We can do it....

Continuing the Education... all round!

This blog 'was' something I maintained in order to keep a journal of where the good, the bad, and the snugly took place. Sometimes we forget how far we have actually have come, but in the grand scheme of things, it never hurts to trace your footsteps in order to know where to move next.

Let's just say, the best of intentions are sometimes what guide us to do things that don't always turn out right. Last week we had been having a great time and amid the shining moments we had a dark spell. Beckett is not without his ability to surprise us by catching on to something very quickly. It shouldn't surprise me that he is so smart with catching on to new things. He looks to 'avoid' and in doing that, he recalls what he did right, and he repeats it. It is the 'old' things that he had experienced that I have the problems with.

Beckett and Darrin had another run-in last week. This time Darrin didn't sustain any blood letting results. He did however lose a nice leather glove and I for one, am glad it was the glove that took the brunt of the argument. Since this is his second occurrence with Darrin, we're going after some outside help on this issue. I've contact the WIN association and this week has been a series of e-mail between myself and the members.

There was some back and forth with WIN and as much as I respect their suggestions, I know what I need help with and what I am doing fine with. Because Beckett was quick to come to us, I don't think there was a great deal of 'examination' possible to figure out what he would or would not react to because of his past. My initial questions of what was it that Beckett had experienced still exist although I know he was turned over from a miller in Quebec. What I now strongly suspect is that he was extremely abused over the duration of his almost two years in that place.

He will not tolerate small spaces, being cornered , having anything put over his head, any approach from his right, a tug too 'urgent' on his lead, and almost never allows someone to walk on both sides of him. He curves his stomach up and to the right when he is near a stranger. It doesn't take a genius to figure out he had obviously put up a fight now and then and when he did... he was treated even more violently. It's obvious from his 'fright fight' stage that he goes into what would be a craze as if he were in a battle with another dog. Knowing this, I am keenly aware of when he may or may not have that reaction. I don't know how to over-lay better reactions but that is why I am on the hunt for research material on Dog Behaviours Modification Exercises. Darrin ordered "Bones would fall from the sky" but being impatient, I actually bought the on-line version and downloaded it. I'll keep it near so I can read at will.

As for Beckett's other 'things', he doing fairly well. he has nights where he still pees in the house so we try to keep him as empty as possible by taking him for runs as much as we can. He absolutely loves the car, and recently, chewing things in my car when left alone too long. Today, aside from turning the emergency blinkers on and off a lot, he discovered the emergency brake sticking up like a big chew toy. Oh well, this will have to be my beater car I keep until I have it towed away as a junk car!

My grandchild Isabelle came to stay with us this weekend and with the recent issue with Darrin, it meant constant supervision of Beckett around her and her constant education on what was okay to do and what wasn't. The big surprise was how friendly Beckett became while Isabelle was in the house. In this mini video you can see, he just jumped up and snuggles in next to us. Isabelle and I were watching a movie and he decided he wanted in on it too I guess. The same thing in the car. Beckett just gets right up there with us and starts licking our ears.. first mine, then her's.

There he sits, surrounded by the toys he finds enjoyable. His favorite, a fuzzy beehive that has three fuzzy squeaking bees that he can pull out and chew on. He LOVES this toy and having us restuff the bees back into it so he can pull it out. I think he is trying to improve upon his time so he can make the "Bee Extraction" games at the doggy Olympics.