Self-handicapping with Abbi

[JMFS]

I thought perhaps with familiarity and corrections and redirects Gertie would eventually learn that Abbi is Not a trampoline. Gertie is being dense, or we're being unclear. Or both. :D I picked up this new-to-me term, self-handicapping, from Patricia McConnell (my Behaviorist is a fan girl of this gal) and then found one of your articles using that term. I believe this to be the next thing we're after.

 

Set up: Abbi is on the dog bed (I'm trying like the dickens to get her to stay in her own "apartment" where I've cordoned off a corner of the office for her). Gertie and I come in to the office. Gertie immediately jumps over Abbi, and onto the bed. "Good Morning, I'm here and this is So Exciting! Isn't it exciting?! Yes! I haven't seen you, male human, in like Fifteen minutes, it's been sooooo long!" She then does that play bow and jumps All over the bed, and poor arthritic, grumpy, old Abbi. Abbi responds by making these awful death / war cry sounds and going for Gertie's throat. Gertie backs off, Abbi presses for the advantage (Dachshunds /sigh), Gertie has nowhere to go so she play bows and resumes jumping because Any attention is Good attention, right? 10 lbs vs 45 lbs, we're not worried about injury to Gertie. Physical damage aside, I know it can't be healthy for Abbi to get to that frame of mind and she does redirect onto whomever picks her up. Again, not worried about injury from Abbi, even her hardest bite tickles. Thank goodness for that.

 

I'm slow in the morning. Like, a zombie missing its feet walking in half-dried cement slow. I'm also not smart until 10 a.m. after the haze has cleared and coffee has been mainlined. I know I could prevent the behavior by making Gertie wait until I get into the office first, yes, yes, yes, this I know. However, that morning fog is a formidable obstacle. I shall work on that part. :D I may have to put her leash on her. Not a bad idea (I type myself through half the issues I start posting about). My morning stupor is so bad that my a.m. nickname is "The Sloth." It's my spirit animal, along with the Honey Badger.

 

Until I can check Gertie's zeal, how on Earth do we get these girls to where they can greet each other politely when Gertie the Destroyer and I come into the room? It Mainly happens when Abbi is on the bed, regardless of time, but it can also happen if she's at the base of the husband's chair It's as though Gertie can't even see Abbi and the poor thing gets trampled. Then she gets ticked. Then we have a tiny Cujo on our hands and a Gertie completely misunderstanding Abbi's communication. I Think what I'm looking for here is teaching Gertie how to self-handicap so she's gentler with Abbi. She's great at self-handicapping with me. She plays rougher with the husband than she does with me, for example. I need her to tone it down about 180% with Abbi. Thank you, as always.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

"Self-handicapping" is a social skill, (if we can call it that way) that some dogs perform naturally. The foundation starts in the litter when a pup bites too rough and the pup starts learning the ABCs of bite inhibition and "gentleness pays" and perfects through social play with dogs of different sizes and play styles and play with humans. The dog basically intentionally puts herself/himself in a disadvantaged position so to give the playmate an edge. This can happen often in dogs with inequalities (larger dog/smaller dog, adult dog/ small puppy) but to an extent that it's generally present in in every day dog play regardless of size since dog play often includes equalizers to allow fair play and fun among the parties.

 

An important rule of play among dogs is that both parties must be having fun and needs to be consensual. It would be important therefore determining what is going on exactly in Abbi's mind. Is she having fun, is she slightly annoyed or is she very annoyed by it to the point of trying to send Gertie seriously away?

 

It may not always be easy to tell. Usually, in a play group or doggy day care situation when there are dogs playing and we are concerned whether they are both having fun, we would momentarily remove the possible "instigator" and see whether the "bullied dog" comes back in hopes for more play. If the dog goes right back to the "instigator", then, we can assume that both parties are likely having fun. If the possible "bullied dog" instead goes hide behind a person or moves away or does something else, there are chances this form of play wasn't for him or he needs a break.

 

Now worth mentioning, there is one type of play among dogs that goes something like this: a dog is lying down or standing and another dog plays the role of the '"intruder" approaching while the other dogs lunges and vocalizes as if to "send" the intruder away. Again though, we must evaluate what is going on Abbi's mind: Is she having fun, slightly annoyed or is very annoyed by it?

