Dexter

So, it's been a while since I posted.  Sorry.  This tends to happen to me, I am not good at remembering to write sometimes.  Anyway, I do have some new things to talk about!

I love his ears :)

We finally settled on a new name - Dexter.  It took us a while to decide on one, but we like it, it suits him!  His official name is still Bear, but that just doesn't suit him, so we call him Dexter.  It's a smart, slightly nerdy name, which describes him pretty well!

We lost our old lady dog, Ollie, a couple of weeks ago to a brain tumour.  There was a lot of stress in the house during her last days, she was very confused and scared, and it affected all of us, including Brody and Dexter.  Brody was very withdrawn and sad, and Dexter became more destructive than usual.  He is very sensitive to stress, and this is how he deals with it.  Thankfully we had a freezer full of raw bones and stuffed kongs to help give him an outlet.  Things are getting back to normal now though, we all still miss Ollie, but our house no longer feels like it's full of sadness.

Dexter has made some excellent progress since I last wrote, I am very proud of him!  We had a birthday party/game night for Ellis at the end of August - and despite the fact that there were 12 people in the house that he didn't know, playing board games and laughing, many who were in various degrees of intoxication, he handled it really well!  A couple of times he left the room and went someplace quiet, but otherwise he spent almost the whole night hanging out watching the action, taking tidbits of food from people, and generally being sociable!  I was so happy, because I was worried that it was going to be a tough night for him to deal with.  We have had many people come to visit in the last couple of months, and he has shown a huge improvement in how he interacts with them.  He doesn't bark nearly as much at new people now, he will come up and sniff them, and he takes treats from them right away.  It definitely helps that we have wonderful friends who are willing to help out :)

Dexter has also had several other dog visitors, and his dog skills have definitely improved as well!  We babysat our former foster dog, Penny, for a full day, and they hit it off perfectly!  They are both young, high energy dogs, who love to run, and boy did they have fun!  They ran laps around the yard, shared toys, and played in the pool.  And at the end of the day, Dexter was TIRED.  Really, really tired.  It was wonderful :)  He has also met my sister's two small terriers a few times now, and they get along very well too, despite her Boston's reactivity when meeting new dogs.  Dexter used to get quite anxious and stressed when new dogs would come over, but he has learned that it's fun to have doggy visitors, and he is much happier to welcome new dogs now.

We also have happy news on the housetraining front.  He hasn't had an accident in WEEKS!  I am very very happy about this, as I'm sure you can imagine.  Part of this is due to management - frequent breaks and confining him to our bedroom at night - but he's also starting to learn to ask when he wants to go out.  He still doesn't always ask, but he's getting there.  I'm just happy to have clean carpets!

We still can't touch him, but he has made so much progress in so many ways, we're really happy that he's learning to relax and enjoy life more.  He will very happily take food from anyone, and when I reach for him, he doesn't back away any more, he comes up and sniffs my fingers.  He will lay on the couch beside me, and he will stand beside me when I open the door to let him out, rather than hanging back and then darting past me.  He follows me everywhere and will often come and touch me with his nose, which I think is a big step! I have been spending a lot of time at dogma, learning from the trainers and asking them questions, and I have been getting some excellent ideas on how to occupy him, channel his energy, and work toward touching him eventually.  It's a journey :)

Have I mentioned that he loves Brody?

Bubble Wrap!

In the spirit of giving Bear many interesting things to do, to keep him busy, I gave him some bubble wrap.  I had to shoot a quick video of him with it, I thought it was just so cute the way he methodically went over it, popping it carefully with his front teeth!

Dealing With Change

Bear had a true test of his coping skills this past weekend.  We had to go out of town unexpectedly for a family funeral, so our friend Aaron came to stay with the pets.  I was pretty worried about how this might affect Bear, thinking the stress of the new situation might cause him to backslide and lose some of the progress he's made.  Aaron is a very nice guy though, and Bear has met him several times, so we decided to give it a try.  We thought it would be good to see how he reacted to the changes.

Well, it turned out that we worried for nothing, Bear did great!  He barked at Aaron at first, but settled down quickly.  He ate well, interacted with Aaron, and was really just his normal self.  He did have one accident (at least I think it was only one, but Aaron might have been covering for him!) and he chewed one of my crocs.  All in all, I think that's pretty good considering that he's an anxious dog who was left in a new situation unexpectedly!  Yay Bear!

We've been using a pheromone spray called Adaptil that helps with dogs' stress, and it really seems to be helping.  I spray it on the dog beds and couches a few times a day, and I've noticed a difference in Bear already - I started using it a week ago.  He's a lot less jumpy and doesn't seem to be 'on alert' so much.  I know that it could also be due to the work we've been doing with him, but I think it's a combination of the two.  Ellis' annual birthday BBQ and board games extravaganza is this weekend, and there will be a house full of unfamiliar people, so I'm glad the spray is helping him, I don't want him to be too stressed out.  A nice big knuckle bone out in the yard with his best buddy Brody will help a lot too, I'm sure :)

We're trying to come up with a new name to call him - Bear was cute when he was a fuzzy little puppy, but it just doesn't really suit him any more.  We've narrowed it down to a few ideas: Murray, Trevor or Nigel.  What do you think?

