Doggy Threapy now under way

As it stands, Abby is becoming more "ours" every day. She just turns herself inside out to greet us at the end of our workday as we arrive home. Beckett isn't so involved but he's there at the gate in his own way saying hello. With Abby we can open the gate and allow her to run a bit around us to burn off some of that excitement. Beckett... well, he's not there yet either.

It has been a few weeks now and we are settling into a pattern with the dogs. Beckett still reacts quite oddly when we are out for a walk with the two of them. He still is honestly afraid of her and will get behind me in order to avoid Abby's advancements to play. These would be the same advancements that they just mutually displayed while playing on the back deck.

Abby is indeed more aggessive in her manner and while this isn't an issue for their interaction outside on the deck and their run, it is when they are in our presence.

On the training front, Abby is getting conditioned to be brushed and Beckett is being introduced to it as well. I may have to advance his involvement by keeping him on a leash while attempting to brush down his back. He will allow me to extend my hand and brush his chest.... key here is 'extend' myself. He won't come too near yet.

We have accepted that Abby will indeed take a spell to train and are taking the necessary precautions. We have installed a baby gate at the top of the stairs, we keep all doors closed when we are not in the room and nothing is allowed to be kept near the edge of the cupboard! She's tall when she stands on her back legs, even gets higher when she has a nearby chair to launch herself from too!

Some training with both dogs is meant to have them recognize not only the commands, but to recognize their names when being called out. One of these times Beckett will sit too in order to get a treat. Abby already has 'sit' and 'down' pretty much mastered, it's getting her to do it when she doesn't want to that is the trick.

Many things in the house now have the mark of Abby's presence. My rubber boots were the latest on a long list of items. Beckett used to just take them and store them near his bed. Abby wants a piece of everything. As Darrin pointed out this morning, Abby is still much further ahead of where his Jack was as a dog and was left at home. Apparently wall trim was not off limits!

Devil dogs go wild... news at 11!!

I wish Darrin had taken pictures of what he found when he arrived home early yesterday, but I'll do my best to set the scene.

On day 3 of our new dog's inclusion into our family, Abby the 7 month old Wheaten who had arrived safe and sound, had begun to show her ture abilities.

So this is how it went down. I had two voicemail messages on my cell phone, b0th from Darrin asking me to call him. His voice was fairly low and the words were hinged to an unmentioned secondary message that you just knew was lingering out there. If this had been a telegraph back in the 40's I would have opted to not open it. Since it was Darrin and I was going to find out as soon as I got home anyway, I decided to call and take the impending news and let it lessen in it's impact like waves do on a shore line!

As it turns out, Darrin was greeted by the two horses in the yard as he drove into the property. Lucky for us our yard is positioned within what was an old grazing field so it's pretty much a lawn within a field surrounded by a tree hedge anyway.

Then as he went into the house his eyes surveyed what was 'doggy gone wild' day! Both Beckett and Abby had managed to get through the wire corral we put up that morning. Nothing was out of bounds for these two apparently. Based on the damage we are assigning blame in the following manner.. top of the line headset destroyed = Beckett (past record works against him), pillows everywhere = both dogs, laundry hauled downstairs= Beckett but we're sure Abby helped lessen the load, poop up stairs = Abby (was not really aware of the 'no poop' zone by that time), Poop downstairs = see previous Abby note, all chewed footwear = Abby (Beckett is a hoarder but doesn't chew), pee downstairs = Beckett/Abby and power pack from Darrin's laptop in the hall = Beckett (past record from having destroyed mine is working against him).

All in all, counting my two hearing aids, Beckett is up to nearly 6000 since we got him and Abby is really only a couple of hundred at this point but she's still just starting out.
I don't know why I'm not more in the mood to skin them alive but maybe it has to do with my awareness that Abby is 7 months old and truly will not be given sentencing for being BAD until she is two and has been trained better. Beckett, well, we're not sure really what goes on in his little head.
Beckett has shown the most peculiar reaction to Abby. We thought for sure he'd be all over her like white on rice from the very moment he spotted her. It hasn't been that way. He acts like she is going to hurt him and runs away, physically will run away if she advances at him in a playful mode. He spent the first evening (raining and windy) mostly out on the deck. The next day when we left them at home, I thought for sure one was going to come out of it with a battle scar as they worked out the who's who of the house. When we left I had set up the motion sensor to record movements on my laptop.

That night we were blown away by the play these two engaged in all day long. From the time we left to the time we got back. They must have been exhausted by the time we got home.

It's late now so I'll wrap this up. I doubt if this is the end of my on-going stories but it's enough for now.

Abby is the new family member

It has happened. We finally have a companion dog for Beckett. In reality, we always wanted two dogs and believe it or not Beckett was SUPPOSED to be the adult dog that we adopted to help ease the life of a puppy we intended to purchase this coming fall.

Oh my a person's life can take a quick turn in a moment's notice!

Beckett is the dog that needs the companion in order to advance and now Abby, the 7 month old, is going to show him how to play and trust people through example.... we hope!



We have been checking out dogs for the last 3 months and one after another just wasn't what we wanted or wasn't suitable for Beckett. Then Abby came on the scene just as we were giving up hope on finding one before the summer was over. Initially her owners wanted to give her up but then changed their minds just before Abby was to be picked up. That was a heartbreak for us since we had our hopes wrapped around her coming to us. The fact of the matter was that you couldn't fault the owners because she was still in a loving home in spite of what put her on the adoption list to begin with.
We did get her.. this video is Abby and Beckett on day one of being left alone in the day area. They have a ton of space (although we have plans to expand out on to the field next year) to romp and play without having too much possibility for destructon. I know I'll end up eating those words.

I'll post more pictures and stories as the days ahead unfold. For now it is good enough to know that they are a good match and we hope to have them both for a very very long time.

Keep checking in.....

Dog days...

This is Beckett going through his "touch" command exercises as a means of him advancing to a human for a purpose. It lessens the fear and anxiety of a moment if he can focus on something to do when nervous.

Before I get into this too much, I just want to say to those that read this, it is MY mind in here, not a platform for social acceptance reviews or such. It is what it is, and a true snapshot at any given moment in our experience with Beckett.

We are in the midst of trying to adopt another dog, but this one is not a Miller dog. I couldn't deal with two. I have this one project thank you very much and I don't know how I've made it this far some days! Both Darrin and I have always thought two dogs were necessary in our house and for that reason, plus Beckett really needs a companion, we're working hard to find the perfect second dog. Abby is presently being 'sought' for us but her adoption fell through a week ago so we're not going to count our chickens until they hatch, as they say. She apparently is once again going to be given up. We'll see...

You know, my life with Beckett has become sort of a win-whine setup. LOL He had made me realize how awful a lot of dogs have it, and for the most part for entirely preventable reasons. I use the word "awful" but it doesn't even begin to describe what he must have gone through. It is bad enough when dogs become victims of the human condition such as economic or physical hardship but with the millers, the situation is entirely preventable. Maybe if I explain OUR personal journey with Beckett others may understand why I am going to these lengths when a lot of our friends think we're insane to continue to put so much into a dog.

