I drove to Houston yesterday to pick up Chief from his foster family. He greeted me at the door, carrying his large red Jolly ball in his mouth, quickly to be traded out for soft toys of different shapes and sizes. His foster "sisters", Trudy and Chloe seemed sad to see their foster brother leave. Chloe and Chief seemed to have developed a bond in such a short time, wrestling and chasing around the floor. It was cute to see the interplay as each would "steal" the toy from the other and bring it to one of us. Trudy (much like my Xena) seemed happy that her house was going to return to normal--but despite this sense of relief, I could tell that Trudy enjoyed the tall, handsome blonde stranger who had invaded their house for such a short time.
I have to say, Chief could not have had a better foster experience than with Chat and Bethany. He was their first foster with Golden Beginnings, and as I watched them interact, it was evident that Chief adored them!! What a wonderful testimony to the caliber of volunteers that Golden Beginnings recruit!! It gave me a sense of comfort knowing that this beloved dog, Chief, was loved and cherished by these two--even if it was for a short time. I give them sole credit for making his transition from the only home he has known into the unknown a wonderful experience. Chat and Bethany, you are truly "Golden Guardian Angels"!
The other amazing thing I have to say about Chat and Bethany...they truly know Chief!! As predicted, as soon as we were out of the drive, Chief was sitting in the front seat next to me, with his paw on my arm. For about the first 5-10 mins., he sat erect in the seat with his brown eyes boaring holes into the side of my head as we drove 610N around downtown Houston. As we veered onto 290W toward Austin, he changed positions so that his head was rested behind my shoulders. I could sense that Chief was sad and uncertain of things, but he never whined or showed any other signs of distress. Together we drove the 2.5 hours, him either nuzzled behind me or with his paw on my arm. He wanted to be close...he needed that reassurance that things would be "okay" in his ever changing world.
As we pulled into my driveway, I strategized how I would introduce my 3 dogs to Chief without him feeling completely overwhelmed. I decided we would have introductions in the backyard, so as I gathered my dogs from their crates, I left Chief in the backyard to explore. Intial introductions were as expected. He was carefully inspected from head to toe by my "girls" and my only male dog, Jinx. Instantly, I could tell that Xena loved him. Her tail was wagging incessently, with her eyes soft and full of "golden love" that is her trademark look. Abbey was a little put off, because Chief didn't bounce around with her as she expected. (Abbey, of course, realizes that the world does revolve around her...and anyone and everyone should automatically realize this fact, too!) Jinx was indifferent...but that's Jinx.
I grabbed some toys and tennis balls for some late evening backyard romping. Abbey happily chased her tennis ball around, while Jinx did his "border patrol" looking for "illegal squirrel/cat immigrants", and Chief and Xena were glued to my side. Despite my efforts, I could NOT get Chief to chase the ball. I had hoped that we could work out some of the "kinks" from the long car ride. By accident, I tossed the ball for Chief and was surprised to find that he had hidden springs in his back legs!! He was a golden/saluki "Air Bud", leaping and flipping for the tennis ball. After about 30 min. of activity, all of the dogs' tongues where hanging out the sides of their mouths, and we went inside.
Our first training project, I have decided, is to acclimate Chief to cats. It became quite apparent that he had never seen them before. Gabriel, my normally talkative, interactive, and friendly cat, gave Chief one dirty look, and Chief was plastered against either myself or the wall. He made a large arch to get away from Gabriel, only to run into Frazier, my happy go-lucky tabby cat. Frazier displayed no interest in Chief, but still...Chief was taking no chances. He scurried to the back of the house, only to come out with coaxing and several food treats. The sadness about this interaction is that as soon as Chief realized the cats were merely bluffing, his lack of interest turned into "ahhh.....something to chase!" The first attempt to grab Gabriel's back leg was indication to me that baby steps toward introduction was absolutely necessary.
My philosophy of cat/dog interaction is that it can be done through persistence, positive reinforcement, and understanding of each party's situation. This was the cat's "turf", and I have to realize that Chief needs to respect that he is invading their space. At the same time, their safety is of my utmost concern. For this reason, the cats were relocated to the office with the door closed for the weekend. Brief interaction periods with Chief in a down position and being offered treats for redirecting his attention to me instead of the cats were the first step in the training process. Chief has also been tethered to me on leash, so that he quickly learns I am the person who he is to listen to, as well as being able to manage the interactions. I do believe that dogs need to establish themselves in the pack, but when you have an established pack, it is also the person's responsibility to help the new dog assimilate slowly.
