I hope that everyone had a great summer. As summer starts to come to an end, so did our classes, with new ones starting up very soon here in September and October.
I have a few announcements I would like to make. The first is that Braveheart will be hosting a Pet First Aid class to be taught by Lisa Clifton-Bumpass. The class will be a one session class on Sunday, November 1 from 10:00am to 2:30pm. The cost is $80. You'll learn how to respond to a wide range of animal emergencies, from dressing a wound to performing CPR to preparing for natural disasters that impact the care and well being of your pet. Please email me for a registration form if you are interested.
I am also working on putting together a Canine Massage class! This class will be taught my good friend Michelle Wolff, who is both a Massage Therapist and a former Veterinary Assistant! I will announce the date and time when it is available.
Check out my other blog http://www.fooeysay.blogspot.com/ for articles by my Pekingese Fooey!
Dog of the Month!
Sally Isomura
Sally is a miniature Australian Shepherd who belongs to Erika Isomura. Sally has been coming to Braveheart classes since she was a tiny puppy! Now, she is all grown up and doing great in her advanced Fun with Agility and Games class!
Upcoming Classes
Intro to Rally class starting on September 12 in San Leandro.
Puppy Preschool classes starting on September 10 in San Lorenzo and on September 26 in Castro Valley.
Beginning classes starting on September 10 in San Lorenzo and on September 26 in Castro Valley.
Small Dog Beginning starting on September 21 in Castro Valley.
Fun with Agility and Games 1 and 2 starts on September 26 in Castro Valley.
Intermediate Obedience starts on September 21 in Castro Valley.
Puppy Preschool starts on October 27 in San Leandro.
Three's Company starts on November 5 in San Leandro.
The Importance of Moving Slow with Fearful Dogs
I recently had a little puppy come through one of my puppy classes and I was so moved by her progress that I decided to write about her story (with her owners permission). I wanted to remind people how important it is for us to move slowly and always respect the animals comfort level when dealing with fearful dogs.
Dealing with fearful dogs can be challenging. People sometimes feel embarrassed or responsible when their dogs are afraid, even if they did not cause the dogs issues. Some people feel that fearful dogs should just "get over it", which is, of course, not a realistic or compassionate response. Fearful individuals (no matter what the species) need to allowed to move forward at their own pace. They need to be free to make choices. Choice is very powerful to fearful individuals. They need to be exposed to the things that frighten them in a very controlled way so that they can learn to feel comfortable rather than feeling overwhelmed.
When Bailey first came into class, it was clear that she felt very frightened and overwhelmed. While on the floor with the other puppies her ears were pinned back and her facial muscles were rigid. She was vigilant and if any puppies moved towards her she would bark and lunge at them. Her body language looked very conflicted lunging forward and then pulling back.
I decided to put Bailey and her mom Joyce on the stage of the room to give Bailey some distance from the other dogs. This allowed her to see them, but it kept them far enough away that she could be comfortable. Generally, Joyce and Bailey sat towards the front of the stage. Bailey seemed comfortable with this position, but if other puppies came up to see Joyce, Bailey would bark and lunge. Sometimes we had to move both Joyce and Bailey further back so that the other puppies weren't too close.
Bailey was also afraid of people. She wouldn't approach me or my assistant Kathy at all and we didn't push her. What we did do was walk by and toss pieces of hot dog onto the stage. We didn't talk to her, or put our hands out we simply tossed food. If Bailey stepped forward to get it, we moved away and offered her more space. Joyce explained to me that Bailey is not afraid of people at their house, that this behavior is just when they are away from home.
Each week Bailey seemed more and more comfortable on the stage. Her ears were no longer pinned back and her face looked less rigid. During our third class (this is a six week class) Bailey began to look much more relaxed and began to look more curiously at the puppies playing on the floor below her. During this week her dad Vic began attending class along with Joyce. Bailey seemed very excited to have both Joyce and Vic there and was the most relaxed she had ever been.
Initially Bailey would bark defensively if the other puppies got near the stage and we would need to more her further back to feel more comfortable but each week this happened less and less. During this third class Baileys vocalizing began to sound very different. The quality of her barks had changed from sounding upset and serious to whiny and higher pitched, as if she was wanting to play with the other puppies. I made a mental note and was excited to see what would happen at the next class.
Our fourth class is where Bailey had her first real breakthrough! She was very relaxed with a soft face and ears. She was eating food and generally looking comfortable. She continued to whine and bark at the puppies playing below her. I felt that she was telling us she was ready to try. I selected a dog from the class that I felt would be a good candidate to play with Bailey. Max is a min pin mix and a very confident and happy go lucky guy and I thought he would be a nice choice for Baileys first playmate.
With both Max and Baileys owners permission we decided to let them give it a shot. I had all the other puppies on leash. I was loaded with treats to keep Max occupied. I had Baileys owners drop her leash while I held Max on leash. I started off tossing treats so Max could get them to see what Bailey would do. When Max went for the treats Bailey play bowed and jumped towards him! Yay!! I then turned Max toward me and fed him hot dogs so that Bailey could sniff his butt (much less intimidating for her). As I suspected Max did not mind at all and Bailey felt more comfortable. With Max still on leash, both dogs began initiating play and hopping around.
After class, I had both Max and his owners Ashley and Cody and Bailey and her owners Joyce and Vic stay after class for a play session with just the two of them. After everyone was gone we kept ahold Max's leash and let Bailey go. She ran up and began play bowing and initiating play. Max began to do the same thing. I asked Cody, Max's owner to drop the leash. They began playing and running and having a great time. It was VERY appropriate play and both dogs were completely relaxed and comfortable. I think that we were all very moved and close to tears since we had seen how afraid Bailey was in the beginning.
The biggest and most exciting progress happened during our final class. When everyone arrived I noticed that Bailey looked very relaxed and comfortable. With everyone on leash, we let Bailey and Max off leash together. They immediately began to play happily and appropriately together. Then, one by one, we let each and every other puppy in the class off leash. Bailey played appropriately and comfortably with every one of them. She even went up to people to greet them.
The one or two times that she needed a break, she calmly walked over and laid down by Joyce and Vic (still very relaxed and comfortable). We put her on the stage for a break and within a minute or two she asked to be let back down to play, which she was. Joyce and Vic report that Bailey is feeling more comfortable outside of her home and is now greeting people.
I wanted to share this story because it is a testament to how important it is to respect a puppies comfort level and allow them to make choices as they feel comfortable. Forcing puppies or dogs that are afraid into fearful, overwhelming situations does not help them. It doesn't teach them that they are safe or protected and it doesn't teach them to feel more comfortable with the things that frighten them. Part of being a good dog owner is learning to listen to what your dog is telling you and believing him when he tells you that he isn't comfortable.