Our little guy has had his entire life flipped upside down from the start and now he has to work more than most people will ever know just in order to be 'almost' normal. I can say he now knows what 'happy' is because of the processes we have undertaken and the pure stubbornness of myself and Darrin to not give up. (gawd knows there are days I wonder how I will get through it... I'll explain that in a moment)

Just as you would expect a human to never be the same after being caged from birth, you honestly can't expect an abused miller dog to ever be normal. We will never be able to trust Beckett to just run and play freely without precautions. I could be wrong, but I won't set my sights on that. I am truly hoping that he gets over his fear biting once he has had a companion dog in the family for a spell, and he will want to be handled just from seeing the other dog enjoying it.

Before we go to bed, we still block off the kitchen area because, for some reason, Beckett will still pee on one of the corners. We put everything up high as if he were a two year old child because Beckett still roams at night and gets into things when left open. This is a miller experience condition as I understand it, since it was the time the dogs were without the threat of humans. Anything with our smell on it is considered fair game because, although he doesn't want to cuddle with us, our belongings are fair game! We are weaning him off his 'meds' now because he has gone past the constant bio-release response when he's scared around us. We gush at the gentle lick of his tongue on our foreheads when we kneel before him like he was royalty, we laugh at the goofy dodge game he plays while never actually touching us while out for a walk, and we name things we do so he isn't startled. He knows what a "patcha" is when we want to stroke his coat at arm's length a "paw" when we need to touch or untangle his leg, and what "ear" is when one gets stuck over on it's side and is driving me nuts. I never had to "think" so much when trying to live with a dog.

Here is a perfect example of how your reactions get tested when dealing with an extreme case of "Miller dog" in your home. Last night Beckett began to howl at about 1:15 am. I thought he was having a bad dream so I got up went to the top of the stairs and called down to him saying "it's all right.. go night night" then went back to bed. An hour later he began to howl again and I knew it wasn't a dream this time. There must have been coyotes out on the back property so I went down stairs and slept on the sofa so he'd settle down and sleep on his bed. Near dawn I went back to my bed only to be awoken by Beckett licking my hand that hung over the side of the bed. I remember thinking "awww... that is sweet. It's the first time he came into the bedroom and he's licking me.. how great is that" .. then reality set in. I realized that Beckett had come into our room as part of his boredom from roaming again. This time, he had taken both of my very expensive hearing aids and chewed them into tiny pieces! In my mind I'm seeing dollar signs and a total loss of ability to work until they get replaced. My job is in sales and if I can't talk on the phone, I am lost!

Normally I would have lept out of bed and freaked out. Instead I instantly realized there was nothing I could do at the moment and therefore just shoved the rising anger and frustration back inside as I gently slid out of bed and spoke to him in the "sweet" tone. There you have it. One second your world is fluffy and sweet with the thought of the dog having reached another level of comfort around you and the next second, the horror finding out that you've lost 3500 worth of vital electronic merchandse. I remember days long ago when my dogs just 'were' and they wrapped their lives around ME! LOL

Sophie wasn't a good fit in OUR home

Introducing Sophie...
Sophie is a 10 year old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. This past weekened we drove down to Maine to see if there was a personality fit with her to Beckett.

All indicators were that she was a lovable (and she was) friendly dog (to humans) and potentially would be a good fit with Beckett (which she wasn't).


We left PEI around 6 in the evening on Friday and headed to Woodstock for the night. Beckett came along as he was the final test for her suitablility. Like all good things, sometimes they just aren't as perfect a fit as you would like them to be.

Beckett was a pro at the travel end of things. He was quiet, got in and out of the car easily, peed when we needed him to, and was perfect in the motel room for the night. He was a little apprehensive in what to do as Darrin and I were unpacking our bags for the evening and settling in. After we crawled into bed and started watching TV, Beckett even jumped up on the bed to mooch some chips from us.
There wasn't any barking, any mishaps of the bio type at all! Even when we had pit stops, Beckett was great.

On the Sophie front, she was indeed a sweet dog and you wouldn't know at all that she was 10 years old. Her good breeding and health records show in her appearance. She came out of her kennel and licked our faces and was pretty good about not jumping up in all her excitement. No barking impressed me right off the batt.

The unfortunate event was when she and Beckett were introduced. She wasn't crazy about him and when he tried his "play with me, I'm cute" routine, she snapped at him to ward him off. It was the first sign that it wasn't going to be a good fit. We walked them down a wooded lane with Julie the kennel owner to see if there would be a better way of letting them get to know each other. The lunging wasn't there again but there was the prep for snapping at Beckett and then the total "ignore" move. We had seen it before when we had Phoenix and Hef put together. At first Hef snapped at Phoenix and afte a while it just turned into a case of 'i'll put up with you but I won't be your friend' situation.

Both Darrin and I had heavy hearts in making that decision and recognized that if we were there making a decision on picking up one dog, that being Beckett or Sophie based purely on our meeting, Sophie would have been the one to come home with us. We have so much time, heart and yes, money invested in Beckett now, that getting a dog that isn't going to be his 'buddy' would only freeze his behaviour training.

On the way home we did a lot of heart to heart talk on if we did the right thing, only to decide each time that, yes, we had but that it didn't make it any easier or help our sense of guilt.

Julie, the kennel owner that opened her heart to taking Sophie in, is having to struggle with not having the kennel free for summer boarders which is her business so Sophie's stay isn't without an influence on Julie's life.

We did decide to try and get Sophie into the Wheaten's rescue organization called WIN (Wheatens In Need) so I've sent off all of my info to both Julie and to Gwen (person who runs WIN) in the hope that the link would create a much better chance for Sophie to find her forever home.

Beckett July 23 2011 a new boy

I know I continue to post advances with Beckett and try to only show the positive steps but that is because I believe that more positive is better than approaching it from the negative. When dealing with a Mill suvivor like Beckett, it can be too easy to identify on the areas that he isn't progressing and lose site of where it is going well.
At this point, there is very little progress on the 'inside' training because Beckett is stalled due to his fear of physically interacting. He seems to do everything BUT physically interact and the things that go along with it.
On the outside of the house or in areas where there are no walls and a fear of being cornered, Beckett is a different dog. He still isn't actually physical but he tries. In this video you can see him playing and enjoying being one of the pack. He doesn't participate in the human interaction but does with the dog-to-dog play. As long as the 'human' is still in the picture, it's a good thing.
This is taken while we had house guests. Mark and Alfie are playing down near the horses and Beckett just had to join in.
As you can see, Beckett is having fun. There is a carefree attitude in his manner, his interaction and he just goes for it. This is where I would like him to end up being without the constant fear as he has when in the house. I guess while he is hanging his face out the car window he doesn't fear too much either. lol
Tonight, July 29th, we head to Maine to see about a 10 year old female that needs a home and looks to be a possible companion dog for Beckett. If it works out, that is great and we can hope to see some improvements.... if possible.

New Dog in the house.. oh yeah.. he brought people too!

