Tuesday, October 30, 2012
hTough Love
October30th, 2012ISo all of my years watching "The Dog Whisperer" starting to resurface. I remembered that Drake was a dog first and impaired second. I needed to start treating him like a dog. He needed some tough love and I needed a break.
I had decided to start removing him from wherever he was when he started the spin.bark combo. If he was in his playroom, I would put him in the bedroom and close the dog gate closing him out of the play room. He had a lot of things that triggered his spin/bark. Being around water triggered him. He was over the tub, but the toilet would send him into a good spin. I heard that when he was with a foster before prison that he ate the water hose under the toilet and flooded the toilet room. With that in mind, I had purchased a over the toilet shelving unit that would hopefully keep him from being able to get to the hose.
He would lick the tile in front of the toilet and bark looking directly at the toilet. The licking the tile was not a new problem. I had seen him do it in other areas of the bathroom. I knew that licking is a form of anxiety. He demonstrated every anxiety act that I had ever read about. He panted,, licked, barked, spun. Just a classic case of anxiety. Question was, what was causing it? Then what to do about it?
Same thing outside. Water really seemed to be a double issue. He could not stand to be sprayed with it. However, wet ground, he just had to dig. Every time he dug in wet dirt, he became manic and panted. He would decide on a spot to dig by smell, sometime that would not include water. When the digging started, the manic behavior always followed. I know that Dachshunds would dig by breed in order to kill varmints. So I assumed it was partially due to breeding, but his manic behavior did not seem right. I always stopped him as quickly as I could, told him no, no and redirected him. Many times he would be fine for a while. Other times he did not snap out of it and just looked for another place to dig.
His behavior was improving on one level, but I was uncovering new layers of problems every day. The layers of problems seemed endless. He had such a sweetness about him. Never seemed to blame humans for his problems. Never offered to bite. Always accepting of whatever I asked and always very loving. I had my heart full of him, but I was so resentful of him at times, I didn't ever know how to feel.
Get Outta My Bed
October 29th, 2012Well, the latest issue that I have had with Drake is the vicious bark in my bed. He had slept in my bed since the second or third day that he lived here. Lately he has started this habit of jumping up like he heard something and barking viciously. I have been trying to figure out why. Does he smell the other dogs in my bed and feel threatened or angry? Does he see light through his eye lids or on the ceioing? Is he having some kind of flash backs or dreams? Why?
What I had been doing, unsuccessfully, is pulling him to me. Then turning his tail towards where he had been standing. Having his face towards me, telling him no, no. It would work for two or three minutes and he would pull away, put his head towards the ceiling and bark so vicious. I just kept repeating the same thing over and over, expecting different results any minute. Not know what to do, I just tried to control the situation until he would fall asleep. A cowards way out, but I just didn't know what to do. I thought if I could just figure out why he was doing it, I could figure out the right way to handle the situation.
Today what a very trying day. By 8:00 AM I was exhausted from him. He was spinning in the family room. Barking uncontrollably outside, miserable upstairs in his room. I tried to put him back in my bed thinking maybe he was still tired. Not the correct answer. As the day went on he improved. When I took him outside in the afternoon he played for a couple of hours and let me get a little work done outside. The tension eased up a little. By 5:30 PM when April called to pick up Tejas from his grooming, he was playing upstairs in his room, very quietly. I asked my grandson, Justus, to listen for him while I ran to pick up Tejas. I didn't want to disturb his quiet play by taking him with me. When I returned, he was still playing quietly.
Becky, one of the people interested in buying Cisco my donkey, had called about 3:30 PM to see about coming over to meet him. I had told her of course, even though my day had been awful and I really did not want to mess with that. I had been trying to locate a really good home for him since I got Drake and realized that he was going to take up so much time. I really liked Becky and knew she did not have a lot of time off. However, as the day went forward, she had called me numerous times having trouble getting off, hooking up the new trailer hitch, with the lights on the trailer and just anything that could go wrong. It was dark when she finally got on her way. Drake was already trying to go to sleep and I knew I had to go get Cisco. When she got here it would be dark and I did not know how long it would take to get him loaded. He finally went to sleep and I wondered what the odds of him staying asleep without me in bed would be. He had the habit of touching me all night. If he couldn't feel me, he would wake up and start barking. So I could only hope he would get to sleep deep enough for me to have the time to take car of Cisco.
