Dog Safety - Pitbull Blues - No Jumping for Joy!

Four on the Floor Saves Lives

In memory of Hemi - 7/16/2010 Euthanized

Song - PitBull Blues by John Shipe

I only had the chance to work with Hemi one time - he was a gentle, fun and fast learner. Friendly. Exuberant.

Two days after his first class his 'very friendly' jumped on a six-year-old with splayed paws, scratched her face requiring stitches and cost Hemi his life at Animal Control.

Dog Safety - Don't Lose your Dog Friend

Lost Dog?

A sweet girl joined our household for  a moment, we hope. Karl and I found her wandering on the highway and brought her home and spent the rest of the day - posting, visiting police, and letting people know about "good girl". Without tags we don't even have a name to call her.

"I am a sweet loving family member without a voice to tell anyone who I am or where I live. Please make sure you tagged your pets to help people who help your animals find their way home."

NO MICRO CHIP - NO NAME TAGS

Ideas to help find a lost dog.

1. Make sure your pet has identification - PET'S NAME, PHONE, CITY
2. Keep a current PET ID form in your car with a picture of you pet and yourself to prove identity
3. Make a poster of your pet and post in local areas - launder mat, near stop signs
4. Contact local animal shelters, police, veterinarians and drop off your poster
5. Post on social media to friends, neighbors and family
6. Pet Amber Alert - Yes it really does exist.
7. When you find you pet call and thank the people who helped you.

Dog Wisdom - Rocky - A Wrinkle In Time

I need a signal of first response to stress - something the family can pick up on too!

Rocky's entrance on week two was quite different from the previous Thursday, my CGC students still wanted to stay and support this effort. First to learn from the experience, second to have the opportunity to work on skills and friendships. Rocky saw me and wagged his tail. He sat as he came in, we returned to the weaving course and played "follow the trainer." The father now clicking at moments of calm control and was now able to walk in aisles with me coming up to say hello.

We moved to a quiet area 25 feet from my neutral dog families. Rocky's stress level increased and I realized the first sign was a subtle wrinkling on the top of his head. If his head muscles drew tight - we were already to level two. Rocky was showing us his first level reaction by the subtle pulsing. Having access to a quiet signal from the top down was valuable for the family. We worked to create the calm before the brain storm. This time I took Rocky for his walk - 20 feet from the neutral dogs (in a penned area) - the method of walking was the same as the weaves, but without the distraction object bowls. Within three rounds he was watching me and waiting for the click instead of reacting. I was beginning to get a relaxtion response. I handed the lead to the father and we played "follow the trainer" around the same paths, by now the CGC canines were playing in their area and ignoring the activity. We always ended in our safe quiet place - sometimes working on sits, downs and lots of relaxtion clicks and treats.

Mom, asked to handle Rocky and we played the first "follow the trainer" and then she walked alone. Note the first timing of the game is fast and as we work toward relaxtion we mix up the walk timing - slower, normal, fast. By now Rocky is walking quickly 12 feet from the other dogs (behind penned area). We end the stress work and move back to the fun weave game in the back of the training area.

Rocky leaves with no reheasals. We have had 8 outbursts.

Dog Wisdom - Rocky - Hope Instead of Fear Aggression

The dogs with the most complex behaviors provide me the most wisdom.

Rocky joined my private sessions snarling as he came into my training environment - a 95 lb pitbull whose next stop was death. "How can I trust this gentle dog with my 7 year old and family? He is mild and sweet in our home. Yet, he is like Jeckle and Hyde when he sees another dog. Can you do something?"

I offered they bring him in from the car. Two CGC (canine good citizen) students volunteered to remain in the area chatting and working with their dogs while I worked with Rocky (50 ft distance, but still scent able and out of sight)

The family purchased a 15 minute 'test drive the trainer 'session. They were right. He entered as a pulling, snarking pit bull. With my pocket full of treats and a clicker to mark calm, I greeted them giving rocky my distance and the family unit a warm welcome. (Note my greeting was not a direct approach but friendly human hellos and canine calming signals as I wove to greet them)

Rocky was curious at this strange human walking, head turning, lip licking behavior - He licked his lips, sat down, turned his head to the side and then faced me with a tilted head. I clicked - he tilted his head the other way looking at me. At ten feet, I did not approach further, the family was loaded up with treats and we talked about "walking in a friendly manner." I asked the father if he had control, he did and I asked for a leadership stand, respectful (firm, kind) voice with a "Let's Go." And we walked as I drew closer chatting with the family we went to a quiet area where I set up a serpentine course with distractions (4 upside down food dishes) to weave through. We spent the next minutes playing following the leader as I made encouraging sounds walking in front of the weaves - the game was fun, fast and controlled. The dog looking between trainer and father for advice.
At the end of each course we moved to a quiet place, Rocky sat where we worked on calm response - handlers given stills in attention, and positive training techniques using clicker - observance, click, treat. We practiced this in multiple areas and then played "weave with the trainer" again. In addition, I removed myself to pet and get dog licks from my two neutral dogs, returning with scent. Rocky was having fun in a stressful environment, under control and happy. We ended the session with a "no rehearsal of bad behaviors".

