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koalathebearI might have spoken too soon :) I saw Twiggy and Dodge playing bitey face this morning. She's coming out of her shell and 'playing' more.
On top of that, this morning, Twiggy was very quick to run outside with the other dogs this morning and do all of her toileting as required. When I was doing poo pick up, she and Dodge were out there with me and she actually wandered around a little and moved away from her usual position of haunting the back door. She seems to be becoming a bit more relaxed and she even when outside of her own volition this morning when the rest of the humans were in the study - although she didn't stay out there very long.
In terms of further work on the separation issues, last night before bed I crated her in our room and made sure I wandered in and out of the room so that sometimes she was alone in the room.
I put Twiggy back in the kitchen crate again this morning but this I gave her a crate buddy. Who would have thought that the weird looking little dog Dodge could ever be a therapy dog, but there you go. We already feed some of her meals in the kitchen crate and she will willingly go in it - but she just doesn't like being left in there alone.
She was much more comfortable and relaxed and both of them sat and eventually dropped. They were both rewarded for being good. I left the room a few times. People wandered in and out. I rewarded them both and let them out, not wanting to push my luck. Eventually she may be happy to be in there on her own without Dodge present.
It's very interesting that Elbie looks completely unfazed by Twiggy's arrival and Dodge is delighted but this time it's Hoover who's very offended by Twiggy. Whenever he senses that she's about to do something 'wrong', he becomes a bit withdrawn and upset. He keeps a close eye on her and this morning when she was sniffing too close to the bench and might have been about to jump up, he told her off. He is very tolerant with puppies but I suppose he is not able to understand why Twiggy as an adult dog doesn't understand all of the 'rules'. He is also sensitive to corrections even very mild ones - even when it's another dog that's being corrected so when she commits a misstep even when there is no 'reprimand', Hoover looks 'upset' because he knows she has done something wrong.
He's never liked the sound of puppies crying/fosters barking and wailing in distress. Such a sensitive soul is our Hoover ...
I find it really interesting how large a role our resident dogs take in fostering. It's different every time and they seem to know what each dog needs. Some dogs need more playing, some need to be taught manners. At different times, a different dog will take on the role of 'player', 'enforcer', 'comforter' but they all teach. Even Dodge! I say "even Dodge" because he was such a basketcase when he arrived and when Nutmeg and Smudge were here, he initially found the presence of fosters so destabilising.
Since then though he has actually joined Elbie and Hoover to help to settle in a new foster and teach them what they need to do - go outside, go to this crate, sit for food etc. It wasn't something we had intended for him but he's just managed to follow the lead of Elbie and Hoover and also become a teacher.
I've always said that Elbie and Hoover play a far greater role in fostering than we do as humans and now Dodge seems to have joined the fostering brigade :)
On top of that, this morning, Twiggy was very quick to run outside with the other dogs this morning and do all of her toileting as required. When I was doing poo pick up, she and Dodge were out there with me and she actually wandered around a little and moved away from her usual position of haunting the back door. She seems to be becoming a bit more relaxed and she even when outside of her own volition this morning when the rest of the humans were in the study - although she didn't stay out there very long.
In terms of further work on the separation issues, last night before bed I crated her in our room and made sure I wandered in and out of the room so that sometimes she was alone in the room.
I put Twiggy back in the kitchen crate again this morning but this I gave her a crate buddy. Who would have thought that the weird looking little dog Dodge could ever be a therapy dog, but there you go. We already feed some of her meals in the kitchen crate and she will willingly go in it - but she just doesn't like being left in there alone.
She was much more comfortable and relaxed and both of them sat and eventually dropped. They were both rewarded for being good. I left the room a few times. People wandered in and out. I rewarded them both and let them out, not wanting to push my luck. Eventually she may be happy to be in there on her own without Dodge present.
It's very interesting that Elbie looks completely unfazed by Twiggy's arrival and Dodge is delighted but this time it's Hoover who's very offended by Twiggy. Whenever he senses that she's about to do something 'wrong', he becomes a bit withdrawn and upset. He keeps a close eye on her and this morning when she was sniffing too close to the bench and might have been about to jump up, he told her off. He is very tolerant with puppies but I suppose he is not able to understand why Twiggy as an adult dog doesn't understand all of the 'rules'. He is also sensitive to corrections even very mild ones - even when it's another dog that's being corrected so when she commits a misstep even when there is no 'reprimand', Hoover looks 'upset' because he knows she has done something wrong.
He's never liked the sound of puppies crying/fosters barking and wailing in distress. Such a sensitive soul is our Hoover ...
I find it really interesting how large a role our resident dogs take in fostering. It's different every time and they seem to know what each dog needs. Some dogs need more playing, some need to be taught manners. At different times, a different dog will take on the role of 'player', 'enforcer', 'comforter' but they all teach. Even Dodge! I say "even Dodge" because he was such a basketcase when he arrived and when Nutmeg and Smudge were here, he initially found the presence of fosters so destabilising.
Since then though he has actually joined Elbie and Hoover to help to settle in a new foster and teach them what they need to do - go outside, go to this crate, sit for food etc. It wasn't something we had intended for him but he's just managed to follow the lead of Elbie and Hoover and also become a teacher.
I've always said that Elbie and Hoover play a far greater role in fostering than we do as humans and now Dodge seems to have joined the fostering brigade :)