Trick Training Helped Lessen the Stress of a Vet Visit for My Reactive Dog

I wasn't expecting to write about a trip to the vet for this week's Positive Pet Training Blog Hop, but Ruby had a rather sudden onset of digestive distress following a strong thunderstorm this week and although I suspected it was stress related, I wasn't taking any chances when blood showed up in her stool. I made an appointment with our wonderful veterinarian the following afternoon and loaded Ruby up in her travel den, which has made drives far less taxing for both of us.

Walking Together, Walking Apart and Finding Your Dog's Motivation

Although the photo above shows me walking both dogs as I so often do (my dad was the cameraman here, and if he joins us he walks Boca) but my goal for Walk Your Dog Week (October 1st-7th) was to do more one-on-one walking with The Ginger Sisters. I think they appreciate the focused attention, and they are two very different dogs with very different needs and motivations. 

This weekend I spent some time with Ruby and Boca individually. Ruby's solo walk was more of a solo play session using her long line and flying disc, but there is nothing she finds more rewarding than chasing, fetching and tugging, so I used that to our advantage to burn off some energy and also strengthen our bond through play. I've actually never tried using her long line with her flying disc before - we used to take it to the dog park or ball field but I decided to give it a whirl and it went spectacularly! Her line is only 15 feet and I now that I know how well this works, we have a 30 foot on the way. Being the paranoid helicopter dog parent that I am, I was sure to attach her little safety line (a toy dog coupler) from the base of the snap on the long line to her harness ring. 

I threw her disc gently so it wouldn't sail too far and then prepared myself to run as well so she didn't hit the end of the line. Ruby had a blast and even caught the disc mid-air a few times which is a big deal for my cautious, careful girl (she reminds me so much of myself in gym class, dodging the volleyball). After she caught it she would run gleefully in circles and even toss the disc up for herself to catch again. It filled my heart with joy to see her having so much fun. After she was sufficiently tired, we continued on a short walk around the neighborhood. You'll notice there is only one loose leash in the picture...I like to think less that Ruby pulls and more that I don't walk fast enough for her. The long line gave her room to explore and sniff while also coming back to me. Since Ruby will never be an off-leash dog, I need to utilize this tool more often to give her increased freedom. 

Boca is my easygoing, ambling girl. Individual walks with her are a pleasure; unless she is trying to snag a chicken bone off the ground she is always strolling at my side, mouth open in a smile, tail wagging. For her solo walk, I took along a pocketful of treats. Food is still the number one motivator for my former street dog. One of the things we struggled with in our beginning obedience class was a sit in different positions. Boca's tendency was to pivot and sit facing me rather than at my side. I was surprised to find that in our day-to-day informal walks and work on sit in the house, Boca has naturally picked up sitting at my side! She was eager to earn some tasty treats as we meandered around the neighborhood practicing that as well as some short-distance recalls. Since walking with a reactive dog (Ruby) requires constant vigilance and what I like to call "Defensive Dog Walking" skills, it's a wonderful break for me to be able to simply wander at will and not dart around the corner if we happen to see someone else coming. 

As the days grow shorter and colder, I know it will be harder to maintain my commitment to walking my dogs separately, but I'd like to make a point of doing so on at least one weekend day. Ruby would like to hone her skills as a disc-catching terrier and Boca clearly enjoys her snack-sprinkled saunters.

This post is part of the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop, hosted by Cascadian Nomads,Tenacious Little Terrier and Rubicon Days. The hop happens on the first Monday of every month, and is open for a full week - please join us in spreading the word about the rewards of positive training! 

Spring Green

 It's been raining and raining here in Colorado, resulting in lots of tall, green grass.

  

We've been getting out between rainstorms to explore the fields near my house.

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A Beautiful Day with Boca

I am lucky enough to live near a big open space park, and Boca and I enjoyed a long walk there on Sunday, when Denver had record high temperatures for March. Ruby had to stay home due to the abundance of bicyclists, but I think it's important to spend one-on-one time when you have multiple dogs, and Boca's big grin seems like a testament to that. 

Boca is just a dream to walk - she doesn't pull ahead, she stays by my side when dogs, joggers and cyclists pass, and she's happy to stop every so often to bask in the sunshine. I think we will make this a standing Sunday tradition now that the weather is nicer.

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How My Reactive Dog Helps Me Appreciate Winter

When most people think of Colorado, they think of skiing and other winter sports. I'm a Colorado native and not only am I not a skier, snowboarder (save for one season in college), snowshoer or snowmobiler, but I really don't care for winter at all. I dread the short days, dark nights and cold temperatures, the donning of bulky gear and the scraping of frozen windshields. If I had my way, I'd just eat a bunch of pasta and hibernate until spring; however, I have dogs...dogs that need walks.