Come on Rocky, Let's get into the car. With out a peep tail wagging he walked out. End of session one. We had a LONG way to go, but I believed the dog was workable and not ready to be put down. We would work 30 minutes a week for eight weeks. I committed to teach, the family committed to work with Rocky in learning.
What was interesting is the response from my two neutral dogs in the CGC. When Rocky first snarked, both dogs bristled on guard (they were 50 feet away) and both dogs wanted to go toward Rocky and not retreat. The handlers of the two CGC students allowed their dogs to play.
No rehearsal on exit. 25 reactions in 15 minutes.

Dog Wisdom - Seven Steps To Learning

How a dog set us on the path of Live Abilities
and Paws Up for Fun Times

In 2006, Sir Makone of Knarlwoods joined our home, all fifty empty brained pounds packed into still to grow folded skin. He was already the size of Bonnie our two-year-old standard poodle. Beki, our sixteen year old had died five days earlier and Bonnie had not eaten since her death, refused to ride in the car that never returned her mother and moped around the house trying to fit into her role as the only dog critter. Her bones protruded from her skin and her bounce and light faded. I understood. Those feelings were the very reason she had originally joined our home.

Bonnie had arrived two years ago as Liz, eighteen and full of the wonder of the world ventured off into adulthood carrying the burden of FASDs and the belief that “when you’re eighteen you can do anything ‘you’ want.” Watching her transverse chasms and be drawn into trauma, I needed something to hang onto as both my daughter and the old dog she left behind skittered close to death.

My sweet beautiful puppy, Bonnie, brought into our home of sadness and worry,  the joy and laughter of puppy antics. Bonnie became a sanctuary for me when Liz fell repeatedly into difficult life experiences, her fur was often soaked in oodles of my tears as she had licked the salty water off my cheeks and cheered me on with a dog idea to make me feel better.

I claimed and trained her with the same neuro skills Liz had taught me to help her brain grow while our old girl Beki claimed the little ragamuffin as her puppy and taught her dog manners. She was a faster learner than I and a good teacher. She moved me into positive dog training and advanced skills of dog learning. We had all survived Liz's treacherous journey and learned much – Bonnie could play the piano with her nose and Liz could ride the metro from one side of the city to another without getting lost or picking up a “friend” who needed a place to stay. Timid Bonnie had learned to meet and greet strangers in polite doggie style and Liz had learned to keep her home a private place of refuge. I had learned that the five year brain training program we had set up for Liz didn’t stop her need to explore the world filled with coldness and stress and miscommunication and human predators. Her need for self-experience to find herself and understand the limits her brain injury placed on her was a journey she had to make on her own without the controls and structure and safety we had provided.

To see Bonnie, now almost a big dog pining for her adopted mother broke my heart.

Enter Makone “Mak” was as I wrote this initially in 2006 was peacefully sleeping by my feet I typed in my up”stairs” office. Two days prior—at nine months old he had no idea how to navigate any of our steps. He was afraid of the steps to the kennel and the steps to the car and the steps to the studio and the steps to the basement. Some were carpeted and some were yellow wood and some were brown wood and some were concrete and some were painted white. But—they were all steps – simple steps. Mak came to teach Karl and I that each step is a new learning experience and each step is different. He came to remind us that his heart wants to do each step but sometimes his mind doesn’t know how. He came at that moment to show us that some steps he could go up and some steps he could go down, but some steps he wasn’t ready to touch at all.

Maybe someday, maybe someday when he is a big dog. In hindsight, our daughter's life transition in the college of hard knocks lacked the beginning steps—more steps than we ever imagined necessary.

Karl and I learned as much as Liz grew. Looking back, we now can reflect that Mak came to teach Karl and I that very important lesson for our daughter who was just beginning to settle into her home of safety and sanctuary. Mak came to teach us that even though he looked full grown he was a baby and babies need a lot of love and guidance to grow. With Mak we expected accidents and piddles along the way as he plodded curiously and innocently into each life experience.

Mak backs up and spreads his gangly feet in all directions to protect himself from each new steps – Liz in her own way does the same - she loves and hates learning.

Mak came to remind us that just as we had taught Liz in our home, we needed to move to teaching her out-of-our home with the same love, compassion and expectations – step by tiny step finally gradually handing her our controls and respecting that they can become her controls.

