A Moment of Pride

We all have those moments where we just step back and smile. Sometimes with positive reinforcement training those moments are slow to start, but once they start it seems like they just start piling up and next thing you know you are smiling non-stop. Or, in my case, your dog is smiling non-stop also.

Greyson has always been very fearful of men. No one knows why or how it happened. He has a select circle of men that he loves and will shower with unconditional love. Yesterday, he took baby steps towards someone he didn't know, and though his tail was tucked and he was cautious, he walked up to a male he didn't know and sat to be petted. This for him is huge. He doesn't solicit attention from men. I almost cried tears of joy when I saw his body go relaxed and he rubbed his head on the guys leg to be petted even more. It was a very proud momma moment but it didn't stop there.

Greyson has also never read signals from another dog. I've always had to help him out and make sure I always set him up for success. There was a male pit bull terrier who was coming at us full bore and was straining to get to Greyson. Grey has met the other dog and has played with him before. The other dog was in an obvious state of panic because his handler was not the greatest of trainers and was freaking him out. He was coming right at us head on and to my amazement, Greyson stood up and turned his side to the dog. Old Greyson would have went at the dog head on and paws up to smack him in the face, but nope, he turned and lowered his head to show the other dog "It's okay, I come in peace." Unfortunately the other trainer grabbed the leash and yanked the other dog away from Greyson even though there was zero signs of aggression or either dog being uncomfortable. While it was obvious this made Greyson nervous he never went rigid and kept his side to the other dog. My boy is finally learning!!

Greyson can be very defensive and I am very blunt about it by explaining to people that he has the know how and the will to bite another dog. This went completely unheeded by the other trainer and she just kept yanking that poor other dog around by his leash. (Least she had removed the prong collar from him before she did it.) It was a very uncomfortable situation not just for me but for the dogs involved. Unfortunately there is no talking sense in to some people and I have to learn when to cut my losses.

Greyson though, even after a long exhausting day at the clinic getting his front legs looked at pulled through and got an ice cream at the end of the day. For him to have been poked and prodded all day and not be agitated is a huge accomplishment for him. He has learned in a short six months how to shake it off. He went from being a dog like Spudz who can't bounce back from a distraction or major upheaval to a dog who in a few minutes walks away, shakes it off and looks at me like "What's up Mom? We're cool!"

As Greyson progresses he becomes more comfortable with not just me but with himself. He's never been that proud little boy who prances and I'm starting to see that personality come out little by little. He's slowly becoming proud of himself. He no longer walks with his head down towards the ground. He is head up and right by my side. I think all the obedience work we have done with him and the time we've spent watching his triggers for panic attacks makes me him more confident that he knows he will be okay. He knows that we are here and we will help him in his journey and that in return makes him more confident in himself just even to be a normal dog.

On another note, I can not thank my family at Pit Bull Zen enough! These folks welcomed me when I felt very alone with Greyson. With them I have had the courage to know that I am capable of working with dogs who have problems and they are a sounding board for when I have questions. They are also an amazing resource for Force-Free/Positive Reinforcement training. Liz and Dawn have given me the basis of a wonderful foundation to work with dogs like Spudz and Greyson. They also helped me connect with Laurie Buchele of Buchele K-9 Services who is phenomenal!  And without all the members, I probably wouldn't have had those moments of pride with Greyson yesterday.

They've also given me the courage to apply to The Professional Pet Guild. I got my acceptance email and yes, I squee'd in glee. Least this time I was at home and not in the middle of a park packed with people.

So, when you are feeling like you are a lone person against the adversity of a problem dog or people look at you crazy because you refuse to put a prong collar on a dog, remember, there are always resources out there. Just go find them!