Second Step of Integration-The Door

First I'd like to thank our readers and supporters.  You guys are terrific!  We wouldn't be this far in our dog journey if it wasn't for all of you.  So, THANK YOU!

I started a couple of weeks ago with step 1 of integrating the two dogs packs, which was separating them while fixing their food, because they were fighting at the door that divides them.  It is something that has went on for some time, on occasion, but since Brut's death and recently with Silver's passing the fighting (growling, snarling, snapping, teeth bared) has increased in frequency and intensity.  So I took them away from the door, by putting them in their rooms while I get their meals together.  Worked out great!

That same day after they ate for the first time without all that worked up anxiety, I started blocking the door with my body, making them back up from it to stop the barking at the door.  When I got one side settled I went to the other side and settle that dog.  And I just kept going back and forth until they gave up.

Now Chance has a habit of rushing the door when he comes in from outside and Zappa is always on the other side ready to do battle.  I couldn't figure out how to stop him for the longest time.  It took a couple of days before it dawned on me I could open the fridge door and block the hallway that leads to separation door.  Don't worry, hubby is making me a board to slide back and forth.  No need to pay the energy company more than they need!  So after Chance circles back after seeing the blockage, I give him a treat when he comes to me.  Then I go to the other side and make Zappa back up and sit then treat.  Problem he's caught on how to get a treat, bark and here I come.  So one time when Zappa was being a royal pain and wouldn't stop barking because I wouldn't give him a treat, I put him in his room, he shut up and that worked out great.

And for those times I don't make it in time to stop a debate, I have a shaker can and a cowbell to get their attention.  Thankfully I have only had to use them a few times, but they are nice to have around.

So far it is going good.  The first 4 or 5 days were a little hairy, but now they only bark at the door with each other, instead of fight. At least the ones I don't get to in time.  They are short burst of "talking."  Things have really calmed down this last week.  I doubt it is all over, given the chance they would do it again, but for now we are moving forward with our "plan" as it comes to me.  :)

Here's a short video of our progress:  (or on YouTube)

Forgive me if this post may seem a little jumbly, for some reason it was difficult to write.

and then there is Fiona...

If I had any thoughts that Brut's leadership wouldn't live on, I was very, very wrong.  ☺

It should have come as no surprise to me that Fiona would naturally slip into Brut's position.  She is a natural born leader who thrives on keeping order and the hierarchy.

Fiona was the only dog who submitted to Brut, getting low to the ground, even rolling over on her back, but would take his place when he wasn't around.  Now that dominance is coming to the surface when there are treats out.  In fact, I got rid of the treat jar that was next to my chair, because Fiona would start to snarl and scare Zappa and Silver away.  Another Brut Jr. in the making.

To be honest I haven't gotten over the shock of Fiona taking Brut's place and claiming her own.  She could sometimes get a little snarky when treats came out, but now it is every time.  She is ready to lunge if needed to get what she wants.  Oh what happened to my little girl?  In a way it is very disappointing, hurtful and I really wasn't expecting it. It was a very gradual thing, even though she's been acting like this any time Brut was away.  I'm having a hard time accepting it, in fact I haven't, which makes things even more difficult, because I keep getting 'surprised' each time her wrath surfaces. I don't want to deal with it.  Eight years of Brut was enough!

Somebody gotta keep these guys in check!

Another problem is Brut's aggression/possessive resource guarding was going on when we got him, so we were able to work with him early to curb some of it.  Fiona listens to me, but I'm still struggling with how to handle it because I don't want to go through this again.  I know, I know, they are Brut's kids and I should expect it, but honestly it caught me off guard.

Thank goodness it mostly with food and only certain circumstances, like training time, so that is a good thing.

So now it seems we have two Queens, Silver and Fiona. and the 24 Paws go marching on.

Miracle on 24 Paw Lane

Brut and I had a miracle happen on our walk the other evening.  After eight years of being confronted by loose dogs on our walks with my dog aggressive Brut, a dog came barreling towards us and when Brut growled, the dog turned and ran away.  That my friends was a miracle.

Let me tell you why:


I can not tell you the countless times we have run into loose dogs that either would confront Brut or worse, would want to be friendly.  I have been lucky with theses confrontations never to have a dog fight on a walk, but the ones who were completely oblivious to Brut's warnings were the ones who scare me the most. They just insisted on getting closer and closer to Brut while Brut will lunge and growl at them.  I could never understand this behavior and it was pointed out to me that these dogs are under socialized in the comments of a post I wrote HERE.  Never once has Brut hurt or even come close to touching these dogs, but there is a lot of effort on my part to make sure that didn't happen.

