TIME MARCHES ON
The days and weeks rolled by. My efforts to create an environment that would give Dakota a sense of security was working. Dogs that come into our homes want predictable routines and security. They can adjust to changes but it usually causes stress for them. Humans experience the same thing. Dogs need to have a degree of change so they can adapt. But I'm dealing with a very senior dog who was thrust into a series of big changes in his life in rapid order so he needed to be given a chance to recover from those stresses, adapt to the new routines, learn to trust again, and develop his own self confidence again. I needed to get a sense of his old habits, learn what special things were important to him, and hopefully establish new events with him.
I realized that he needed a diversion......something to take his mind off of the trauma he'd been through. It needed to be something that would keep his attention day in and day out and connect him with his new home. I found that in the backyard.......our chipmunks. It took a while to get him interested but soon he was spending his days watching them intently. I fed them on the deck so Dakota could watch them. Once his interest took hold, he was using his wonderful nose to trace them outside. He found their holes but didn't make any effort to disturb them. Soon our morning and afternoon deck adventures were dedicated to finding the chipmunks. I learned that his eyesight was incredible. He could see them moving around out in the garden under the plants or running down the top of our fence. What fun he had.
Because I constantly talk with my dogs from the day they come into our house, Dakota started listening to me jabber and picked up on key words like chipmunks, chippies. He would head into the family room and look for them out on the deck. Sometimes he'd stand at the back door and when he saw one way out by the fence he wanted to go out. Soon he connected with the chipmunks' schedules. He knew which one came from which direction to feed under the bird feeders and he'd be there to watch them. He never chased them, just watched them. Squirrels and rabbits were another story...they were fair game but only half-heartedly.
I finally was able to be in the house when Dakota went out but I had to stay near the door. Eventually I work in the kitchen or be in the family room while he was outside. He would only potty however, and then wanted to immediately come back into the house to be next to me. Soon, he started roaming around the yard for awhile before he came in. I let him make his own decisions. I made sure not to call him in but, rather, wait until he wanted to come in. He was slowly building up his own confidence. It was so much fun to watch him morph into this new Golden trying out his new legs. Now I fast forward to today. He loves to go out with his new Christmas teddy bear. He's learned that he has to bring it back in when he comes in. But he also just loves to tease me by coming up the steps to the deck and pretending he wants to come in and suddenly he wheels around and back down to the yard. He turns his head around to look at me and has a big smile showing that he just managed to con me. I realize that normally this would be a serious training problem. But in this case I don't feel it is. He's just a happy senior guy having a little fun. I'm not facing any such problems with him anywhere else.
When he came to live with us, Sheila told me he wasn't much for toys - just the sterile white hard bones. I had plenty of them. I left out a box of toys from previous dogs and he wasn't interested in any of them. Then one day he picked up Melodie's plush hedgehog that she carried around throughout her last years. At first I wanted to grab it away from him but I caught myself and let him have it. He carried it around a bit now and then. Soon he picked up Chaucie's favorite plush ladybug. That too he carried around for a while but he always went back to his bones. When Christmas came I thought I might just find him one plush toy. I wouldn't lavish toys on him as we've done with others in the past. I found a little teddy bear on sale and gave it to him Christmas day. I played with him and the bear. A little coaxing here and there. He really wasn't all that interested but suddenly one day he grabbed that little bear and I don't think it's been out of his mouth except at night since he picked it up.
Normally I don't let my dogs take toys out in the winter. We spent a fair amount of time digging through snow drifts searching for a favorite and my husband got tired of that routine when it was 30 below. But the day Dakota first wanted to take the bear out I let him. He came in without it. We went out and got it. Since mornings had become so special for Dakota and myself, I started working with him to bring that bear back in with him. I made a big game out of it. Now he brings in the bear. Sometimes he looks at it out there, comes in, and then I ask him where his bear is. With great delight he whips out the door, flies off of the steps, grabs the bear and comes back in. His tail is wagging a mile a minute and there is that big smile on his face. He and his bear come into the kitchen with me and he plunks himself down in the middle while I fix meals. Being a senior who is no longer steady on my legs, I have to turn and see where he is before I dare move. But it's worth it as I love having him out there for company.......especially during football season.
Dakota has gained so much confidence in himself. He trusts his own decisions. I'm not sure if I could have done all of this with him when I was in my twenties but as a senior I've been there, done that and I've been through so much with many dogs through the years and learned so much, I trust myself to buy time and gently work with a senior dog to give him the opportunity to enjoy his senior years with another senior - me. Today I think we're both happy to have each other for companionship. A lot of my success with Dakota is based on what I think was a good home and someone that cared a lot about him and taught him how to be a good dog. He is so gentle and sweet. He's willing to listen and willing to cooperate because he knows it will end in something good. Soon the chipmunks will be out again and we'll see what Dakota does then. The spring storms will arrive and hopefully he won't be so scared. But if he is, we'll deal with it then. Tomorrow I will write about his separation anxiety and how I successfully worked that out..
