Crossing paths with The Bridges'.

For 7 days this month, Michelle and I had the pleasure of caring for the pets in the home of Lance and Danielle Bridges. Their 7 acre hobby farm in River Falls, WI became our 'home away from home' as we made our trek 2 times each day, except Sunday, in which a neighbor came in and took over.
In our care were a menagerie of delightful animals: Bella the lab, Jimmy the Collie, as well as Little Mamma, Nick and Magellie, the 3 cats. There was also a pasture of 3 beautiful yard ornaments that looked very much like horses who came to the fence during each visit to be loved on, brushed and receive an alfalfa cube.
Our hour long visits consisted of letting the dogs out, who formed a very enthusiastic welcoming committe, and then taking them for a long structured walk. We played in the yard upon return and found that Jimmy, who has seems to have some Australian Shepherd and Border Collie in him, was a tremendous retreiver of the various balls we threw for him. He was so good about dropping the ball for us that a couple of times he tossed it up in the air and it fell right in my lap! A real joy.
Then it was time for the horses. They jealously vied for our individual attention as we brushed what we could reach of them across the fence and fed them their alfalfa cube. Since they had plenty of food, we hadn't been asked to do anything with or for them except fill their water which was only needed once. In essence, the time we spent with them was for them to have a little company more than anything.
When we went inside it was time for the food event for each dog. The cats would gather at this point as well and we would hear them crunching from their limitless supply dish of food. It took them some time to warm up to us, but in a day or two their curiosity won over.
After dinner we would record a log sheet that we left for the Bridges to keep them abreast of the happenings while they were gone. And then...Affection Time! The dogs loved it! Belly rubs and all sorts of fun.
We usually miss our clients when we are done with assignments like these. This case is no different. I hope it won't be long before we are called back again. :-)

~Candiss DelCastillo

Walks & Wags Pet Service

http://www.walksandwags.biz/

Bella ~ A Miricle from the Mill

I would like to insert a belated blog on a session that we actually did last July 4th, '09 for my sister Lisa's, husband Mike's, sister Kathy and her husband, Dave Biedron (whew! in other words, my In-Laws) at the Biedron's home with their newly adopted Chihuahua, Bella.

The reason I refer to Bella as a miricle in the title of this blog, is that she was rescued from a Puppy Mill. Bella had been bred for multiple litters and for 2 years lived in the atrocity of the facility she was in. I encourage you to look online for what actually goes on in these houses of horror and you will be aghast. The Biedron's purchased her at a PetCo on the day the Homeward Bound Dog Rescue who had her was there re-homing these dogs to good and caring owners.

The 4th of July wasn't an official BHD session. Dave & Kathy had initially called to ask me some questions about how to bring Bella into their home in as smooth a transition as possible, but since we were coming over for a celebration with the relatives anyway the week after they brought Bella home, we decided to use it as a casual training session. Before we arrived, I told Dave & Kathy that we would be meeting Bella with the 'No talk, No touch, No eye contact' approach.

If they had asked me about it before they went out to PetCo that day, I would have encouraged them not to adopt a Puppy Mill dog under any conditions, and was expecting to meet a dog that had overt behavioral problems due to the way she had lived prior to being rescued. But in this case, it's a good thing they didn't ask...

***Now, this is where the miricle part comes in.*** Bella was one of the sweetest and friendliest dogs I have met in a very long time. She was just as happy as could be to see all the guests arrive and her little tail was wagging like a metronome! Once she had a bit of time to get used to us being there, I sat down on the floor and slowly started to engage with her. She came over to me and didn't mind being handled at all. It was beyond astounding. We all enjoyed her so much. I would never have believed a dog from a Puppy Mill could be this 'normal'! I have to say that as a dog professional, I'm stumped, but very glad for them, and for all of us who get to enjoy her from time to time.

Disclaimer:

I want to take this opportunity to discourage the readers of this blog from purchasing a dog that is known to be from a Puppy Mill. Although I am a firm believer in miricles, you may not get off as easy as The Biedron's did. The problem's these dogs come with can be unrectifiable and detrimental. If they are mated, it only perpetuates what was defective in the first place. Although it may sound cruel, (not my intent), I cannot stress this enough.

