When we first embarked on our journey with Abby a little over three years ago, I had no idea the things that I would come to learn. First and foremost, I've learned more about trust from one little yellow dog than I ever could have learned in a lifetime. Her ability to put total faith in us for everything amazes me. She trusts that we will always be home, that we will always do what is in her best interest, and that we will never ask more of her than she is capable of. The ways I've defined bravery and courage have changed in some ways. As I watch my reactive dog try to live in a world that makes no sense, I'm often humbled by how far she has come since the early weeks of chaotic walks in which every sight and sound seemed to be overwhelming. And most importantly I've learned about unconditional love. My husband and I like to believe that people who say dogs don't know emotions have never had an Abby. Every single thing she does is so fueled by love that you can truly understand why she does the things she does.
Along the way you learn the basics that apply to most dogs. You figure out how to potty train a dog, and the proper equipment to use when walking your furry companion. You learn about the newest toys to stimulate your dog mentally, and exhaust them physically. You develop a sense for what toys your dog will rip to shreds in under 5 seconds, and which ones she won't play with at all.
But people with a reactive dog begin to learn a whole new language. You learn to read your dog's signals. We've all heard that dogs can communicate with their body language, and those who live in a land of reactivity will find themselves reading the subtle queues of not only their dog, but of all of the dogs you're likely to encounter in your every day activities. You learn where to walk, what to avoid. You learn that your dog probably hovers a bit above threshold as compared with most other dogs, and that certain things can cause a reaction where they never effectively return to a calm state but an even more elevated state than before. And for some of us with reactive dogs, you learn that sometimes you and your dog need a little bit of help. For most this comes in the form of finding a trainer and confidant who helps to guide you on the adventure of raising a reactive dog. And for some of us, there is the type of help that comes in the form of a prescription.
I've never been shy about saying that Abby is on a prescription medication for anxiety. At first there was some shame in admitting to this, either because most people aren't aware that such a thing exists, or because I felt judged as an owner - as if I was not enough of an awesome pet parent to do things on my own. Whatever the reason, I think sometimes people have a hard time admitting that maybe your pet needs a little bit of help to allow them to relax enough to be receptive to all of the wonderful things you want to teach them. That certainly was the case for Abby. Abby's trip has been a difficult one with stumbling blocks along the way. But through it all I would not change a single thing about the road we've been on and we're at with her presently.
And so it is with that that I tell you we are starting a new fork in the road. Today marked our annual recheck appointment with our vet behaviorist. It is a time where we all come together to talk about Abby and what she's been up to behaviorally within the past year. Much like with our own physicals with our physicians, it is also a time to assess the course of treatments we have been doing to see if they're helping or not making any impact. We have always had discussions over what the medication is doing for Abby and what relief and benefit she receives from it. However, recent production issues with Novartis have had a direct impact on the availability of her medication, Clomicalm. For the past year we have been utilizing a compounding service for giving her a twice daily dosage of Clomipramine. However, even the generic has gone up to such an egregious price that it has left our behaviorist questioning the ability to receive the medication long-term.
So what does that mean for Abby? It means that we are slowly going to lower her dosage of the Clomipramine with the end goal that she will be weaned off of it, and then we will begin a new medication that is more widely available with a good success rate, Prozac. It is a scary thought, the idea of your pet coming down from a medication that had such great success. But with it comes the opportunity to truly assess your pet's behavior and discover what benefit they're truly receiving from it. The coming weeks will probably see more blog entries as I attempt to document and assess the changes we may see in Abby's behavior as a result of this change. But I feel confident in the work that Abby has done and our ability to know our dog and her behavior that we'll be able to monitor the changes we see and work with our behaviorist to tailor this change to her needs.
Showing posts with label Abby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abby. Show all posts
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
There may be no such thing as a stupid question...
... but there certainly is such a thing as a stupid idea, or at least one that is misinformed.
We have been working recently on bringing our girl for random appointments where she comes in, gets treats and love from staff, and settles on her mat. We always try to keep our visits short and light, and we always try to end on a positive note. I cannot tell you the world of difference this has made to Abby. She gets excited to enter the vet and see the friends she has made.
On our last visit, we pulled in and shortly after two cars pulled in. In one vehicle appeared an owner and her mixed breed dog. In another vehicle was someone who advertised themselves as an animal behaviorist and described that they helped to modify and correct some canine behavior. It was at this point that I noticed that the self-described "behaviorist" got out to greet the other woman and her dog. I could not see what was going on from the other side of the caravan, but I did notice what sounded like multiple dogs barking from the business van the behaviorist drove. As the women were talking, I heard the behaviorist tell her dogs to "settle" quite often, and I heard her dogs completely ignore her. I allowed them a few minutes to get inside our veterinarian's office before I took Abby out of the car.
We do a great deal of mat work with Abby, and this truly has been one of the keys to her success. Abby has a safe place that she can go to and settle, and she knows that the only expectation for her when she is there is that she relax. Certainly getting her to understand that was its own challenge, but now it is her default. So when we came inside, I put her mat down near a half wall in the waiting area and gave her the cue to go to her mat. Abby laid down very easily and put her chin down while we waited for them to finish at the scale. When they were done, I brought Abby over to the scale so she could practice getting on it and then we returned to our mat. This is when the dog who was on the other side of the wall put his paws on the half wall to peer over. Abby took interest and popped up off her mat and tried to look around the wall. I cued Abby back to her mat, and as she was returning the "behaviorist" said to me, "Do you think they can say hi so they both can settle?"
What? "Do you think they can say hi so they both can settle?"
Allow me to rephrase this in the way I heard it. "Can my anxious dog get in the face of your reactive dog and hope that chaos doesn't ensue and they get it out of their system?"
I do not believe in the idea that a reactive dog can go face-to-face with another dog and find anything calm in the interaction. Many non-reactive dogs would likely feel some level of excitement after such an interaction. For a reactive dog, they learn that they worked themselves up about this big scary thing, and thankfully this time nothing happened. And while I am not a fan of clearly reactive dogs greeting other dogs, more importantly I am thoroughly against introducing dogs in stressful situations. Abby is a smart girl. As much as we have a new place, and a new MO, she knows what she's there for. We're working on counter conditioning this experience for her. And so while your dog is clearly amped up for this appointment, and my dog is clearly amped to be in the door, this is the time that you as a self-described professional think is a good opportunity to greet?
My answer as as polite as I could make it. "No, she will settle on her own because we have worked on that. Face-to-face greetings will cause a reaction from her."
While I can respect that she at least asked instead of allowing her dog to barrel around the wall, I was absolutely astounded by the "solution" this person came up with. It was a day that made me truly grateful that everything aligned the way it needed to be so that Abby could find us, and we could find the trainer that we have. She was meant to find us, and we were meant to be her voice.
And at the end of all of this, Abby just continued to be a rock star. She came to work, got good love from her favorite receptionist, and left on a high note. I could not have asked for more.
We have been working recently on bringing our girl for random appointments where she comes in, gets treats and love from staff, and settles on her mat. We always try to keep our visits short and light, and we always try to end on a positive note. I cannot tell you the world of difference this has made to Abby. She gets excited to enter the vet and see the friends she has made.
On our last visit, we pulled in and shortly after two cars pulled in. In one vehicle appeared an owner and her mixed breed dog. In another vehicle was someone who advertised themselves as an animal behaviorist and described that they helped to modify and correct some canine behavior. It was at this point that I noticed that the self-described "behaviorist" got out to greet the other woman and her dog. I could not see what was going on from the other side of the caravan, but I did notice what sounded like multiple dogs barking from the business van the behaviorist drove. As the women were talking, I heard the behaviorist tell her dogs to "settle" quite often, and I heard her dogs completely ignore her. I allowed them a few minutes to get inside our veterinarian's office before I took Abby out of the car.
We do a great deal of mat work with Abby, and this truly has been one of the keys to her success. Abby has a safe place that she can go to and settle, and she knows that the only expectation for her when she is there is that she relax. Certainly getting her to understand that was its own challenge, but now it is her default. So when we came inside, I put her mat down near a half wall in the waiting area and gave her the cue to go to her mat. Abby laid down very easily and put her chin down while we waited for them to finish at the scale. When they were done, I brought Abby over to the scale so she could practice getting on it and then we returned to our mat. This is when the dog who was on the other side of the wall put his paws on the half wall to peer over. Abby took interest and popped up off her mat and tried to look around the wall. I cued Abby back to her mat, and as she was returning the "behaviorist" said to me, "Do you think they can say hi so they both can settle?"
What? "Do you think they can say hi so they both can settle?"
Allow me to rephrase this in the way I heard it. "Can my anxious dog get in the face of your reactive dog and hope that chaos doesn't ensue and they get it out of their system?"
I do not believe in the idea that a reactive dog can go face-to-face with another dog and find anything calm in the interaction. Many non-reactive dogs would likely feel some level of excitement after such an interaction. For a reactive dog, they learn that they worked themselves up about this big scary thing, and thankfully this time nothing happened. And while I am not a fan of clearly reactive dogs greeting other dogs, more importantly I am thoroughly against introducing dogs in stressful situations. Abby is a smart girl. As much as we have a new place, and a new MO, she knows what she's there for. We're working on counter conditioning this experience for her. And so while your dog is clearly amped up for this appointment, and my dog is clearly amped to be in the door, this is the time that you as a self-described professional think is a good opportunity to greet?
My answer as as polite as I could make it. "No, she will settle on her own because we have worked on that. Face-to-face greetings will cause a reaction from her."
While I can respect that she at least asked instead of allowing her dog to barrel around the wall, I was absolutely astounded by the "solution" this person came up with. It was a day that made me truly grateful that everything aligned the way it needed to be so that Abby could find us, and we could find the trainer that we have. She was meant to find us, and we were meant to be her voice.
And at the end of all of this, Abby just continued to be a rock star. She came to work, got good love from her favorite receptionist, and left on a high note. I could not have asked for more.
Monday, July 23, 2012
It shouldn't be this hard
It shouldn't be this hard to find a vet that meshes with our beliefs and commitment to the physical, mental, and emotional care of our dog. Yet somehow this seems to be a challenge. We switched practices last year and while the new veterinarians are fantastic, the staff is less than pleasant and it has become a real challenge as of late.
More often than not our vet ran at least 20-40 minutes late for every appointment. While I don't care about a wait if someone tells me, I also have to keep Abby's best interests in mind. That timing of an extra 20-40 minutes waiting in the lobby is the difference between Abby being able to tolerate her appointments and the services the staff will provide, and her becoming a pacing and panting wreck who looks to bolt at every opportunity.
Most recently we have tried to take a proactive approach to her appointments. I came to the realization that it is my job in life to try to alleviate Abby's fears, and if I cannot do that I must do everything I can to limit her exposure to those fears and give her coping strategies that set her up for success. We do that presently with a whole host of things. We ask Abby to wait at a door while we open it and look outside to make sure the coast is clear and we avoid an ambush. We limit her exposure to other dogs, and only when she expresses genuine interest and calm posturing do we briefly allow contact. Why is the vet different? The answer is that it shouldn't be.
