On Memorial Day, I had a horrible walk with my dogs. They went crazy over a dog that they saw 50 yards away. Gracie started it--she saw the dog and stiffened. And Garmin reacted (he is so in tune with her body language it is ridiculous.) She recovered quickly, but he was 0-60 in 1.3 seconds. He wouldn't listen. Wouldn't take treats. Wouldn't respond to the "LOOK HERE" cue (that's what I use to get them to look at me). Nothing. Instead, he leaped and screamed and flipped around and tried to go after Gracie like a crazy fool. The only good thing was I didn't get bit.
And then I broke the cardinal rule of dog training--I let my emotions take over and I broke into tears.
Yes. I did. And I know better, but it was so frustrating. And disheartening.
You know why? Because I put myself on the outside looking in, and here is what I would have been thinking had I watched it unfold:
"That woman should really train her dogs. Seriously. Look at them. They are a hot mess and she looks like she has NO control. Poor thing. She should hire a trainer. I bet a trainer could help."
Yeah, I know. No one else really thinks that way and I am a freak of nature, but that is what I imagined the guy with the yappy Jack Russel was thinking. And I am pretty sure he had a British accent.
I got myself together. Finished our walk on a good note and came home and reflected on how far they have come:
Gracie was born in January of 2010 and came to us in April of that year. She was darn cute:
- She hated her crate
- She hated being alone--which means separation anxiety
- She had leash reactivity
- She was fearful of men in hats
- She didn't like people who came into our house
- She was near IMPOSSIBLE to housebreak
- She had recurring urinary issues
- She destroyed things in the house when left alone (in crate or out)
- She was head shy
Oh, she was smart--I had her in classes within weeks of her coming home with us. She was obedient. But I knew nothing--at all--about dog behavior. In fact, I am pretty sure that I caused most of those issues. I knew I had to work through it, but it was SO HARD. I envied "normal" dog owners on a regular basis. I wondered why I had THIS dog. And then I started reading. And learning. And I contacted a local trainer who served it to me straight up--she was going to need a lot of work. I told him that my goal for her was to be a therapy dog and get her CGC, and he was skeptical (as was I) because meeting a friendly stranger and supervised separation were big parts of the test.
So, I worked. And I worked. And I worked. And I put her on medication (I didn't want to, but it helped her get out of her own way). I got her into therapy dog classes. She met new people. I read more books. And then, the amazing happened. She improved. And, before she was two, she got her CGC (bother her trainer and I were over the moon about that one) and she became a therapy dog. And she is an AMAZING therapy dog. She loves her job. She loves kids even though I don't have any. She is intuitive, sweet and amazing. She does silly tricks, she loves training and working and learning. And she is still damn adorable.
Then there was Garmin...
Damnit.
So, long story short, we adopted him. And THIS time, I was going to do everything right (since with Gracie I did it all wrong).
And...the best I can say is that he didn't hate his crate. But, as I worked with him, here is what we learned:
- Next to impossible to housebreak--peed everywhere. No signals, either.
- Extremely touch sensitive. I couldn't get beyond his shoulders without him freaking out.
- Leash reactive with a dash of redirected frustration for fun
- Hated having his nails done--as in, lashed out with everything he had if you even came near his feet at all.
- Jumped on everyone with great force
- Hated the car
- No toy drive
- Fence jumper (I learned that one when he was a little over a year old)
- Bit out of frustration
- Terror on walks. We went through numerous strategies and walking tools before he figured out how to walk without pulling (no, I never used a prong)
- Generally anxious
Frustrating? You have no idea. I had done my internship and passed my test to train at this point, so it wasn't like I was a rookie. But this dog challenged me at every turn. He was different in so many ways--and a lot of it had to do with breed. A lot of it had to do with the fact I don't think he had any socialization when he was younger.
So, once again, I found myself at a loss (and frustrated). Once again, I found myself asking questions, and reading, and trying new things (relaxation protocol, clicker training, mat work)--and SLOWLY, he started to come around. In October of 2013, I had him CGC tested on a whim and, miracle upon miracles, he passed. I was floored (as was everyone else).
But, he still hated the car. He freaked at the vet. He freaked on walks. He still couldn't settle in the house. So, once again, I found myself putting a dog on medication. (Again, not my go to, but I knew he had to get out of his own way).
He has been here for about a year and a half now. I can now dry him off without and issue and I can brush him, so his touch sensitivity has decreased. I can touch his feet now without him worrying (still can't cut those nails though--I reserve that one for the vet). He walks nicely on a Gentle Leader. He stopped freaking out when he hears dogs on walks (if he sees them--well, work in progress). He settles nicely in the house now. He found his toy drive. He LOVES to swim. And he is a world class cuddler. Seriously. Never had a dog that loved to cuddle like he does. And for a dog that previously hated to be touched, that is HUGE. Oh, and he is ridiculously handsome.
The thing about positive reinforcement training is this: it takes longer, but it LASTS longer, too. Think of it as a trade off.
And, when I tell you "I feel your pain" when you are explaining how frustrated you are and how hard you have worked, I believe you...and all I can say is that it will get better, and your dogs will love you for it.