I left him laying there and asked Justus to come and get me if he started barking real loud, but to handle it if he could. I went got Cisco and when Becky arrived she decided to buy him. By the time I got back inside the house it was 9:00 PM and he was barking and up. I tried to calm him and go back to bed, but he was irritated. He wouldn't settle down. Kept barking and jumping out of bed. Good ole Tejas, the boss of the house, was now getting irritated. Trying to sleep over on his little bed on the floor, he was starting to growl. As Drake walked by him barking, Tejas lunched at him with big bark. Just knocked Drake over. Of course Drake hadn't heard the bark and getting knocked over just heightened his agitation. So he started barking even louder. I picked him up, hoping to put him in bed and calm him down. Uh oh, he bite me. Not a pressure bite, but a his mouth on my hand and his mouth closing. I told him no, no and jumped up out of frustration, kicking Tejas out of my room. Misdirected anger, but I was angry and knew better than to show Drake.
Before throwing Tejas out, instinctively I had put Drake on the floor. When I returned from throwing Tejas out, I noticed that Drake was suddenly calm. Walking around in my bedroom. I went over and closed the doggie gate into his playroom Then I went over to the bed watching Drake. As much as I believe in getting to the reason of the behavior and trying to prevent it from that angle. I also know that some times you just stumble onto the answer. Like I did when I watched Tejas roll him. After about ten minutes he came over and calmly asked to go to be. He laid down and was asleep in another two minutes. Unbelievable. Tejas had done it again. Indirectly he had corrected Drake, making me angry enough to throw the little pain in the a$$ out of my bed. Exactly what the dog whisperer himself would have told me to do a week ago.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
They Tried To Make Me Go To Rehab, I Said No, No, No
October 25th, 2012So the morning started off bad. For some reason I decided that I would spend some time in the family room. I usually take him upstairs to my bedroom, where he has his playroom set up or outside. Both places he knows well and is content when there. In the family room we have a lot of windows and even the door is glass. The room has a lot of natural light. I have noticed that he barks and spins in door ways in general, but this door really sets him spinning. So prepared to no, no all morning. I sat on the couch and watched. He was not happy to be in that room. The colder weather is starting to come and this is where we will be instead of outdoors for half of the day. I could have waited until then, but no, let's spend my morning correcting Drake. He likes the kitchen, which is attached, if I am in there cleaning or cooking. It isn't his favorite room, but tolerable. The family room, yuck.
It was to be mid-morning, so I took him outside. I had tons of canna's that I was moving and a sage that I needed to plant. I found the place where I thought would be good for the cannas and then a place for the cannas. I planted the sage, but the box with the cannas were so heavy that I got them half way back to the spot and decided to mow the lawns instead. He was behaving and seemed content. I mowed the front lawn and then the back. Just as I was finishing I noticed he was starting to spin. I put the mower up and went and picked him up. I carried him into the house and put him down to drink. While he was drinking, I washed my hands and arms. My knee hurt and I was starving, so I decided to take some Ibuprofen and get some food. There were some fresh bagels calling me. However, the little rat ran back outdoors as soon as he drank his share of water. Usually I would have brought him right back in. I knew he was very tired and if he got over tired that he would even behave worse. My hands were clean, the bagels were there. I grabbed a soda and a bagel. My daughter was off so I talked to her for a few minutes. We talked about the movie which had just come in on net flex and decided to watch it after I finished my lunch. All of this time, Drake was in the corner of my yard spinning. He was so tired he could hardly move. Just as I was finishing my bagel, my daughter walked outside to get Drake for me.
I could see his head hanging back and the tongue was hanging out. She put him in her arms while I put the movie in. His whole body was heaving as he panted, trying to cool down. My daughter said feel his ears and head. I did and they were so hot. His tongue was just hanging. I took him in my arms and his body was on fire. He had over heated his self so badly that I was frightened. I wondered should I douse him in cool water, what should I do. I decided that I would just watch him carefully as I watched the movie, to see if he could cool himself down. I gave him an ice cube, he didn't want it. He loves ice cubes. By the time the movie was over, he had stopped panting. He was curled up sleeping in my arms. I felt that I was very lucky to have averted a very sick boy. A lesson was learned and a horrible situation was avoided.
