Canesisters 2023 journal - turning my Disasters into Delights

[canesisters]

Well @Ridgetop , for once I'm 1 step ahead.
The pool was in the yard, not the kennel, explicitly because I wanted her to understand that it was a good thing. I tried leaving a pool out for other dogs & they wouldn't touch it. So I suspected that she might not know what it was or what to expect. I was unprepared for how intensely she would react at first.
I think this is something important to remember about her. The house, the pen, the pool.... it seems that her go-to response to fear is to instantly go All In & over the top. That may have served her well, or at least gotten her out of scary situations in the past.

Someone suggested that I put her in the kennel while I work in the yard - confined but not "alone". I've got mowing to do so a couple of hours in there is the plan for this morning.

Maybe she'll chew her yummy this time & not have to sneak back in to get it later

 

[Baymule]

It’s noon-thirty! How is she doing?

 

[canesisters]

Long post.....

It's been about 5hrs of nearly constant barking. I started mowing on the far side of the drive & then down the drive to the bridge, so couldn't see if she was throwing herself against the front & trying to cram through the holes. When I'd stop, she'd stop. I assume because she thought I was done? When I'd start back, so would she. Brief water breaks on the porch, she'd lay down & pant. As I headed back across the yard, she'd start back up. While I was close enough to see, she was just standing there barking.
Currently, I'm on the porch ignoring her. She's panting & staring but being quiet & I'll let her out shortly.

I had a thought - and yall let me know if I'm totally off base with this.
My sister is a nanny & she worked for several years with a special needs child. One of the things she had to work through with both the child & the parents was that because of early communication delays, the child learned that whining would remove anything uncomfortable.... from an itchy sweater, a new food, being asked to leave a toy behind, waiting in line, etc. And if whining didn't do it crying ... or screaming.... or falling on the floor kicking ... or wetting their pants or even throwing up would get the reaction they "needed".

Isn't it kind of the same thing here? She might not be so much 'afraid' or 'panicked' as simply behaving the way she may have been accidently trained to??? Pant, pace & bark when in an uncomfortable position. If that doesn't work - run, escape, break away.

Just thinking through some of her reactions.
1 st time in the kennel.
Walked on the leash calmly up to it. Then suddenly, violently tried to bolt. Seriously surprising power from 0 to leash burn in .02sec. When they didn't work, walked in on command, sat when told & WAITED while I closed & latched the gate. No real reaction until she was left. Then berserk-o. But eventually stopped. And even willingly & on her own, went back in there later to look for her treat & this AM went in alone to pee.
The kiddie pool. Freaked to the point of running - entire rear end tucked & peeing - not a little bit of tinkle but puddles up the porch steps PEEING. 5 mins later she's walking in & out of it on her own, off leash & even sitting down in it.
It's like an on/off switch gets flipped back & forth.
We did some obedience this AM before all the outside stuff. She's really pretty good on all of that. She came with a really good understanding of sit, down, shake, stay. She walks next to me on a lose lead, on my left.. generally. I'll keep doing that every day. Maybe I can find an obedience class nearby.

Added - a couple of mins ago she stopped panting & staring at me & just laid down. I popped up, went over & let her out. To open the 'gate' I bend half of the cattle panel outward & loop a wire around a tree to hold it open. She has to sit while I do that - the gate is open... she could escape - & wait till I put her collar back on and say OK, GO. Then she can leave the pen.
BUT - she did a little bit of boxer bouncing - and then went RIGHT BACK IN the open gate to search for her chew bone - which she is now happily munching.

 

[Mini Horses]

Temper tantrums?? looks like it. So once calm in pen, don't let her out so fast....

The obedience is really just to reinforce that YOU control....she's obviously been trained and spoiled. Probably a dog with a stay at home mom, in her former life.

 

[canesisters]

 

[Baymule]

Yes, spoiled brats pitch fits, act out and get worse to get their way.
YOU did GREAT today! She will learn that having a melt down does not bring the results she wants.

 

[SageHill]

Long post.....