But something different happened this time while Brut and I were out that night.  And I can't even begin to tell you the amount of awesome it was.

I took Brut through a part of the neighborhood that he's never been before ever and he was doing really good.  We were coming up on a house that I knew had a loose dog and just as we made it to the driveway, the dog come barreling at us with the owner yelling.  I was pulling Brut away from the dog before the dog actually reached us, when suddenly the dog stopped and crouched down. It was obvious this dog was of a submissive natural.  Brut was under complete control, he growled just once and the dog turned and ran back home.  It was that simple. Brut finally got someone to listen to him.  All he asked is that the dog go away and this one did.  It was awesome.  We wasn't being rude or mean, he just warned the dog to stay away and the dog did.  That has never happened before!  And just like that Brut and I carried on our way easy as pie!  I still can't believe it happened.  Simple dog language that they both spoke and it was wonderful.

If that wasn't enough awesome, we ran into a small group of teenagers after that and Brut didn't flinch an inch.  Which was completely incredible!  He had quite a night and I couldn't have been more proud of him!

 

Dog Socializing Catch Ups

We've had some great socializing going on around the 24 Paws of Love and I thought I'd catch you up on it.

So proud of this guy!!

First up is Brut.  The bad boy of them all let my friend walk Silver while I walked him and it went great.  We walked a couple of miles and when we went into the garage for treats and undressing their harnesses, Brut was friendly to my friend walking right between her and Silver.  Mr. Territorial didn't pay any attention to the fact that she was on his property, in his garage, he was just ready to go out in the backyard like after every walk!!  It was so awesome!!

And if that wasn't enough, we walked all the dogs that night, my friend walking one while I had the other, in their respective pairs.  So Zappa and Blaze were walked by my friend and did great!  Blaze was a little worried at first, but she got right down the sniffing and didn't look back!

I don't want to be nice!!

Then last night my friend and I walked Silver with her dog Callie.  Silver was pretty ruffled about it for about half of the walk, but eventually started to settle down.  When Silver was able to turn and look at Callie without making a bee line towards her, we were doing good.  

Callie girl

And if it wasn't for my good friend and her nonchalant dog Callie, we'd have never made it this far.  Dogs can sense the difference between a real dog lover and a dog owner and this friend is definitely a dog lover.  It is obvious by the way all the dogs have instantly took to her.  And I want to let her know how valuable her friendship has been to the dogs and I.  She'll never know what a chance she took on that first walk with Fiona, her dog Callie and me.  It's like having a live version of all of you dog lovers out there who have been there for me when I didn't have any dog loving friends and I thank you for that.

Another One of Those Things That Only a Dog Can Teach and Heal

There are a few things that God must have devised just for dogs in order to get through to humans.  One of those things I talked about before (on this post) in having to calm and quiet my voice for Brut, because my outburst, especially when there was a dog fight were causing more harm than good.

Another added piece to the puzzle that has also calmed Brut and the household down is soft gestures.  Brut is scared of sudden movement like he is noise.  He becomes immediately on the defense and lowers his head to the ground ready for an attack.

I've had to learn to be gentle in my movements as well as my voice with him.

Brut zen

I've been dealing with some anger issues for a while due to my childhood abuse and PTSD, so it is difficult to release the tension by being quiet.  Like just wanting to punch the couch or wall because of being so frustrated.  Or just wanting to scream.  Or blast my music and rock the walls.

I can't do that with Brut around.  So how did I learn to calm those angry demons?

First by being aware my actions were causing consequences and second by being gentle with Brut, I learned to be gentle with myself.  The more I practice with Brut and being tender to his sudden fear, I learned to be calmer and more loving to myself.  The more I was able to slow down my movements and be able to receive the inner and outer love, the anger dissipated almost daily.  It taught me how to be sensitive to my own needs to not lash out at myself with my anger, which I've done all my life.  Instead I moved towards more of yoga like movements being more aware of my surroundings and myself.

I don't know if I could have learned that from any person or any other dog for that matter.  The only one who could have taught me was Brut.  The aggressive one.  The fearful one.  The one who has my heart in his paw every time while we lean on each other.

