Pack Leader Relies on Instinct

September 18th, 2012

Now that he had his drugs increased,   The manic behavior was so improved, that I began to study his actions.  The girls at Paws had given me a lot of information, but I was finding that many of his actions were new.  As far as we knew, he had never lived in a home as a companion, so his transition took many forms.  I had noticed that he seemed more comfortable in my bedroom area.  Because by spending time in the entire house might be overwhelming,  I limited his time in the other areas of the home.  Wanted him to use one area, let him get comfortable, and see if that would help the spinning.  I had a large bath room connected to my bedroom, so I decided I would make him a big play area. I put a large rug down for him to play on.  All of his toys were put in a plastic container under the vanity, between the double sinks, where he could get them. 

I put his crate in my bedroom.  Inside the crate I put a couple of t-shirts, that I had slept in, with the little blankets from the Paws girls.  I put a toy that he could not destroy inside.  Beside my bed I put a purple donot shaped bed.  In the bed, his little favorite bone, so he could stop to rest and chew.  I did not let any other dogs up there until night time.  Those changes seem to make him calmer.  He played with his toys, running back and forth.  I had not wanted to use water to correct him, but decided to get a squirt gun.  I was afraid that by me touching him everytime he would spin, was trainig me instead of him.  Also, saved me a few steps and believe me when dealing with Drake, every step saved was needed.  Any time that he would circle and bark, I gave him one quick squirt.  I do not understand why, but 95% of the time, that little quick squirt stops him.

The other problem that I had noticed during the first week, he did not like the backyard, unless I had him on leash.  Also, he would not use my doggie door. He knew it would take him outside, but he would stand at the front door and bark.  The doggie door was in the back.  At this point I decided to take him out the front door to potty and a short walk.  He loved his little walks.  I took him three or four times a day..  After his little walk, I would then take him to the back yard through the gate instead of the back door.  I would keep him on leash and walk him around the yard.  I would then take him in the back door, letting him walk around for about thirty minutes and then take him back upstairs.

I felt good about all of the changes that I had made.  Hopefully, they will make him feel comfortable, keep him independent and he will stop the spinning.  I had discovered that the spinning could be a part of his mapping.  Mapping is what a blind dog does when he gets into a new situation and wants to knows where he is as he moves around.  Every night I researched his actions from the day to try to understand him.  That night, I smiled as I held him in my arms, and dozed off myself.  I thought that my reaearch days were over.