CanineFostering.com

An update on Tucker

Kristin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:28:54 +0000

Here is a note from Tucker’s family:

Tucker & Tanna, October '09

Took Tucker to vet yesterday and he also has mange. He is there getting treated as I send this and God knows he will be wound up and ready to go when he gets home!! Here is his latest portrait…..the vet said yesterday he is HUGE for 5 months…54 pounds and is guessing he will be around 100 when full grown!!He has his moments as puppy’s do, but he is 99.9 accident free now and loves to cuddle. We are working on NO for jumping and starting drop leash training. Still too many distractions…squirrels, birds, leaves and the like. He has discovered laundry and LOVES socks, flipping them, shaking them and playing tug of war with Tanna. Still loves his naps and snuggling up in bed.

- G.

Time for a Tucker update Here is the latest from Tucker (formerly Oak of Willow’s litter): All is well here and Tucker is growing like...
A personal note from puppy Tucker This is a loving update from Tucker’s (formerly Oak) new mama to me. Thank you SO much for this!! Hi...
Puppy update on little Angel An update on Angel (formerly Violet) of Chloe’s litter: Wanted to attach some pictures of Angel, she is doing really...
Update on puppy William An update on William, from Chloe’s litter… We had him at the vet Monday (diarrhea for a week after a...
Update on puppy Poppy Here is an update on Poppy, a pup from Chloe’s litter. We love getting these updates to pass along! Poppy...

Images of Chloe’s Family Reunion

Kristin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:24:20 +0000

Here is a slide show on Photobucket, complied by Koda’s owner (thank you very much Pam!) The password to get in is case sensitive so use the capital C: Chloesgroup. It gives you a great sense of the joy of that day. It was so amazing that I am still feeling the after affects – warm, happy, love energy all around. Those pups remembered one another and they remembered their mama, Chloe. It was such a joy to see them running, wrestling, nosing, and chasing one another.

In this Photobucket video (use same password to view), Indy and Jackson wrestle with a stick while Poppy tries to get Chloe to break up the fun. Another video from the Chloe family reunion.

Chloe is thriving with her new family Second chances I am happy that there are times in this life for a second chance. I have felt so...
Dog Summit – Chloe’s Family Reunion On Sunday, Nov. 8 we have a first for CanineFostering planned: A family reunion of all of Chloe’s puppies with...
Chloe shows her pups how to play In possibly our best video yet, we see mama dog Chloe showing her pups how to play! I think there...
Quiet time with Chloe and pups Catching up on video we haven’t published yet, here is a beautiful clip of mama dog Chloe quietly lounging and...
Meet Chloe and her 7 puppies Our new dog foster family is mama Chloe and her seven puppies – meet them here in this video shot...

Chloe is thriving with her new family

Kristin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:35:59 +0000

Chloe at her Family Reunion 11/09

Second chances

I am happy that there are times in this life for a second chance. I have felt so worried about Chloe after the terrible mistake I made giving her to her first adoptive family. I felt so responsible for not following my gut, for not following H.E.L.P. procedure and interviewing absolutely everyone in the family, and for failing her in general. But seeing her at the first ever Chloe Family Reunion was like getting a pardon from the Universe.

Chloe looked fabulous. On the outside she was the happy, confident dog I remembered. Her coat looked good, better even than when she was with me. Her eyes shone. She held her ears and tail with interest and calmness. But the thing that mattered the most to me was what I saw in her in relation to her new family. She was clearly bonded to them.

But let me start at the beginning.

I saw her at first and nearly cried. She came out of the car so differently than she did the night she was returned to me. She was interested and approached me cautiously but directly. She sniffed, stepped back and then sniffed again. I believe she remembered me. When she got outside with her pups it was clear that she remembered my yard. She ran like she used to, circling the yard over and over again – tail high, tongue hanging out. She was completely happy though, not a frantic running, just a run for the pure joy of it. Then she greeted her pups, sniffing each on the nose. There was much wagging and nuzzling all around. Everyone commented on how they were certain the group remembered one another. At one point I even saw Chloe lie down on her back as her pups gathered round! Just like she used to when she was still nursing them! But that didn’t last long and she was up again racing around the yard, her pups in pursuit.

After a number of games of chase, numerous wrestling matches (everyone having fun, no aggression whatsoever!) and a few tug of war games, everyone dispersed to explore on their own. Chloe found a mud puddle and promptly lay down in it. Something she used to do while living with me. As the afternoon wore on each of the dogs’ energy was drained, and I noticed them going to their people and resting. Chloe did that too - joined her family, laying at her new mama’s feet and snoozed.