And I have to wonder if we continue to bounce off each other with these gentle movements and calm voices to bond even more as we continue healing together.

What do you think?  What has your dog taught you about your anger?

Why a calm Brut is not always a good thing

I'm so tired of dealing with Brut's aggression.  It is ugly, vile and violent.  The worst part about it is the longer it lays dormant, when it does rear its ugly head it is worse than in the beginning.  It is like a disease that progresses even when there are no signs or symptoms while the venom gets stronger and stronger.

For the most part Brut is a happy-go-lucky dog, believe it or not.  Moody at times but all in all there have been long strectches without any aggressive behavior.  And it seems this is where the killer lies, in wait, until all the brewings coming together when he becomes a stealth bomber, completely catching me off guard.  Brut goes for so long being calm and relaxed and happy that I drop my guard, little by little with him.  A leathal combination.  He gets bolder in his attacks and because they happen so quickly, I am missing the cues to intervene and cut off his course.

Like when this happened the other night:

Brut was alone in the living room, the rest of the Back Dogs were in the bedroom, so Brut could have some alone time with us.

I was sitting at the laptop on the couch, when I see Brut make a mad swoop in front me just as I noticed Boxer the cat come up beside me and Brut started to snarl.  It all happened very swiftly.  It didn't give me any time to react instead I was pretty freaked out and froze.  I was afraid to move, in case Brut would react.

Brut was being possessive of me and by me not responding I was telling him that his behavior was acceptable and that he had my permission to get rid of the intruder.

So he did.  He grabbed Boxer's head then immediately let go when I told him NO!

Tell you what, it was scary.

And this all happened in a matter of seconds.  There was very little I could do.

Boxer is OK. (thank God) Not a scratch on him, but he doesn't help the situation out very much either.  He will sit and confront Brut with no fear or brains (I swear) until Brut attacks.  Boxer won't run either, he will just join Brut for the staring showdown.  

I don't know what it is with all this strong willed blood in this house and the relentless stubborness to stand their ground.

I went over the incident over and over in my head and really I'm not sure there was anything I could have done different except maybe push Boxer away.  Since he was the irritant under Brut's collar, but since I froze, I don't know that I could have even did that.  The whole thing was so sudden and scary that I don't think I would have had time to do anything differently in that state of mind.  All I can do now is take a relaxed breath that no one was hurt and be prepared for the next time.

What about you?
Have you had any situations like this with other animals in your house?  How did you react?  Was your reaction positive or negative to the situation?  What would you do different?

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pee.s. there is finally an update to the cat's blog 

Do You Remember Us?

Brut Self-Love

I've needed dogs all my life, they were my mentors on love, but I never needed I dog as badly as I needed Brut.  He's been teaching me the hardest lesson I've ever had to learn and one that only he could teach.  Self-love.

I've been in a downward spiral of self hate for most of my life and living thru the memories of my childhood abuse (PTSD) only made things worse.

I think it is why I related with and loathe Brut's aggression.  It made me face myself and that was the last thing I knew how to do.

There was a part of me that loved his freedom and power to express himself.  Nobody walks all over Brut.  I struggled to reclaim that power in my own life.  To have the confidence and strength that would stop myself from my own self beatings.

And I hated Brut too for his aggression and the violence and cruelty it portrayed.  It became a cycle that I couldn't see.

I fought hard for my heart dog.  Even before I knew a word that described him.  Little did I know that every time I faced Brut, I faced myself.

Brut's aggression would go from 0 to 60 and back in a matter of breaths.  I took a little longer on my end of forgiveness.  

No matter if it was my fault or his for a fight, eventually I came around to forgiving him and most

important, I continued to love him.  And every time I loved him, a little piece of me was loved.

This awful, horrible being I grew up thinking I am, was chipping away when I was confronted with Brut and his aggression.  For I already knew the beautiful being Brut was. I was shocked to discover much later he was thinking the same thing about me.

It has taken many years of dog's unconditional love that kept me believing in love at all. It was Brut that started breaking down that self prison with every growl, snarl, and gnashing of his teeth to wake this girl up and set her free.

   

Brut a Wolfdog?

Forgive me Brut, for I have fallen in love with another dog.  He is a black wolfdog named Bastas and he has captured me.

