We went for a walk this morning and it was not a good idea. I'm having a hard time letting go of walking Ziggy every day. We went where there are usually no dogs early Sunday morning, but there were a lot of bugs and a lot of garbage, and Ziggy was pulling and not listening and generally not focused or calm. We passed one person and while she was curious about him she walked on past, which is always good for her.
She has spent all of the day asleep, pretty much. Deep sleep, with muscle twitches, and long stretches of it. Did she not sleep while I was gone because she was too stressed?
My poor puppy. I keep feeling that I'm doing her wrong.
We did some training and mental activity. Hide and seek got her energetic, and some "come to heel position" which she really struggles with as she hates that position, and holding a treat out and waiting for her to look at my face, and "which hand?" with a treat, and sit and down and mat and the usuals.
I've been doing little chores here and there, but mostly relaxing myself. Every time I get up, she's quick to follow, immediately at my side. She is such a sweet puppy and an admirable companion. She wandered through the laundry on the line sniffing it - last time, I washed her rope toy and put it on the line to dry and she found it and pulled it off. She's never done that with anything else, but she knows her things, and she doesn't wait for permission. Some people would say that's very bad, that she should always wait for me to grant permission, but I call hogwash. One of my favorite things about Ziggy is her initiative, her curiosity. She knows that she has to wait before I give her a treat, before getting on the bed if I'm changing the sheets, etc. But waiting for the sake of waiting? Overrated. I don't want a submissive, passive dog. I want Ziggy, but I want her without freaking out and melting down. I want her to be able to navigate the world and be ok.
I don't know Ziggy's back story. She was abandoned to a shelter when about nine months old; the guy said she was a stray that he was feeding until his landlord caught him. I don't know if that's bullshit. I have no idea. I cannot figure her out. She does love life on the streets and takes any opportunity to run away, but she always lets me catch her and is good-natured about it. Her inability to manage stress may be from some really bad experiences and this is a form of PTSD. I just really don't know. What I do know is that I screwed up yet again - when I got home from the trip and she was belligerent, I should have stuck to my guns and been very calm. Instead, I let her amp me up and we went for walks and played ball and other things that escalate her. I just don't want her to be too bored because then she'll figure out a way to run away for real. She loves fun. I've never seen a dog like this - she wants fun all the time, at any price. And I am very boring and not fun.
***
When she got drawn into noise outside (water pipes being dug up), she was AMPED. Playing completely inappropriately, including mouthing me and scratching me - things that I never allow. Jumping all over me, trying to force me to play, and goddammit, I bite. I say very firmly, "NO. STOP THIS." Which in her little brain is, "Hey, let's play!" I tried to pet her to calm her down and she even tried to calm herself down (she sits on my feet as I pet her), but she just could not. Her pupils were huge and she was lunging and just totally out of control.
Finally I went outside to get laundry off the line and she ran like crazy, laps with toys in her mouth, zigzags across the yard. And, she got her ya-ya-s out.
So, I need to remember not to amp up with her. When she's out of control, scolding never helps. Ignoring does. Then take her outside and let her run wild and get it out of her system without me egging her on.
She has spent all of the day asleep, pretty much. Deep sleep, with muscle twitches, and long stretches of it. Did she not sleep while I was gone because she was too stressed?
My poor puppy. I keep feeling that I'm doing her wrong.
We did some training and mental activity. Hide and seek got her energetic, and some "come to heel position" which she really struggles with as she hates that position, and holding a treat out and waiting for her to look at my face, and "which hand?" with a treat, and sit and down and mat and the usuals.
I've been doing little chores here and there, but mostly relaxing myself. Every time I get up, she's quick to follow, immediately at my side. She is such a sweet puppy and an admirable companion. She wandered through the laundry on the line sniffing it - last time, I washed her rope toy and put it on the line to dry and she found it and pulled it off. She's never done that with anything else, but she knows her things, and she doesn't wait for permission. Some people would say that's very bad, that she should always wait for me to grant permission, but I call hogwash. One of my favorite things about Ziggy is her initiative, her curiosity. She knows that she has to wait before I give her a treat, before getting on the bed if I'm changing the sheets, etc. But waiting for the sake of waiting? Overrated. I don't want a submissive, passive dog. I want Ziggy, but I want her without freaking out and melting down. I want her to be able to navigate the world and be ok.
I don't know Ziggy's back story. She was abandoned to a shelter when about nine months old; the guy said she was a stray that he was feeding until his landlord caught him. I don't know if that's bullshit. I have no idea. I cannot figure her out. She does love life on the streets and takes any opportunity to run away, but she always lets me catch her and is good-natured about it. Her inability to manage stress may be from some really bad experiences and this is a form of PTSD. I just really don't know. What I do know is that I screwed up yet again - when I got home from the trip and she was belligerent, I should have stuck to my guns and been very calm. Instead, I let her amp me up and we went for walks and played ball and other things that escalate her. I just don't want her to be too bored because then she'll figure out a way to run away for real. She loves fun. I've never seen a dog like this - she wants fun all the time, at any price. And I am very boring and not fun.
***
When she got drawn into noise outside (water pipes being dug up), she was AMPED. Playing completely inappropriately, including mouthing me and scratching me - things that I never allow. Jumping all over me, trying to force me to play, and goddammit, I bite. I say very firmly, "NO. STOP THIS." Which in her little brain is, "Hey, let's play!" I tried to pet her to calm her down and she even tried to calm herself down (she sits on my feet as I pet her), but she just could not. Her pupils were huge and she was lunging and just totally out of control.
Finally I went outside to get laundry off the line and she ran like crazy, laps with toys in her mouth, zigzags across the yard. And, she got her ya-ya-s out.
So, I need to remember not to amp up with her. When she's out of control, scolding never helps. Ignoring does. Then take her outside and let her run wild and get it out of her system without me egging her on.
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