 

In any case, let's give her benefit of doubt and assume she stands at the annoyed part, and on top of this, we also don't want Abbi to get hurt. There is a size difference and Doxies are prone to spinal issues so falling off from a bed or chair can spell disaster. Management through leash attachment in the morning might be the best option for now until we can get Gertie to learn to be well under verbal control to prevent her from engaging in rowdy behaviors around Abbi.

 

During the day, or when you feel more up to it, you can then train her to "leave it" signaling not to go on the bed or wherever Abbi is sleeping (initially practice with the leash on) and engaging her in alternate behaviors such as hand-targeting, sits or doggy push-ups (reps of sit/down, sit/down) for the time being until she's under voice control and learns that it's rewarding to stick to you rather than go on an all-rowdy play mode. After reaching this fluency point, you can try without the leash or practice with a longer lightweight leash until she has the exercise down.

 

Another option is to create a morning routine that replaces the jumping and all-over play. You want a routine that makes it a no-brainer for Abbi to choose. I am thinking along the lines of sending straight her to a mat in the office where there is a Kong waiting for her. Maybe have Gertie have one too while she's on the bed. Of course, do this only if none are prone to resource guarding.

 

Ideally, it would help too to send Gertie out in the yard to play and release a bit of pent-up energy. Many dogs wake up in really festive mood (don't we love that?) to embrace the day and are at the peak of their energy. A little romp in the yard or a structured walk, may help her get in a little calmer state of mind. This can sometimes take the edge off some dogs and they play more gently.

 

Healthy dog play in dogs with good social play skills is made of pauses, and generally, overly excited dogs give very little pauses. Redirecting play with a leave it or other cue that tells dogs to happily break apart and come to you for a treat can help provide the extra pauses. Games of tug among dogs (not for dogs who resource guard) gives dogs the opportunity to focus on the toy rather than rough pinning or body slamming.

 

With puppies who are full of energy and living with older dogs, we often suggest keeping them separate for a portion of the day, and then letting them play only once the puppy is tired (generally mid afternoon, later evening) so that the play is less rambunctious. A great way to play for dogs with gaps in age or size is mouth play, where both dogs lie next to each other and are jaw sparring. You see this form of play in tired dogs.

 

While we can to a certain extent teach a dog to play less roughly, it may be difficult to train a dog not to step over another dog especially if this is done inadvertently. Some dogs are just plain clumsy. Usually, dogs learn to be a little less clumsy when the other dog gets angry, but some dogs can be a bit thick-headed especially if they are in an over-excited state or don't take the other dog's warnings seriously. A bite may help some dogs as such learn their lesson, but then this is an aversive event and can lead to side effects (one dog learning to bite to keep distance and the other learning to react defensively) and we don't want to put dogs in this position.

 

In a case of such, you will need to be Abbi's ambassador and redirect Gertie through "leave its" (or any other words you want to use, as long as you stay consistent), and reward her so that she gets fluent and responsive to you as needed. Alternatively, you can have Abbi sleep in one of those large xpens so she can rest undisturbed. There are some playpens that come in canvas but in my experience exited dogs tend to run through them or jump on them causing them to collapse and if Abbi is in one, she may get injured. Dogs must be trained to not do this.

 

And then you have options of blocking off certain areas so Abbi doesn't feel the need to defend herself from rowdy play. This means often baby gates, or furniture blocking off passages. Some baby gates have a cat opening at the bottom where most small dogs can fit through but larger dogs cannot. This may give Abbi the opportunity to go in a safe area just reserved for her.

Edited December 14, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

No resource guarding with Gertie - I think I've paid my dues with Momo. :D We just have to survive her puppy adolescent phase, which Should be fettering off around March. Should. She's already come so far from my first post about her being nose deep in the peanut butter. I was so very unsure I could do this again, but we're making progress in leaps and bounds.

 

We do have a section for Abbi cordoned off where the bigger dogs can't get to (or at least they Think they can't) so she has her safety zone. She's just so darned riddled with arthritis that she can't get there quickly, and from my last flare up I know it's Very difficult to be tolerant of nonsense; so you're right, we need to get Miss Gertrude in check. Abbi is definitely not having fun. When she played with Momo it was soft silly growls. With Gertie it's an amazingly mean growlbark.

