I called the veterinary behaviorist office and the soonest we can get in in October, unless there's a cancellation. Fingers crossed for that.
Sigh. Well, moving forward.
Guess it's me and the dog books again for now. The good news is that on the vet's website there are number of books suggested and I own all but one of them (which is really for trainers more than owners). I'm on the right track. Just need to be more diligent and ask for more help.
Ziggy is such a little love and so sweet and our new routine is that I let her out of the kennel and ask if she needs to go outside and she runs right out the dog door as soon as I say, "Go." For her to show me such deference and respect about whether she may or may not come in and out of the house is a good indication that we have a good relationship. She just waits for permission politely.
Last night we went for a long walk and she came home and immediately crashed hard. She came out an hour later as I was reading and lay down on the floor beside me on the couch and I pet her. When I stopped, she whimpered pitifully. Now, I don't want to encourage whimpering or the demandingness of telling me to pet her because I like that now she will come to me and I pet her if I want and when I'm done she doesn't usually push it. But don't we all sometimes get to ask for hugs and caresses? I'm delighted that she takes pleasure in my company. This is not a given: it took us such a long time to bond. Ziggy is skeptical and was definitely not impressed with me.
If we go to the vet on the day we are scheduled, it will be two days before her gotcha day.
Talking to the receptionist I realized, our problems aren't that bad. Compared to things she usually hears, we're doing pretty damn well. "So, it's fear-based aggression?" "Well, I wouldn't really say aggression. More like belligerence. And I'm not sure it's fear - I can't figure it out. It's just that she gets so excited and her brain shuts down and she acts like a jackass. Pretty sure that's the technical term for this: jackass."
Sigh. Well, moving forward.
Guess it's me and the dog books again for now. The good news is that on the vet's website there are number of books suggested and I own all but one of them (which is really for trainers more than owners). I'm on the right track. Just need to be more diligent and ask for more help.
Ziggy is such a little love and so sweet and our new routine is that I let her out of the kennel and ask if she needs to go outside and she runs right out the dog door as soon as I say, "Go." For her to show me such deference and respect about whether she may or may not come in and out of the house is a good indication that we have a good relationship. She just waits for permission politely.
Last night we went for a long walk and she came home and immediately crashed hard. She came out an hour later as I was reading and lay down on the floor beside me on the couch and I pet her. When I stopped, she whimpered pitifully. Now, I don't want to encourage whimpering or the demandingness of telling me to pet her because I like that now she will come to me and I pet her if I want and when I'm done she doesn't usually push it. But don't we all sometimes get to ask for hugs and caresses? I'm delighted that she takes pleasure in my company. This is not a given: it took us such a long time to bond. Ziggy is skeptical and was definitely not impressed with me.
If we go to the vet on the day we are scheduled, it will be two days before her gotcha day.
Talking to the receptionist I realized, our problems aren't that bad. Compared to things she usually hears, we're doing pretty damn well. "So, it's fear-based aggression?" "Well, I wouldn't really say aggression. More like belligerence. And I'm not sure it's fear - I can't figure it out. It's just that she gets so excited and her brain shuts down and she acts like a jackass. Pretty sure that's the technical term for this: jackass."
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