Bubbie has been with us a few days now and is progressing well. Ariel has taken the lead with him and has been working hard with her small dogs to make him feel at home. She is working to begin building his confidence and to start changing his thoughts towards new people and situations.
Late tonight, a lady came in asking if I knew where she could relinquish a dog as the shelters were closed. I discovered she had taken in this dog from a friend who had gotten ill. After taking the dog in, her living situation changed and she was now living with people who would not allow her to keep the dog. It was storming and she said she didn't want to just leave her in a parking lot somewhere.
I called one of my friend that helps with foster/rescue situations and got her on her way. The lady brought in the dog and what a sight she was.
Name: Diamond Breed: Shih Tzu Sex: Female Age: Approx 5-8 year old
She was matted to the skin and had hair loss because of it, especially on her tail and belly.
We took her and immediately went about shaving her down. Now I am no groomer so it was a choppy job at best but at least we could relieve the discomfort of the matting.
On the top she didn't look that bad but once you got the trimmers under the coat - it was like lambs wool, very dense and connected.
She was a real trooper about the entire process. We stopped after a few hours to give her a break and contemplated giving her a lion cut for a few seconds.
4 hours later, a much relieved, though now naked girl was seen. She was amazingly tolerant of the entire process. She was quick to lick and didn't struggle as we moved her one awkward position to another in an attempt to get the matts off with as little discomfort to her as possible.
To christen her new look and the promise of a new life, Taylor renamed her Anjou.
She is an amazing dog who, though a little shy around larger dogs, doesn't appear to be fearful or reactive in any way to anything. She will make someone a very nice companion.
Name: Bubbie Breed: Chihuahua Sex: Male Age: 18 months
Duration: 4 week Board & Train
Reason for B&T: Aggression, shyness and general obedience work
Background: Bubbie was adopted 3 months ago from a puppy mill/hoarding situation where 100 dogs were rescued. He has had very little socialization and appears fearful of new people [esp men and children], new situations and larger dogs. He has bitten his new owner several times to the blood, several other people have been nipped or bitten and in general he is a bit of a nervous wreck.
What we are working on during his stay: **Aggression cannot be fixed in such a short time so we are working on the foundation for a calm, more confident dog which will make it easier to help him relax in new situations.**
OWNERS REQUESTS: * Basic Obedience - he will be completing an expedited Big Dog University 101 - Look, Leave It, Touch, Sit, Down, Stay, Wait * Loose Leash Walking - currently a very forward, lean sideways into the harness type puller * Recall - owner says he has an unreliable recall and has not trusted him outside off leash * Sharing Attention - if owner is holding another pet - he gets frantic and begins barking & jumping at her until the other pet leaves * Housebreaking - having at least one accident in the house every day - sometimes several * Paws Up for Pickup - owner having difficulty catching him to take him anywhere - teaching him to put his paws up on the leg to be picked up
I offered a Puppy Confidence workshop this weekend and since it was Jinx's rotation, she got to meet Mocha, a gorgeous little 4 month old Yorkie x Pomeranian that I have been working with to bring out of her shell.
The first day I met Mocha, I had Jett with me and when he approached to sniff her, she squealed as if she had been bitten by a snake and jumped back frantically on her leash. She was beside herself in terror.
We discussed options to help socialize her and decided to do a condensed version of Puppy Preschool as her owner was only in town for another 4 weeks. We decided to try 2 classes a week and see how she handled it.
A few weeks into her Puppy Preschool classes, she was doing better seeing other dogs but was still a bit timid, so we decided to run her through the Puppy Confidence course and see if we could build her success up some more.
She did beautifully and Jinx was there, calm and quiet to support her all the way. Mocha even chose to interact with her which was a first. Jinx is showing her Therapy Dog potential already!
Living with a dog can be one of the single most fulfilling, but sometimes frustrating experiences of our lives. We often have this idea of what owning a dog will be like. Sometimes this is based on childhood best friends, or previous dogs who were, in our eyes, perfect. They were our Lassie - ever attentive, always by our side, never needed a leash, listened and complied promptly and though they may have had a quirky moment or two - in general, they were the envy of the neighborhood.
With these memories firmly in mind, we take on a wiggling bundle of puppy love or reach out to help a dog in need, secure in the knowledge that we have done this before and though it will be different, with enough love and a few basic ground rules, it'll be fine.
Sadly, all too often our plan falls short somewhere and we end up with a dog that is heading to, or has reached, the out of control point. They bark, they chew, they jump on people, they pull us down the road for walks and although we love them with all of our hearts, they just aren't good ole Lassie.
This is where we come in. Pawtential Unleashed has been helping people and their pets for almost 20 years. Whether you need help turning a leash pulling, leaping Lobo into a Lassie or simply want to share your Lassie with the world on a Therapy or Service dog level - we can help.
We teach 1-on-1 in your home, have group classes, host weekend workshops and do real world roadwork for the urban dog. We look forward to helping you unleash your dog's true potential!