Today we implement a seven-step process in exploring or teaching her a new skill.
1. REVIEW - We review the options of how to teach so we have a backup plan. We make the initial calls, visit the site and discover the details.
2. WATCH We tell Liz what she is going to learn and take her through the process to accomplish the task. In this first step she is the observant participant with us – we do not require learning.
3. WATCH-EXPERIENCE We repeat the experience with her contributing pieces of the learned task.
4. EXPERIENCE – WATCH We repeat the experience with her contributing more pieces of the learned task and we begin to step away.
5. EXPERIENCE – SHOW – She tells me what to do and I laugh and become a partner in “her” learning.
6. SHOW – LET GO – She shows me as I watch and then let go.
7. I CAN – She skillfully and a bit fearfully completes the process, while I sit in a parking lot waiting or stay close to the phone to guide. I Can, can take a while and when learning is mastered we move on to the Next Step in our adult journey.

For a while we will keep Mak leashed to our side because he does not have the skills to be independent and unknowingly could be injured or killed.

We keep Liz tethered to us with the line of love - the same line of love that invited us to a homemade turkey dinner, with gravy and mash potatoes, stuffing and cornbread. I stopped by to demonstrate getting the neck out of the turkey and putting the big bird in the oven. I left her to do the rest herself. I came back to read the recipe for stuffing to her, while she prepared it herself and I demonstrated cooking the giblets. Then Karl and Bonnie arrived to join her and her boyfriend at her “own table” in her “own kitchen.” Her Christmas tree glowed red and green and white in an organized living room. It had been a long journey to get to this place and the journey will continue.

Mak came to remind us of the management of that journey – kindness, compassion, clear simple direction – and only one step at a time.

A Gift from an Otter

Poor old angry bear,

Torn and tattered,
banged-up head,

Knocking on brick walls again.

Rest, my bear friend,
The otters are here,
clinging,

So you can float free
For just a short while.
Grab the hand of that small one fuzzy bear,

The one you have hugged so often,
Hug her again, so she too can rest.

We will hold you up,
We will hold you both.

Otter Cynthia

Bear in Mind

The bear is back in my mind
a grizzly wrizzly izzly bear
with a flurry of surly wurly feelings

that want to grow
and growl
and snarl
but they can't
because there is nothing
and nowhere to place
the snarly warly barring teeth
feelings so real.

I have no fairy wand to wave to make life better
- to change what has been done to 45,000 children a year in this country.

Under the hearts of those who may say they love them.

I want to shout loud and clear that

DRINKING
while pregnant must stop
and . . .
that the person you are growing matters.

That this person matters to me
and to ther others who will love
and care
and hold the little he or she.

The bear is back in my mind as I remember when you came
so small,
with arms so thin and legs
so small
you were 'bearly' a northing at all

except a very big voice.

Bear in mind -
A growling raging voice proclaiming your incidious beginning.
And not yet half a year you vomited every thing you tried to eat
until we found the special foods so you could survive.

And the mama bear in my mind went looking for answers
to help you live
and grow.
And you did.

Bear in mind -
A growling raging voice proclaiming you could not be touched
or held
or cuddled

and I wanted
a snuggly
wuggly
buggly child
who I could hold

- and so the mama bear in me found ways to enjoy you
and realize that you loved the best you could

- until we learned about how your body worked
and the sensory issues at twelve

- how could a mother not know or doctors or others so educated
- the bear in mind was there searching
- but not finding
- asking with no answers because I did not have the right questions.

Bear in mind -
A growling raging voice proclaiming that fun things to do
were too intense and yet you my child were the most intense of all

- and I learned to calm and quiet all the grizzly voices in my mind
and not add energy to energy so you could learn
and grow
and go
and do like other children

- and you grew into a giving, loving, forgiving child
woven with the grizzly bears of your mind
we did not understand.

Alien in a world I understood that could not understand you.
With media and advertisement undermining all we said
- because they knew
and we didn't
and they were the truth.

Oh the bear in my mind wants to pound my chest
and more than growl.

Do bears roar?

Bear in mind -
You grew
and you grew
and you grew away
because
we were not who you wanted to be
- could be
- would be

The bears in our minds no longer be silent
- pushing each other away
with our snarls
and growls
and stares.

We were not the MTV family
or the Bratz
or the Glamour girls

- we were happy in our litle den
with our close friends
doing close friend things

- while you my little cub needed to run and explore what you believed was pots of honey at ends of rainbows that did not exist except in the media of music and video.

The bear in my mind watched as you worked your way through your imagination
of Truth with brain injury caused by alcohol to the unborn
- 100% preventable -

I asked my child what happens
when you go around the same tree over
and over

and in her wisdom she shared.
"I fall down like a nut."

I smile.
I laugh.
And I know there is hope.

Bear in mind -

I hope you have come to the end of yourself dear little baby bear
- your spirit still intact
- so that it can change the course of history for others
- you my child are one
- only one of many
- too many
- 45,000 a year too many.

The bear in my mind wants to hybernate
- to go away and sleep it all off as a bad dream but there must be no hybernation
- we mother and father bears must remain awake.

We must embrace the voices of those
45,000 a year
450,000 in ten years

- we must stand together with all our bears in our minds
and change the course of
time.