Did you guys ever read the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? If there were a week-long version of that book, that’d be my week (minus the gum in my hair, thank goodness). It started with the incident, then I had to have dental work done at 7:30 in the morning, plus today is two years from the day I was diagnosed with cancer… I could go on, but I’m sure you get it. Bad week.
So, it totally brightened my week to get an email from our buddy Erik about a BIG success he and his pup Hershey experienced this week. I’ll let him tell the story in the comments, but here’s evidence of his hard work paying off!
Which got me thinking… we talk a lot about issues and struggles. It’s super important to have those community discussions, for sure, because we can all help each other, share resources, etc. But we can also celebrate each other’s successes! And when I’m grumpy, nothing turns it around faster than focusing on the positive!
So! Share in the comments: What are you celebrating with your pup this week? Big or small, every step forward needs to be celebrated!
Here’s what I’m celebrating this week:
- Lucas and John are tackling a fun training challenge that has become a popular dog activity in the last few years. I don’t want to give it away until we have a video to share, but here’s a hint: It rhymes with foggy lancing.
- Cooper overcame his fear of a new toy. Yep. He was afraid of a toy. More on that later (because you’ll get a chance to win one!).
- And the big one: Guess how many times Lucas flipped out on Newt this week? Guess! Did you guess? If you guessed ZERO! ZERO TIMES! you’d be right!
Now, let’s celebrate YOUR successes. Big or little, let’s hear ’em! Leave your celebrations in the comments so we can all join in! Or, if your success has a pic to accompany it, please share on Facebook!
Deb
Well, not a success per se, but as you know we celebrated Ray’s birthday, so that was fun. Also, tearing a page from our brag book, we had a new furnace and a/c installed this week which was an all day affair. At the end of the day we were complimented on how well behaved our boys were. *Chest Puff*
Maggie
That’s awesome, Deb! Congrats!!
Jessica @ Life with Duke
I love the idea of celebrating the little things, it can be so important! This week we are celebrating the fact that Duke’s accidents over Thanksgiving did not come home with us and that he survived his chocolate eating incident just fine!
Maggie
Those are big things to celebrate, Jessica! Congrats to you and Duke!
Erik N.
Hershey came to me terrified of anything like a stick in someone’s hand. I first became aware of this problem a few weeks after I adopted her when I was trying to get her to fetch a stick. She darted away from me, playfully I thought, and the chase was on! After minute or two I realized she was running in tail tucked terror and not in playful merriment. I got rid of the stick that I’d been holding all this time and had to work hard for a few minutes to regain her trust.
Anything like a stick: a rake, a plunger, even a chuck-it made her nervous, but nothing like the broom. When I got the broom out she’d look at me in wide eyed terror and get out of the room as quickly as possible, scrambling over the couch if necessary. It filled me with sadness that this beautiful dog I was developing an otherwise wonderful relationship with ran in terror from me; and it filled me with rage to think that someone had scarred my sweet girl so much that she couldn’t trust me with a broom.
Evidence of her fear continued the first year or two. We had gone over to visit my friend and her dog while her grandmother was there. Hershey was having a great time meeting new people and playing with her buddy Rex and had no problem with the grandmother. Then the lady picked up her cane and Hershey bolted from the room. I had to explain her stick fear, and everyone came to the same conclusion I had: someone had beaten her.
Another time we were out walking and met up with a friend and his young son. As we talked I noticed Hershey was feeling uneasy and the boy had a Harry Potter wand and was waving around vigorously. I put on my best teacher face and told him how Hershey didn’t like sticks. The boy (undoubtedly a future lawyer) argued that it wasn’t a stick it was a wand and waved it around even harder. We moved along on our shortly.
After years of incidents like this, putting her outside before I swept and feeling sad everytime I did so, it slowly dawned on me that she was over coming her fears! She didn’t run from the chuck it, she didn’t flee from the rake, she even got to where she would have fun when I chased her, playing tag, using a stick for extra reach. It was an amazing turn around, except for the broom, that was still terror time.
Tired of feeling sad and angry and helpless about this scar someone had inflicted on her psyche, and knowing she’d gotten over much of it on her own I decided to help her over this last hurtle. And so we started Broom Bravery Training.
