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.