Boca's feelings on this snow and ice business mirror my own. She came from a tropical island and doesn't understand this cold, white sand. Ruby spent her first winter outings last year shivering, but seems to have acclimated quite well and got a serious case of the zoomies on my patio when it was covered with fresh snow this weekend. Both girls have very short hair and I feel that coats are a necessity for them when it's 30 degrees or less, which it has been more often than not for over a week now. Boca also wears booties because her paws seem especially sensitive.

As much as I drag my feet into my snow boots, I have to admit that winter-time walking does have its perks when you have a reactive dog. Here are some of the things I've grown to appreciate:

• Snow is a wonderful sound-proofer. With the exception of some new noises like the scrape of snow shovels and the rumble of the snow plow, things are generally quieter when snow blankets the ground. We've been enjoying some top-notch snuggling with less distracting noise from outside.


• The rabbits are less active! There is one that has made its den right outside my front door, but Ruby doesn't know that, and we have been seeing far fewer on our walks. 


• Taking back the pavement! Aside from the most die-hard of runners, our streets and sidewalks are emptier and blessedly free of cyclists and skateboarders. We can even venture into the open space near my house without fear of many encounters.  


• More playtime! With scarcer and shorter walks, I have to get creative with other ways for Ruby to burn energy. Much to her delight, we've been playing her most favorite thing - tug - more often, as well as working on increasing her confidence with fetch and brushing up on her tricks. My couch potato Boca is content to spend her extra time napping.


• It's actually kind of pretty out there. Let's be honest...if not for the dogs, I would be spending a lot more time in my pajama pants and a lot less time trying to figure out how I can manage the poop bags without taking my gloves off (spoiler alert: I can't). Seeing my breath is not high on my list of priorities, but sometimes, when the snow is crunching under my feet in that inexplicably satisfying way and Boca is doing her funny pony-bucks out of sheer joy and Ruby's cute snout is dusted with frost, I think for just a moment that winter is not so bad.

Walking Adventures and Reactive Encounters

October was a great month for The Ginger Sisters. My dad is living with me for the time being, and so the dogs have company all day when I'm at work. Although we haven't kept up with all of our fall training goals, we've had some interesting experiences of note.

On Halloween morning, my dad and I took the girls for a lovely hike in Evergreen, at an open space area with miles and miles of trails called Elk Meadow. I parked at the end of the parking lot to give us the best chance of getting in and out of the car without encountering anyone, but even though there were several other cars parked, we actually didn't see another soul until the return hike. It was a beautiful fall day and the trail we chose was very open, winding through a meadow flanked with pine trees. The girls had such a good time sniffing and exploring. At one point I took them into a mowed area and ran around with them, letting Boca drag her leash. She stayed close, paid attention to where I was and came running every time I called. That dog is not going anywhere.

On the way back we saw a few other people, but because of the tall grass I was able to take Ruby off the trail without incident. She didn't even notice the other dogs because she was too busy digging for voles. I was so happy to find this trail system that seems perfectly suited for walking reactive dogs. We will be returning for sure on some of my Fridays off. I was thrilled that we all got to enjoy some time in the beautiful Colorado mountains. Going places with a reactive dog is always a gamble and a risk I often don't want to take, but days like Friday made it all worthwhile. Unfortunately, I left my phone in the car so missed out on some great photo opportunities. 

We had several loose dogs run up to us last week. Boca is absolutely fine with this, so I mainly have to worry about managing Ruby. Ruby initially greeted the bigger hound-dog type that ran over to us in our townhome parking lot politely, but snapped at him as he turned away. That was disappointing for me as I've always thought Ruby was more frustrated greeter than dog-aggressive. I still couldn't blame her - my dogs were the ones on-leash. A few days later a tiny fawn-colored chihuahua came running toward us - Ruby was excited but I wasn't terribly concerned and the owner scooped the dog up before it reached us. Another loose chihuahua charged toward us on Sunday evening, and while I thought the owner was going to call it back, she inexplicably went back inside her house leaving us to deal with the dog alone. Ruby was amped up by its barking but I was able to get my dogs away without the chihuahua following us. It's so weird that we had this happen three times in the course of a few days. 

I've also started walking the girls in the neighborhood across the busy street, something I stopped doing for a while because the street crossing could be so stressful.  I've found that if we go early on weekend mornings, there isn't much traffic, and now that the weather is cooling off there aren't as many cyclists and joggers out. I carry Ruby across even if no one is coming - it just makes me feel safer. Once we are safely across the street, aside from a few dogs in yards, things are fairly quiet and the wide streets give me an opportunity to change direction, zig-zag, and practice Ruby's heel in small circles (which she is very good at). We also don't have the cursed rabbits to contend with! 

