Shelter night - Finally!

Well after not being able to get to the shelter last week I was thrilled to get there today.

Bullet is still looking for a Rescue group to take him in. It is suspected he may not pass his behavior test when it comes to taking away his food or toy. I really it just matters WHO does it and HOW they do it. Bullet will give me his toy if I ask nicely and offer a trade of another toy (higher or lower value is no concern to him) and I always praise him and give him a little treat.


Isn't he just the cutest? He is a very smart boy that is learning to walk nicely on a lead using the Balance Leash Plus. I don't have a harness small enough for him yet.

Honey is another special project of mine. When I first met Honey months ago I never guessed she would make it to Adoptions. Why? Because she is frightened of life. In the shelter that is enough reason for her to be euthanized.


Well Honey has a few angels watching over her and helping her along the way. She is still fearful but is also very trusting. She is no threat to anyone.





I've noticed the strangest thing when I work with Honey. She will not face me which is not strange but she will back up into me with such pressure I almost fall down!













She wants the contact and touch, she will sit on my lap facing away from me but isn't brave enough to face me.

Don't think I've ever seen a tail tucked up under a dog so tight in all my days! So, Honey gets lots and lots of tail work. We use the saying "Calm the tail and calm the dog", I'm trying to create a "Happy tail" to get a "Happy dog".






Lastly there is Charlie! Charlie is a Boxer & Greyhound mix puppy.

He has been adopted out twice. Not sure why he was returned the first time but the second return was of no fault of his own. It was not a match made in Heaven. Charlie was sent home with an older woman and her small dog. A jolly happy puppy like Charlie needs a sturdier family and when he knocked over the visiting grand kid it was back to the shelter for him! He is a big puppy so these things are bound to happen.

When Charlie was brought to me for his session tonight my friend wished me luck and hoped he would calm down enough to get the work. It told her No Problem and put on his Thundershirt!






With puppies like Charlie and Bullet I let them play and then do some touches, then off to play again. It seems to be a good balance for them. No way are they gonna hold still for a long session. Moments, not minutes.

Hoarders

Yesterday I did an evaluation for a Powerpuff Chinese Crested named Skylar.

Skylar was rescued by my friend Nichole about a year ago. Prior to that he lived with an animal hoarder. Skylar is under socialized and frightened of the world in general and tends to mark his territory. Nichole has done an amazing job in the year that she has had him. I actually expected his issues to be far worse that what I saw.

It is so easy to get angry at hoarders for the mental damage that is done to these dogs and typically the lack of veterinary care too. Studies have shown that many hoarders are previous victims of violence and / or sexual abuse. They start off with a genuine desire and need to protect and save these animals. They can't say no and saving one dog turns into many, many more than they are able to deal with. So although we can understand how one thing led to another it is so important to reach out to the authorities if you suspect a hoarding situation so that all involved can get the help they need.

Now, back to Skylar.

Skylar was quite timid but with an offer of an excellent treat he was not too timid to approach me. A very good sign. Using calming signals with Skylar and avoiding direct eye contact he was happy to let me do touches all over his body. I was able to do a nonthreatening Chimp Touch on his head, mouth, body, hind quarters (where frightened dogs have a lot of tension) and his legs and feet. I was impressed with his tolerance. He was actually relaxing rather than just being too afraid to protest.





I think Skylar would be a wonderful candidate for a Thundershirt and we found the Extra Small fit him just right. Skylar was quite accepting of the shirt but unfortunately in the process of putting it on him we ended up "cornering" him and he became very stressed and would not allow touches.









Time to regroup! Skylar told us he was uncomfortable and it was our job to fix that. So outside we went! From this point Skylar was less receptive of my touching him although I could touch his head and face. The rest of Skylar was now off limits.







This is where I turned the work over to Nichole. I asked her to do lots of mouth work on him since there is a connection between the mouth and emotions. Skylar did great outside with Nichole doing the work.