 

I knew you would give me food for thought and I'll keep these ideas in mind to see where we can make alterations. The bed Abbi keeps laying on is intended for the bigger dogs, but Abbi likes to be near the husband and he won't encourage her to go to her own area so, and that leaves it up to Gertie and me. Unless I can finally convince him to build that pallet dog bed for Abbi so she can be up high to lord over the other dogs. He is a Builder, after all, surely it can't be any tougher than a human house! We're taking the remainder of December "off" starting next week (we'll be working, the rest of the people won't, which Does give us a big break) so I'll use that time to get everyone on board with a plan. Wish me luck - I'm up against a stubborn old lady and well, a stubborn old man (don't tell him I said that). :D

 

Pets to Einstein and Petra. :)

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Great to hear Gertie has improved so much, you are doing a great job with her!

Yes, sounds like Abbi is trying to ask for space and in a serious tone. That high pallet bed sounds like an awesome idea, just need to make sure she has no way to accidentally fall from it or get hurt jumping off, but I am sure there are ways to prevent this.

Good luck, and wishing you the very best!

Adrienne

[JMFS]

So we've changed things up quite a bit since my last update. Each girl now has their own bed on opposite sides of the room. We skipped the pallet high rise and instead got a smaller version of Gertie's bed for Abbi (the orthopedic spoiled rotten kind). We moved Everything out of the office and rearranged. The insurance auditor came today for the annual review and I was so discombobulated because we're not Quite yet put back together due to losing some surface space for paperwork. That, and I thought he was due to arrive Tomorrow, not today. Yikes! Ah well, at least it's over and now tomorrow is freed up. The girls Mostly behaved and one interesting thing occurred:

 

Each time he rolled his chair over to look at my monitor, Abbi started barking her little head off - as though she was being protective of me. This is a warm dog-loving kind of guy, not a "I prefer cats" fellow; nor is he one who gives sketchy vibes, so it was weird. Especially because Abbi has never been protective of Me before (and nope, I can't be pregnant, lol, so it wasn't some Doggy Sense). She'll get snippy if the husband makes a fuss when I tickle or playfully smack him on the shoulder for saying whatever thing he comes up with to tease me; but this was the first time she's behaved that way with me. Gertie liked him quite a lot and she's more likely to be timid around a person who's giving off weird energy so perhaps Abbi is simply having a bad day. She Has been on Gertie's bed a few times today, which is the first time in 3 weeks she's done that.

 

Anyway, Abbi now sits between 3 walls next to the husband so she has her own little cave bed area. Gertie is over by me in "our" area. In the morning I have Gertie sit until I've shut the bedroom door, then I go into the office and call Gertie, while I stand in front of Abbi so Gertie can't sneak in a quick gotcha. Abbi still grrrs some days if Gertie comes in with energy, but now it's a soft warning rather than an all-out axe-wielding psychotic screech. We're Almost to a routine now where Gertie doesn't have to be under voice control, she's beginning to do it automatically. Abbi, well, there's just no hope for training the old gal. Her arthritis is so bad that she's simply grumpy and needs to be left alone so it's up to Gertie and me to get it right. The husband Is starting to tell Abbi to go to her bed on the rare occasions she tries to venture into "our area" so that's a relief - it gets tiresome when you're the only one doling out the corrections and guidance! I"m sure you see a lot of that ("his" dog did this, "her" dog does this, "my" dog is perfect - it's "their" dog who's the problem) and we've been guilty of it a few times ourselves so it's nice to finally be on the same page.

 

I also got to see an example of self-handicapping. When I took Gertie to play with Max the Rottweiler (I've said it before but . . . I love love love him) the first two times he just wanted to hump, mouth, and paw her. We learned that Gertie's collar = chew toy to Max so I have to take it off before they can play. I took her again last week and they were great together (aside from a couple uncomfortable face humpings Gertie paid Max back with - was Not expecting that from "my" dog!). Each time they play together Max has been adjusting the amount of strength he uses, as well as his play style, and this last time he was downright gentle. Well, as gentle as a giant can be - they both knocked into the wall pretty good a few times. Gertie kept going back for more so we assumed all was okay. This time each attempt by Max to hump was returned with Gertie going into reverse and sliding out from under him. His confusion was priceless when she was suddenly gone. Max eventually tired out and Gertie was still trying to engage, but when she saw he was pooped she flopped down beside him. I think we have a good playmate match in Max - we just need to find somewhere Other than the granite floor for them to play on. Dogs skidding everywhere, not to mention that floor is unforgiving.

