Day 29 of Dog

Walked to the front door again today, but I can't say it was easy. I had to wait until everyone was out of the house first.

Day 28 of Dog

I tried to do the 'heel' exercise in the house today, but the TV was on and both Hew and Egar were eating, so she refused to come out of the kitchen. When I carried her and set her down, she always ducked back. Rather than induce a major panic, I let her off. Maybe tomorrow there won't be anything on TV.

It's so blasted cold that I hate the idea of taking her on vacation almost as much as I hate the idea of boarding her. But I've got to do something. Now!

Day 27 of Dog

Obviously I can't do my training session in the afternoon anymore--no more vacation--and obviously I can't fill her up on cheese sticks before supper, so I'm going to try after supper. I got home at 6:20; fed her at 6:30; but she didn't start eating until 6:45. Change of routine, I guess.

On a personal note, I might as well move the entire collection of my shoes from the closet to the garage. One pair after another succumbs to dog doo. Of course I didn't think to change shoes before we started our training session--and now my black boots have joined my running shoes and my brown boots in exile--in the garage beside the washing machine. If I get home before dark tomorrow I'll take a hose to them in the front yard.

Other than the shoe incident, the training session went well. Today we practiced coming down off the top step. Three times. Without me carrrying her.

Yay.

Day 26 of Dog

Progress, I hope. The house was completely quiet when I finally got ready to work with her. Cranky has holed up in her room--she doesn't come out as much when Hew and Egar are here--some sort of conflict about TV channel selection and who gets to make the most noise.

So anyway, after a walk around the yard we came inside. The other dogs kept getting in the way but I think they made her a little bolder, somehow--especially the little one. We "walked" to the front door and back. I'm not saying I didn't have to pick her up for some of the steps, but it wasn't for all of the steps. Hurray!

Day 25 of Dog

I tried again to bring her in the house and it was a royal fail. I don't know how to get her out of that back yard. If I take her through the gate, her little pea brain might start to think it's okay to go through the gate. But when I try to take her through the house, she freaks and won't move.

Day 24 of Dog

Today during our leash training I tried to bring her inside for a change...but that didn't work. She was too scared to move. So we went back out and did a second round of "heel" around the yard. That went well, I think.

Day 22 of Dog

Same routine as yesterday; maybe a little longer. I tried to put the harness on her but couldn't figure out how. Not wanting to stress her out too much, I gave up and tried it on Zack later. I think I've got it figured out.

The only progress I saw was maybe just a little bit less pulling and backing away from me. Maybe she's starting to get it.

Day 21 of Dog

Bad, bad, bad. Thunder and rain last night made me let her in early, so when I arose today I had to clean two big piles.

Then I accidentally let her sneak in the back door while the big dog was coming in, so it took a while to maneuver her back outside for training. She made it on her own four legs, though.

The walk on leash training didn't go too great. No better; no worse than yesterday. She didn't get loose, but she kept backing away.

During our major shopping excursion Cranky and I bought a dog harness.

Day 20 of Dog

I don't know whether today's training session represented a minor advance or a minor setback. I did learn one thing--before I take her out of the yard, I need to buy or improvise a harness.

First I tried to train while the other dogs were in the yard and that didn't work. They kept horning in, trying to get their share of the cheese.

So I put them inside and started over. I had to carry her off the steps--again--and then we started the routine. I'd take a step forward; show her the cheese at my left side; wait thirty seconds; lift her under the chest and carry-walk her forward; give her the cheese. After a couple of rounds she started to walk forward by herself, so I advanced to two and even three steps at a time.

Then I made the mistake of trying to teach two lessons at once. Instead of remaining at the half-crouch which puts my face near level with hers, I decided to stand up straight when I took the next steps. She panicked; twisted; darn near rolled and managed to get the collar over her head.

So we went back to the back steps and I tried to tighten the collar but I just couldn't make it any tighter and have her still able to breathe. She's got an awfully small head.

After that we repeated the lesson. I still had to carry her off the steps but she did the rest of the walking by herself.

I knew this was going to take a long time so I'm refusing to be discouraged. It's only the second session. Maybe tonight when I bring her in I'll start on the "come to me to get goodies" lesson.

