Ziggy Stardust, teenager

And then Ziggy decides that she is going to have things HER WAY and there is NO ARGUING. 

OK, maybe that's more toddler than teenager. 

The HVAC maintenance guy came to the house and Ziggy caught sight of him before I could get her in her kennel. 

Ever chased a greased pig before?  That is what trying to corral Ziggy was like.  Chicken didn't work, bully stick didn't work, NOTHING WORKED.  I had to do a grab and drag.

Good lord.

So I got her in and gave her chicken and she was SCREAMING so on a pause I went in and handed her a bully stick through the bars.  She THREW IT OUT.  She was PISSED OFF.

Guess that whole relaxation protocol isn't working out so well for us.  I can't recall her ever fighting me like this.  That's not true - in the beginning she would scratch and mouth, and she did none of that this time - she just wouldn't go where I told her to go because her excitement to meet this new person trumped her obedience.

Sigh.  So, that's progress, right?  That she didn't make me bleed?

I'll take it. 

three-walk Ziggy has a lot of sass

This dog.  She got THREE walks today and she's still making me throw things for her. 

She needs a dog play date.

a rush, a calm response

Took Z. out for a short walk this morning.  When I want no drama I have a little route that takes me down blocks with no dogs.

However, the magical block with no dogs now has a dog, and it rushed us.  A huge pit bull mix came tearing off the porch and across the street and into the neutral ground, as her person was shouting for her.  We were walking near the neutral ground and she got pretty close.  I froze, trying to figure out the best situation, as the owner came barefoot off the porch to get the dog, shouting his apologies. 

During this, Ziggy was watching very attentively but allowed me to turn us around and walk slowly in the other direction.

"OK, I got her.  YOu're good," he shouted, and we turned around to continue our walk.  "She's friendly, but you never know with dogs," he said.  "Yeah she's a rescue so can be reactive with other dogs," I responded, "but this was a good reaction for her, so that was good."

Usually a dog rush is a very bad thing - it freaks Ziggy out and her cortisol levels spike through the roof and it takes a long time to calm her back down. Days even.  But this?  She had puppy interest but did not even bark or lunge once.  She pulled a bit as we walked past, but I can handle that - one of our strategies from the beginning has been if we see a dog to turn and walk very quickly in the other direction, which she learned and now she tries to walk very quickly past any stressor, which is huge progress for her.

I am just so proud of this catahooligan, you can't imagine.  Even two months ago the thought of her responding like this would have made me laugh riotously. 

Don't get me wrong - Ziggy isn't "fixed."  She will likely have a hangover from this interaction and will need to not have another stressor for awhile; she will get stressed whenever we walk past the house; she may flip out on another dog in the same situation.  This dog was rushing us and was big, but she wasn't really showing signs of aggression.  Understand that reading that is also huge - Ziggy's dog language has always been a little off.  I credit Black Dog with really helping her.  What a blessing he has been, that silly lab down the street.  I will be so sad when they move (the house is for sale).  I wouldn't say that he and Ziggy are good friends, but they are polite to each other and he has taught her language and signals through his fence.  I don't know how else we could have done that so well.

To see progress like this is so gratifying.  All the time we have spent on training, all the books I have bought and read, all the learning dog language and Ziggy's particular signs, all the going against what other people say to do what I know is best for my dog - it's paying off. 

Roux's mom says it's also about Ziggy growing up, which is also true.  And also about settling into life with me - it took us a really long time, but she's mostly adjusted.  She knows we'll go home to a quiet house. 

I'm thinking again about fostering dogs from the shelter.  I think Ziggy could be ready.  Am I?  Well, maybe I need to paint first.

My darling little Ziggy Stardust.  

my best girl

Quite possibly one of the best things that has happened to me in my adult life is that I wasn't allowed to give Ziggy back.

Things have been hard with her, I won't lie.  She's made truly remarkable progress* but things can still be rough.  If we leave the house I always have to think three steps ahead of her.

Something that I find really interesting is how much variation there is in how she views people.  This morning we saw a number of people and her reactions from a quick view ranged from dancing like a deer and crying with joy to see a man she's never seen before to watching a man with a slow, hard stare.  It freaked him out and he stared back and she stared harder with a, "Don't fuck with us" look.  She won't back down.  Most people she sees with curiosity - where are they going, do they need supervision? - and then we go on our way.  We saw the Black Dog and I think that our new normal is that they are really good together.  Ziggy is moody.  Not with me, but with other dogs she has definite moods of wanting to be playful or not.  This is why I think we probably won't get a second dog.  Today she was pretty playful and I wished we could have them run together.