I don't know about you, but every dog I have ever owned has been afraid of the vet and displayed this in a wide variety of behaviors. Some have paced or panted, some have whined, and some have even growled at anyone appearing in scrubs or a lab coat. And when you really think about it, is it any wonder they're scared? Think of how you would feel if you were brought someplace where people spoke in a language you didn't understand, and tried to touch you right away? Maybe you liked being pet on the head, or maybe you didn't, but either way it quickly becomes a process of doing strange things to you. Sounds terrible, right? And then imagine how you would feel the next time you went back and it was exactly the same. No wonder dogs are scared of the vet!
Throughout Abby's entire GI issues of last year, I grew convinced that I needed to be an advocate in her health. But most recently I've realized I need to be her voice in advocating for emotional and mental well being. There are several components to that. The first thing I tried to do was to go to the vet for things other than appointments where she would just go and get treats. I realized the first time I went to do this that I had an uphill battle with this one. The vet is sandwiched between landscaping and construction companies, and at any point in the day there are a wide variety of sounds that are deeply unsettling to her. Clearly treating her even for just getting to the parking lot was going to be the way to go and it would go very slowly from there.
The second thing comes with respect to the waiting times in the lobby. Although we do a lot of mat work where Abby has a mat we throw down and she knows she can relax there, that only goes so far in stressful situations. In light of the delays of our vet, I spoke with the office staff about taking a proactive approach to this wait time. I could not rely on them to adequately communicate any delays the office experienced, and even if they had communicated those delays I had limited ways to deal with this. I decided that if I had any hope of helping Abby not to become distressed waiting for her appointment, I needed to check in without her present. Sometimes this is realistic if my husband comes to an appointment with us, and one person remains in the car while the other person goes in. But sometimes he can't be at every appointment and I am by myself. I typically try to avoid leaving my dog in the car even for something as quick as this. So I spoke with someone in the office about being able to call from the parking lot and check in for our appointment. If the staff had her exam room ready I would head right in. If not they could either wave to me from the window or call me back on my cell phone when her exam room was ready and I would head right in. I tried this approach on a couple of occasions and it worked fairly well depending on who was on staff that day. That is until my husband tried to bring our girl for a vaccine.
Now admittedly, Abby is sometimes vaccine reactive. Not only is she missing fur where her Rabies vaccine was administered, but she once got violently ill after receiving her Lepto and Lyme vaccines. Now we break these vaccines up, and we also administer a Benadryl injection before she receives these vaccines. After massive confusion regarding checking in from the parking lot, and waiting to be seen for the injection, my poor husband and Abby had to wait a long time for the vaccine, and wait to check out. It was that appointment that hubby said he was done with this vet.
The more I thought about the requests we've made of our current vet, the more I realized that I wasn't asking for a lot. I was asking for my vet to become a partner with me in making sure that my dog's anxiety over her visit was lessened. Can you imagine if you were a parent with a child who was afraid of the dentist, and your dentist insisted on strapping down your child in a chair each time they went in? No parent would tolerate that, and no owner should allow their veterinarian to contribute to their pet's fears.
Your vet and their staff should be approachable. They should not only value the relationship they have with you, but the relationship that they build with your pet. Not only should these offices be willing to work with you on some of these requests, they should encourage you and empower you to do these things if for no other reason than selfishly wanting these appointments go smoothly and quickly for them.
It is quite apparent that the current staff is not on board with some of these requests, and unfortunately our ability to be patient and work through some of these growing pains is rather limited given how much Abby's fears paralyze her when they occur. Given some of these problems and limitations, we have chosen to seek out another veterinarian. Although we asked for some recommendations from people, read feedback on Yelp and even emailed users privately to ask questions, inevitably we had a recommendation that we just couldn't pass up.
One of Abby's favorite things about going to the first veterinarian was the staff. Unfortunately during her time there the majority of them left. However, her favorite Vet Tech is working at a hospital that is about half an hour from the house. At first I was concerned with it being out of the way, but then I realized that closer and convenient for me doesn't always mean that it is the best choice for Abby. I called and spoke with the Office Manager, who gave me a tour of the facility, and I was so impressed by her warmth. She answered all of the questions I had, was excited to help us give Abby a fresh start, and truly made an effort to let me know that if we went there they would want to get to know our pet. During the tour of the hospital I could see that the setup was great. The exam rooms had a window on the door so you could see out before leaving to make sure the coast was clear and you wouldn't be faced with a dog immediately upon exiting. The waiting area was huge and had a center divider that allowed for some privacy while you were waiting in case you need separation.
We brought Abby for the first time on Saturday and she was so excited to be able to sniff the entire place, and even more excited to see her old friend. We are really excited for this next chapter in Abby's care, and we truly feel that we have found people who not only understand our commitment to our pet, but want to work with us to make sure that we can make her appointments as stress-free as possible.
More often than not our vet ran at least 20-40 minutes late for every appointment. While I don't care about a wait if someone tells me, I also have to keep Abby's best interests in mind. That timing of an extra 20-40 minutes waiting in the lobby is the difference between Abby being able to tolerate her appointments and the services the staff will provide, and her becoming a pacing and panting wreck who looks to bolt at every opportunity.
Most recently we have tried to take a proactive approach to her appointments. I came to the realization that it is my job in life to try to alleviate Abby's fears, and if I cannot do that I must do everything I can to limit her exposure to those fears and give her coping strategies that set her up for success. We do that presently with a whole host of things. We ask Abby to wait at a door while we open it and look outside to make sure the coast is clear and we avoid an ambush. We limit her exposure to other dogs, and only when she expresses genuine interest and calm posturing do we briefly allow contact. Why is the vet different? The answer is that it shouldn't be.
I don't know about you, but every dog I have ever owned has been afraid of the vet and displayed this in a wide variety of behaviors. Some have paced or panted, some have whined, and some have even growled at anyone appearing in scrubs or a lab coat. And when you really think about it, is it any wonder they're scared? Think of how you would feel if you were brought someplace where people spoke in a language you didn't understand, and tried to touch you right away? Maybe you liked being pet on the head, or maybe you didn't, but either way it quickly becomes a process of doing strange things to you. Sounds terrible, right? And then imagine how you would feel the next time you went back and it was exactly the same. No wonder dogs are scared of the vet!
Throughout Abby's entire GI issues of last year, I grew convinced that I needed to be an advocate in her health. But most recently I've realized I need to be her voice in advocating for emotional and mental well being. There are several components to that. The first thing I tried to do was to go to the vet for things other than appointments where she would just go and get treats. I realized the first time I went to do this that I had an uphill battle with this one. The vet is sandwiched between landscaping and construction companies, and at any point in the day there are a wide variety of sounds that are deeply unsettling to her. Clearly treating her even for just getting to the parking lot was going to be the way to go and it would go very slowly from there.
The second thing comes with respect to the waiting times in the lobby. Although we do a lot of mat work where Abby has a mat we throw down and she knows she can relax there, that only goes so far in stressful situations. In light of the delays of our vet, I spoke with the office staff about taking a proactive approach to this wait time. I could not rely on them to adequately communicate any delays the office experienced, and even if they had communicated those delays I had limited ways to deal with this. I decided that if I had any hope of helping Abby not to become distressed waiting for her appointment, I needed to check in without her present. Sometimes this is realistic if my husband comes to an appointment with us, and one person remains in the car while the other person goes in. But sometimes he can't be at every appointment and I am by myself. I typically try to avoid leaving my dog in the car even for something as quick as this. So I spoke with someone in the office about being able to call from the parking lot and check in for our appointment. If the staff had her exam room ready I would head right in. If not they could either wave to me from the window or call me back on my cell phone when her exam room was ready and I would head right in. I tried this approach on a couple of occasions and it worked fairly well depending on who was on staff that day. That is until my husband tried to bring our girl for a vaccine.
Now admittedly, Abby is sometimes vaccine reactive. Not only is she missing fur where her Rabies vaccine was administered, but she once got violently ill after receiving her Lepto and Lyme vaccines. Now we break these vaccines up, and we also administer a Benadryl injection before she receives these vaccines. After massive confusion regarding checking in from the parking lot, and waiting to be seen for the injection, my poor husband and Abby had to wait a long time for the vaccine, and wait to check out. It was that appointment that hubby said he was done with this vet.
The more I thought about the requests we've made of our current vet, the more I realized that I wasn't asking for a lot. I was asking for my vet to become a partner with me in making sure that my dog's anxiety over her visit was lessened. Can you imagine if you were a parent with a child who was afraid of the dentist, and your dentist insisted on strapping down your child in a chair each time they went in? No parent would tolerate that, and no owner should allow their veterinarian to contribute to their pet's fears.
Your vet and their staff should be approachable. They should not only value the relationship they have with you, but the relationship that they build with your pet. Not only should these offices be willing to work with you on some of these requests, they should encourage you and empower you to do these things if for no other reason than selfishly wanting these appointments go smoothly and quickly for them.
It is quite apparent that the current staff is not on board with some of these requests, and unfortunately our ability to be patient and work through some of these growing pains is rather limited given how much Abby's fears paralyze her when they occur. Given some of these problems and limitations, we have chosen to seek out another veterinarian. Although we asked for some recommendations from people, read feedback on Yelp and even emailed users privately to ask questions, inevitably we had a recommendation that we just couldn't pass up.
One of Abby's favorite things about going to the first veterinarian was the staff. Unfortunately during her time there the majority of them left. However, her favorite Vet Tech is working at a hospital that is about half an hour from the house. At first I was concerned with it being out of the way, but then I realized that closer and convenient for me doesn't always mean that it is the best choice for Abby. I called and spoke with the Office Manager, who gave me a tour of the facility, and I was so impressed by her warmth. She answered all of the questions I had, was excited to help us give Abby a fresh start, and truly made an effort to let me know that if we went there they would want to get to know our pet. During the tour of the hospital I could see that the setup was great. The exam rooms had a window on the door so you could see out before leaving to make sure the coast was clear and you wouldn't be faced with a dog immediately upon exiting. The waiting area was huge and had a center divider that allowed for some privacy while you were waiting in case you need separation.
We brought Abby for the first time on Saturday and she was so excited to be able to sniff the entire place, and even more excited to see her old friend. We are really excited for this next chapter in Abby's care, and we truly feel that we have found people who not only understand our commitment to our pet, but want to work with us to make sure that we can make her appointments as stress-free as possible.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Great Expectations
Why do we get dogs? Whether it is for companionship, to save an animal from a situation, or because we've always grown up with them and our lives feel somewhat empty without them, dogs play a major role in our lives. Each dog leaves a paw print in our hearts, and whether intentional or not we sometimes think about things we'd do differently or change with respect to such things as socialization or training. It isn't that your dog is bad, but your dog can make you realize strengths and weaknesses that you didn't know you had, and consequently may make you change the way you think about the role your dog will play in your life. Maybe you realize that you're more of a couch potato and your dog requires more exercise than you first thought. Perhaps you realize that living in an apartment isn't conducive to your dogs size or need for mental and physical stimulation.