Day 19 of Dog

This morning cleaned a large pile of poop--fresh and warm. I brought her in at nine-thirty last night, so she managed ten hours. A bit long to hold onto that much poop. I fed them last night at six-thrity...hmmm... I have the luxury this week of feeding her a little earlier but not too much or that will be a big schedule change when I go back to work.

We started our leash training today. Starting with heel, not come--I hope the experts don't object to that. I have to get her walking on a leash before I can board her at the vet's.

So for a half hour, that's what we did. I tried to get her to come down off the steps, but my patience gave out and I just carried her. Then, it was like this: take a step forward and hold the cheese at my left side. Wait. After a minute, pick her up and move her forward. Reward her. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

A couple of times she stepped forward on her own accord---only a couple of times--but she got an especial treat for that.

We'll do it all over again tomorrow.

Day 18 of Dog

I noticed she'd really torn up the chicken wire attached to the back gate. I think Hew had put in on there many years ago to deter a fence-climbing dog we used to have. So it was still there, but now it's torn half off and menacing the public.

So that's my job for tomorrow--get wire cutters out there and eliminate that hazard.

Day 17 of Dog

Poop again this morning--what's the deal? Just a neat little patty--nothing to complain about--but why poop at all? I think in a week or two I'm going to have to crate her.

But now I have a whole week of vacation when we can start The Leash Thing. I ought to read up a little before I start.

Day 16 of Dog

Same as usual except she's a lot more ready to go outside when I cue her. She's really a smart dog. In a way she deserves better than me--she's smart enough to be a seeing eye dog but I don't know how to find the time to consistently train her. Plus I, being human, have a tendency to use different words, inflections, gestures, and whatever--to mean the same thing. One day I might say, "Izzy, let's go outside." Another day, "Outside, girl."

How's a non-English speaker supposed to figure that one out?

Day 15 of Dog

The to-do list for my vacation is growing out of control--but way at the top of it has to be--get her out on a leash! She's got to be leash trained so I can board her during the holidays.

Just a tidbit of poop today. It didn't look like she'd eaten it; rather, it just looked like she only had a little to lose. Good, good, good.

Day 15 of Dog

Okay; yeah; I cleaned a tiny pile of poop out of the cage this morning. But she went outside by herself, on request! That is an amazing achievement! Good dog!

Day 15 of Dog

Poop again this morning! What's the deal?

To compound the dog error, we have a little human error to overcome. This morning when it was time to put her out, I forgot to open the back door before calling her. So she went to the door, found it closed, about-faced and went back into the corner of her cage.

I had to carry-walk her again.

Day 13 of Dog

Not much to say, except she went outside a little more willingly today. I only had to carry her to the pantry doorway. She spent most of the day outside (still poop-free inside but don't count your chickens). I'll feed her in a bit and put her out again.

I noticed she'd been scratching at the chicken wire we'd put on the gate. I hope that's just coincidence, but just in case I put an extra wire on the gate. It looked like it would open from a strong push, but now it's secure.

Learning to walk on a leash is a lesson we need to start, but I'm considering putting that off just one more week. For my convenience, not hers.

Day 12 of Dog

Again this morning it looked like she'd pooped in the cage and then eaten her poop. I don't think it's a healthy thing, but since she ate all of her food I'm not going to get upset about it just yet.

I think animal behaviorists are being anamorphic when they suggest that mother wolves will often ingest their puppies poop to "keep the den clean." More likely it's because it tastes good.

NoName is still too fearful of me to do much training, but I'm hopeful for the weekend. She definitely responds to string cheese--if--by the application of string cheese and a whole lot of patience--I could just get two steps on a leash--

I'd be thrilled.

Day 11 of Dog - catching on?

Some progress. Nowadays when I carry her to the back door, once we're inside the pantry I open the door and she walks herself outside. She gets plenty of treats for that, of course.

Man--she barks a lot when she's out there. It's annoying as heck but at the same time, good to hear it. She's not cowering in a corner, that's for sure.

Hew left her out all day today, which kind of sucks. Plus he left the little tyke outside, too. It won't hurt him, but it's not what he's accustomed to. I hope they really did play a little bit.

