Spinner Bottle Treat Toy-Cinder Tested, Cinder Approved!

Our Dimensions: 24”Tall X 22” Wide X 10” Deep

NOTE:  You could probably make it with one bottle, but

           2-3 bottles is more fun for the dog.

Supplies:

·    Wood to build a frame–recommend a pine board: 1” Thick X  10 or 12” Wide  X 8’  Long
·    Screws to screw the frame together
·    1 piece of metal electrical conduit
·    2 metal cotter pins
·    2 large, clear plastic bottles with large mouths and screw-on caps. * We used V8 Fusion bottles because they’re PERFECT in size, shape, mouth size (for filling); the're fairly thick, durable plastic; and they’re easily replaceable.  They also have “panels” with dot impressions that make it handy for measuring the PERFECT spot to drill your holes for the conduit to pass through.

Tools:

·   Drill
·   Drill screwdriver bit or screwdriver
·   One drill bit slightly larger than the electrical conduit
·   One metal drill bit to drill holes in the conduit for cotter pins–drill bit size depends on size cotter pins you use.
·   One drill bit slightly bigger than the food or treats you plan to use-for the hole in the bottle cap for food to fall through.
·   Tape measure
·    Pencil & permanent marker

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Frame:

Based on the sizes of the bottles you use, make a rectangular frame with an elevated bottom “shelf” as the base:  
·       Cut two boards 24” long for the sides; measure 3-4” from the bottom, mark a straight line and that will be the bottom shelf line.
·       Measure and cut the shelf bottom board to a length of 22”; screw the shelf bottom to each side as marked.
·       Measure and cut the top to 24-26”.  Screw it to the top of the upright sides, making sure they are equally spaced on both sides & the sides are square, & equal the width of the bottom.
·    On the outside of each side of the frame, make marks for the holes for the conduit to pass through.  
Based on the size bottles you use, measure from the bottom shelf upward and place a pencil mark in the center of the side boards at the height you want the conduit. That is your drilling point for the hole for the conduit.  * Leave at least 2-4” of space between the bottles on the top and bottom so they’ll spin freely and if you need to replace the bottles, that space should accommodate lots of other bottles.   
·       Sand the frame as needed for safety and/or painting.
·       Paint frame if/as desired.

   NOTE: We used the elevated bottom shelf as the base because it allows for a certain amount of uneven floor or ground without worry of rocking, shifting, or tipping.  We also decided you could use a narrower width board overall, but if your dog is as intent on playing with it as ours, the wider frame provides better stability.

 For the Bottles:

  · Thoroughly clean and dry the bottles & lids with hot water; then remove labels. 
· Using permanent marker, measure from the bottom & place a dot at the approximate center of the bottles. *If using V8 Fusion Light bottles, the side “panels” have dotted impressions with 7 dots across the widest area of the panels-use the center dot of one of the panels and mark another one in EXACTLY same position as the first mark, on the opposite side of the bottle. 
 ·   Using the dots on the bottles, place your drill bit tip & drill cut the holes for the conduit to slide through the bottles.

·   Mark a dot in the center top of the lid to drill a hole for the food/treats to fall out.
·   Using the dog food/treat sized drill bit, drill the hole through the bottle cap.

CONDUIT:

·  Measure the final width of the OUTSIDE of the box frame & cut your conduit two (2) inches LONGER than the box width.

·  About ¾” from each end of the conduit, drill holes for the cotter pins.

  

FINAL ASSEMBLY:

·  Place a cotter pin in one end of the conduit.  Place the conduit through one side of the frame, leaving enough room to put the bottles onto the conduit.
·  Once both bottles are on the conduit, slide the conduit out the opposite side of the frame and place the other cotter pin in the conduit.  The cotter pins keep the conduit from coming out as the bottles spin.

  

 

You should now have a completed Spinner Bottle Treat Toy!

NOTES: Do NOT paint the conduit because it will need to be washed periodically from the oily dog food/treats; paint could flake off into the food/treats & be eaten by your dog.

Please supervise your pet(s) while using this item!  It could be tipped, scooted, or they may chew on parts of it so you’ll need to watch them while using this toy.

Sometimes the food FLIES out and sometimes it merely drops out when the bottles are upturned so you may want to use this toy outside on a patio or on a hard surface floor like your kitchen.  It wouldn’t work well on a deck since food/treats may slip between boards or fly off the deck-with your dog flying after them!

FILLING the bottles: Unscrew the cap, hold the bottle in an upright, angled position and insert food/treats; the reapply the cap.  Weight of the food/treats will keep the bottle upright.  I use a small food scoop to insert the food/treats.  * If you use a small necked bottle with a small opening, you'll have a harder time filling it.  

This is not meant to be a dog feeder! Only fill the bottle with a limited amount of food or treats-enough to be fun for 5-20 minutes. The added food/treats will increase your dog's overall daily intake so you may want to use this toy only a few times a week to keep from adding too many calories to his/her daily diet.

You may have to show your dog/puppy how to get the treats out and help them figure out the “game” a few times.  Cinder learned without help but she’s EXTREMELY food motivated!