Training takes time, patience, luck, and a whole lot of patience...oh yeah, said patience once already... but the statement still stands! On the training, it helps if you can take off from the last positive item for both you and the dog. In my case, our dog is much better outside than inside when it comes to confidence so I expanded on his 'outside' training since it advance at a much faster rate and the success was repeated more readily when asked to do the same thing again.

This week we had company. Company with a DOG!! It was the perfect situation for us. Extra people in the house and a dog to go along with it. Alfy became a steadfast friend of Beckett's and before long it was expected that you'd see one and the other within eyeshot.Beckett is an easy dog to deal with regardless but in this case they even ate out of the same bowl together and it was a good thing, not a competitive thing as I have seen take place in other situations from past dogs I had owned.

It must be the full moon...

I noticed the moon was fairly full last evening. That must be what is creating a bit of an oddity in things around the house. Beckett has peed in the house the last two nights after having a run of a couple of weeks without any accidents. I had not changed any of my routines so he should be good going forward. In the past we wouldn't have done anything except try and be ahead of him, reduce his water intake and pray. It sort of worked but I'm not sure which was the successful component so we did all three! The horses are even acting up. I thought for sure the mare, Jane, was going to cause damage yesterday when the farrier was here to work on their feet. She was a pain in the butt and quite aggressive. Something she really hadn't shown before. I'll have to watch her more closely.





For the first time since Beckett joined us he has actually wagged his tail when asked if he wants to go for a walk. It only happened a couple of times but it's the first step to being happy in our activities. Normally it takes the presence of another dog to even budge his tail. We still have a split personality dog. Inside, insecure, fearful, nervous, no confidence.... outside, happy dog, smile on his face, playful.. but still NO TOUCHIE!! LOL





I've altered some of his training to be more exact with my wording. The little guy is good at working toward the training goals. He now comes to me when given the command to heel (before he'd stay put until I neared and then would heel...all of this is while on an extension lead of course). He plays a mean game of touch both inside and outside. He will touch someone's hand if I touch it first and tell him to "touch". That's a biggie!


I've now begun working with his collar and calling it 'collar' when i fiddle with it. For a dog who didn't like being touched at all, he's doing okay with this part. He will heel on my right (i'd rather my left but it sort of came with him so i didn't want to make him uncomfortable) around objects such as trees and lawn fixtures. My hope is to someday have him jumping over things. I'll have to get a set of equipment to leave in the yard. He needs to be used to the objects first then he is okay about it.


The down side is that he still growls and cowers in the house when there is activity more than I expect and expecially when we arrive home. He truly hates being left alone and is showing his dislike of it when we leave in the morning. He has lots of space to roam around in and different sections to utilize.. but very little stimulation on his own. We'll have to switch out some of his toys again and maybe hang some from the ceiling for him to jump at... something to keep his mind busy.

It's time for another entry. The days are nice and long and there seems to be less of a hurry in the days when all is said and done. Maybe it's just me but I find this time of year the best for getting things done but yet having those sweet moments of relaxation along the way.

The cottage life seems to be agreeing with Beckett as well. His aim each day now is to get out for walks with us. There is just and excitement in his actions and a sense of Happy on his face when he's out walking around the property with us. We even have a neighbour's dog up at the end of our long lane. Shadow is a dog about Beckett's size but black and he seems to get along well with Beckett. I know when we're going for a walk, Shadow's house is the main focus and then once they've had their play time, Beckett is happy to walk back home with a little more life in his step.

Each morning and night I also make it a habit to take Beckett with me when I feed the horses their grain. He seems to be shy around them but always happy to see them at the same time.

Dewy didn't work out, but there is another with Sophie's place in Montreal. A four year old dog. Apparently it is great with other dogs, but had to have an operation and now needs a specific diet. If that is it for special care, then it is a possible companion for Beckett. If not, then there is a young female dog in NS that is not a rescue and a possibility. Either way, I have to get another dog in here soon so as to have a very sound understanding if Beckett is every going to be the type of dog that can be handled. We all love the advancements he's made and to be truthful, I didn't think I'd make it this far with him. Both Darrin and I are constantly keeping each other in check with Beckett and working him with identical methods, words, and praise. That may be the reason he has advanced to this stage. Now the most important step and it's one that he will either do or not, but it will only be with another dog around to show him. That is to actully want to be touched. Right now, he will allow you to touch him but with a great deal of anxiety and fear. As a household with a lot going on, having to put it all on hold until now has been much more than we thought. I was expecting a dog that would love to romp and play and go for long walks on the beach and through the back woods. Instead we have a dog that is afraid of anyone but us, will not go out the door if there is something there he hadn't seen the last time he was out, and will not allow you to walk up to him standing up. It's always in an kneeling position that you interact with Beckett.

On the up side, he's great in the car, loves other dogs, heels like a pro ... almost, comes when you call him, doesn't chew things.. just collects them and he is a big happy puppy whenever there is another dog around. His training has been completely hands off but now he needs to go to the next stage and allow us to handle him. The comman Sit, is not even near a possibility.

Dewy was ooooh so close to joining us

Well, you can't say we aren't trying everything in our power to bring Beckett that much closer to his 'true self'. Over a couple of days we went back and forth with a connection through WIN and the Greyhound rescue organization. They have Dewy, who looks to be a sweet, but shy boy.


Unfortunately amid our lamenting over the dog being the ONE, how we'd get him here, how would we know this is the right fit, etc. there was a decision that Dewy himself wouldn't travel well and there was the issue of him possibly having experienced abuse during his foster home shuffle that would have made it bad for him to even get here.


So, now I find myself going to petfinder to see if I can locate another Wheaten. I have one I'm checking out now in Montreal so we'll see how that pans out. Most importantly, I'm sure as hell not going to purchase one from an "on line kennel" aka possible Miller location. After Beckett, I'm even more convinced that millers need to be regulated. Fine, you want to start breeding dogs that you love, then do like everyone else and show you have the ability to do more than have a female dog get pregnant! People like Brenda and other responsible breeders work hard to give a quality of life to their dogs before considering the ability to make a profit from them.


Now that I have a case in hand, dogs that are 'turned over' to rescue services from Miller should be charged for abuse and through the act of handing over their non-saleable dogs, they are admitting guilt. I'm sounding like a protester but in reality people end up with dogs like Beckett and don't have the resources or the experience that we have.


Even for us, it is a full-time job and we still don't know how we've made it this far with him! Just pure luck and trial and error and the support of our circle of friends have helped us not cash in and call it quits. I can see how these dogs would just end up in a negative spiral and eventually be destroyed after living through a continued series of abuse and mishandling.

Hairless summer...

We have another few weeks under our belt now. We moved out to the cottage at the first of May and here it is the first of June already. My how time flies when you're working day and night and not getting any sleep!

Although the move to the cottage was supposed to be smooth this year, there were a few hiccups along the way to make it less than .... smooth. First was my issue with having to prepare two apartments for renting at the same time that we were trying to open the cottage and build the extension on to the house for Beckett's space. Aside from that was my need to get the horse shelter completed before I could accept the foster horses on the property. All this was delayed due to two solid weeks of wet weather. It was either raining mildly but still now allowing us to work on the grounds, or it was a downpour which made for a very interesting time getting through the mud and into the cottage.