My next decision was to get him half of a pill. What an idiot I was, when he was doing better for just a couple of days, to remove the crutch. He obviously still needed it. He played a little while outside, and at 4:45 PM he went and sat on the porch. I went over and opened the door for him. I usually make him go through the doggie door, but he had a rough day. We went upstairs and I fed my two afternoon eaters Maddie and Drake. I noticed when I put the food in Maddie's bowl that I spilled it around her bowl. Drake went through his bowl fast, as usual. I saw poor Maddie, who lives for food. eating as fast as she could. She also went to the other side of the bowl to try to body block him. Too bad for her, the food was pretty scattered. He had followed the smell over, but as soon as he found the kibble by her bowl, he smelled in the air. I think he realized it was her food. He just stood there, as though waiting for permission to have a bite. Maddie finished the last piece of food. I was surprised at his manners. He had touched Blue's bowl once and Blue had a fit. So, I figured that Drake would repeat the bad behavior. Blue knows better, but he does not like Drake at all. I felt all proud of Drake.
He played very quietly for awhile, but at 6:00 PM he asked me to go to bed. Laid down and went straight to sleep.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
No, No Equals Yes, Yes
October 24th, 2012Yesterday morning I decided I wouldn't give Drake anymore pills. I had only been giving him a half of a pill since he got back from prison and his behavior seemed stable. The vet had told me when I got the real drugs to SHUT HIM UP that the pill I had been giving him were herbal. She said that there was need to give him a whole lot of the stuff. That if it helped him, that would be all it would do. Giving him a lot would not make any difference. So in my mind, it seemed logical to only give him half. Then I thought, I will just not give him anymore. It did cross my mind that the night terrors or whatever might have been the result of that. I just thought I would wait it out and see.
Well, that was one of those decisions that you make when you are having a really good moment and not thinking things through. The morning started out pretty good until our outside time came. I had barely gotten him outside when it started. That damn spin mixed with the howl. I corrected him with a no, no and he would stop, but for a very short time. After about an hour of really bad behavior, I grabbed him. Put his behind out to the front with his head tuck under my arm. Straight towards that little crate I went. I stuffed him in and instead of a repenting reaction, like every other correction I had ever done, he went manic, like I had seen him since the day before I took him back to prison. It was awful and it did not stop. How in that tiny cage, I don't know, but he was spinning like a crazy dog. Howling, digging, biting. It was the most obscene horrible sight. I have to admit I did not leave him in there but a minute. I couldn't stand it. It might have triggered something, I will never know. It is like what he smelled last night in my bed. When I took him out I told him no, no and let him go. His behavior improved a little and when I told him no, no, he responded much better. However, I will never use that correction again.
It was another long day and a long night. When he went to bed, it was just like the night before. All night, barking. It is the strangest behavior. All I do is say no, no and he goes right back to sleep. I have to grab him, I am afraid he might fall out of be and be hurt. What is waking him up and why is he barking. The other behaviors annoy me more, but I can kind of get most of them This one has completely baffled me. Why does he wake up. It is quiet, dark and everyone else is asleep. I am started to loose sleep. A night of interrupted sleep is like no sleep at all.
Who Knows What The Nose Smells
October 23rd, 2012Today was another good morning. He did his little routine and seemed fine. However, I wasn't going to be fooled. I knew that we had taken three steps forward over the last couple of mornings, and that we would have to take at least one back. As the morning passed and he played, I waited. I now had the small crate ready to shove him in to correct his behavior. Although for the last couple of days most of his behavior had been corrected with that little no, no to the nose.
He had spent a lot of time outside this afternoon, smelling. That's what he does. Head down, then all of a sudden the nose goes up and he takes a little sprint, with no hesitation, as though he can see where he is running. It is amazing how much confidence he has. That is what made me fall in love with him the first time I saw him. He has never taken a victim's stance, always confident. I will admit that two of his favorite places are where the donkey poops and around the chicken pen where they sleep, and poop. I think that's the male in him, poop, not many little girls are as interested as you guys.
I brought him in around 5:00 PM, except for a couple of spins, he had seemed balanced. He always gets cranky when he is over tired, so decided to put him to bed. He normally goes to bed around 7:00 PM and it was only around 5:30PM now. So, usually I wait for him to ask me to go to bed, but I just tucked him in because I was on the computer and he kept doing this three bark thing. Not the howling or crying when he spins. Just barking. Even though I didn't think the three barks thing he was doing should be corrected, it was annoying.