Cinder tested, Cinder approved!

Cheers!

Chris

Any Progress is Good Progress

     If you've been following this blog and our Facebook page, you know Cinder's got some reactivity issues we're working to overcome and redirect.  To that end, I've enlisted the assistance of a well qualified behavioral specialist and trainer, Marilyn, to guide us to a better place and help us achieve at least a few goals.  Today, we met with Marilyn to re-evaluate Cinder's progress and add more tools to our toolbox for working her through things.

     After our fiasco at the public dog park last week, I was glad to meet with Marilyn for more assistance with Cinder's reactivity issues.  We worked together with Cinder today for about two solid hours (with a few breaks). The first question I asked was, "How can we work toward improvement around other dogs when there are no other dogs to work with her; and we can't go to the public dog park or PetSmart because it's too over stimulating?"  Marilyn thought for a minute and the next minute, we were in our cars, headed to the local farm store where there was a moderate but steady number of people and a few dogs.  A place where we were able to work in both the parking lot and inside the store.

     Once at the farm store, we worked outside a few minutes.  Initially, I think we were trying to establish Cinder's current "safe zone" for seeing people without reacting; and determining what other training we could incorporate aside from reactivity seeing people and dogs.  After all, noisy carts and stacks of things moving on flat truck carts also provide training opportunities since they can be scary.  We worked in the parking lot for about 15 minutes, getting her used to several carts and flat truck cart noises; and being near them. Initially, when the carts moved or made noises, they were scary but Cinder was quick to learn that with cheese and repetition of working with Marilyn pushing them beside and around her, they were really nothing to be scared of.  She was willing to calmly walk beside a moving cart in 15 minutes.

      Next, we entered the store.  Once inside, fairly close to the main entrance but off-side, we stood with Cinder, strategically allowing her to see people entering and walking near her.  MY task was to let her see them, but before she could do more than have a quick look, I had to get her focus on me and ask her to do something-or several things like some tricks.  When she started to get more upset, my goal was to get her focus on me while simultaneously (walking backward or sideways) removing her far enough to see her calmer behaviors return.  As each set of people came through, we performed our small repertoire of safe tricks and focus work.  After about 15 minutes, Marilyn had me walk her about half-way through the store on a main aisle and keep talking to her to keep her happy and focused on me.  Then we were did some more things remaining stationary while others came near; and we did our tricks and focus work.  She was doing great.   People were able to walk by, pushing carts and talking without her going off.  

     After about a half hour of varied tasks, we spotted the local Service Dog organization crew with their "trainee" puppies. I was apprehensive and Marilyn said, "Don't be-that's why I'm here and we're going to do some exercises to see what she does and how much effort it takes to either keep or regain her focus." She had us walk about an aisle away from them and let Cinder catch glimpses of them, but not long enough for her to react by keeping her focus on me.  We did that and then the trainee pups stopped to be socialized with people petting them.  Marilyn had me walk Cinder to within about 20 feet of them but without going by them or stopping; and circle an aisle pillar, and back to our original position.  SUCCESS!  She had me do it a few times - each successfully.  Then she asked me to do it again and try to add a stop beside the pillar (more like a brief hesitation), long enough for Cinder to see the pups closer, but not long enough to react.  That time, we actually had a bit of reactive behavior and I had to quickly try to get Cinder's focus again and move back to Marilyn.  Marilyn said, "Well, it wasn't ideal but you got her attention and removed her without much problem and for now, that's very good."  

     We moved on to different points within the store and  a few other exercises.  It wasn't long before a family with kids came up and wanted to pet Cinder.  She was happy, wagging her tail so Marilyn spoke up for me (probably knowing I was questioning the move) and said, they could.  The three kids came over and Cinder was happy to have them all love her; and then Marilyn asked if they wanted to see a few of her tricks. We did a few of them and Cinder returned for their attention, but suddenly, Cinder decided something was amiss and began reacting so I had to make a quick retreat with her to a spot about 10 feet away, between aisles, and let her calm down.  Luckily, Cinder calmed quickly.  Marilyn asked if there was something that seemed to prompt Cinder to the sudden reactivity with the children.  I said, "Nothing they weren't doing before we had her do her tricks."  Marilyn expressed a little confusion about that but said, "Well, I'll have to replay that in my head and we'll talk about it again in a little while."  We moved on toward leaving and of course, everything is a training opportunity so leaving also took a little more time than simply walking out the door.  

     As we were exiting, there was a picnic bench in the "foyer" area between the interior and exterior doors so Marilyn wanted to sit with Cinder there for a few minutes to do a little more work with people exiting close by; and to discuss our goals for the next few weeks of work.  We revisited the incident with the kids that started out well, but went sour.  Neither of us was sure what prompted it but as she asked me what I saw change about Cinder leading up to it, we narrowed it to the possibility of not liking eye contact with one or more of the children so close to her face.  We aren't entirely sure that's the answer, but it seems at least partly likely.  This confuses even Marilyn because of the inconsistency involved in first liking the kids and their petting; and suddenly not liking them. I've mentioned that there are times it seems Cinder's fine meeting most adults up close, but seeing them again isn't always the same.  Apparently that is somewhat a deviation from normal patterns of reactive behavior.  I am to continue documenting her behaviors and circumstances so we may be able to isolate it.  Other than that incident, Cinder did pretty impressively-even to me!