Lately I see a wide variety of people getting dogs to fit a lifestyle. Some people want dogs they can show, or dogs that will do agility. Whatever the reason, people have certain expectations of how a dog will adapt to their lifestyle. But what if your dog doesn't, or more importantly can't, adapt?
The idea of this hit home a few months ago when I met someone who had a beautiful Tervuren Shepherd. The dog truly was show quality, and the owner intended to show this dog. The dog for all its credit started off on a good path, until a rogue teeter in the agility class slammed on the ground and triggered a high level of anxiety in the dog. The dog wanted no part of any classroom situation. Shaking and panting were the norm, and often times the dog simply wouldn't enter a new space that was designed for her to work. And while the owner worked on the anxiety and the things that made her nervous, she certainly lamented the fact that her dog would never be a show dog. For as beautiful as she was, her current problems with anxiety made it impossible for her to work towards showing.
Most recently I bumped into someone who adopted a rescue from the South a little more than a year ago. They previously had a wonderful Golden Retriever who had gotten on in years and inevitably needed to be put down. Their most recent dog is a rescue, and is a sweet boy. A few weeks after they got him, they started to notice that he didn't like to walk outside. If he was with other dogs, it was as if he had enough of a distraction where he didn't notice he was outside, and he was able to walk on sidewalks or in the neighborhood. But he largely felt more comfortable walking in the woods, and certainly preferred a night walk. Our neighbors tried everything to try to encourage him to walk outside. Each time I would speak with the wife about how the dog was doing she would say how he was progressing or regressing, and inevitably in speaking about this problem say, "I got a dog so I could walk." After nearly a year of working on this largely on their own with some direction from a trainer, they decided to consult with the behaviorist that we see. Their dog was no longer able to be distracted by walking with other dogs. If they stopped to speak with people, after merely a few moments the dog would take off bolting towards home. Our behaviorist suggested a very light dosage of Prozac while giving them things to work on, with the hope that Prozac would be enough to enable the dog to relax and be receptive to the training.
I haven't seen these people in awhile, but had an opportunity to bump into the wife who was rather upset by the events of July 4th. The fireworks that had been set off in our neighborhood had completely negated any forward progress the dog had been making, and now he only wanted to be outside to go to the bathroom and that was it. On several occasions she expressed that she felt so frustrated by the situation, particularly because she wasn't able to enjoy time outside with her dog as she had hoped. She kept saying that she wanted for him to be happy outside, not realizing that he was at his happiest when he was inside.
At the very least we have ideas of things we want to work on with our dogs. It would be nice if they didn't jump on guests that came over the house, or we'd like to be able to have our dogs not counter surf. Whatever it is, we know what we'd like to see. Many things are attainable. But what if you can't change or shape a fear that the dog has? What if our desires and their abilities can't match up? If their dog is not able to offer any progression beyond the point they're at now, would that be OK?
I think about Abby and some of the fears and reactivity that she has. There are times that I wish I had taped her training classes, if for no other reason than to serve as a reminder of how far she has come. But most importantly I think it would be interesting to look at the moment when I felt like her training had progressed. When Abby first started training classes, to say it was a disaster would be an understatement. Abby might work on something for 5 minutes if you were lucky, and she spent the rest of the time trying to engage other dogs in play, or being completely unfocused on me. Group classes were a blessing and a curse all at once in my mind. It was nice to see how other people worked with their dogs and see their progress measured. But there was a part of me that often looked at how some dogs latched onto concepts so easily and I wondered why Abby couldn't do that. Week after week we would go to class and Abby would spend a majority of time not listening or not focusing on me. One week I even left in tears over my inability to engage my dog. In addition to this, her ability to truly relax while we worked on her separation and crate anxiety was rather limited. The idea of a snail's pace comes to mind as it took weeks for her belly to full touch the ground, or her chin to drop, or her back leg to kick out. All I could think was that surely this should go faster.
Then I noticed something one week. Although our girl wasn't able to offer me much in class, she would give me so much more outside of class if I did small mini sessions in the week. We would work in small quantities on the things we learned in class from the prior week and then show up armed with her new tool set. Now I will tell you that there wasn't an immediate change. Certainly Abby went through the same habits of disengaging and being the puppy that looked everywhere but me. But when I started to feel like this was OK because I knew she would work outside of class, her training took off. When I let go of the expectations that I had about her - how she should act/react, how fast her training should go, whether she was keeping up with the other dogs in class - then and only then did she begin to excel. What used to be 5 minutes of engaged learning grew to be 10, 15, etc. Now our girl knows when we're proud of her work and she celebrates with giving us hugs and kisses in class. It is completely different than the early days.
I think about these people who I've encountered recently who set such high goals of what their dogs will give them and do for them. So often we welcome dogs into a strange world with the idea that no matter what the expectation is, the dog will adapt. So often we think the things that make us happy will make them happy. After all what dog wouldn't want to go outside? Sure there are loud scary noises and strange people walking around. Wouldn't you just want to go outside, too?
So when I think about the things that Abby has taught me in the brief time we've had her, it is this: to be accepting and trust my pet to learn on her terms and at her pace. To provide her with a safe environments where she can learn at her pace. And no matter what, to communicate to myself and to my dog that if she will only be able to give me the behavior that she does currently because of her anxieties and fears, that I will love her and accept her for them. But most importantly she has taught me about the true meaning of unconditional love.
Lately I see a wide variety of people getting dogs to fit a lifestyle. Some people want dogs they can show, or dogs that will do agility. Whatever the reason, people have certain expectations of how a dog will adapt to their lifestyle. But what if your dog doesn't, or more importantly can't, adapt?
The idea of this hit home a few months ago when I met someone who had a beautiful Tervuren Shepherd. The dog truly was show quality, and the owner intended to show this dog. The dog for all its credit started off on a good path, until a rogue teeter in the agility class slammed on the ground and triggered a high level of anxiety in the dog. The dog wanted no part of any classroom situation. Shaking and panting were the norm, and often times the dog simply wouldn't enter a new space that was designed for her to work. And while the owner worked on the anxiety and the things that made her nervous, she certainly lamented the fact that her dog would never be a show dog. For as beautiful as she was, her current problems with anxiety made it impossible for her to work towards showing.
Most recently I bumped into someone who adopted a rescue from the South a little more than a year ago. They previously had a wonderful Golden Retriever who had gotten on in years and inevitably needed to be put down. Their most recent dog is a rescue, and is a sweet boy. A few weeks after they got him, they started to notice that he didn't like to walk outside. If he was with other dogs, it was as if he had enough of a distraction where he didn't notice he was outside, and he was able to walk on sidewalks or in the neighborhood. But he largely felt more comfortable walking in the woods, and certainly preferred a night walk. Our neighbors tried everything to try to encourage him to walk outside. Each time I would speak with the wife about how the dog was doing she would say how he was progressing or regressing, and inevitably in speaking about this problem say, "I got a dog so I could walk." After nearly a year of working on this largely on their own with some direction from a trainer, they decided to consult with the behaviorist that we see. Their dog was no longer able to be distracted by walking with other dogs. If they stopped to speak with people, after merely a few moments the dog would take off bolting towards home. Our behaviorist suggested a very light dosage of Prozac while giving them things to work on, with the hope that Prozac would be enough to enable the dog to relax and be receptive to the training.
I haven't seen these people in awhile, but had an opportunity to bump into the wife who was rather upset by the events of July 4th. The fireworks that had been set off in our neighborhood had completely negated any forward progress the dog had been making, and now he only wanted to be outside to go to the bathroom and that was it. On several occasions she expressed that she felt so frustrated by the situation, particularly because she wasn't able to enjoy time outside with her dog as she had hoped. She kept saying that she wanted for him to be happy outside, not realizing that he was at his happiest when he was inside.
At the very least we have ideas of things we want to work on with our dogs. It would be nice if they didn't jump on guests that came over the house, or we'd like to be able to have our dogs not counter surf. Whatever it is, we know what we'd like to see. Many things are attainable. But what if you can't change or shape a fear that the dog has? What if our desires and their abilities can't match up? If their dog is not able to offer any progression beyond the point they're at now, would that be OK?
I think about Abby and some of the fears and reactivity that she has. There are times that I wish I had taped her training classes, if for no other reason than to serve as a reminder of how far she has come. But most importantly I think it would be interesting to look at the moment when I felt like her training had progressed. When Abby first started training classes, to say it was a disaster would be an understatement. Abby might work on something for 5 minutes if you were lucky, and she spent the rest of the time trying to engage other dogs in play, or being completely unfocused on me. Group classes were a blessing and a curse all at once in my mind. It was nice to see how other people worked with their dogs and see their progress measured. But there was a part of me that often looked at how some dogs latched onto concepts so easily and I wondered why Abby couldn't do that. Week after week we would go to class and Abby would spend a majority of time not listening or not focusing on me. One week I even left in tears over my inability to engage my dog. In addition to this, her ability to truly relax while we worked on her separation and crate anxiety was rather limited. The idea of a snail's pace comes to mind as it took weeks for her belly to full touch the ground, or her chin to drop, or her back leg to kick out. All I could think was that surely this should go faster.
Then I noticed something one week. Although our girl wasn't able to offer me much in class, she would give me so much more outside of class if I did small mini sessions in the week. We would work in small quantities on the things we learned in class from the prior week and then show up armed with her new tool set. Now I will tell you that there wasn't an immediate change. Certainly Abby went through the same habits of disengaging and being the puppy that looked everywhere but me. But when I started to feel like this was OK because I knew she would work outside of class, her training took off. When I let go of the expectations that I had about her - how she should act/react, how fast her training should go, whether she was keeping up with the other dogs in class - then and only then did she begin to excel. What used to be 5 minutes of engaged learning grew to be 10, 15, etc. Now our girl knows when we're proud of her work and she celebrates with giving us hugs and kisses in class. It is completely different than the early days.
I think about these people who I've encountered recently who set such high goals of what their dogs will give them and do for them. So often we welcome dogs into a strange world with the idea that no matter what the expectation is, the dog will adapt. So often we think the things that make us happy will make them happy. After all what dog wouldn't want to go outside? Sure there are loud scary noises and strange people walking around. Wouldn't you just want to go outside, too?
So when I think about the things that Abby has taught me in the brief time we've had her, it is this: to be accepting and trust my pet to learn on her terms and at her pace. To provide her with a safe environments where she can learn at her pace. And no matter what, to communicate to myself and to my dog that if she will only be able to give me the behavior that she does currently because of her anxieties and fears, that I will love her and accept her for them. But most importantly she has taught me about the true meaning of unconditional love.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Paws Walk 2012
Today we took Abby to the 2012 Paws Walk to benefit the NHSPCA in Stratham, NH. We feel so fortunate that we were able to meet Abby at this shelter, and the least we could do this year was to raise some money for this shelter. We also donated a box of toys and some DAP spray for the shelter on our way home. Here are a few pictures of our girl and the event!
It was such a warm day out in the sun. We took advantage of the shaded areas that the park offered so that Abby could relax and lay down.
Our smiley girl found an obstacle course that she wanted to stand near. She would stick her head into the ring from the wooden barricade and watch as dogs went by her.
