I went today and did a follow-up check on my most recently placed foster (Yoda)... What an awesome home and new furever family he has gotten!... What a cutie patootie he is and (sniff... sniff... ), I miss that little goober!... Ah, the downside of rescue - when they move on!
I have no degree or training... The little bit I know about dogs and rehabilitation of rescue dogs is what I've read, researched, observed and tested out through trial and error... If you believe in Cesar's philosophies and 'dog-speak' by various authors, there is a space that is yours and must be claimed as the alpha in charge. Add in the belief that 65% of the clues we give dogs come from the percentage of white our eyes show to them, you could make the assumption 'your space' is generally the two foot sphere in the front of you.
I've been testing out these theories with Simba. Because of the back issues I have, I seldom move around very much during the few hours of sleep I get... 'Primo' spots are reserved for BeeGee and Frito (by my tummy) and Peanut (above my head on my pillow)... Little Bits usually sleeps on my side and balances throughout the night there (don't ask me how with her back kneecaps!)... This is standard routine and happens every night or nap... Simba jumps into his basket (which faces me) and that's where he stays...
UNLESS I happen to turn over to the other side and then he will jump into bed with me, but sleeps at my back around the ribcage... Frito and BeeGee switch sides and stay in the tummy area... Peanut is the queen so I think that's why she choose the pillow and Little Bits 'rolls with the flow' as they speak!
I have been testing out this theory that if I crawl into bed with my eyes closed, will Simba climb into bed?... He seems to want to claim a spot in bed, but getting into 'my' space in the front where he faces me seems to be too daunting of a task still for him...
This afternoon (after numerous times of testing out this theory), for the first time ever, he climbed into bed and underneath the covers --- and I didn't need to close my eyes for this to occur!... He even allowed me to unhook the harness, pull it over his head and give him a full body massage... Then allowed me to put the harness back on without going into statue mode...
BTW, we've been practicing this too because eventually I want to get rid of that harness and have him wearing only a collar... I use harnesses to train with or walking on lead with --- not having them on 24/7... But for now with Simba, he's still too skittish to be able to catch him (if need be) without one... And he's now tagged - I broke my own rule long enough - so despite the oddity of the ID tag on the look at the base of his neck in the back, it's the best we could do for now... That soft cotton harness AND a collar is just too much... And the indentations around his rib cage have receded now, although he still has sensitivity at times in the areas underneath the armpits... I think that will go away in time, and who knows how long that original harness was on and that tight...
Simba follows me wherever I go throughout the day now... Well, just about everyone does eventually, but those with the highest self esteem take the longest to follow me... The others just about have every chore or task down pat - they know about how long it takes to change a load of laundry, take a shower, go to the bathroom or change clothes... If I'm a minute or two longer than their expectations, they will come find me if I haven't given a command... Simba still has such low self esteem (and a bit of separation anxiety still) that he follows me each and every time - no matter what...
He still is not seeking out love, affection and attention on his own... If I bend to pat someone on the head, he's there... He follows everyone else in regards to TLC and food... But he doesn't reach out to connect on his own yet...
I noticed he has not had any of those disturbing nightmares since about a few days after Valentine's (for the lack of an exact date)... His demure and small cries don't occur in the middle of the night, nor the twitching of his feet when he's sleeping or napping... (keeping my fingers crossed that they are finally gone now)... I don't know what happened in his past, but it must have been traumatic enough to give him nightmares... sigh...
I don't have progress to report every day... And some days it is very small in the overall picture of this journey... He LOVES the backyard and since I got it 'spring-ready,' I tend once again to spend more time out there... He investigated the pool the other day when I was cutting back the vines, but although he went to the edge and peered in, he had not much more interest than curiosity... Once the pool water heats up, I'll make sure that he's water-tested (like we do each of the other dogs each spring)... Although he looks and is curious about things, I don't worry about him being a runner or trying to leave me, the house, backyard, etc. He seems to be as happy as a dysfunctional, slightly traumatized little pupper can be and I expect the greater his self esteem becomes, the happier he will become...
P.S. He's great at destroying at least 3 or 4 toys a week... He gets downright destructive with some of them and he's learned "drop it" means to stop tearing the stuffing out of one! I'm writing it off to anxiety and also expect this to decrease as he gets better along the way. The humping issues have not decreased to any degree and I feel downright sorry for the giraffe (which is now three-legged), the overstuffed teddy bear and the lion that is indeed sorry it has a fluffy mane to hold onto!