    Before we parted, I asked about whether Marilyn felt my goals of getting Cinder into a group training class were crazy and she said, "No! Not at all! I think she SHOULD do a small group class - it would do her a world of good." Discussion on that topic ensued.  You can't imagine how good it makes me feel knowing that Cinder's progressing enough to really have hope of doing a group training class!  I'm so proud of Cinder for coming along so well despite our issues and setbacks.  We just have to keep our eyes on our training and keep forging ahead.  I can't allow us to malinger.  I still have to remember that her reactivity isn't always completely predictable and NOT to push her too far too fast.

     That concludes this update on Cinder's reactivity and our related training.  At least now, we've added more tools in our toolbox to forge ahead better.  Just another day in the adventure of raising Cinder.

Cheers!

Chris

Two Steps Forward, 222 Back?

     Let me just preface this by saying this is one day I wish I could rewind and re-do differently because everything that went wrong was basically all my own fault but Cinder's the one to pay the price for my stupidity.

     If you’ve been following the blog an/or Facebook page, you probably know about Cinder’s reactivity issues and the work I’m doing with her to try getting her to a better place with it so she has a brighter, broader future.  So far, until today, progress has been great in a relatively short time. Today I pushed the envelope too far. But before you think this post is merely about Cinder’s reactivity and today’s potential set-back, let me assure you it’s also a rant about public dog parks and the people who frequent them too!  Typically I don’t advocate attending public dog parks for a host of reasons. However, they do serve some good purposes for some folks and their dogs.  I was hoping to take advantage of our local public dog park for Cinder’s benefit for a while, but now I am changing my plan!

     Cinder’s been doing very well with all our work to improve her reactivity with other dogs. She’d done so well last week that I decided we’d try going to the local public dog park during weekday afternoons, when there are only a couple people and dogs likely to be there.  That strategy has been paying off quite well-until today.  Let me give you the whole story:

    We arrived at the public dog park at about 1:45PM and only three people and three dogs were there. I observed and felt since one was a puppy and the other adult dogs were essentially well mannered, Cinder would probably be fine.  In we went, looking forward to another successful day meeting different people and dogs in limited numbers.  Indeed, it was quite pleasant and Cinder made friends with the puppy and older two dogs faster and easier than any others. Yea!  As we were conversing and enjoying our dogs, something told me the approaching car with a yapping pair of large dogs was about to change things and indeed, it did.  However, not before Cinder had some fun with her new friends and impressed the people with her GOOD behavior, tricks, recall on a whistle, recall on voice, and her generally happy nature with people.

    If I’d had more sense about me, I’d probably have left when the newly arriving vehicle parked. But between potentially having issues in a parking lot immediately adjacent to a very busy road or INSIDE the fenced dog area, I opted to remain at least until the newcomers were inside and away from the gates to the parking lot.  Immediately, two big dogs took off from their owner right out of the car.  Initially I thought the dogs bounded out of the car but the woman standing with me (both of us now holding our pups at our sides) said, “I think she just opened the door and let them do that.  I’ve seen her before and they did that the last time I saw them too.”  That was the first clue of what was to come AND should’ve been my cue to leave right then.   Luckily, Cinder always wears her car harness with a drag line so I can grab her when she’s loose.  I thought to grab the drag line and have Cinder sit casually, facing the newcomer dogs as they entered the gates across the park.  I thought if she reacted, I’d already have hold to remove her.   

      As they entered, the two dogs came bounding across the park, barking all the way.  Cinder didn’t react at all so I was hopeful this was just a noisy intro that would soon subside and end well.  Suddenly, both dogs came at Cinder and barked in her face.  At that point, Cinder reacted and frankly, I kind of let her have a few seconds to warn the dogs off since they’d been the instigators.  I want Cinder to greet others appropriately and sometimes other unruly dogs deserve a retaliatory warning.  However, once Cinder let out her warning and I called her off (SUCCESSFULLY), the other dogs didn’t back down.  They weren’t vicious initially, but they were definitely escalating; and their owner wasn't doing or saying anything at all.  The dogs essentially pinned Cinder against my legs and picked at her; lunging and barking more and more nastily.  Cinder wasn’t getting more wound up, but she wasn’t letting them get in her space without standing hers.  Meanwhile, the owner finally made her way over and stood gawking, neither saying or doing anything to control her dogs while it was clearly an escalating situation-her two loose dogs against my single dog on a two foot rope in my control, at my side.  I was attempting to suggest that she get hold of her dogs long enough for Cinder and I to leave, but instead the fog-brained woman was too busy asking me about Cinder’s breed, age, and name. 