I was so proud of Dave & Kathy for deeply caring about how to be good owners to this new arrival. They also gave me the freedom to make any corrections necessary in the way they interacted with Bella throughout the day. By the time we were done, we had covered all the bases and even watched one of the cable TV shows that Michelle and I had produced the year before called, "Dogs Issues and Their Appropriate Corrections". Very timely. I felt very good about the visit. They have only had to call or email me a couple of times with follow-up questions.

The Biedron's have had Bella for almost 9 months now and have settled into a routine with her that fits their lifestyle and has created a new and healthy one for her. They have not experienced anything out of the ordinary with Bella's behavior as they have worked through the transition. She knows some obedience commands and tricks. Dave even set up a tunnel for her to go through to her potty place outside in the winter that she took to readily.

Bella did act out in jealous aggression with a girlfriend of Kathy's once, but no one was hurt. I coached Kathy on how to handle that and as far as I know that type of episode hasn't been repeated.

Dave's mom, Helen and his sister, Donna occasionally pet sit when Dave & Kathy are away and Bella experiences little or no separation anxiety. Sometimes Helen's Yorkie comes over for a visit. Bella enjoys the company and the play time with her furry little friend.

My husband, Ruben and Michelle and I have so much enjoyed getting to know Dave & Kathy as family friends, but in this instance, I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to work with them as clients as well. It made a positive difference in their dog ownership in the long run. I'm glad I was not able to coach Dave & Kathy before they adopted Bella or we might not have her in the family right now. Things have a way of working out... and I'm so glad they did. :-)

~Candiss DelCastillo

Walks & Wags Pet Service

http://www.walksandwags.biz/

South by Mid West

On March 12th, we met at the home of the Tom & Donna Winkler. Their daughter, Heather, has recently returned from a long stay in Arizona where she aquired our client of the day, Shaggy. The Winklers have a dog of their own, Clarence, a real sweetheart in his senior years.

Due to Heather holding jobs that keep her away for up to 12 hours a day, Shaggy lead a relatively sheltered life in Arizona and was not exposed to much of the every day life of a dog. There was originally a 2nd dog of Heather's, named Fred, who caused enough conflict at the Winkler home that they felt it best to re-home him.

Tom works out of the home in his own business. With Donna and Heather away at their respective jobs, Tom was trying valiantly to manage the intigration of Shaggy which was causing much frustration and the main reason for our visit. I need to mention here, that I applaud this family for the courageous attempt at resolving this situation. Each one of them is uniquely different, but unified in their sincerity to make this newly blended family work.

Shaggy's nature is on the skiddish side and he runs to Heather for shelter when he is confused. Heather is sincere in her dog ownership, but was sorely lacking in the skills and knowledge of how to raise Shaggy as an animal/dog. Instead she was giving him affection regardless of the situation and he was playing the role of stuffed animal to her. There were no rules, boundaries or limitations when Shaggy first arrived with Heather which contributed to the bedlam.

Tom on the other hand would try to instill the rules and boundaries along with a good structured walk, which was great. Only one thing. Shaggy was confused and felt intimidated by Tom's strong leadership skills. He and the daughter whom he loves were on complete different ends of the spectrum. Donna would feed and care for Shaggy predominatly and he was starting to look to her as his owner. With Heather only walking him on the weekends, she was quickly losing any Pack Leadership she had. We need to restore balance to this home.

We did alot of listening in this session as the family had alot to say. Shaggy warmed up to Michelle and I on the strctured walk and calmed down so much that I was able to give him some lavish affection at one of our rest breaks, demonstrating to Heather what an appropriate time for affection looks like.

When we had the walk mastered with Heather and Donna, we left them at home and went out separately with Tom and the 2 dogs. Whereas Shaggy would not come to Tom in the house, he was very comfortable being walked by him. This is how important the structured walk is for a dog. A pack isn't a pack unless they migrate-or-move forward together. This is the language a dog speaks: W-A-L-K.

