Some things we have learned.

Still not a whole lot going on.  I can officially say she is happy.  The tension she carried during the transitioning days has completely disappeared. I love every part of her personality. I am learning very much how Daca ticks, why to this point she has seemed to be such a challenge.  I really think she is very good at buffaloing people so that she can have the edge, be the one in charge.  Don't get me wrong, she is a challenge but oh what a joyful one!!  She is learning very quickly that I am the leader of the pack in this house.  She does test her limits now and then but within a few seconds she realizes that I am not giving in and she readily does as I ask.  I can also see that she is comfortable in the fact she has stopped reacting at everyone she sees.  She stops to see if she knows the person before going into automatic defend mode.  Even just this morning a new, strange man was cutting the grass next door and she just observed without going into defend mode.

Within another week or two we will be ready to start meeting people outside of the family.  Mostly observation at first to try to work some of her reaction away.  Help her to understand that things will be on her own time and that she does not need to show everyone just what a bad apple she can be.  She can make the choice not to be friends but she needs to learn that she can be respectful and no harm will come to her.  No one will pressure her to be petted or to go into a space she in not comfortable with.  I have learned a great deal about her just from the process of adjusting to my family.  It appeared to me that Daca related treats coming from someone to automatically mean that was someone she needed to be afraid of.  That goes against every type of shy canine training that I have ever heard of.  Here are my thoughts on that.  I flooded her with treats the day I picked her up.  It took her a few hours to warm up to me.  My husband gets home, he does not like treats so he did not grab any and boom she was his instant friend.  When we decided to start with my sons, my oldest had only given her a treat on the first day and she befriended him after the first game of soccer on day three.  Still at this point I had not thought a thing about the treats.  She was much slower warming up to my 4 year old.  Everyday I would have him feed her a bunch of treats.  She was very leery of him continuing into the 5th day.  Our schedules got busy so for about a day and a half I did not have him feed her any treats.  On the 7th morning after one whole day with no treats he became her new fun friend.  She is great with him now, loves their silly games together.  

I talked with a pro dog trainer friend of mine about this.  She agreed it was odd too.  We talked thru it.  We think that the reward (the food) is not higher than the fear to make her understand the concept.  We think maybe chicken or steak may do the trick a little better.  But I am still torn on how I want to handle new people.  I think leaving the treats out of the picture completely is the best option.  I guess trying will be the only way to find out.  I want the least amount of stress on her around new people and I think asking her to take treats puts too much on her all at once.  Maybe a toss of one here or there.   I will let you all know how that goes once we get to that point.  Just thinking ahead a little there.  I really could care less if she ever befriends anyone else.  I really just want her to be respectful which I know she has in her!!!


The space issues that I posted about in a post early on are almost nonexistent now.  She has not been nasty toward my family (dogs included) for being in my space.  She got that so easily.  I have only seen her react about space once  when she was spending time with my husband and a resource was envolved.  Ariel and I rounded the corner.  Daca thought my husband had a treat for her and turned to guard the entire area from Ariel.  My husband took action to calm her right back down (rather he knew it or not he was giving her the "calming hug" that I learned at a seminar while drawing her attention away from Ariel).  She understood quite well.  I could not ask for her to be doing better in that area.  I know she will test the waters now and then but I am up for it!!  


We started a new trick today.  We are starting the base of teaching her to weave thru my legs.  She got the first part of just walking under me to the right for a treat easily.  She even related the command without having to be lured.  I think next session she will be ready to learn to go to the left.  Heck from what I saw today we will have four consecutive steps by the end of the week!!!


Still no new name.  We have a short list but nothing seems good enough for her!!!


We will end with a picture again.  It only took two sit stays to get this.  I had to laugh at her.  Right after the click of the camera she "woofed" her disgust in a low tone and slowly strolled off.  It was the entire scenario that cracked me up...someone not wanting their picture taken, I was taking her romping time up with a dumb picture...the whole nine yards.