Hope For Spooks!

[philospher77]

Hi!

 

When I first got my pretty Katie 3 years ago, she was a spook. Terrified to leave her crate, had to be coaxed down the hallway step by step, had to be carried outside and would panic and run inside anytime ANYTHING changed, from a new sound to a bird flying to the wind blowing. It's been a long, sometimes slow, three years, but she has come along awesomely! I have done a lot of training with her, and she is on generic prozac, which definitely is helping. But one thing that can not be under-emphasized is the importance of what you are using to counter-condition your dog. I'd been using cheese, because she really seemed to like cheese, and it was relatively convenient to carry around. But then, when I hit a plateau, I talked to my trainer and she agreed that I could use chicken feet during class. Oh. My. God! What a difference! As someone wisely pointed out, if you don't see a change in behavior when you are counter-conditioning in a relatively short time, it's because the dog is either over threshold or doesn't find the reinforcer to be reinforcing enough. The first class (with cheese), Katie balked at going up the steps, and basically endured class. The first class with chicken feet, she went up the steps no problem, and was engaged and alert during class. The third class, she was standing up in the car looking out the front window as we got close to class, and made the eager whine she does for going on the greyhound walk. The fourth class, we had out at a park. Here's some pictures from that:

 

 

 

So it is possible for these dogs to make huge improvements. I never really thought I would be able to get Katie to be this comfortable outside. My initial attempts to walk her resulted in her going into full-blown panic mode and acting like a little bucking bronco, so this is a huge improvement. Just thought other people might be needing some encouragement. I'm not really sure of the best forum for this, so a moderator can move it if they feel it should be somewhere else.

 

Rebecca and Katie

[silverfish]

Good to hear! Might not work for all of them, but it sounds as if it was right for her, and might also work for someone else! Lovely to see her looking comfortable outside.

[HoundHeavenAZ]

I've never had a real spook, just a quirky girl that can be a handful. I so admire you for sticking with this baby and making her life (and yours) more joyful! Congratulations

[seeh2o]

Great work, what a great success story! Congratulations to you on your hard work and patience in finding what works for your sweetie.

 

My girl, Doodles, was a bit spooky when she arrived. With time and lots of positive reinforcement, she is a HUGE personality at home and much less fearful in public.

[tuff]

She is so pretty and looks completely relaxed. Congratulations to you both!

Are you just chopping the feet up into little bits?

[greysmom]

 

Awesome!!!!

[JAJ2010]

That's so awesome! Congrats to both of you! I hope you have many years of telling her spooky stories and not having a single soul believe you about how bad she was. :-)

[galgrey]

You've done a great job with your pretty girl! Way to go!

[philospher77]

She is so pretty and looks completely relaxed. Congratulations to you both!

Are you just chopping the feet up into little bits?

 

Nope, she just gets to chomp on them whole, while I hold onto it so that she doesn't gulp it too fast. They are really not great treats for training, but for counter-conditioning, they work well. I have been taking along some bite-sized treats for when she does more traditional things that need rewards.

[Guest june]

Wow, that is terrific! And I love it when people take spooks or timid pups to class. That was what helped my ex-very timid girl. Congratulations!

Edited April 7, 2013 by june

[Guest WhiteWave]

Way to go Katie!

 

Ronon won't eat in public, nothing no matter what it is. He won't drink either. I had to pour some water on his tongue on a pack walk Sunday.

 

A photographer took this picture of him standing behind while I was talking with some new people to the walk that just adopted a Greyhound. At are trails and stuff where it is just us, he fine, but with all these people around- he looks like this:https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=508884655839280&set=a.508883579172721.1073741828.304732166254531&type=1&theater

 

[Guest Isabella]

This is very encouraging ! I turned on the ceiling fan today (finally a day warm enough to do so) and she went BALLISTIC, even after I had turned it off she shook for about a half hour. We signed up for classes today, they start in a couple weeks, I'm really hoping the socialization helps with some of her fears, the trainer told me there will be another greyhound in the class so am very excited for that!

 

Katie is BEAUTIFUL !

[rschultz]

WTG!!!