So in the morning after my research, I called Gisele. She is in charge of the rescue The Dog Liberator, and a good friend who would tell it like it is. I explained what had happened (as best I could with little to no sleep) and she told me I'd have to prepare to be tough, that it was going to be hard, but I could do it. I'd already listened to our baby (yes I mean Leia) cry all night without giving in to her whining, I knew that for her to be happy and healthy in our home, this had to stop. I'd do whatever it took. She gave me several good ideas.
The first, a squirt bottle. Fill it with water, set it on stream (not mist) and if she starts up give her a correction ("eh eh!" or "no") and then one squirt. Once she quieted down, praise her or give her a treat. This way she learns that noise is not ok, and that silence is approved of and rewarded.
The next was a Kong. Before I leave the house, fill it with something tasty, like chicken bits, hotdog, peanut butter, or some special treat that she only gets in her crate, when we leave. Now being in her crate when we leave means special tasty toy. Smart. (I still need to get one). As an alternative, raw marrow bones, about 4-5 inches with all or some of the marrow in it (or refill it with more tasty things). I admit, I am a little concerned with giving a dog a bone. I have heard horror stories about dogs either swallowing bones or getting fragments stuck in their mouth. Now, the alternative to that is that the first dog I ever owned, Skippy, has a marrow bone that we bought at a pet store and did perfectly fine with it. So we will see I guess. Gisele did warn me that marrow is pretty rich and some dogs get upset tummies (so if we do the marrow bone thing I will probably start with one partially full and save the rest for a refill.)
Then she told me something which made me giggle. An oscillating fan had worked wonders for her blind and deaf dogs because it made them feel like someone was walking past their crate. I laughed out loud as I looked in at Leia, who was laying on the floor, right under one of our fans. Clearly this was a good, good idea for her, even though she isn't blind or deaf, it seems to comfort her, so why not.
Gisele also suggested a TV or music so it isn't a silent house. Another option is a ticking clock for the same reasons, sound. She suggested covering Leia's crate with a sheet which I admit, I haven't tried yet but might work. She also talked about a baby monitor or a walkie-talkie so I can hear if she is crying and then, without coming in the room, say "no" or "eh eh."
She told me to go to our Rescue's Welcome Home page and get a copy of Cesar's DVD (free) for some more tips (obviously it will take a few days to get here.)
She also said I could consider a Thunder Shirt or try to make one at home using an old, tight t-shirt (obviously not so tight that it constricts circulation or causes choking, but tight enough that it hugs like compression therapy), a smaller dog costume, or ace bandages to (again) make a compression vest for her. I have heard amazing things about Thunder shirts and similar compression therapy, so if this continues, we'll be investing in one.
If these things didn't work we talked about an e-collar (which beeps and then vibrates [not shocks]) on command, so if she whines, she gets a warning (beep beep beep) and then a vibration to tell her no. Again, this could be used from another room, so I wouldn't have to reward her with my presence. We are going to try other techniques first, but this could be a smart investment for her. I wont put something on her that I wouldn't put on my self, and I would wear an e-collar.
We also discussed seeing a vet (if we can't get this under control) about a mild sedative to help her relax (like a doggy Paxil) to help her calm down when we leave. Again, we are going to try other measures first, but if we have to we will try meds because I'd rather have her slightly medicated and able to stay in our home then crying to the point that we get kicked out.
Above all else, we talked about Consistency, Time, and Patience. These are the keys of training any dog to do anything. There will be set backs. Deal with it. It will take time. Fine. BE PATIENT. Leia is new to this. She doesn't understand why I don't like her crying or the severe consequences it could have for us. Those consequences are my problem, not hers. So if I get frustrated, I need to remember to never take it out on her. She only receives "punishment" (sounds harsh, basically I mean things like "no" and squirt bottle) for things she does (whining, scratching etc) not for my bad mood or frustrations.
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| "So, how long to I have to stay in here?" |
For a lot of pets, behavioral problems are what land them back in a shelter. I'm not giving up on her. It's her second day in the house and tonight will be her second night, she deserves some understanding. I mean after all, her last owners (who she'd known all her life) left her in a shelter, and then right when she was getting comfortable in the shelter, she came here. I will give her understanding but I wont caudal her: "I get you are afraid Leia, but that is unacceptable here. Welcome home, now join the program." I will keep updating with her progress but pray for us, Monday is my first day of school and I am hoping, praying she wont cry for the 2-5 hours I am in class at night (awesome timing on my part). Her Daddy, my husband, is still up north, so we have no option, we have until Monday to get this down pat.
