The "Titans"... smile...

Barkely napping

As we interact and learn more about Barkley, it is essential to us that we fix any bad habits and teach him new, good ones... Because of his massive size, he needs to be a dog easily controlled when he eventually gets adopted down the road... 

Intact dogs are not always easy to handle or live in a community environment - one of the factors county shelters deal with day in and day out...  Because all incoming dogs in TLC are quarantined when they are fresh out of the shelter, Barkley's movements were restricted greatly until we knew he was not ill or bringing in anything contagious...  

There was nothing unusual about this TLC procedure - all new dogs are kept in either one of our 6 isolation units, 8 large intake units or in the case of moms one of the 17 units we call 'window boxes' (or WBs)... If they are ill, we treat them and get them healthy until they have free access around the rescue shop... Many dogs come in with upper respiratory illnesses and need confinement, medications and twice daily nebulizer treatments until we can eliminate the URIs... 

But because of Barkley's large size, we had to make special accommodations... (smile)... And he is still VERY much a puppy... He also needs to be monitored and learn how to interact with dogs much smaller than he is... It is a process that takes time and dedication or it simply does not work... 

Momma is my dog and she too came in as a shelter dog, VERY pregnant with her 5 month old daughter, Koda... We followed the same procedure and then just prior to delivery, she came to our home and birthed her puppies... Once she was all done with that aspect of her life, Momma 'adopted' me and my family... Many followed "Big Momma" (AKA LemonCello) through our blog and FB pages as her puppies grew up and one by one, became adopted and went onto their own furever homes...

Momma asleep under my desk at the rescue shop

Once it became apparent Momma had adopted me, and I finally agreed (although I am not really a big dog person), I was determined that Momma's training would be stepped up and she'd become certified as a therapy dog... 

I have done this numerous times with MUCH smaller dogs (like 5 pounders) but throughout my career I have been asked to provide much larger sized dogs that are not put off by wheel chairs, moving doors, smells of living assisted facilities, etc... Momma is now in step 2 of 4 to becoming a master certified therapy dog... And we continue her training on a daily basis...

And because of Momma's threatening look, she has become an unbelievable ambassador to folks afraid of these 'bully' breeds... She comes with me to the rescue shop every day I work, greets folks through the swinging gate at the rescue shop and comes home with me each night... And yes, she snores as badly as my husband does at night!  And they do NOT do it in unison either, so I do have increased sleepless nights since Momma became part of our lives!

I knew ahead of time that Barkley's arrival at TLC would not only be a challenge to the rescue and its volunteers, but to me and even moreso, to Momma... She is very much a gentle giant, but she is incredibly smart and in tune to my body language now... She is almost hard wired to me and my thoughts - to the point it is scary... Because she has free roam in the rescue shop, it was critical that the meeting of these two 'titans' was under controlled environments because if the two of them did not get along, none of us could stop a dog fight should it break out... And because Barkley cannot be neutered until we are ahead of the demo, all of this caused me a lot of worry and concern... 

I questioned myself if the bond between her and I was as strong as I believed it to be... I questioned myself if my training efforts had paid off enough for her to tolerate Barkley around without aggression... And because he still has testosterone flowing through him, would he recognize the canine manners he needed to respect Momma's position and authority?  Lots of questions and worries I had prior to authorizing TLC to pull Barkley and save him... 

Once Barkley cleared medical procedures, we allowed the two titans to meet each other only under controlled, scheduled situations... Thankfully, we have several really good dog whisperers who volunteer with TLC, so it was easy enough to accomplish... 

Barkley asleep with his head on my foot

Until Barkley in his puppy ways, decided to break through not one, but two gates put up... And we had an unscheduled and unmonitored meeting between the two titans... 

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE TIME... I see Barkley come barreling around the corner and directly into my office, knowing that Momma was out and about the rescue shop... UT OH... MAJOR UT OH TIME...

