Progress.....?

[donnieo]

Hi everyone;

First off - Happy New Year! I hope you all have a great 2011.

Last night, I was pushing with Jinxsie and at around 9 p.m. the fireworks started. I was certainly not expecting this: I figured that if there were going to be any they would be at midnight and Jinxsie would be in her crate safe and sound.

Her usual panic attack started and I tried to get her to run with me to turn all that electric energy into a smoother wave but after several minutes it didn't really work out. All she wanted to do was bolt. I took my toy out and really got in her face with it. There were a couple of times where I really got intense with the teasing and I could see she wanted to bite and even put her mouth on the toy but she was too panicked.

We were near a post, so I decided to post her up and let her panic come out. She ran back and forth a fair bit and jumped up on me a couple of times. After a bit of this, I asked her to speak and to my surprise, she did! She was still really trying to bolt and lunging against the post but every time I told her "speak" she let out a pretty decent bark. I was shocked! At first she wouldn't take food so I just kept telling her to speak and praising her. After a while, I got her to hup and she eventually started taking food.

A couple of times I tried to get her to roll on her back for rub-a-dub but she wouldn't. The first time I tried, I could feel her trembling. After getting her bark out, she was trembling much less. The last time I tried, I almost got her on her back and she wasn't trembling at all.

I unfortunately ran out of food for the walk home and she pulled almost the whole way but I definitely sensed that she was much more relaxed than previous times that we've been outside with fireworks.

If I'd thought of it, I would have swept her feet but I really wasn't thinking. I watched the Rowe Camp episode of Quantum Canine when I got home and it gave me some ideas as to how to get her panic out out-of-context.

Overall I'd say Jinxsie did very well. I'd never been able to reach her when she was in the midst of a panic attack so I'm very happy about that. The big thing though was my reaction. Not once did I feel frustrated or scared. I could see that it was just energy coming out.

Today I'm only going to take her for a walk around the block a couple of times and not do any pushing.

Anyway, I feel like this was progress but wanted to hear from others.....

[Sang]

Sounds like you made the best of the situation Donnie. And all the things you described are signs of really good progress. Jinxsie's fear is buried really deep, so it's just going to take time. The fact that after you worked with her, she was trembling much less is a terrific sign that you were able to access her deeper fear and helping her overcome it. You're really doing an awesome job. And the fact that you can now be fully present and not get frustrated or scared is a HUGE step.

So to give you some feedback, YES, you are making some great progress!

[Indy]

Originally Posted by donnieo

Not once did I feel frustrated or scared. I could see that it was just energy coming out.

Taking this mindset has really helped me as well. When my dog Nelly's panic comes up to the surface, it's an opportunity rather than a setback. The more it gets exposed and brought out, the better, as it ultimately means it can be channeled.

The best technique I've found to really get the panic worked out is getting her to struggle up onto a high surface. Sometimes it takes a few tries, but she eventually really calms down and gains control over what's happening. Obviously it depends on what's around you at the time, but I find it's a huge help.

[rudy]

I second that!

And I use some REALLY high surfaces - 5 ft brick walls for example.

In my house, under abnormal/stress/trigger circumstances I increase the challenge for Lou, moreso than a box.

I put him on top of my kitchen trash can - it has a lid. I put something weighted in the bottom and let him work to get up there and stay up there. He just barely fits and the lid is slanted a tiny bit so he was to work to stay. Also, it's high enough for him to not want to fall off, but if he did it wouldn't feel good but it wouldn't hurt him either. So, while he can't solve the problem of my neighbors kids in my house he CAN solve the problem of staying up on that trash can.

[neilsattin]

Hey DonnieO,

I hope you saw that I actually quoted your post in one of my recent articles (the interview with Gina Lake).

Really glad to hear of your progress - please keep us posted! And if questions come up, well - you know we're here for you for that!

Best - Neil

[donnieo]

Thanks Neil, I'm really starting to feel like I have a grasp on this stuff and the support that you and everyone else here gives is amazing!