Day 10 of Dog - home alone outside

I'm told she spent almost all day outside today and was even reported to have been playing with the other dogs, or at least the smallish one. I guess that means she'll be left outside all day from now on...I hope she'll be okay. I hope she learns to go inside a doghouse in case of rain.

This morning there was only a small spot of poop in the cage, and this afternoon, neither plop nor plat. But as I said, she was probably left outside all day.

Day 9 of Dog - regression and all my fault

Back to the poop, but not nearly as much of it. I cleaned a small patty this morning and again this evening.

I messed up a little myself--you're not supposed to reprove a timid dog, but today, right after she ate, I caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye and I thought she was squatting. On second thought she may have just been getting ready to get a drink--but I overreacted. I jumped up and said No--not loud--but loud enough to scare her.

The rest of the evening went as normal and no rain tonight, thank heavens. She's outside now for her required one hour after dinner. I may stretch it to an hour and a half. She keeps barking, isn’t' that strange? And when I look out to see what's she's barking at, her head is directed toward the house.

I can only postulate she's barking at the sound of our voices. Just now when I noticed her barking, it so happens that Cranky was standing by the window talking.
I was talking to her outside just now and realized something. She’ll never see her mother again...just like me.

The breeder was explaining to me that her mother had rejected her after she (the mother) had her second litter of puppies. When he let them both outside together, little No-Name would run to her mother and try to be friends, but her mother would growl at her. I saw it myself.

So the best I can do is be a surrogate mother to her. Poor little girl--forced to grow up too fast; be a mother when she still wanted to be a puppy herself.

We'll see if those sentimental feelings make it any easier to clean up poop twice a day.

Day 8 of Dog - finally!

I got up this morning and...

Didn't have to clean poop!

Did I say that right?

No Poop!

Okay, so now I've jinxed myself. I fed her, put her out--carried her out, basically--and left her outside for the half hour it takes me to get ready. Then back in the cage and guess what?

When I got home after work, early at about six--I--

Didn't have to clean poop!

I don't expect this miracle tomorrow because when I put her out tonight it started raining after 45 minutes and she seemed terrified of the rain. Well, maybe not terrified--but very, very anxious about it. I sat on the steps with her for ten minutes or so and it didn't stop, so I brought her in.

If I'd waited just five minutes longer it would have stopped, but I didn't know that so I guess I'll leave it. Maybe.

The other variable in the equation is the amount of time I waited after feeding her and putting her out. This time it was immediately--yesterday it was probably a half-hour; I didn't note it down. I pretty much need it to be immediately on account of my morning schedule.

So, I'll see if this works tomorrow. Get up at 7:20. Clean cage if needed. Feed dog. Doze on couch while she eats. Put dog out. Get dressed for work. Bring dog in. Go to work.

The bad news is, rain is forecasted for tomorrow morning again. But I'm not going to worry about that now--since when did Texas weather forecasters get anything right?

Day 7 of Dog

She spent a few hours outside today (I had to carry her), then went out again after supper. I doubt if she pooped outside at all, but maybe (oh, maybe!) she peed a little.

I can't tell that she's trying to get out of the fence at all, so I'll repeat the regimen tomorrow--feed early then put outside for an hour. It will be a lot later, of course.

Day 6 of Dog - and major progress, I think.

I had her outside for hours today. I had to carry her out, it's true, but once out there, she seemed to enjoy herself. The fits of the trembles only lasted a few minutes, at first--but then Egar got out there with the riding lawnmower and I got out picking up sticks before he could tear up the lawnmower blades crunching up the sticks, and Dog came out and ran around. I almost thought she went toward the lawnmower a couple of times.

So then I cut down trees and weeds in the mess beside the backyard fence. It has been ignored for years--don't ask why--and there's a goodly sized scrub oak tree growing up there and about a million sturdy ragweeds. I excavated, cut and mowed until I exposed a bunch of old lumber that had been laying on the ground for four or five years. I picked that up and advanced, finding a whole slew of plant pots, and that was a find! There were some perfectly sized pots and three holders I'd saved from purchases at the store. If I decide to start plants indoors this winter they'll be perfect.

