I know Jessica pretty much spent the whole day with Tinkerbell. She went on tv with her and then Tinkerbell got to spend time hanging out in the office. I don't know who was happier. :) It looks like Jessica's hard work is paying off...at the end of the day, a couple filled out an application on her and it looks really good!
I took out Buster & Fergie. Both were awesome!!!!!! I was so happy because they are some of the more reactive dogs. BTW I think Fergie is going into heat.
Buster met Tinkerbell through the fence today. Of course Tinkerbell was a dream, but Buster did well too. Maybe I was wrong about him, maybe I mistook his excitability for reactiveness. He did well coming out of his cage - I took him out through the back and then walked him through the L. He still was a little reluctant. I also let him briefly sniff the new pit in 35 (male) and he was fine (both of them were actually). He was okay with Tink too. He was jumping on the fence and barking non-stop at her, but his tail was wagging. His energy seemed very high (he almost seemed desperate) and I think another dog could mistake that for aggression. Just something we'll have to think about when adopting him out. Jessica also thought that he was just excited and not reacting or being aggressive toward Tinkerbell.
He didn't particularly like the "choke collar" effect of the leash. But he did really well with let's go. He had a hard time at first, but got the hang of it quickly. He's a pro at sit and is actually quite good at down. We worked on stay a little bit. He could do it with your back turned for 5 seconds. At first he was breaking it a lot, but again got the hang of it. He could use more work on stay and I don't know how he is with come, but since he never runs, I would think he needs work on that too. All in all, he was amazing. I mean he's no Tinkerbell or Froggy, but he leaped up my "favorites" list. He loved being pet and was lying on the ground so I could rub his belly.
Fergie also did better than I was expecting. I also took her out through the back, but walked all the way around the building with her. Man, she pulls like crazy when walking. Her loose leash walking could definitely use some work. She wasn't reactive towards the other dogs either (just Buster, especially when he was going back in his cage. She also started doing her jump up on the cinder blocks and peek through while sounding like she's going to kill him thing She did get down when I yelled at her - emphasis on yell). She did great with her martingale collar. She did well with let's go, and sit. She doesn't know down but can probably shape into it. She did well heeling and is getting the idea to sit down whenever you stop. She is so super slobbery. She also did really well going back in her cage. I got her to stop half way there and sit for me. She'd probably learn "watch me" relatively quickly. I was so happy with the both of them!
I have to say that I am pissed that Sassy's tag was changed to "Caution". She is definitely not a caution dog. She gets really upset when you pay attention to other dogs and will do whatever it takes to get your attention (jump, bark, claw at the door, and even bite the chain-link). BUT she doesn't do that if you are paying attention to her. Separation anxiety, yes, high maintenance, yes, needy, yes, "caution," no. I was actually working with her and Froggy side by side in their kennels and she was still fine. She knows sit, and remembered down (which she just learned last Saturday). She's really smart but is going to be hard enough to adopt out with her neediness. She really doesn't need friggin' Ed saying that she's a bite risk for no friggin' reason. Okay, I'm done.
I could reeeeeally use some more/new info on Tracie, Tank, Snoopy and any of the new dogs (intake since 4/27) minus Miss Wiggles (who was apparently being a twerp today and needs some firm obedience). Has anyone taken them out recently?
Does anyone think we need to firm up the "training" list? I personally think that it's okay for now since the dogs we end up training seem to be favorites among almost everyone. I know dogs that I think need training are pretty much the black and white ones. :) (Fergie, Buster, Alvin, Snoopy & Tracie). I know that those are dogs that I don't usually take out. Does anyone else work with them?
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Bad News, Good News
Unfortunately Marmalade was returned to the shelter. The guy said she was acting weird and then had diarrhea. Obviously he didn't really want her because that's one of the craziest things I've heard.
Good news: Amy told me that Teddy is going home on Wednesday.
Good news: Amy told me that Teddy is going home on Wednesday.
