Day 14

Day 14

Jenny Proctor LukEli K-9

Wow! Day 14. Has it really been two weeks since Hank came to stay with us here at LukEli? I can hardly believe it! I am also amazed at the progress he's made. He came to us so paralyzed with fear that he couldn't move and didn't want anything to do with me. Now I can't get him to stop following me around! He started out taking baby steps toward trust and now every day he seems to take a leap forward. Next thing you know he'll be taking leaps AND bounds forward. It brings a smile to my face

Hank on his 6 ft leash, look at that smile!

The power of small progressions through desensitization by keeping training sub-aversive can definitely be seen in Hank's case. His aversion threshold around humans when we started was extremely low. We were big, scary creatures that brought on a state of learned helplessness in Hank. I couldn't touch him at all. I worked on improving this area very slowly and incrementally. First I could just barely touch his chin, then the side of his face, his collar, his shoulders, and then his back. Now I can reach down and pat him on the head, pet him down his back, scratch his butt (his favorite), and do all this stuff with both hands at the same time! It took me two weeks to be able just to pet him down his back without him flinching and moving away. Think about that for a second. An action we all thoughtlessly perform on many dogs all the time, reaching down and petting them, took me two weeks of concerted non-stop counterconditioning and desensitizing to accomplish. He has progressed very rapidly, thankfully. Many dogs aren't so easily able to bounce back. Hanks aversion threshold is much higher now, though still well below well-adjusted dogs. 

Now for the update: just yesterday, Hank walked on the 6 ft leash for the first time! It was slow going and he wasn't comfortable with it at all, however he still did it. Each time we go for a walk it becomes easier and easier for Hank to feel safe. We've also started working on teaching Hank the "sit" cue. He's picking it up quickly. I'm pretty sure he'll turn out to be a star pupil. Hank has started to feel so comfortable that we're now working on some behaviors that have started to emerge that aren't so cute. He likes to follow behind me barking and nipping at my clothes, which may be cute while he's a puppy, but certainly won't be when he's an adult. That's ok, though. We'll get it sorted out. He's learning what's expected of him a little at a time. Hank is starting to bloom, and for that, I'm grateful.

Now, without further ado, check out the link below for the video to see Hank strut his stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD4-V0HDbTg&feature=youtu.be

Day 11

Day 11

Jenny Proctor LukEli K-9

You'll hear me talk a lot about using rewards while training dogs. A reward is something that is presented after a behavior that then increases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated. Rewards can be anything the dog desires, from food(treats) or toys to functional rewards. One way functional rewards can be defined is as a reward that the dog is seeking in that moment. Some examples:

• Dog wants to exit the house. You ask Dog to sit before opening the door. The reward for Dog waiting for you to release them? Being allowed to go outside!
• Dog wants to scare off the delivery person. Dog barks, delivery person leaves. Dog thinks barking caused person to leave. Dog is rewarded for barking.
• Dog jumps on people seeking attention. People react to the jumping. Dog is rewarded with attention for jumping, regardless of whether the attention was positive or negative.
• Dog is fearful of people. People can use their movements and use of release of pressure to reward dog with social space. 

Functional rewards are the most versatile and readily available way to reward your dog in day to day life. They're also extremely useful when it comes to rehabilitating dogs with behavioral issues, which brings me to:

Hank. I have used this technique extensively while interacting with him. Whether it was turning away from him as he approached to let him know that I don't want a confrontation (dog language) so that he felt comfortable coming closer or reduction of social pressure through the use of the long line (allowing him the distance he needs from me) so he would go on a walk, these small every day interactions have all added up to some major advances! Hank now allows me to scratch his butt, pet his head and shoulders, will tolerate my attaching and detaching the long line outside, goes for a walk on the long line with very limited use of treats, and approaches new people in the house fairly readily (though does not tolerate touching by them just yet). He is still VERY uncomfortable being touched or approached from behind. He's certainly not thrilled with new environments. I still can't walk him on a 6 ft leash. He could easily slide way backwards in the wrong situation, even with an experienced and knowledgeable handler. Unfortunately we can't control all the stimulus in a given environment which is why it's crucial that Hank learn the skills necessary to cope with all the newness that will come his way. He's got a ways to go to get there but he has come so far already. I can't wait to see what new breakthrough he'll make tomorrow.