As Nichole and I talked she said that Skylar is afraid of the camera and will look away or leave as soon as she breaks it out. I took out the camera for the first time after putting on the Thundershirt. Connection? I'm willing to bet on it. The other thing was that Skylar usually won't accept touch to his back end. She didn't want to say anything to influence my work with him and just watched. Nichole was pretty pleased that Skylar allowed the touches where he needed it so badly.

I won't be taking Skylar on as a case study until after I get back from Santa Fe in July. I want to do some research on the best ways to help Skylar overcome his fears between now and then. I'm sure I will come back refreshed with lots of new ideas after training with Linda Tellington-Jones in July. In the meantime Nichole has lots of touches she can continue on Skylar and she knows how to find me between now and then.

I've seen some amazing responses using the Thundershirts and if you are considering getting one in the next two weeks please enter the code "2ndchance" in the Discount Code box when you order your shirt from Thundershirts. When you do 50% of the purchase price will go to help Doxi's in need. Doxies just like Princess Cami and her friends! This special run May 10 - 24! Help your dog while you help the Wiener dogs!

Shelter pups

Tonight I had the pleasure of volunteering at the shelter. I really enjoy the time I spend there and as soon as I win the lotto I'll be spending TONS of time there. But for now I have to settle for the opportunities I do have.

Usually I will ask a couple of my friends, Jan (Zorro's new Momma) and Kathy (who was critical to his rescue) who they think could use some TTouch. Tonight I worked from Kathy's suggestions and one dog I wanted to redo his picture.

I started off the night with Argo. Argo's intake picture has a nasty looking prong collar and until a volunteer has a chance to redo pictures the dogs go on to the Available page with their initial intake picture. Not good. Thankfully more and more volunteers are seeing the benefit of a good picture and are helping me out quite a bit!

Argo is a handsome boy. I forgot to bring treats with me and he was rather shy of me at first. It seemed he wanted to stay just outside my reach. But when the opportunity allowed I'd do 1 or 2 touches as he walked by. It wasn't much more than 5 minutes before he came and sat next to me so I could do touches all over. Next thing you knew his head was in my lap and he allowed touches on his head, face, muzzle and gums! TTouch is a powerful tool for building trust.

Next I worked with Zada who has been at the shelter for some time but I've never worked with her. Have I ever been missing out!!! Zada is incredible. I just love the big Pit Bulls and Zada is about 75 pounds of solid muscle. She has a big 'ol head which is perfect for TTouchin' on.


I sat on my sheet and Zada backed her body right up to me and allowed touches everywhere. There was never a question if she would like something. Her body language said she was loving every touch or stroke. A few minutes into our session she turned that extra large head toward me and licked me from my chin to the top of my head, knocking my glasses off. One of the other volunteers commented she looked like she was going to pass out toward the end of our time together.


Now, before you start thinking Zada is a lover girl with no brains let me tell you she is attending classes at the shelter to earn her CGC and rumor has it she will be testing soon.


Someone is going to be extra lucky to get this beautiful girl with brains and manners!

Next came Sophie. I've both worked with and written about this sweetheart. Sophie is very receptive to touches also but is terribly camera shy. As soon as I lift the camera she is outta there!






Sophie is starting to get her waist back after having a litter of puppies and really putting on the pounds. One thing that may never change is her "underside". Poor Sophie's girlish figure may never return. Yet another good reason to spay & neuter your pets.









Lastly I saw Andre. Okay, talk about another love bug! Andre is taking the same CGC classes Zada is in. Andre loved touches all over too. He was good with me working on his feet, head, face and mouth.

Turns out Andre is a little vocal around other dogs. He gets excited and just has to tell them his life story. I saw this first hand when he spotted dogs several hundred feet away. He got all excited and started to bark and cry.

I've been talking with folks about Thundershirts today and I wondered if the shirt would help him settle around other dogs. Well, can't hurt and just might help. I fitted Andre in a size large and no sooner had I got it on him when someone came by with a dog. The dogs greeted each other through the fence and all was quite. Andre was a perfect gentleman! They played with a fence between them for a couple minutes and then the pretty girl puppy went on her way. It was only when she left that Andre let out a cry. This time it was quite easy to get his focus back on me.