He went right to be and to sleep. However, not long after, he jumped up and lunged towards the other side of the bed barking. An aggressive bark, like I had only heard a few times. I grabbed his collar and pulled him back to his spot. I said no, no (you know, on his nose) and he laid back down. It was as though he saw something, but in his case smelled something, close. He went back to sleep and then it kept happening. After a few times I put his leash on, so he would wake me up. Wake me up he did. All night. I have no idea what was up with him. He kept smelling the sheets and pillow cases, and jumping back, like fear. Scientist say that a dog can smell thousands of times better than a human and that a hearing impaired dog, can smell thousands of times better than that. Who knows......just hope this is a one time thing and not some kind of a ritual for him He has some strange ones.
Monday, October 22, 2012
SOS-Mayday-Mayday
October 22nd, 2012So the morning and mid-day was as smooth as silk. He had three little spin-barks. One spray with the bottle. Snapped back to normal. So then at about 3:00 PM it began. He became anxious to get outside, but seemed to be handling it. I am really trying to get him on a schedule. So a short time after that I took him downstairs and let him go out in the backyard to do his thing. He was good for a short while. He came in by his self, but didn't seem to want to be outside either. Kept laying on my feet, but didn't want to be picked up or to go anywhere. He finally threw a real spin in front of the door, when he does this he is being a brat. He wants me to let him out the kitchen door, instead of going through the doggie door. He was house trained at the prison and had to wait by the door to be taken out, but has been here six weeks and knows he can get out on his own. However, from time to time he will do this at the stairs or the doors. Any of the doors. I am still just spraying him. I finally just cuffed him (put the leash on) and took him upstairs. Played in her room for about an hour, but wandered around in between playing. Just restless.
About 5:30 PM, he just starting barking. No spinning. Just barking, like at a dog. This just started getting out of hand. He was not even responding to my no, no or my spray. I had a bad feeling about the alpha roll, but didn't know what else to do. He didn't seem to take it seriously, squirming, not holding still. I held the bite until he stopped squirming. Paused and then released. My fear of the roll loosing it sting if I used it too often was inevitable, and I knew it from common sense. What was I gonna do now? Just as I was pondering that familiar question, "what am I going to do about Drake"? The phone rang and it was my friend April, a dog trainer. I discussed it with her and she gave me another option to do instead of over using the alpha roll.
She suggested that I get a little crate, one of those solid plastic ones. She said I will lend you one the approximate size I need. Big enough to fit him in, but not big enough that he can stand or turn around. Do not leave him in longer than a couple of minutes. As always, remember this is a correction, not a punishment.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Birds of a Feather
October 20th, 2012Today we re-visited some problems from our past. Drake had a problem passing the chicken coop today and passing the parrot tonight. It could have smelled the chicken feed. Today I had decided to put food and water in their pen, getting ready for the colder weather. I noticed that he nose was up and that he followed me to the pen. He began to act manic, but I could control him with a no, no on the nose for most of the time. Because I knew him and he kept revisiting the coop, I figured he would eventually act out. So I pulled up a chair and kept a close eye on him. Eventually he did act up and I rolled him. Uh-oh. The roll did not hold him. In a few minutes he acted up again, so I rolled him again and this time I picked him up and took him upstairs. So I guess the next step if you roll him and he acts out again, is to remove him from area completed. I do notice that when he is tired he act out so much more.
When I got him upstairs, he laid down on the bath room floor, and took a very short nap. I knew he was still tired so I kept a close eye on him. Suddenly he was back smelling the bird cage. He did not even back down once when I no, no on his nose. He was defiant and angry. I tried to move him by stepping in front of him and herding him away from the cage. Also, I sprayed him a couple of times. I eventually rolled him. I had tried everything else because after the double roll outside earlier I knew I was over using the roll. It was loosing it's effectiveness. I even had to invent a backup for it. That isn't good.
