THEEYO ASKS: 'WHERE'S MY HOME?'

Theeyo has been with me for 1 month now and not a single inquiry about adopting him.  He's an amazing little dog so it baffles me why he doesn't have multiple applications.

He does well with other dogs, he is friendly with people, good with cats, he rides well in the vehicle, he is cuddly (and don't forget he's cute too!), he walks pretty well on the leash, he is happy to go for walks but is not too high energy that he won't sit and watch movies with you too.  He is smart and very treat motivated.  He plays well with toys although you can't leave him with ripped toys or he tears pieces off and might eat them.

Theeyo is losing weight and is starting to look more like his young age.  He came into rescue at 21.5 pounds and is now 18 pounds!! He is eating a raw food that he loves and we add a bit of kibble for treats throughout the day.  Treats are used either in the Aikiou dish or in an orange ball that he has to roll around so they will drop out of the hole.  He seems to like both activities and gets faster each time.  

Treats are also used when we're walking as we're working on 'leave it' for things he tries to pick up off the road or sidewalk to chew on - things like dried worms, dead bugs, etc. (yuck!).  He is getting much better at leaving things on his own and better at 'leave it' for things he's still too tempted by.

At dinner time he sits and waits for his dish to land on the floor and we've added eye contact to the requirements before the 'okay' signal to eat.   He is also waiting very nicely in the truck to be invited to come and be lifted out.

We went into Steveston on the weekend and he navigates through the crowd of people really well.  He walks a nice straight line through people and he is relaxed about it all.  If he sees a dog he will meet them nicely but if we keep moving he's fine without meeting too.   If we sit for a bit he'll stand on a loose leash and watch people and dogs go by.  He'll also sit on your lap and do some serious people watching for a while.

He loves the bread store in Steveston as the guy that owns it came out and gave him a chunk of bread....he made me look like I hadn't fed him in days the way he wolfed that down.  After touring the main streets we went down to the docks and he learned to walk across a few different surfaces.  One ramp that he wouldn't go down a few weeks ago he decided he'd give it a try and went all the way down and back up like a champ. 

Theeyo - walkin' the docks

All of the small challenges that he overcomes teach him to be a more confident dog.  It shows in small ways like not barking at as many strange things, approaching more people without hesitation, sitting up to ride in the truck to watch the trip, asking for affection, etc etc.

Again I ask "where's my home?"

THEEYO LOST A POUND!

For a dog Theeyo's size 1 pound has got to be like 10 in human pounds.  He's looking more trim to me and we tightened up his harness a bit too.  His color is also getting richer.  So YAHOO for Theeyo....lets keep it going.

The first week he was with me we didn't focus on learning too many new things but with some boundaries and manners comes safety so we are raising the expectations.  Things like 'wait' at a door teaches them to not dart out into possibly dangerous situations.  'Wait' has many uses - at the door, at the gate, at the curb when waiting to cross the street.  We are also using a sit and wait (without command) at meal time and an 'okay' as a release word.  With food being his number one favorite thing this has been a good exercise for him in some self-control. 

This may or may not seem like a very big thing but any accomplishment by a foster makes me extremely proud, no matter how big or small.  Every bit of learning is a stepping stone to something that may improve their life.

We are also working on having him not rush in to grab food as he is the fastest thing on four legs when something drops to the floor.  So, starting tonight after he'd had his own dinner I had him stay at the kitchen doorway by putting a dog bed down for him and herding him out of the kitchen while I made a pot of food to pack for lunches.  While chopping I would pretend to drop a carrot down and just before he made a move for it I'd tell him to 'leave it'.  His reward for leaving it was a piece of sweet potato from a different source and fed by hand.  After a few tries Theeyo had it all worked out and even when the carrot rolled right up to his bed he avoided.   I will continue to reinforce this and teach him that treats only come from me.  I'm hoping this will help when we're on our walks and he darts to pick things up as he thinks so many things might be worth tasting.   A good 'leave it' or 'drop it' command is great to have for a dog that will pick up different things, but its even better to teach them to make the good choice in the first place.

Theeyo's personality is starting to shine through and I find myself smiling at him more and more.  For example, in the morning he's ready for breakfast around 7:00 and he starts by staring at me and willing me to wake up.  I pretend to be asleep to see how many things he will try.   He bats you in the face with a paw, then moves into the big stretch with front paws pushing into me, then comes the face lick and the hand lick and then he climbs up to stand on me and then lays down on top of me with his paws under my chin and continues the staring contest.   Once I sit up in bed he gets playful and then jumps down to head for the door and breakfast.  After this routine and a trip outside he's actually quite happy to go back to bed for a bit so I haven't had to give up on that extra bit of weekend sleep in.

Theeyo has been alert barking at the comings and goings around home and around the vehicle but he's starting to feel more secure with me and is learning that other people move about their business and aren't worrying about him either.   It's a work in progress but he's figuring out his city life quite well.   The next picture shows both Theeyo and his friend Bella watching something out in the parking lot.  Bella is a TG dog who was adopted by my neighbour and she is usually the first dog friend my fosters have when they arrive.

A final comment:  In case anyone wonders why his food looks all white in the video....he was getting some chicken and rice for a few days to help bring him back into balance with his diet and has since been moved to raw food to help him feel more satisfied with his portions and to help with losing his weight.  He really loves it!  So a BIG THANK YOU to Jake & Daisy's for making such great food and to Linda D. for picking it up for me.  You guys rock and Theeyo agrees!

CLICK HERE to read about Jake & Daisy's ....there's a retail store close to just about everyone, that carries their food.

DOG BOSS LADY WANNA-BE?

Theeyo and I had a great first week together and a really good weekend to cap it off.  He's settling in very well and is quite honestly one of the easiest fosters I've had in a while.  He's seen more of the city and is pretty chill about it all.  Pics and more stories will come later this week.

As I'm sure most of you read the Turtle Gardens blog you know Yvette as the "dog boss lady".  Occasionally you might see an inside photo showing multiple dogs on Yvette's desk and when I'm talking to her on the phone she's often heard struggling to claim her desk space for its intended purpose (keep in mind she is the one who lifts them on and off).  Some of the more computer savvy dogs have been known to contribute to her emails and blogs with a few extra clicks of the mouse or by standing on the spacebar.

Theeyo was a little restless tonight while I was searching on the computer for pictures to send Yvette for a Theeyo blog she's planning on, so I put a little dog bed on my table and he was really comfortable with his new location.  Within minutes he was snoozing away.  So since Yvette will be blogging about Theeyo I figured I'd use my blog space to show her a TG foster dog boss lady wanna be.