08/03/2025
This is Loretta.
Loretta could be described as twitchy, easily overstimulated, mouthy, vocal, and a variety of other labels that aren't terribly helpful.
Unless she's really, really tired, any petting, patting, scritching, or scratching is really stimulating for her and she almost immediately escalates into constant fidgeting and putting teeth on skin (no actual bites with an intent to harm, but enough pressure to cause discomfort).
As it turns out, placing one or two hands on with consistent, flat palm pressure has the opposite effect. She's not restrained, she can leave if she wants to, but she can also choose to stay. We sat like this yesterday for several minutes, several times in a row. She opted in, multiple times, and we had a lovely shared experience rather than either of us getting frustrated or annoyed with the other.
Game changer.
What have you learned about your dog's needs That challenged you to interact with them differently?
