you seem very in tune with Rosie, Annette. Patience seems to be the key. Little steps in the right direction is so much better than leaps in the wrong direction! Well done, lovely updates xx
Brilliant progress - well done everyone, especially Rosie for starting to believe that from now on it will be mainly good things that happen around her....x
Annette you are working wonders with this gorgeous girl Slowly building up her trust and confidence seems to be the right way forward for Rosie your're and angel
I cannot believe how much better she is. A long way to go before somebody can walk in without warning carrying a pile of boxes and get away with it yet, but little steps in the right direction and very encouraging.
Splendid, heartwarming progress Annette - big oaks from little acorns........
Má tá grá agat dom, tabhair grá do mo mhadra. ~ Love me, love my dog.
Rosie' s life is going on as normal. She has had another session with Gavin and has learnt to tolerate a bit more movement from the 'stranger'. More little steps. She has been totally clean in the house for the last four weeks and has developed a more relaxed style of playing with Dylan and Sophie. She is a joy to have around, sleeps well, does not mind being left, is polite around human and dog food and is learning to slow down as she reaches the end of the long line, much to the relief of my aching muscles!
She shows a marked fondness for rabbit holes, burying as much of her front end into them as she can fit, no doubt to inhale the wonderful scent, but she has watched Dylan and Sophie chase bunnies into their burrows quite calmly. I am trying to persuade her not to bark at dogs on the pavement when we are in the car but so far I have only succeeded when I have managed to catch her eyes in the rear view mirror.
Neil managed to get a video of her and Dylan playing:
Rosie had visitors today! Simon and Helen together with Ringo, Joey, and Charlie who is staying with them for a holiday, came over to walk on the Forest with us and have a cup of tea afterwards. Rosie coped very well with being the only dog whose freedom was restricted by her 10 metre line and seemed to be having a lot of fun after getting over her surprise at three new walking companions. She really got into the general high spirits, play bowing and being a dizzy lurcher at times (I handed Neil the end of the line!). It was great to see her enjoying herself.
With ominous clouds appearing we retreated to our house where Rosie showed how much she had taken on board Gavin's lessons. Simon and Helen stayed sitting down while she was in the room which enabled her to relax and receive the treats she now expects from visitors. She never tucked her tail between her legs but made a fuss of Helen or sat expectantly at Simon's feet. Eventually she went to the toy box to fetch something to play with, then gave a fine display of lurcher high spirits by nagging Dylan into playing and hurdling the sofa at least once. She never thought of growling or barking and even watched Simon getting out off his chair without reacting. I put her behind the child gate when Simon and Helen were leaving as it is important not to make her feel crowded and she behaved very well, staying calm and accepting a parting treat nicely.
All this is such a contrast to her behaviour in the first few weeks here, I am absolutely delighted. It was only last Thursday that Gavin was patiently getting her over her fear of a few hand movements and getting up from a sitting position.. He succeeded spectacularly by the end of the session and today her attitude was so much less tense it is obvious her state of mind is changing and she is no longer expecting the worst automatically when strangers come into the house.
I cannot thank Simon and Helen enough for coming over today and being such good rehabilitation helpers. It takes a lot of patience for strangers to accept that they have to abide by the desensitisation rules no matter how tempting it would be to push Rosie a little bit out of her comfort zone and risk setting her back.
I am afraid neither Neil nor I took any pictures but Simon had brought his camera and I am hoping he may be able to put some on here later.
Oh Annette you must be so pleased. You have been so great with Rosie and she has risen to the task so brilliantly. She is a star, can't wait to see the pics xx
Post by roderick (Gramps) on Mar 1, 2015 21:37:57 GMT
Trying desensitise a reactive dog is a mine field and every one is different. Well done for finding the triggers and neutralising them. Well done Rosie and Annette you are doing wonders.
Rosie's adorable. We played if very safe on today's walk, not wanting any bad experience for her, hence to long lead and muzzle. That didn't stop a little bunny smillin'
Thanks for the pics, Simon. I really must do something about those boot laces that link her harness to her collar! Poor girl will be taken for a tramp.
well done Annette, you sound very proud of Rosie with good reason! You are reaping the rewards for your patience. long may it continue. Glad Simon behaved himself!
More fun and games for Rosie this week-end! She is becoming such a happy soul as her confidence grows. She literally did not put a foot wrong during our walk this morning. I have started not reeling her in when we meet other dogs, just calling her to me and rewarding her. She is still on a long lead in the Forest and I put some space between the oncoming dogs and ourselves but she is now looking at me and coming back instead of staring at the dogs and kicking off. I managed to slip her a treat while driving this morning when we saw a dog on the pavement and she did not bark. I am hoping to get her to react by looking for a treat as the noise in my ear can be quite deafening! Better not do it if there is a policeman anywhere near though.
Rosie's progress with Gavin is continuing. She is now very good about him getting up and moving a foot here and there. He decided to walk out of the room normally this time and I admit I had my heart in my mouth as her tail suddenly went between her legs and she followed him with her nose an inch from his trouser legs. This action is definitely a trigger and he is going to work on it this week. I am amazed though at the fact that she is now completely relaxed as long as visitors stick to behaviour she has been desensitised to.