The moving, the construction, the weather, and the lack of 'outside' time added to Beckett's setback after getting his fur cut back for the summer period. Beckett wasn't too crazy about the cottage anyway for a few reasons, or so we deduced after a spell. He didn't like not having a large open space with alternate routes of escape as he had in the apartment. He didn't like that we were able to come in the house from three directions rather than the one. He didn't like the fenced in area we built for him... regardless of the Island stone work! Most of all, he did not do well with us being away for the whole day rather than coming home every couple of hours to walk him. That on it's own seems to have set him back to week 2 or 3 with his fear of us. (It may also be his haircut... really liked him with more fur so maybe he thinks the same way LOL)

I wish I had video'd his physcial reaction about 2 weeks ago. He would run to his blanket and growl at us while physically shaking like a 4 year old who just came out of the cold ocean from swimming. He shook uncontrollabley. I don't know if it was his medication finally kicking in or if it has been the constant work we are doing with him but he seems LESS scared for less of a period but he is still in that realm.

June 13, 2011

This last weekend has confirmed that we do have a dog in need of a role model. I've seen him with other dogs and it is during these times that his true personality comes out and he is a Wheaten indeed. He romps, rolls, wags his tail, smiles and just plane enjoys his life. The problem is that he sustains this for the period that he is playing and for about a 1/2 hour after, then he shrinks back to his defensive mode and will not venture out again.

Our trainer , who has experience with puppy mill survivors, has recognized that Beckett is an extreme case of social issues with humans. She brought out her two dogs to see how Beckett interacted with them and she was completely surprised at the different dog that Beckett becomes with playmates. Like all of his other playmates, he tends to tire them out. It's going to take another Wheaten to match him and lead him onward.

I've taken it upon myself to investigate two different Wheaten organizations to see if there is a possible adoption of a role model dog that is more mature than Beckett is. I've also spoken with our breeder, or rather, potential supplier of a puppy, and she is going to check with her contacts for perhaps a mature dog that is being returned for no other reason than the people can not keep it for personal reasons. Not Personality reasons! LOL The dog also has to be okay around children because I do have my 7 year old grandaughter visiting now and then. Hyper we can deal with, aggressive toward children, not a possibility.

The horses are now in the pasture, the kennel in all it's glory is complete, the porch is screened in and for us, the summer has begun.

Spring into 2011

Hair makes ALL the difference!

I think Beckett suffers from a bad case of vanity. Although we've been trying to do a number of things at once in our lives, we have had to work everything around how it would influence Beckett's routine. It seems odd but in a lot of ways, a child was much easier to accommodate. In Beckett's case, he is so sensitive about his whole surroundings that nothing is considered 'normal' to him. It's just a case of feeling someone less threatened.

As you can see here, the dog kennel is connected to the screened in covered porch, which is in turn connected to the doggy door we purchased especially for Beckett knowing he was may be cold if left outside. Once inside the patio door, we have a dog fence setup that allows Beckett to nestle on his pillow beside the fireplace.

Before we moved to the cottage there was a lot of back and forth to get the cottage ready. There were also those days of 'repairs' that had to take place before we could move in. Winter's cold played against our piping system and a few had to be repaired along with a new dishwasher installed. All this while the patio/kennel was being constructed!

In the midst of this, we knew Beckett had to get his coat cut short because of the 'clean' problems he was beginning to experience and we were unable to help clean him. Then there was the issue of the mud that would be experienced in the country. As you can see from the photos, Beckett was not amused by the outcome.

In reality, we had to take him to the vet's to be clipped because we knew a regular groomer wouldn't be able to deal with his fears. Hell, we can hardly deal with his fears!

Anyway, we dropped him off in the morning, he was sedated and then groomed. Apparently he wasn't too bad with the clipping part but even under sedation, he freaked out as they tried to put him in a tub for a bath. It was nice of them to clip him but in all reality, he didn't need to be put in a bath if he didn't want to go. Needless to say, this has taken him back to almost step one.

We came home last evening to a major mess. Beckett has realized he has the ability to jump up and get things off the table. I've lost all of my invoices for the construction I've done so therefore my tax deductions for this year. Darrin's cell phone was chewed up but somehow still works. Today I've put the web cam on and set it on motion detection. I do have one of him from the first day he was left alone all day. He spent the day playing with his toys and digging up dirt in his kennel.. all looking like he was having fun. Now I suspect he is having anxiety issues. I am stopping up at the vet's today to get his medication. I'm finding my patience is growing short and it takes all my strength to just leave the room calmly so Darrin can deal with Beckett from time to time.

This weekend we have friends showing up for the weekend with their two playful dogs. I am hoping that seeing these dogs playing with us will remove some of the fear that has crept back into Beckett's attitude.

It is also getting to be a major drag with the rain having been ongoing for two weeks straight and trying to get the horse's shelter constructed in the mud every weekend and in the evenings. My time for their arrival is almost upon me too. Beckett will have to stay in a 'hold' pattern for a few days while I divert my attention to this need. It may also provide me with the break from him that I need at the moment. I wonder how many other adoptive homes experience what we're going through or if this little guy is unique in his situation. I do wish I knew what was done to him so I could counteract or at least not provoke reactions.

Dog's Happy button has been located!!

If you're still reading this Garin, I wanted to let you know that Beckett has found his "Happy" button finally. Well, considering it takes up to 18 months to detoxify puppymill rescue dogs apparently, Beckett has moved ahead for some reason and I am not going to bother taking the credit for any one thing having done it. I think he finally clued in after months of us working with him.

His trainer, Kim who is with http://courteous-canine.com/ is helping us to help him through consistency and appropriate behaviour training. Clicker training is now underway because both Darrin and I need to uniformly create a bond with Beckett. At this point, Beckett is more playful with me than with Darrin. I attribute it to more romping and running which is more my style as well as Beckett's temperament. Darrin and run because of an old heel injury from track-n-field as a kid. I've been lucky to incorporate Beckett's need to dart here and there into a game of chase. At first I had him chase me or run along side and then past me. Now I have it going both ways. We'll start our walk (run) by me getting in a semi-crouched position parallel to him (looks like I'm ready to start a marathon race) and saying 1-2- and...... 3. As I'm saying this I am slowly moving my body forward in preparation for launching myself forward. As I bolt at '3' Beckett too bolts and runs along side. If I turn, he turns too. Shortly after a few of these warm-ups I'm somewhat playing chase or tag with him. It's good for the cardio I'll tell you. LOL

I'm going to try and get a small video of Beckett being a racing dog one of these days.

It is the change in season for us which means the migration to the cottage for the 'warmer' season. Warmer is relative I'll tell ya! Plus 4 is NOT warm. I think of it in terms of Canadian geese flying home when it's still freezing out and enjoying the arrival of the warmth. I do the same only I sit very near our wood stove in the living room watching tv and working on my laptop until I can go out on the patio and enjoy the weather. LOL

This year our construction project has turned out to revolve around.. yes.. .you got it... Beckett. Beckett needs space to feel free but still be contained. That is no small feat. We have decided to take the corner of the house outside the patio doors and transform it into an attached kennel. He will still have the warmth and sofa of the inside but also the ability to romp out in the sun's rays. This is our screened in private place which will forever be transformed into Beckett's playground. This is the screened in section and will have a doggy door out to and outdoor area which I believe is 10 x 12 or 14. There is also a new doggy door we purchased which is made of glass .

