Monday Memories-Snap! Silver the Photographer

Monday Memories-our little trip down memory lane.

  Whenever my husband's mom used to change a baby's diaper, she would baby talk, "Are you taking my picture?"

So since Silver sleeps on her back most of the time, my husband thinks she is taking everyone's picture. 

Silver snapping away at 7 weeks old

Lots of shots of the kids while she was nursing

Warming up the camera.

Smile!  You're on Silver Camera!!
BOL!!

Has anyone else heard of this phrase before?

Personal - Brut's Aggression Week

 I laid next to Brut with my head against his fur.  Just touching each other.  Not to be held or cuddled, just to be there.  I felt horrible.  I felt ashamed.  Brut understood.  More than any other dog in our packs, he knew better than anyone why I'd come to him.  
 I had lashed out at my husband.  It had nothing to do with him, but the pain of a situation I had no control over got to me and I threw my fear and frustration all over my him.  
 Brut and I stayed that way for some time.  I didn't have to utter a word as I drew from his forgiving strength.

One of the hardest things about Brut's aggression isn't the action itself, it is accepting him as he is.  While there is nothing more difficult than the fear of witnessing his assault on one of the other dogs, it doesn't compare to acknowledging, this is my dog.  More than once, Brut came to me afterwards with remorse.  Almost as if he couldn't understand why he reacted the way he did and would look to me for understanding.

 And as I laid there with Brut, in the comfort of his presence that was unshaken by my human flaws, I understood more and more why he had come into my life.  With the roles reversed, this beautiful, temperamental dog keeps teaching me the gift of accepting and understanding myself as well as each other.

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Brut's Food Aggression

Yep!  I'm all attitude!

 Brut’s food protectiveness started before he came home with us.  The breeder told me that when he was weaning the puppies, they would all start growling and snarling when the food would get low. 

I didn’t know this in the beginning.

Brut's food aggression was the first sign we had of any aggression.  Never experiencing an aggressive dog before, I had no idea what it was, especially coming from a puppy.  I just thought he was being dominant.  The first thing we did was stop the free food buffet and began feeding on a schedule.  Then I separated Brut from the other dogs when he ate and I would pick up his food after 10 minutes finished or not.  (dominance theory)  This is what I had read to do.  .

Now since this aggressiveness was quite new to me, I had to swallow my fear,  walk in the room calm and collective while Brut hung his head low to his bowl and take his food away.  The instant I grabbed it, his entire demeanor would change back to that of a happy puppy.

I continued this scenario for some time, though, I quit timing him.  He still guarded his food if he hadn't finsihed and I still took it, but some of the edge was taken off.

Happy Feeding Frenzy

 When our litter of puppies were four weeks old, we slowly began the weaning process and something inside of me began to click.  I began to understand something I still can’t put into words.  I began to understand why Brut was the way he was.  TEN puppies all eating from one baking tray without a growl, snarl, snap, or bite.  There was no pushing, shoving, or fighting.  TEN puppies all happily eating off of one tray, getting their fill, and walking away in peace and contentment.  I had witnessing the exact opposite of what Brut experienced and the wheels in my head and heart were clicking as things began to make sense.  It was the nature of his survival. 

My rigid dominant approach is gone.  Brut is still separated, but when I walk in, if he isn’t finished, I ask him if he is done.  He will let me know if he is still hungry.  Sometimes he just wants company and I will sit and while he finishes his food.  One of the viable undercurrents of our relationship is respect.  I don’t like anyone touching my food and Brut has already proven to me that it is the same for him.  Why would I become his biggest threat to what he values most when I already know this is his nature.  So I began to work with it.  It took some time and rebuilding of trust but food time is much more relaxed now.  Brut doesn’t guard his food anymore when I walk in and he will signal when he is done, even if there is food left in the bowl he will walk away without any reservations..  And it works for us.

Somewhere while watching our litter of puppies all joyously eating without a squabble, I grieved for Brut with a new understanding.  It was more than just an explanation, it was an insight into the essence of his being. One I have learned not to control or change, but harness and work with.  I relate so much of myself to my dogs, and since I wouldn’t tolerate someone walking in on me and snatching up my food, how could I expect my dog to?  I prefer to practice the harmony of a resolution that involves both parties working for the same goal.  Does it cure Brut of protecting his food?  No, but I can create an atmosphere where it isn’t necessary and to me that means a whole lot more.        

Brut's Aggression

 MINE!!  GOT IT??

I find it really difficult to narrow down five years of witnessing Brut's aggression without bringing in so many contributing factors, but I am going to try to break it down to the two that I believe are the most important and that I have witnessed repeatly:  the natural act of protection and an over-exaggerated hierarchy correction.    And while I am not a dog trainer, behaviorist, or expert on any kind on aggression, this is what I have observed in my own home with my aggressive dog Brut.

