Maya now knows how to turn a frown upside down.
The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too. - Samuel Butler
Thank doG for fun. For play. For silliness. For downright goofiness. For being in the moment. For joy. For love.
But what if it wasn't always that way? What if it took a ginormous amount of patience, and time, and clarity, and breathing skills? What if you had to go places in your heart and in your body that totally redefined "stepping outside your comfort zone"? What if you felt the lead weight of guilt creeping into your brain because lately you'd been thinking, "Maybe I can't do this?" What if you rarely got together with friends and family because, well...you just can't?
Enter Maya - one of many Shepherd/Heeler mixes waiting for a forever home at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society. Right about when Maya was entering adolescence, and every little thing under the sun seemed to elicit a fear response, her soon-to-be pet parent knew in her heart-of-hearts that Maya was indeed the one for her; her first dog. Undoubtedly, it was love at first sight. Yay!
Fear of strangers. Men or women. Fear of kids. Tall ones, short ones, teenagers, toddlers, babies - no matter; they're all freaky. Fear of hats. Fear of rats (pet rats - very cool). Not sure about cats, but maybe. Fear of bikes. Fear of loud cars and trucks. Fear of fast movements. Or odd movements. Don't wipe you nose! Fear of new places. Any place, really. Unsure of other dogs. Little dogs are strange... Fear of touch. Fear of loud voices. Fear of the wind. Fear of change. WHAT are we doing now?????
Maya's "Mom" feared that this was more than she had signed up for in her first dog. Where to begin? Does the fear - for both of them - ever end?
Maya's microcosm consisted of trick training. Management of her environment. Desensitization and counter conditioning exercises. Recall games. Play in the back yard. Management of her environment. Building trust. Clicker training. CAT for dogs (constructive aggression treatment). Shaping behavior. Getting to know the world in two minute increments. Management of her environment. Training sessions in the local parks. Capturing behavior. Short rides in the car. Finding joy. Crate training. Walking to the end of the driveway and back. BAT for dogs (behavioral adjustment training). Food dispensing toys. Management of her environment. Visits to the pizza parlor parking lot. Play as reinforcement. Embracing joy.
And breathing...Maya and her "Mom" breathing; always breathing. Making a connection; a connection unlike any other.
(Click on the Read More link below to well, read more!)
Thank doG for fun. For play. For silliness. For downright goofiness. For being in the moment. For joy. For love.
But what if it wasn't always that way? What if it took a ginormous amount of patience, and time, and clarity, and breathing skills? What if you had to go places in your heart and in your body that totally redefined "stepping outside your comfort zone"? What if you felt the lead weight of guilt creeping into your brain because lately you'd been thinking, "Maybe I can't do this?" What if you rarely got together with friends and family because, well...you just can't?
Enter Maya - one of many Shepherd/Heeler mixes waiting for a forever home at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society. Right about when Maya was entering adolescence, and every little thing under the sun seemed to elicit a fear response, her soon-to-be pet parent knew in her heart-of-hearts that Maya was indeed the one for her; her first dog. Undoubtedly, it was love at first sight. Yay!
Fear of strangers. Men or women. Fear of kids. Tall ones, short ones, teenagers, toddlers, babies - no matter; they're all freaky. Fear of hats. Fear of rats (pet rats - very cool). Not sure about cats, but maybe. Fear of bikes. Fear of loud cars and trucks. Fear of fast movements. Or odd movements. Don't wipe you nose! Fear of new places. Any place, really. Unsure of other dogs. Little dogs are strange... Fear of touch. Fear of loud voices. Fear of the wind. Fear of change. WHAT are we doing now?????
Maya's "Mom" feared that this was more than she had signed up for in her first dog. Where to begin? Does the fear - for both of them - ever end?
Maya's microcosm consisted of trick training. Management of her environment. Desensitization and counter conditioning exercises. Recall games. Play in the back yard. Management of her environment. Building trust. Clicker training. CAT for dogs (constructive aggression treatment). Shaping behavior. Getting to know the world in two minute increments. Management of her environment. Training sessions in the local parks. Capturing behavior. Short rides in the car. Finding joy. Crate training. Walking to the end of the driveway and back. BAT for dogs (behavioral adjustment training). Food dispensing toys. Management of her environment. Visits to the pizza parlor parking lot. Play as reinforcement. Embracing joy.
And breathing...Maya and her "Mom" breathing; always breathing. Making a connection; a connection unlike any other.
(Click on the Read More link below to well, read more!)
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