning we headed out to the back deck. I parked myself in my chair with my radio and he went about his business. At first he came running back to me as soon as he could. I would continue to stay in my chair, listening to the radio. Soon Dakota was getting back up and venturing back into the yard. He would come back to the deck and eventually found his own spot to lay down and listen to the sounds of the early morning. I noticed that he would pay particular attention to cars that came by. I knew that he used to listen for someone in a car in his past life. Probably waiting for his owner to come home.

Eventually we would go into the house and get breakfast. He let me know that he wanted to go out again after he'd eaten. So we went out again and followed the same routine. Then we'd come in. I would pour a cup of coffee and head for the family room, turn on the TV, and listen to the news.

Dakota became used to the routine and happily followed it every morning. Soon his tail was wagging and he had a big smile on his face as he looked up to me to open the door. It came to an abrupt halt the day it was raining when we came down. He refused to go out. No amount of encouragement got him out that back door. I didn't make an issue out of it. Instead I turned around and went about my business of making coffee, watching the news, and ignoring him except for assuring him he was a good dog and petting him. I quickly learned that he had a darn good bladder. With the rain came the thunder and lightening. That will be my next post.