     Meanwhile, our new friends had smartly removed themselves and their dogs to their car so it was all about me trying to get Cinder out before she completely lost it.  I’d managed to get her leash on her halter collar (thank GOD I hadn’t taken off her halter collar) and started to move toward the gate.  As I attempted to move Cinder on-lead, at my side, one dog lunged from behind and the other came at her from beside. Cinder spun around facing them and looked to me for direction.  I looked at the woman and  said, “My puppy is majorly upset by your dogs and if you’re not willing to hold onto them long enough for me to leave, I’m turning her loose so she can defend herself and I’m going to that gate. My puppy WILL do whatever she feels necessary to defend herself.”  The woman shrugged and said, “I can’t do that-no.”  I turned Cinder loose and she stayed with me, but kept spinning as the other dogs kept lunging and barking.  Finally, she spun and I heard her REALLY vicious snarling growl. I turned in time to see the others were only six inches from her face!  I used my whistle to recall Cinder and thank GOD Cinder turned and came instantly at a dead run; meeting me at the gate and quickly sitting.  The other dogs were on our heels and that fog-brained woman was still across the park doing absolutely nothing.  As her dogs neared while I was trying to open the gate, I scooped Cinder up and practically threw her over the fence while holding onto her leash over the fence. I kicked at the other dogs as I went through the gate myself.  We escaped.  As we exited the outer gate, our new friends with the puppy and one adult dog had watched from their car.  They got out of their car and met me at the exterior to offer assistance and of course, ask questions.

     Back at the Jeep, Cinder had managed to “let it go.” I hadn’t, but she had!  The couple walked with us to the Jeep and said, “We’ve never seen anything like that.” The woman said, “I’ve seen that lady here before and I don’t think her dogs were that mean, but they were definitely not well mannered then either.” I said, “How could they be well mannered when she isn’t. She had no concern for them, me, or my pup. She let them continue to escalate without even attempting to do anything.  When I asked her to hold her dogs long enough to leave, she said she couldn’t do that.”  They asked how I knew Cinder would stay close to me; and she’d come to me when I called or whistled. The next thing they asked me, “How did you know when to whistle and that she’d fly so fast to you when you did?”  I said, “It was a calculated prayer! She’s been running the farm with my older, trained boys and we use the whistle to direct or recall them. I just hoped our experience was solid enough for her to come and thank GOD she did!” We chatted a few minutes more and parted ways. 

    My rant is that people who go to public dog parks aren’t always skillful dog handlers-especially in difficult situations. Obviously this was an instance in which the dog owner didn't have control; and either didn't know how or want to take control either.  Aside from the risks of people who know and/or do so little to control their dogs; there are always issues with people who don't clean up after their dogs; and the dangers of some unsavory people who actually look for dogs to steal; or dogs to fight.  It really seems to me that public dog parks should have some sort of dog park staff – a dog park ranger - on site to help ensure the rules are followed; the park is maintained; and there is trained help on site to assist and even call for additional help in the event of things like our experience today.  If a dog park ranger were there, at least that’s an additional set of hands in the absence of any or not enough.  At the very least, it’s someone to dial 9-1-1! More importantly, if they were patrolled by dog park rangers, maybe more of the people who frequent the parks would adhere to more of the rules; and also be more conscious about controlling their own animals better.  No one should go to a public dog park if they aren’t even willing to TRY to maintain control of their own dogs when they’re there!  Public dog parks are a questionable place to socialize and exercise dogs anyway so why not create some jobs and make the dog parks safer by adding trained dog park rangers to help enforce the existing rules; and add more help for the bad situations that arise?  Seems like it would be a somewhat better system and create a few jobs.

     This episode is MY fault. I’m not blaming anyone else.  I should’ve realized when her dogs bounded out of the car that we should’ve headed for the gate regardless.  Instead, I was sluggish about leaving – and it may have cost all the effort and progress Cinder’s made until today. 

     After that fiasco, I think I was as or more rattled than Cinder. I pushed the envelope and it got us in a jam.  Don’t think I’ll ever make that mistake again!  We won’t do that again – at least not for a very long time.

     However, we will continue going to the private, members-only dog park owned by friends. In fact, that’s the first place I headed with Cinder immediately after our public dog park escape. It’s where Cinder’s favorite swimming pond is, but, it’s also a doggy daycare, boarding, and training facility.  I called ahead to the staff at the kennel and told them that Cinder and I had just had a very bad meeting with two nasty dogs and I needed to Cinder to SEE other new dogs, in the hands of people who have a clue.  I suggested meeting us in the parking lot with, “The quietest, nicest, most patient, low energy dog available that won’t respond if Cinder goes off.”  That’s exactly what we did.  It worked!  Cinder met one more dog – a very sweet yellow Lab - on familiar but neutral ground. That dog was quite calm and pleasant.  They met, they sniffed, they were okay with each other and Cinder was ready to swim.  YES!  We were able to put her in a position of meeting ONE more new dog before calling it a day.  It went well and that’s as much as I could hope for.  Cinder swam about 15 minutes and she started looking tired so we called it a day.

