We are in the third month of the year and I have to say I have never experienced spring the way I am doing this year with Sky. Incidentally, though she is a reactive dog, she is doing well this time around. We love the weather and and we have spending time outdoors whenever we get a breather.
This month has been really adventurous for us but fun. Sky has been doing well with her reactivity. Weather change always triggers reactions and I guess the fun on weekends are turning to barks in the weekdays!!
The routines are still same, timings have changed owing to the spring. We have started getting up early and another major change is dividing her meal into 3 portions instead of two. Not sure if this has brought any big change with respect to reactivity but seems like it keeps her tummy calmer.
So, What all did we do in February?
Activities
Weekend Outings
We went to the deer park as usual, saw the rabbits though I am not quite sure if they were rabbits or guinea pigs. We also saw peacocks and tried to chase them around and hunt them and decided not to admire them for their beauty!
We also attended an event hosted by Sploot where she decided to sniff the dogs but not make friends. The next pack walk also went the similar way. However, she was decently comfortable being around so many dogs.
Guess, it is the stray dogs who get a major reaction from her since they are also pretty vocal about their feelings about her. They have agreed to mutually dislike each other.
We also visited Lodhi Gardens and Sunder Nursery for the first time and marked the places. My my, we are becoming brave and going to new places. More exciting places on the list.
Feeding Meals Outside
Thanks to the weather change, we are eating outside among all the distractions and also practicing Place outside!! Doing well with no to minimal distractions obviously, we are still working on the major distractions part.
Leave It is something we are practicing rigorously when she starts fixating on something. Doing decently when caught at the right moment.
Apart from all the commands, she is eating without any issues outside even with her back to the gate. This itself is a HUGE achievement. Listening to me while outside has been a challenge but we will get there soon.
Daily Management
No specific protocols were followed since mostly she was under control. Yes, we have had bad days but constant outside exposure or excess of her outings have triggered it. A good rest post that has helped.
A limitation with us we have outings only during the weekend which ends up making her a bit restless by Wednesday eod. If the exposure on Saturday and Sunday have been excess in length, intensity or time, it does make her more reactive for a couple of following days.
Evening out the exposure through out the week will be the optimal solution and we are working towards that.
Her sleep pattern was again disturbed because of the weather change. We decided to crate her twice in a day which we do not follow very diligently. Sometimes, she sleeps outside during the morning time but afternoons, more or less, she takes her nap in the crate.
To help with your dog’s reactivity, if there is one tip you would like to take away, Remove Visual Access to outside elements which trigger them.
I have been advised the same. However, I have not followed it due to laziness and other irrelevant reasons but I would definitely suggest this to someone struggling with managing their pet. Eventually, you will reach a stage where you would not need to do it.
To start with, restricted and controlled access visually and acoustically helps the pet to calm down and get used to things one at a time. Gradually, as they make better choices and show improved tolerance, more exposure can be provided. We just chose the hard route.
Improvements Observed
Definitely Better Around Leashed Dogs
I was surprised with how well she did during both the events with leashed dogs practically jumping all over her. She did show interest in a few dogs but was too scared to actually be friends. Like I said, it takes 2-3 meets to eventually get her to play with you or your dog. So, I let her take her time.
More Confident
I think this is inherent in her and not learned, she is more confident on her walks and better when dealing with crowds in parks and some places, still not very comfortable with walking on road and near the park entrances and exits. Probably the sounds and smells overwhelm her.
Chooses to go to Place
Doing well with her meals training and though she gets overwhelmed when there is too much activity, once I get her focus, she listens and does what I ask her. Left on her own, she chooses to go her Place. How long she sits depends on the activity around her but for now, we are building up the behavior incrementally.
In the house premises, she does better as opposed to in the park. We are building the behavior at both places.
Chooses to Sleep
Her hyperalert reaction is marginally better. Earlier, she would sit up at the slightest noise or dog bark. Now, at times, she chooses to continue with her sleep and does not feel the need to check for every single activity happening outside the house even when she can hear it. We will continue working on this by taking care of her sleep quality and daily requirements.
Increase in Food Intake
I am still not sure if this is due to any issue with her or due to the weather, she has definitely started eating more since winters started and the behavior is going strong. We have broken down her meals into three sessions over the day. Since we have made this shift, I am noticing she is calmer than before. I will continue to monitor to see if this is concerning or a happy event.
Overall, we are making the best of the good weather before it gets too hot. March has started well for us and more on that in the next edition. Hope this is helpful for you. Till then, ciao!
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