Success!

Today something amazing happened.
Something I truly did not have faith 'could' happen,
but I wanted to believe we would achieve.

I successfully called Bugsy off geese.
Yes you heard correctly. He went into full attack mode but I was able to stop him before he launched.
I'm still processing it. Still tingling with the fear of losing him and the intensity of the 'moment'. Which was much more than a moment.

So it goes like this. It's a beautiful day. Perfect. All day I've been imagining taking him to the lake for a swim, but since I am still suffering with bronchitis and asthma I was concerned about having the energy to be fully in charge. (one never does anything with the beast without having the ability to be fully in charge)
So I came home from work, changed, strapped the e-collar on the beast and a waterproof collar, added fresh duck scent to the dokken duck, and loaded up.
As soon as we took a few steps toward the beach area I spotted two Canadian geese by the boats. The boats we have to walk past.
Fortunately they walked off behind the boats so although his nose was aware and he was looking for them, they were out of his sight.
Unfortunately two American Coots were not out of his sight. Since he doesn't usually show an interest in them he caught me off guard and took off. The coots launched and some small children and their parents screamed at the scene which distracted him giving the poor coots a bit of time to get free. He continued his chase but I called 'here' and gave a stim.
Shocked he looked back and decided to listen.
Whew minor crisis averted. I apologized to the children and parents, the kids were thrilled to watch the doggie swim, parents thought I was nuts.
Ah well, I am I suppose.

We then were able to do some nice retrieves and everyone was happy.
But then our Canadian geese friends resurfaced from behind the boats and were squawking like mad.
He whipped around so fast and went straight into the pre-launch attack mode that my heart stopped. They mindlessly honked while he became ever more fixated.
Gulp.
The audience was now still and silent, even the little kids stopped playing.
Despite the cool water and temps I began to sweat profusely.
His 30ft line was attached but I knew I couldn't physically hold him.
I called 'here' with a sound stim. He crept lower and toward the geese.
Crap I thought I am going to lose him.
HERE! stim
He flinched but became more intent.
HERE! higher stim
He looks at me, with a look that could kill. "I am busy Mom, do not interfere"
HERE! same stim
He loosens and reluctantly comes toward me, clearly confused by what his whole being believes is the right thing to do (attack geese) and doing as commanded.
I re-engage him with the dokken, but the tension in his body is unmistakable.
One mom and her kids are now transfixed. She comments that she has never seen intensity like that and that it fascinates her to see his conflict.
Her little boy wants to throw the dokken.
hmm OK so Bugsy happily gets it and brings it to the little guy, still with an eye on the geese.
They honk again. He's on the verge.
We struggle again, but once again he re-engages.

I'm joyous and terrified because I know we are on the edge, he could take off at any moment. The darn geese are on land near the boats so if he did go on a tear it would be a disaster, keep in mind he has a 30 ft line attached.
We continue this dangerous dance for as long as I can stand it. If I lose any concentration I'll lose him. And he is looking for that moment.

So we wrap it up BUT the geese are about 5 ft from our gear bag that I tossed on the beach. No way, no how I can walk with him to get it. So we had to walk up and around the beach house, through the playground and back to the car.
This was no easy task because he clearly knew I was trying to avoid them and was doing all he could to get an opportunity to launch after them.
He is nothing if not persistent.

My favorite move was a pretend mark of a tree in which he hunkered down and locked on to them from behind the tree. Another 'leave it' and zap helped move us along safely.

We received horrible stares as I led this large, tense, muscular dog, hand on his collar to keep him right at my side with no leverage, through the playground.
Although one little girl ran up to pet him and he broke into tail wagging and kissing, LOL.

Eventually we got back to the car but he refused to go in. He just kept staring at the boat area, you can't fool the beast.

But for all the struggle we had a lovely time.
He swam, retrieved his dokken, kissed some 2 yr olds and I stopped him from chasing the geese.
I am still trying to fully process this achievement.
I know we are not free from our struggles, he will likely really work me next time having been thwarted this time, but we did succeed.
There is hope.

The work we've done with the collar is showing.
Its not the easy time many report but the fact that it worked today on geese on Bugsy, is nothing less than extraordinary.
I'm still smiling.

I still fantasize about having a normal dog that just loves to play in the water and will fetch anything you throw, paying no mind to the resident wildlife.
But I don't have that dog.
I've got my Bugsy and I love him and I suppose I do appreciate the challenges he throws my way. It makes successes like today extra special.

