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So after making my new house a hotel for some friends dogs and caring for the worlds’s best-behaved chiweenie and a sassier pomsky, I had to get my own dog again. I had dogs growing up (my last dog passed shortly after I graduated college) so I’m not a first time dog owner but I’m no expert and I want to be sure I’m doing things right This is Newton (right), formerly Kris (which he thankfully didn’t respond to).  He is supposedly a Husky/Golden mix but I don’t buy the husky part. He has no curl in his tail, and has been totally silent except for one whine in the car. The shelter I adopted him from said when he played with other dogs he had some herding tendencies, and he walks with a low, pacing gait like a border collie or pointer. Apparently one of the other dogs at the shelter managed to dig their way out and Newton followed them, but then stayed by the fence he had just broken through with no desire to run off and explore. I adopted him because he’s extremely sweet, gentle, the right size and energy level for my home and block for walks and weekend hikes, and looking like a big fox didn’t hurt either. Anyway, he is about a year old, and doesn’t know most things. He is extremely passive and timid, but perfectly housebroken. But he doesn’t know his name or any commands. He gets very nervous around new situations, but people don’t bother him. He would pull away from the car when I took him home because the only other car ride he got was to an airplane from Puerto Rico and then to a vet in Vermont, but didn’t mind when I picked him up. He got along great with the other dogs at the shelter and was apparently obsessed with his mom but they were adopted separately for her sake. He was adopted to another family and returned after 24 hours; they had a rambunctious 4 month old GSD puppy who he apparently snapped at, likely he was cornered. He doesn’t seem to seek people out for pets yet, but doesn’t shy away from them, and seems to get into it especially when you find The Spot. He very nervously explored the house when I brought him home and was magnetically attracted to anything soft like a rug to lay on (I have wood and linoleum floors). Once I set his crate up he went into that and doesn’t show much desire to leave it. I have the crate set up in my room which is down the hallway to the kitchen which leads to the back yard. He isn’t yet comfortable in my room, just his crate. He won’t leave the crate to go potty (but he won’t make a mess inside it either). At first I had to pull him out. Obviously I don’t want to do that but he would hold it for a whole day if I didn’t, and as soon as I got him outside he would relieve himself immediately with no problem. The least dramatic solution was to move the crate with him in it until he was close enough to the door, then he’d leave the crate to go outside. I only got him Wednesday and I know things will take time for him to relax and get comfortable. But I want to know: 1. Is there any danger to him getting comfortable by moving the crate with him in it to near the door so he can go out for potty breaks? 2. Should I ever deny him access to the crate? I brought him back from going outside to do his business last night and he didn’t recognize where the crate was. I set up a blanket like a bed and he sat on it for an hour and enjoyed some pets. No shaking or panting, but no tail wagging either. When I moved the crate back into my room he found it and crawled in and didn’t want to come out again. Thank you, and I loving love my new buddy. 
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Dec 9, 2023 18:12
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Thanks for the kind words of encouragement about Newton, but shame on those of you who have mentioned other dogs as examples and not posted pictures. Especially Kaiser Schnitzel with a black colored version of him. I want to reiterate my questions and clarify. When I got him, after the first night he would venture out of his crate a little once in a while to explore or eat. And if I gave him a rawhide chew he would gnaw on it a bit, and nose around a toy. But now, he seems to run into his crate as soon as he knows where it is and shut down once he is inside. And he won’t come out to eat or anything unless he sees the door to the outside. And when I get him outside, his leash manners have gotten better and he tends to follow me and be a lot less frantic. He used to try to get back inside, but now he tends to avoid going back indoors. At first, I thought that it was because the doors were making a scary noise, so I left them open, but it didn’t make any difference. He won’t go up the stairs anymore to get back inside. So he seemed to be comfortable more in his crate and outside than in the rest of the house and not want to make progress in the rest of the house for any reason. Would it be a good idea to deny the crate for a little while so he can make progress in the the house?
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Dec 11, 2023 01:54
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Ok thanks. I know I need to be patient, I just got worried that he seemed to regress from coming out easily to refusing to come out, and at one point, I didn’t want to force him out but when I finally did and got him outside he immediately took a massive leak and dump and it was clear he had been holding it for a really long time. It would be easier if I could tempt him with something but he doesn’t seem motivated by treats. If he is stressed he won’t take anything. I can seem to calm him with pets and reassurance but I can’t tempt him with it. Any tips for getting him out of the crate for bathroom breaks and back into the house more easily? Moving the crate to near the door helps, but when he gets back into the house he is stressed because he can’t find the crate, and that makes him unwilling to go back in.