Our girl also found a great smelling patch of grass that she rolled in.
Our Southern Bell loves laying out in the sun.
Abby saw a therapy pony at the Paws Walk. As soon as the pony snorted she was afraid.
Abby loves baseball fields. I think she secretly wants to run the bases.
There was a stuffed dog at one of the vendor stations. She targeted his nose with her nose and backed off. From that point on she wanted nothing to do with him.
Daddy's Girl.
At the end of the day she took a few minutes to enjoy a frozen treat before getting back in the car and crashing on the backseat.
When we got back home, Abby wasn't very interested in going for a walk. She even stuck her tongue out at me to let me know she just wanted to go home.
It was such a warm day out in the sun. We took advantage of the shaded areas that the park offered so that Abby could relax and lay down.
Our smiley girl found an obstacle course that she wanted to stand near. She would stick her head into the ring from the wooden barricade and watch as dogs went by her.
Our girl also found a great smelling patch of grass that she rolled in.
Our Southern Bell loves laying out in the sun.
Abby saw a therapy pony at the Paws Walk. As soon as the pony snorted she was afraid.
Abby loves baseball fields. I think she secretly wants to run the bases.
There was a stuffed dog at one of the vendor stations. She targeted his nose with her nose and backed off. From that point on she wanted nothing to do with him.
Although she wasn't sure about the pony at first, she did end up walking us back that way.
I love her puppy smiles!
Daddy's Girl.
At the end of the day she took a few minutes to enjoy a frozen treat before getting back in the car and crashing on the backseat.
When we got back home, Abby wasn't very interested in going for a walk. She even stuck her tongue out at me to let me know she just wanted to go home.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Boy how time flies
It is crazy to think that two years ago we didn't have Abby.
On Saturday May 29, 2010 my husband and I went to the NHSPCA in Stratham, NH in the hopes of welcoming a dog into our lives. In many ways I feel like Abby was meant to be ours that weekend. I've told you before that my husband knew we were coming home with a dog that weekend because of the preparations I had done for her arrival. We had literally just moved that same week and although I had taken two days off to move and pack, I had the majority of our stuff unpacked and the house put together in the course of those two days. This is how my husband knew we would have a dog that weekend. However, when we walked through the NHSPCA, there were many dogs that were already adopted or had pending adoptions. Additionally many dogs were fearful of men. Before we made one more pass through the shelter, I had resigned myself to the fact that we had not found our dog. And then Abby approached the door to her kennel.
"Baby," as the NHSPCA referred to her, had been outside on a walk when we had made a few passes through so we had missed her. But she came right over to us and was so sweet and adorable that my heart just melted. I mean, look at this face? How can you not fall in love with her?
We were in love. In spite of reservations my husband had about bringing a puppy home, he fell in love that day, too. It really is easy to see why. But for all of the preparations I had done inside of the house, we were completely unprepared with things that Abby would need (food bowls, toys, food, etc.) So our girlie rode in the back of my Corolla with my husband while we made the trek home and stopped at Petco to get things for her. Petco was a blur of people wanting to say hi to her, us not knowing what the heck to get her, and Abby being in overload. It was not at all surprising that she threw up in my car on the way home two miles from the house.
Abby checked out her new surroundings, and we did our best to try to make her comfortable.
Abby slept the majority of the afternoon with us. What a tired girl! And for the most part that day some part of her was touching us - her paw, her tail, etc.
Abby quickly fell into routines, and inevitably became such an integral part of our lives. I cannot imagine a time when we didn't have her. I love this sweet girl so much, and as we approach the anniversary of her Gotcha Day I am so proud of the girlie that she is.
She really does have the most beautiful smile. Pictures like the one above and the ones below here remind me that there was a time in her life where these smiles weren't possible, and I always feel so lucky that we were able to give her reasons to smile.
On Saturday May 29, 2010 my husband and I went to the NHSPCA in Stratham, NH in the hopes of welcoming a dog into our lives. In many ways I feel like Abby was meant to be ours that weekend. I've told you before that my husband knew we were coming home with a dog that weekend because of the preparations I had done for her arrival. We had literally just moved that same week and although I had taken two days off to move and pack, I had the majority of our stuff unpacked and the house put together in the course of those two days. This is how my husband knew we would have a dog that weekend. However, when we walked through the NHSPCA, there were many dogs that were already adopted or had pending adoptions. Additionally many dogs were fearful of men. Before we made one more pass through the shelter, I had resigned myself to the fact that we had not found our dog. And then Abby approached the door to her kennel.
"Baby," as the NHSPCA referred to her, had been outside on a walk when we had made a few passes through so we had missed her. But she came right over to us and was so sweet and adorable that my heart just melted. I mean, look at this face? How can you not fall in love with her?
We were in love. In spite of reservations my husband had about bringing a puppy home, he fell in love that day, too. It really is easy to see why. But for all of the preparations I had done inside of the house, we were completely unprepared with things that Abby would need (food bowls, toys, food, etc.) So our girlie rode in the back of my Corolla with my husband while we made the trek home and stopped at Petco to get things for her. Petco was a blur of people wanting to say hi to her, us not knowing what the heck to get her, and Abby being in overload. It was not at all surprising that she threw up in my car on the way home two miles from the house.
Abby checked out her new surroundings, and we did our best to try to make her comfortable.
Abby quickly fell into routines, and inevitably became such an integral part of our lives. I cannot imagine a time when we didn't have her. I love this sweet girl so much, and as we approach the anniversary of her Gotcha Day I am so proud of the girlie that she is.
Friday, May 25, 2012
There's a reason I train my dog
People are often surprised to hear that we still work regularly on training with Abby. While I typically refer to the weekly class we take Abby to as puppy school, we regularly work with her on a wide variety of concepts aimed to shape various behaviors with her. Most people will typically joke that at this rate Abby should have a PhD.
But there's a reason I train my dog: I don't want to be that person.
You know the person I'm talking about. The person that in any situation shows complete disregard for either their dog, those around them, or both. They are the person who often utters such phrases as "Don't worry, they're friendly," or "They're a good dog but they don't listen," or they simply don't say anything at all while their dog is the poster child for continued education. I'll give you an example.
Today I needed to bring Abby to the vet. A few months ago she had a problem with an interdigital cyst between the toes on her back paw, and sure enough one flared up between the toes on her front paw. I am trying to take a proactive approach to Abby's vet appointments because I know that she gets nervous about them. Let's face it - Abby has had a series of not so fun appointments that have included UTI's, anal abscesses, and a tooth extraction. If this were me I'd need copious amounts of alcohol to face the exam room. On top of these appointments, our girlie has often had instances where over the top dogs have been right in her face. If vet visits are not well thought out they can be a recipe for disaster.
Since the TACT Seminar, I have decided that I need to take a proactive approach to the vet. With the first vet Abby would visit, we lucked out in one regard. Because Abby went there for routine checkups, daycare, grooming and training she truly never knew what was going to happen. I realized that I needed to take a similar approach with this vet because her generalization wasn't transferring in light of the more scary visits. First, I need to take her to the vet for all sorts of random things. Perhaps one day we will go there and Abby will just walk through, get a treat, and leave. Another day we will drive into the parking lot and Abby will be treated for walking around. Another day we may go in, get on the scale, and leave with treats. It's important that I mix these things up. Additionally, in the event that Abby does need to be seen I need to work with our vet to make these appointments less scary. Sometimes our vet runs late. Rather than subject Abby to being in a waiting area building her anxiety, I will go and check us in and she can wait in the car. When her exam room is ready they will wave to me and call us in.
This is what I did with Abby today and it worked out really well. Abby was very patient with the vet while he checked her toes and expressed her anal glands. At the end of the appointment Abby sat by the door waiting for it to open. I asked her to wait while I opened the door and I checked to be sure no dogs would bombard us as we left and Abby waited patiently until I gave the OK. She then was praised by the staff at the reception desk. However, there was a slight timing issue and her invoice was not ready when we approached the desk. I laid Abby's mat down while she waited so she could relax. It was at this point that I heard the lobby door open. I figured the best course of action was to move Abby from where she was and walk to the opposite side of the waiting area because inevitably this person might seek to leave via the same area we were standing in.
I gathered Abby's mat and focused her attention on me. It was at this point that the little dog that had come in had rounded the corner and went right up to Abby in a very forward way. I still had Abby's attention so she didn't notice at first that the other dog was coming. It was at this point that I literally stuck my leg in front of the incoming dog to block her. You could tell the other dog didn't expect it because she ran into my leg trying to get to Abby. The owner said at this point, "Oh, sorry, she's friendly." I replied, "She's not." With that Abby and I turned and walked to the other side of the room. Abby had her eyes on me the whole time and she sat proudly on the scale and worked on targeting my hand. Another stressed dog entered the waiting area and huffed and puffed while trying to pull towards Abby. My girl sat on the scale and looked from that dog to me as if to say, "Do you see that dog?"
This is why I train my dog.
Abby is sometimes friendly towards other dogs, but often hates when dogs are over the top in their greetings. She doesn't like aggressive face to face contact at first and sometimes prefers manners in approaching her. Now Abby did not show any signs of aggression or distress in the first dog ambushing her to say hi, but that doesn't matter. You should have eyes on your dog. You should know where they go and what they're doing. And you should ask me if your dog can greet mine and not be surprised or hurt when I say no. Because I have to be honest when I tell you that if your dog wants to greet mine in a vet's office it isn't going to happen. I have no idea if you are picking up food, seeking treatment for conjunctivitis, or are there for any myriad of reasons in which I would not want your dog to greet mine. It's a veterinarian's office, and in most instances you are not there just to say hi.
This is why I train my dog. So that she can go out into the world without being a menace, and in the face of uncomfortable situations look to me to fix them. So that she is not that dog who rounds the corner and ambushes other dogs or people who are reactive or fearful of her. So that I am not that person who shows no respect for others and causes panic to owners of reactive dogs. So that I am not that person who risks my dog's safety because she misreads a cue from another dog and is bitten.
Today was a day where I took great pride in the work we have done with her.
But there's a reason I train my dog: I don't want to be that person.
You know the person I'm talking about. The person that in any situation shows complete disregard for either their dog, those around them, or both. They are the person who often utters such phrases as "Don't worry, they're friendly," or "They're a good dog but they don't listen," or they simply don't say anything at all while their dog is the poster child for continued education. I'll give you an example.
Today I needed to bring Abby to the vet. A few months ago she had a problem with an interdigital cyst between the toes on her back paw, and sure enough one flared up between the toes on her front paw. I am trying to take a proactive approach to Abby's vet appointments because I know that she gets nervous about them. Let's face it - Abby has had a series of not so fun appointments that have included UTI's, anal abscesses, and a tooth extraction. If this were me I'd need copious amounts of alcohol to face the exam room. On top of these appointments, our girlie has often had instances where over the top dogs have been right in her face. If vet visits are not well thought out they can be a recipe for disaster.