     There were some great moments about the worst event of the day.  Cinder waited for the other dogs to get in her space and make the first moves before she got upset.  Cinder did listen and respond to me far more than she would’ve a month ago.  When I finally let her loose to make our way out, she didn’t start a fight; she kept them at bay, but no fight.  Just as it looked like THEY were going to force a fight, I whistled and Cinder ran to me like the wind-no hesitation!  When she got to the gate, she did everything I asked/told her.  When we got out of the fenced area, she calmed down immediately!  All of those are vast improvements over anything I would’ve had from her a month ago. Despite all that went wrong, a lot still went right.

      Next week we meet with our behaviorist trainer for updates and another progress evaluation.  I’m sure then I’ll hear how much I’ve pushed Cinder too hard, too fast; and how much I need to slow it down; and STAY AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC DOG PARK.  But really, she won’t need to give that lecture so I hope we save time and move to the “train the owner” lessons.  MY lesson should be, “How Not to be an Idiot Owner of a Reactive Dog.”  Oh, wait…I just got that lesson!  Too bad it may have been at Cinder’s expense.  We made so many steps forward that I  hate the idea of 222 steps backward that today may have taken us.

     That’s it. That’s my rant. Thanks for letting me get that out there.  Sorry you were the readers of such a maniacal post!  Hopefully there will not be more in the future, but I make no guarantees.

     With head downturned sadly in shame, I end this chapter of another day in the lifelong endeavor of raising Cinder. 

Cheers!

Chris

Over the Hump for Cinder's Reactivity?

     Yesterday I wrote about Cinder's recent progress regarding her reactivity-especially with new dogs.  Today, we pushed the envelope a little more and experienced more success.

     Cinder's becoming obsessed with swimming so I'm trying to be sure we incorporate other things into her day too.  Some days we just won't go to the pond so she learns every day is not the same.  To that end, I opted to take her to a public park with nice paths to walk.  On the way, we had to drive by the public dog park. On a whim we drove in.

     Previously, Cinder's visits to the public dog park were disasters. Her reactivity started when we pulled in and she saw other people or dogs. When I tried taking her into the park, she was so reactive I had to carry her out and leave because she just wouldn't quit barking and lunging at everyone and every dog - even from across the park!  It was horrible for both of us.

     Today, on a whim, I swung into the public dog park just to see how much progress we really are making. Right away, there was a city worker weed-eating the fence line along the fence immediate to the parking lot. Since I back in to park so I'm not letting my dogs out into the parking lot, but on the perimeter, it enabled Cinder to see the man immediately.  NO reaction!  Okay.  I shut the car off and waited for her to look out and see the two dogs and other people before I even bothered opening my door.  She had no reaction so I got out and went to the hatch and opened it, waiting for her to react.  I have my dogs tethered to harnesses in the car so they can't just bound out when a door opens. She sat quietly, looking and watching. I figured it was worth trying to push the envelope a little more and try going into the park.

     We unloaded and Cinder was angelic. We walked to the gate and a pleasant young man opened the first gate for us as he came through. Cinder went through and didn't attempt to go over or react. At the second gate, she sat perfectly as I unlatched and opened it.  Again, she went through quiet and calmly.  

     As we walked farther into the area, she finally spotted both dogs and all the people, but only let out a couple "normal" sort of smallish yips.  I immediately got her focus and talked to her, hoping she'd quit before it blew up into reactive behavior.  Success! Cheese is a wonderful attention-getter sometimes!

     I called over to the people with a Bull terrier puppy and asked if we could come meet their dog, explaining that Cinder may become obnoxious and if she did, I would simply remove her. They were quite nice and welcoming.  Cinder made up with the people immediately and the puppy secondarily.  There was a little tension in her stance and attitude, but I was able to talk to her and praise her and treat her through a NICE meeting of a new puppy.  After a few minutes, I decided we'd try her off-leash and see if the two pups would play since the lady with the other dog left.  Indeed, they were a little timid and awkward together at first so I finally decided to walk around the park and they ran ahead and raced and played their way ahead of me until we returned to the other pup's family.  By that time, another couple and their adult dog had arrived and Cinder went to meet that dog.  She was a bit timid and tense, but she went to the other dog and that dog was nice to her so she quickly became less tense. Soon the two began playing too. However, that dog's people wanted to play ball with their dog so at that point, I decided it was better to leave while things were going so well than risk Cinder becoming aggressive or possessive over a ball.

     Since she did so well at the dog park meeting two new dogs, I decided she'd earned a trip to the pond for some swim time before returning home.  Even though she didn't swim yesterday, she was fairly easily and quickly tired swimming so it was a short pond visit. I imagine she was a bit tired due to the stress from being at the public dog park, meeting two new dogs before swimming.

     My hope is that as we work and test, Cinder continues to show improvement as she has been so far this week. I know she's not ready for meeting more than a couple dogs at a time without overloading her and maybe causing her to revert so we have to carefully pick and choose the situations in which to place her. However, I'm ever more hopeful that we will greatly improve if not overcome her reactivity.  My hope is that we can progress far enough over this month to try a group puppy obedience class with others of her age.  Until now, I was wondering if we could ever realistically hope for that, but now I know it IS possible if she continues to have successes like the ones of this week.