5/3/08
I know that Jessica took out Marvin (the cinnamon colored pit in Pen 2), Tinkerbell, & Froggy . (Jessica, feel free to edit/change/amend any of this info.) It is my understanding that Tinkerbell was a dream as always. Froggy did very well with CGC tasks. (The only thing I can think of that she might need some reinforcement on is "stay"). Marvin was fine, though does not know how to take treats gently. That's something we can definitely work on though.
Greg & I took out Sassy, Fernando, and Precious & Miss Wiggles (with Jessica. Miss Wiggles is the female brindle in Pen 24). Precious and Miss Wiggles were mostly for photo ops.
If anyone has free time, Precious could really use a bath. She's a real sweetie. She was okay with us trying to hold her down/in place and was just really happy to be out with people. Though everything always blurs together, I'm pretty sure she knows sit and loves treats.
Miss Wiggles has a whip of a tail. She was a super happy dog and has kind of a Bobby wiggle. Also - a blur don't remember if she could sit.
Sassy is the blue-nose pit in Pen 32. She seemed a little nuts in her cage but was reeeealy great out of her kennel. She's really smart and a very fast learner. She has a cut on her left ear and she kept shaking her head and getting blood on her neck. Peter wiped it with an alcohol/anti-bacterial wipe and she was okay with that, she growled a bit after he had been rubbing it for a little while. I didn't take it as something aggressive though. She could use some more leash training. It seemed like she didn't really like it (she didn't like the choke collar effect or the fact that we put it on her when Peter was wiping her ear. Greg put a collar on her b/c she didn't like the leash closing on her neck. It was the only collar that was on the VSA hanger, but it's a really nice leather collar so we're not sure if that was something we should have put on her or not. Anyway...we worked on sit with her, easy treat taking, come and down. She already knew sit, and quickly starting taking treats easy. She loooves treats and it wasn't too hard doing come with her (though if she was distracted by something other than Greg or I, it was more difficult). She worked really hard on down. She did a couple of times herself, but we usually had to put a hand over her butt so she wouldn't lift it, or Greg would pick up her paws and put them on the ground. She doesn't really realize to move her left paw. She was great the whole time. She wasn't reactive toward any of the dogs near her cage (Froggy, Teddy, Marmalade) and only gets upset when she sees another dog out. She did get really upset when an owner took his dog out of a cage near her. She was crying, pawing at the kennel door opening and was starting to bite on the fence. She is a dog that could probably use some Valerian root!
Fernando did great coming out. He seems to be really depressed, though that made it a lot easier taking him out and putting him in his cage. He was very playful outside, running around and not letting us get the ball from him. He doesn't like not being able to see you. If Greg and I hid behind the wood fence, he would always come check to make sure we were there. Very interesting...Greg had thrown him a ball over the fence and it landed near 2 other balls. Fernando was going back and forth between the three balls for a while and then finally picked up the one that Greg had touched. We did it again, and he did the same thing. Actually those were the only two balls he grabbed the entire time (there was probably 5 balls outside total).
Greg & I took out Sassy, Fernando, and Precious & Miss Wiggles (with Jessica. Miss Wiggles is the female brindle in Pen 24). Precious and Miss Wiggles were mostly for photo ops.
If anyone has free time, Precious could really use a bath. She's a real sweetie. She was okay with us trying to hold her down/in place and was just really happy to be out with people. Though everything always blurs together, I'm pretty sure she knows sit and loves treats.
Miss Wiggles has a whip of a tail. She was a super happy dog and has kind of a Bobby wiggle. Also - a blur don't remember if she could sit.
