As I fill out an info sheet for Howard as we prepare him to go to his home visit on Friday, I think back on how far he has come in the last couple of months.
Howard’s information
History/background:
Howard is a stunning, tall, black Great Dane. He had a
rough start. His first owner used abusive training methods that had the
opposite of the intended effect. We know that some of the “training” involved
repeated shocks with an electric collar and beating Howard with leashes and
sticks. He also dragged him alongside his car by his leash. As a result, Howard
became terrified of anything resembling a collar or a leash. He was also
terrified of walking through doorways and getting into cars. He loved people
and enjoyed being petted and baby talked, but if you reached for his collar or
approached him with anything resembling a leash, he would either bolt or, if he
wasn’t able to bolt, he’d flop down on the floor and go limp.
Howard got out of his first owner’s hands when his owner
went into his vet’s office looking for a stronger shock collar because he
thought the one that he had wasn’t working. A concerned vet tech talked him
into relinquishing the dog to her. He lived in her home with two small children and some cats for about six months
before coming to Peace Love & Dog Paws when the Good Samaritan who rescued
him realized that his emotional issues were more than she could handle. It
required heavy sedation to get a collar and leash on him and get him into a
car. He went straight from her house to the vet, where he was neutered,
microchipped, vaccinated and had his stomach tacked. He then proved to be a
handful for the staff at the clinic because the process of going in and out of
his kennel, which involved being leashed and led through several doorways,
terrified him. Several times he jerked his head sharply toward a person who was
reaching for his collar, raising concerns that he might bite out of fear. Since
getting to know him, we now understand that this jerking is due to his need to
watch what hands are doing to his collar and not out of any kind of aggression,
but it was very intimidating at the time due to his large size.
From the vet’s office Howard went directly to a foster
home experienced at working with traumatized giant dogs. Again he had to be
sedated for the walk from his kennel to the car, and he had to be blindfolded
going through doorways and was carried by a team of four people. Once he got to
his foster home, he belly flopped onto the ground in the driveway and refused
to go anywhere, but when the foster brought her Great Dane out to meet him, he
perked up and stood up to greet her, then followed her into the backyard. It
took him another three hours to build up his confidence to walk from the back
yard through a door into the house.
Howard then underwent a regime of desensitization and
operant conditioning. We spent hours with him practicing walking through
doorways, first for food rewards, then for praise. About a week into his
rehabilitation, once he had mastered doorways and gotten used to his routine,
we began desensitizing him to leashes and collars. We spent hours with him
touching his neck while giving him treats and praise, and putting non-collar
objects, like t-shirts and dish towels over his head (and our other pets’ heads
and our own heads) in a special game that we invented for his benefit. Once he
had grown comfortable allowing us to touch his collar, we started practicing
attaching a leash to it and taking the collar on and off. Once we could attach
a leash with minimal anxiety on his part, we began taking him for walks, which
he enjoyed immensely, though he would try to run if a car passed him on these
walks. We think this is due to him being dragged beside his first owner’s car.
Once he enjoyed walks, we began practicing riding in cars and going fun places,
like the pet supply store and visits to friends who had dogs for him to play
with.
Howard loves to please, and he worked hard at his training
regimen. Two and a half months into it, he has made improvements by huge leaps
and bounds. Now that he’s not spending all his time being anxious, his sweet,
goofy, outgoing personality shines. He loves meeting new people and animals
when he’s out and about on his walks. He loves to run and play with people and
dogs. He’s gentle but playful with cats and small dogs, though he does want to
chase cats when they run from him. He loves to snuggle on the couch and lay his
big old head in your lap. He hops into cars willingly, and recently decided
that he liked spending time in a crate—a big turnaround from the dog terrified
of walking through doorways!
Personality/Quirks/Habits:
Howard lives to cuddle and play. He gets cold easily and
enjoys wearing sweaters. He is not a chewer and will keep squeaky toys for a
long time without destroying them. He has only been known to be destructive
once, when he threw a temper tantrum over being locked out of his foster
parents’ bedroom after he began trying to climb on the bed at night. We’re
still not sure if it was him or one of the resident dogs annoyed at his antics,
but he paced and whined at the bedroom door a lot and someone pulled a cushion off of a chair that night.
Howard is still anxious about having his collar touched or
having a leash attached. We think that this will continue to improve with time
and practice. When we go to leash him, we stop to pet and praise him for a
moment before attaching the leash, and this calms him down. Once he’s leashed,
he’s happy to walk, and usually doesn’t pull.
Howard loves cheese, and will come running at the sound of
a cheese wrapper.
Schedule:
Monday-Friday
7:30 am wake up and go outside
for potty time (about 5 min.)
8:00 am eat 3 ½ cups of food
8:15am go outside for potty time
(about 15 min.)
8:30:00am put in crate
5:30pm outside for
potty break and play time (about 15- 30 minutes)
6:00pm go for a walk
(sometimes a leash walk on the street, sometimes a hike on trails or a run in a
nearby field)
8:00pm eat 3 ½ cups of food
Outside to potty
as needed
10:30pm bedtime, in bed
on floor of master bedroom but has recently been sneaking up on bed
Weekends
(if different)
Same, but times are often shifted
later if we sleep in. Howard likes sleeping in. J
Food:
Howard has been eating Diamond Large Breed with no
gastrointestinal upsets. Diamond has no corn, wheat, or soy.
Treats:
Howard’s eaten Milk Bones, raw
hide treats, and bones with no problems. He loves cheese and lunch meats.
Training/Trigger
Words:
Howard came into rescue knowing
how to sit and shake. The signal for “sit” is an index finger pointed at the
floor. He will shake any time you reach a hand to him. He knows his name and
knows the word “easy” for how to behave around small animals and children.
Toys:
Howard came to rescue with a soft
toy that had been his favorite. He likes to eat paper towels. Not big on fetch.
Baths:
We’ve bathed Howard several times.
The first time was a challenge due to his fear of being cornered and led into
small spaces. Later times we leashed him outside and used a hose. He’s tolerant
of baths, but fortunately his short, glossy coat doesn’t need a lot of
grooming.
Grooming:
Howard sheds a lot and it helps to
keep him slicked down with a soft-bristled brush.
Howard has a lot of fears. They
include: leashes, collars, sticks, cars, loud voices, sudden movements. We
believe he will continue to become less fearful the longer he is in a stable
home.
Health
issues: N/A
Medications
/ Supplements: N/A
Vaccinations
/ Vet Care:
Deerfoot Animal Clinic
205-661-9630 (files under rescue and adoptable’s name). A copy of the records
will be provided upon adoption.
Flea/Tick
Preventative: Currently on Advantage
Plus due 1st of each month &
after baths
Heartworm
Preventative: Currently on Heartguard– due the 1st of each month for the
duration of life
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