09/21/2023
Exciting Frannie update and more:
I was so honored and humbled to be trusted by my NADOI colleagues (see: http://nadoi.org ) to host a virtual roundtable discussion on feral dogs. We had amazing panelists, each with decades of unique experience in the dog training world. You can view that presentation here: https://youtu.be/zygqIa2m1ZU?si=diSdQGZZUM3Ms4kT
Of course, my inspiration for the feral dog topic was our very own Frannie.
One of the things we discussed was the inability to use traditional rewards with dogs like this. When a dog finds ALL parts of the human world terrifying, distress comes from even the most basic but necessary routines (feeding, entering and exiting the room, etc.). Relief from that pressure/distress is often the only thing we can utilize as a reward, at least in the beginning.
Frannie had hit a bit of a plateau recently, and I knew deep down that she was ready to be pushed a little more. I started with her grooming sessions - she was afraid, but the Frannie of the past who would have urinated and defecated out of fear was long gone. She handled that groom better than I could have ever expected. No more sedated grooms for our girl (see picture of a groomed Frannie below).
The next challenge was the outside world. Frannie had not been able to go out into the sun since the day she arrived; something that constantly bothered me. However, the level of absolute panic that she exhibited in any open space, especially on a leash, made it completely unsafe to risk taking her out until recently. With the help of my collie, Frannie was finally able to overcome her fear and run and play outdoors, safely. Words can't express the happiness I felt when watching this unfold, but that still can't compare to her most recent step forward, which nearly brought me to my knees.
Over the past couple of weeks, I'd been using Fran's newfound stubbornness about going back into her kennel to start the process of teaching her to find value in human touch. In short sessions, I would give her two clear options: go into the kennel (where she feels very safe and wouldn't be bothered) or stay out but accept brief pets from me. She was a bit stressed by her options but chose to accept brief pets each time. This became the bridge that led to her latest breakthrough.
Last night, Frannie was in the hallway and didn't want to return to her room or kennel. The hallway was spacious enough for her to easily avoid me if she wanted, but I decided to test her progress to see where it would lead. I praised her for being near me, then offered my hand to her....would she retreat or would she interact?
Frannie didn't retreat from my extended hand. Her tail wagged faster than I'd ever seen it wag, and cautiously, she moved in closer. She sniffed for a moment, then proceeded to lick my fingers. I praised her happily, in the tone she's grown accustomed to hearing when we play. Then, I retreated before she had a chance to do so herself. My retreat only made her even more excited, and we repeated this twice more, each time resulting in her approaching and licking my hand, and then getting more excited about what she'd just accomplished.
Have you ever been moved nearly to tears by a dog licking your hand? It's an odd triumph for sure, but it was the type of breakthrough I'd been waiting ten months for. Frannie had never licked me and she had never interacted with an extended hand with me directly facing her. Pure joy is the only way to describe how this felt.
When I work with a dog, I can practically feel the confusion, the excitement, the anxiety...this allows me to adjust as needed, reflexively. When those feelings are especially intense, I feel them amplified. A fearful dog's shift from terror to celebratory excitement is almost palpable, and I'm suddenly reminded that this is what I was put on this earth to do. Onward and upward, Frannie-girl. Together, we've got this.