Speaking of gardening--I walked out to the garden for some reason or other and discovered that all the ground I'd tilled last month was covered with some sort of little annual weed. It's only a couple of inches tall and will die out when it frosts, but still! It looks like I never did anything!

Day 5 of Dog

I realized on the interminable drive in to work this morning that I've been doing mornings all wrong. She needs to be eating while I'm cleaning her cage. While I'm nearby and moving around.

Day 4 of Dog - get out of this cage

I put her food dish even closer to my seat today and she ate pretty well. At first it was: grab a bite; go back in the corner; eat it; grab a bite;.... But as the meal advanced she just stood pat. When she'd finished most of the food, I moved it a foot closer to my chair and put nibbles of cheese in it. She ate that, too.

Plus I found two cinder blocks out in the field and brought them in to anchor the gates around her cage--she won't be getting out as easily tonight.  In case you didn't get this, what I call a "cage" is just a corner of my dining room with a piece of plywood blocking one side and two gateway from a chain-link fence blocking the front.  I close it up at night but leave it open during the day.

Day 3 of Dog - and counting

After the stress of the morning mess, the evening mess wasn't nearly so bad. I'm sure it'll be worse tomorrow.

Both times NoName got out and pooped a little in the dining room. But she always seems to pee in her cage...odd. It's mostly cleaned up now, but I'm beginning to despair of ever getting rid of the smell.

Tonight I've got a little line of kibble running from her cage--where she's holed up in a corner--to the bowl of food, placed near my table where I can watch her out of the corner of my eye but (hopefully) avoid eye contact. It's 7:30 pm and the bowl of food has been setting there about ten minutes so far.

Counting down.

Days 1&2 of Dog Rehabilitation

I came home to an incredible mess. Cranky's drawings torn off the wall, poop in the pen, especially on the spots of exposed carpet--never on the plastic. Flies in the house.

When I'm outside, Stupid follows me around but only behind my back. If I make the mistake of looking at her she panics.

She's had maybe a half cup of food since I got here, and now there's a tasty morsel of kibble mixed with chicken sitting three yards in front of her. I know she can smell it, but she won't come out of her corner to taste it--that would put her in my field of vision. I'm going to wait a half hour and then move it a little closer to her.

I'm smarter than a dog! Aren't I?

---- Day 1 --------------------------

Issy (isn't that a hideous name?) came out of the cage when I was in the room.
Yeah! When I looked at her she went back in. (How the heck am I supposed to avoid eye contact? I have to look at her to toss in treats!)

It's been an hour now and she hasn't come out of her corner. Sigh.

She was growling at me this morning, when I picked her up to put her out for the second time. Bad situation--for both of us--and I haven't any reason to believe she did any pooping out here. It was all there inside her cage for me to scrape out.
So I'm going back to the basic first step--come. Not necessarily on command, Come! More basically, she just needs to learn to come toward me instead of shrinking away from me. The dog training hints online were almost identical to those in clicker training--wait until the desired behavior occurs and treat.
Sounds reasonable, but how to get past the trauma of this morning?

So this week's lesson is set...but right now, I don't see how it's ever going to happen. I got to go inside her cage to clean it! Am I supposed to get Egar to do that?

The neighbor's kennel cleaning jobs are over, Thank The Lady. I hope he is indeed taking them to a better place.

One site says this:

If your dog is so extremely shy he won't let you or anyone in your family pet him, begin by giving him a quick pat on the head as you walk through the house. This unexpected action will catch him off guard, and he will learn, through repetition, that nothing bad will happen to him as a result.

Your first goal is to make him trust you. One owner purchased a pound of chicken livers, cooked them and then laid down on the floor with some chicken livers on her body and the rest trailing away at approximately five feet. She spoke to her dog softly, but laid still, avoiding eye contact. When he had eaten them all, she patted him enthusiastically on his sides saying what a good boy he had been. Your dog may run away at this point, but this is a trust building exercise.

Avoiding eye contact and patting a dog on his sides or stroking his neck and chest are non-threatening gestures which will help to build trust.

On a lighter note, my menu for next week is Dave Lieberman's Clam chowder, pan toasted croutons, salmon patties, and tropical chef salad. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?