« Gabbs Dogs Update #1 | Main | Gabbs Dogs Update #3 »

Gabbs Dogs Update #2

From Steve Markwell, Executive Director:

I had to go to California for a training program at the beginning of the week, so I was gone from Sunday afternoon through Wednesday morning. Apparently, while I was gone, my shy, skittish Gabbs dogs were very territorial in my apartment and wouldn't let my caretaker through the door to check on them. No doubt Herbie was leading the pack as they apparently stood at the doorway, snarling and snapping. So rehab was put on hold for a few days, but when I returned, the dogs let me in without incident, other than a little barking. While this behavior isn't our long-term goal, it does demonstrate to me that the dogs are feeling at home enough to defend their territory against someone they perceived as a dangerous intruder; it also demonstrates that they are still felling a bit vulnerable. So it's a case of good news/bad news.

Dixie continues to be the star student of the group; I moved her into the bathroom, where I have a spare bathtub that I filled with wood shavings for her. She seems to feel secure in the bathroom and likes sleeping in the tub, and I've been able to have a lot of short sessions with her, working on turning human contact into a positive experience. Wednesday, we had no petting, but plenty of sniffing and nose touches. Yesterday I could pet her a little, but she was still nervous and pacing quite a bit. Today she has stopped pacing for the most part, is letting me approach and pet her with both hands on both dominant and submissive contact points, and she is taking food from my hand -- a huge milestone for a dog that wouldn't eat with a human being in the same room with her two weeks ago. Hopefully we will continue on at this rate. Dixie also continues to respond positively to socialization with Clyde, Charlie, and Lupe. Remember that Dixie was the dog that "shut down" when touched, essentially blacking out from the stress of human contact. At the temporary shelter in Reno, she never showed any interest in people, but here, she comes to me and sniffs me over, and seems interested in whatever I may be doing in the bathroom. When I bathe, she even likes to lick the water off my hands. She is making tremendous progress.

For the other four dogs that are still in the living room, progress has been slower. I've been able to pet all of them as long as they have been in the small bedroom, but only Abel lets me get close in the living room. He stays fairly relaxed when I enter the room, but watches me very closely. The girls, Itsy and Tippy, are getting much calmer. Herbie is increasingly confrontational, but is becoming less nervous. The kennels I ordered arrived this afternoon, and we put the units together while the dogs looked on. Herbie was agitated initially, so we took a break and came back later, at which point the dogs were relaxed enough to lie down and take a nap while we worked. Having Clyde, Charlie, and Lupe in the room was helpful initially, but eventually Tippy decided Lupe needed to leave, so I took the little ones back downstairs. As we put the finishing touches on the kennels, Herbie began to get upset again, but he did a very good job overall. Some time in the next day or two, I'll put the dogs into the kennels, where I will be able to work with them more easily, running from me no longer being an option. It will also be nice to separate the other dogs from Herbie, as his fear tends to be contagious.

I continue to be optimistic, and expect progress to come more quickly now that the kennels are here. My goal is to figure out what the dogs are afraid of, slowly desensitize them to those stimuli, and gradually work them into the same routine that the other dogs at the Sanctuary follow, including plenty of socialization with people and other dogs,and lots of outside play time. We'll get there. Check back next week for another update.