All I can say is 

Go Hank Go!

Day 9

Day 9

By Jenny Proctor LukEli K-9

Hank made some great strides in the last few days. If you saw the video of Hank taking treats from kids, letting me scratch him under the chin, and playing tug with me then you know just what I'm talking about! (If not its attached below) He has also started to initiate play with me and today Hank let me pet the top of his head several times. That's pretty exciting for me since that's all I've wanted to do since I met Hank! Yay Hank!

He is learning with each new experience that he is safe and secure. Every once in awhile he even lets his curiosity beat out his fear and explores just a bit. Hank is well on his way to being able to live a happy doggie life as long as his confidence continues to build so that he can cope with new, scary stuff as it comes along.

One of those scary things for Hank is a leash. He goes the opposite direction the moment he sees a leash in my hand. The leash is definitely a trigger for fearful behavior in Hank. He can't think straight when he sees it. He is ok with the long line but just try to walk him with a 6 ft leash and you'll see a perfect example of opposition reflex. Hank plants his butt on the ground and then stares at it like he can pretend the whole world doesn't exist. Start to pull on that same leash and watch every muscle in Hanks body tense and tighten, all working in concert to oppose the force pulling him in one direction. You'll normally hear the term opposition reflex mentioned by dog trainers in conjunction with dogs pulling on leashes during walks. The tighter you keep the leash, the more the dog wants to pull (which is why harnesses usually create more problems than solutions when it comes to walking your dog. Think: sled dogs). Hank, being fearful, is pulling in a different direction than your average dog. He doesn't pull you along behind him but rather he is pulling away from you, as far away from as he can manage, in whichever direction he happens to be going. This is why, when desensitizing Hank to walking on a leash, I am very careful to never, ever pull him should he decide he doesn't want to move forward anymore. I use patience, luring and functional rewards (I'll talk more about these types of rewards in another blog post) to get him moving again. Luckily his case is not as extreme as some I have seen. It's heart-wrenching to watch a dog flipping around on the end of a leash like a wild creature desperate to escape what they assume must be a dire threat to their safety.

As with most everything I'm teaching Hank, I'm trying to convince him that walking next to me on a leash (or off, for that matter) is a great place to be where awesome treats are handed out and mostly good stuff happens. Dogs do what works. I want to make sure Hank knows that what works for him is being close to and trusting people. He comes closer to this goal every day!

Day 5

Day 5

By Jenny Proctor LukEli K-9

Autonomy is defined as: the capacity of an individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision.

 Some degree of autonomy is exactly what I'm trying for with Hank. He needs to feel as un-coerced as possible. Of course, I have to stretch the limits of his comfort every so often in order for progress to be achieved. Today Hank was introduced to a 30 ft long line so as to push forward a bit more on his journey. My hope was that he was unfamiliar with such a long leash and would feel less anxious walking with me and Gracie. The long line allows a dog to feel like they have more freedom (or in Hanks case, more social distance) while teaching them that staying within that 30ft radius (or whatever length of leash you choose) of you is where they should be. It is also very useful to introduce early if you plan on doing any off leash training in the future.

The first step of my plan required me to get the long line on Hank. Attaching a leash to a collar seems an easy task until you have a dog that wants you and your hand no where near him or his neck. Hank is leery of me when he sees any sort of leash in my hand and was unwilling to approach me while I held the clasp of the line. I know Hank is familiar with having the leash attached to his collar while in the kennel and tolerates it, albeit begrudgingly, so I walked near his kennel and he entered and sat down in the back. Luckily, I am getting good at hooking the clasp using only one hand, since approaching Hank with both hands is still too threatening for him. I successfully got the line hooked.  Doing this while he's in his safe space is certainly not ideal, but time is limited and I felt confident he could handle it and that this wouldn't be detrimental to his progress. After I finished, Hank surprised me and walked right out of the kennel and out the back door while dragging the line. Next step, a stroll around the house with me and Gracie!