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| Progress, Leia Relaxing with her fan, her (finished) food, and her big water dish |
Updates
2:00PM - we just went for a walk around the lake. All business handled. Did well on her lead. We came home and she ran to her crate for water, then stopped at the door, looked at me, and waited. I went to the kitchen, put a dab of peanut butter on a blunt knife, and put it in the bowl through the side of the cage. She looked at me, suspiciously, and then walked in. I praised her as I shut the door and so far, no protest. She just went in, at her peanut butter, had some water and laid down, enjoying her fan. Good job baby girl!3:30PM - Ok, so I got a shower and she did ok. When I came out she was whining a little so I corrected and then went back int he room for a bit. I'm about to try to catch a nap, and I did something a bit unorthodox. I made Leia a Skype account. No Joke. Why? It's is a two way baby monitor. I can leave the computer with Skype on, and take my smart phone in the other room so I can hear if she starts whining and correct immediately. Lets see how this goes. She's had the cage covered for a while now. No fuss.
I got a bit of a nap. We made it 47 minutes with me in house (1 correction I think) and out of sight but I am not sure if she realized I wasn't in the room. I did, however, try walking out of the house a few times. The longest I stayed out with no correction was 5 minutes. We did have to correct once but I didn't have to spray her, telling her "eh eh" and showing her the spray bottle was enough. Good progress but a long way to go. I am hoping bed time tonight is more successful than last night.
8:50 PM - Well, today has been busy busy. We did a lot of practice today with going in the crate and staying there quietly. We went to PetsMart and tried walking around and meeting new people in hopes of building her confidence. She was so nervous sometimes that she was shaking but her tail told the tail. There were a few times when her tail was up, curled and happy, but plenty of times when it was low and a bit stressed. I am proud of her, not once did she panic or try to cower or hide. Tonight, per the advise of Gisele, I have her in the crate and am completely ignoring her (no talking, no eye contact). She whined once when I first went in the other room but one verbal correction and she calmed down. I have been ignoring her for a while now, and fed her dinner (through the bars, no words, no touch, no eye contact.) She ignored it for a while and I went on to make my own dinner, then take it back in the bedroom. I've heard her picking at her dinner a few times now and the last time I was in the kitchen I checked the reflection off the microwave and she was laying down, head on it's side (her very calm position.)
I have learned she has a few different positions which are tell about whats going on inside her:
1. Is she panting? - If yes, she may be nervous
2. Check her legs, are they trembling at all? If so, also anxious. This is a more rare sign with her, the first time I noticed it was in PetsMart.
3. Ears - Flat back, possibly anxious.
----------Up and looking at me with out my calling her or initiating contact = possibly nervous attentive. (often seen when standing or sitting up)
4. Laying down positions:
---------- laying with all 4 legs under her, head up, ears up, panting - nervous or attentive tired
----------laying with her feet off to the side, head straight on but laying on the cage - more relaxed than the prior laying stance.
----------laying with her feet off to the side and her head laying down on it's side - relaxed.
I admit, I am a little burnt out. Her anxiety was rubbing off on me in Petsmart and I felt like I should be panting. Probably because I knew what needed to be done by Monday, and how far we still have to go.I think it also didn't help that I felt a little trapped by her. I couldn't leave the house or she'd scream, which might upset the neighbors, and we could get in trouble and- can you sense the emotional spiral I was on? No wonder she couldn't keep calm. Remember what I said earlier about not punishing her for the consequences I have to deal with? Well that is what this evening is about. I am out of the room from her, and am de-stressing. So far I have only had to correct her whining twice. Before bed we have one more walk and then we begin night time routine.
While at Petsmart I was convinced by an employee to try "Blue: Tranquility" treats. They use herbs to naturally calm dogs or help them remain calm. Haven't tried them yet, I want to be able to observe her to make sure they agree with her. We also picked up a Kong (hopefully it will become her "Yey they're leaving and I get my special toy" treat), food, and some basic treats (honestly, so I can bribe her into the crate. She goes in very well when treats are involved.)
Review of Day 1 Training: All in all, Day 1 of training was a success, in my book, because she is learning that the crate is her space, that she gets good things in there, and that I am "allowed" to be out of sight. I had my little anxiety meltdown and now I am getting past it. Tomorrow we go see Gisele and get her take on it after seeing it in person. Is this where I want to be? Of course not, I'd love to be to the point where she is calmly and quietly able to sit in her crate until I return from going out where ever it is I want to go out to, But for now, this is good. I mean in 1 day we have massively improved crate training and I might actually be able to sleep tonight! Sleep is good in my book.
PS: Night walk went fairly well with no talk, touch, eye contact. Her tail was up for most of the walk. Only downside was she tried to eat something in the side yard... I think I was able to put a finger in her mouth and flick it all out. Guess we'll find out.
Read our next chapter together! - Sunday
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