     I'm going to credit having my friend's dog over all day on Sunday for jump-starting Cinder's improvement program and progress of this week.  If not for that wonderfully well-behaved, patient and non-responsive dog being with Cinder on Sunday, providing no threat or resistence to Cinder's behaviors, I don't know that we would have had the successes we've had this week so far. A big thank you to my friend Becki and her dog Beanie for helping us jumpstart our progress! Enough single, small successes will hopefully yield the big prizes of Cinder being a good companion, able to go places and do things away from home without reactivity issues. That's our goal.

Thus ends this update for today.  It's the end of another day of the lifelong endeavor raising Cinder.

Cheers!

Chris

Reactivity Training is Starting to Make Progress

     About three weeks ago I wrote about the reality that Cinder is a reactive puppy and what that means.  Since then, much has transpired that gives me great hope for her despite the challenges that remain.
     Part of the challenge for those with a reactive dog can be identifying what makes them react and under what conditions.  It may seem easy to isolate their reactive behavior, but since reactivity can be to more than one or two things; and can vary depending on circumstances in which those things are encountered, it can take some time to determine what sets them off.  That's what we've been doing over the last couple weeks - trying to figure out what sets Cinder off.
     Cinder's reactive to seeing people in motion at distances; seeing strange dogs at any distance; and some loud noises.  Cinder does well with people when they get close to her or if they talk at distances. Dogs she doesn't know bother her no matter where they are-until she's had time to get to know them.  On leash is far worse than off-leash, but both are stressful for her.
     Cinder's reactivity seems to be compounded by jealousy.  She's quite jealous of other dogs when they're near me or Brian.  This too is the result of being so confined with us during the long, hard winter.  We can't overlook that some studies indicate that females are often jealous and/or dominant, which may also be a contributing factor.
     Hope sprang first from taking Cinder back to the vet for suture removal after her spay surgery.  She was so excited to be there it was ridiculous-which makes me happy. I like it when all my dogs LIKE going to our vets!  While there, none of the other dogs made her react! The whole time we were waiting, there were two dogs also waiting; and several others got picked up. Cinder never reacted once!
     Immediately out of the vet's office, we stopped at a public park on the way home to let Cinder have a walk.  Her only reactivity was caused by a dog that was tied to a tree.  He barked and bounced back and forth at the end of his tether about 100 feet from us.  Cinder's heckles went up and started reacting, but I was able to get her to focus on me and other than a few barks, she kept walking with me.  That was the first time I've been able to get her focus off another dog once she starts reacting!  
     Most of our friends are dog and horse people-many of whom are experts handling, training, and competing dogs and horses.  It's so awesome to have friends like them when you have a problem and need some help. At the very least, it's nice when you can tell them the problems you have and they at least understand you. 
     Last weekend a friend needed Brian to do some work on a project for her.  She didn't want to leave her  wonderful, neutered, male dog at home alone for the entire day and asked if she could bring him.  She knew about Cinder's reactivity, but Cinder and her dog have met once before and managed to survive a nice walk together. We both thought it may be good to see what Cinder would do if a very stable, secure, non-threatening dog came to our house.  We let them meet outside and while Cinder's initial response was to START becoming reactive, she actually calmed by greeting my friend (the human one), who pet her while still keeping her dog close on the leash.  It seemed relatively safe to proceed by introducing the new boy to our boys, with Cinder, in the back yard, off leash.  Other than Cinder trying to herd him and yapping about it, my friend's dog was absolutely GOLDEN.  He never responded to anything Cinder did and he was completely non-plused about the whole thing.  He was the perfect "test dog" for Cinder and Gilley liked him quite well too.  Buzz seemed unfazed.
     Throughout the day, Cinder continued trying to herd the new boy around. She continuously reminded him he was a visitor in HER house. But, she wasn't nasty and ultimately, became more confident that he was okay and began to play with him by the end of the afternoon.  Overall, the new visitor was a positive experience for Cinder even though her yapping often made annoyed us all.  One hurdle down, no one dead-YEA!  Of course, I don't expect Cinder will react the same way to every dog at our house; or even the same dog again in the same way, but we'll take ANY steps forward and be happy for them!
     We go to a private dog park owned by some friends. The dog park is an extension of their board and training kennel.  That's where we go other than the barn for Gilley to play Frisbee and swim in a pond. It's also always been a source of socialization for he and Buzz.  During the day, there are few people who take their dogs to that dog park. However, there are a LOT of people who drop off and pick up dogs from the doggy daycare. It's nice to be friends with the owners because I was able to explain Cinder's reactivity issues and gain their support in helping educate her too.  We are making a habit of going to swim at the pond in the late afternoon, when a lot of dogs are being picked up to go home.  It's also one of four times each day that they exercise boarded dogs in an adjacent area to the dog park.  My thought has been to take Cinder to play and swim in the pond when there would be activity at the kennel that I could either remove her from; or move her closer to according to her reactions. Either way, we can enjoy the benefits of the dog park and if the rest plays into working through her reactivity, that's a huge bonus. 
     Today we went to the private dog park to swim in the pond. At the end of our swimming time, the kennel owner came out with his personal dog to exercise in the separate but adjacent area.  Cinder was so focused on the "flyer" in my hand that she didn't even notice them.  I slowly got her halter collar on and made my way to the exit gate, hoping Cinder would notice them so I'd have a chance to see if our work is paying off yet.  She was so focused on me that it wasn't until Steve said hello to her that she noticed them.  She then sat and began wagging her tail so hard her whole body wagged too.  I took her over to the fence, waiting for her to start reacting to the dog, but she was so focused on Steve, the dog didn't matter.  When Steve stopped petting and talking to her, she still didn't seem to care about the dog separated by a chain link fence and two feet!!! YEA!!!  Of course that got her all kinds of attention and then as we exited the park area into the parking lot, Steve and his dog were there, chatting with his daughter.  I decided to take Cinder past them as close as I could without endangering anyone to see how she'd do.  Again, NO fence and only two feet apart, she didn't care!!!  Steve kept petting her and when he stopped, I had her sit while I attempted to pet his dog to see if that would elicit a reaction and it didn't!  SUCCESS!!!  More treats, more love, and into the car to go home before she had the chance to change her mind!  As we were leaving, she let out two yips, but that was all.
     Today's visit to the pond for a swim was HIGHLY successful for Cinder.  It was a benchmark day.  It's the first time she repeatedly swam out and retreived a "flyer," bringing it all the way back.  Then she met another dog she didn't have any reactivity toward at all!  What a great day for Cinder.  This gives me hope that she will eventually come out of a lot of her reactivity, enabling us to do more things in her future.  I just have to be careful never to assume it will be that easy or good; and I have to keep myself from pushing her to try too much too soon and make her revert.  None-the-less, a few steps forward are better than any steps back!
     That brings you up to date on Cinder and what's going on with her reactivity and the training we're working on to help her overcome it.  Just another day of life as we continue raising Cinder.