They're inseparable :)

Alone Time

I've been testing Bear to see how he does when I take the other dogs out and leave him behind.  He's not totally alone, the cats and Ellis are here, but he's so dog-oriented, I want to be sure he'll be ok.  I took Ollie and Brody to the park today, and left Bear home with Ellis.  I didn't load him up with kongs or puzzle toys, this was kind of a test.  I wanted to see how he would do, because until I can take him places, there will be times he will be left home alone - no way around it! 

Ellis said he did really well, no theatrics, no sadness, no chewing or anxiety.  He stayed near the door, but was quite calm, just waiting for them to come back.  We were gone for about 2.5 hours, so it was a good test!  In reality, normally I would leave him something to keep him busy, I don't really want him pining at the door, but I had to know what he would do.  He sure was happy to see them when we got home, he was dancing all over and wiggling like a lab puppy!  I'm kind of hoping that when he sees Ollie and Brody come home all wet and tired and smelling of the park, maybe he'll get motivated to let me touch him so he can come too :)

Bear's first month with us

So, it's been a little over a month since Bear came to live with us (I know, I know, I've been very bad about posting lately!), and he's really doing well!  He has become best friends with Brody - they play together, sleep side by side, run and wrestle and really just love each other!  I've never seen Brody this attached to a foster dog before, it's really nice to see :)

Buddies :)

Bear has relaxed a lot in the past month - he no longer guards his food or toys, he can play tug with Brody without it getting out of hand, and he is nice with the cats.  He does still have a bit of a tendency to herd or chase the cats, but it's all done in play, and they are usually only mildly annoyed by it!  We're still struggling a little with house training, but it's not his fault.  He knows he should go outside, and he does go to the door when he needs to go out, but if we don't see him, he'll have an accident.  I haven't figured out how to teach him to ask to go out yet - I would like to teach him to ring the bell, but it's a challenge to do it with a dog that I can't touch!

First time having bones together in the yard - Bear kept his distance from the other dogs!

Now they are happy to hang out and chew side by side :)

Speaking of touch, that is also getting better.  I've been working with the clicker, and doing a lot of hand feeding with him, which has helped a lot.  He will lick canned food off my finger now, and when I reach my hand out toward him he will usually come up and sniff, rather than backing off and looking afraid or barking at me.  If he is standing near me, I can reach down and lightly touch his back or tail, and he doesn't run away, although he does still jump.  He will also play with me now, I can play chase games with him in the house or yard, and he enjoys it and has fun, rather than running away and being afraid.  We still have a long way to go, but it feels like he has come so far in such a short time, and he keeps making progress every day. 

Relaxing on the deck - life is good!

And sometimes, when he's really lucky, Bear ends up with all the antlers!

One Week!

It's been a week since Bear moved into our house, and he's come so far already!  He has relaxed a lot and he's very friendy and playful with our dogs, especially Brody - he has a very cute wiggle when he gets excited, kind of like a lab puppy!  He's not reactive with the other animals at all any more, and the guarding has pretty much disappeared, so those were obviously stress-related.  He has even tried to play with me out in the yard - play bowing and jumping around - and when I play bowed him back, he was so excited that he went zooming around the yard! (I'm sure the neighbours thought I was crazy, because I was out there in my bathrobe!)  He is still a little cautious with the cats, but mostly curious and friendly.  He was getting very upset about being left alone, separated from the other dogs, when we had to go out, and he did some damage to the carpet trying to escape the gate, so we decided to try leaving him out.  He hasn't had an accident inside for a few days now, we give him free run of the house when we have to go out, and he has been much happier. (I do put the cats in a separate room when we aren't here, but he hasn't really given me reason to worry, I am just a wee bit paranoid until I'm absolutely sure it's ok)  There was an 'incident' involving a rice-filled microwave heating pad today, but I'm pretty sure it was an accident, I think he thought it was a toy.  He did an excellent job of covering every square inch of the main level of our house in rice, it must have been fun! 

He has become significantly more relaxed with us as well.  He'll go through the door when we open it without us having to move away from it.  He follows me all around the house, and will often lay within a couple of feet of me - I've even touched him lightly with my foot a couple of times!  I've been working on introducing him to the clicker, and he likes the idea - he's very smart, and I think he'll catch on fast!

Bear - 1, Rice Bag - 0

Baby Bear!

I have recently been in touch with Patty, the first foster home that Bear lived in when he was rescued as a puppy!  She emailed me some photos of him from that time, and gave me permission to share the adorable fuzzy cuteness on here!  Enjoy :)

His first day in the foster home

Venturing out of his kennel

Playtime! (I can't get over how much the brown dog looks like Brody!)

Now I see where he gets his love of pools!

There was a time when he enjoyed human contact - I love this photo!

