Small victories = big thanks!

Noobs · Post by **Noobs** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 4:28 pm

A while back I wrote a post about Murphy, my 16-month-old Lab/Whippet whom I adopted 8 months ago who is fearful of certain things on walks and had nipped someone's jacket once on a walk. I got lots of great responses, and even more than that, I also read lots of posts here from other threads about helping fearful dogs.

Since then, I've been working with him a lot. I shortened our walks to 20-25 minutes, and even shorter at times when I see him get stressed. I have been watching Murphy's body language carefully, I carry high-value treats with me, and probably most importantly, I look out ahead of us and go another direction when I see things that might potentially make him react (especially cats, plus dogs or people he's reacted to before). We haven't had another incident of lunging or snarling since.

Last night on our evening walk, he froze and did his whale-eye stare at something up ahead. (This behavior was the precursor to the nipping the jacket incident of a couple of months ago.) I couldn't tell what he was looking at - could have been the mailbox at the corner or the tree branches swaying in the wind. Several weeks ago I would have pulled him hard just to get past the "scary" area. The last few weeks I have just turned and taken him another direction where he could be more comfortable. This time I decided to experiment and I took out bits of chicken and held them in my hand, walked backwards and coaxed him toward me with a gentle voice. I could swear I saw by his expression that he decided that the treats were good enough that he would go with me rather than continue to hold back. He followed me and I let him nibble at my closed hand as I released a little bit of chicken at a time, and next thing I know, we were past the scary spot. Turns out it was the tree branches, and he even looked up at the tree while we were under it, while he was between bites of chicken.

This is a small victory for us, and it felt so great that I just had to share. He's still afraid of large trucks that make loud noises, and if it's windy and things are blowing around like crazy, forget it. But this is progress, and we're getting there. So thanks everyone on the board for helping me and everyone else on here that writes in seeking advice. I surely have saved hundreds of dollars (and my sanity!) doing my research here rather than hiring a behaviorist which I really cannot afford. So Murphy and I both thank you all.

Missymay · Post by **Missymay** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:56 pm

Great job, Murphey!!!

Nettle · Post by **Nettle** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:10 am

Thank YOU for doing it - we can suggest but you have to DO

It's great to have positive feedback too.

Mattie · Post by **Mattie** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:37 am

Well done, it is little steps that get us there in the end, and each time our dog moves forward with a little step is huge progress.

Missymay · Post by **Missymay** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 7:57 am

Mattie is right, there are no small victories, only small steps in a journey. Every advance, not matter how small, should be celebrated to the fullest.