I am not discouraged, but frustrated. It makes me think of Paws in Prison and what they accomplished in just six months. Actually the team that really trained, Cristi and Shelly, did not get him until four months before I got him. That makes it even more amazing. Machelle has such a positive energy and love for dogs, that she is an inspiration. When the girls hit a wall or had a problem they said that Machelle would always say, "fix it". She always believed they could do anything, and that kind of confidence pushed them. The girls had a great mentor in Machelle and she was lucky to have those two girls. However, all I have was me. On days like this I so appreciate the incredible gift that those women gave me with this dog. They are the only reason I can even begin to communicate with him. I know if Machelle was here she would say, "fix it". So I guess I better fix it.
Friday, October 19, 2012
We Are All Animals First
October 18th, 2012Today was mostly good. My new approach to treat Drake like a dog first and blind/deaf second is starting to give me hope. I was stuck in a mind set and am so glad that I have broken through. Now it feels right. I am prepared to be flexible and give him 90% of my time for as long as it takes. I am prepared to spend a year or the rest of my life working with him. He is like a vocation to me, and it cannot be denied. I believe his journey can make a difference not just to Drake, but to anybody that decides to take the same journey. I found one other journey of someone that took this journey. She created a web site, capturing pictures and advice about her journey. I read it over and over. It was helpful in preparing me and giving me confidence to start. However, all of our journeys will be different because all of our dogs will be different. They are dog first, with their own unique personalities to deal with that will have nothing to do with their impairments. Drake is pretty balanced with confidence and intelligence, but he is not good with other dogs and he is living with seven. That has to change. I have a lot of work to do.
A friend of mine gave me two little bantam type hen. I went to her farm and Drake walked around on a leash. She had a six month old beautiful doberman puppy named Diva. She was so cute and wanted to play with Drake. Diva kept doing the little play bow, but of course he couldn't see her. He could smell her presence , and should had known she was happy. Instead he lunched at her with an aggressive bark. I rolled him and he immediately got under control. Of course poor little Diva had gone into her own little roll, call the fetal position. Scared her very badly. It was the same greeting that many of our dogs had gotten. I don't even know how to approach this problem.
After we caught the little hens and put the crate in the back seat, I loaded Drake into the car. At first he took a good position and seemed peaceful. Suddenly, within the first two minutes, his nose went into the air and began to have one of his fits, throwing his head back, trying to follow the scent. I could hardly drive home and it is less than two miles. When I got home and drug him out of the car, I released him into the backyard. I got the chickens and took them through another entrance. I hurried and put them into the little small cage I had prepared for them to live in for the first week. I barely got them into their pen when I spotted Drake, nose in the air, rushing right towards me. His nose brought him right to the chicken coop. He had never noticed it before because it is usual empty by the time he goes into the back part of or yard.
He began biting the fenced in area and climbing up on the pen. It was just as he reacted to the parrot the first time he noticed it. At first I just stood there. I don't know why I didn't react. I guess I knew the hens were safe, but I didn't roll him, I just watched him. He suddenly got caught between the chicken wire and the heavy wire on the pen. For fear of him getting hurt I finally reacted. I grabbed him and rolled him in one continuous movement. Put the bite on his chest and the no, no on his nose. After he got up, he continued to whine. I picked him up and put him in my lap. For some reason my instincts told me to not let him whine or walk away. I sat there for ten minutes just letting him smell the chickens and not whine. So much of what I have decided to do is to trust my instincts and rely on my experiences with dogs. Of course I also cross my fingers. We will know in his actions as we continue this journey.
The Alpha Wienie Roll
October 19th, 2012While talking to my friend that is an dog/horse trainer, she warned me about using the alpha roll too often. She said that it could make the dog fearful and in extreme cases they begin to urinate when they are touched. The human would he an object of fear. However, she did concede that it can be a very useful tool in his training. When I roll him I am very careful and use extremely soft hands, except for the squeeze. Timing is important. You need to catch him in the act. If the spin is slow and he is just beginning to spin, I use the water bottle. If his spin is manic and fast, I grab him in mid spin and roll him on his back. Grab his body, do not grab a leg and risk injury. As I said, roll him as gentle as possible. Quickly squeeze him, I grab his chest area, imitating a bite. Firmly and hold it. Before I release him I give him a no, no on his nose hand signal. Do not squeeze him hard and never show anger. It has to be a correction, not a punishment.