He loved to be brushed, I'm looking forward to being able to brush him someday!

Progress!

So, we've had Bear here for 5 days now, and he's definitely starting to relax.  He has made friends with Brody and he follows him everywhere.  He's still a little unsure about Ollie, and because he has snapped at her a few times, she is kind of scared of him.  So there's some stress there, but it's definitely improving.  I'm going to a seminar on Multi-Dog Households on Friday at dogma so I'm hoping to get some pointers on easing that tension!

Bear is a lot more relaxed around the house now, he allows us to come a lot closer than before, and he's not nearly as jumpy.  He has tried to play with me, play bowing and jumping around, but when I start to play back he gets scared.  But it's a good start!  He has even started trying to mooch from us at dinnertime!  He's still wary of the cats, but he will walk by them now, and he tries to sniff them when they're not looking :)

He's sleeping in our bedroom now, usually as close to Brody as possible.  He definitely likes people, he wants to be with us and follows us around the house, but he also has a very strong fear of us.  Someday, he will come to trust us, I'm sure of it!  I'm really looking forward to the day when I can touch him, and someday even take him for a walk!

Hey, what's that?

I want it!

Got it!

Bear photos - Day 2

Enjoying a bone in the grass

He's still unsure about the other dogs - he wants to be friends though!

He looks much happier today :)

Hanging out on the couch - Note: I'm sitting at the other end, a big step for him!

Almost cudding with Brody!

Bear photos - Day 1

Relaxing with Brody

He was pretty nervous

Finally fell asleep :)

Foster Cats

Bear isn't our only foster, we're also fostering two cats.  They're brothers, a little over three years old, and we've had them with us since they were born.  They were adopted at one point, by a couple who adored them, but had to be returned due to severe allergies (the kind that put their mom in the hospital).  We originally named them Mal and Wash (from Firefly) and their adoptive home changed their names to Rocky and Jimbo.  We imagine that when they find their forever home, they will change their names again, so now we call them Red and Blue (the colour of their collars), just to keep it simple!  They love dogs, and wrestling, and they are a lot of fun!  Oh yeah, and they're very handsome :)

Bear

Bear is our newest foster dog.  He's a border collie cross, and we think he's approximately one and a half hears old.  Today is his second day living with us, and I decided I wanted to share our experiences with him, so I finally started a blog.  I will try my best to keep it updated, but I'm not very good at this sort of thing, I've never even kept a diary!  I'm hoping to make this a habit though, the animals we foster are pretty interesting, and I am looking forward to sharing their stories.

Bear has had a challenging life.  He was rescued in April 2011 as a feral puppy, about 3 months old.  He was full of porcupine quills and not used people at all.  The woman who fostered him did great work with him, and he learned to trust people and enjoy their company.  You can read more about Bear's early life, and see cute baby pictures here http://pooohbusters.blogspot.ca/2011/04/even-feral-dogs-deserve-chance.html  Bear was adopted into a home, where he lived for a few months, but it didn't last, and he was surrendered back to Pound Rescue.  We aren't sure what his experiences were like during that time, but he was not the same dog when he came back.  He was terrified of people, especially hands, and would not allow anyone to touch him.  Even moving him to his new foster home was a terrifying experience for him, he was traumatized by the car ride, the people handling him, and the leash.  He made a lot of progress in the next several months, his foster mom, Tiffany, is a dog trainer who uses gentle, reward based training, and she made a lot of progress toward teaching him to trust people again.  He will now take treats from people's hands, is quite happy to be around people, and will play with people and even give kisses sometimes.  He still won't let anyone touch him or put a leash on him, but we think he's getting close!

Bear's foster home recently found out that they're expecting their first baby, and they had to make a very difficult decision.  They love Bear, and want to keep working with him, but they didn't feel that he would adapt well to the chaos of living with a new baby.  They made the decision to move him to a new foster home, and since Tiffany and I use very similar training methods, she asked us to take him in.  We have a pretty quiet home, with no kids, and our dogs are laid back and easy going. My partner, Ellis, is somewhat of a fearful dog charmer too, so I'm hoping he can work his magic on Bear!  We visited him several times to get to know him and help to make his move to our home a little less scary, and this weekend he moved in!  He's adapting very well to the change, better than any of us had expected.  He's definitely showing some stress - he's had a few accidents in the house, he's kind of jumpy, and he's been a little inappropriate with our dogs - but it's already improving.  We've been doing everything we can to help him settle in, and I think it's working.  He's eating well, playing, and he's comfortable enough to sleep near us.  He's met the cats, and has been pretty well behaved with them - we're monitoring those meetings though, just to be safe.  He's even gotten up on the couch beside me a few times!  I've been feeding him from puzzle toys, to keep his brain busy and help reduce his stress, and that seems to help a lot.  He already seems to be enjoying our company, if we leave him alone he sits and waits for us to come back, and he occasionally tries to guard us from our dogs - we'll have to work on that!

Anyway, long post, I know.  I wanted to get his history on here though, I expect that my regular posts will be significantly shorter :)