Cheers!

Chris

Cinder's a Holee Roller!

A plastic Miracle Whip jar with a hole in it.

Finally, we figured out a homemade toy to serve multiple purposes.  Cinder is a little vacuum cleaner when it comes to eating. She doesn’t eat, she inhales! I’ve been looking at several ways to change the way we feed her, most involving some form of specialized bowls or “interactive dog food toys.”  In looking at some of them, I came up with an idea for a homemade version of the same basic idea. We made our version of interactive food dispensing toy from  a round, plastic jar with a hole in the side; enabling a piece or two of kibble to fall out when rolled around.  It couldn’t be simpler! We call it the, “Holee Roller Jar.”  

The result in our test run was SPECTACULAR! Cinder quickly figured out the game and did not deviate from it until every piece of kibble was gone-over an hour in the process!  YAHOO!  We watched her roll the jar all over the house to acquire the kibble rewards that fell out!  Bingo! We have a WINNER!  A toy and food dispenser that keeps her engaged but doesn’t let her inhale treats or food.  Clearly we don’t want her to take over an hour to eat a meal, so it’s better suited to use as a toy for providing a mid-day snack to help keep her busy.  Right now, she eats three times a day so that's one meal she's spreading out longer while we have the benefit of about 30-60 minutes of freedom to do other chores without worry about what Cinder's doing.  

We've used the jar an average of once daily for her mid-day meal. She's become quite attentive to ALL jars we pick up now, looking to see if they will be HER Holee Roller Jar.  She's quite skillful at maneuvering it around the house to obtain her kibble.  

We've added another hole on the opposite side of the jar, more toward the bottom.  We found that the treats fell out well enough that it didn't take her very long to empty the jar.  We decided that putting tape over one hole or taking it off allows us the option of making it a faster or slower game; as well as adding more or less kibble.  I'm going to try a larger Peter Pan peanut butter jar next to see how that may or may not change the game. The Miracle Whip jar is a great size except that it gets caught under the toe-kick of our kitchen cabinets and rolls under our loveseat-although Cinder hasn't let it do either of those lately! 

One more fun little tidbit of many that make up our days as we continue raising Cinder.  

Cheers!

Chris

Cinder Gets a Life Preserver!

This week the big event has been Cinder getting spayed.  It's been a normal spay procedure and her recovery is going well. However, if you ask Cinder, this week has already been quite an ordeal, "DANG E-COLLAR!"  And I think that would be the very cleaned up version of what she'd say about it!  Cinder's version of being spayed would probably be synopsized like this:  "Help!!! I'm trapped in this nasty, puppy head-eating, cone thing and I can't get free!!!"  I'm not sure to what extent she even realizes the vets altered her life-uh-her ability to create life.  I'm not sure that part even matters.  What has mattered is wearing the E-COLLAR.  

Head over the back seat on the way home.