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Dec 11, 2023 04:19
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I’ll keep trying but I have yet to find a treat that really motivates him. Blue buffalo training bites, sardines, slices of a porkchop, hot dogs. smoked salmon, and a slice of a lamb chop are all worth eating but not worth leaving the crate for. Peanut butter and regular kibble are both mid tier. And he doesn’t care for freeze-dried chicken treats or cheddar cheese at all.
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Dec 11, 2023 05:26
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Thanks for the advice everybody. I will let him find his own way out. Just one thing: I keep coming back to when he wouldn’t come out for potty breaks until I dragged him out and he immediately went in spectacular fashion as soon as he was outside. How did you get your timid dogs out for this? Also OMG @ Coco’s enormous tail
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Dec 11, 2023 14:57
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Clowner posted:The country I live in actually banned docked tails. Natural corgi tails are big and bushy and I love them. Do they make allowances for health reasons? My friend had a very sweet pit bull that had to have hers docked because it kept getting injured and infected from repeatedly smacking into door frames, trees, furniture, and anything else in range due to overzealous constant wagging. Newton just came out of his crate to eat a bowl of food!  I lured him out with a few pieces of kibble and guided him to the bowl, which is just far enough away that he has to come all the way out of the crate to get to it. It will be a long stretch to get him to the door to go out for walks but so far I am very proud of my boy. Luckily he has no fear of people. He does get nervous if he sees me with something that he doesn’t like like the harness that we tried, but whether I’m in the room or not doesn’t seem to affect how nervous he is. Engineer Lenk posted:Unless they’re aggressive towards you, physically moving them so they will go outside is the exception to letting them adapt in their own time, if you don’t have a fenced yard and good enough weather to just put the open crate next to the open door and wait them out. They’ll pick up on you moving them for their own comfort and it shouldn’t set things back too far. Thank you! He is far from aggressive. Just turns into a helpless lanky sweetums when I pick him up. So far I have found moving the crate with him in it gently near the door will get him to come out with the least drama. Then he doesn’t want to come back inside because he doesn’t find the crate where he left it and has to deal with the scary house. I’ll make sure I get the crate back where it is supposed to be and he gets into it ASAP when he comes back in. i own every Bionicle fucked around with this message at 16:09 on Dec 11, 2023 |
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Dec 11, 2023 16:03
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Ok drama free potty break completed. Took top off crate so he could see the world a bit and so I could get the leash on him without getting in his face. Dragged crate out into kitchen sleigh ride style. Took Newton outside, he paced a little and did his business. He will usually come to me if I kneel down unless I am near something scary which is nice. He pulled away from the stairs and couldn’t be coaxed back inside, I picked him up and brought him in, then re-set up his crate back where it belongs as quickly as possible, he jumped in and is now cleaning his dirty widdle paws. I think this weekend I may have been scaring him a bit by taking him out more often than he was ready for.
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Dec 11, 2023 18:18
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Casey  Thank you for the advice everybody, Newton has ventured out of his crate a couple times for treats and seems to be more motivated by them after trying to do everything I can to reduce stress. Going out is stressful for him so I’ll do the bare minimum until he loosens up a bit. He also decided that he likes cheese now. Also an important fact that I forgot to mention is that his ears are crooked: 
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Dec 11, 2023 21:55
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Ok thanks for the advice everybody, Newton made big progress today. A couple of sessions of tempting him all the way out with treats got easier and easier. On the last session I had this morning, he stood and enjoyed pets for about ten minutes after the last treat before finally going back inside. For his second walk, I took the top off the crate and moved it into the hallway with him in it. I went to the kitchen to get his leash and he jumped out of the crate and came to the kitchen! Normally I had to get the crate all the way down the hall and into the kitchen for him to come out. He still has his issues going back inside, I’m not sure what’s scaring him but he’s getting closer to the stairs before locking up. Once we got inside he bee lined for his crate, then after cooling off for a minute came out to eat his kibble which I dressed up with some oil from a can of tuna because he’s such a good boy. Resting after a hard day of eating treats and going in and out of a crate: 
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Dec 12, 2023 04:43
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Newton knows stairs pretty well. I think he is comfortable in the backyard and comfortable in his crate, but the stairs, deck, and kitchen are scary. He had less difficulty before because everything was equally scary.
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Dec 12, 2023 15:04
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 Newton made it back across the yard, up the stairs, and inside without being carried
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Dec 14, 2023 00:51
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Sorry about all the Newton chat but this morning with lots of encouragement and crouching (my knees hurt now) Newton made it out of his crate, to the kitchen, and outside without me moving the crate! And when we got outside he ran to his favorite spot and kind of bounced around a little in a way that might have been…playful? It was awesome. Also need to vent. Two days after getting him home a friend called me and explained that the first thing he did when he got his rescue dog was immediately take him everywhere while he enjoyed his favorite hobbies and forced the dog to hang out with him, and that I need to get rid of Newton’s crate because he’s such a beautiful dog and I can’t let him sit in a crate all day. In his defense his dog has turned out great but he’s also much bolder, was not crate trained, and a small enough breed to be able to catch if he got spooked. I texted a group including him that Newton was getting curious enough to poke his head out and explore my room a bit and he thought I was baiting him by suggesting that I still let Newton rest in his crate. Just kind of sent me after stressing out that I had been doing things the right way.
