Category: Fear

Skye - Noise Phobia

3/27/2023

Skye was a young German Shepherd that was brought to me due to her fear of everything and everyone. As it turns out this was caused by her previous owner who was impatient and violent. Skye would run away and pee all over if someone moved the wrong way or if she heard a loud noise. She would not play with toys, she froze and hid behind me on walks when someone was too close, and for a while I could not teach her any obedience. I knew Skye was going to be a challenge and it would take time to make progress, but I was determined to help her have a better life.

I knew the first step in our journey was going to be to gain Skye’s trust, then we could work on building her confidence, and finally basic obedience. I would spend most of my day loving her, giving her treats, letting her explore outside my home, and letting her get comfortable with me and her surroundings. She took to me and my home pretty quickly, so I was able to work on her confidence almost immediately.

In the beginning, Skye would receive a lot of praise and treats to help encourage her. I would use food to make toys more exciting and to grab her attention. I would leave toys with food inside of them in her crate during the night or when I wasn’t going to be home. Sometimes I would use confidence building puzzles, but she didn’t have much interest in them.
We would play a small game of fetch inside the house with her favorite toys.

It took a few days and a lot of encouragement, but eventually she would chase after the toys and would show excitement instead of hiding behind me. This was very exciting and a huge accomplishment. After she did well for a little while, we were able to move from my living room to the park down the road from my house. Skye did excellent right away. She played fetch with her toys at a longer distance and very rarely stopped to acknowledge the people and other dogs walking by.

At this time, I knew she was ready to start obedience training. We started very slow and introduced a new trick every week. At first, she would not focus and would usually walk in circles around me or just completely ignore me. By using treats and the luring method I was able to get her focus and start learning new tricks. Skye loves praise, so every time she would perform a trick I would praise her like it was her first time doing it. She loved this and it made her more excited to learn new commands and tricks. We did this over and over again, but made sure to not overwhelm her.

She was taught how to sit, stay, lay down, and come while she was with me. Today, Skye is living a very happy, spoiled life with my sister. She loves going for walks, swimming, and playing with her big brother, Ryder. Skye does well on and off leash and gets to go on many adventures and meet many new people and dogs.

Fear - Ruff

11/6/2022

“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 - Brindle

8/7/2022

“She’s has really become Jim’s dog. She just loves him”; Mary Beth Catanzaro talking about her dog Brindle. She rescued Brindle from Jimmy Stewart and DART. Mary Beth was one of many dog volunteer dog walkers when Brindle was waiting for the right and perfect home. Mary Beth admittedly was a failed foster parent. She fell in love one weekend when she brought Brindle home for potty training. Brindle has lived with them ever since.

Brindle was maybe three months old when she was rescued by DART. We knew nothing of her past except her and her sister showed up at the Highlands one day; and Brindle had recently been shot. What was left of her ear was bloody but had already started to heal. They were two wild and crazy sisters who are also part Pit Bull. Brindle’s sibling, the calmer of the two, passed as a boxer and quickly found a home up north. Brindle could not pass; her appearance and behavior was all Pit Bull. She was active and she was smart. The day I evaluated her for DART, I knew right away that we could find her a home here.

It wasn’t an easy decision to adopt Brindle. Brindle had issues. According to Jimmy, she was wild. Her and her sister must have survived on their own for some time before they were rescued by DART. At three months, it appeared she had never been indoors or cared for by anyone. Over the next few months she slowly grew to trust the people who were taking care of, especially Mary Beth. The weekend she took her home for potty training Brindle didn’t like Jim very much and she didn’t like their son Trey at all. At the time, Trey was a tall teenager who was constantly active. He made Brindle nervous. Jim was… Jim, calm, cool and patient.

Mary Beth and I had a few training sessions to build Brindle’s trust and confidence. We moderated the zealous and often noisy play between their other dog Lucky and Brindle. We tried to teach Brindle to retrieve until I discovered why she would not bring back the stick, she didn’t have to. Mary Beth and Jim would throw a stick to each other and Lucky and Brindle would run back and forth between them. It was as much fun and exercise as retrieving so I gave it my full support!

Today, and every day, Mary Beth takes Lucky and Brindle on a hike. We recently had a training session on the trail. After many repetitions of Mary Beth calling Brindle to her side when they encounter a hiker, now Brindle automatically comes to her. Mary Beth is still alert but too concerned with Brindle around people, dogs are another case. “Some days, some dogs, for some reason, Brindle does not react well to dogs she doesn’t know.” I told her it’s impossible to know why some dogs don’t like each other, it’s probably no different than why some people don’t like each other. What we do know is she has a great recall now and each time Brindle meets a dog she doesn’t know, Mary Beth calls her to her side and waits for the dog to pass. In time, this behavior will also become automatic.

Brindle is doing great. She has come to love the whole Catanzaro family, but Jim may be her favorite. He is the one you see Brindle snuggled up against on Facebook.

Mary Beth teaches 5th grade a Fairyland Elementary

Fear - Bailey & Molly

6/5/2022

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.

Skye - Noise Phobia

Fear - Ruff

Fear - Brindle

Fear - Bailey & Molly

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