Since the TACT Seminar, I have decided that I need to take a proactive approach to the vet. With the first vet Abby would visit, we lucked out in one regard. Because Abby went there for routine checkups, daycare, grooming and training she truly never knew what was going to happen. I realized that I needed to take a similar approach with this vet because her generalization wasn't transferring in light of the more scary visits. First, I need to take her to the vet for all sorts of random things. Perhaps one day we will go there and Abby will just walk through, get a treat, and leave. Another day we will drive into the parking lot and Abby will be treated for walking around. Another day we may go in, get on the scale, and leave with treats. It's important that I mix these things up. Additionally, in the event that Abby does need to be seen I need to work with our vet to make these appointments less scary. Sometimes our vet runs late. Rather than subject Abby to being in a waiting area building her anxiety, I will go and check us in and she can wait in the car. When her exam room is ready they will wave to me and call us in.
This is what I did with Abby today and it worked out really well. Abby was very patient with the vet while he checked her toes and expressed her anal glands. At the end of the appointment Abby sat by the door waiting for it to open. I asked her to wait while I opened the door and I checked to be sure no dogs would bombard us as we left and Abby waited patiently until I gave the OK. She then was praised by the staff at the reception desk. However, there was a slight timing issue and her invoice was not ready when we approached the desk. I laid Abby's mat down while she waited so she could relax. It was at this point that I heard the lobby door open. I figured the best course of action was to move Abby from where she was and walk to the opposite side of the waiting area because inevitably this person might seek to leave via the same area we were standing in.
I gathered Abby's mat and focused her attention on me. It was at this point that the little dog that had come in had rounded the corner and went right up to Abby in a very forward way. I still had Abby's attention so she didn't notice at first that the other dog was coming. It was at this point that I literally stuck my leg in front of the incoming dog to block her. You could tell the other dog didn't expect it because she ran into my leg trying to get to Abby. The owner said at this point, "Oh, sorry, she's friendly." I replied, "She's not." With that Abby and I turned and walked to the other side of the room. Abby had her eyes on me the whole time and she sat proudly on the scale and worked on targeting my hand. Another stressed dog entered the waiting area and huffed and puffed while trying to pull towards Abby. My girl sat on the scale and looked from that dog to me as if to say, "Do you see that dog?"
This is why I train my dog.
Abby is sometimes friendly towards other dogs, but often hates when dogs are over the top in their greetings. She doesn't like aggressive face to face contact at first and sometimes prefers manners in approaching her. Now Abby did not show any signs of aggression or distress in the first dog ambushing her to say hi, but that doesn't matter. You should have eyes on your dog. You should know where they go and what they're doing. And you should ask me if your dog can greet mine and not be surprised or hurt when I say no. Because I have to be honest when I tell you that if your dog wants to greet mine in a vet's office it isn't going to happen. I have no idea if you are picking up food, seeking treatment for conjunctivitis, or are there for any myriad of reasons in which I would not want your dog to greet mine. It's a veterinarian's office, and in most instances you are not there just to say hi.
This is why I train my dog. So that she can go out into the world without being a menace, and in the face of uncomfortable situations look to me to fix them. So that she is not that dog who rounds the corner and ambushes other dogs or people who are reactive or fearful of her. So that I am not that person who shows no respect for others and causes panic to owners of reactive dogs. So that I am not that person who risks my dog's safety because she misreads a cue from another dog and is bitten.
Today was a day where I took great pride in the work we have done with her.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
What do you mean you need to learn about tact?
There were a few people who first misunderstood when I told them I was going to a class on TACT. They took it to mean tact. And for better or worse there were people who weren't surprised when they thought that I was going to learn about the latter. Boy will they be disappointed!
Touch Associated Clicker Training (TACT) is a new protocol from Julie Robitaille that helps rehabilitate reactive, shy, and aggressive dogs using clicker training, learning theory and massage therapy. I first learned about the program when reading the Facebook page for Dogs In Need Of Space (DINOS). DINOS is a wonderful community I discovered a few months ago that allows people with reactive dogs to share stories, ask questions, and offer support to owners of reactive dogs. As soon as I saw that TACT was created by Emma Parson's teaching assistant, Julie, I was on board.
Admittedly I was nervous about going because I am not a professional dog trainer. And if I'm to be totally honest I didn't previously think of myself as a trainer either. Sure, I train Abby. But I had previously classified myself as her owner and did not necessarily think of myself as her trainer. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that although there were professional trainers and recent Karen Pryor graduates, there were also fellow owners, vet technicians, and animal massage therapists to name a few. The idea behind TACT came from Julie's work in massaging canines. She had clients who would want her to work on their dogs but they were worried. Given the dog's reactivity the owner did not feel as if this was possible. What began as Julie asking them to still come to her booth so she could click and treat dogs for entering, looking at her, walking towards her, etc. transcended into protocols aimed at giving repetition and structure to the interaction reactive dogs had with strangers.
So much of this program seemed similar to the Protocols for Relaxation that Abby and I have used previously in the sense that you start with very small steps and build from there, increasing the difficulty as the dog is comfortable with it. Additionally the Relaxation Protocol has a very ritualized series of movements that you do while the dog is in a default down or default sit. TACT is very similar in how it builds the predictability of this protocol and later adds distance or challenges. But additionally what I liked about TACT was that it builds the idea of generalization and applying this to other environments and other strangers.
The seminar showed actual footage from private lessons between Julie and one particular dog, Finch. There were points of Finch's story that reminded me so much of Abby - the alarm barking at strangers and other dogs, hackles raised. There have been plenty of times where Abby has done this, even with people she sees regularly in our condo development. But then there are other times where Abby bounds happily over to people to greet them and give them hugs and kisses. Although Abby's reactivity seems relatively low these days which I credit in part to her not doing daycare anymore, it is something I am always mindful of. The seminar was great at explaining Displacement Behaviors and how to identify them and has given me some criteria for identifying when Abby is at or beyond threshold. Beyond that it has given me a series of protocols that we can work on, as well as some Foundation and Emergency Behaviors that we can use for situations where we see things that could trigger Abby to move past her threshold. It also left me feeling empowered and believing that Abby and I have a relationship where I am also her trainer and handler.
For those who are interested in checking out TACT but don't have the ability to attend a seminar, Julie has a comprehensive 5-disc set available for purchase on Clean Run. The DVDs are 5.5 hours long and walk you through an introduction to clicker training, the TACT protocol, and massage therapy techniques. I highly recommend them!
Touch Associated Clicker Training (TACT) is a new protocol from Julie Robitaille that helps rehabilitate reactive, shy, and aggressive dogs using clicker training, learning theory and massage therapy. I first learned about the program when reading the Facebook page for Dogs In Need Of Space (DINOS). DINOS is a wonderful community I discovered a few months ago that allows people with reactive dogs to share stories, ask questions, and offer support to owners of reactive dogs. As soon as I saw that TACT was created by Emma Parson's teaching assistant, Julie, I was on board.
Admittedly I was nervous about going because I am not a professional dog trainer. And if I'm to be totally honest I didn't previously think of myself as a trainer either. Sure, I train Abby. But I had previously classified myself as her owner and did not necessarily think of myself as her trainer. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that although there were professional trainers and recent Karen Pryor graduates, there were also fellow owners, vet technicians, and animal massage therapists to name a few. The idea behind TACT came from Julie's work in massaging canines. She had clients who would want her to work on their dogs but they were worried. Given the dog's reactivity the owner did not feel as if this was possible. What began as Julie asking them to still come to her booth so she could click and treat dogs for entering, looking at her, walking towards her, etc. transcended into protocols aimed at giving repetition and structure to the interaction reactive dogs had with strangers.
So much of this program seemed similar to the Protocols for Relaxation that Abby and I have used previously in the sense that you start with very small steps and build from there, increasing the difficulty as the dog is comfortable with it. Additionally the Relaxation Protocol has a very ritualized series of movements that you do while the dog is in a default down or default sit. TACT is very similar in how it builds the predictability of this protocol and later adds distance or challenges. But additionally what I liked about TACT was that it builds the idea of generalization and applying this to other environments and other strangers.
The seminar showed actual footage from private lessons between Julie and one particular dog, Finch. There were points of Finch's story that reminded me so much of Abby - the alarm barking at strangers and other dogs, hackles raised. There have been plenty of times where Abby has done this, even with people she sees regularly in our condo development. But then there are other times where Abby bounds happily over to people to greet them and give them hugs and kisses. Although Abby's reactivity seems relatively low these days which I credit in part to her not doing daycare anymore, it is something I am always mindful of. The seminar was great at explaining Displacement Behaviors and how to identify them and has given me some criteria for identifying when Abby is at or beyond threshold. Beyond that it has given me a series of protocols that we can work on, as well as some Foundation and Emergency Behaviors that we can use for situations where we see things that could trigger Abby to move past her threshold. It also left me feeling empowered and believing that Abby and I have a relationship where I am also her trainer and handler.
For those who are interested in checking out TACT but don't have the ability to attend a seminar, Julie has a comprehensive 5-disc set available for purchase on Clean Run. The DVDs are 5.5 hours long and walk you through an introduction to clicker training, the TACT protocol, and massage therapy techniques. I highly recommend them!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Sometimes if it's not one thing, it's another
What is it about April? It was just last April when our girlie started to kick off with a whole host of GI issues centered around diarrhea. Bloodwork, ultrasounds, and nutritionist consults left us feeling rather frustrated and convinced that we would not get to the root of Abby's problems. After an attempt at Purina OM that left us feeling like the food was not working, we tried moving Abby to Hill's Prescription I/D canned food. This food has left Abby having solid stools, but the issue of Abby burping up is one that has continued to perplex us. Now I should state that Abby doesn't burp up all the time, and certainly it didn't seem to be something that bothered her when it happened. But within the past few weeks I've noticed that this burping seems to take her by surprise, and literally she can't control it. There is no purging associated with it, and it certainly doesn't seem to be a vomit situation. But all of a sudden Abby could be walking or just laying down and suddenly it just comes out of her.
There's two different theories that I have about this problem. The first is that this problem didn't occur until she changed to canned food. If I had to think of what is different, that certainly would be it. But at the same time, not only did her GI issues kick off in April, but her latent fear reactivity kicked off around the same time. In June we brought Abby to see a vet behaviorist and we increased her Clomicalm slightly from a half tablet twice daily to three quarters of a tablet twice daily. One side effect listed on Clomicalm is vomiting. I would be doing a disservice to Abby if I didn't at least consider that this was a possibility. However, one of these hypotheses is easier to test than the other. So I'm adding a bit of dry Hill's I/D to her food and I hope to transition her over to at least a 50/50 ratio to see if this improves. If not then I may need to investigate options for helping her with this. Currently I've been giving her a 10 mg tablet of Pepcid half an hour before each meal and I've not noticed any improvement. Hopefully the dry food will do the trick.
I am really excited and nervous to say that in two weeks I will be attending the TACT Seminar that Emma Parsons and Julie Robitaille will be presenting. I hope that it will give me another tool in my wheelhouse to work with some of Abby's reactivity, to reshape how she views situations, and to help us both feel more confident in stressful situations. I have to admit I'm nervous. I will be in with dog trainers, people you hire to help you with the problems you have. But I felt inspired after talking with our trainer about this, who told me that I am a dog trainer with a very small audience.
