In the Company of Dog

I bring one shiba everyday to work with me at my part time pet store job. Most of them enjoy the visit, the free treats and the attention they get from customers. I usually rotate who gets to go as well as base it on if it is going to be a busy day of the week or not. Many customers ask what they are, and I explain the breed, the rescue and the need for homes and foster homes. Then usually comes the topic of why they are given up. I go over the breed traits, purchases from pet shops, and lack of proper training. Sometimes the conversation turns to the hard cases. The dogs who have tough behavior problems, or have bitten someone.
I explain that these are the dogs who were ignored, neglected, and many times never trained or given proper guidance. These are the dogs who never get enough exercise, never had the joy of bonding with an owner through training, or never trusted society to do anything but lock them in a cage. These are the dogs that through desperation and survival, are the dogs they are when they come into my home. Some don’t know what a toy is, some wince and duck when their name is called and some just want to hide in their crate and never come out. This is where the work begins.

Stage one: Acclamation
The first week is a chance for these dogs to reset themselves. To leave everything behind them and to start a new. They are left in crates, alone, in calm quiet rooms, where they can rest and recollect themselves. They only have contact with the outside world during mealtime and potty breaks. It is other this period that I periodically pop in and sit by the crate and just calmly observe or sometimes talk to them. They learn my voice, my scent and my presence in a neutral, calm and safe situation.
Stage two: A Dogs Life
This is where the real work begins. This is where all the training, routine and trust is built. They are slowly introduced to the other dogs in the house and they are given a crate to stay in near the other dogs. The routine begins next. They are fed last among all the dogs in the house. They are taken out potty last. They are trained and played with last. This is not done to be cruel. This is actually done to remove all hierarchy from the dog’s concern. Because they are last, then only thing they have to worry about is themselves. This also relieves tension in the house among all the other dogs. They are given private playtime each day to build confidence and trust. This is also when resource guarding behaviors are managed. Basic obedience takes place throughout the day when opportunities arise.

Stage three: Time
After the groundwork is set, all that is left is time. Every dog is different and so is the time it takes to turn them around and show them the good side of society. Some dogs come around quickly. Others take months. I am sure that there are cases that can take years. But in the end it is all worth it. To see a healthy, balanced, and happy animal who you once knew as a broke, scared and haunted. To see that and know they will now be ok, makes it all worth it.

Today, and Tomorrow.
I hope to continue for a very long time to rehabilitate dogs and help them see the good their is in humans, but my other hope is to educate myself further and get my masters in Animal Behavior. I want to help more dogs and more owners throughout this region. Dogs should not be put to sleep for being driven to bite. Dogs should not be put down for being forced to fight. Dogs should be given the chance to heal and be dogs. Humans domesticated dogs and brought them into society and it is our responsibility to take care of them and protect them, and to never give up on them.

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Well my house is filled to the brim. There are Shibas everywhere. After Ginger left I still had Prince. Add to that Tasha, who is technically being fostered by my mom, but I am looking after her Shiba when she is working with Tasha. To add to that, Toshi, a stray from the Philly Pound came here on Monday because we are just out of foster space. So at total count, I have 6-7 dogs in here at any given time. Thank goodness for crates.

All the fosters are doing well for the most part. Prince is coming around and has really learned to trust. He even calms down when he gets wound up just by saying “stop”. Tasha has really started to come out of her shell. She is eager to come out for a pat or a scritch and finally runs around mom’s house with her tail up. She also gets along perfectly with all the other dogs. She couldn’t care less about them. And finally Toshi. Poor Toshi. A Shiba on the euthanasia list at the Philly Pound. The rescue pulled him from there on Monday and he has taken the whole ordeal very well. As far as we know, he was a street stray. He has no understanding of what a house is or even what people really are. He is cautious but friendly and will put up with anything. He is happy to stand there and be petted but does not have any understanding of basic commands. He also wants to mark my whole house. Guess marking is the first and foremost behavior on my list to fix.

So if anyone reading this is in the NYC Metro Area, please consider fostering a needy Shiba. And if you are not in our area or are simply not a Shiba person, please consider fostering for another needy organization. Rescues are always grateful to have more foster homes and if the dogs could say so, they would thank you too. It can be hard work sometimes, but nothing in this world is more rewarding for me and I know there are other people out there who would feel the same if they just opened their door to a dog in need.

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Well, Ginger is off the another foster for behavior modification testing. I miss her. As much as I tried not to become attached, she really weaseled her way into our family. He social issue were never as bad as most of the other dogs I have worked with. She will make a wonderful companion for someone and I hope her best years are still to come.

Prince is doing well. His snappy behavior has improve immensely. He is much more happy and outgoing. He look to me know for instruction, which is huge because before he used to just run around aimlessly and get into trouble. He loves to come in from outside now because treats and training come soon after. He sits by default now and downs are coming slowly. His loose lead walking is improving and he is starting to get with the program. I think he will make a wonderful buddy for someone who wants to keep training with him and enriching his life.

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Dog Camp was this past weekend. It was an amazing blast and I will write more about that later. But I wanted to address a topic that camp brought up while I was there. One of the instructors, brought up how she fosters the tough dogs. The reactive, fearful, and aggressive dogs. This is where Dawn and I have a lot in common.
I foster the hard case dogs for NYC Shiba Rescue. The ones that have bit, the ones with food aggression, the reactive ones. I like working with these dogs because I feel like they need a fair chance. They need someone who can get down deep and see if the problems can be figured out. I like being the tough dogs second chance.
What came up in conversation was how our own dogs are so different from the fosters. Not in issues but more in behavior. For the most part, my fosters are better behaved then my own dogs. When looking back at this and talking about it I realized why. Because I run I tight ship at home, especially for my fosters. I also don’t let my fosters get away with bad behavior from the start.
To rehabilitate them better, I only ask one thing of them, to be happy, stable dogs. I take all the guess work out of their lives. They have a schedule to depend on. They know when feeding will be, when training will be, and know that they do not have to worry about anything. They simply get to be the dogs they never got to be before. Without unnecessary stresses, they become more confident, stable and calm. They start to listen and look to me for instructions within days and issues melt away. Once they are settled in I can focus on the stimuli that sets off their issues (if I can find any) and desensitize it. Since they are not effected by other stresses their issues fade quickly and they become wonderful companions.
Now off to give Ginger a big hug. She has come so far and I am so proud of her. She will make someone extremely happy someday.

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Ginger is my new foster. She is a tough girl with a challenging past but she is a good girl. When she got here she looked for a way out. She wanted to return to her family badly. It took about a day for her to start to move on and accept her new home. Yesterday she decided a game of fetch with her tennis ball would be a blast. We had quite a nice time. Today her new game is to attack the waterfalls in the yard.
She is still getting used to life with other dogs. She does not growl as much but she is still uncomfortable around them. She will work with Haiku but it will take a lot of positive experiences to get her to start to like other dogs. That doesn’t matter though. She is such a wonderful dog and I am glad to help her start a new life.

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