yoyo week!

This week is the first week without any Drama taking place with Beckett. No dogs flying in from above, no dogs jumping out of back yards at us (I know.. the week isn't over yet) and no operations. So, why can't our little dog enjoy the calm everyday life he's got? Hmmm?

He did well last weekend with his first 'play date' with Lochie and he has another date for tomorrow. I hope the snow storm turns out to be more rain but we'll deal with whatever hits us. Beckett votes for snow. He's used to climbing up on the snow banks to do his business and where they've removed them he sort of stands there looking at me like I'm the one who stole his potty place!

In the house, Beckett continues to be a pain in the butt! LOL. It doesn't seem to matter how many times you gently spend time petting him and cooing him at the same time, he still launches himself away the first chance he gets. Sigh... feeling the rejection has taken us both down a few times but we just try to focus on his needs... constantly. We do allow ourselves the honest reaction of 'this is an ungrateful dog!' just to allow it to purge from our system. LOL.. then we go on. It's not dissimilar to how I felt with my children as they reached their teens! Only with this guy, I don't have to look forward to University costs.

There continue to be good days followed by bad days but I am seriously looking at 'borrowing' someones trained dog for a week or two just so Beckett can see how he can interrelate with us. Right now, he's not getting it. Not at all! My biggest issue is that this guy has NO idea how to play. He has no natural 'play' left in him for things. He chews, eats and stares... but no play.

He has begun this weird Crow thing too. He will go down stairs through the evenings after we go to bed and will, one-by-one, retrieve our gloves and hats from the foyer and bring them up and set them around his blanket. He doesn't chew them, he just... collects them. I now block him off from going down the stairs because the travel trips keep me awake. This morning I found the remote from the bedroom TV next to his blanket. Now I'll have to put that up too. It's like having a 2 year old baby as well. LOL

There is now an issue with going around the corner of our block where our house is located. He just goes wild as he nears the corner and will end up pulling hard while backing his body away. I did try the normal technique of 'jigging' to show that he's at the end of his leash (and I am at the end of mine) but it only creates a major anxiety attach and he goes into a frenzy and basically almost turns himself inside out and into a ball. It's quite upsetting to not have a remedy for this. I now do NOT go to the corner. Instead I cross the street, walk up past this point then cross over and head back down to the destination. It's avoidance and not healthy because he is conditioning himself to react badly and he'll get away with it. If he persists, I'll check with the vet to see if he needs to be medicated to take this edge off or if he should be medicated. I'm torn on it. I would rather have him advance without that type of influence but if he is hardwired to panic, maybe removing that 'panic' button for a spell will help create new reaction paths... sigh.. I'm ready to try any means of training to help him have a better quality of life. I can not avoid doing things and he does need to progress or everything we have worked to achieve will slide to the side. I believe it has to be a constant. LOL even his potty path is preset. Gawd help you if you deviate.

Today we went to the cottage. It's the first time Beckett was in the cottage and he did fine. Darrin walked him from room to room as I put out more bird feed. Now that we have had him there, I can't wait for May to roll along and we have things set up. The plan is to allow Beckett the house, the screened in patio space and then a run outside the patio as well. There is also a plan for an invisible fence just in case Beckett makes a run for it some day.

We did take photos of Beckett becoming friends with the three dogs at his Darrin's mom's place. It's important that they get along because we visit there quite a bit when we're at the cottage. The two Schitzus, golden lab, and Beckett were all playing. Beckett was even going all out with the lab, Chance. He was bounding off the top of snow piles and on to the top of Chance's back.

Cold as it was, we spent a lot of time outside just to allow Beckett all the time he needed in order to get comfortable.

As I mentioned before, Beckett is great in the car and gets in and out without any issues at all. He actually reached up and licked my neck today, then again tonight while doing some sit-ups on the living room floor.

As I have stated before.. I'll take this for the time that it lasts and try to remember it when it goes off the rails again.