The blog is The Wolf Crazies and I'd like to thank Rebekah (My Rotten Dogs) for introducing us and letting my heart be stolen away.  ☺

Have you seen Bastas?  He will take your breath away.  Those glowing eyes surrounded in lush midnight fur will haunt and entice you all with one look.  

It sounds silly, but I feel a real connection to Bastas.  If I ever have a wolfdog, I would want one like him.

I haven't thought about it in a long time, but there's a chance Brut has some wolf in him.  It would explain what I can't explain about him.  How his aggression was so raw and wild and how there always seemed to be another element to it than just his fears.  How I could never quite understand his biting frenzies and how he scared the crap out of me as a young pup.  There was something in his eyes that was untamed and very un-dog like.  I probably wouldn't have noticed so much these "behaviors" transpired as he aged, but at 6,7,8 weeks old it was undeniable. Like letting loose a caged beast.  

A friend of Brut's breeder confirmed the possibility as we were going through Brut's family history.  There's a question mark who his great-grandma is and a wolfdog near by who great-grandpa knew.  How well?  I don't know.  But I do know this, Brut and his four kids we have are all different than Silver.  Silver is the only one of the bunch who is the "dog" of the family even though they are her kids too.  She doesn't fit in with any of them, she is kind of the outsider, except for with Brut.  She is not pack oriented like the rest of them, nor does she have a temper like the rest of them.  

There is a different kind of energy about the kids that is electric like Brut's is.  A fire and ice kind of intensity.  Just as there seems to be a higher sense of evolution with the five of them that Silver doesn't have.  The hierarchy is higher for Brut, Zappa, Fiona, Chance and Blaze that Silver can't seem to grasp it as is the depth of their fierceness and passion that emulates from them.  Silver seems to be at a completely different level and you almost wouldn't know that she is their mother!

And the more I read about Bastas, the more I feel I understand what I couldn't before.  

Take a look at that Black Beauty named Bastas at The Wolf Crazies.  You will see what I mean.   

One more thought on the Brut Whisperer and PTSD

 

 Can you see the fear in his eyes even at 6 weeks old?

What I sort of understood from the time I got Brut and going through his aggression, was that his aggression was a trigger for my PTSD.  Looking back his aggression stood for everything that was evil and wicked in my childhood abuse.  It sent immense anger, fear, and sheer terror.  And I didn't know how to separate that from Brut, the dog, who also had a horrible puppy hood and was dealing with his own demons of what he went through.  I didn't know at the time I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, all I knew was that I was reliving my childhood nightmares through flashbacks and memories and Brut was part of that.  Not just for the bad stuff, but also for the good.  For he gave me a strong rock to fall on and a devoted security and protection I never had in a dog before.  Or any living being for that matter.  His love was as fierce and as intense as his aggression and his loyalty was unbreakable.  I couldn"t have asked for a dog like Brut to help me heal through all of those wicked parts of my life only to find that he was given to me with the same sheer terror that I had inside.

 Our all time favorite pic of Brut

Maybe that's why he was sent to me and I to him, to help each other through the abuse we both went through and the fears that have scarred our hearts.  Because with everything I been through with Brut it was more than just a dog and human relationship, we were together to save each others souls.

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If you or anyone you know is struggling with PTSD and would like to find out more info about it you can go here:

PTSD Town Forum that will be streaming live at http://upnorthlive.com 

on Thursday, August 28, 2014 at 8pm EST.

     

The Brut Whisperer

I sat looking at Brut as he looked out over his kingdom.  I could see the expression in his eyes even from where I was sitting.  He had a smile on his face as his large head grazed from side to side, searching the backyard for any signs of critter movement on which to pounce.  Brut's shoulders were down, his haunches relaxed and his eyes were full.  He was one content dog and I caught my breath as I realized the biggest change that had occurred in our relationship, I was talking softly to him, even to the point of whispering.

In the beginning I panicked and ran with fear when this aggressive dog would act out on the other dogs.  I yelled, I screamed, I made a fit of noise to break up fights.  I would get so frustrated that I would stomp my feet and slam doors with anger.  I was ridiculed with fear because Brut was a scary dog and I reacted out of that fear.

I knew raising my voice set Brut off when he was about to attack a dog and I struggled with making myself calm when he was acting up.  Some days Brut was just in a bad mood, testy I call it and he would try to pick fights and test me.

I don't know how else to describe the dynamics that happened with Brut and I, but I wasn't proud of it.  I practiced and practiced to control my tone of voice with him and together we began to heal.

