What Goes Around

Can it be?  A blog post?!?  All I can say is that sometimes real life can get a little crazy in my world.  I can balance the normal crazy, but this month has had an added dash of chaos.  I'm the Maid of Honor in a wedding at the end of the summer, so this month has been packed full of invitation ordering, envelope addressing, dress fitting, and other things that I'd rather not be doing.  So, how lucky was I when Skye woke me up at 3, 5, and 6am with tummy trouble?  I have time to blog!

Yippee!!

 

When last we met, Lulu and Diego were heading home from a 3 day stay with yours truly.  Diego did try to attack Skye twice, but since he was on a tie down at all times he couldn't reach and she knew how to avoid him.  On walks, Diego actually attempted to play a few times in his socially awkward way and only showed aggression to dogs that we were passing, which was when he went on leash.  For Diego, this is a huge improvement! 

Like serial killers, there are some things can predict aggression from an early age.  Diego came from a pet store, nearly died of pneumonia as a puppy, and wasn't socialized at all until they got Lulu 6 months later.  In his first few months of socializing he was attacked by 2 different dogs.  So for all the progress Diego has made, he is a dog who will always have issues around other dogs and need careful monitoring, as he has bitten multiple times in the past.

Sorry for poor quality... they move a lot!

Remember the dachshund from the last post?  Yeah.  I don't particularly love the breed, but a friend of mine feels differently.  She adopted 2 dachshunds, her father adopted the Westie and a few weeks ago adopted his own dachshund, then her boyfriend adopted their foster dachshund, Comet.  About a month after coming home, Comet began to show some aggression toward Harvey, the first dachshund to join the house.  Within 2 days, the dogs were getting into daily fights resulting in injuries- that's a very fast progression in the dog aggression world.  Suddenly this mildly insane household was thrown into true chaos.

So, much of my free time as been dedicated to setting things right, if I can.  Interhousehold aggression is no laughing matter- it isn't as if "letting them work it out" or waiting to see if they get over it are a possibility.  Harvey is now just as willing to start a fight as Comet, and other dogs have begun joining in.  This is also not an area of training that I typically agree to help with- I've only been training a few years.  There aren't many trainers in my area that I can recommend, but I tell clients that it is worth the extra driving time and money to do things right.  In this case, it's me or no one, so I'll do what I can.  Things are improving, though the dogs have very limited opportunities to interact directly. 

Our adventures continue, occasionally with the addition of Izzy the lab or Bradie the boxer.  I may be getting a new fosterish dog soon, as an old client is rehoming their dog but doesn't have a clue what that means.  So he may come stay with me, get a little training brush up, and find his way to a home that can dedicate some time and attention to him.

6 pounds of trouble

Lastly, I have a Board and Train at the house this week!  Lucy is my first B&T to stay in my home.  She has a long list of things that she needs help with, so this week I'll be dedicating a lot of my day to working with her.  Today is our first day of training- pictures will be sure to follow!  She's all kinds of cute and is very similar to Skye in personality. 

So yes, life is getting the best of me.  But I'm putting on my big girl pants and getting it done so that I can reintroduce blogging to my weekly routine again!  Skye would probably rather I do that than forcing her to go for walks in the rain...