And finally I leave you with one other link if you are feeling so inclined. On June 10, 2012, we will be going to the NHSPCA Paws Walk in Stratham, NH. It seems like just yesterday it was May 29, 2010 and we were at their facility looking at their available dogs to see if we could find one. My husband will tell you that he knew we were going home with a dog that day. I will tell you that I never envisioned my life changing in the way that it did that day. I don't like to think of Abby as a rescue. The question of whether she is or not in my mind has always been a touchy one. It isn't that succinct. And beyond that, the presumption is that we saved her when really the opposite is true. She saved us. Each and every day I am completely amazed by her, and I feel so lucky that she has come into our lives. We feel so blessed to have her, and the least that we can do on that day is walk in support of an organization that has enabled us to welcome Abby home. She was meant to be ours. So I know that times are tough and everyone is stretched thin. If you are able to donate, we would be so thrilled by your support. And if you are free on June 10th and wish to walk with us, we would love the company. Here is the link to my donation page.
There's two different theories that I have about this problem. The first is that this problem didn't occur until she changed to canned food. If I had to think of what is different, that certainly would be it. But at the same time, not only did her GI issues kick off in April, but her latent fear reactivity kicked off around the same time. In June we brought Abby to see a vet behaviorist and we increased her Clomicalm slightly from a half tablet twice daily to three quarters of a tablet twice daily. One side effect listed on Clomicalm is vomiting. I would be doing a disservice to Abby if I didn't at least consider that this was a possibility. However, one of these hypotheses is easier to test than the other. So I'm adding a bit of dry Hill's I/D to her food and I hope to transition her over to at least a 50/50 ratio to see if this improves. If not then I may need to investigate options for helping her with this. Currently I've been giving her a 10 mg tablet of Pepcid half an hour before each meal and I've not noticed any improvement. Hopefully the dry food will do the trick.
I am really excited and nervous to say that in two weeks I will be attending the TACT Seminar that Emma Parsons and Julie Robitaille will be presenting. I hope that it will give me another tool in my wheelhouse to work with some of Abby's reactivity, to reshape how she views situations, and to help us both feel more confident in stressful situations. I have to admit I'm nervous. I will be in with dog trainers, people you hire to help you with the problems you have. But I felt inspired after talking with our trainer about this, who told me that I am a dog trainer with a very small audience.
And finally I leave you with one other link if you are feeling so inclined. On June 10, 2012, we will be going to the NHSPCA Paws Walk in Stratham, NH. It seems like just yesterday it was May 29, 2010 and we were at their facility looking at their available dogs to see if we could find one. My husband will tell you that he knew we were going home with a dog that day. I will tell you that I never envisioned my life changing in the way that it did that day. I don't like to think of Abby as a rescue. The question of whether she is or not in my mind has always been a touchy one. It isn't that succinct. And beyond that, the presumption is that we saved her when really the opposite is true. She saved us. Each and every day I am completely amazed by her, and I feel so lucky that she has come into our lives. We feel so blessed to have her, and the least that we can do on that day is walk in support of an organization that has enabled us to welcome Abby home. She was meant to be ours. So I know that times are tough and everyone is stretched thin. If you are able to donate, we would be so thrilled by your support. And if you are free on June 10th and wish to walk with us, we would love the company. Here is the link to my donation page.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Happy Birthday!!
Today is perhaps one of my favorite days. Although we will never know Abby's true birthday, we took our best guess and chose today as her birthday. Happy Birthday to the best puppy girl in the world! Although we've only had her for a year and a half, it feels as if she's always been here. Every day I learn something new from her, and I've loved every opportunity I've had to view the world through her eyes. Abby you are so smart, funny, charming, challenging, and endearing. But more than anything else you are all ours. When we first adopted you we gave you a name, a home, and unconditional love. I am so acutely aware of just how dependent you are on us for everything you need, and it is not a responsibility I ever take lightly. Thank you for trusting us and loving us as much as you do. Happy Birthday, beautiful girl!
I might have been a little excited for her birthday.
Cake with peanut butter, honey, vanilla, vegetable oil, shredded carrots and flour. The frosting was peanut butter and cream cheese.
Someone was very excited for her hat.
I was very surprised she put it on.
I even got hugs for giving her a hat!
And awesome kisses!
How cute does she look with a birthday hat?
She dug right in!
She ate the frosting first, just like Mom!
I broke it up into pieces because she wanted to eat the whole cake at once.
Clean bowl! Then she started cleaning my fingers - so helpful!
Monday, September 12, 2011
You mean I'm not crazy?
So we had our meeting with the vet behaviorist. Prior to meeting with her, I completed a ten page questionnaire about Abby's behavioral issues, complete with real life examples of her behavior. Admittedly I was a bit worried about this appointment for a few reasons. Perhaps based on some of the judgement we've received, I was worried that the work we've done with Abby would somehow not have been correct or enough. I know I've spent lots of time working with her on her relaxation and general behavior, and you never want for that investment to be incorrect. But I was even nervous that I somehow had fostered some of her reactivity. I take the issues of Abby's behavior very personally, and when analyzing some of the things she does I think on some level you are doing a disservice to your pet if you don't at least consider your behavior and reactions to at least rule out that you aren't fostering some of the behavior you're working to correct.
In a word the vet behaviorist was phenomenal. Our trainer was so awesome and met us at the facility to be part of our discussion, and she was also able to inject some of her observations into the conversation, which truly ended up being helpful at several points. I should tell you that the appointment that we had scheduled for Abby was a two hour consultation. My first thought was "How the heck am I going to keep her attention for two hours? She's going to try to bolt out of the room in under 20 minutes." So I came prepared.
Over the last few months, we've been doing mat work with Abby. We have a mat that we use for her to relax on and chill out. We bring it to class, we bring it to the vet, and we use it anywhere where she could possibly be overwhelmed by what is going on around her. We gave it a queue - "Places!" - and she knows that she can just relax and hang out on her mat. I also brought some toys for her to chew on and play with, and plenty of treats.
So when we met with the behaviorist she brought us downstairs to her office. Essentially it was a big open basement that was divided in half. On one side of the room chairs set up in a U-shape for training, and the other half of the room had couches, a rug, and a desk for consultations. We sat down and I put Abby's mat down, and Abby immediately went down on it. We spoke for awhile about some of her behaviors and the things I had completed on the form, and the entire time Abby is just chilling. I thought, "This woman is going to think I am crazy! Abby is so well behaved and chilling right now that she's going to think I have the dog owner's version of Munchausen Syndrome." After a little while Abby heard a noise, and then everything I was saying had been confirmed. Abby was on patrol, hair raised, and we were unable to call her back to the area we were sitting in. And it didn't just end there. Once she had the first reaction, it did not take much to prompt further reactions.
The appointment was just so positive though. The behaviorist reinforced that Abby's dosage of Clomicalm is considered a light dosage, and she praised us for the work we've done thus far in light of the light dosage. I felt like I didn't have to defend the choices we've made for Abby or the work we've done because she already understood where we were coming from and communicated her desire to help us.
What a change!
So we're going to do a slightly small increase with her Clomicalm, and we're going to work with her on the relaxation protocols and continue the mat work. We've started working on down stays so that we can try to have Abby not freak out when people come to the house, and I feel like we have a clear direction on where we're heading with Abby's next phase of training.
In other news, a few weeks ago I had received a call from the vet's office that we bring Abby to for her routine care because I had previously ordered a few cases of the Purina OM but I hadn't picked them up. While trying to figure out what we were doing for her food, I just figured that I would leave them there because I didn't know if we would possibly use that food in combination with something else. I explained some of the food issues we've been having and that I was going to wait on picking it up, and the receptionist asked if she could try running Abby's GI issues past one of their other doctors that she has not seen. I told her that it was OK to do this, but that with all due respect I wasn't necessarily feeling a need to make more appointments or follow ups with nutritionists because at this point they've picked a food that did not work for her on any level, and frankly I can pick foods on my own at this rate through trial and error. So she said she would try the other doctor's opinion.
A few days later I got a call from one of the technicians saying the doctor had reviewed everything, and that without doing an intestinal ultrasound it is possible that she could have IBD. But that he was really recommending that I do a month of Tylosin to kill any bacteria that could be in the intestine. I told her that I needed to think about it. I said that without trying to sound defensive or dismissive, I've yet to have anyone be able to explain why Abby would have perfect stools for a period of time, then have diarrhea, then have the loose stools again. I explained how I felt like on some level that this could possibly be anxiety related, particularly given the timing of the reactivity, and the way in which she seems to be generally anxious as we try to taper off the clomicalm. We continue to throw tests, medications or diets at Abby under the hopes that they will work, and I never get to the root cause of her issues and again the diarrhea reccurs. This is when she reiterated that she felt the Merrick food was too fatty and the pancreas and intestine pretty much can't handle it anymore. I guess I'd buy into that if I hadn't just done the malabsorption tests on the heels of this diarrhea getting kicked off. Additionally when I bought into the idea of Abby having IBD, my questioning of whether or not it could have an anxiety component to what triggered or aggravated it was dismissed.
What was interesting to me was that she mentioned that although the Tylosin could work, there was a possibility that Abby could have this happen again even with the Tylosin, and then in which case we'd be back to where we started where we would do another course of treatment.
Those who have read with any regularity can already guess my answer to this treatment: No. A resounding no.
I'm not sure what I was more astounded by. Even if I did an ultrasound on Abby to see if she had IBD, what would I learn? That my dog is prone to diarrhea? I already know this and I didn't have to spend $1,000 to figure that out or put her through the testing. Second, what person just gives a month long treatment to their dog without having a test to prove that she needs it? We wouldn't do this with our children, and I'm certainly not doing this to Abby.
Throughout her reactivity, anxiety and digestive issues I'm starting to learn that doctors, and in particular veterinarians, are not Gods. Sure, they're educated people who have spent thousands of dollars earning a degree certifying them to answer the questions and solve the problems we encounter with Abby. But they don't live with us. They don't see Abby day-to-day, and they don't know what she struggles with day-to-day. Abby can't answer questions to tell me how she feels, why she gets nervous, or why her food isn't agreeing with her. The only voice she has is ours. The only advocate she has is us. And these experiences have taught me that I need to remain dilligent in asking questions to insure that she gets adequate care. Not treatment - care. There is a fine line between these that I think is often lost.
With that said, onwards and upwards. We will continue to search for people committed to Abby's care, who support the decisions we make for her, and who appreciate and trust the total focus we give to helping her. The camp of people we have in Abby's life who do this only continues to grow.
In a word the vet behaviorist was phenomenal. Our trainer was so awesome and met us at the facility to be part of our discussion, and she was also able to inject some of her observations into the conversation, which truly ended up being helpful at several points. I should tell you that the appointment that we had scheduled for Abby was a two hour consultation. My first thought was "How the heck am I going to keep her attention for two hours? She's going to try to bolt out of the room in under 20 minutes." So I came prepared.