As far as I am concerned, anything that allows Beckett to be okay through the day is all that matters. He is making great strides in his 'okayness' with us and I don't want to set him back unnecessarily. Some things happen and then are things you can avoid having happen. Giving Beckett space is something we can help with in the country. Between Beckett and the horses that will be arriving at the cottage at the end of May, we'll have a full list of experiences this summer. Beckett already enjoys the horses from our little exposure at the farm this year so I'm not too concerned. I wonder if he'll enjoy our walks through the fields with the horses?
Today, as I was getting to the last of the work of preparation for moving to the cottage, Darrin and Beckett came back in from the cottage to visit and bring me breakfast.
After a nice spell with the two of them, I decided to go to down to the second floor level and work on the apartment again. As I was working away I heard Darrin say, "okay, let's go" which, to Beckett means that we're going for a walk. The just as I heard this I remembered that we had left the street level door open to allow the cleaner to come and go as I did my work. The next thing I know I see a fuzzy blur scram past the doorway of the second floor apartment and my heart raced as I realized the street door was open. Darrin too clued in and he was heading down from the third floor at high speed. As I ran down the stairs I was hoping I'd at least catch a glimpse of Beckett before he rounded the block corner so I'd at least know which way he was running.
As I reached the street level door, I halted and pretended to calmly walk out the front door. Low and behold, there was Beckett standing beside my car which was parked alongside the apartment house. I went out, telling him he was a "good Beckett" all the while, and I asked if he wanted to go in the car, in my 'car voice'.. I opened the back door of the car and gave the command for getting in. He came up, rounded the door and jumped into the back seat as though I was not an issue at all. Then as I praised him for coming through the open window I turned to see Darrin sitting in the hallway on the lower steps with the same look on his fast that I had in my heart... Thank Gawd that dog did not bolt away. He was happy going in the car and had no fear of us. I think we're rounding the corner.

Tonight, I'm hooked on to the Internet through my new phone (technology is getting too amazing) out at the cottage. Beckett is asleep next to the wood stove on his blanket with his squeaky toy laying next to him. Darrin is asleep upstairs already and I'm just waiting for that 11:30 'walk' time to keep Beckett on his schedule.

I'll start another journal entry tomorrow on Beckett's cottage life. We have big things happening and this guy is catching on quickly. He still isn't cuddling like most dogs do, but he is on his way to being a happy dog at least. So much now for him to become familiar with all over again. So far.. so good. Wish us all luck!

Dog training continues

Right now, there is calm in the house.
Although Beckett has had a very hectic day and many new experiences, he seems to rebound much more quickly now than he had in the past.
We went to the cottage to get some work done on Beckett's new kennel before we move out next weekend, plus open up the cottage in preparation. Next weekend will be far to busy for me to do anything at the cottage except land there on Saturday night and pass out.
Unfortunately Beckett wasn't too keen on the new property still. That, with being tied nearby as we worked on the sandstone retaining wall, did not make him much more pleased to dance around us as we moved stones. Lucky for us Darrin's dad came down to see the progress we were making. With him came Chance their Golden Lab. Chance enjoys seeing Beckett but in small quantities. Beckett on the other hand just goes crazy with

Fives steps forward and only one back....

I know it sounds funny but in all honesty, it's difficult to maintain the energy that this little guy has! I think it's because he sleeps all day while we're at work and waits until we're in bed to start roaming. It would be much easier if he didn't continue to come into the bedroom stare at us for a few minutes and then go back out to his 'play' activities. I don't know if his "needs" are being communicated or he's just making sure the parents don't bother him during his play time. Sometimes he'll just stand there in the doorway staring for a long time. It's sort of eerie waking up out of a sound sleep to see his little white body looming in the doorway. Lucky for us, I'm the one facing the door and it takes a lot more than that to give me a truly core rocking startle. I'm a huge fan of Paranormal anyway. LOL

I'll just do a bit of writing tonight and save this but I want to get a mini video of Beckett playing with me out in the field. He ALMOST plays. He definitely romps.. yes, he could say it's a romp he does with me. As long as I'm putting out the energy and not going at him, he loves to plays a little mirror play.

The fun part of the week was having Beckett wanting to tag along whenever we both got dressed to go out. He has made the association between the car keys and going for a ride. I have to make sure that I don't jingle my coat too loudly when taking him for a pee because he quickly hangs a right instead of a left when going out the door. The car is to the right.

There were only two incidences of messes in the house this week. It was a bad day for Beckett. For some reason he awoke on the wrong side of the blanket and was just a wired, cared dog like he was a month after being with us. There had been no reason for his condition due to some sort of external influence. The night before he was great and very much on track with the work we had achieved until then. Perhaps he had some sort of dream of his past. Anything is possible. Anyway, both times he paced and wouldn't come down stairs when called. Instead he messed up in the main apartment area. Both Darrin and I have this down perfect now, one of us goes to the side while the other takes Beckett out the door. Once he is out, the other cleans up the mess. It is the best method because he doesn't want to mess these days and seeing us clean it up only sends him cowering into the corner. That part is obviously linked to his past.

The dog trainer due on Thursday had to cancel due to illness but she is due in on Monday at 3 so we'll see what she professes to know with respect to behaviour modification exercises. I still have a couple that have rave reviews and noted qualifications.

Now April 16th weekend and we have been getting along okay. Beckett's trainer showed up on Tuesday past and has interviewed well. She, Kim, has experience in dealing with miller rescue dogs and interviewed well. This week she is going to deliver a plan for Beckett's behaviour modification exercises.

Isabelle, my granddaughter was over on Friday night. Beckett only took about an hour before he was quiet around her. Then on Saturday we all headed out to the cottage for a look-see at the condition after the winter's weather.

While on the way out we had to stop and pick up the dolly to help move some sandstone rocks over from the driveway in preparation for building the outer kennel for Beckett. Because the back seat was a bit ahead, Beckett decided to ride up front with Isabelle and myself. He sat on the floor in front of Isabelle without any issues apparently, well.. there was the issue of the static electricity and his fur. LOL. His hair was standing on end at his back and toward the dash. He looked like a bad version of Tina Turner's Thunder Dome wig! It was good for a laugh. We've discovered Beckett loves to be around people who laugh.

After we got out there, Beckett wasn't too comfortable with the yard. It will take him time to get used to the different textures. The dry stream bed with the river stones, the raised walk over the dry stream bed, and just the different flower beds seem to make him edgy. He ended up getting into Darrin's car for the duration of our 'rock rolling'.

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.