It's been about 5hrs of nearly constant barking. I started mowing on the far side of the drive & then down the drive to the bridge, so couldn't see if she was throwing herself against the front & trying to cram through the holes. When I'd stop, she'd stop. I assume because she thought I was done? When I'd start back, so would she. Brief water breaks on the porch, she'd lay down & pant. As I headed back across the yard, she'd start back up. While I was close enough to see, she was just standing there barking.
Currently, I'm on the porch ignoring her. She's panting & staring but being quiet & I'll let her out shortly.

I had a thought - and yall let me know if I'm totally off base with this.
My sister is a nanny & she worked for several years with a special needs child. One of the things she had to work through with both the child & the parents was that because of early communication delays, the child learned that whining would remove anything uncomfortable.... from an itchy sweater, a new food, being asked to leave a toy behind, waiting in line, etc. And if whining didn't do it crying ... or screaming.... or falling on the floor kicking ... or wetting their pants or even throwing up would get the reaction they "needed".

Isn't it kind of the same thing here? She might not be so much 'afraid' or 'panicked' as simply behaving the way she may have been accidently trained to??? Pant, pace & bark when in an uncomfortable position. If that doesn't work - run, escape, break away.

Just thinking through some of her reactions.
1 st time in the kennel.
Walked on the leash calmly up to it. Then suddenly, violently tried to bolt. Seriously surprising power from 0 to leash burn in .02sec. When they didn't work, walked in on command, sat when told & WAITED while I closed & latched the gate. No real reaction until she was left. Then berserk-o. But eventually stopped. And even willingly & on her own, went back in there later to look for her treat & this AM went in alone to pee.
The kiddie pool. Freaked to the point of running - entire rear end tucked & peeing - not a little bit of tinkle but puddles up the porch steps PEEING. 5 mins later she's walking in & out of it on her own, off leash & even sitting down in it.
It's like an on/off switch gets flipped back & forth.
We did some obedience this AM before all the outside stuff. She's really pretty good on all of that. She came with a really good understanding of sit, down, shake, stay. She walks next to me on a lose lead, on my left.. generally. I'll keep doing that every day. Maybe I can find an obedience class nearby.

Added - a couple of mins ago she stopped panting & staring at me & just laid down. I popped up, went over & let her out. To open the 'gate' I bend half of the cattle panel outward & loop a wire around a tree to hold it open. She has to sit while I do that - the gate is open... she could escape - & wait till I put her collar back on and say OK, GO. Then she can leave the pen.
BUT - she did a little bit of boxer bouncing - and then went RIGHT BACK IN the open gate to search for her chew bone - which she is now happily munching.

Temper tantrum- possibly. Dogs are really smart - but I don’t think they “reason like a kid”. She may well have trained her previous owners with all her carrying on and noise - a keep her quiet so neighbors don’t complain situation- who knows!
The obedience work is something that will establish you as the pack leader over a long period of time. It doesn’t happen over night or even after a week or more even if she already knows the commands.
You’re doing good waiting until she settles down to let her out. And excellent work with what I call “gate manners”.

 

[canesisters]

Trying to get stuff done in the house while Birdie rants in the pen.
Barks a while, rests a while, barks a while, rests a while.....
I'm trying to convince myself that the fact that she IS resting quietly now & then means that the barking will eventually be an unusual thing & not the norm.
.... and it's only been 2 days of long confinement. But I've got a headache & the yap-yap-yap-yap is stabbing my ears.

 

[SageHill]

Trying to get stuff done in the house while Birdie rants in the pen.
Barks a while, rests a while, barks a while, rests a while.....
I'm trying to convince myself that the fact that she IS resting quietly now & then means that the barking will eventually be an unusual thing & not the norm.
.... and it's only been 2 days of long confinement. But I've got a headache & the yap-yap-yap-yap is stabbing my ears.

You're doing good - don't give in.
You ~might be able to go say "hi" and then leave w/o letting her out at all. Guessing you've already done that though.

 

[Baymule]

Hand in there.