It has been this past year or so that I've discovered the value of a soft tone and whisper have made in my relationship with Brut stronger than ever. 

And this is what I was thinking about as I watched his gentle form stroll over to me.  How the aggressive dog of the bunch quieted my own aggressions inside of me.

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Reminder:  PTSD forum

PTSD Town Forum that will be streaming live at http://upnorthlive.com 

on Thursday, August 28, 2014 at 8pm EST.

Job of an aggressive dog Mom is never done

I'd just got done walking Blaze and Chance on separate walks, I let the Back Dogs outside.  They were all pretty hyped up thinking they were next, especially Brut, he'll do anything to go on a walk.  Brut,  Silver and Zappa were on the back deck, right in front of the sliding glass door.  There was potential of tension with the boys being so frantic and close to each other, but I blew it off.  Things were going so well and Zappa tends to take pretty good care of himself when it comes to Brut.

I had just opened the freeze for some ice, when I heard that all too familiar sound of fighting dogs.  I ran from the kitchen through the door that separtates the two packs and saw Brut and Zappa standing on hind legs leaning against the other glaring and growling at each other.  I had no idea what to do next.  Any move I was to make was going to set Brut off.  So I watched and waited thinking maybe, just maybe one of them would concede.  Not likely but they were not fighting at this moment and I thought they might just resolve it on their own.

Then just as quickly the fight started again.  I banged on the glass door and they quickly broke up.  Zappa was hurt, limping and whimpering.  I took care of him first with some antibiotic cream and gave him a boo-boo sock to wear as he slowly began to calm down.

I was angry that Zappa was hurt.  Which meant I was angry at Brut.  So I sort of ignored him the rest of the day.  He tried to be all lovely dovey with me, but I was quite firm with him.  Later in the evening he tried to intimate Zappa and strut around like he was top dog.  I sent him to his room.

It wasn't until bedtime when he laid at my feet and I began to tell him I was angry with him that it really hit me why I was angry.  One, because he hurt Zappa and two because it was more my fault than Brut's.  I saw the recipe for a fight in the making and I knew Brut has been a bit testy lately and I made the mistake of overlooking both those factors.  And I confessed my part to Brut.  And while we had a quick make up session, I'm still not thoroughly settled.  A dog fight is still hard for me to digest very easily.

No worries though, Brut and I will probably have a good heart to heart talk about it and forgive each other.  This is just another way to keep me on my toes and not let my guard down so much.  Fights used  to be the end of the world feeling and it would take me days to make peace with Brut.  Now they so rarely happen anymore it is just a good reminder that my job as a dog mom is never done.

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About yesterday's Black/White Photo, you all guessed Chance and you were all right!   

Reflecting Comments

Thanks so much for all the comments on our post about Brut and our run in with a loose dog.  Pamela from Something Wagging this Way Comes, brought a point that I hadn't considered.  I was under the assumption by the dogs friendly attitude and wanting to meet and greet with Brut, that she must have been socialized or even over socialized.  She was very unsure how to read Brut's signals and kept running back and forth.

Which brings me to KB's comment from Romping and Rolling in the Rockies.  She wondered if Brut was giving mixed signals from experience with her fearful dog Shyla.  And I would have to agree with her as well.  When I analyze Brut's behavior around other dogs, he has been inviting at first until the dog starts getting close.  Then his fear kicks in and then he reacts.  He is terrified of other dogs, but I hadn't put two and two together because in the moment when another dog coming at him his fear kicks in as aggression and he is going to attack.

If I flipped that around in my mind and deal with the fear first, I might be able to help turn him around.  (Not in a situation when a loose dog is running in his face), but when we take our walks and run into safe dogs on leashes or behind fences.

And I agree with Elka from Elka's Almanac that it is very frustrating and that we have had our share of unfriendly dogs that have run up loose to us as well without incident.  But it took a whole lot of strength on my part trying to hold Brut back while blocking other dog.

Which brings us to the never ending fight of loose dogs and excellent recall.  It took several attempts for this dog's owner to get a hold of this dog and she made no effort to actually grab the away from the situation.  She just kept calling the dog's name over and over until eventually the dog came.  I also agree with White Dog Army, who stated no dog should be left loose without having absolute recall.