Charge your fears... or something like that

I've been battling some bronchitis so I haven't been walking Bugsy in the morning (fortunately DH has been able to do that) but the last two nights I've wanted to take a short slow stroll and have brought Bugsy along.
Tonight we had a very interesting experience.
It was a gorgeous warm evening (too warm if you are Bugsy)and we were casually walking along when suddenly, in a low lying area Bugsy charged into some long grass.
Of course I am used to him darting off to smell things but this was more than that.
He started to intently sniff some grass and his tail went from its normal up to very low.
Very, very low.
Only time I've seen his tail this low is when he found the 5ft black snake skin, so that got me thinking.
Then he flinched as if stung by the grass.
I couldn't see anything.
Flinches again and acts as if there is some barrier between him and the grass.
OK now I am getting worried.
I'm looking frantically and trying to get him to leave whatever it is alone.
He won't budge and keeps sniffing and exploring.... tail and body language very concerned.
He seems wary of a long twig (ugh I think he really is smelling snake) so I grab the stick and he freaks and tries to grab it from me.
Good Lord Bugsy don't give me a heart attack.
He's continuing to sniff and search.
I'm desperately trying to get him out of there and to see what he smells.
I can't see anything.
But he hones in on a particular spot.
I carefully lean down to see if I can see anything.
He flinches as I move down- I swear my heart is racing.

I think I can see the head of a snake deep in the grass/mud.
That is all I needed, to do what I should have done in the first place, grab him and get our noses out of there.

So I cannot confirm there was a snake there but if I was a betting woman I'd say there was. And since I know that area always has copperheads I'd also gather it was a copperhead.

Bugsy the snake detector.

Now if I could just get him to not try to 'get' everything he smells/finds/fears we would all be a bit safer and my heart rate wouldn't spike so often!

a softer gentler Bugs

Bugsy is a wide-open sort of guy.
He is a big baby and a very gentle guy but his energy and power usually live up to the bull in a china shop cliche.
He's on or asleep and has never really shown much consideration of injuries or illness............his or yours.
I always hear people say how their dog is so attentive when they are sick or disabled and I kind of chuckle and think not my Bugs. He drops his toys on me, drags me limping down the street with a face that says, "could you pick up the pace? gimp!"

But the last few days he's been super attentive to me. I've got a bad cold which has hit at peak allergy/asthma time so my chest is laboring to breathe.
He has been by my side.
I've been napping on and off for two days and each time I awake my boy is at my bedside. Sometimes asleep sometimes just staring at me.
In addition he has been bringing me his half chewed rawhide or antler and leaving it next to me. I'm not sure what that means but it seems awfully cute.
Not great to step on but it seems interesting and kind that he puts it next to me and wanders off. If I move he will collect it and place it next to me in my new place.
He's been watching me as if he is waiting for something to occur - this is a bit creepy because I can't help but wonder if he thinks I'm going to drop dead - I certainly feel like I could!
His body language is soft, very, very soft. His eyes are soft. I've never seen them look so kind.
He has collected me and shepherded me to DH at meal times, tail wagging as if to say, "here she is Dad, I've got her"
I don't know it is melting my heart - no doubt I am more emotional because I feel so weak but he amazes me.
Constantly
For so many reasons

Today I finished a great book "The Tattered Autumn Sky" by Tom Davis.
I finished the passage below and looked up to see Bugsy's powerful yet soft amber eyes staring straight into mine............

"But even if she did nothing else, there would be the way she looks at me. Emmy has always been one of those dogs that meets your gaze, and when we stare into each other's eyes there is nothing more that either of us needs to know" (p244)

It's a great training tool - IF you use it properly

After much hemming and hawing (which really translates to much research and consideration) in January I purchased an electronic collar for Bugsy. These are usually called e-collars and I associate them with hunting dogs, although they are used for obedience training and I have heard they can be used in Schutzhund too.

I really had to step up my consideration of an e-collar after Bugsy's 3/4 mile swims at the lake which were only stopped when I was able to get a boater to take me out to get him; him who was still violently chasing the geese. It had become a serious safety issue.

