You may have noticed that we are currently foster free. This was a intended break and it’s certainly not because there aren't dog in need of rescue. In fact right now the shelters are overflowing (in California where the Northwest team rescues our foster dogs) as this is dumping season from people who got a cute terrier puppy back in December and have decided they are too much work. And then there’s the ongoing issue around the general public not spaying and neutering so too many dogs and no room for them. It’s a bad time of year for a lot of dogs (puppies and adults) and many won’t make it out of the shelter system.
We will resume fostering after July 4th But, we needed a break to focus on Catty. The work we are doing with her requires my full attention and with that level of attention hopefully we can get some of the issues resolved.
So, what are we working on? All of our work (as you will soon see) revolves around reducing/eliminating Catty's fairly extreme difficulty with traveling in the car. This isn't a new issue - she struggled in foster care and then with us the last 4 years. We haven't addressed it all that much since Catty rarely travels and then we've adjust how she travels and we get through it.
However over the last year, we've started having her travel more going to private training lessons and weekly Nose Work classes. We had made some really good progress in travel but then we had a serious setback after Catty had to travel to the dentist for a tooth issue. The experience of traveling to the vet back in Febuary and then having to stay at the vet for the day so her tooth could be fixed was something Catty has not forgotten.
Catty is complicated - I believe that she has pretty severe car anxiety and also motion sickness. A bad combo and they feed off the other one. Within 5 minutes of moving in the car she will drool excessively, vomit and has lost bodily functions. We've done a huge amount of adjustments in the car seeing what works and doesn't work. Desensitization and counter conditioning haven't worked well by themselves. So, Now we are going to address all of this by adding in wraps and visits to the holistic vet. We have tried using prescribed medication and it doesn't work well on trips where she needs to be present and active and it doesn't reduce her anxiety.
Normally I would say "oh well, the travel is clearly too much for her". And maybe in the end that will be the answer but, I'm not ready to go there yet since Catty clearly LOVES to go to Nose Work and her training sessions. When she's working she's a different dog and if we can, we want to give her more of those working opportunities. By going to training sessions and Nose Work classes we have seen a sharp drop in Catty's reactivity. We are able to control the environment in these situations, constantly setting her up for success and changing her emotional response with new people and environments.
So, off we go on this journey hoping to find a better outcome for our sweet Catty girl.
Many of you know D'light has had huge success with TTouch and we are now starting that work with Catty. First stop is to look at different TTouch aides. Doing TTouches before we travel and then seeing how wraps work for Catty when we are traveling. There are so many wonderful things about TTouch but what I love is how everything is taylored to the dog. What works for one dog may not work for another. So, there's a need to pay attention to what your dog is telling you and of course having a good TTouch practitioner who can guide you and your dog.
Catty and I headed over to see Lori Stevens and it was a great session. Catty knows Lori as we've been doing private training sessions with Lori over the past year. I found out that Catty is pretty sensitive to pressure around her mid section - good information! We found that a quarter wrap works best for her.
We opted to see how a head wrap would work for Catty. Keep in mind that nothing is forced and if Catty would have indicated this was too much we would have stopped. Interestingly enough, Catty really took to the head wrap. Lori wasn't surprised by this but, I sure was! Wraps bring awareness to the area wrapped and can help to create a different emotional response in the dog.
Here's the video of Lori demoing for me how to wrap Catty's head. When Lori does the wrap it looks so easy - I do it and I'm clumsy and confused. Video is a lifesaver for me as I can watch the demo over and over - tape myself, watch that and adjust so that I can do it correctly and give clear communication to the dog I'm working with.
So, what are we working on? All of our work (as you will soon see) revolves around reducing/eliminating Catty's fairly extreme difficulty with traveling in the car. This isn't a new issue - she struggled in foster care and then with us the last 4 years. We haven't addressed it all that much since Catty rarely travels and then we've adjust how she travels and we get through it.
However over the last year, we've started having her travel more going to private training lessons and weekly Nose Work classes. We had made some really good progress in travel but then we had a serious setback after Catty had to travel to the dentist for a tooth issue. The experience of traveling to the vet back in Febuary and then having to stay at the vet for the day so her tooth could be fixed was something Catty has not forgotten.
Catty is complicated - I believe that she has pretty severe car anxiety and also motion sickness. A bad combo and they feed off the other one. Within 5 minutes of moving in the car she will drool excessively, vomit and has lost bodily functions. We've done a huge amount of adjustments in the car seeing what works and doesn't work. Desensitization and counter conditioning haven't worked well by themselves. So, Now we are going to address all of this by adding in wraps and visits to the holistic vet. We have tried using prescribed medication and it doesn't work well on trips where she needs to be present and active and it doesn't reduce her anxiety.
Normally I would say "oh well, the travel is clearly too much for her". And maybe in the end that will be the answer but, I'm not ready to go there yet since Catty clearly LOVES to go to Nose Work and her training sessions. When she's working she's a different dog and if we can, we want to give her more of those working opportunities. By going to training sessions and Nose Work classes we have seen a sharp drop in Catty's reactivity. We are able to control the environment in these situations, constantly setting her up for success and changing her emotional response with new people and environments.
So, off we go on this journey hoping to find a better outcome for our sweet Catty girl.
Many of you know D'light has had huge success with TTouch and we are now starting that work with Catty. First stop is to look at different TTouch aides. Doing TTouches before we travel and then seeing how wraps work for Catty when we are traveling. There are so many wonderful things about TTouch but what I love is how everything is taylored to the dog. What works for one dog may not work for another. So, there's a need to pay attention to what your dog is telling you and of course having a good TTouch practitioner who can guide you and your dog.
Catty and I headed over to see Lori Stevens and it was a great session. Catty knows Lori as we've been doing private training sessions with Lori over the past year. I found out that Catty is pretty sensitive to pressure around her mid section - good information! We found that a quarter wrap works best for her.
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| Quarter wrap |
Here's the video of Lori demoing for me how to wrap Catty's head. When Lori does the wrap it looks so easy - I do it and I'm clumsy and confused. Video is a lifesaver for me as I can watch the demo over and over - tape myself, watch that and adjust so that I can do it correctly and give clear communication to the dog I'm working with.
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| How cute is she in her personalized head wrap! |
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| Giving a high ten to Lori! |
So, we will practice at home of wearing a half wrap and head wrap and then see how they help Catty when we head out in the car. Remeber that when adding anything new to a dog you need to practice and create a positive emotional response - don't just put something on a dog and expect it to work.
Wondering about TTouch? Here are the components of TTouch include:
1) Bodywork - gentle, non-invasive and non-habitual pressure touch
2) Equipment and Tools - these bring awareness and change to animals
3) Movement work - this builds confidence, improves focus & encourages balance (mental, physical & emotional)
And a good link outlining What is TTouch?
And a good article diving into how
And a good link outlining What is TTouch?
And a good article diving into how
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