Over the last few months, we've been doing mat work with Abby. We have a mat that we use for her to relax on and chill out. We bring it to class, we bring it to the vet, and we use it anywhere where she could possibly be overwhelmed by what is going on around her. We gave it a queue - "Places!" - and she knows that she can just relax and hang out on her mat. I also brought some toys for her to chew on and play with, and plenty of treats.
So when we met with the behaviorist she brought us downstairs to her office. Essentially it was a big open basement that was divided in half. On one side of the room chairs set up in a U-shape for training, and the other half of the room had couches, a rug, and a desk for consultations. We sat down and I put Abby's mat down, and Abby immediately went down on it. We spoke for awhile about some of her behaviors and the things I had completed on the form, and the entire time Abby is just chilling. I thought, "This woman is going to think I am crazy! Abby is so well behaved and chilling right now that she's going to think I have the dog owner's version of Munchausen Syndrome." After a little while Abby heard a noise, and then everything I was saying had been confirmed. Abby was on patrol, hair raised, and we were unable to call her back to the area we were sitting in. And it didn't just end there. Once she had the first reaction, it did not take much to prompt further reactions.
The appointment was just so positive though. The behaviorist reinforced that Abby's dosage of Clomicalm is considered a light dosage, and she praised us for the work we've done thus far in light of the light dosage. I felt like I didn't have to defend the choices we've made for Abby or the work we've done because she already understood where we were coming from and communicated her desire to help us.
What a change!
So we're going to do a slightly small increase with her Clomicalm, and we're going to work with her on the relaxation protocols and continue the mat work. We've started working on down stays so that we can try to have Abby not freak out when people come to the house, and I feel like we have a clear direction on where we're heading with Abby's next phase of training.
In other news, a few weeks ago I had received a call from the vet's office that we bring Abby to for her routine care because I had previously ordered a few cases of the Purina OM but I hadn't picked them up. While trying to figure out what we were doing for her food, I just figured that I would leave them there because I didn't know if we would possibly use that food in combination with something else. I explained some of the food issues we've been having and that I was going to wait on picking it up, and the receptionist asked if she could try running Abby's GI issues past one of their other doctors that she has not seen. I told her that it was OK to do this, but that with all due respect I wasn't necessarily feeling a need to make more appointments or follow ups with nutritionists because at this point they've picked a food that did not work for her on any level, and frankly I can pick foods on my own at this rate through trial and error. So she said she would try the other doctor's opinion.
A few days later I got a call from one of the technicians saying the doctor had reviewed everything, and that without doing an intestinal ultrasound it is possible that she could have IBD. But that he was really recommending that I do a month of Tylosin to kill any bacteria that could be in the intestine. I told her that I needed to think about it. I said that without trying to sound defensive or dismissive, I've yet to have anyone be able to explain why Abby would have perfect stools for a period of time, then have diarrhea, then have the loose stools again. I explained how I felt like on some level that this could possibly be anxiety related, particularly given the timing of the reactivity, and the way in which she seems to be generally anxious as we try to taper off the clomicalm. We continue to throw tests, medications or diets at Abby under the hopes that they will work, and I never get to the root cause of her issues and again the diarrhea reccurs. This is when she reiterated that she felt the Merrick food was too fatty and the pancreas and intestine pretty much can't handle it anymore. I guess I'd buy into that if I hadn't just done the malabsorption tests on the heels of this diarrhea getting kicked off. Additionally when I bought into the idea of Abby having IBD, my questioning of whether or not it could have an anxiety component to what triggered or aggravated it was dismissed.
What was interesting to me was that she mentioned that although the Tylosin could work, there was a possibility that Abby could have this happen again even with the Tylosin, and then in which case we'd be back to where we started where we would do another course of treatment.
Those who have read with any regularity can already guess my answer to this treatment: No. A resounding no.
I'm not sure what I was more astounded by. Even if I did an ultrasound on Abby to see if she had IBD, what would I learn? That my dog is prone to diarrhea? I already know this and I didn't have to spend $1,000 to figure that out or put her through the testing. Second, what person just gives a month long treatment to their dog without having a test to prove that she needs it? We wouldn't do this with our children, and I'm certainly not doing this to Abby.
Throughout her reactivity, anxiety and digestive issues I'm starting to learn that doctors, and in particular veterinarians, are not Gods. Sure, they're educated people who have spent thousands of dollars earning a degree certifying them to answer the questions and solve the problems we encounter with Abby. But they don't live with us. They don't see Abby day-to-day, and they don't know what she struggles with day-to-day. Abby can't answer questions to tell me how she feels, why she gets nervous, or why her food isn't agreeing with her. The only voice she has is ours. The only advocate she has is us. And these experiences have taught me that I need to remain dilligent in asking questions to insure that she gets adequate care. Not treatment - care. There is a fine line between these that I think is often lost.
With that said, onwards and upwards. We will continue to search for people committed to Abby's care, who support the decisions we make for her, and who appreciate and trust the total focus we give to helping her. The camp of people we have in Abby's life who do this only continues to grow.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Your dog is on what?
In recent weeks I've come to realize that when you have a reactive dog, there is a certain stigma attached to it. People ask you how your dog is. And while some people are genuine in their interest in your dog, some people are clearly judgemental.
I should back up at this point and tell you that Bill and I made an attempt at reducing Abby's clomicalm dosage. A little over a year ago we put Abby on clomicalm. It was a choice we didn't take lightly, but one that was the right choice for Abby at the time that we made it. I cannot begin to tell you how heartbreaking it was to watch her get so anxious about her crate, insuring at least one foot was outside at all times for fear that she might be put in it. Even just giving her a treat in the crate was clearly stressful for her. If I put a treat in there for her to find so that only positive things happened for her in that crate, she would hop in and out of that crate at a speed befitting an Olympic Hurdler. No matter what we did to make her crate positive, it clearly was not at all getting better. Abby was so amped up to even look at the crate that we wouldn't be able to make it positive. She clearly couldn't be receptive towards it in any way.
Clomicalm has been a blessing and a curse all at once. In combination with relaxation protocols that we work on, it allowed Abby to simply relax near a crate, and inevitably be crated while I am at work. I would be lying if I didn't say that I tear up a little bit each day that I crate her in the morning because she literally races to the door of her room and looks back at me with a smile. A year ago I would not have thought that was possible. But clomicalm isn't without risks, and certainly its toll on the dog's physical health is one.
However, there is another risk that most people don't realize accompanies the choice to give it to your dog: judgement. I cannot begin to describe the looks on people's faces if I do mention that Abby is on a medication for anxiety, or the way in which a vet she has not seen before will ask about the medication. Some people are subtle about it, but most are not. It all starts off the same way.
Is she on any medication?
What is the clomicalm for?
Why clomicalm?
Have you tried (insert any form of accupuncture, vet behaviorist, or other things people have heard are effective)?
Ever since shows like "The Dog Whisperer" and "It's Me or the Dog," suddenly everyone is an expert on dogs. Intentional or not, people have a way of being unable to ask the above questions without implying that I simply choose not to take my pet's health and psyche seriously and just choose medications as my easy fix. They do not know the countless hours I have spent over many months doing relaxation protocols with Abby just to get her to lay down, then to drop her chin, kick out a back leg, sigh, etc. Then to spend these hours once again to do all of this near a crate. They do not know that Abby has her own iPod that we keep downstairs, that sits docked in the iHome I received as a birthday gift and plays "Through a Dog's Ear" for her all day while she is crated so that she can have some white noise. And to ask the above questions so succinctly while the answer is not so succinct always leaves me feeling annoyed and judged.
Clomicalm is not a medication that I necessarily want Abby to be on long term. If she can be without medication that would be ideal. But if she can't, I want to make sure that she is on the right medication for her. Towards the end of June, we asked for instructions to taper off her clomicalm. Abby was taking a half tablet twice daily, and the instructions given were to do a half tablet daily for two weeks, and then half a tablet every other day for two weeks, then off the medicine entirely. I opted for a longer tapering off, and figured we would do the half tablet daily for one month before moving to the next level. However, after only a week it became clear that a half tablet drop was too much too soon. Suddenly the world seemed a scary place in general for our girl. She barked at everything. And while some dogs bark, Abby greeted every creak in the floor, or voice outside as an imminent threat. She barked at everything in a way that communicated she definitely was freaking out. Now granted, it wasn't a level of barking like when she was panicked to be in the crate. But it was clear that she was nervous and anxious about every sound. Hell, she was nervous about sounds we couldn't even hear! We tried instead half a tablet in the morning and a quarter tablet at night. After about a week this still left her amped up and really hadn't helped to improve her outlook either.
So we've now made an appointment with a Vet Behaviorist to discuss Abby and her anxiety. Part of me worries that Abby is just an anxious dog, and perhaps the crate and separation anxiety was the most obvious display. The crate anxiety is under control now. But in combination with Abby's GI issues that kicked off around the time she displayed dog reactivity, and the GI issues she continues facing, I would not be surprised if we were to find that she has some sort of general anxiety disorder that we work on either through new methods of relaxation, or a different medication in a light dosage.
In other news Abby continues to have issues with soft stools and diarrhea. We switched her from the Purina OM as I had mentioned in the last post because of the way she was going through food bloat, was lethargic because she was eating too much, and burping up her food because of the volume she was eating. So far I tried Wellness Simple Solutions in salmon and rice, and the results were rather mixed. We were mixing it with the Purina OM as we were slowly integrating in the Wellness, and she was doing better. But with her being on just the Wellness the stools weren't great - sort of a soft service ice cream consistency. I tried the Natural Balance Bison and Sweet Potato, and that was disastrous. She had what hubby and I like to call "Poop Soup." So now we're back on Wellness, and I'm attempting to find a food that will work for her. Orijen is probably my next one, and perhaps after that Taste of the Wild if I don't find one that works. I have decided not to enlist the help of the nutritionist at Angell Memorial again because I felt like the food she chose was so grossly NOT the right food for Abby, both in volume and in effectiveness, that I'm not throwing more money her way. If someone with a degree managed not to pick the right food for Abby, then it communicates to me that they're just going to go by trial and error, and frankly I can do that cheaper on my own.
So stay tuned for an update once we go to the behaviorist on the 27th of this month!
I should back up at this point and tell you that Bill and I made an attempt at reducing Abby's clomicalm dosage. A little over a year ago we put Abby on clomicalm. It was a choice we didn't take lightly, but one that was the right choice for Abby at the time that we made it. I cannot begin to tell you how heartbreaking it was to watch her get so anxious about her crate, insuring at least one foot was outside at all times for fear that she might be put in it. Even just giving her a treat in the crate was clearly stressful for her. If I put a treat in there for her to find so that only positive things happened for her in that crate, she would hop in and out of that crate at a speed befitting an Olympic Hurdler. No matter what we did to make her crate positive, it clearly was not at all getting better. Abby was so amped up to even look at the crate that we wouldn't be able to make it positive. She clearly couldn't be receptive towards it in any way.
Clomicalm has been a blessing and a curse all at once. In combination with relaxation protocols that we work on, it allowed Abby to simply relax near a crate, and inevitably be crated while I am at work. I would be lying if I didn't say that I tear up a little bit each day that I crate her in the morning because she literally races to the door of her room and looks back at me with a smile. A year ago I would not have thought that was possible. But clomicalm isn't without risks, and certainly its toll on the dog's physical health is one.
