Tia's Story: Foster’s Journal
Sunday July 18th:
Tia-Marie is very disoriented and disinterested tonight, she also has to be “forced” to come indoors. She did not eat her dinner, nor does she seem to want treats. I introduced her to the neighbor, when she barked at him I gently placed the palm of my hand on the top of her nose, pushed down slightly and said “Hush”. She is quite difficult to get into the crate, you have to push and pull at the same time. She does not growl or roll her eyes while you do this. When she goes in, she gets a cheese reward. When she was first introduced to the back yard, she seemed like she was looking for a way to jump over the fence, so I kept a long lead on her.While on our walk this evening, she was quite nervous. She seemed to spook easily, by a bus passing, a motorcycle. The next bus that passed I had her turn to face it and sit while it passed praising her the whole time and a very excited praise after it had passed.
She will pull slightly on the lead at first, but walked wonderfully on the home stretch.
She barked only once through the night, I got up and told her “hush” and she then quieted right down, I never heard her until I got up at 6:00am.
Monday July 19th:
Tia-Marie (I'm know calling her Tia, it has more clip to it and suits her) did not eat breakfast, I will try adding some canned food tonight for her. I will also cook some chicken for treats and crate motivators. Tia ate her dinner tonight. There was a huge improvement in her tonight. She was focused and responsive. She didn’t pull on the lead and I didn’t have to force her into the house. She follows me everywhere and literally wants to sit on me. I attempted to groom her some tonight to get a feel for what her limits are. She responded wonderfully, couldn’t get enough. I even groomed her pants out which the owners said they couldn’t, (cut up hot dogs work like magic). I still had to force her into the crate. If I can get her head in, I then lift her butt and push her in. Once in I remove her collar and give her cheese for a treat and a homemade biscuit. She then lies down without any fuss.Tia received her heartworm pill tonight.
Tuesday July 20th:
Tia was wonderful this morning outside, we even played a bit of tag. She ran towards me when I played with the rope and she’d take it from me, she then just drops it though. Perhaps my dog, will help her to play once they’re introduced (probably tonight with one being crated the other not). Our neighbor started waving his arms at her over the fence this morning and Tia ran towards him, barking (which is normal). When I followed and told her “Hush, that’s enough, Thank you” while placing my palm on the top on her nose with slight pressure, she stopped barking and went on her merry way checking out the yard while I spoke with the neighbor. She had done her job by warning me, I acknowledged her warning, thanked her, and she was satisfied. When then went into the house and I prepared her breakfast. I’ve been adding cod liver oil, flax seed oil and vitamin e as her coat feels like straw. I took her bowl to the crate, put it half way in, she went in to the bowl, I nudged her behind in, semi closed the door, removed the collar and brought the bowl forward for her to eat. She doesn’t appear to be food possessive, and had no problem with me touching her bowl.My sister-in-law stopped to visit Tia tonight, she behaved very well. She barked at the gate to our backyard, again I told her thank you, pulled her away, and then let her visit with the guest. She was very focussed last night, and I felt it was time to start driving her around. I had to lift her into our vehicle but once in the vehicle she behaved wonderfully. We stopped to visit another foster and again she was well behaved. Tia barked at one lady with a baby in a stroller, and it appears that she barks when you stop talking to her or if you start to back away from her. I had to coax her into the vehicle again but not as much as the first time. I will try to take her for a drive every night, and alternate between our SUV and the car. It’s still difficult to get Tia in the crate, I will spend a lot of time working that this weekend.
Wednesday July 21st:
Tia played this morning! She came and got the rope toy from me and started tossing it around in the backyard instead of just dropping it. She will also give it to you, without growling. We have been playing tag (I run, let her chase me, when she catches me, I turn and chase her, when I touch her, I turn and she chases me). I’ve also been hiding in our backyard and calling her to come and find me.To get Tia in her crate, I try to get her near the door by using a handle leash on her collar, she will then sit and play mule. I then get a firm grip on her collar (so that it can’t slip and choke her, but tight enough that she can’t slip it off), I then lift her hind end off the ground with my left hand and push her into the crate. When she turns, I remove her collar, and praise her with a piece of cheese or chicken. I put her collar on while she’s coming out of the crate (she can be a little bouncy and it can be a challenge, if I don’t get it on then, she’ll sit at the door to go out and I put it on her then). I have also been feeding her in the crate.