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Dec 14, 2023 16:56
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Thanks all. Newton is happy in his crate, getting better in my room and the hallway, and in one corner of the yard where there is a young pine tree he can stand under to be safe from aerial attack. His leash manners are getting better. How long should I wait before taking him for a little walk down the block? I’ve got good sidewalks but it’s medium-busy neighborhood. Wait until he is comfortable in the whole yard, then try the front yard, then go from there?
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Dec 14, 2023 22:05
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Newton update: after bringing him to his favorite spot in the yard this evening, after what must have been a particularly satisfying dump, he sprinted to a spot under his favorite tree, and full of energy from the relief of said dump, did a play-bow and small woof the next time I took a step. We did it again and again until he was out of woofs. He’s still got his tail down and he’ll only zoom around in the small area he’s comfortable with, not the whole yard. But he can’t resist playing until he burns off a little energy and remembers that he’s still nervous. By walking in the least scary path closest to the fence, I got him to follow me back to the stairs and up to the door by crouching and calling him over every ten feet or so. Thrilled at his progress, we went down and did it again, then again. Eventually he was worn out and shut down under his security tree and refused to follow me back. Oops, sorry buddy. I picked him up and carried him past the scary part of the yard…once I get him close enough to the base of the stairs he goes up and inside. Also forgot to mention that Oliver is an adorable pup. Like, he’s the platonic ideal of a cute dog. Textbook. i own every Bionicle fucked around with this message at 03:15 on Dec 15, 2023 |
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Dec 15, 2023 03:10
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More Newton updates and questions. I got Newton a bed that I put in the spot where his crate was and put is crate in a slightly different part of the room. He can now choose between the security of the crate or the bed and he actually had been spending some time on the bed.  My mom stopped by to see Newton and give him a bit more socialization. He definitely likes her, and once we got in the back yard he ran around a bit and actually played with us. That evening my friend came over with her chiweenie. He’s a calm, confident dog who I have cared for in the past so he knows me and my house well. After a cautious, leashed introduction in the back yard (neutral ground), Newton’s tail immediately went up and into full wag mode. We took the leashes off and they had a great time running around and playing for about 20 minutes. We got them back inside and Newton’s apprehensions were significantly diminished having a confident playmate. He was more enthusiastic about treats, explored a lot more of the house, and was super interested in the other dog. Only stumbling blocks were Newton catching the chiweenie with a right hook when they were playing with a toy, causing a yelp, and I saw Newton’s lip start to lift a tiny bit when I gave the chiweenie a treat. I guess that’s not too surprising given his past but something to keep in mind. I took Newton out for another walk in the backyard later and when he got to his favorite spot he had a lot more energy again. His tail didn’t go up like it did earlier but it was not as far down, but he’ll run around and do some zooms. However I got a little concerned and confused at his behavior when he is in his favorite spot. When I took a step he’d stomp and woof at me, then run/pace around the area he feels safest. Any more sudden movements I made would result in more stomping and woofing. Thinking it was a play bow and he wanted to play I would stomp a bit myself which would encourage him. His barks would be a little bit growly and deep. It would occasionally turn into full-on zoomie circles, but in general, it doesn’t look like the play he would do with my mom or my friend or the chiweenie, which involved no barking or stomping, just play-bows and running and chasing. I stood right in the middle of this area, still and calm, and eventually he settled down. When he was totally calm I pet him and gave him a treat. Newton doesn’t totally trust me yet and that’s totally fine and normal. And he likes my mom and my friend a lot because they are short, non-threatening women who don’t do terrible mean things to him like make him leave my room to go outside or then come back inside. Just wondering if I should be concerned about this behavior and if it sounds like territoriality or something since he only does it in his safe space. There is a well-reviewed dog training place near me I’ll take him to soon for an evaluation and some lessons in any case since I’m not totally sure what I’m doing yet obvs
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Dec 16, 2023 18:14
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Newton updates: He actually came out of his crate to see me when I got home last night after being out for a few hours. He lays on his bed for pets and attention and really got into some head scratches (he pushes his head into my fingers like a cat if I get him right between his ear and his eyebrow). As he has gotten more comfortable with me, the angry scary stompies have gone away and he’s playing with me like a normal happy dog would and not a feral coyote. I think it was a combination of energy and still being apprehensive about me earlier. Or maybe I successfully discouraged it by not playing with him when he did it. I also started putting his food bowl away if he didn’t finish the food. I used to feed him at regular hours but would leave the food out if he didn’t finish the food and he’d pick at it through the day. Now he gets 1/2 hour to eat and when he’s done the bowl gets put away if he doesn’t finish all of it. He’s not eating any more or less but it seems to have increased his desire for food and treats which has made tempting him