Before you knew it my 2 hours were up and it was time for me to go home to my own pups. No matter how long I'm at the shelter it is never long enough. I always leave with a full heart, a smile on my face and a prayer in my heart that one of these lotto tickets pays off.

Chevy Graduates!

When I think of the progress Chevy and Jeff have made in just three sessions all I can think to say is "WOW"! What a learning process this has been for me.

Chevy has been an ideal student and has done everything we have asked of him.

I emailed Jeff to let him know I was on my way since we are working on door manners. He commented that Chevy must have known I was on my way because he was very excited. Today he stayed while Jeff opened the door for me but in his excitement ran down the stairs to greet me. I turned away while he situated himself back at the top of the stairs and waited for me to greet him. He shook with excitement but he waited.







Because Chevy was so excited today I put him in a Thundershirt right away and did lots of Zig-Zag and Lying Leopard touches on him to help him settle a bit.









Tonight was lots of fun because we alternated working in the house reviewing commands and learning Leave It and going for walks and even some ground work!

In teaching Chevy "Leave It" I would hold a treat in my hand, not saying anything, and when he backed away I'd give him a different treat with the other hand. It wasn't very long at all that I couldn't even get him to LOOK at the treat he was not supposed to have. We would raise the bar and put the treat on the floor and tell him to leave it. "No Problem" said Chevy, "I know you're gonna give me another one!" Yes, he is a quick learner.



Outside we worked on his dog reactivity by teaching him "Find it". With "Find it" we would walk, get his attention and toss several treats on the ground around him and tell him to "Find it"! He loved this game.

Throughout the course of our session we encountered 3 or 4 dogs. They were at a distance but he saw them and did not react. We did not let that distance get too close so we could focus on setting him up for success.

At one point we redirected him and the other dog was close enough behind us that Jeff and I could hear the dog tags. You KNOW if we heard dog tags so did Chevy! What a very good boy.




Tonight I introduced Chevy to ground work. We set up a mini Confidence Course in the front yard and again he did fantastic. I noticed something really interesting about Chevy. When he was really excited and we wanted to reign him in he was an ace in the course. He would sit or lay down when asked and move along when asked. What was interesting is once we had his focus and he was calmed he wasn't interested in doing it any more and it was clear he wanted to walk on.


Jeff now has the tools he needs to help Chevy calm down, have nice manners at the door and walk down the street far less reactive than before. With Jeff's dedication and Chevy's smarts and eagerness to please they are going to do fantastic.

Shelter night!

When one door closes another is thrown wide open. Today was one of those days.

My standing Tuesday appointment with Iggy was canceled so I took the opportunity to volunteer at the shelter. One of my very favorite things to do is to work with these special dogs looking for homes.

I was asked to work with Clyde because, and I quote "he has more issues than Time magazine". I didn't know what these issues were and I didn't know the breed. I only knew he had issues and where to find him.

Meet Clyde!

It isn't often I am asked to work with a tiny one like this and I always find it to be fun. As you can see I was very excited to try out my XS Thundershirt! I did try the XXS but it was a tad too small. That got me wondering what the heck fits in the XXS, a hamster?

I found Clyde to be a loving dog that wanted to sit on my lap and was very receptive to the touches. I tried some clicker training with him but he really wasn't all that interested. Clyde would rather be loved on and get lots of touches.

The little ones are so different. I may only use one or two fingers very lightly to do the work. As far as finding more issues than Time magazine, somehow I missed them. I only found a little dog that loves to be loved.

Malcom is a dog I've been watching in the "found" section for some time. I was drawn to him because of this picture:

I have no idea what happened to this sweet boy's eye and I've never seen anything quite like it. He has been in "found" for such a long time. Today I finally met him. He is available now and this is the picture the shelter is using for his page on the website!!!! Nooo, not good!