The solution for how to help Shaggy become comfortable coming to Tom, came to me when we were showing the Winkler's how to make feeding the dogs an event for them. We decided to restrict Shagggy to only receiving food from Tom. Until he accepted the food from Tom, he would not be allowed to eat. Hunger is a terrific teacher, as it is a dogs #1 drive.

I was in my bank last week where Donna is a teller and she came bounding up to me with a radiant face. She reported that things were going much better at home and that Shaggy is coming to terms with Tom's leadership. (You can safely conclude that Shaggy is also eating again.) I was delighted to see her so happy. Quite a contrast from the first time we met. It was apparent that things are changing for the better.

I look forward to the follow up appointment we have scheduled in one week with this family. There will be more tweaking to do at that time, but the Winkler's are grasping the foundational concepts we left them with and they are on their way. Tom, Donna and Heather, I am so proud of you!

~Candiss DelCastillo

Walks & Wags Pet Service

http://www.walksandwags.biz/

Untangling the Twins

On March 19th, Michelle and I were called out for a "Start'em out Right~Puppies!" session at the home of Chris Carlson who runs a group home for special needs adults.

Chris's main concern initially was her twin Yorkie-poo's, 4 1/2 month old Homer and Stewie. They had become rather unruly in their behavior and were getting all tangled up in their leashes on the walk. They were also picking up the habit of incessant barking when someone would come to the door. There was another dog, 3 year old Kaily, a Husky mix rescue, who although was not the center of attention for our visit, had a few issues of her own. Kailey had some fear agression and was the innitiator of the barking, so the twins being young and impressionable, followed suit.

Chris is a "Dog Whisperer" fan, so aware of Cesar Millan's techniques, she was open to what we presented to her that day. We were so delighted at how the structured walk turned out! At first we experienced the mayhem that Chris described, but as Michelle and I took Stewie and Homer, we noticed it getting better as we went along. The dogs are velcroed to Chris, which made it difficult for us at first since they had to be always watching her, but in time they started to enjoy the walk more than the need to see Chris and we settled into a pretty good pace.

We ran with them to drain more energy, and then I took Kailey who I needed some bonding with, Pack Leader style, while I sent Michelle and Chris each with a twin, a different way around the block. Kailey bonded well with me in this way, much better than she had in the house where she made it clear that she was not happy with my presence there. I want to take this moment to tell the reader that it is the structured walk that consitutes a Pack. Kailey and I were both relaxed with each other in minutes and a bonding began to form which lasted the rest of the session.

When we met Michelle and Chris as they came around the block facing us, I had them stop just a few feet in front of us so the dogs could experience some mental draining of energy. Just waiting is a huge exercise for a dog. We then put prong collars on all 3 dogs so we could practice walking in tandem. I took the twins on one side of me. When I got them walking evenly and politely, I added Kailey on the other side. It was a beautiful contrast from how we started out just 20-25 minutes earlier! When I handed the leashes over to Chris, she was in awe that this could be done. Her dream of being able to have some time alone from the crew at the house and just be outside alone on a walk with her dogs was now a reality. (See above photo.)

The 2nd half of the session was spent instructing Chris how to do body massage a minimum of 1x a week on her dogs and touch the parts of their body that will often be handled by a vet and groomer to help be comfortable with it. Homer gave me a close call bite attempt twice during this excersice, and I immediately returned it with two bites of my own with a sharp "No!" I made a cupped hand with my fingers spread apart and tappped him very firmly on the side of the neck. He got the idea quickly that biting was not acceptable behavior. I told Chris that because problem behavior does not go away, it only gets worse, Homer could very well be a biter in a year if we had not discovered hi proneness to it now and dealt with him this way.

Chris was particuarly interested in the suggestions we gave her in making an acceptable place for the dogs to dig in the sandbox, rewarding them for finding treats she hides in the holes she makes for them. Then contrast that with bodily blocking the areas that they want to dig that are off limits, making it clear to them that this is not rewardable ground.

