Holiday Reunion

Rick and I flew back to Michigan from the 25th-30th to visit family and friends for the holidays.  It was a wonderful visit.

I left the pack in the trusted care of my mother-in-law and Irvine Pam.  Dolce and JoJo had a great time with MamaMarge, and Zenzi had a wonderful experience at Camp Pam.  Zenzi made friends with Penny, a miniature schnauzer!  Zenzi has not had the opportunity to make friends with other dogs, so this is extraordinary.  Pam reports Zenzi even roughhoused with Penny.  I'm so proud. :)

When we returned the dogs to each other for the first time in those 5 days, the greeting was so exuberant and loving I nearly teared up.  I finally have a pack of dogs who are really attached to each other, love each other, and express that affection beautifully.  It was a sight to behold.  I'm so grateful for the wonderful care my babies received in my absence.

Canine New Year Resolutions:

• Finish Zenzi's house training.
• Introduce Zenzi to agility basics.
• Hike at least once a week with Dolce and Zenzi.
• Walk JoJo by herself everyday.
• The elusive CGC title for Dolce.
• The CGC title for Zenzi.
• Put an Expert Trick Dog title on Dolce so we can apply for Trick Dog Champion.
• Put Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert Trick Dog titles on Zenzi so she can be a Trick Dog Champion, too.
• Prepare Zenzi for the Public Access Test.
• Get Zenzi certified as a Therapy Dog.
• Earn any Novice Rally-O title with Zenzi.
• Earn any Novice Obedience title with Zenzi.
• More doing, less studying of dog training.

Personal Resolutions:

• Daily yoga workout Monday-Friday.
• Run or bike with Dolce a few times per week.
• Wake up early (5:30am), go to bed early (10:00pm).
• Read instead of watch TV to help myself fall asleep at night.
• Look more polished (makeup & hair) for teaching.
• Get to goal weight of 120lbs.
• Less soda and eating out, more water and eating in.

Dolce has frustration reactivity!

Thanks to The Spotted Tongue blog, I am able to classify Dolce's reactivity as frustrated.

"1. Fear. Dogs that lack socialization often react to every little noise, every little thing they see. That tall guy in the hat? They've never seen something like that before, they get scared, and so lash out. Barking and lunging will make the scary thing go away! That dog who is easily twice their size? They've never met a dog that big, they get scared, and lash out at that. To the laymen it looks like aggression and while it's a form of aggression, the root cause of it is fear.

2. Frustration. Some dogs have little frustration tolerance and so when they see something they want to get to but can't (because they're on leash or behind a fence), they lash out in frustration. I liken it to a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. They lose all control of themselves and bark and lunge. It looks nearly the same as the fear response, but isn't.

The body language for the two is different, especially in the ear set (back for fear, forward for frustration) and tail set (down much further for a fearful dog)."

We made good progress again today with several close encounters on our hike, but were surprised by an Aussie shepherd from close behind and had an episode at the end. However, Dolce needed far fewer treats today, and has started working for a mix of treats and kibble. I am an avid fan of NILIF and it's very appealing to have Dolce happily work for nothing more than his breakfast. :)

Our proudest discovery of the day was when Dolce played, "Look, a dog!" with an oncoming dog without me standing between him an the other dog. We passed with nothing more than a split rail fence and some short shrubs between us and no great shakes multiple times. I'm a proud Mama. :)