But where Ziggy is truly remarkable is how she rises when I am stressed.  My stress doesn't stress her out, it makes her be really good.  It makes her show up and be present and comforting, doing unusual things like sleeping with me, sitting on my lap, pushing me to hug her, curling up next to me to pet her (best anxiety relief ever), etc.  Today I got home from work and she got out of the crate and we went to the living room and she jumped on the couch and as I sat down she was behind me and somehow ended up draped around my shoulders, like a stole.  A 55 pound stole who is usually not about this sort of thing, but we sat like that, cheek to cheek and it was so comforting, as if she was saying, "Hey, I LITERALLY have your back!"

Ziggy didn't choose me.  I still am under no illusion that I am her first choice.  There are many people she would leave me for in a hot minute, and I would just be dust in the rearview mirror without a second thought.

But through our life together and our training and everything, we have shaped ourselves to each other. I'd heard of Catahoula magic before, how they can read their owners' minds, and I thought it rubbish - but now I can see it.  I don't usually have to tell Ziggy to get off the bed when I want to change sheets, she just does.  For months when I got her, changing sheets was a horrible ordeal because she was out of control.  OH good lord this dog was such a monster.  But now it's not an issue usually.

We were roughhousing earlier and she now can hold back - she sometimes slips but generally no mouthing, no scratching, or very gently if so.  Contrast that to eight months ago when I would have gashes and bruises like crazy. 





*I have this twisted fantasy of calling up the trainer from before and arranging a session for Ziggy to show up and pay her no mind and be extraordinarily well trained.  That's a long way off, but I want to choreograph a dance of us together called IN YOUR FACE. 

independent outside

The good news:  Ziggy used the dog door fully on her own in the middle of the night (at 4 am).  First time, and I'm very proud of her. 

The bad news: her fitful sleep made mine also fitful and far too limited. 

Bad thunderstorms are rolling in and she's not a fan.  Lots of thunder and lightning and dark skies, though the rain hasn't hit yet.  But close.  Driving to work will not be fun.

She is quiet and sleepy and I worry about her when she is like this. 

I am always worried about her demise.  I thought that eight years since my last dog was long enough to wait, but her death still haunts me.  Losing her was hard.  And I am not Zen in any way about the thought of losing Ziggy. 

Perhaps I overprotect her, but if you within two weeks of getting a dog are visited by animal control officer threatening to take and kill your dog, your foundations feel shaky.  I do not want Ziggy to ever be in another situation that could lead to such an outcome.  She is reactive and unpredictable, and while she is getting better, it will always be my job to predict her from her crazy self.   

clicker out

Ms. Ziggy has decided that she doesn't like the clicker. 

Was trying to work on Dr. Karen Overall's Protocol for Relaxation* and Ziggy was doing ok.  Usually she whips through all that like nobody's business and it feels silly to even do the "sit 5 seconds.  sit 10 seconds" sort of things. But for whatever reason today after a few of the steps, she decided she was done.  I tried to come back to it an hour later and I noticed her ears go back with the clicker and she would not listen or do anything I asked.  So I put it away and asked her to sit and then she obeyed.

Great. 

Yes, the clicker has only ever been used appropriately.  I'm very careful with it and don't use it much.  She's never expressed an aversion to it before. 

It's just so hard when no expert can help.  This relaxation protocol is supposed to help her learn to calm when stressed. 

And yet, she is a wonderful dog.  Today she wanted exercise but it was fucking 97 degrees out.  We played frisbee a few times but it wasn't fun for either of us really, both seeking shade.  But she goes out on her own and pushes around the bucket, growling and howling at it.  She comes back in panting, ready to relax again.  I've been so lucky with dogs who do not take their energy out in destructive ways, but go outside and get their ya-yas out alone when there's no other option. 

How can I help her learn to keep her reactivity in check the same way?



*Found here: http://www.dogdaysnw.com/doc/Protocol_for_Relaxation-_Karen_Overall.pdf.

This isn't the best article she's read