I can’t tell you how important that gesture was to me. She normally would rest away from me when she lived at my house…preferring to be alone. She’d allow me to pet her or snuggle her for a bit but she’d always get up and move away from me. But on Sunday I saw what I had hoped but didn’t dare to mention at this early date - she chose to stay by her new family, even when she had 2 acres and lots of other dogs and folks to hang out with. She went to them. They are her pack. She trusts them and feels safe with them. It was bittersweet for me to see but it felt oh so right. Bittersweet because I loved her so much and could have taken her so easily into my pack had I had the space in my heart and my home…but I didn’t and I couldn’t so I kept her at arms length, and she me. And now she has what she deserves, a family of her own. She is loved and wanted deeply and she loves them back. She belongs.

As her new family gathered up their things to leave I found it difficult to express just how important to me it was that they took a chance on her and that they treated her with the love and respect that she deserved. I felt like embracing them, I felt like crying. I felt so happy. I felt so sad. I know it sounds dramatic. There are so many good, decent, loving, caring people out there. My faith in humanity is restored after every encounter like this.

Images of Chloe’s Family Reunion Here is a slide show on Photobucket, complied by Koda’s owner (thank you very much Pam!) The password to get...
Dog Summit – Chloe’s Family Reunion On Sunday, Nov. 8 we have a first for CanineFostering planned: A family reunion of all of Chloe’s puppies with...
Chloe returns unexpectedly Our early summer foster Chloe (recently called Amber) is back…it didn’t work out with her adoptive family so she is...
Chloe and pups are settling in Here are some photos and comments of Chloe and her puppy’s new homes and lives. I so appreciate everyone who has contacted...
Winding down with Chloe and her pups Well, this puppy group is finally ready to move on. I know it as I see them play more and...

Barking while Crated

Kristin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:45:16 +0000

Here’s a note from A. & E.:

We were wondering if you had any advice in regards to barking in the crate. Scooby sleeps in his crate at night and the first 3 weeks he made it thru the night without barking. But recently he has started waking up between 2-5 AM barking. Because we live in a townhome this cannot be something that the neighbors enjoy.

Do we ignore him and hope he stops when we ignore it? Or should we be doing something else?

Barking is one of those things that can be reinforced inadvertently… you don’t think you’re reinforcing it but you are. Any attention to a bark will reinforce it – telling the dog to quiet, trying to soothe the dog and letting it out to see if it has to potty are all ways we can reinforce a dog’s barking. There are things you can do to stop the behavior – first of all make sure the dog is sufficiently exercised prior to crating – imagine how terrible it is for a dog to be confined in a space only large enough to sleep in when they are coming out of their skin with energy. And don’t assume that just because you think the dog is sufficiently exercised it is – most dogs have a much higher need for exercise than their owners realize. For most people I recommend adding a second walk to their daily 1 hour walk. If you are walking much less than this that may be the problem. If the dog is exercised, make sure you are stopping food intake early enough so the dog has a chance to eliminate prior to crating. I usually recommend the last meal of the day be the smallest and to be given around 5pm for a 10 pm bedtime. (I feed twice a day). If there is someone in the home that gets up early, that may be causing the barking – maybe that person can potty the dog and return him to his crate. There are so many possibilities you really need to think about the whole situation from the dog’s perspective to identify the cause of the barking.

But one thing is certain – dogs do what works and if barking either doesn’t work or is aversive (the reason no-bark collars work) then the behavior will stop. But the behavior must always be aversive or always not work. If it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t, the behavior will continue and be even harder to stop (think of the people who pull the bar on the slot machines for hours with little payoff – that’s intermittent reinforcement at work).

So, if the neighbors and you can take it, ignoring the behavior is a good solution. Depending on how you feel about such a product, the no-bark collars will give you the fastest results but you must be certain the dog isn’t indicating a need with the barking, otherwise it is just cruel to collar them.

I wish you luck!

Let me know how it turns out.

-Kristin

10 Tips For Your New Puppy Willow’s puppies all went home today with their new forever families. Here are tips for all families that bring home...
A training tip that bears repeating Here is something I said recently to my class at my local dog training club and I think bears repeating...
New mama dog and pups Chloe the mama dog is beautiful and so even tempered. For some reason she was barking like crazy the first...

Video of a dog and a deer playing together

Kristin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:44:39 +0000

We now have a short video to go along with the beautiful photos we posted of Juno and her new friend playing together in Wisconsin. Here is Juno and a deer romping around together:

Watch this and other CanineFostering videos on YouTube.