SUNNY WINTER WEEKEND

I love sunny winter days.  I've had the flu bug that's been going around but that didn't stop me and Chief from getting out and about on the weekend.  Since I haven't been letting Chief off leash in too many circumstances I found that he'll fetch a ball really well so I take him to the fenced and gated field by the airport and throw the ball for him to burn off some energy.  Here's a quick video of him:

He'll fetch the ball quite a few times in a row but will occassionally get side-tracked by a really good smell. Of course this never happens before I throw the ball, only once I've successfully launched it further than ever with the ball chucker, he then decides smelling the grass is better than bringing it back.  Once you gage his level of interest though you can pretty much figure out when not to throw it unless you want to fetch it yourself.  



Chief coming when called (without the ball)...he's got good recall.



So many good smells, so little time.



Sorry for the short blog but my chicken soup is on the stove waiting for me.  Will write more later and fill you in on Chief's overnight visit with an applicant. 

Here's a few pics from around home though:

Waiting, with his tug toy, for
dinner to be served.



Don't tell his friends but Chief lets me tuck him in
on his own bed at night.  It gets cold at night so I
lay a dog blanket across him...I hear no complaints.



IT'S BEEN TEN DAYS SINCE MY LAST BLOG

I've been busy in the last week or so and haven't taken the time to blog and haven't had my camera handy for any new pictures either.   Chief has had little or no applications but we met with a really nice couple the other day and they are interested in meeting up again to learn more about him.  The timing of Chief's adoption is a very difficult thing.  Adopt him too soon and put him at risk of sliding back into old behaviors, but also don't want to hold him back from his future home if they can continue the work with him.  Thankfully it's a decision both me and Yvette can discuss together...it's not on my shoulders alone. 

One of the hotspots for Chief was the walkway from the parking lot at daycare to the building. It's a very narrow pathway and we run into people and dogs in space with no place to duck out and even though Chief can go through the door and be completely fine with all the dogs inside, the excitement of daycare itself (he gets excited to go in and to come home) and the meeting on leash can cause Chief to react. If left to his own devices he would lunge and bark and possibly bite.  But after this long of fostering him I know most of his weaknesses and can plan ahead and prevent reaction.  So when I walk the pathway with him I hold his collar rather than his leash.  This means I'm not switching from holding the leash to his collar...which could alert him to my anticipation of a problem, just by making that change.  So we go in and out assuming we will run into someone.  A week ago I put a muzzle on him for the brief walk to and from daycare, but this week I haven't bothered with it as he is getting used to just briskly walking past everyone and he sometimes puts out a tiny bit of a worried whine but for the most part is becoming less and less reactive to it.  Knowing that I have a plan in place gives me the confidence to handle him with good energy and working through these challenges flows into his behavior elsewhere.   Chief is more relaxed now in so many more situations that used to be a problem.  He has dealt with a few visitors at my place including my niece and my sister.  My niece is in Grade 9 and she came to stay overnight as she was going to work with me for the 'take your Grade 9 to work' day.  She loved Chief...he cuddled up with her on the couch and he followed her around...if she went upstairs so did he and then back down again.  He seemed quite excited about having an extra person in the home.  My niece told me that I should keep him.  

He is a very rewarding foster so far.   Now that I know most of what triggers a reaction from him we've had little to no reaction to anything in over a week now, which feels like we're in the home stretch.  He is ready for his home in so many ways.  Does he need just a bit longer with me to build a stronger base for someone else to work with him?  Chief will help me decide that in the next while as I put him through some more carefully planned challenges.

I promise to take my camera with me in the next couple of days and post something new soon. 

p.s. Is anyone else finding that the squirrel population has multiplied recently?  Chief is on high alert for any squirrel intruders in my little yard, as the traffic has been quite high and he knows those tracks are pretty fresh.

PROGRESS AND AN OVERNIGHT GUEST

I don’t know why there are no applications for Chief.  Everyone that meets him really likes him.  He is a great looking dog for starters and once he gets past the uncertainty of a new introduction with someone he is really a big suck who loves attention.   He is making great progress in all areas and is eager to please with the right motivation.   He is walking really well on leash, rides well in the truck, hardly ever barks at anything (not even when someone knocked on my door yesterday).  He plays well with other dogs and has good recall. 

CHIEF - ready for his close-up

On Thursday night we had a visitor.  Mattisue (now shortened to Mattie) came for an overnighter while her family went out of town.  When she came to me I was at dinner in Richmond with some friends and I put her in the front of the truck and Chief was in the back.  When we got home I took Mattie in the house first and then brought Chief in second.  They wagged tails, did the appropriate sniffing and then really could have cared less about each other while we set about putting food down for them.  After dinner we went out for a walk. It was a pretty rainy night, so out came the raincoats.  They both looked so cute I had to catch a photo.   They walked really well on leash together too.  I love walking two well behaved dogs!

Back at home to watch a bit of TV before bedtime and they both wanted on the couch.  Chief was a bit growly as he didn’t seem to love sharing his side of the couch so he was awarded with getting pushed off.  Back up on the couch a while later he was much better and later in the evening even tried to initiate play with Mattie.  She was settled in for the night and didn’t want much part of that though, so Chief left her alone. 



'Gee your hair smells terrific'



Mattie is such a cutie and with her
hair grown fuller she looks more like a pup

 

Mattie went home on Friday night and boy was she happy to see her family again.  After that me and Chief headed out to New West for a ‘growly class’ put on by Shannon (http://www.yogadog.ca/).  She had invited us knowing it might be a good fit for Chief to work through introductions and she was right.  It was at the Bosley’s store in New West and each dog was down a different aisle while the dogs, one by one, went past each aisle and they had to learn to relax and reduce their stress.  It was the perfect controlled environment for me to work with Chief as the dog park is just full of too many excited dogs, having fun and not always in control. 

On Saturday we went for our first off leash walk with a friend and her dog that Chief already knows very well.  We went to Annacis Island to a stretch of path where you’d never find another soul or dog, especially on a rainy weekend.   Chief had a great time ripping off some built-up energy and at the end of the walk the two dogs chased the ball.  The ride home consisted of Chief sitting up at the back window pretending to look out, but his eyes were closed and his head was bobbing as he fought to stay awake.  I love a tired, happy dog!

 

'can I come in yet?'

Today, I was thinking that I can’t believe that after so many times of asking Chief to not come through the door at the same time and push me aside, that he still tries to do it, and I think ‘why can’t you stop yourself from that impulse?’...and on the same day I was thinking that I wish there were certain foods I could keep in the house and ration them out for myself.  If I get a container of popcorn kernels I can pretty much guarantee that I will eat a bowl of popcorn every night until the container is gone.  After each night I think “okay, that’s it, I will save the popcorn until weekends” but by the next evening I’m standing at the stove making some.  So I suppose I really do understand the difficulty of controlling yourself from doing something you really want to do, no matter the consquences.  Me and Chief are both works in progress, and I will be extra patient with him.

 

p.s. I'm typing this after Chief patiently waited at the door for me to take his picture (mind you I wasn't trying to go through the door at the same time) and I am popcorn free tonight. (for now)