Not knowing if his eye was still this way I wasn't sure what to expect but either way Malcom needed a new photo.

I was so happy to see that this damaged eye is a part of his history. Malcom and I went outside and had a wonderful TTouch session with lots of play and kisses.




As you can see Malcom has come a very long way. It is now evident why he had not moved to the Available page before now. He was having a makeover!

Malcom is the sweetest dog and we had so much fun playing. If I didn't have 3 boys at home already this little man would NOT be looking for a home.















Is he "stinkin' cute" or what??? Something tells me he will not be homeless for very long!

















Jackson was next. His intake picture spoke to me as well. What a sad looking boy!


I had to see for myself if Jackson was indeed as sad as his picture said he was. If so, we were going to have to change that.

Turns out Jackson is a very happy boy. He is one good looking Chocolate Lab x Pit boy that thinks he is a lap dog!

Photographing Jackson was a bit of a challenge because he either wanted to kiss the camera or he wanted to plop down on my lap and kiss me!


Think this may compel more folks to come and appreciate this big 'ol love bug than the other picture? I hope so!

It is dogs like Clyde, Malcom and Jackson that continue to draw me into the shelter. I go there with the idea of helping them but it is me that walks away with a full heart.

Special Mentor

This post is a special Shout Out to my TTouch Mentor, Cynde Van Vleet.

I've been working with Zorro and Iggy and have made progress but was having trouble advancing them to the next level.

A couple weeks ago Cynde came down to Escondido to visit Zorro and his caretakers with me. Zorro has trouble relaxing.

Cynde suggested we use a Thundershirt on him and it worked like a charm.

Here is a picture of a Thundershirt that was designed by one of our TTouch Practitioners. You can read about them at www.Thundershirt.com

Yesterday Cynde came down to an appointment in San Diego with me. This time we went to visit Iggy.

Iggy has serious fear issues and really does not like anything new at all. Pictures of Iggy are few and far between as he really does not appreciate my camera. Because of his deep fear he is a challenge to work with. There is a fine line between pushing him enough for growth and too much which will break the trust we are building.

I enjoyed watching Cynde and the subtle things she did that made Iggy curious. Iggy allowed Cynde to do touches on him for very short periods of time. He really loves the TTouch and will lean his body into you in a very relaxed way.

The plan was to put the Thundershirt on Iggy. Iggy had other plans. We also had the thought that if we did get the shirt on him without causing too much of a fear response it was going to cause one for sure when he heard the sound of the Velcro when it came off!

Cynde worked very patiently with him for about an hour. At one point he had the shirt draped on his back but not secured. He ran away and went to his safe place behind the cabana to process what was happening. He would come out and look at us and run back. Eventually he got it off and stuffed it in the corner and came out victorious!

He is an interesting blend of fear and curiosity. He runs away in fear without even realizing he did it. Then as quickly as he runs away he starts working his way back. You can see he wants to trust and he wants to be with us. He just can't.....yet.

Thanks to Cynde I have some more ideas on how to proceed with him. We have a wonderful Yahoo Group for Practitioners and Students where we can bounce ideas off each other. So many people gave me wonderful suggestions but they are so far removed from what he is able to handle. Having Cynde come and see him for herself got me on the right track.

The damage that has resulted from whatever happened to him while in Michael Vick's "care" and the various moves he went through to make his way to a loving foster home in San Diego was more than this boy could deal with.

Love, patience, kindness and TTouch are teaching Iggy that the world is a good place and there are far more nice people in the world than mean ones!

No one could say it better than Iggy himself (through the help of his Foster Mom, Nicole). On my fund raising page for the Paws in the Park Walk-a-Thon to benefit Escondido Humane Society

www.firstgiving.com/lindatroup

Iggy made a donation and left the sweetest note:
"You are changing my world!"
And I have to say that he is also changing mine.

Now if that don't make me sleep well at night, nothing will.

A special Thank You to Cynde for being the best Mentor ever! Always willing to email, talk or come down and help me. Most importantly she shares her special gift with many students just like me!