He seems to be getting the message. He still comes to me when he wants a nap or to go to bed. I see no difference in his affection that he offers me and mostly I see no fear. He is as loving as always, just taking the correction and continuing his day. I make sure that he knows it was me who gave him the correction. I linger in the spot so he can smell my presence as he gets up right.
Another thing that I discovered is that he loves ice. I had a glass on lemoaide and dumped the ice in his water dish when I was finished. Just to fill it up, not thinking about him liking the ice. I do have another dog that likes ice, but am so caught up in the other stuff with Drake, I have never offered it to him. He went after it like it was steak. He threw a little tandrum when it was gone. I gave him a no, no hand signal and he got himself under control. It is another thing to use when I need to re-direct his focus. Every tool that I can collect, goes right into my arsenol of weapons to win this battle. I am beginningto think that he can be as normal as any other dog. All of my dogs have little things that they do which stops them from being PERFCT. One barks too often, one is bossy about when to feed or play with her, one is afraid of people,. You get the message. He will have his things. He will always spin, that is part of him getting his bearings. It helps him navigate. However, I don't believe that he has to sping and throw tandrums. Two entiierly different spins. I also think I can get him through most of his ocd attacks. Maybe I just hope it real strongly. I do know I feel entirely different now about Drake.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
I Am The Dog Whisperer
October 17th, 2012I woke Drake early and put him out with the other dogs. He fell into the parade of dogs out in the morning. I had hoped by making him wake up early, he might take a couple of naps and give me a break during the afternoon. By late morning the barking and spinning was getting crazy. I continued to put him in bed and contained him, but I also felt that it was not working.
Mid morning my dog Tejas, the 70 lb. Poodle had come into my bedroom and was resting comfortably on the bed. So when I picked Drake up and put him in the bed to contain him, he suddenly broke loose and ran right into Tejas. This is the kind of thing that my big boy does not allow. So, with a quick growl, he jumped up and rolled Drake onto his back. He held him there with his mouth around Drake's breast bone. He released him and Drake ran to me, huddled into me. He sat there for at least five minutes before moving. That is when it hit me. I have to treat him like a dog, if I want him to be a dog. I keep wanting him to be a dog companion, but treating him like a blind/deaf impaired dog.
I am a big fan of Cesar Millan and agree with most of his training methods. I have lived by his creed of exercise discipline affection. I feel so ashamed that I had really not thought of Drake as a normal dog that should follow the same prescription that my other dogs had to follow. I had given him everything in reverse. I would normally never put up with his behaviors, but with Drake I was thinking his baggage was normal. When I saw Tejas correct his behavior like a dog and him react like a dog, it clicked. I spent the rest of the day correcting him as a dog or a pack leader would. It did not change his behavior, but it definitely seemed to extend the good time. I did give him half of a pill around mid day. He took several naps, got into the tub twice and licked grout all day. While he licked the grout he would bark and occasionally dig. I corrected him by flipping him. I did try to redirect him, but didn't catch him early enough most of the time.
He came to me about seven and asked to go to bed. He went right to sleep and was just as loving as normal. At the end of the day he had responded to me, but still didn't know if it would really change him. He seemed more confuused and not as he had reacted to Tejas. He needs more exercise, that is for sure. I will have to walk him at least once daily. He is so hard on toys, that I have to be more creative. The one thing that I have learned through this is to be more flexible and the plan is to not have a plan.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Welcome Back Kotter
October 16th, 2012I had not been able to pick up Drake on Friday as planned because Machelle was out for the day. By Monday I had worked up a migraine headache from hell worrying about starting all over again. I tried to get on top of it, I had missed Drake so much and wanted him back. However, for what ever reason I couldn't seem to move without wanting to throw up. So by eleven yesterday morning I had called Machelle and taken a xanax. I was out of migraine medicine and just wanted to sleep. woke
When I woke up, I was ready to get Drake. I had analyzed the past month and knew several things. One, I had been too soft on him, shown my pity and showered him with too much affection. Two, pushed him way too fast. He had picked things up so fast, I just kept introducing him to new things. The plan that I had for his arrival had quickly dissolved. Three, the ocd part of his brain had to be switched off. I did not really need to know why he obsessed, he just needed to find a different way to live. Four, he definitely needed more supervision than I had been giving him.