The end of daylight savings time means dog walks in the dark every day after work and I don't like it one bit. I have an LED collar and leash but find that they don't offer much help when trying to pick up after the dogs on the dark, leaf-strewn ground. I am not sure I can juggle a flashlight, two leashes and poop bags, especially when I'll soon be wearing gloves. I'm considering a head lamp - just the thing to complete my dorky dog lady winter ensemble! What ways have you found to make nighttime dog walking easier?

October Walks

We've been having the most beautiful weather here in Colorado - I wish it would stay like this forever! The mornings are chilly and we had our first frost recently, but by the afternoon the sky is brilliantly blue and the leaves crunch deliciously under our feet on the warm ground. The ginger sisters and I have been enjoying the most wonderful walks on these perfect autumn days. 

 

I am lucky to live next to a large vacant field and while yes, technically we are trespassing, the footpaths along the marsh and over the hill are a testament to the many rebel dog walkers and until the land is developed, I am going to continue taking advantage of this little semblance of wilderness nestled between my town house complex and a public transit station. 

Ruby especially seems to love bounding through the tall grass and getting her terrier on by scrabbling at the ground where it is soft. One day I spotted a little mousy creature scurrying through the field, so I know that's what she smells. Sometimes she gets so overcome by digging that she will bark and whine as she's showering Boca and I with flying dirt before sticking her whole snout in the hole and snuffling the earth. It's a joy to watch her being such a dog.

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Forever Is Composed of Nows*

Evening walk

Saturday afternoon fetch

Monday morning blues

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* Title quote attributed to Emily Dickinson

Tiptoeing Through The Triggers

These are not actually my dog-walking shoes...

Today I want to talk about the cautious and sometimes nimble way that walks with Ruby need to be navigated - what I like to call "Defensive Dog Walking."  As Ruby is not my first reactive dog, and we have now been together for six months, I don't spend a lot of time any more feeling sorry for myself or dwelling on the past.  The most important thing for me is to keep Ruby safe and comfortable, and I've adapted our lifestyle as much as possible to make that happen.  People with relaxed, well-socialized, confident dogs (like the ones that sometimes run toward us off-leash with the shouted assurance that "it's okay, he's friendly!") may not understand the adjustments we have to make on a day-to-day basis, but I can guarantee that everyone with a reactive dog can.  For us, this is the new normal. 

My walks with Ruby recently have been fairly uneventful, since the majority of them are in the dark, cold winter evenings when we don't encounter many others.  Some of these walks consist of tromping through the snow together in my snow boots, letting her follow the rabbit trails that criss-cross the lawns.  As the warmth and light return, we will have to step up our game, lace up the running shoes, and tackle the triggers with lots of treats and counter-conditioning.  

Despite often being overwhelmed and overstimulated by the outside world, Ruby is always excited to go for a walk.  She bites the toes of my shoes and pulls the laces out of my hands.  She knows to wait behind me as we exit my patio gate - I do a quick scan of the parking lot to make sure it's all clear.  Lately we've been staying primarily within my town-home complex, which allows us to wander through the buildings without the traffic of major streets. There are several playgrounds where we sometimes stop to practice "over," "under" or "paws up" on the slides and jungle gyms. We have a nice neighborhood for walking to the west, but it requires a busy street crossing where there is invariably a noisy bus or motorcycle passing by or a jogger in the crosswalk.  There is also a beautiful open space park to the south, but it adjoins a bike path and a mountain bike course.  Bikes are one of Ruby's worse triggers, along with skateboards.  At least with skateboards we can hear the wheels clattering from a quarter-mile away and make an escape.  With the wheeled nemeses and with dogs, we are still at the stage where avoidance is the best policy.  We practice emergency U-turns and creative re-routing.  If we find ourselves in close quarters in a pinch, I've discovered that picking her up can help diffuse the situation, and I'm lucky she's small enough that I have this option.

As for people, we have started to make some great progress as long as they are moving at a normal walking pace (joggers are another story - Ruby is very sensitive to motion), using the trusty Treat Toob filled with peanut butter and a version of the Look At That game (I say "Who's That?").  I can usually gauge whether Ruby will be okay with someone approaching or whether we need to increase distance.  People wearing hats, bulky clothing or carrying something are usually cause for elevated concern.  There is also trigger stacking to consider. If Ruby has seen a dog at a distance, and maybe passed two pedestrians without issue, that third pedestrian may be pushing things.  There is no such thing as a leisurely walk - I must be scanning the horizon, thinking ahead, watching Ruby's body language and planning for management or escape.  They aren't always easy shoes to walk in, but the learning process keeps me on my toes, and most importantly, walking alongside my favorite red-and-white companion.