I had many concerns: would it confuse him with the invisible fence (which he is 100% reliable on)? was it too harsh for him? would he respond to it or would it be a waste of time and money? My husband thought I was nuts when I selected the right collar (a 1 mile radius, waterproof, & vibration/shock/sound stimulation)and said it ran about $300.
Nervously I took the plunge.

Then I spent another week reading some more.

Carefully I started the training.

I won't lie, we've had ups and downs and I've made a few mistakes but it is working well.
In fact, the momentum for this post comes from the realization that for Bugsy, this is a much more humane solution than any sort of collar or harness, which I'll lump as 'physical' restraints.
The problem with physical restraints for him is that the ones that can withstand his power could easily cause damage to him.............and have to me.
With the e-collar the momentary stimulation in no way inflicts the pain of the prong collar that he has pulled on so hard he has broken it, or a flat collar smashing his windpipe as he attempts to break free to go after prey.

Our walks have become pain free.............for both of us. My shoulders are healing or at least not aching all the time.

His neck and shoulders MUST feel better to not have to bear the intense pulling that he would do from time to time and also the normal herky, jerkiness of "what's that?" "oo over there", etc.

Now I have put two leashes together and created a hands free situation.
He can duck into culverts (which is a favorite move but before if something was in one I could not, DH could not, remove him from the ditch)and check them out. He has gotten corrections for not responding to 'here' when his head is buried in the tube, reluctantly he responds post correction; we move on and he's happy again.
And no one is harmed.

Our collar emits a sound when I turn it on; he gets a treat each time he waits to hear it and to have the collar fastened. Tail wagging as he waits.

He enjoys some off leash time that wasn't previously available to him. He gets to stretch those long legs in scent-filled fields and it brings tears to my eyes to see him so happy.

I have not proofed it on geese yet - although this will happen in the days ahead. I wanted him to fully understand and appreciate his freedom and how he has earned it and its relationship to the collar before we try it on geese. I expect that it will be a situation that we have to work on before heading to the lake with confidence. Fortunately I have a fenced in school yard to practice on geese nearby.

I will finish by saying, I know that many people feel these type of collars are cruel. I would say that for some dogs they might be.
If your dog is soft and is easily corrected or spooked; these are not for you.
If you have a dog whose power is not great enough to inflict damage to them or you with a harness or collar then you really don't need this.
If your dog is what I would call biddable - they want to be with you and near you and look to you for direction - you don't need this collar.
Work your butt off with some positive training and the vast majority of dogs aren't going to need an e-collar. I have seen them on the wrong dogs and agree it is overkill and not a good idea.
Bugsy however is a hard dog. Hard as in it isn't easy to bother him. He hasn't been 'harmed' by the use of the collar even when I made a mistake (only one significant one in which I gave a tone correction in the yard away from his fence line but that confused him) it is gone in an instant.

We've tried every method of positive training to redirect him from his prey or self-anointed focus and to walk without pulling.
And we've tried choke chains (he broke it open at 5 mos old), prong collars (broke 2 of those going after geese), sporn harnesses, gentle leaders, easy walk harnesses, & various training classes.
But when he doesn't want to listen or do as asked (or what seems more like he actually doesn't know you exist any longer) he will overpower you or any physical restraint you try.
This is where the e-collar differs. I find that just the tone seems to wake him from where he goes mentally; sometimes he will choose to withstand the shock correction but it does interrupt his focus. And that allows you back in.
Nothing else has done that.
And it doesn't cause injury or pain (I have tried the setting I use on myself).
So for us my only regret is I waited this long.
The freedom we both feel is exhilarating

But it isn't for all dogs. You have to do a lot of homework on how to use it properly and ensure that your dog understands what you are asking and when & why they will get corrected.
It is unfair to stim a dog that doesn't know what you are asking. Do that and you will surely lose their trust.

In our case it is interesting, if anything he is more attached to me, in a healthy way, for the first time I can really see him look to me for direction.
All the touchy, feely, food-based, toy-based, fun, creative, physical correction based, etc. training we have done over 5 years did not create a situation where he looked to a human for direction. He hasn't lost confidence and he isn't nervous to do his own thing he just seems to realize that we are out there together.
Its a beautiful thing!

