No, No Equals Yes, Yes

October 24th, 2012

Yesterday 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.