Still surprises now and then... it keeps the hope

This past week with Darrin out sick a few days, his work load very heavy with deadlines for building designs due, etc. it was not the best for me heading out for two days. I think an already taxed man was put under more pressure than he expected in my absence. During last week we experienced Beckett do something he hasn't for a spell. He was peeing through the night in the house even though I would take him out at midnight and sometimes later. Standing here and there with the night winds blowing up my coat didn't put me in the best of humor at 12ish I'll tell you. It wasn't usual for where he had come from, so we need to fix this somehow! If only we could understand what causes the backstep. On Saturday spent 11 hours painting the apartment building hallway (It is five different paints and the trim is fine detail so it took longer than I expected) and at the end of the day I was exhausted and obviously my immune system was down and out because I became ill fairly quickly. Since Darrin was working, Beckett wasn't sure what the heck was going on. Here I was with paint and roller and such but I never left the house. He is used to us getting things together and then exiting. Perhaps he thought I couldn't find my way out. LOL The next day, Sunday, I was sick. I hoped it's from the drywall dust and not the flu! Either way, I was down and out and in a lot of pain, chills, and upset stomach. The whole deal! The funny thing is that because Darrin was off to work again, I had solo time with Beckett and truly dreaded the thought of standing for what seemed like hours while Beckett got his fill of smells and local activity before he decided to pee. Instead of whining about it I decided to head out to pick up my granddaughter. If I had to go out, I was going to make the most of it. Beckett came with me and spent the morning with us. After a few hours I had zero energy and headed back to the apartment with Isabelle and Beckett in tow. He wasn't too comfortable with her being in the apartment but I couldn't help it and couldn't take Isabelle back until 12:30 as I had agreed when picking her up. It was a timing thing for when her mom was back. Instead we settled in by watching cartoons on the sofa. Beckett was very interested in why this stranger was cuddling with me. It really wasn't necessarily cuddling, I was too tired to sit up. He didn't take his eyes off us and now and then would do his growl/whine sound like as if to say "is she still here?" After taking Isabelle back to her mom's, I came back to the apartment and laid out on the sofa again to await the people coming to view the middle apartment between 1 and 3. I honestly would have cancelled it if I had two clues about me. Anyway, I showed the apartment at 1 to a nice lady, but while I was in the hallway speaking to her, Beckett was pacing up and down our stairs in the apartment because he could hear our voices. Once again he didn't know what the heck was going on and why was I loitering. I explained to the lady that he was a miller rescue and tended to be a little nervous. I avoided introducing them since everyone I happen to present him to lately gets the gift of a nervous poop left behind! Why tempt fate when I knew what the odds were and honestly felt like I was going to toss my cookies as well. LOL The next appointment didn't show until 2 so i did the 'sofa' time while waiting her arrival. Odd thing, Beckett jumped up on the sofa and laid next to me. I wasn't too aware of much but did register that what was happening was new. Did the little guy actually care about me enough to try and comfort me... or.. was he smelling death and wanted to be first in line once I passed over!! I think I would have been safe because his dish still had food in it. :P The second, and then the third set of viewers showed before 3 so I was exhausted after the last left and retired to my bed with a cold cloth over my eyes to try and relieve the pain. As I lay in the fetal position, Beckett jumped up on the bed, for the first time ever, and cuddled in against my stomach. I had my cell phone with me and snapped a picture because Darrin would never have believed it. I think this little doggie actually was trying to comfort me and not attempting to than drive me nuts when I was too weak to tell him to get off the bed. LOL He just may care after all. Just so you know, I am NOT a person who lets a dog sleep in the bed with him. I survived 3 or 4 years with the last dog having to do that due to his blindness and health condition so ... no more. In Beckett's situation I was so pleased that he showed any sort of attachment that I allowed it. I may regret it later on but if this is what it takes to build the bond, I'll work through it and correct him later on once he's more secure. The picture at the top of this entry is the picture of him actually sitting on the bed. Don't say anything about getting my hand in the way.. I'm surprised I actually got the picture.. or even thought to take a picture. The phone was next to me in case I had to dial 911.
Here is Beckett on the farm checking out the horses with me for the first time. I didn't get it downloaded from my Blackberry until today. I thought better late than never for posting.

It's a tough go with only one person

Hi to anyone who is still stopping in now and then to check on things with Beckett. He's doing well but I think we've hit the wall for things he will take on with heart and the things he will not attempt because he doesn't know what to do. It is evident in the training he adheres to and the work he will do when he has to versus when he feels he has not choice to do. In my books, a dog needs to "want" to please the master of the house and not because he feels he has to or be punished. That is the true turning point. In my case, it was very clear early on that even though you couldn't stuff Beckett into a holding kennel without sedating him heavily, he will readily hop into the back seat of the car because he likes to be there. He loves sitting in the back driving to new places and old while alternating from window to window to poke his head out. I'm sure he thinks that just approaching the window makes it open. LOL we watch for him and will lower the windows on the side he nears while closing the opposite. When you look into the mirror your see him actually enjoying the wind in his face. This is what I mean by Want versus Must. I want Beckett to want to have us pet him because he likes it and not because I have cornered or made him come to me. With another dog getting attention, he does look to 'want' to have it but when we get home he goes back to his growling state. This week I planted the seed of finding Beckett a companion dog. I do have the pup on order for the fall and my hopes that there is a 'normal' dog out there needing a loving home before the fall is just that, a hope. I know that these dogs are great family pets and the odds of me finding another dog to balance Beckett is fairly slim. Then again, finding Beckett was pretty slim too. It would be a crying shame to have him for a year and then discover that he can't or won't ever go to that point where he is a great dog that is part of the family. Right now, as much as I think of this little guy, I mentally have him just at the edge of my heart because I know he is the one who will make the decision or not to be part of the family based on his ability to adjust. On our side... OMG.. we are adjusting much more than we had thought we could. Still searching for that magic switch that lights up Beckett's life.

March 14th week, it's never just another week!

Ah, the last week before "Spring" and what looks like a promising week of events ended yet again with an episode that sets us all back to square one... or maybe it just feels that way.

Good points of the week..car rides and head stuck out the windows, dog play with different toys, walking (AKA Bekka-Heel) next to me on command, meeting new people without dogs on the sidewalk, meeting new people with dogs without warning, seeing horses (big dogs who obviously don't play), seeing a bicycle for the first time, and most appreciated from my point of view, less bio-messing in the house (never to be confused with Beckett-mess).

Poor point from the week.. back to being scared and growling a lot, not liking the 'drying time"after being out in the rain, dropping logs around new people who happen to talk to him on the sidewalk, and a very bad bite on Darrin's thumb.... loss of attachment from Darrin because he is now afraid Beckett will bite again.

Quite the mixed bag of ups and downs. For some reason the week started out well enough but Beckett did have a 'distance' in his approach to us by Tuesday evening. As always, you can't MAKE him change his attitude, you can only make sure he doesn't get more distance between you through is actions. It is extremely difficult to come home several times a day, deal with life's stressors, and not have it get to you now and then. The weather also plays a huge part in how things transpire along the way. To think it doesn't means you're going to be in for a very rude awakening. One night this week Darrin ended up taking Beckett out for a walk and it was pouring. Upon returning, Darrin stopped at the lower landing and was about to dry Beckett off, which I had been doing all week because of the mud, only this time Beckett turned on Darrin and bit his thumb. It was a sever bite and ended up with four deep punctures and a lot of blood. We managed to get the bleeding stopped and arrested any swelling, but the deed had been done. The dog that wouldn't bite, or so we thought, bit.