I talked about Brut's upbringing in the last post that created a prime example of Brut's need to protect himself and his valuables.  The most important of these has been himself and because of that Brut has built this circumference around himself that expands and contracts.  Sometimes slowly and other times, depending on the circumstances rather quickly.  This firewall around Brut is his own personal boundary line and any one crossing without permission or heeding that first or second warning will find themselves being corrected by Brut.

 A very rare moment of Zappa (l) and Brut (r) 

No one knows this better than Brut's son Zappa.  Zappa likes to test and push that boundary by challenging back, because Zappa almost always refuses to back down to Brut.  From about the time that Zappa was four months old, Brut and Zappa had these challenges almost regularly for the first year or so.  Most confrontations were quite minor and didn't always lead to a fight, but others were more intense and there was physical contact.

An example is when they are chasing squirrels.  Brut and Zappa have a little hunting festival around the wood shed at the sight of a squirrel.  As you can imagine the adrenaline can get quite high and intense.  At first Zappa will keep a safe distance and will stay out of Brut’s way while they circle and search.  As they come up empty-handed but haven’t given up the quest, Zappa merges closer as Brut begins to let his guard down. Zappa takes advantage of getting closer to top dog position and possibility of catching said prey.  If there is so much an inkling of the squirrel Brut will realize just how close Zappa is, which makes him a sudden threat to his claimed catch.  With half a heartbeat Brut gives a warning to Zappa.  Zappa ignores it because he's too caught up in the game, or more likely isn't to back down and lose the ground that he has gained being "equal" to his father.  Since Zappa doesn't back down to the warning, Brut’s radius flares out catching Zappa in it and Brut uses a more direct approach to get his message across.  And what may seem like an attack out of nowhere for no reason, was Zappa not giving into his dad’s orders and Brut correcting him. 

I have witnessed several version of this same scenario outside as well as smaller versions inside, although not every confrontation leads to a fight.  Depending on the severity of the line that is crossed or how valuable the possession is, the correction can be over in a couple of seconds or can be more severe lasting half a minute or more.  These are the fights that trigger off the deep seeded fear in Brut that a dog is trying to take something of precious value to him.  These are the ones that stem from those fears of abandonment and the fight for himself of never losing again what he lost.  And while these fights are more serious and take me to pull them apart, none of the dogs have had more than a bloody scratch at most, when you’d think they’d be more.  Amazing, isn’t it?

 Make one false move, cat...

For a long time I thought Brut was the cause of every fight, when really it is a two way street.  Ignoring a signal from Brut is probably far worse than actually answering it, but no response is still a response.  And more time than not it is the unheard answer that explodes into the deeper fear and pain of his puppy hood that I have watched Brut displayed so many times.  These are not the teeth of a killer, but a dog who suffered severe emotional pain and trauma and is just trying to hold onto what is his.

And really can you blame him?       

And one last personal note.  Have you ever witnessed or have had happen to you that a dog comes over and just seems to attack another/your dog for what looks like no reason?  I wonder if actions like this could be part of my hierarchy correction idea.  Like when a dog isn't even looking at the aggressive dog and it is still attacked.  Because I do believe any dog with aggression towards other dogs believes himself to be the alpha dog at every moment and expects an appropriate response to his actions and if that response doesn't suit him, he will attack to correct.  I wonder if any of you have experienced this and would agree or not.

Next post I'll delve into the Brut's touchy food aggression.  

Monday Memories-The Brut Beginning

Monday Memories-our little trip down memory lane.

This week I'm going to share some of my experiences about Brut and what is considered his aggression.

Today we are starting at the beginning and what happened from the moment we picked Brut out at 4 weeks old.  This is how Brut's life started.

 Has anyone seen my mommy?

To understand Brut, you have to go back to the beginning.  At four weeks old Brut and his siblings were taken from their mother and brought in to live with aggressive adult dogs in an environment that generate a constant state of survival.  This was how he learned his social skills and the discipline that was suppose to taught by his mother as he learned how to be a dog.  Instead of playing with his brothers and sisters to learn the ropes of what was acceptable dog behaviors between dogs, Brut was warding them off in protection for his food, toys and life.  Instead of a nurturing, loving environment where he was free to express and be properly corrected, Brut lived with the hostile mentality of 'every dog for themselves.'  At a time in his life when Brut should have been able to explore in innocence, he lived in the utmost fear and instinctively imitated what he saw from the other dogs in order to get through the day. At an age when he wasn't emotionally, nor mentally ready to cope.  All the while dealing with the abandonment from his mother who wasn't there to protect him and he had to learn far too early to do so himself.

 Ready to defend!!

When our litter reached that glorious four week old mark, I remembering looking at 10 bundles of innocence, full of trusting dependence on their mother and us and everything just clicked.  I finally had a grasp on why Brut was the way he was as all of the pieces of the puzzle came together. His physical size, how young he really was at that time, and his mental and emotional development stunted in fear. That was the age Brut was stripped of everything safe that he knew in his life, including his birth place.  And all of that fear was internalized into the external version of aggression.  He was taught that every dog is a threat because they wanted to take something from him, hence the fierce possessiveness of a puppy who had to fight for everything he had.  

