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Fear - Ruff

11/6/2022

 
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“Keep going. Keep going.” Becky heard these words from me so many times over the last few months; she knew that something remarkable may happen if she just kept moving. Ruff missed a jump, and the Aframe but when he got to the weave poles he had his best run ever, got his entry, drove his way through and didn’t miss a pole. Awesome! We didn’t care about missing the jump or the Aframe because Ruff was not here preparing for competition, he was here preparing for life.

Ruff is an Australian Shepard who lunged and barked at everything that moved. My first meeting with Ruff was ... well, rough. Jim and Becky had an elaborate routine to keep visitors safe. It involved ignoring and restraining Ruff until he was calm then feeding him apples. Knowing this was not going to get me very far, I fed him beef. He liked it, but I soon learned no amount of red meat was going to let me touch him. Ruff’s world changed that day. Ruff had fear aggression and instead of playing into his fears we were going to start overcoming them.

The first part of the strategy was to take Ruff out of his comfort zone and challenge him. We began simply by putting his pillow in a different corner, moving his water bowl and feeding him in a different room in the house. I showed Jim and Becky how to stand calmly at the side of the road when people and cars passed during their walks. The more scary stuff he could experience, the more fears he could overcome. Part two was to teach Jim and Becky not to reinforce his fear. For example, Ruff did not like storms. Unknowingly Ruff’s fear of thunder and lightning was being fed by Jimmmy and Becky’s fear of what Ruff was going to do. Instead of trying to calm him, they leave him access to his favorite spot and let him deal with the storm on his own. Finally, the third part of Ruff’s renewal was agility.

When I teach agility to reactive or fearful dogs I always start with the table. While on the table they hang outwith their handler eating treats, playing tug or receiving rubs and praise for as long as necessary. The table is the place where handlers can regain control of their dogs and dogs can regain control of themselves. I want the table be the dog’s favorite spot on the field. Out of control dogs that are consistently sent to the table will eventually go there on their own.This behavior is the beginning to self control which is the most important skill reactive and fearful dogs need on and off the agility field.

Once we established a safe place for Ruff, we got him moving; on, through and over the agility equipment. In recreational agility training we are not as concerned with accuracy as we are with activity. The more obstacles we can overcome the better. Ruff was quick to conquer the contact equipment, always starting and ending on the table. He immediately went through a drum which is the collapsed tunnel without the chute, dogs love them. I see a lot of reactive dogs that are afraid of a tunnel at any length, so I put two or three drums in a row and narrow the gap between them until it becomes a tunnel. Then the tunnel is introduced without fear.

It was Becky’s job to keep Ruff going forward, even if he missed an obstacle. This was an important lesson when it came to jumping. Ruff did not like to jump, so we put a jump between his two favorite obstacles, the drum and the table. Becky did not stop if he missed the jump, but she limited her praise on table. Ruff learned that his time on the table was more rewarding when he did the jump so jumping soon became as much fun as the table and the drum.

Ruff is much better now. At home, Ruff has a place he goes and controls himself so visitors can safely go in and out of the house. Jimmy and Becky can also take him on a walk without fear of him barking and lunging. They can stop and talk to neighbors while Ruff lies down at their feet. He is moving forward to overcome obstacles whether it is a storm outside or a jump on the agility field. Ruff will never compete in agility, but agility has changed his life in ways that cannot be measured by ribbons and titles. “Keep going Ruff, you are awesome!”

Fear - Bailey & Molly

6/5/2022

 
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All women are born equal, then some accessorize. Kelly Twilley accessorizes. She makes jewelry and sells it at Trade Day in Collinsville, Alabama. Her profile picture shows her with a beaded necklace, earrings, and two Shetland Sheepdogs. Kelly knows how to accessorize. But when I got to know her, I quickly learned that her dogs were not an accessory. Her dogs were rescued from a puppy mill.

In February of 2008 Kelly heard that her local SPCA had a male Sheltie that was in pretty rough shape. Kelly wanted a female but went to see him anyway. When she got there she learned that the Sheltie was rescued from a puppy mill along with 130 other dogs. It took her ten minutes to catch him, but when she did, it took only a few seconds for him to fall asleep in her arms. Kelly took him home and named him Bailey.

About two years later, I set up an agility field in Dogtown, AL and started giving lessons. Kelly brought her Border Collie, Emma. After class I was talking to the group about the work I was doing teaching agility to reactive and fearful dogs. Agility gave the owners’ and their dogs the confidence to go for walks and socialize. Kelly told me Bailey's story and how he was still of fearful new people and situations. I said, "let's give it a try".

The following week Kelly and Bailey had a private lesson. He was afraid of everything. Just walking through the gate to get onto the field was a challenge. Bailey quickly found a safe spot in the tunnel. Each time he got scared, he would go in and not come out.

Bailey's most difficult obstacle was the dog walk. We started slowly by putting him on the contact zone of the descending plank and let him run down. Each week we moved him further back, closer to the top of the ascending plank.

When he did not progress as quickly as Emma, I reminded Kelly that the work we were doing was not about agility, it was about building confidence. Once Bailey gained confidence on the agility field he would be more confident in other situations. Then one week he surprised Kelly by jumping into the car to come to agility class. Soon Bailey was running all the way through the tunnel and over the dog walk. Then he started greeting people and letting friends and family pet him and hold him.


Kelly's self-esteem grew, she was ready to rescue another puppy mill Sheltie.Kelly searched PetFinder and found a 5-year-oldfemale in a Sheltie rescue just three hours from home. After a four long weeks of filling out applications, phone interviews and waiting, Molly was hers. Kelly said, "I had no idea what bad shape a dog can be in until I met Molly". She set up a kennel in the front yard under a shade tree for her. Molly spent her first weeks there; she escaped 3 times. Kelly started her in agility.

As soon as Kelly put Molly down on the agility field she ran away. Before we could teacher her anything, Molly needed to feel safe, she didn’t trust anyone yet so we taught her to come to a spot, the table. Kelly put food on the table and we waited. Molly came and went. Kelly put more food on the table and we waited. Molly came and went. After each repetition the time between recalls got shorter and Kelly's patience grew longer.

When Kelly got home, she put a dog bed just outside the patio door. Then she used the same technique and taught Molly to come to that spot. Soon Kelly felt safe enough to let Molly out of her kennel. Molly now spends most of her time in her spot by the door watching for squirrels to chase away.

Bailey and Molly will never compete at an agility trial. Their trial happens everyday. They struggle to conquer their fears and to love and trust people. Although Kelly admits she had no idea what she was getting into when she adopted a puppy mill rescue, she says she is more confident and more patient than she ever was before. She is now designing jewelry based on the collar Molly was wearing when she got her.

    Author

    Debbie Tringale has been helping dogs with fears, phobias and anxiety since 2007. 

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