Momma gave me just one look as in, "Is this OK for him to be doing?  If not, I WILL take care of it!" (and I knew she would)... I returned the look - "It's fine... Easy, Momma... Be nice..." (and she was)... 

The question we now face is who has the spot underneath my computer desk to nap it... Traditionally it has been Momma's (and it is not a big spot at all)... My office is actually a big closet, with 3 filing cabinets, a desk, my chair and a very small area to move around in... As in 3' wide and 5' long... Not a lot of space for two titans to move around in... And NOT a place I want to be if they decide to argue with each other!

This experience has been good for both of them... Barkley is learning large dog canine manners and it tests the training I have done with Momma... You never, EVER let down your guard with two large titans of this size and you must always be vigilant with any two dogs together, no matter their size, age, breed or disposition... Dogs are dogs and just like us humans, never 100% predictable... 

But as long as Barkley needs all of this extra medical and TLC are, it is essential that he continues moving forward to a dog that responds correctly and appropriately with any situation presented to him... We owe it to Barkley and to the new furparent that eventually adopts him!

Barkley and Momma together in my small office at TLC's rescue shop

Holiday time and your pets.......

Holiday time is tough on our pets... We haul in items that have been stored somewhere throughout the year, the items have a much different odor than our pets are used to and then we fuss at our dogs when they want to explore these new scents... As dogs 'see' with their noses first, I'm sure dogs get frustrated with us!

I personally absolutely DREAD going into stores this time of the year... I'm not one to stand and wait in line for an hour to check out... At my stage in life, if I can't order it online, I am not a happy person... So shopping for Christmas gifts (to me) is almost like doing to the dentist!... As much as I know myself, I am sure my dogs know me just as well...

I have a set routine with my alpha, Peanut... Every night when I put on my PJs and crawl into bed, Peanut jumps up and immediately settles into the curve of my belly... She rolls over and presents her belly for belly rubs... 

Now I have to tell you... Peanut has a coat like mink... It is just as enjoyable to me to give her belly rubs and a nose to tail massage as it must be to her... She stretches out and from her behavior, you can tell she's loving life when we do this nightly habit... Peanut is now 14 and in good health, but I have been doing this for years - and year round... I do my ABSOLUTE best to not change my routines at this time of the year no matter how stressed of a day I have had, how tired I am or any other reason... She counts on me being there each night for this 20 minutes of one-on-one bonding... 

Pepper asleep in his bed at the rescue shop

People come into the rescue shop and tell us, "I don't know what's going on with my dog.  All of a sudden for no reason at all, he's started going potty inside on my rug instead of going outside."  And inside my head, my first thought is what have they changed about their life or routine to give direction to this house-trained dog to change their habits?

Dogs are extremely situational, but three things are pretty static (eating, sleeping and pottying) unless something has changed about their environment or person... Maybe the owner is in a hurry and anxious for the dog to go poop in the morning because they're late to work?... Dogs - just like kids - thrive in routine and consistency... And they read our body language far better than we read theirs (or other humans for the most part)... Anxious for this to be done and over with, I'm sure the message goes to the dog that their person is anxious... And with that, maybe they shouldn't be pooping at all?   Ever tried to hurry up yourself?  It ain't easy!

Another thing that seems to crop up only at Christmas is a dog's behavior to strangers... "My dog LOVES everyone and now he's barking at people who come over to visit"... Think about it - do you normally have this many folks coming and going at your house normally the rest of the year?  Or long periods like this when you are gone, then come home very tired?  Maybe too tired of that long walk you two normally enjoy each night?  Aunt Martha comes in from Omaha for a two week visit with all kinds of new smells and we wonder why our dog barks at her for 'no reason at all'?... Your dog doesn't have to interact with Aunt Martha and her smells the rest of the year, and to him, this is a new member of the pack... He's trying to figure out where she belongs in the dynamics of what his life is the rest of the year...  Once he figures it out, Aunt Martha leaves and then he's got to figure out what happened...

No wonder our dogs change so much during the Christmas season!