Lilly had another nearly perfect week. Does that mean the meds are helping? I’d like to hope so. Here are the details.
Lilly did grumble twice at class last Sunday. I’m going to use grumble to mean growled under her breath … sort of a quiet exasperation that she did not act upon. Once she grumbled at a dog heeling ahead of us at class. He was a good distance away, and I didn’t see him do anything of concern. But, she grumbled, so I turned her away for a few strides, then we rejoined the group from behind at a larger distance. She also grumbled and stared at an older couple toddering by using a walker. They were a good 150 feet away, but I suspect it was the walker that concerned her. I got her focused on me, and she seemed fine. She did want to look at and watch them pass, but she did not respond. So, in the training log, that would be 2 ~.
In the checkmark (good girl) column, Lilly gets credit for the following:
Approaching class pack leader Lucca (a 3yo German shepherd we love) on her own for an appropriate, on-leash greeting. She ducked low and sniffed his chest, while he sniffed her head. Her tail wagged low and fast, with a bit of a butt wiggle, and then she came back to me when I asked.
Not reacting later when Lucca got a wild hair and went blasting toward a “stick” he wanted to play with. The stick was right behind Lilly, so it looked like he was rushing her in play. She just watched him fly by and ducked when he returned with a huge tree limb.
Having the fastest long-distance recalls we’ve seen in a long, long time. A worried Lilly is a SLOW Lilly. Her typical recall in a group class setting is a slow, slinking, listing-to-the-side kind of tucked-butt saunter. But last Sunday, she flew, and I mean full-on run straight to me.
So, essentially, her attitude was pretty good. She seemed happy and relaxed. Her actual work, however, was a bit spotty. During silent heeling exercises, she became a ground-sniffing monster. She wouldn’t focus on me.
She also showed keen interested in a stuffed squirrel that Gigi had. While it was a challenge to her stays and focus (she crept forward with her head and front feet, but her butt mostly did not move), I guess it could be counted as a victory as well. Remember, Lilly doesn’t usually play or show interest in any toy in public. She’s too stressed, but she really, really wanted that squirrel.
So, maybe this is another trade-off. Maybe a relaxed Lilly isn’t quite as accurate as a worried Lilly.
I’m happy to hear that the SSRIs may be helping with Lilly’s anxiety. I also agree that if she’s feeling less anxious she may temporarily “forget” some of the rules she’s already learned. the key, I think, is that she has already learned them and will remember them as the seretonin levels even out.
Continued good luck!
Roxanne, I’ve been following Lilly’s story for quite a while (and am also on several of the same Yahoo groups as you). I don’t know how to get a hold of you perspnally, but wanted to pass along the name of a fantastic new book ‘Control Unleashed’ by Leslie McDevitt that I think would be perfect for you and Lilly. Best regards,
Pam