In An Awesome Wave

It has only been four days, and in that time I have met so many people that already have made me feel that not only have Ian and I done the right thing by going through the "two-month move of terror" as I now call it (or hellmove when I'm really needing a laugh), but that this was meant to be.

My SCORE mentor Sue Melamud is a dream, I can already say I can't adore her enough. She was just the additional confidence booster I needed. Talk about positive reinforcement! Next week we head into the SBA offices and paperwork continues rolling.

Ian and I hit up both Hound About Town locations on Wednesday (I actually had to check my calendar to be sure of what day it was - it's been that full of a half-week!) and got our furkids their bags of food, and started chatting about getting in on the Force-Free Trade initiative, where owners can trade in their prongs, shocks, chokes, and other equipment for more humane and reliable means (Freedom harnesses, Gentle Leaders, etc). Next week we'll be sitting down and getting things rolling!

Thursday I met with Jeff and Steve of Club Barks and toured the daycare/boarding facility, talked classes and major donation event opportunities to give back to the community, and was invited to Dog Days of Summer down by Zepplin Hall. Ian and I will be there tomorrow talking to people in the community, meeting ups and their people, and likely enjoying plenty of photography from Ian later!

Just as I thought the week couldn't get any more full of meeting some fantastic people, I was contacted by Mary Ann at Downtown Dog Walk (who was on my email list to contact Saturday or Sunday - she beat me to it! I love it!) and we had a fantastic talk on the phone. Can't wait to sit down in people and trade stories and ideas.

And to top it all off, our google listing launched just an hour ago. I know my clients back in RVA are waiting in the wings to give their reviews, and any excuse to talk to them about life in general is an excuse I take, so they'll be hearing from me bright and early tomorrow morning.

On a totally separate note, expect pictures soon of Mudra in his TokiDoki travel bag, which I picked up today showing a friend around Chinatown. He's already pretty hyped to get rolling on the Lightrail, but I as usual want to make sure he's truly comfy before we take our first trip. That said, I think between his stepping into the bag and giving my the "let's work!" eye and the fussy face I received when the bag was put away (hey, training time was over!) means I might need to take my minimutt down to Liberty Park and Paul's Hook for long-line recalls, freestyle, and settle work a little sooner than planned!

Thanks for being amazing, Jersey City. I'm pretty sure I'm already in love with the place.

Reaching Out

With the apartment unpacked and the myriad of things finally in place that come with getting a new apartment situated, I was able to finally sit down this morning and start contacting people in the area (beyond just Liberty Humane) to start networking with.

I was looking forward to networking most of all with Jenna Teti, but was taken by surprise that she's headed out to Colorado! Seems the past few months is a whole lot of passing others while they do their own major life changes (behaviorist Hannah Mercurio in RVA who was once a LI resident being another example). None the less, I sent a good-luck and networking email her way, and the morning was spent full steam ahead on contacting shops, rescues, daycares, and the like to start getting to know everyone here in Jersey City and in NYC (I can never get called under-zealous, can I?).

Like everything else, this networking is another reminder to remember to be mindful of my own limits. Emails get spread out to minimize the typing and keep my arms healthy, and exercise about town (walking and arm exercises) is constant while remaining respectful of the heat. I can't wait to get the boys out to Berry Park and Liberty Park to get their own fun work in (long line recalls, freestyle, settling, etc), but hopefully, next week will be cooler.

Mudra is already walking along the Light Rail platforms with no issue, and soon he'll be learning to hop in a bag to wander the city with me. Brings back memories of Chen back in the day and how much he loved the 6 train and the L in NYC ❤

Emails from clients & friends back in RVA are a nice morning reminder, but always have a tinge of sadness as everyone adjusts to the transitions of my not being there to help out. My hope is things will smooth over quickly, and any ripples in the water will make for great changes for everybody.

When Walks Get Scary: Bowie Moves to the City

No one is ever fully prepared for when reactivity comes into their dog’s life; the surge of energy always surprises the owner just as much as the dog. Seasoned trainers and behavioral councelors are no different. Yet there are things you can do, preferably with the aid of a trainer or counselor experienced in phobias, desensitization, and a complete lack of force/punishment training.

While Mudra seems to be in his element with living in Jersey City after a life in the countryside of Virginia, Bowie showed his houndyness on day two. Mudra is showing his own minor signs of understandable stress (we’ll go into that later), but Bowie has developed the tell-tale lunging for home behavior to the end of his walk, as well as wanting to bolt across the street, and generally being on the edge of his threshold during walk time. While inside definitely was a calmer place for him, we still had a telltale sign of his discomfort: Bowie refused to nap on the couch, which is prime realty to our houndie.

We’re on our second weekend now, and Bo’s ability to decrease his anxiety is right on schedule. Last night he climbed the couch and flopped bodily on Ian’s legs, and his tail has been wagging in the mornings before his walk.

Are the walks easier? Somewhat. So if his walks aren’t all better, how is he making progress?

Because reactivity can sometimes take a few weeks (or months), to work through depending on the animal. In the case of phobia in extreme cases, it can take longer.

Now in mornings Bowie heads out the front door and whines. He whines the whole walk. And we do not attempt to quiet him or shush him. We also don’t make concerned voices, anxious sounds, or anything too exciting in tone. Both Ian and I talk calmly in a relatively level fashion the entire walk.

Why?

Vocalization is the common step for most dogs that are finding their comfort zone, and if they’re not forming a nasty habit, they should be allowed to work through that necessary step of expression. Some dogs totally skip it (a qualified trainer or behavioral counselor knows how to identify this, and should be sought if your dog is showing repeated stress vocalizations). Due to Bowie’s genetics, disposition, and level of anxiety in adapting to the city, the behavior is expected.

He’s now past the tightly shut mouth and silent, wide eyed panting. His walking is typically much looser and relaxed, with what can seem like random bursts of anxiety or stress where he will whine louder, sit down quickly, or make a motion to weave about instead of walking mindfully. But are these behaviors actually random?

Not in the least.

It’s hard to inhibit stressful responses. Any animal that puts that much effort into trying to self soothe and keep their head on straight is going to have moments of panic. To try and force an animal to not feel any form of fear or stress is detrimental and typically causes more damaging behavior in the long run.

So how are we sure that this is helping our big brave Bowie out?

He’s happy to go for that walk. Tail wagging before we go, exhausted but calm when we return home (and right now his walk is only 4 blocks). At his checkpoints his body is loose despite whining, and he will lay down on his own in these places. When he does feel stressed, he typically stops moving at all or pulls off to the side, creating a natural break and an ability to think, instead of allowing his stress to overwhelm him. Allowing him to make better decisions.

He’s doing well, and he’ll continue to do even better as we progress if we maintain our patience and consistently stay within his threshold.