Ben, Week Two: Report
Good Thursday to everyone. Can you believe it’s already December? Wow… This year has really flown by…
Ben has been making great progress in the following areas:
— learning to sit and wait for permission to eat
— learning to wait when the kennel door is open, and to be calm when leaving the kennel
— learning to be calm when getting ready to go outside
— walking nicely on lead
— giving trust in unfamiliar situations and with unfamiliar people
— responding very well to “sit”, “wait”, “here”, and “leave it”
These areas are still problematic for Ben, to varying degrees:
— fixation and attack (he’s still going after Violet)
— learning “lay down” (he refuses to go into the down position when he’s on the ground or floor)
— wolfing food (he’s still eating too fast, but he’s trying to slow down)
— mouthing during play
— invasion of personal space (he’s still being disrespectful, but he’s trying to learn)
— high excitement during play (he loves to play but he’s still getting too intense and he can’t control himself)
On the upside, the pros and cons are fairly evenly balanced. On the downside, the cons are big problems that are taking a long time to resolve. Ben is very stubborn and insistent; if he is corrected – for example, for mouthing – instead of accepting the correction, he practices the unwanted behavior even more, and with more intensity. It can be very challenging, sometimes, to help him understand that unwanted behavior will not be rewarded.
In a surprising twist, Ben is showing an unexpected compassion when one of us is suffering physical pain. He hasn’t been taught how to help, but somehow, he just knows what to do. Even more surprising is that while he’s helping, he doesn’t care if Violet is nearby or if Glimmer is sniffing around his bone. His focus remains entirely on whichever one of us is having trouble until he knows we have the situation under control. It’s actually quite amazing. In light of the abuse this boy has suffered at the hands of humans, his ability to give love and compassion is astounding.
Because the weather isn’t amenable for Ben to have a walk today, we’re going to be working on door conditioning and impulse control, practicing “place”, and learning “lay down”… from the couch and the love-seat. I’m also going to be focusing more on teaching him not to mouth during play, and how to control his level of excitement. He gets so excited and exuberant when he plays that he can’t bring himself down to a more acceptable level.
Have a great day, and remember to stay calm and lead on…
Ben’s Bio
Ben is going to be made available for adoption this week. I was asked to write a bio for him. What follows is what I hope will appear on the DINO website.
This is Ben. He is a neutered lab/pit cross about 2 and a half years old. Ben is a good boy who wants and needs a forever family he can love, and who will love him in return. He needs a family that will be committed to helping him continue to progress towards balance, security, and stability.
Ben came from a life of tremendous abuse and has been in rehabilitation with his current foster. He is making slow but steady progress learning trust and gaining confidence. He is learning that his choices matter, he’s learning how to walk nicely on the leash, and he’s learning basic manners with both people and other animals.
Because of how his life has conditioned him, Ben still gets a bit nervous around strangers, so calm, assertive leadership at all times is a must. He does have separation anxiety when kenneled, but give him a bone to chew on, and he settles right down and goes to sleep. He is completely house-trained and will paw at his person when he needs to potty, but he must be kept on a lead and supervised while he’s outside, as he is a jumper and he will attempt to jump the fence.
While Ben is good with dogs his size and a little bigger, he must not be around smaller animals as he will attack them. He has shown that he is okay with kids 9 years of age and older, but due to some bad experiences, he has made negative associations with young children and he should not be around them.
Because Ben is in rehabilitation, the foster will work with the adopters so they can continue helping him progress forward towards balance and stability.
Learning Life Lessons
Ben had a fairly good day yesterday. His foot seemed to be bothering him quite a bit, so he alternately chewed on his bone, and slept. We did do some conditioning work around Violet, using redirection to prevent him from fixating on her; he did a really good job of responding to the “here” command. I did have to repeat it a couple of times because he was trying to get too close to her, but generally speaking, he did a great job.
Ben has been learning how to be in a pack. He’s getting better about sharing space with everyone, including Violet, but meal times are a big problem. We’ve had no choice but to feed him in a different room. When the food is being dished out, he goes into a panic and tries to knock the bowl out of our hands by jumping at us. When the food is put down on the floor, he shakes and salivates. When his food is put down and he’s asked to wait for permission to eat, his anxiety level goes through the roof. This stresses Glimmer and Violet to a point where they can’t eat; they end up walking away instead because Ben’s energy is just too intense. So, we have to feed him in another room.
By evening, Ben was starting to feel bored and restless, and he started acting out a little. He got a bit mouthy with me and he tried bullying me with his body – he even tried standing on me to get above me. He was immediately corrected each time, but he pushed that envelope, too, by continuing to practice those unwanted behaviors. The consequence was the use of his full name, “Benito”. I’ve discovered that using his full name has the same effect as using a child’s full name when they’re misbehaving. It tells him I mean business and that he will be given a time-out in the kennel if he doesn’t stop whatever bad behavior he’s practicing. So far, this has had really positive results.
Little by little, Ben is improving. I don’t know that he will ever be able to live peacefully with cats, but I do have hope for him that, with continued time, energy, and work, the day will come where he can be around smaller dogs safely. Where he will see them as friends and play-mates instead of prey to be attacked and killed. For now, all I can do is keep working him around Violet and keep working to teach him how to be a good pack member.
Have a great day, and remember to stay calm and lead on…