At first I tried to make the normal excuses for Beckett such as, Darrin must have approached him from the wrong angle, he must have moved too fast, maybe the drying glove (we know he doesn't like towels over his head) touched him in the wrong way, etc. It was a bite, brought on by Beckett's fear/anxiety. Until now he would always allow us to pick him up, do different things and growl or freeze but he never bit. Darrin on the other hand has lost confidence in Beckett's 'comfort' with us and I can see the withdrawal from physically handling Beckett. This is going to take a bit of work to mend this fence.

This weekend hasn't been the best for Darrin, his thumb is still sore, he has a bad cold, and the weather is cold. I've sort of been running all interference so he doesn't have to contend with Beckett's growling disapproval or distance stance he puts out when he's not a happy camper. I don't need the synergy of two negatives being more that the sum of the two individuals. It's easier to just keep them apart until things improve.

The weekend hasn't been too bad for Beckett and myself. As always, the more time he spends with me and out of the apartment the better he seems to be. Getting together with other dogs or riding in the car seems to remove the edge from Beckett so as much as I can, we do that.

The horses were a new thing today. Although I had taken Beckett out to the farm a few times, it was the first time I took him down to be around the horses. Lucky for Beckett, they're used to Sadie, the family's chocolate lab so another dog didn't seem to throw them off much. They were more interested in who the new dog was and came over to the fence to see him pretty quickly.

At first I took him into the corral but when it became apparent that they were going to come investigate the new dog on the property and Beckett couldn't be released from his lead, I had to exit the corral before they came in from the outter field. It was fine because as we got outside the gate, they were right there with their heads over the fence.

Now that it's Sunday evening, we've had our hour walk through down-town mostly to get used to new places, learn to heel when I give the command, and most importantly, to empty out his bowels before the long night! He's doing well, but why test fate when you don't need to! Always hedge your bet and prepare for success. Oh by the way, if you want to see a dog in bliss, leave a basket of dirty laundry out over night. What you find in the morning is a a content little doggy laying all over your stuff like it was his treasure.

yoyo doggyo... time to change approach

We'll have to take the good with the bad on this past week. As for the weekend, we had a good day and then we had a bad day for the little guy. Thank GAWD he's cute and we're superficial!

I'm only joking... he's not that cute!

Really, it was indeed a weekend of mental ups and downs for us. One minute Beckett is fine then a 1/2 hour later he is doing his growling thing and staying clear of us. Then there are the messes. He was great all week, then without reason, awful all at once.

It's now Tuesday morning. Last night I had someone booked to come look at my apartment for the sublet over the summer period while we are living in the summer house. Since she was showing up at 6;30 it gave me nearly an hour and a bit to clean. With the spring mud session on the weekend the stairway treads were muddy looking again and an awful first impression. So, we scrubbed the apartment floors, cleaned the bathroom, tidied, and then I scrubbed all of the stairs down to the street level.

As I was doing this Darrin was cleaning too and preparing supper. Once I was done, there was still 15 minutes to spare. After eating, I even went so far as to spritz the apartment with a great air freshener we bought a while ago. It smells like you're baking cookies. So, after eating Darrin grabbed his gym bag and off he went and it was just Beckett and myself. Kimberly showed up around 20 to 7 with her son to look at the apartment.

I let them in and as they came into the main area of the apartment, Beckett spotted them and went into high stress. He was good for a spell but when I was walking them through the apartment he was zipping here and there trying to keep the maximum amount of distance between them and him. Every once in a while he'd dart behind me to avoid being between us.

Then, it happened, I was in the kitchen speaking with Kimberly about the summer and how great it is to be on the waterfront with the events just up the street and the water view, etc. Beckett circled me pooped a protective circle in somewhat of a Stonehenge layout and then peed in the centre before heading back to his bed in the living room. Let's just say, at that point I was at a loss to defend his actions but came back with a smart ass comment about it smelling like someone just pooped out a cookie! Kimberly broke out in a laughter while saying she fully understood the situation and wasn't put off at all.

Phew.. that was close! Literally and figuratively.

After cleaning that up, I knelt down and leaned against the cupboards. Beckett came over and slid up beside me and put his head up under my arm and on my lap as if he wanted me to protect him from the two strangers. It was the first time he had ever done that as well. That wasn't the end of it for the night. Around 11:00 he and I were in the living room and he hopped up on the sofa and laid down next to me. I mean right NEXT to me. Not at the other end of the sofa which was always the nearest we could sit with him. He then laid there while I pet his head for a spell.

At midnight we went out and he did his business, came back in, then 15 minutes later he went off to the kitchen, and peed against the stove! I thought it was the perfect time to instill the training at the scene of the crime and put his short leash on him and walked him immediately to the stove where he had just sped away from. As I cleaned it up, I was firm but not mean about it being a NO item. It was then that I realized that this training had better hold until today because I just went through the last of the paper towel in the house. LOL Nothing instills anxiety in us more than being out of paper towels these days.

New tricks for the old dog...

It's Sunday night, Darrin is working on a client's house design, I'm checking out my online email and Beckett is sprawled out over his blanket about a foot or so from me... sound asleep.

Darrin and I have agreed that we're going to start the discipline training for getting Beckett to go outside to use the bathroom. Both of us figure it is time and since he has no problem being hooked on for going out, it's time to create the ability to tell us he needs to go out. Most of the week Beckett was great but on Friday night he pooped and peed in the apartment after having gone out at 12:30 at night with me! It's time to up the training.

This week Beckett and I have been having this 'situation' happening when we came to the corner of the apartment building. He would run ahead, climb up into the plant area and start reverse his body and start pulling on the lead like i was zapping him with a cow-prod. All I managed to do was avoid the corner to try and remove the behaviour. It didn't work because the last time I went out yesterday he did the same thing. I can't have him out of control so both Darrin and I agreed that it's time for his short-lead training time.

There was a bit of a fight to begin with and we can't have anyone walking behind us, but Beckett walks by my side (albeit the right side and not my left)! He is definitely a quick study, when there isn't a fear factor involved. If there is a fear factor, then he's a complete pile of crazy covered with fluffy fur!

Another big week gone by. Beckett spent a day in my office, went most of the week without messing in the house, learned to walk on a short lead, and learned to get his muddy feet cleaned off... after much work at the foot thingie! I scrubbed the stairwell on Thursday night and now it's worse than it has been all winter. Meh... I'll scrub again tomorrow night.

Take a doggie to work day!!

It's March 10, 2011 and today is Taking Beckett to work day! Since most of the staff are away on site work with clients, I thought it was much more sensible to just take him into work with me. Lisa and Kimberly are the only other staff in-house so they're great about it.

You have to remember that Beckett now runs to the door when we are going out because he wants to come with us and going into strange places isn't one of his strengths yet. My office is located on the top floor of an old brick building and the stairs are an Open concept so getting him up here was a worry. I sometimes worry too much! He ran along side me all the way up. He came through the door without hesitation and even the noise of the alarm system before disarming didn't make him drop a log.