Sassy is the blue-nose pit in Pen 32. She seemed a little nuts in her cage but was reeeealy great out of her kennel. She's really smart and a very fast learner. She has a cut on her left ear and she kept shaking her head and getting blood on her neck. Peter wiped it with an alcohol/anti-bacterial wipe and she was okay with that, she growled a bit after he had been rubbing it for a little while. I didn't take it as something aggressive though. She could use some more leash training. It seemed like she didn't really like it (she didn't like the choke collar effect or the fact that we put it on her when Peter was wiping her ear. Greg put a collar on her b/c she didn't like the leash closing on her neck. It was the only collar that was on the VSA hanger, but it's a really nice leather collar so we're not sure if that was something we should have put on her or not. Anyway...we worked on sit with her, easy treat taking, come and down. She already knew sit, and quickly starting taking treats easy. She loooves treats and it wasn't too hard doing come with her (though if she was distracted by something other than Greg or I, it was more difficult). She worked really hard on down. She did a couple of times herself, but we usually had to put a hand over her butt so she wouldn't lift it, or Greg would pick up her paws and put them on the ground. She doesn't really realize to move her left paw. She was great the whole time. She wasn't reactive toward any of the dogs near her cage (Froggy, Teddy, Marmalade) and only gets upset when she sees another dog out. She did get really upset when an owner took his dog out of a cage near her. She was crying, pawing at the kennel door opening and was starting to bite on the fence. She is a dog that could probably use some Valerian root!
Fernando did great coming out. He seems to be really depressed, though that made it a lot easier taking him out and putting him in his cage. He was very playful outside, running around and not letting us get the ball from him. He doesn't like not being able to see you. If Greg and I hid behind the wood fence, he would always come check to make sure we were there. Very interesting...Greg had thrown him a ball over the fence and it landed near 2 other balls. Fernando was going back and forth between the three balls for a while and then finally picked up the one that Greg had touched. We did it again, and he did the same thing. Actually those were the only two balls he grabbed the entire time (there was probably 5 balls outside total).
For Wednesday April 30th 2008
Sarah, Craig, Thank you for setting this up and my apologies for taking so long to add to it. Today is May 5th, and I finally have a minute to write about our last time at the shelter, April 30th. On Wed. April 30th we didn't take as many dogs out as usual because Amy, Dave, and I spent quite a bit of time outside with potential adopters. We had already taken Marmalade out when a man came in who was interested in her, so we took her out again. She was happy outside and interested in the man's dog (also older). She made a great impression and he took her home as a friend for his dog Tasha. It seemed like a happy ending, but the man brought Marmalade back on Saturday May 3rd because he said that she had diarrhea, seemed depressed and didn't eat with him AT ALL for those three days. I told him that this is status quo for dogs -- new place, new diet, stress, etc., but he said he did not want to keep her over the weekend because her weight was already so low and he could not get into the vet until Monday. He also said that when she got back to the shelter she perked up. I couldn't figure that out -- could she actually like the stimulation of the sounds and scents of the shelter since she has no sight? Maybe this guy's place was too quiet, too sedate for her?
We took out Teddy, and then someone interested in Teddy came in, so we took him out again also! Teddy is still there though :( Anyone know why? Is that family coming back?
We also took out:
Buster
Sassy
Tank
We'll be coming in later this week and will try to take out a lot more this time.
We took out Teddy, and then someone interested in Teddy came in, so we took him out again also! Teddy is still there though :( Anyone know why? Is that family coming back?
We also took out:
Buster
Sassy
Tank
We'll be coming in later this week and will try to take out a lot more this time.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Alvin, Buster, & Fergie
Alvin, Buster, and Fergie need more training. They are all black and white pits (and those dogs always seem to take forever to adopt out) and are showing aggression towards other dogs.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
4/26/08 Sarah
Mozart - was out with Amy and Jessica when I got there. Was a really nice dog, if a little dirty, and liked being scratched on the butt. Really gentle and had a good disposition. He was fine being picked up.
Bubbles - super sweet. He had an application filled out on him and will hopefully be going home on Monday.
Thelma - was looked at by a guy from Moosup, CT. He took one of his dogs to meet her and she was fine with him. He is supposed to come back next Saturday so Thelma can meet his other dog. I also think that "new volunteer" (she was at the very first training session, but I haven't seen her since) might have been looking at her too, but I'm not sure.