We witnessed first hand the environment that Brut grew up in on more than one occasion.  I lived with the damage that was done on such a impressionable mind from the time we brought him home.  I saw the vast difference when our ten puppies reached that prime age of four weeks old and I have broke into many tears over that frightened little boy who fended for his life with the only tools he had just to be here.

That boy is one tough cookie!

 I finally made it.  HOME.

*4-12 weeks old in a puppies life are when the crucial bonding and social skills are built.  It is when a dog learns how to be dog.*

I hope you will join me for my next post where I will share my personal experience and observations about Brut and what is called his dog aggression.   

REFLECTIONS...

Have a great weekend!

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Blaze and the cats...Part Duex

Peeking

I've been working with Blaze and her high Husky prey drive with the cats.  For safety reasons, Blaze is separated from the cats.  I've tried several different things and the one I had the most success with is in this post.  I hooked a leash to the wall, hooked Blaze to the leash, had lots of treats and a cat who stood at the doorway, but never crossed into her territory.  I have done this a couple more times since that post.  The last time I did it, I wore Blaze out with mental games and she actually laid down and looked at me, without paying any attention to the cat.  That was HUGE progress!!



Then a few weeks ago, I had this spur of the moment idea...

I needed to clean my disastrous computer desk.  Computer is in the cat's room.  (yes, for all you doggies I read all your post with the cats!)  I had the radio on in Chance and Blaze's room.  Both were sleeping.  I didn't want to close the door or I wouldn't be able to hear the music, so I thought, I'll leave it open and see how things play out.

It's open!

Chance paid no attention, he rarely does, But Blaze slowly woke up and stayed rather quiet, just watching as Boxer walked around his room and crossing in front of the doorway every so often.  The computer/cat's room is about the size of an over sized closet and easy to keep watch on my rolling desk chair.

Was that a feline?

Blaze watched for some time, we're talking a good 10-15 minutes, before she started creeping closer towards the door.   That alone was impressive.  She was relaxed with a playful demeanor, instead of her wild eyed "I want to taste you" look, when she stood at the doorway.  When her and Boxer finally met face to face I was right there as she went to pounce and I caught her in my arms, held her very gently and let her sit with lots of eye contact.  She was so excited and happy at being so close!  I can tell after 4 years her curiosity is starting to get the best of her.  Although any direct contact would've have sent her into prey drive mode.  So this was exciting!  I can't remember how long Boxer stayed in his room after that, but it was long enough that we practiced not letting one paw cross the cat's threshold.  It didn't take long after that to see the her body buzzing into overdrive as the adrenaline reached her eyes to know it was time to close the door.

You said "No Paws!"

I was so excited it didn't take much to share it with Blaze as I smothered her with kisses and treats and told her how fantastic she had done.  It wasn't long before she was jumping at the cat's door with the same bound excitement that said, "Let's do it again.  Right now!!"  She was so great and I couldn't be more proud of her.  I didn't try again for a while as her interest in the cats peaked since trying and I was letting that thrill wane down a bit before trying again.

Then I tried again last night.  Same scenerio:  Blaze sleeping, leave door open, she slowly creeps towards the door.  For a while their were no cats, then my little Siamese, Princess Leia popped in and curious Blaze just observed without once crossing the door frame.  Just as I saw the little sparks start jumping in her eyes, I walked out, closing the door behind and praised her like crazy.  She was so calm and controlled.  It was simply awesome!!  It is so humbling to be part of this trusting foursome between Blaze, the two cats and myself in this little dance and simply more awesome than I can put into words.  Time is a wonderful thing.

Look at me!!

When the universe seems out of sync,

full of heartache and pain, what is the one thing you do with your dog that helps everything fall into place?

Now what did you call this again?

My tears had finally caught up with me upon learning the news of Toby's passing at The (mis)Adventures of Sage while I tried to eat a bagel.  I felt a the presence of a muzzle next to me and turned to a drooling Chance at my side.  My tears fell harder as I shared my bagel with him until I was half smiling through them.  If there is anything that could tell me that the universe was OK, it was sharing food with Chance.

Having the luxury of the kitchen as his domain, he follows me every where I go in the kitchen, sits at the table when eating, hangs out by the stove when cooking, accompanies me to the fridge and is my side man when prepping at the counter.  Mealtimes are our favorite times.  There isn't nothing he won't try and I've come to love spending my meals with him.

Is it almost ready, Mom??  Can't wait!!

If there is one thing that gives me comfort, to know that everything is alright, it is sharing a meal with Chance.

What is that special time for you and your dog?

This post is dedicated and inspired by another soul who was lost from this Earth but is watching over his family with love.  Toby's passing reminded me of the little things that we do with our dogs each day that aren't so little and mean the most to us and to treasure every moment of our time here.  Our hearts and paws are with Sage and her family during their time of loss.