Happy Doggies Make Happy Humans

Graduating From Being Afraid of Other Dogs

I've got happy news to share. My dog Krystal has graduated from being afraid of other dogs!

Her "final exam" was doing the K9 3K walk sponsored by the Wake County SPCA. She passed with flying colors.

As we drove into the parking garage, I got a little nervous. There were dogs, humans and kids everywhere. Krystal had never been in the company of so many dogs or humans. 

I decided the only way this could work was if I had a positive attitude and was ready for fun. Before I got the car parked, I started telling Krystal what a good dog she was, and singing songs to her.

Krystal was amazing. She took it like a champ.

The first sign that things really were going well came as we walked down the stairs of the parking garage. We passed several dogs who weren't used to going down stairs. Krystal is fond of stairs, and she kept on task. She didn't start barking or get all territorial. She just kept going down those 4 flights of stairs. All that time I was letting her know what a good dog she was.

The bigger challenge was just ahead. We had to cross the street and go into Moore Square, which was filled with thousands of dogs and their humans. 

Krystal held her own. When we got to the corner, I followed our normal routine and told her to "wait." She waited. When I told her to "cross," she trotted straight across the street. She totally ignored everyone else--her little ears were back in full obedience. It was a sight to see.

As we stepped into Moore Square, I admit to more than a little trepidation. I'm not overly fond of big crowds, so I gave myself a talking-to about remaining grounded and calm so this could become a good experience for Krystal.

Once again, she surprised me. She's always been frightened of big dogs, but she didn't bat an eye. She walked right with me over to the line for the registration tent. There she stood calmly taking in the scene. I was feeding her treats and singing to her.

When the SPCA started the 3K walk, humans and dogs started moving together. I was flabbergasted at the sight of my self-confident little dog walking so peaceably and happily among all these other dogs. Never a whimper or sound of a fear-bark. She was so self-confident that she just moved away when she encounted a dog she wasn't comfortable with.

After about 1/3 mile, the pack energy took over, and all the dogs and their humans began moving in sync. Krystal was smiling, clearly enjoying herself.

I was floating with joy.  Krystal completed the walk with nary a fear-bark or display of territoriality. Our lives were transformed with every step.

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When Krystal came to live with me 2 1/2 years ago, the shelter told me she had been found as a stray. They thought she had been on her own for 6 weeks. I truly admire her ability to survive that ordeal.

In the world of stray dogs, and 11 lb dog doesn't have much clout. She clearly survived on leaves, twigs, and acorns. The big stray dogs did her no favors, and our first year was filled with massive fear-barking when we encountered any dog on our walks.

I'm very grateful for my obedience instructors at Bon-Clyde Learning Center, who taught me how to work with Krystal. And who stayed for an extra hour one evening to teach me about terriers, and give me techniques to build Krystal's self-confidence and reduce her fear.

Thanks very much. It took us 2 years of love, dedication and training. I used your techniques the entire time. We're a much happier family now.

Bo Arrives at the White House

It's been a long wait, since that election night promise. Finally Bo, the Obama's new Portugese Water Dog has arrived. I've got to say, I love those white sox!

He did rather well, for his first public appearance. He was bouncy and enthusiastic. Those are traits I've seen in other Portugese Water Dogs. Best of all, he didn't freak out with all those cameras and lights.

Did you see Malia getting little Bo to sit? She did it perfectly. She sat in front of Bo while holding a treat, then she raised her hand up. It took several times for Bo to be able to focus on Malia and the treat. But, when he did, his little head followed Malia's hand up as he reached for the treat. And, his little rump went right down on the ground. Malia let out a proud shout, "Oh, good boy!", letting Bo know he had done exactly what she wanted him to do.

While many people are complaining that the Obama's didn't adopt a shelter dog, I'm fine with that. They did what was right for their family. That's what's most important. They researched the dog world, and found the type of dog that was best for them. They had friends helping them find the right dog to invite into their home. And, during this short film clip the girls shared some of what they learned--Malia succeeded in getting Bo to sit, and Sasha shared that Portugese Water Dogs have to be taught how to swim.

It's exciting to watch this family welcome their new dog into their lives. My dog Krystal and I wish them all the best and happiest of times together.

We're also hoping other families find it in their hearts to adopt a dog! It's a wonderful experience.

Climbing Stairs with Your Dog

We moved across town recently, and all our daily routines have been blown to smithereens. Setting up new routines is a real bother. But, with a headstrong dog it's especially important.

We now have to climb a flight of stairs to get to our front door. In the past it was only 3 or 4 steps up the porch. Now we've got a whole flight.

Stairs aren't a problem for Krystal. She's always been totally unfazed by them. When I brought her home from the shelter, we were living in a two story house. I was really concerned she would get tangled in my feet, so I trained her to "STAY" at the bottom of the stairs while I climbed the stairs first. When I reached the top stair, I would turn and say "COME," and she would bound up the stairs.

Now we are living in a one story home, but we've got a full flight of stairs before we get to the front door. I rarely let Krystal off the leash, because she's incredibly curious and a bit headstrong. So how do we get up those stairs without having the leash get all tangled up in my legs and causing an accident?

My solution was to copy how we cross busy streets. I tell her to "WAIT" on my right. When the time is right, I tell her to "CROSS." Together we walk straight across the street. She does a great job of it at least 90% of the time. That 10% of the time includes finding food bits in our path, the sudden appearance of another dog or a child, a car with a particular engine sound that needs investigating, etc. For a curious dog, life can be very interesting....

So I started that crossing-the-street pattern, with a short leash, trying to keep her under control at my side while we climbed the stairs.Well, it sort of worked.But it was clear that in her mind, climbing the stairs was completely different from crossing the street.

She had a lot of trouble dealing with waiting on my right, she didn't like the short leash, and didn't want to walk right beside me--in front or behind were her preferences. I didn't like her behind me because she could always speed up and decide to try to walk between me feet--a disaster waiting to happen.

On the third day, I got distracted by a new neighbor. Without my direct control, Krystal just bounded up the stairs ahead of me.

It was so easy, I had to laugh. I had been creating a training nightmare, which Krystal solved with her direct simplicity.

I now make her "WAIT" on my right (so we have an agreed upon start place--very important if you've got a bag of groceries), and then I say "GO!" And, off she goes ahead of me.

I'm glad I listened to my dog. She's a smart cookie.What has your dog been telling you lately?

Image by Elsie esq.