Cold tail/Limp tail and other things

Last week I decided it was time for a swim.
Bugsy was very happy about this decision even though the air temp was a bit cool and windy.
I threw his Dokken Duck into the lake and off he went.
Over and over.
Joy written all over his face.
I didn't do as many retrieves as we usually work our way up to and when he left he seemed to have plenty of energy in the tank.
In fact he drove me nuts all day long.
Late that afternoon I decided to trim his nails, no biggie, we do this a couple of times a week.
However this time when he got up his tail was limp.
To make a long story short he was once again suffering from cold tail.
Which is a bit of a misnomer although no one has determined exactly what causes it (it can happen in the middle of summer) it is clearly not only a nuisance but extremely painful.
The first 24 hours were really bad - he displayed more signs of pain than at anytime after his TPLO.
But it started to get better and I would say by the third day he was carrying it better and not showing signs of discomfort at all.
Its all honky dory now and its back up in the air and wagging furiously!

He's had this 3 times now - once a dog gets it, they are very likely to get it again.

Its a warm day today and it will be tempting to let him swim again, hmmmmmmmmmmmm
Perhaps we'll wait a week. I don't want to do that to him again!

In other news he is thrilled to have a baby cocker spaniel living next door. This is only one step less exciting than if he had his very own puppy.
They are figuring each other out and enjoying being silly together. I'm glad and fortunate that Bugsy loves puppies and loves to share!

Puzzle boy

Bugsy loves puzzles, really loves puzzles.
But he figures them out swiftly and then they are fairly useless in what I want from them.
What might that be you ask?
Time. I want them to take a bit of time.
That's all, its not too much to ask now is it??

Well a very good friend of mine gave me this toy Tornado because her dog just didn't like it.

We could hardly take the box off fast enough!!!
Typical for him we didn't have to teach him how to do it. We just put some kibble in the spots and off he went.
So we did it again with only putting kibble in a few of the compartments.
Even better, he said!

What I think is wonderful is that you can use it in so many ways. You could fill all the slots, or a few on one level, or random slots.
Or you can take the little plastic bone covers and place them over some kibble in the top slots.
This turns out to be a challenge because the beast's nose is too large to get at it cleanly so he has to wedge his face in there to get them off.
But he does.
And then he wants more.

Excellent!
Here's a little video of him working it

Foster homes are always needed

A friend of mine is very active with the Best Friends Pet Adoption agency and sent me this:
We have had such a busy, crazy week in BFPA - resulting in us needing to find 6 new foster homes, for the following dogs :

Freddie - (black Labrador Retriever), 63lbs - he is a happy, medium energy loving dog that needs experienced dog owners, who understand pack leadership. Probably better if Freddie is an only dog, but would be OK if carefully introduced. He can be nervous around small children, so preferably a home without children, or with older children or teens would be better for Freddie.
Thorn (Husky) aged 8 / 77lbs (but needs to lose a few of these) is well behaved, good with everyone, easy to foster. He currently lives with Beau (below) they are very attached to each other, but could be separated.
Beau(mastiff) aged 9 / 90lbs and a big lovebug Beau can be shy - so probably needs a quieter home. He and Thorn are victims of the economy and a broken marriage.
Isis -( Shepherd mix) - 7 months old and very sweet. Good with children and other dogs. She is young, and still learning.
Jake :(Boxer) Male, 6 years old, about 63lbs. Jake is a happy dog and treat motivated. He knows basic commands -- including wipe your feet. Jake loves head scratches and the hair dryer!! After playing, Jake will settle in for a long afternoon nap. He would benefit from a home with another dog and lots of Frisbees and balls
Miki - (Border collie/terrier mix) she is an adult female, about 45lbs. Great with other dogs and cats, Miki is black and white, with beautiful blue eyes! Very sweet natured dog.

There's no pressure for you to get involved with all of this! I just thought that there may be someone out there that you know, and who might be able to help us. So if you are able to add to your log, or email this out to anyone you think might be interested, I'd be very grateful.

People foster until a permanent home can be found, all expenses are paid by the BFPA group (meds/food/flea/tick/heartworm preventatives) We need people to have a secure yard or be prepared to walk the dog on leash (i.e. no loose dogs as this is often the way we get them as strays!), they fill in an application form so that we have contact details etc. Dogs cannot be chained up outside, of course! More details on fostering can be found on the website www.bfpa.org

If you are local to the Triangle area and are interested, post a comment or email me and I'll hook you up with the right person

Oh and my friend's current foster was featured as the WRAL pet of the week
link