I had promised to do errands before I picked him up and it was almost noon when I got there. The reunion was exciting. He was very happy to see me and I was thrilled to see him. So much more excited than when I had brought him home. I had his cage opened to the front of the car and he went right in. He played all the way home. The rest of our pack was so happy to see him. Don't know why, just the way dogs are. He even seemed happy to see them. I took him through the house, into the yard and then upstairs. Part of my new approach was to limit how much of the house he would be allowed to go into. Also, to not use the cage for correction. I had to put him in it when I leave. In the past I have put him in as a correction and many times I was frustrated when I did it. I knew that I would have to tap into more patience.
I didn't know that I would need so much patience, so soon. He had only been home for a couple of hours when he started back, spinning, out of control. I corrected him all day by putting him in bed and not allowing him to bark or get up. I didn't think it was the best thing to do, but I was trying to try different methods. I only knew the definition of crazy, which is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. It was a hard afternoon. Drake went to bed early and I was relieved. I did not give him his pill, but I had decided to cut drugs way back on all pills. I had mixed feelings about today.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Back Behind Those Prison Walls
October 8th thru 15th, 2012So I went through the morning in a cloud of depression and confusion. I waited for Betty to arrive and Drake napped most of the morning. The drugs, that I had happily put him on to get through these few days until I returned him to prison, had kept him quiet at an expense. He didn't seem any happier, but was clearly stoned. Napping and barking. It had been almost a month since I had brought him home with so much enthusiasm and hope. I clearly needed some time to reflect on what had happened and what I could do. The helplessness that I felt was robbing me of any common dog sense that I had. As I continued to wipe tears throughout the morning, I hoped that I would be okay for the trip. I wondered if I could get my mind off of Drake.
Betty had offered to drive me to Lockhart so that I could hold him for the trip. I reassured him as we winded down highway 20. He was quiet, stoned was a more appropriate word. I would have rather told Betty to go on to Beeville without me and stayed with Drake. The only thing that stopped me from that was that I knew he would be better off away from me. I was no good for him now and keeping him would be a selfish act. I could only pray that I could get some rest and be ready for him next Friday.
I walked him back up the stairs, that he had walked down just a short while ago, holding his little blue leash in my hand. Once inside, they asked us to wait for Machelle outside, because Betty had her purse. Machelle came out hugged us both and took his leash. Reassured me and promptly returned through the prison door. My heart in the pit of my stomach, I tried to get my mind on reminiscing and the good old days.
I realized how long our journey would be and how each little move would have consequences. I pushed him too fast. I had taken short cuts with drugs. My house was not the best choice for a dog like him, but I knew it had to work. He was my dog now and I had to make better choices. I should not have planned the trip to Beeville right now. I would have to say no to other people like Melody and her animals. I had allowed way too much to get on my plate, as usual and this could not happen again. I had to focus on what I wanted and I wanted this little boy to be happy.
Forget the Herbal, I Need Pharmaceuticals
October 5th, 2012The morning brought new hope. Drake seemed calm and happily went downstairs. We had our breakfast and hung around downstairs. I had decided I would get some laundry done. I did not want to spend much time upstairs because of the bird. While Drake was sleeping downstairs, I had returned the bird and the cage to the window where he belonged. I had cleaned the cage and decided that I wanted him in my room. I enjoyed his chatter and our morning rituals. I was just going to have to desensitise Drake to the bird smell or redirect him as I had been doing with the tub. The tub had been working, but I had to continuously watch that he did not get into the tub. By redirecting him every time he went near it, he was staying out.
I was coming out of the laundry room when I saw him start up the stairs. I stopped and watched him. When he got to the middle landing, he started to spin and bark. Very fast and manic. I ran upstairs and grabbed him. He was throwing his head and kicking for every thing he was worth. It was about 12:45 pm as I sat down holding him. For the next two hours he encored his behavior from the night before. I could only hold him for the first hour and then into the crate. It made me so sad to watch him in the crate, I wanted to cry.
