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.