Where to start this afternoon! Tia met my husband for the first time. She barked a couple of times and then draped herself over him. She ate her dinner in the crate as I just sat and watched. We met lots of dogs on our walk tonight and she didn’t bark at any of them, nor at anyone who stopped to pet her. When we got home she and our dog were allowed to play in the back yard. They played so much that they both just fell over on the lawn! Now that she’s more familiar with me and her surroundings, I’ve started baiting her into the crate. I will throw tiny pieces of chicken into the crate (without bedding in it, only a towel so that she can see the chicken), she goes into get the chicken and comes out. The next piece I throw a little further, and so on. If she won’t go in to get it, I throw another piece a little closer. Once she even turned in the crate and waited for her chicken! Once she comfortable going in, I will throw a couple of pieces to the back and then shut the door, tell her how wonderful she is and give her a Kong with peanut butter in it. She prefers her crate uncovered, but will bark more with it uncovered. So I now leave the sheet off while we’re training and then just cover the top when I leave.
Thursday July 22nd:
Tia really played with her rope this morning while we were outside. When we came in, I fed her breakfast, again in the crate with the door opened. I then groomed her, with a rubber massage/washing brush I have that has a strap for over the back of your hand. I’ve made a point to pet/touch her pants multiple times a day, since her previous owners said she didn’t like her pants touched. She’s made great progress at being desensitized to having her pants touched, I pass the comb through them daily, then treat. Again, I baited her into the crate and rewarded. She still will not go in on command. The crate is large enough for me to fit in with her, so tonight I may try grooming her in the crate (now that I’m feeling comfortable with being confined in a small space with her).No luck with her willingly going into the crate. This is one smart Saint! Also very stubborn she has now decided to not only play mule while sitting in front of the crate, she throws her head back and rolls on the floor, you have no choice but to let her go if you don’t want your fingers broken. She may mouth at your hand, but has never given “the look”. She has also figured out the game of going to get the chicken. She is better at going in if the crate is uncovered, even if I have to force her in.
My husband and I took the dogs for a drive tonight. Tia jumped right in after after our boy and they traveled well together.
Friday July 23rd:
This morning was pretty much like yesterday, she has started to play tug with the rope. I don’t let her do a lot of this, but I do allow some just because it’s the one thing she’s interested in. She doesn’t really chase a ball or squeakie.We took the dogs for a ride again tonight, again Tia jumped right into the vehicle. She will bark at other dogs if you’re parked, while driving she’s fine. She will also attempt to jump out of an opened window while parked, again, if she sees something she wants. She will wait somewhat while you open the back of the vehicle and not bolt (at least not with me).
Tia was allowed on our main level tonight with our dog. She wants to play but he knows he’s not supposed to play in the house so he kept turning from her. They were allowed to play outside and then I left Tia uncrated in the basement. The previous owners said she will chew and she proved that to me. She chewed on the lid of by ear cleaning solution, and on stuffed toys (i.e., the nose and eyes). She likes to lie on the cool cement floor of the unfinished part of our basement.
Saturday July 24th & Sunday July 25th:
I’ve combined both days since I’m typing this after the fact and to me the weekend is all one anyway. Tia spent a lot of time with us this weekend, she has really become close to our boy so I think having another dog in the family will be very good for her. I gave them each a pressed rawhide and raw marrow bone this weekend and they were wonderful. There was no growling or possessiveness on either part. You can also take her rawhide/bone from her and she’s fine with that. I spent a lot more time grooming her and she was wonderful once again. The one thing I noticed is that she doesn’t like being sprayed with my conditioner in a spray bottle. Not sure if they used a water bottle as part of her training or not. I’ve recommended that she not be crated while being transported. She travels great and she really hates the crate, I think travelling in one would make it worse.I left her alone in the kitchen this weekend with just baby gates in both doorways. I then found out that she just saw them as hurdles and came flying over the top of one. I put her back in, she did it again. A little while later I tried her again and placed a high back dining room chair in front of the gate. She didn’t try to jump it this time.
After her surgery on Wednesday I will be keeping her in our kitchen as opposed to her doing stairs and being forced into the crate. I will stack the baby gates two high and put chairs in front as well. I have also taken Friday off work to spend with her. I have come to the conclusion that she will never like being crated, she will only tolerate it if she has to!