I realized that he needed a diversion......something to take his mind off of the trauma he'd been through. It needed to be something that would keep his attention day in and day out and connect him with his new home. I found that in the backyard.......our chipmunks. It took a while to get him interested but soon he was spending his days watching them intently. I fed them on the deck so Dakota could watch them. Once his interest took hold, he was using his wonderful nose to trace them outside. He found their holes but didn't make any effort to disturb them. Soon our morning and afternoon deck adventures were dedicated to finding the chipmunks. I learned that his eyesight was incredible. He could see them moving around out in the garden under the plants or running down the top of our fence. What fun he had.
Because I constantly talk with my dogs from the day they come into our house, Dakota started listening to me jabber and picked up on key words like chipmunks, chippies. He would head into the family room and look for them out on the deck. Sometimes he'd stand at the back door and when he saw one way out by the fence he wanted to go out. Soon he connected with the chipmunks' schedules. He knew which one came from which direction to feed under the bird feeders and he'd be there to watch them. He never chased them, just watched them. Squirrels and rabbits were another story...they were fair game but only half-heartedly.
I finally was able to be in the house when Dakota went out but I had to stay near the door. Eventually I work in the kitchen or be in the family room while he was outside. He would only potty however, and then wanted to immediately come back into the house to be next to me. Soon, he started roaming around the yard for awhile before he came in. I let him make his own decisions. I made sure not to call him in but, rather, wait until he wanted to come in. He was slowly building up his own confidence. It was so much fun to watch him morph into this new Golden trying out his new legs. Now I fast forward to today. He loves to go out with his new Christmas teddy bear. He's learned that he has to bring it back in when he comes in. But he also just loves to tease me by coming up the steps to the deck and pretending he wants to come in and suddenly he wheels around and back down to the yard. He turns his head around to look at me and has a big smile showing that he just managed to con me. I realize that normally this would be a serious training problem. But in this case I don't feel it is. He's just a happy senior guy having a little fun. I'm not facing any such problems with him anywhere else.
When he came to live with us, Sheila told me he wasn't much for toys - just the sterile white hard bones. I had plenty of them. I left out a box of toys from previous dogs and he wasn't interested in any of them. Then one day he picked up Melodie's plush hedgehog that she carried around throughout her last years. At first I wanted to grab it away from him but I caught myself and let him have it. He carried it around a bit now and then. Soon he picked up Chaucie's favorite plush ladybug. That too he carried around for a while but he always went back to his bones. When Christmas came I thought I might just find him one plush toy. I wouldn't lavish toys on him as we've done with others in the past. I found a little teddy bear on sale and gave it to him Christmas day. I played with him and the bear. A little coaxing here and there. He really wasn't all that interested but suddenly one day he grabbed that little bear and I don't think it's been out of his mouth except at night since he picked it up.
Normally I don't let my dogs take toys out in the winter. We spent a fair amount of time digging through snow drifts searching for a favorite and my husband got tired of that routine when it was 30 below. But the day Dakota first wanted to take the bear out I let him. He came in without it. We went out and got it. Since mornings had become so special for Dakota and myself, I started working with him to bring that bear back in with him. I made a big game out of it. Now he brings in the bear. Sometimes he looks at it out there, comes in, and then I ask him where his bear is. With great delight he whips out the door, flies off of the steps, grabs the bear and comes back in. His tail is wagging a mile a minute and there is that big smile on his face. He and his bear come into the kitchen with me and he plunks himself down in the middle while I fix meals. Being a senior who is no longer steady on my legs, I have to turn and see where he is before I dare move. But it's worth it as I love having him out there for company.......especially during football season.
Dakota has gained so much confidence in himself. He trusts his own decisions. I'm not sure if I could have done all of this with him when I was in my twenties but as a senior I've been there, done that and I've been through so much with many dogs through the years and learned so much, I trust myself to buy time and gently work with a senior dog to give him the opportunity to enjoy his senior years with another senior - me. Today I think we're both happy to have each other for companionship. A lot of my success with Dakota is based on what I think was a good home and someone that cared a lot about him and taught him how to be a good dog. He is so gentle and sweet. He's willing to listen and willing to cooperate because he knows it will end in something good. Soon the chipmunks will be out again and we'll see what Dakota does then. The spring storms will arrive and hopefully he won't be so scared. But if he is, we'll deal with it then. Tomorrow I will write about his separation anxiety and how I successfully worked that out..
posted by Katie | 10:39 AM
<< Home