A month has gone by so fast and we are almost into the second month of the year and here we are with Skye’s journey as a reactive dog!! The monthly streaks serve as a barometer of the year for me and are a great way to recap our progress throughout the month.
Because environment management was going so well and Sky’s reactivity had decreased, I got a little careless and stopped managing the environment so diligently. To add to this, the weather also changed and the beautiful sunny afternoons turned into long gloomy days where keeping her indoors became a chore. And, very much, her reactivity increased again.
So in January, we re-implemented environmental management protocols, recreated the weather-appropriate routine, and made sure her longer weekends were all as fun-filled as possible. Of course, there were also quiet days.
Activities
I forgot to mention several things in last month’s post.
Getting the help of a trainer
The moment I got serious about the task of managing Sky, I decided to enlist the help of a trainer. Our journey to commit to a trainer has been very difficult to date and due to Skye’s stranger danger, her warming up to a person who smells all kinds of dogs is highly unlikely.
Sky is not unfriendly. She is just cautious and wary of new people. It usually takes 3 meetings to become a friend and once she is, you just have to see the way she welcomes you!!
Finally, we found a female coach who finally made it onto Sky’s friends list, Kirti from Praise the Pup. As expected, Skye was uncomfortable in the introductory and first session, but the second session relaxed her a lot. And, now, he associates Kirti with all gaiety and fun.
I would definitely suggest getting the help of a professional when you are not very confident about handling the dog. My main concern has always been my ability to handle Sky in an unfamiliar environment. I couldn’t take her for walks in my house. With Kirti’s help, I’ve gained enough confidence to take her out in familiar environments, and to make the transition easy, I even ask one of my family members to accompany us on our explorer walks.
Getting used to wearing clothes
One of the biggest wins this winter was that Skye was comfortable wearing clothes. Last year, the girl had spent entire winters without clothes. I imagine she found it a lot colder this winter, so she succumbed to wearing the clothes and changing them rather than destroying them. To keep things simple, we just got our 4-5 year old fleece shirts.
And, man, does she look cute. Now, I know why pet parents buy so many clothes for their dogs!!
However, I speak from experience that puppies undergo such experiences more easily than adult dogs. If you have a puppy, you will need to train him to wear clothes and it is also easy. The same applies to shoes, muzzles, earplugs, cones, crates. You never know when the need will arise.
One person can give out treats while the other wears the shirt or jacket or raincoat. If you don’t have help, you can take it slower and alternate between working and offering treats.
Exhibition in different places
We went to Deer Park and various residential areas and parks.
She loved Deer Park so much and we saw a peacock. But he didn’t understand what it was!! And, I loved him chasing the squirrels and running full speed around and climbing trees and sniffing.
And, our second time there, he sat and stayed for a minute or so with people walking by. Huge win!!
Environmental Management in Winters
January was much colder than December and with no sun there was no reason to go and sit outside. This affected Sky more than any of us. Her outside access was greatly restricted and even if she did go, she would be shivering in the cold. Bringing her back in would be a job.
And also, since we had management protocols in December, I’ve become lazy and less thorough. To add fuel to the fire, he graduated to sleeping in bed at night. It was too cold to leave her in the crate and she wouldn’t want to go in the crate during the day because it’s harder than the bed. Obviously, the quality of sleep suffered.
Btw, there is nothing wrong with your dog sleeping on the bed. It’s a completely personal choice. For Skye, I have seen that he sleeps well in the crate because he has no choice when distraction occurs. If she is outside, she will get up and run immediately, which disrupts her sleep and increases anxiety.
The cumulative effect of all this was a reactive sky. We ran into this issue for a few days before I got diligent about putting all the routines back in place. You can read what we did last month here.
Eventually, with supervision, limited access to windows and doors, and focusing on her sleep, she was back to normal. This time I didn’t get so lazy and still follow the basics. I make sure he sleeps in the crate during the day just to keep the habit going. I need to be more diligent with this activity.
Vet visit
It also covered the long overdue vet visit within the month. He hates going to the vet and just ducks as far under the chair as he can. I did the same this time, so we alternated between giving her time to calm down and taking short walks outside the clinic.
She doesn’t like being picked up either. So, it was a job at the vet, but it went decently smoother than last time. One thing we learned was that it is more comfortable for her to put her on the table next to the wall.
Enrichment Sessions
Daily Training
I’m proud to say I spent most of her mealtimes training her on basic cues at home. Eventually, I’ll do the same things with open doors and distractions once the weather clears. Overall, it wasn’t too mentally challenging, but the idea is to solidify muscle memory.
chew
Sky used to love chewing, but somehow over the past year, she’s lost interest in it, except for very simple chews like wings and necks and tracheas, etc. and he only likes the softest.
Anyway, we try to play “Find the Chew” most days. Somehow, I’m not able to make it harder for her by hiding the chewing at a higher level. Maybe I need to work on her confidence a little more.
I am playing
I have a daily routine task list in which I record training, playing, chewing, etc. as different to do tasks. To be honest, it’s been hard to make time to play with her on weekdays, but I’m working on it.
Improvements observed
Relaxation in all environments
Sky chooses to sit on her mat and relax, even asking for pets when sitting outside. In fact, if there is no mat, he asks for it. She has become quite good at relaxing on the mat outside when there are no distractions.
Even when she was out in the deer park, she chose to sit on the mat sometimes for a few seconds, although sitting in a place in the outside world is very difficult for her. She even sat and stayed with people walking by for about a minute or two before it overwhelmed her.
In general, it is better to relax now. He can sleep in the bed near our front door when there are no distractions. She keeps getting up with the sounds, but when we tell her it’s okay, she goes right back to sleep. The only challenge is when a delivery comes to our place or any house nearby or something big happens outside.
Dog barking is still a challenge. The first step is not to be startled by such sounds if they are at a distance. This is for both of us. We are working on it.
On the other hand, Sky did make a street friend! Actually, the street girl was wearing Sky down. And now they play rather violently.
Order placement
Due to her regular training, her position is much better now. This is useful outside as well. That’s one of the reasons she relaxes on her mat more easily, I guess.
Unknown risk
I’ve realized that not seeing the person coming into the house causes Skye more anxiety than being able to see them. Therefore, we allow her to look at the children and give her treats. This doesn’t happen very often though and she continues to bark, but she is much better with bark intensity and recovery. We need to keep working on it and manage it better.
Again, if this is a problem you’re having, just remember that your dog doesn’t need to meet the delivery guys or your electrician. You can simply move your dog into a closed room. And the long queue really helps!
Oh yes, because of my laziness, the Thanks Protocol it was kind of stuck in the middle. I would have to start working on it again.
Overall, I see that the sky is doing better. As always, it’s a work in progress. Say hello to Sky and wish the best in the comments!! Ciao and see you next week.