I've run into this situation time and time again.   In our neighborhood, at the park, even running around downtown loose dogs ahead of the owner whom can't even see his dogs and then they run into Brut and I and I am left with Brut facing a dog or two who are under no control.  And then I've got a situation until the owner catches up.  People simply forget that not all dogs are friendly.

It's the reason I take the utmost caution and preventive maintenance that it takes for the safety of Brut and other dogs.  I've been giving him treats walking by houses with dogs whether they are out or not, passing people walking or on bikes so that he starts to associate some good things when we are out.

Sometimes I just turn around.  If I'm not up to it or don't feel very calm I turn the other way when someone/dog is coming.  And I found if Brut keeps moving past person/dog rather than stop and wait for them to go by, he does much better.

One interesting point I'd like to add, when this incident happened with the dog running up to Brut, once the lady had her dog and after I was situated, I tried giving Brut a treat.  He was pretty roused up by then, BUT he did snap at the treat, which I took as an excellent sign that he was still with me.  He wasn't so far gone nor as focused on the dog.  And I thought THAT was great progress! 

Can a dog be too socialized?

 Where did she go?

Brut and I were on a walk and had a loose dog run over to us.  Brut immediately begins to lunge towards the medium size poodle mix as she came close to his face.  I tried to shoo her away with my foot while holding Brut back, who continued to lunge and pull forward at the little dog.  But she kept coming back.  She would run a space away, then turn around and come back towards us, still getting as close as she could.  She did this 3 or 4 times before the owner finally caught up to her and got her attention and was able to get a hold of her.  On a tight lead, while the owner held her dog by the collar, Brut and I were finally able to pass.

I was stunned and a bit flabbergasted.  I can not tell you how many times this has happened with Brut and me, of dogs running to get in his face, friend or foe.  It is as if they do not heed any warning signs Brut shoots out at all.  Which got me to thinking that what is going on with these dogs that they are willing to invade Brut's territory when he's made his indications known, with all the body language possible.  He wants to attack these dogs and they continue to come up to him either to confront or make friends.(?)

I don't know.  I don't understand it.  Are these friendly dogs so condition to friendly, socialized dogs they have been brainwashed and don't know a threat or a warning from another dog???

Is it a case of "all they know?"  Is it a socialized dog that is exposed to socialized dogs only knows the that all dogs are friendly?  Or an aggressive dog thinks all dogs are a threat and that's all he knows?

Because I'm really confused.  In the real world there are both.  Shouldn't our dogs be exposed to both if this is the case?

It raises many questions, I think, because wouldn't our dogs be a little safer with each other if they knew the warning signs from another dog and they could work it out?

Has anyone ever experience any thing like this with your reactive/aggressive dog?  What do you think the cause is?  What do you think should be done?  How have you handle the situation?

Please share.  

Brut Magic

I had one of the best walks ever with Brut today!  We were both so calm and lucid we just flowed together.  With a little bit of treats and a short leash we passed by a gentleman on a bike, two older children playing, and the grand daddy of them all, my neighbor down the road going up to her house with her dog! 

It was fantastic!  Brut didn't even try to lunge and make any inklings to do so!  No dirty glares.  No lowering of the head and getting in attack stance.   HUGE progress!!

He was being such a sweetheart.  He was being the dog that he is when we are alone.  Which proves he has it in him to do it. 

I'm so proud of my boy!  He made my whole day.  ☺

 I'm just full of surprises!

The Next Step of Our Challenge!

Thank you so much for your comments, suggestions and own personal stories with your dogs.  Just that alone makes me feel better and it is nice to know I'm not trying to figure this out on my own.

No one has ever asked to pet or come close to Brut.  (Gee, I wonder why!  lol)  But I want to be prepared for the possibility.  I'm using winter walking as a way to springboard for summer when more people and dogs will be out.  Plus Brut and I are working on our leash manners.  I've let him slide for the most part and have always kept tension on the leash and well, it's just getting to be too much on my shoulder and lower back.  And I'm horrible about giving in with him.  I know, if you've followed me for a me, you know I've said these words before.  lol  But really I've worked out most of the kinks with all the dogs except Brut.  And he's been responding well.

Since there are so few people out in general where we live and Brut is not socialized, it becomes a BIG deal when someone is out.  95% of the time I deviate away from other people and dogs.  Neither of us can handle it, but there are those few times where I can't and those are the ones I want to work on especially while we are having this pause of people and dogs because of winter.

