Preamble:
I get an e-mail. "We came home from holidays and there was a dog on our porch. He seems to be an australian shepherd and he seems to be deaf. No one seems to be missing him at the vets or the pound. Can you take him? We're going to take him to the SPCA."
My reply should have been: that would be a fine idea. The SPCA is great at adopting out dogs, they will transfer him to Vancouver if he doesn't get adopted here.
My reply was: Sure, he can come here. (After all, he is a deaf aussie and the shelter will probably call me anyway, and Nepsa just got adopted so it should be fine). Ha!!! You'd think I'd learn.
The next day: Nula the deaf aussie I adopted out five years ago needs to come back. No problem, they are always welcome and wanted back. This means I have two deaf aussies coming. Huh. I should contact the other people and tell them to take the stray boy to the shelter. But no, I feel obliged since I said yes already (and really he would probably end up here anyway, who am I kidding?)
Phase One: Stress and Detox
Day one: Nameless dog arrives
Of course, it is at an agility trial, because unlike normal people I am never home. Poor dog gets dropped off amongst fifty other dogs running, screaming, barking, playing, etc. Multiple people, noises, smells, and distractions.
He comes out of the vehicle and slithers on the ground, cowering and peeing himself. Aww I think to myself, poor guy hasn't been socialized much. Submission is good I think in the back of my head. Nameless dog then sees his first dog: he growls, he lunges, he would like to eat that dog. Shit. What have I gotten myself into this time (again in the back of my head). Nameless dog gets a martingale collar put on him so he can't slip his collar and escape and gets crammed into a hard plastic kennel which is then covered by a blanket. Seem cruel? Maybe, but part of learning to be a good pet is learning how to be crate trained. Keeping the crate covered allows him to be in his space without having to react to the big wide world. Detox, de-stress and just be. He was quiet in the crate and I went about my business running dogs and the usual.
Home we go. I take him into the back yard. He pees on EVERYTHING, at least twice. WHY don't people get their male dogs neutered? I will never understand. After peeing on everything nameless dog goes into his kennel in the house (this of course is after I drag him up the stairs and into the house, he has never been in a house and is terrified of the stairs and the indoors). In the basement. Away from everything and everyone. Detox, destress. It is too much for them to try and deal with the other ten dogs here and be successful integrating into the group.
Day 2: Continued Detox
Back to the agility trial. Nameless dog gets to come (and some of my dogs stay home because of it, this bothers me, but I cannot leave nameless dog in his crate all day long on day 2). At the trial he comes out of his crate a few times to potty. He pees on the fence, and looks freaked by leash attached and the people. He does not however growl at the other dogs except when they run by. This is good, I see in him fear and uncertainty and an adolescent male with hormones. This we can work with. Home again, out to pee on everyone else's pee and back into the crate. Now he is screaming in the crate and throwing a toddler tantrum. The crate gets covered. Scream. Slam! I smack the top of the crate. Silence. Ahhh, blissful silence. There are some things I will not tolerate and screaming in the crate is one of them. Heidi is bad enough! Toddler tantrums are also ridiculous and he might as well get over that right now. I will not buy him a chocolate bar at the store either so there!
Phase Two: Temperment evaluation and integration
Day 3
Day three is a big day. It is graduation from downstairs to upstairs if, and only if, the toddler crate tantrums are over. Lucky for him they are. Lucky for me too I have Mondays off and I have the time to work on integrating him. He is not neutered so this means a lot to me about who he will be introduced to and who he will not.
Step one is an introduction to Mollie my husky cross. She is queen beeyatch and will tell me in about twenty seconds what kind of personality the new foster dog has. Mollie doesn't get out much, she is dog aggressive with certain types of dogs and isn't a dog park candidate if you will. But what she is, is the perfect dog at helping me evaluate temperment and teaching dogs canine body language. She has incredible dog body language, it is really something to see.
Nameless dog meets Mollie out in the yard where he can escape. He avoids her. He runs along the fence slinking. This is good, he should be intimidated by her. Mollie approaches him and corners him. He stands up, his hackles go up, he starts frantically waving his tail. Ears forward, standing on tippy toes. Hmmm, this could go one of two ways. Either he is going to lash out and Mollie is going to cream him and I have real work ahead of me or....Mollie play bows and runs away, pouncing at him. He tries to ignore her and instead pee on every blade of grass. She keeps pouncing at him and he runs away. Excellent. This is a good day. A dog who will use avoidance tactics is one that is easily worked, the ones who stand on their toes and approach, snip, get pushy are the ones that are trouble. Mollie goes back in the house in her room, and nameless (I really should name him soon) comes in and goes into his crate upstairs in the crate room. That is enough for one day, the rest of his job today is to sit in his crate and be sniffed by everyone else and get used to the comings and goings of being upstairs.
To be continued......
No comments:
Post a Comment