Alvin - worked on let's go, sit and stay. We did a little bit of come, but not much. He's really good at sit and is okay at stay if you don't go too far away and if you keep your back turned. He has a lot of energy and a strong tendency to run to the end of the leash and then you have to turn around and jerk him in another direction. He was okay coming out of his cage, but stopped to sniff Tank and then got really reactive with Scooby, who apparently hates him and with every dog after that. He's great outside and really nice with people, running around, did well sitting and jumps, but not too much. He has lot of puppy energy and loves being pet and giving kisses. He was so bad going back in. I let him stop at Marmalade's and Teddy's cages to see if his reactiveness was a fluke, he was okay with Marmalade - who was sitting in the back corner of her kennel, but was really growling like crazy at Teddy. He went nuts with Scooby and nuts all the way back to his cage. At least he's small and not that hard to maneuver. I think he might be one that needs to come to training class and see if he can keep himself in check.
Teddy - got to come out twice. The first time was only for less than 5 minutes. Then I had a young family request to see him. He was great with the family and played with the older boy (older being 5 since the other one is a baby). They were so cute together. Even when Teddy tried to take the ball out of the boy's hand, the mom was cool and tried to tell the boy that he had to throw it. Teddy showed off his "sit" and "paw" skills. The family filled out an application on him... :) (They live in Providence and their boys are really young, but they seemed to love him, so let's see if everything falls into place.) The guy from CT who came with his dog last week and looked at Teddy didn't call or come back today.
Froggy - she had come out with Jessica and Amy earlier in the day and Jessica said she did well with "stay". Amy was impressed by her skills. :) Can anyone volunteering this week take her out and practice "stay" with her? She could try to pass her CGC test very soon if all goes well!
OTHER: There seems to be green penis syndrome going around - Scooby, Bubbles, Teddy. Also keep an eye on Tank and make sure his nose doesn't start have green snot. Lovely, isn't it. We could use some new pictures on Tinkerbell and Froggy, better pictures on Mozart & Snoopy and also info & pics on new dogs : I don't have any info or pics on Pens 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 20, (could use more info on 21), 22, 24, 25, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38. *Not all of those pens have dogs, I just can't remember which ones do (though some might be owned).
Bubbles - super sweet. He had an application filled out on him and will hopefully be going home on Monday.
Thelma - was looked at by a guy from Moosup, CT. He took one of his dogs to meet her and she was fine with him. He is supposed to come back next Saturday so Thelma can meet his other dog. I also think that "new volunteer" (she was at the very first training session, but I haven't seen her since) might have been looking at her too, but I'm not sure.
Alvin - worked on let's go, sit and stay. We did a little bit of come, but not much. He's really good at sit and is okay at stay if you don't go too far away and if you keep your back turned. He has a lot of energy and a strong tendency to run to the end of the leash and then you have to turn around and jerk him in another direction. He was okay coming out of his cage, but stopped to sniff Tank and then got really reactive with Scooby, who apparently hates him and with every dog after that. He's great outside and really nice with people, running around, did well sitting and jumps, but not too much. He has lot of puppy energy and loves being pet and giving kisses. He was so bad going back in. I let him stop at Marmalade's and Teddy's cages to see if his reactiveness was a fluke, he was okay with Marmalade - who was sitting in the back corner of her kennel, but was really growling like crazy at Teddy. He went nuts with Scooby and nuts all the way back to his cage. At least he's small and not that hard to maneuver. I think he might be one that needs to come to training class and see if he can keep himself in check.
Teddy - got to come out twice. The first time was only for less than 5 minutes. Then I had a young family request to see him. He was great with the family and played with the older boy (older being 5 since the other one is a baby). They were so cute together. Even when Teddy tried to take the ball out of the boy's hand, the mom was cool and tried to tell the boy that he had to throw it. Teddy showed off his "sit" and "paw" skills. The family filled out an application on him... :) (They live in Providence and their boys are really young, but they seemed to love him, so let's see if everything falls into place.) The guy from CT who came with his dog last week and looked at Teddy didn't call or come back today.