I'm not expecting to change Brut, but I'd like to find a way to gain more of his attention when he's around others and maybe, now this is a long shot, but maybe find a way for Brut to tolerate other dogs just a little. A little.  Still a long way's down the road, but I can dream!  :)

This all centers on the suggestions you gave me for helping me find a way to say, no, if someone ever asked to pet or come near Brut.  I didn't realize I didn't need to give a reason.  I always felt the need to explain and I didn't know what else to say.  So now that I can take your suggestions and roll them into something I can use for Brut's sake and mine, because Lord knows I'm not going to change over night and Brut and I can work on our anxieties together.

Just your suggestions of what works for you has cut the anxiety rate and my problem in half.  Your answers make my next step workable and doable.  Thank you for responding.  I really needed to hear your words.

And I think this is what I'd like to do for Pamela's Training Challenge.  Work with Brut on better walking manners and running into people and dogs.  It's not only going to challenge him but me as well and we are quite a team when it comes to anxieties and being around people, so it will be a test for us both!

January is National Train Your Dog Month.  If you haven't heard of Pamela's Training Challenge, click on the link above to find out how you can train your dog and develop a stronger bond between the two of you.  The link will give you all the info about the challenge.      

The treat monster communes.

Sometimes I forget that Brut needs special attention and especially alone time with me.  He has been so good lately that I kind of forgotten that he still needs that one-on-one time.  Except for walks, I really haven't been keeping up my end of the bargain and he let it be known loud and clear the other day.

Can we go in now?

I was going to try working on my photo shoot practice for all four Back Dogs together and the whole thing backfired.  After working exclusively with Brut's leash training on walks with treats, he's become a little treat monster.  I had to stop him twice from going after Fiona.  By then whatever fun the three dogs might have been having was over and they all wanted in.

Which left me with Brut.

 Me, mom and most importantly, TREATS!!

So I took advantage of the opportunity to work on our agility training.  He was very grabby and snappy with the treats. And when he started jumping on me because he was scared and didn't know what was going on, that's when I realized I needed to back up and start over.  I took things really slow at first and made him wait for the click to get his treat.  We took laps around the yard to unwind in between our agility practice.  And I was calmly able to direct him where to go.

When he gets in the mood of I'll do anything for a treat just to get the treat and I give it, I'm just asking for trouble.  I also have made a mental note for our next walk that I won't be as giving with treats and that he will have to learn to take them nicely.  I can't believe Brut has lasted this long using treats on our walks.  He usually blows them off by the second or third walk.  He just doesn't care that much when we are walking.  So this is quite an improvement.  Looks like I have some adjusting to do on our next walk.

But all in all the agility went well, we both got a bit of a work out while doing some mental calming.  It was good for both of us.  After we sat together and listened to evening birds and wind, silently communing with each other and the freedom to just be. I didn't realize how much I needed this time with Brut either and it was worth every minute.

  

Backwards Brut

Being an amateur with an aggressive dog I have had to work backwards from an attack to understand the signs and body language that lead to Brut strike.

First it started with stopping or breaking up a fight.

Then stopping when he was in attack stance.

Then stopping him when his head was low and ear were back.

Then stopping him when he snarled.

Now we're at the point of stopping him when he even thinks about going after another dog.  And yesterday was a great example.

I was bringing the treat bag out to play in the pool with the four Back dogs.  I was barely out of the door with Brut right in front of me and Zappa to my left.  Having the treat bag is an adrenaline rush for Brut, who originally thought he was going for a walk, which made it a double whammy for Brut.  I was prepared for it and as soon as Brut turned his head (still even at this point) towards Zappa I gave a quick, "uh-eh."  Brut turned to me, turned back to Zappa, I said it again, and this time he gave me eye contact and any thoughts blew over.

It was really quite awesome!  I actually couldn't believe Brut responded so quickly.  Usually I am too late and his head will be low and next thing I know he's in the attack zone.  Or I would call his name in a sharp voice and that would lead to an attack as well.  Instead I was very cool and calm and very unafraid.  I have made many, many mistakes being in fear.  We have both come so very far in a relatively short time for doing it by ourselves.

And the reward?

None of the dogs would come by the pool with Brut even though he was lying down and listening.  They probably sensed what he was going to do long before I caught on.  So Brut had the pool all to himself and got to bob for treats.  And you know what?  That was OK by me, because he deserved it!