I opened the gate and picked up the end of the line (another bonus of the long line; dogs don't generally realize they're connected to you, especially if the line never gets tight). I walked out the gate with Gracie and called Hank to follow. He remained frozen in place for several minutes staring at me and the open gate. I decided to add some incentive to at least move from the spot he was standing in and threw a piece of cheese 5 ft or so in front of him. The cheese got his feet moving and that's about how the rest of the walk went. Hank would wander forward a bit, stop and stay put, I would call Gracie over and then throw him a piece of cheese and he'd become "unstuck". Once we rounded the corner to go back in the gate he ran right in to familiarity and safety. I was surprised and pleased at how well he did. I'll focus on doing this exercise as much as possible without inflicting too much stress on Hank as I can in the coming days. 

Dog training requires small, incremental increases in duration, distance, and distraction, one at a time, for each behavior you train. Gradually, over time, the distance between Hank and whomever is holding the leash can be decreased a little at a time with the goal of being able to use a 6ft leash regularly without issue. 

Stay tuned for more of Hank's progress coming soon!

Day 3

Day 3

By LukEli Trainer Jenny Proctor

Hank has settled in to the routine nicely here. He is learning that he can expect the same things to happen every day. Dogs like routine, especially fearful dogs, and Hank is no exception. Most of his time is spent just hanging out with me and the other dogs, with some desensitization and counter conditioning exercises interspersed throughout the day. 

I have been working with Hank to accept touch through the use of treats. I offer a treat and wait for Hank to decide to come and take it from me. I incorporate touch into this process by extending one hand out (palm facing up and open) while holding the treat in the other hand. In order for Hank to reach the treat he has to extend his head and neck over my outstretched hand. At first he was only willing to take the treat if I offered it at the end of my hand and in the presence of other dogs. We have worked our way up to my being able to touch the underside of his jaw and occasionally (if I use an extremely high motivator like cheese or turkey) I am able to touch his collar with only one other dog nearby. When he is alone with people he becomes almost unwilling to engage at all.

 I have also begun to attach a leash and let him drag it around behind him for awhile so he gets used to it following him around. He is NOT ok with me holding the leash, however, and completely shuts down if I try to hold it. He becomes much more cautious about his movements with the leash on and if I walk anywhere near him while it's attached he chooses to flee to his safe spot (his kennel). He refuses most food motivators while the leash is on as well.

This is going to be a very slow, painstaking process that will need to be continued long after he returns to his foster home and once he finds his forever home too. Hank has formed some very negative associations with human touch, as well as leashes. Undoing something so traumatic for Hank takes three things: Time, Patience, and Consistency.

The good news is that Hank is still very young and he has every chance at turning things around with the right encouragement and help. We are doing our very best to give him just that!

Day 1

Day 1

By LukEli Trainer Jenny Proctor

Hank taking in the scenery this morning.

Hank's first day went very well! he is making himself at home which is good to see. After some initial reluctance to leave his crate or go outside, he is now exiting both pretty readily (both the crate and the house). It helps him to now that he can go where ever the other dogs can go. He follows them around faithfully while they follow me. It's quite a sight, I'm sure! I'm waiting for Hank to decide for himself that he wants to approach me. He has made tentative advances toward me to sniff me now and again. I give him his space and don't attempt to touch him or make him feel trapped. He seems ok with the way things are now. When he feels a bit more like himself we'll start working on touching his collar, then on attaching a leash.
Hank really likes turkey, I've discovered, but isn't to thrilled by his Taste of the Wild food. He eats slowly over the course of about an hour or so

How can you resist this face!

but eventually finishes.
This cute puppy is eager to play with the dogs and likes being outside in the yard exploring. He showed an interest in toys when I tried playing with him. The squeaky toy and the rope were his favorites.
Overall Hank is doing great! I hope to see him making great strides in the coming days!!