Archives for November 2019

I’ve been avoiding writing this update all day. 

There’s nothing wrong; she continues to progress by leaps and bounds.  I’ve been avoiding it because she met a family today that just might be hers.  Zach and I want to complete her basic training and we want to do some more tests to see if her reaction toward kids is situational nerves or actual aggression.  I’m pretty sure it’s situational but I’m not willing to bank on pretty sure.

They’re thinking about it and we will be working on it.  I know it’s the right thing to do, she deserves a family of her own.  It’s just that she climbed up on the couch to snuggle me while I was watching TV and was so eager to receive my affection.  This is the part of fostering that I conveniently forget every time I agree to do it again. 

Here’s your big takeaway tonight:  Char-Wills saved her life and I’m determined to make it the best life she could imagine.  It’s just going to take a little piece of my heart to do it.

Please follow along on this blog as she completes the Good Dog Board and Train program.  Your kind financial support of Char-Wills in honor of this sweet girl is most appreciated.

Rescue to 5K in 4 days.

I wonder if that’s a record?  I made a joke of the possibility on Sunday at class when I told the pack I was going to pick up a foster.  I didn’t believe it, either.  However, yesterday I was looking at the three dogs in my home at the moment.  Pony is 15-weeks post-op from ACL surgery; although cleared for unrestricted activity I think 3.1 miles is a bit much in the chilly November air.  Gigi would do it if I insisted but she doesn’t love crowds or cold wind.  Phoenix has been doing exceptionally well so after talking it out with one of the veterinary nurses in the pack, I decided she would get to go!

It was a great test for her.  She was uncomfortable at first.  It’s probably the first time she’s ever worn a coat but at not quite 50# and not quite 8-months-old, I chose to err on the side of caution.  She did her best to heel as told her to but I found her plastering herself to my leg instead of walking loosely at my side.  By the last mile she had settled in; she was particularly happy when we walked in a tight pack with the people and dogs she has quickly come to know as her friends.

It was loud and long and cold.  She was brilliant!  She posed beautifully on place with her packmates after we crossed the finish line. When we got home, she chugged a bowl of water and ran out back for a long pee.  (She still will not eliminate on the leash, only on the tie out back.  Never in the house <knock wood> so there’s that!)  She also climbed up on the couch for a snuggle and nap with Pony & Gigi.

There is a family coming to meet her tomorrow.  They’ve already completed an application and they are committed to continuing her training.  I’m struggling.

This isn’t my first foster experience.  I’ve been both a success and a failure.  It’s not in either hers or my family’s best interest for her to remain with me, even though I do love her so.  My family is full and I need to allow for other students, and fosters, to join us for spurts of time.  I wish it got easier to let them go.  It never does.  But you know what?  Nothing ever worth having comes easy.  If it didn’t hurt like hell then was it even love?  Nope.  I love you, Phoenix; I’ll miss you but I’m so excited to know that you’re going to be amazing and have the most spectacular life with a family tailor made for you.  For that, I am thankful.

Please follow along on this blog as she completes the Good Dog Board and Train program.  Your kind financial support of Char-Wills in honor of this sweet girl is most appreciated.

I’m not an expert on body language but I’m pretty good at interpreting a dog’s feelings based on position. 

For example, in the picture above, the door is open allowing her the freedom to come and go as she pleases.  (It allows Pony and Gigi to pop their heads into her space, as well.)  Given all that, on this her third full day at Villa Mia, the fact that Phoenix is stretched out on her back and snoring suggests to me that she’s pretty content and secure. 

I’m not looking forward to her finishing her training and going off to her forever home.  Not that I don’t want her to find a home and a family to love for all time, I’m just not looking forward to the ugly cry I will have when it happens.  Oh, I do love her already.

She had a really big day.  One of my students has been struggling with a fear of heights.  It is our philosophy that no dog should live in fear so we do everything we can to help them conquer their fears and live with confidence.  We invited the pack to join us for his lesson at a local park.  10 of his friends stepped up to help and Phoenix tagged along.  She is heeling like a champ, sit is still so-so but her place is on point!  She even walked the plank and started to grasp stay.  What’s more, she is even more relaxed with the myriad of new people greeting her.  There was one tense moment when she was startled by an 8-year-old girl who ran past her but Zach had brought his A-game to the park today and mitigated any disaster before it could happen.  Now we know what to really work on to help her be comfortable in any situation.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words so allow me to wrap this up at just about 325 and offer these beauts instead.

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Please follow along on this blog as she completes the Good Dog Board and Train program.  Your kind financial support of Char-Wills in honor of this sweet girl is most appreciated.

Do you have a shopping strategy?  Here are the SBS specials from Mia Semuta Dog Training!

• The Good Dog Tuition is $150 off if paid in full.
• The multiple dog discount is increased to 30%!  They don’t have to be dogs in the same household, just sharing the same lesson times.  Are there four dogs in your neighborhood in need of help?  Coordinate and save.
• Gift Certificates are 20% off.  Spend $80, get a $100 GC.  It makes a great gift!  The GC may be used for the Spring Retreat.

On Cyber Monday I recommend Chewy.com; I wish I got a kick back from them but I sadly do not.  I just love their speed and customer service.

For Giving Tuesday, please consider a donation to Char-Wills in honor of my darling foster, Phoenix. <3

I had to scold her this morning. 