Once he got to sleep I called the vet. I was supposed to pick up his other anxiety pills and wanted to ask if I could give him three or what the limit would be for him. She told me that the pills that he was currently taking were herbal and that they either worked or didn't. That by giving him more it wouldn't really change his behavior. I explained what was going on. She suggested that she give me some drug that would calm him and keep him calm. I asked for enough to get me through the next two days until I returned him to prison. I picked up the drugs and gave him a half of a pill immediately. As when I had first upped his herbal meds, I immediately saw a calmer Drake.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Bye Bye Birdie Bye Bye
October 4th, 2012Today was a stellar day. At least until about 5:00 this evening. I have two parrots that live in seperate cages, side by side, in mybedroom bay window. Drake has always been aware of them, but just sort of acted afraid and avoided that area. Not tonight. We were in my bedroom, except I was soaking in a well deserved bath. I heard the birdcage rattling, but thought the parrot was playing. Then I heard another sound, bird screeching, dog barking. So bath interrupted, I flew into my room. The cage was close enough to the window ledge, close enough that he had managed to get up on the window ledge. He was balanced because of the window on one side and the cage on the other side. Drake had his nose pushed all the way inside the cage through the bars. He was barking at his new friend or being aggressive, who knows. However, my parrot Boggie looked at it as a home invasion. As I got out of the tub I had seen Boggie quickly moving towards Drake, but I couldn't move fast enough. More Drake did not see or understand what was about to happen, but I saw Boggie's beak on Drake's nose several times. Looking back now in a calm manner, Boggie did not bite Drake, there was no blood or evidence of a bit. Boggie will thump you with his beak, which is what I think happened, but it sent Boggie into a dark place that I had only heard about.
I quickly moved the cage and grabbed Drake, thinking he was injured, he was kicking and barking. He was hysterical. I had to hold him in a Heimlich position for over an hour. I finally called my grandson first to hand me his second pill for the day and then to get Boggie out of the room. He had to disassemble the cage partially to get through the door, but Drake raged on. He was tired, his barks were now whimpers. No matter how tired he was, he continued to fight me.
Once the cage was out of the room, I put him down. He went to the spot and whimpered, smelling the floor, the window, just running around in that area. Then he turned on his own crate, which is wire and to him as close as he could find to the cage that housed the BIRD. Then went on for another hour. He was on top of the cage, inside the cage. Barking, scratching, biting and barking with renewed energy. I used my last resort squirt bottle, only a momentary surrender. After two hours, I made the decision to give him another pill. It was his third one for the day, but it was too late to call a vet and I knew he had to come out of this.
After another half an hour went by, finally sleep. He didn't sleep soundly, so after another hour, I moved to my bed where he normally slept.
My Name Is Einstein
October 3rd, 2012The day started so pleasant for me. It was his first day that he could leave my upstairs bedroom and make it all the way out the doggie door to the outdoors on his own. I feel that we have made it over a major mile stone. Drake is a genius. He learns so quickly. To think I cleaned the house before I brought him home because I wanted him to map the house and know where everything is. I thought I would have to keep the house perfect and never change things. It is the opposite. Nothing fazes him about running into things. He approaches the stairs and some things so cautious, yet he has so much confidence about just walking around.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
He Found The Powder Room
October 2nd, 2012Yesterday I decided to help him get downstairs and out the doggie door with out a leash. I just directed him out the bedroom door. Down the stairs was no problems. He keeps wanting to turn right instead of left at the bottom of the stairs. For the first couple of weeks I turned him right to go out the front because he did not want to use the doggie door. He also would not walk around the back yard carefree. I indulged him and let him go out the front, brought him home through the back. This original mapping that he did is completely opposite what I am asking him to do know. Very confusing. We have only been back home a couple of days from our doggie sitting and since then I have turned him the opposite way at the bottom of the stairs. Yesterday, I had to drag him with his collar to the kitchen. As soon as he got to the kitchen he realized he had to potty, and he finished the trip. Today, I just barely tugged on his collar to make him turn left. I think He is doing incredible. This is just his third week and five days was at another house.
One issue is water. Today I decided I had to detour his jumps into my bath tub. They are the main source of circling and barking upstairs. I tried to block the tub, but he got around, under or over everything that I put in front of the tub. I have a really large European ironing board that I used to cover up the top of the tub. He jumped on top of the ironing board and before I knew it had torn the cover to shreds. Not only that, but I have a wide ledge window behind my tub, and he managed to knock off everything from the window sill. I am at a lost as what to do. I suppose that I am going to have to close the door, but the bathroom doubles his area to play, and I hate to sacrifice any of his play area. I am still working on that problem. He just seems to have obsessive behavior wherever there is water.
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