Froggy - she had come out with Jessica and Amy earlier in the day and Jessica said she did well with "stay". Amy was impressed by her skills. :) Can anyone volunteering this week take her out and practice "stay" with her? She could try to pass her CGC test very soon if all goes well!
OTHER: There seems to be green penis syndrome going around - Scooby, Bubbles, Teddy. Also keep an eye on Tank and make sure his nose doesn't start have green snot. Lovely, isn't it. We could use some new pictures on Tinkerbell and Froggy, better pictures on Mozart & Snoopy and also info & pics on new dogs : I don't have any info or pics on Pens 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 20, (could use more info on 21), 22, 24, 25, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38. *Not all of those pens have dogs, I just can't remember which ones do (though some might be owned).
Fernando 4/24
Forgot my own advice and took Fernando out with toys everywhere- but he did great! I still think we should try to work him with treats and without toys to see how he does, but this is how it went: Instead of grabbing a toy, he kept running around (off leash at first) and stopping and looking at me. While he was away from me, I'd try to grab toys and get rid of them. He caught me with a toy in hand so I asked him to sit and used it as a reward. A minute later he was looking at me again, toyless. I did the same. This worked 3 times until he found a tennis ball. I really think he wants to work and already understands that we are using the toys as a reward!
Once he got the tennis ball, he kept making passes by me, which I am pretty sure to him is a game of keep-away. I sat down and when he went by slowly once, I got his collar and got him on the leash. He wasn't letting go of the ball, so I took Sue's advice and worked with it instead of against it. I just worked on loose leash walking. If he bounded ahead anywhere, I abruptly changed direction. I tried to work in "Let's go" but it would make excited and him charge ahead so I had better luck being silent except for mellow praise. He tries to pull behind you and diagonally, which can be hard to deal with, but I just kept jerking him back in a different direction, even if that meant going two feet into a fence and changing again. He did great! After a few minutes I had him walking with me like a gentleman on a loose lead, ball-in-mouth.
I think if we can be consistent with this, he will learn it's not his choice where we go when he is on the leash. Ultimately, we need more command over the toys but for now if he learns that he doesn't need to run like the wind once he gets one, because we aren't necessarily taking it away, that will be a great baby step. Also I think every session for him should end with a good few minutes of letting him chew a toy. I like to send him back to his pen with it too- sometimes the staff gets mad about the pieces in the pen to clean up, but sometimes they don't seem to mind. If you see pieces in there before you leave, grab them- that will help. Based on this session I think Fernando's state of mind has actually improved a little since the last time I had him out.
Once he got the tennis ball, he kept making passes by me, which I am pretty sure to him is a game of keep-away. I sat down and when he went by slowly once, I got his collar and got him on the leash. He wasn't letting go of the ball, so I took Sue's advice and worked with it instead of against it. I just worked on loose leash walking. If he bounded ahead anywhere, I abruptly changed direction. I tried to work in "Let's go" but it would make excited and him charge ahead so I had better luck being silent except for mellow praise. He tries to pull behind you and diagonally, which can be hard to deal with, but I just kept jerking him back in a different direction, even if that meant going two feet into a fence and changing again. He did great! After a few minutes I had him walking with me like a gentleman on a loose lead, ball-in-mouth.
I think if we can be consistent with this, he will learn it's not his choice where we go when he is on the leash. Ultimately, we need more command over the toys but for now if he learns that he doesn't need to run like the wind once he gets one, because we aren't necessarily taking it away, that will be a great baby step. Also I think every session for him should end with a good few minutes of letting him chew a toy. I like to send him back to his pen with it too- sometimes the staff gets mad about the pieces in the pen to clean up, but sometimes they don't seem to mind. If you see pieces in there before you leave, grab them- that will help. Based on this session I think Fernando's state of mind has actually improved a little since the last time I had him out.
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