I also suggested she get a rabbit and a small cage for it to help cure Kailey of her fixation on rabbits. In practice sessions, the rabbit should be held above Kailey by someone holding the cage and standing over Kailey while Chris carries out the dominance ritual on Kailey to clearly express that the rabbit is off limits and is to be respected as a leader. Notice the protocal. Rabbit on top, Kailey on the bottom. This could save Kailey's life someday if she were to escape the fence and run out in the street after a rabbit oblivious to oncoming traffic. An e-collar would also help with this as Chris could correct Kailey 'invisibley' from inside the house when she goes after a rabbit in the yard or tries to escape the fence.

It was important to me that the staff and residents were involved with the dogs as well. This would make a great reduction in separation anxiety when Chris had to leave them at home. We put a back pack on Kailey and taught them how to make a game of having her carry books of dvd's for them from point A to point B, loading them and unloading them to give her the impression that she was doing an important job for them. This could be done with Stewie and Homer as well since back packs come in small sizes too.

Dog's need jobs and the back pack can provide that readily. I would like to see Chris get a back pack for all 3 dogs so they could wear them on their walks, besides the exercise in the house. This would drain extra physical and mental energy, both, which would help them, especially the twins, to be calmer and well behaved during the rest of the day.

You may think that you only have one dog who is the trouble maker in your family, but remember that a dog thinks in terms of a pack mentality. Unless everyone is at least moderately balanced, the one that is noticeabley out of line won't have a chance at becoming stable. That is why we focused on Kailey as much as we did even though it was the "Little Rascals" that we were initially called out for. This was a very successful visit and I have every confidence that Chris, her residence and staff will do what it takes to see it through until it becomes a way of life.

~Candiss DelCastillo
Walks & Wags Pet Service
http://www.walksandwags.biz/

A winning ticket!

Shortly after Cyndi Cashman, owner of The Hairitage Salon in Prescott, WI, won a free BHD session with us at the Chamber of Commerce's Annual Dinner, we came to the salon for a visit to work with her dog, Oreo. Oreo, a lab mix rescue, spends her days at the salon, and by and large is a very good girl. Cyndi was concerned, however, at the increased growling the Oreo was doing when certain clients would come in the door.

After our innitial instructional portion with Cyndi in which we helped her to understand how to relate to Oreo as an animal and a dog, we all went for a structured walk together. Oreo uses a Gentle Leader and is a very good walker, responding well to a light occassional correction. We stressed the importance to Cyndi of keeping her dog at her side during the walk until it was time for some on leash roam room at the 1/2 way point of the walk. In this way, Cyndi will gain more respect from Oreo as Pack Leader and drain the excess energy that builds up in a dog everyday causing them to act out in unwanted behaviors.

One thing we noticed that had to be discontinued, was that they had been encouraging the clients to give Oreo a treat when they came in. In doing so, however, they were actually reinforcing the growling unintentionally.

The big key to our success that day was when Cyndi told us that she had an e-collar in her car that she didn't know how to use. It would be the perfect way to make a correction on Oreo when Cyndi is across the room working on a client's hair. Thanks to Michelle's quick grasp of techi items, we had it rigged up in no time and on Oreo's neck. We set it to the lowest stimulation number that would still work. Michelle and I went outside for a while and then knocked relentlessly on the door while Cyndi was controlling the remote for the collar inside. After only 2 practices, Oreo was responding very well to the mild stimulus of the collar.

Cyndi reports that now Oreo only needs to hear the tone that the collar gives off and she will back down. This has decreased the growling and pacing in the salon as well as in the car while Cyndi was driving which could've presented a danger in traffic. Cyndi can also use the e-collar training with Oreo to reduce the fixation she has with squirrels in the yard as Cyndi can 'invisibly' correct her dog from inside.

We don't need to resort to e-collars very often, but I do endorse them. In this case, it was a tremendous help in eradicating the unwanted behavior that a Oreo was exhibiting and calmed her down, producing a happier situation for everybody- canine included.

~Candiss DelCastillo

Walks & Wags Pet Service

http://www.walksandwags.biz/