We had 5 minutes to scope out the place together before Lisa came in. Lisa came in, said awwe he's so cute... THEN he dropped some logs on the carpet. First impressions are always soooo important! I just told Lisa she forgot her make-up. LOL I'm sure the black eye will go away in a week's time. Just joking.. no bruise is showing.

On Tuesday, Beckett when with Darrin on the road for meetings all day. Apparently Beckett was great to sit in the car during the meeting and between meetings Darrin said he did his business and wasn't a problem at all. There was also copious amounts of Beckett licking Darrin's ear and neck from the back seat along the way too.

We are now seeing a dog on the mend. I have to say it is these moments that help erase the not so great moments.

Last evening Darrin and I were watching TV and Beckett was curled up on the floor about a foot away from us. We started talking about how he came to us and both realized that we had the same thoughts run through our heads when Garin pull open her truck door and presented Beckett for the first time. "What the hell did we get ourselves into?" was one initial thought that didn't make it to our lips and the second was "I just need him (fill in the name Doug or Darrin..) to say one word about this not being what we were ready for ... and I'm outta here!

I'm so glad we didn't go with our gut instincts to flee when we first met him. For the rest of you, I hope you don't think little of me for saying that but REALLY... his first impression is AWFUL! Thank gawd these dogs are beyond cute.

The more time Beckett spends with us, and I mean each day, the more noticeable is the reduction of his growling. Maybe this ain't so bad.

Great Weekend... here and there

This was a good weekend on a few fronts with Beckett and his 'progression'. He has made great strides with coming when he's called for going outside and when he's outside he is, as we've mentioned before, a different dog.


This past week was a rough one because he seemed have no trauma in his life and yet, he was messing here and there without cause. Now there is a little issues with him and being down on the landing with two of us there. When both Darrin and I are on the landing, you can't delay clipping on to him and getting him outside. It has to be a fluid movement (gawd that's a bad pun after his reaction on Saturday) and out the door before he has too much time to think about it.


Of course, it doesn't help when the two of you are trying to speed things along and you get snappy with each other along the way. It's funny now but on Saturday it wasn't during the poop fest and liquid release on the steps. Darrin while trying to get Beckett out of there because of the situation tried to point out the number of messes and their exact location, I on the other hand was not really caring about the messes left but the quantity yet to be distributed and Darrin and I got snappy at each other, which didn't help the mood of the evening's plan for a movie.


On Saturday, I decided I owed Darrin a "Beckett Brake" for the day and took Beckett along with me and Granddaughter Isabelle. Beckett made an instant friend when Isabelle decided to share pieces of her breakfast sandwich. As I mentioned before Beckett is now a car hound. He absolutley loves to go in the car. Best of all, he is fantastic in the car! You'd swear he was raised his whole life with car travel. This is the same dog that had to get on the floor of the front seat of a car and slide out on his belly because he couldn't touch the ground and have his feet still touching the car's interior. Now we say "Car" shake the car keys and open the door. He's up in the back seat before you can say it twice. LOL


He doesn't go crazy when another dog is in the car with him nor does he go into a barking frenzy when another dog is near. Big plus points for that!!


Anyway, he went with us out to see the horses but unfortunately it was too cold and dirty to take him out of the car. I think I'll wait until I know I can bath him before I release him into a barnyard.


Today he was beyond our wildest expectations. We went to Darrin's parent's house to remove some of the excess snow from their roof, and thus eliminate the snow dams that cause so much damage. Beckett was not happy being left in the car when his playmate Chance was playing in the snow just a few feet away. After a spell Darrin went and got Beckett out of the car so he could play... and play they did. Beckett went totally crazy with play. Poor Chance must have felt like he'd been coupled up with an HDHD kid on a sugar high! Then after when lunch was ready we were going to put Beckett back in the car but thought we'd give him a try in the house with the other three dogs. it was here that Beckett amazed us. We stuck the 4 ft lead on him and let him loose in the house. He became so comfortable he was following Chance around, through small openings around all of us. he became so comfortable that Darrin's dad just walked up and bent over and started scratching both sides of Beckett's face. There was no flinching, backing up, growling .... nonthing except a little dog enjoying the attention. This continued the whole time he was in the house with the other dogs. All four dogs got along as if they had been raised together.

Take what we can get

It is Thursday and so far, no drama again this week. Beckett is a bit more settled. Today I advanced the 'trust' limit a bit. I left the hall doors open ( but not the street level door) and called Beckett to go for a walk. (I'm going to try and video him for this posting to show you his actions)
He did his chatter as he rushed by me and out the apartment door and down the stairs to the street level door. I stayed on the second floor and called him back up.

He did his whine/growl thing and paced up and down the stairway by the sound of it and eventually got the point that in order to go out he needed his lead on and reluctantly came back up to the middle floor and in the door to be clipped on. It took a bit of patience on both our behalves but it worked through. I'll try it again tonight to see how it works. My objective is to have him come when he is called regardless of where he is in order to get clipped on. I'm doing the same thing with the car.

In the case of the car, Beckett is now associating it with positive experiences (nothing like being neutered to set you off on the wrong foot I'll say!) and I am holding up my car keys and jingling them when I say Car. I will extend this to be just outside the car, now that he easily jumps in and out on command. If Darrin and I can have him come to jingling keys/name or something common, to be clipped on, then it will help with his trust factor and allow us to take him for walks on the property without the issue of his lead always limiting his experiences.

There is still the odd Pee thing happening and I'm now using the word "no" when he shouldn't be doing something and he is catching on. He doesn't like it when he can't have the clothes from the hamper and there is just something unsettling about having the crotch chewed out of my underwear thank you very much. The symbolism there gives me the shivers!

There is one more thing he has caught on to. It's the "I'm just so cute you can't tell me no" approach. He is learning that if he poses at the end of the carpet and just moves his eyes, that we will melt into babbling baby-talk people and toss him goodies. Of course he just as quickly goes back into his elusive growling talk stance like we're threatening him... although a minute before he was letting you pet him. Now you know why this one is titled, "Take what we can get".

It's Friday, I have the afternoon run for a change. Darrin has a meeting so I'll be the one going home. Apparently Beckett had already gone in the apartment before Darrin got there this morning. I think next week we will start to do the praise vs non-praise training. He needs to know when something is not acceptable. First thing we need to figure out, is how to have the non-praise recognized without him feeling threatened. The mild tone of 'No' may be good enough but I'll see how he reacts on something mild. Darrin also had his first experience with Beckett turning himself inside out at the particular point of the walking route. I'm not sure what it is but he freaks out there and we even had a negative experience where he went into 'crazy' mode of escape at all costs action. There isn't a reason for it but it exists and so I avoid that corner to eliminate the negative experience of going for walks. He doesn't do it when approaching the same spot from the reverse direction. Weird huh?

Friday night.... had a major slip back for Beckett. We came home and not only did he not come back up the stairs he lost control of his bodily functions and had quite the mess on the stairs and on the landing. We're not sure what triggered it but, yup... another little setback. He seems okay now but that isn't a guarantee. sigh.