• She wouldn’t get out of the kitchen.
• She was pestering Pony.
• She was flipping her water bowl.
• She was systematically emptying the toy bin.
• She was playing in the leaves when she should have been going potty.
• She performed a profanity-laced soliloquy at the squirrels out back.
• She followed Zach upstairs.
• She was standing too close to Gigi’s benebone.

She was being a puppy.

What a beautiful annoyance it all was!  It’s not all sunshine and roses, we’ve discovered a little issue with resource guarding and she still doesn’t like to remain seated when told to do so but for 48 hours into her new life I’m taking it all as a win.

We did not give her a dedicated lesson today but she did go to two pack walks and playdates.  She is living the Mia Semuta Dog Training motto, “Always Be Training,” just by living in my pack.  Slowly, but surely, we are checking off items on her report card. 

I watched as Zach introduced “place” and beamed as she accomplished it.  She’s been fearless in jumping into the car and accepting of her new dog friends, big and small.  She sought out affection today from not just her trainers but the other pack parents at the playdates.  Seriously, she continues to be spectacular.

It’s Toothy Tuesday so she had her teeth brushed today for what I’m guessing was the first time.  She didn’t love it.  Like, at all.  But we got through it together and we will go back to it again and again and again until she just doesn’t care anymore.  I’m so crazy tempted to let her come sleep in the bed with us tonight but I’m going to stay strong and continue to do what is best for her so that she can live her best life; because more than I want her to snuggle I want her to thrive.

Please follow along on this blog as she completes the Good Dog Board and Train program.  Your kind financial support of Char-Wills in honor of this sweet girl is most appreciated.

When I brought Phoenix home last night I had about 30 minutes before my team for this weekend’s bake off came over to plan strategy. 

I kept her safely in her crate and didn’t allow them to invade her space.  She needed a little time to decompress and acclimate to her new reality.  They are animal lovers, too, and they respected my request but wanted so badly to love and snuggle her.  I get that, I really do.  A prevailing theory is that frightened and timid dogs simply need to be loved enough to get past it.  This is actually the exact opposite of what they need.

Simply loving a human child who is frightened is a perfect strategy.  Comforting hugs and maybe a little treat helps a human child to feel safe and loved thus removing the fear.  But dogs are not human.

Once more for the cheap seats:  Dogs are not human.

A dog who is frightened craves order, structure, routine.  A nervous dog longs for a strong leader so she can let her guard down knowing someone else is in charge and has her back.  Confidence is the key to relieving stress.  When we coddle and avoid stressors we only reinforce their fears.  It feels cruel but the best thing I can do for Phoenix is to establish and maintain a structured environment and be 100% her leader.  She has no need to worry about making the right choice because I am making the choices.  She only needs to worry about following orders.

Some rescues recommend allowing dogs to decompress and not leave their new home for 30 days.  I cannot disagree more.  Today, just over 12 hours after I picked her up, Zach and I conducted her first formal lesson.  After that, she went on a pack walk with some new friends and her housemates and participated in a couple of skill drills.  She got to watch playtime but didn’t get to play because, well, we’re not stupid.  Less than 24 hours in training?  Yeah, she doesn’t have a solid recall yet!  She did get to go for yet another walk with another German Shepherd puppy later that same day.

Today we introduced door manners, heel and sit.  She is smart.  Really smart.  She’s as smart as she is scared but watching her begin to understand what we are asking of her brings a happy tear to the eye.  Door manners matter because we must establish a polite order.  Dogs can’t dash through boundaries and still be safe.  They can either knock you down or run into danger far too easily not to mention the fact that it’s just plain rude.  Sit is important because it’s the default relaxed position.  Insisting that a dog sit on command is also helping them center their thoughts and calm their minds.

Heel.  Heel is so much more than just walking nicely on a leash.  Heel sets the foundation and creates a team instead of a competition.  Just like a pair of dance partners must move as if they are one body, a dog and handler must do the same.  The human leads, the dog follows.  This is not up for debate.  On leash time is work time.  A walk is for the person, the dog is lucky to be invited to come along.  Off-leash time is playtime.  It must be earned and when it is the dog is then free to sniff and pee and roll in stinky stuff to his heart’s delight. 

Don’t get caught up in the ridiculous argument that your dogs needs to be able to make her own choices and have free will.  This is not a democracy.  This is a benevolent dictatorship.  Your dog is not a person but she is dependent on you.  It is your responsibility to make healthy choices on her behalf and keep her safe.

A dog in a proper heel will find his shoulder at his handler’s heel.  That’s where we get the term!  The handler should be able to hold a short leash with just a finger; if that’s not possible then the dog is doing something wrong.  Both bodies should be relaxed and in sync.  When the person stops, the dog sits.  When the person moves, the dog follows.  When enforcing a proper heel you’re not oppressing your dog you are reassuring him that you are in charge.  You are aware of your surroundings and YOU’VE got his back.  You are capable of making the decisions, dog only needs to follow.  This allows your dog to relax and enjoy his time with you unencumbered by the world on his shoulders.  This frees the dog from the anxiety of worry that the only thing between them and danger is their red-hot alert skills.

We gave Phoenix that freedom today.  We taught her to heel and in the process she found her smile and the courage to leap into the car on her own.  She couldn’t do that yesterday.  What a beautiful day.

Please follow along on this blog as she completes the Good Dog Board and Train program.  Your kind financial support of Char-Wills in honor of this sweet girl is most appreciated.