Our first night ended with 4 very tired dogs and 2 humans squished together in a queen sized bed. I don't think Chief moved all night long. In fact, the several times I woke to check on him, he was in the same sleeping position, belly up, head toward the foot of the bed, and one paw slightly extended up. Not too bad for a first night, eh?
We'll see what morning brings....
Tammy
I have to say, Chief could not have had a better foster experience than with Chat and Bethany. He was their first foster with Golden Beginnings, and as I watched them interact, it was evident that Chief adored them!! What a wonderful testimony to the caliber of volunteers that Golden Beginnings recruit!! It gave me a sense of comfort knowing that this beloved dog, Chief, was loved and cherished by these two--even if it was for a short time. I give them sole credit for making his transition from the only home he has known into the unknown a wonderful experience. Chat and Bethany, you are truly "Golden Guardian Angels"!
The other amazing thing I have to say about Chat and Bethany...they truly know Chief!! As predicted, as soon as we were out of the drive, Chief was sitting in the front seat next to me, with his paw on my arm. For about the first 5-10 mins., he sat erect in the seat with his brown eyes boaring holes into the side of my head as we drove 610N around downtown Houston. As we veered onto 290W toward Austin, he changed positions so that his head was rested behind my shoulders. I could sense that Chief was sad and uncertain of things, but he never whined or showed any other signs of distress. Together we drove the 2.5 hours, him either nuzzled behind me or with his paw on my arm. He wanted to be close...he needed that reassurance that things would be "okay" in his ever changing world.
As we pulled into my driveway, I strategized how I would introduce my 3 dogs to Chief without him feeling completely overwhelmed. I decided we would have introductions in the backyard, so as I gathered my dogs from their crates, I left Chief in the backyard to explore. Intial introductions were as expected. He was carefully inspected from head to toe by my "girls" and my only male dog, Jinx. Instantly, I could tell that Xena loved him. Her tail was wagging incessently, with her eyes soft and full of "golden love" that is her trademark look. Abbey was a little put off, because Chief didn't bounce around with her as she expected. (Abbey, of course, realizes that the world does revolve around her...and anyone and everyone should automatically realize this fact, too!) Jinx was indifferent...but that's Jinx.
I grabbed some toys and tennis balls for some late evening backyard romping. Abbey happily chased her tennis ball around, while Jinx did his "border patrol" looking for "illegal squirrel/cat immigrants", and Chief and Xena were glued to my side. Despite my efforts, I could NOT get Chief to chase the ball. I had hoped that we could work out some of the "kinks" from the long car ride. By accident, I tossed the ball for Chief and was surprised to find that he had hidden springs in his back legs!! He was a golden/saluki "Air Bud", leaping and flipping for the tennis ball. After about 30 min. of activity, all of the dogs' tongues where hanging out the sides of their mouths, and we went inside.
Our first training project, I have decided, is to acclimate Chief to cats. It became quite apparent that he had never seen them before. Gabriel, my normally talkative, interactive, and friendly cat, gave Chief one dirty look, and Chief was plastered against either myself or the wall. He made a large arch to get away from Gabriel, only to run into Frazier, my happy go-lucky tabby cat. Frazier displayed no interest in Chief, but still...Chief was taking no chances. He scurried to the back of the house, only to come out with coaxing and several food treats. The sadness about this interaction is that as soon as Chief realized the cats were merely bluffing, his lack of interest turned into "ahhh.....something to chase!" The first attempt to grab Gabriel's back leg was indication to me that baby steps toward introduction was absolutely necessary.
My philosophy of cat/dog interaction is that it can be done through persistence, positive reinforcement, and understanding of each party's situation. This was the cat's "turf", and I have to realize that Chief needs to respect that he is invading their space. At the same time, their safety is of my utmost concern. For this reason, the cats were relocated to the office with the door closed for the weekend. Brief interaction periods with Chief in a down position and being offered treats for redirecting his attention to me instead of the cats were the first step in the training process. Chief has also been tethered to me on leash, so that he quickly learns I am the person who he is to listen to, as well as being able to manage the interactions. I do believe that dogs need to establish themselves in the pack, but when you have an established pack, it is also the person's responsibility to help the new dog assimilate slowly.
Our first night ended with 4 very tired dogs and 2 humans squished together in a queen sized bed. I don't think Chief moved all night long. In fact, the several times I woke to check on him, he was in the same sleeping position, belly up, head toward the foot of the bed, and one paw slightly extended up. Not too bad for a first night, eh?
We'll see what morning brings....
Tammy
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