However, there is another risk that most people don't realize accompanies the choice to give it to your dog: judgement. I cannot begin to describe the looks on people's faces if I do mention that Abby is on a medication for anxiety, or the way in which a vet she has not seen before will ask about the medication. Some people are subtle about it, but most are not. It all starts off the same way.
Is she on any medication?
What is the clomicalm for?
Why clomicalm?
Have you tried (insert any form of accupuncture, vet behaviorist, or other things people have heard are effective)?
Ever since shows like "The Dog Whisperer" and "It's Me or the Dog," suddenly everyone is an expert on dogs. Intentional or not, people have a way of being unable to ask the above questions without implying that I simply choose not to take my pet's health and psyche seriously and just choose medications as my easy fix. They do not know the countless hours I have spent over many months doing relaxation protocols with Abby just to get her to lay down, then to drop her chin, kick out a back leg, sigh, etc. Then to spend these hours once again to do all of this near a crate. They do not know that Abby has her own iPod that we keep downstairs, that sits docked in the iHome I received as a birthday gift and plays "Through a Dog's Ear" for her all day while she is crated so that she can have some white noise. And to ask the above questions so succinctly while the answer is not so succinct always leaves me feeling annoyed and judged.
Clomicalm is not a medication that I necessarily want Abby to be on long term. If she can be without medication that would be ideal. But if she can't, I want to make sure that she is on the right medication for her. Towards the end of June, we asked for instructions to taper off her clomicalm. Abby was taking a half tablet twice daily, and the instructions given were to do a half tablet daily for two weeks, and then half a tablet every other day for two weeks, then off the medicine entirely. I opted for a longer tapering off, and figured we would do the half tablet daily for one month before moving to the next level. However, after only a week it became clear that a half tablet drop was too much too soon. Suddenly the world seemed a scary place in general for our girl. She barked at everything. And while some dogs bark, Abby greeted every creak in the floor, or voice outside as an imminent threat. She barked at everything in a way that communicated she definitely was freaking out. Now granted, it wasn't a level of barking like when she was panicked to be in the crate. But it was clear that she was nervous and anxious about every sound. Hell, she was nervous about sounds we couldn't even hear! We tried instead half a tablet in the morning and a quarter tablet at night. After about a week this still left her amped up and really hadn't helped to improve her outlook either.
So we've now made an appointment with a Vet Behaviorist to discuss Abby and her anxiety. Part of me worries that Abby is just an anxious dog, and perhaps the crate and separation anxiety was the most obvious display. The crate anxiety is under control now. But in combination with Abby's GI issues that kicked off around the time she displayed dog reactivity, and the GI issues she continues facing, I would not be surprised if we were to find that she has some sort of general anxiety disorder that we work on either through new methods of relaxation, or a different medication in a light dosage.
In other news Abby continues to have issues with soft stools and diarrhea. We switched her from the Purina OM as I had mentioned in the last post because of the way she was going through food bloat, was lethargic because she was eating too much, and burping up her food because of the volume she was eating. So far I tried Wellness Simple Solutions in salmon and rice, and the results were rather mixed. We were mixing it with the Purina OM as we were slowly integrating in the Wellness, and she was doing better. But with her being on just the Wellness the stools weren't great - sort of a soft service ice cream consistency. I tried the Natural Balance Bison and Sweet Potato, and that was disastrous. She had what hubby and I like to call "Poop Soup." So now we're back on Wellness, and I'm attempting to find a food that will work for her. Orijen is probably my next one, and perhaps after that Taste of the Wild if I don't find one that works. I have decided not to enlist the help of the nutritionist at Angell Memorial again because I felt like the food she chose was so grossly NOT the right food for Abby, both in volume and in effectiveness, that I'm not throwing more money her way. If someone with a degree managed not to pick the right food for Abby, then it communicates to me that they're just going to go by trial and error, and frankly I can do that cheaper on my own.
So stay tuned for an update once we go to the behaviorist on the 27th of this month!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Food issues... again
So last I wrote, Abby was trying a new diet that consisted of Purina OM. That had made a vast improvement in the consistency of her stools; however, other issues have emerged now that she has been on it a little over a month.
I've never fed a canned diet to a dog. That said, my mother feeds a mix of both to her dogs (except the older ones who are strictly on canned for their teeth) and she seems to like it. However, prior to putting Abby on a canned diet, she ate half a cup of Merrick's Grammy's Pot Pie twice daily. The nutritionst recommended that she should get 2 1/4 cans per day. I won't lie - this seems like a LOT of food. When I first put it in Abby's bowl it seemed like a lot in comparison to the volume she received on dry. But we fed it, and honestly Abby seemed to go into a food coma. We started noticing that Abby didn't have as much energy. That isn't to say she was lethargic, but rather I noticed that any energy she had before dinner was quickly replaced with a firm desire to nap. Almost like most people get after Thanksgiving. It was as if she was in a Thanksgiving coma.
It wasn't long before other things started to seem a little bit off. I noticed that Abby was burping a lot. But it wasn't just a burp. She would actually be burping up food. In most instances she would simply swallow whatever came up. But sometimes she wasn't so lucky and she'd end up spitting up a good amount of food. Additionally there were times where it was as if it either came up the wrong way, or she swallowed wrong, but she started to breathe funny for about a minute afterwards. It almost sounded like a reverse sneeze, and if you didn't know better it was concerning. The first few times it happened I would wonder if she was breathing OK.
Additionally Abby has lost weight on the new food. Now granted, I'm not very concerned about this. But when you consider that the amount of food she was to eat was calculated based on her weight at the time that we started feeding her OM (40 pounds), it is noteworthy that she is losing weight (36.5 pounds). I think that anything in the 35-40 pound range seems healthy for her, but if 40 were the ideal weight for her than I'd be worried about how I would correct that problem because admittedly she is getting a TON of food on the OM as it is and I don't know how much more I could give her.
So hubby and I are thinking about switching her food and trying something else. I'm not entirely sold on a prescription diet for her, much less one that targets weight management when she isn't an overweight dog. Additionally I am concerned with her being on a diet that is presciption because I constantly have to worry about making sure to order her food. And after one time where someone at her veterinarian's office did not forward a note properly for her food to be ordered, I am always worried that such a human error could happen again.
In other news we have started to taper down her Clomicalm that she has been on for a year. I am doing a really slow tapering with it. Instead of doing a half tablet twice daily, I am giving her half a tablet once daily for one month, then half a tablet every other day for a month. We'll see how that goes. We have noticed that she is barking a bit more at sounds she hears or things she sees. My hope is that as I try out a new food for her, I can find a kibble that works and use that to bump up the relaxation protocols.
Abby did the funniest thing the other day, although I should say that seems to do funny things every day. We were coming back from a walk and my husband had been running an errand. He passed by us on our way back, and he had his window open. Abby watched his car pass and about two seconds later stopped, sniffed the air, and bolted in the direction her Dad had just gone. Too funny!
She also had her first agility class, and she was an absolute superstar! It was only her and one other dog, and she did really well with jumping over the hurdles. Inevitably Jess told us to take their leashes off, and admittedly I was worried. Abby is NEVER off leash. We just don't have an area that we could do that work with her. But she did so well! There were times where she wanted to be the social butterfly and go see Blue, but largely she stayed with us and sometimes came back when called. The biggest thing I noticed was how willing Abby was to trust me. She trusted that I wanted her to walk on equipment that was safe, and to me that was the best part of the class. Throughout most of the class she looked like she was smiling - it was the cutest thing in the world!
Next week we're going to try some rally, so I can't wait to see how she does with that!
I've never fed a canned diet to a dog. That said, my mother feeds a mix of both to her dogs (except the older ones who are strictly on canned for their teeth) and she seems to like it. However, prior to putting Abby on a canned diet, she ate half a cup of Merrick's Grammy's Pot Pie twice daily. The nutritionst recommended that she should get 2 1/4 cans per day. I won't lie - this seems like a LOT of food. When I first put it in Abby's bowl it seemed like a lot in comparison to the volume she received on dry. But we fed it, and honestly Abby seemed to go into a food coma. We started noticing that Abby didn't have as much energy. That isn't to say she was lethargic, but rather I noticed that any energy she had before dinner was quickly replaced with a firm desire to nap. Almost like most people get after Thanksgiving. It was as if she was in a Thanksgiving coma.
It wasn't long before other things started to seem a little bit off. I noticed that Abby was burping a lot. But it wasn't just a burp. She would actually be burping up food. In most instances she would simply swallow whatever came up. But sometimes she wasn't so lucky and she'd end up spitting up a good amount of food. Additionally there were times where it was as if it either came up the wrong way, or she swallowed wrong, but she started to breathe funny for about a minute afterwards. It almost sounded like a reverse sneeze, and if you didn't know better it was concerning. The first few times it happened I would wonder if she was breathing OK.
Additionally Abby has lost weight on the new food. Now granted, I'm not very concerned about this. But when you consider that the amount of food she was to eat was calculated based on her weight at the time that we started feeding her OM (40 pounds), it is noteworthy that she is losing weight (36.5 pounds). I think that anything in the 35-40 pound range seems healthy for her, but if 40 were the ideal weight for her than I'd be worried about how I would correct that problem because admittedly she is getting a TON of food on the OM as it is and I don't know how much more I could give her.
So hubby and I are thinking about switching her food and trying something else. I'm not entirely sold on a prescription diet for her, much less one that targets weight management when she isn't an overweight dog. Additionally I am concerned with her being on a diet that is presciption because I constantly have to worry about making sure to order her food. And after one time where someone at her veterinarian's office did not forward a note properly for her food to be ordered, I am always worried that such a human error could happen again.
In other news we have started to taper down her Clomicalm that she has been on for a year. I am doing a really slow tapering with it. Instead of doing a half tablet twice daily, I am giving her half a tablet once daily for one month, then half a tablet every other day for a month. We'll see how that goes. We have noticed that she is barking a bit more at sounds she hears or things she sees. My hope is that as I try out a new food for her, I can find a kibble that works and use that to bump up the relaxation protocols.
Abby did the funniest thing the other day, although I should say that seems to do funny things every day. We were coming back from a walk and my husband had been running an errand. He passed by us on our way back, and he had his window open. Abby watched his car pass and about two seconds later stopped, sniffed the air, and bolted in the direction her Dad had just gone. Too funny!
She also had her first agility class, and she was an absolute superstar! It was only her and one other dog, and she did really well with jumping over the hurdles. Inevitably Jess told us to take their leashes off, and admittedly I was worried. Abby is NEVER off leash. We just don't have an area that we could do that work with her. But she did so well! There were times where she wanted to be the social butterfly and go see Blue, but largely she stayed with us and sometimes came back when called. The biggest thing I noticed was how willing Abby was to trust me. She trusted that I wanted her to walk on equipment that was safe, and to me that was the best part of the class. Throughout most of the class she looked like she was smiling - it was the cutest thing in the world!
Next week we're going to try some rally, so I can't wait to see how she does with that!
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