 

Off to go play catch up from the unexpected audit. Pets to your pooches!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hmmmm.. interesting behavior. If I was there, I would have likely instructed you to hand feed her a tasty treat (or possibly tossing it behind her in a treat-retreat fashion) every time I moved the chair and moved towards the monitor. First moving the chair a bit lightly, then a tad bit more and then some more with the hierarchy of value of the treats becoming higher (and given at a more frequent rate) the closer I came to the monitor. Then, when back away from the computer, the treat fest would have been closed. This could have been done in one session or several depending on how over threshold she was.

 

These cases can be tricky figuring out what can be evoking the behavior because there are several possibilities:

-It could be a distance-increasing behavior simply of her not likely this stranger moving around in her home if getting closer to the monitor meant getting closer to her space

-It could be she is not used to seeing the chair moved, or a stranger moving the chair

-It could be she was guarding you (a way to exclude this would have been you moving away and seeing if she still reacted)

-It could be she was guarding her "safe spot"

-Sometimes we have a combination of factors

 

Several possibilities there. As dogs get older (and their senses decline) or they have crippling conditions such as arthritis where they can't move away as needed, unfortunately they feel more vulnerable at times and this can make them more reactive.

 

I am seeing this with Einstein too (unfortunately we lost Petra to a very aggressive cancer last August). Last time the vet got close to his face to check his eyes with her ophthalmoscope he emitted a soft growl. He never did this in all his years of seeing the vet and he loves this vet (she's always doling out treats and depending on the weather also does outdoor vet visits in a nice grassy area in the back). She said he has the beginning of lenticular sclerosis in his eyes and also that Rotties are prone to myopia and he might have a bit of that too. I am chalking it up to him not seeing too well at times, because he sometimes startles (moves his head away like horses do) when being petted on the face lately, but then again the vet episode, could also have been just plain old age-related grumpiness. By next visit, I will practice some counterconditioning exercises with some object that looks like an opthalmoscope to get him prepped and hopefully will get a nice conditioned emotional response!

 

Hope things go smoothly with your taxes.

Best,

Adrienne

Edited January 24, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

Aw, I didn't know about Petra.

 

Let's see, Abbi's bed is by the husband's chair, which is where the auditor sat. He was rolling away from her and towards me. She was cool with him being next to her until he started moving towards me and then she'd simmer down when he'd move back. I tripped over her once because she snuck over to my side and I wasn't expecting her there. He probably would have been a willing participant with helping with as fondly as he spoke of dogs he's met while visiting folks' homes. He even laughed about the St Bernard who knocked him over. He's at least 6'3" and er, has a presence (he's not a small man) and it was funny to think of a guy his size getting knocked on his keister by Beethoven (not Cujo). :D

 

Thankfully it was an insurance audit for the business instead of tax and he really is a nice fellow. I'm not generally given to panic or freaking out, but I think the tax man coming a day earlier than anticipated would have rattled me - they've got that nasty reputation of being out to get you. Like a financial boogeyman! I was able to gather everything he needed and we were wrapped up within an hour thanks to Excel and geek power! I can genuinely say I like spreadsheets.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you so much for the kind words. It's so true dogs are so loving and give so much to us.

 

Hmm... it would be interesting finding out in such a case if her reaction was contingent upon the movement of the chair (with him) on its own or him moving next to you (in which case may be suggestive of resource guarding you) and whether her more relaxed state was contingent upon him stopping from moving with the chair or moving away from you. In case of dogs resource guarding owners, dogs usually like to stick by the owner's side (or place themselves in between) rather than at a distance, but with her arthritis, she may not exhibit the full spectrum of tell-tale signs one would expect.

 

Glad to hear the insurance issue has settled for you.

Best,

Adrienne