Three times a week for maybe ten minutes at a time I worked with her to over come her fear. Broom in hand (and a bag full of treats at my hip) I’d come into the living room. She’d look at me nervously and I throw her treats and shower her with praise for staying in the room. After a few weeks she’d stay on the couch while I swept but would bolt if I held it horizontally off the floor (the beating position). So we worked on that. Gradually very gradually, pushing the limits, but never over her comfort zone we got to where not only would Hershey stay in the room while I swept but would even touch either end with nose or paw when I offered it to her! She still wasn’t totally happy about the broom being out, preferring to keep a table between it and herself, but it was amazing progress!
And there I left it for a long time. We stopped Broom Bravery Training and I was content with her diminished, though not extinguished fear. Then, a few months ago I found Oh My Dog! and started reading, and then commenting on the posts. At some point I related a shortened version of this story and Maggie encouraged me to continue BBT, which I did. And that brings us to the picture Maggie posted.
Hershey, my beautiful, brave, brown girl can now share the same space as the dreaded broom at least long enough to lick up an encouraging message made of squeeze cheese! Even more encouraging, a few weeks ago I was sweeping in the kitchen and she came to see what I was doing! Catching me unprepared I had to scramble to get her some treats for such a momentous event! We still have a ways to go (there’s no way she’s letting me touch her back with that damned thing!) but I’m encouraged and ready to do the work.
So whatever you and your fur friends are working on keep at it! Patience, persistence, love and squeeze cheese make all the difference!
Maggie
YAY!! Ok, first of all, thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful story and allowing me to post the pic of pretty Hershey! Second, I am SO PROUD of you both. Training like that can be tedious, and it is so much easier just to let her outside instead of working on it. But putting in the work makes it so worth it when you have a moment like this!!! You’ve helped this dear girl overcome whatever was inflicted upon her, making her a happier and more confident gal! Your story has really inspired me to keep at it. I love how you concluded… it’s the truth!! Hallelujah for squeeze cheese! 😉
Erik N.
Thank YOU for getting me to start up again! Glad Hershey’s breakthrough made your rocky week better!
Kristine
That’s fantastic, Erik! I know precisely how it feels to have a breakthrough. My dog had many fears but one of the odder ones was her fear of water. She would refuse to go near her water bowl if anyone was in the room and she was terrified of water bottles. It made it difficult to take her hiking or to training classes because I worried constantly that she would let herself dehydrate.
Anyway, we have slowly overcome this with time and I think it’s fantastic Hershey has made so much progress. Congratulations to you both!
Erik N.
Thanks Kristine!
It was either training her out of her broom fear, or finding the person who gave it to her and returning the favor. For Hershey’s sake and mine this was the better choice!
Pamela | Something Wagging This Way Comes
You have some wonderful things to feel good about it.
I can’t say we have any big breakthroughs. But I’m happy that Honey is maturing into a balanced and happy dog. She was underconfident and that seems to be fading over time.
Maggie
That’s HUGE to me, Pamela! Developing confidence is no easy feat (heck, I’ve been working on it for thirtycoughcough years and not there yet), and reaching that happy, balanced maturity is absolutely something to celebrate!
Pup Fan
I’m sorry to hear you’ve had such a rough week – but yay for your successes! I’m cheering you on. 🙂
Maggie
That is so sweet! Thank you!! Hope you have a great weekend!
Kristine
I am sorry your week was so brutal. The bad things always seem to group themselves together, don’t they? But at least it ended on a high note! Congratulations to Lucas and Newt!
Also, I am incredibly jealous. Foggy lancing has been on my list for a long time.
Maggie
Haha! 🙂 It’s turning into the perfect indoor/backyard activity for them, and it’s super fun for Lucas. With all the cold you guys are facing, it could be a good inside training activity!
Jessica
We’re still riding the high from Silas’s awesome visit to the formerly-terrifying park. It made me feel so much better about having put him on medication–it was a hard decision, but it’s obviously opening up whole new worlds to him.
Maggie
That’s HUGE!! I can’t imagine how difficult that decision was, but it sounds like you’re doing the absolute best for Silas. Congrats on the successful park visit!!
Erik N.
In another milestone, ten month old Graham went on his first long distance drive over Thanksgiving break. I was a bit worried how the often anxious little guy would do. He did tremendously! He watched where we were going for the first 60 miles or so then curled up on my dress shirt and tie and slept most of the way! Once we’re were at the motel he trotted into the room and hopped up on the bed like he owned the place! Now I’ve got two great travelers!
Diane bradburn
The three pooches living at our house did not bark twice in one week, when someone entered the house. A quiet success,