When we brought her home Monday evening, Cinder was still groggy so we didn't think much about her not wanting to walk through the house.  In fact, she was so wobbly and groggy we were glad she didn't want to be mobile. However, yesterday morning came and the "Little Criminal" (refer to the hearing aid theft, chewing, and distribution of stolen property last week) still wouldn't attempt more than two steps.  She had a bad time adapting to the device around her head and neck.  We took the cone off to put her on her leash for potty time and the minute the cone came off, our bouncy trouncy jumping bean was instantly herself; prancing her way out to potty.  We came in and reapplied the cone. Again, no matter what we did, she was not going to walk with that collar on.  I can't say I blame her much because she can't see well through it and it's huge so she smacks everything with it which startles her.

I told Brian that we needed to just let her work it out for herself. If we left her alone, ultimately she'd make her way through the house to be with us.  That wasn't true. Nope. Not a chance in a million. Not moving. Instead, she stood there until she wobbled so much, she plopped down and howled.  It was an amazingly impressive, loud, and sorrowful howl-the kind that reminds me of, "The Call of the Wild." That continued for about an hour, non-stop.  I think Gilley and Buzz sort of rubbed salt in her wounds by ignoring her.  On one hand, I was kind of glad the E-collar seemed to immobilize the Little Criminal so she wouldn't jump; on the other, she needed some mobility without us carrying her.

When it was bed time, I was concerned about where Cinder should sleep.  She doesn't fit in her crate with the collar on; and her space is a long narrow hallway.  I didn't want to be far away from her in case she got sick or needed to potty.  Without my hearing aids, I hear nothing, so I didn't know quite how to handle bedtime. She slept on the bed with me.  She, Gilley, and Buzz all layed on the bed with me while Brian slept on the pull-out.  All was well-until she fell off the bed at 3:30AM!  She'd evidently rolled over too close to the edge and fell off.  I jumped up and ran around to see her laying still tummy down, on all four; and when I spoke her name, her tail wagged.  Luckily, she was fine but I was paranoid about her being on the bed and that made me feel worse. Lesser of all evils is the bed, so that's where she returned after a trip out to potty and get a drink. Without further incident, we all awoke for the start of our day a little late.

 Yesterday (Tuesday), Cinder repeated the same behaviors of not moving with the E-collar on. Left alone, she stood until she couldn't and again plopped down, howling the whole time.  I'd had enough.  Cinder is a little Cookie Monster, always willing to do ANYTHING for a "cookie." Training time!  I decided to teach her how to walk through the house with the E-collar on by luring her from one end to the other using her favorite training cookies.  She'd go pretty well for a few steps and then she'd start wobbling and stop.  I gave her about 5-10 seconds and bribed her forward with another cookie.  After that, the E-collar no longer caused immobility.  She finally understood she really COULD move with that collar on.

 

With mobility no longer in question, the new problem Cinder encountered was trying to get close to or play with the boys.  She'd get close and bonk them with the collar, which highly annoyed the boys and caused them enough grief that they kept leaving the area.  She'd follow and again, they'd tire of being whacked with the collar and leave.  She came to me, plopped down and if puppies pout, I'm telling you there was serious pouting!  In her world I'm sure it was akin to, "Everybody hates me, nobody loves me, might as well eat worms."  As the day progressed, she became more adept at maneuvering with the collar on.  The boys still gave her a wide berth so she was utterly bored and slept a lot - a good thing anyway.  Finally, during the evening, she

began trying to put the collar over the boys' heads and play.  Gilley would have none of that! Buzz let her do it several times, seeming to understand her need to interact. Even so, a few minutes of it was all Buzz could take and he began grumping at her and finally left.

Poor Cinder.  Can't play, can't eat, can't do anything with that nasty collar on.  At that point, I thought to look up inflatable E-collars, but none of the local pet stores had her size on hand and the prices were pretty outrageous for something I only plan on using once on a puppy.  However, I got to looking at the inflatable e-collar designs and thought, "I could make a stuffed version out of denim!"  If I could make one that would work, it would allow her to see, play, eat, drink and NOT lick her stitches.  An hour later, I'd made one out of scraps from a trashed pair of jeans.  

 

Today, Cinder's worn the homemade stuffed E-collar and been quite a lot happier. It looks a like a denim life preserver, but it seems to work. She's been doing more today so we've had to keep a close eye on her, but the homemade collar provides her the freedom of moving around easily to enjoy a more normal way of life without the clatter of banging into everything.  I won't let her sleep in it overnight-the clunky plastic E-collar needs to be on at night because I don't want to leave her in a stuffed fabric collar all night unsupervised.

Otherwise, she isn't allowed to run, jump, wrestle the boys as is her normal life, but she's able to play a little bit with her toys.  The boys are at least able to be close by without being whacked with the collar and I she's glad for their closer proximities.  I'm glad too because she can come sit beside me and be close without whacking me either! I've sort of missed her nose-bumping my leg and sitting beside me when she wants something. The bonus is that the walls and furniture aren't suffering her "wrath of the collar" either.  When she no longer needs an E-collar, I can reclaim the stuffing and buckle.  Come to think of it, maybe that little stuffed collar really is Cinder's life preserver right now.

It's all just more adventure and learning in our daily life journey as we continue raising Cinder.

Cheers!

Chris