out of the crate easier. Becoming more relaxed has probably also increased his food drive. Getting him out for bathroom breaks has still been challenging. He has a great time once he is outside, and he’s relaxed beforehand. But something about getting him out of the room and to the kitchen makes him very nervous still, and as soon as he gets nervous all desire for food is gone. Once we get back in from running around and doing business, he doesn’t immediately go into his crate. He’ll hang out on the bed or sometimes in the living room; he actually spent a half hour with me the other night in the living room getting pets. I can only hope to someday achieve similar levels of comfiness  Edit: also did some more research about the training place I mentioned earlier and decided against it. Most of their courses involve you leaving the dog there and picking up later as well as doing some one on one with the trainer. They also offer boarding. They have hundreds of positive google reviews but quite a few negative yelp reviews, most of which are about their boarding services (and a couple about their training). It’s very expensive, they have a super slick website, and it and seems to cater towards people who want to have somebody else do all the work; I want to pay somebody else to show me what to do based on Newton’s specific needs. i own every Bionicle fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Dec 18, 2023 |
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Dec 18, 2023 19:32
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Thanks so much everybody. Newton and I are in southern New Hampshire. The first place I found was this place: https://www.wolfpackcanine.com They have a pretty slick website and they were helpful on the phone. Google reviews were good but not on Yelp. And the more I look at the sight the less I find regarding anything useful. Then I found these people: https://www.fortunatek9.com Who clearly spend a lot less on their website and fake google reviews. The class structure and owner involvement seem closer to what I wanted. Still, no commitment to positive reinforcement only, and no accreditation from the organizations Kaiser mentioned, but the trainers do seem to have some info/accreditation. I was able to find a handful of trainers within an hour of me with those organizations, I think I’ll give one of them a call. I’m totally on board for day training as well if it fits. It’s just that now I don’t know what I’m doing and I really want to learn. And I’d love to have an in-home visit since Newton is so much different now versus 12 days ago when I got him, and I’d love the trainer to show me what I’m doing wrong in my own home vs just Newton somewhere else. Pongo sounds amazing, congrats on such a well-behaved dog! Edit: also, thanks Flesh Forge for those videos, they are helpful. I’ve been trying to reward him whenever he is doing what I want (when he will take the reward), not just when I try to give him a command. i own every Bionicle fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Dec 18, 2023 |
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Dec 18, 2023 23:07
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Not sure if any of these is actually near you but I dug up some options. Thank you, those are both within easy driving distance for me. And yeah good small businesses and bad websites often go together, they get so much business from word of mouth that the extra expense on a website doesn’t make sense.
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Dec 19, 2023 14:17
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That is a glossy dog I had a great conversation yesterday with the second trainer that Instant Jellyfish found (talented canine). He does mostly at-home training which is perfect for me. We are doing a virtual session tomorrow to get started. Also made a little more progress with Newton today. I had a rug down in the hallway that lead to the kitchen since he likes rugs more than hardwood. But he’d never get off the edge of the rug and make it out the door. Today I got rid of the rug and got him to come out of his crate and all the way outside by just moving his crate a bit in my room and being more patient. I’m hoping this gets easier. He’s getting more comfortable on a leash, he used to lock up when I put it on him, now he will play a bit, just with less enthusiasm than when he is free. Still not following me and I can’t guide him with it. I’ve tried holding treats in front of him and gently tugging him towards it but if he doesn’t want to go he doesn’t want to go.
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Dec 20, 2023 23:12
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HootTheOwl posted:I'm loving the Newton saga because it's post after post of this cute dog and IOEB showing so much worry he's broken the dog and the rest of us telling them they're doing fine be patient and then the next day we get a progress update of Newton doing better and better Thank you, unfortunately he broke himself, got his legs all tangled up, imprisoned for leg crimes 
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Dec 20, 2023 23:47
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Drastic measures had to be taken to prevent future reoccurrences
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Dec 20, 2023 23:59
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Shugojin posted:Getting a tentative pickup date (local winter weather allowing) and i'm losing my mind slightly more Is it not allowed to post the pictures? Akitas right?
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Dec 21, 2023 01:35
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alg posted:Pochi went out for her morning walk and the lawn crew was out with leaf blowers (for some reason) and she looked at them once, then happily went back to her walk sniffing everything That’s awesome, every dog I have known has hated them, which is weird, considering they are technically the opposite of vacuum cleaners. I had the most trouble-free walk/run around in the backyard with Newton today. After gently coaxing him yesterday and barely moving the crate, today I was able to just put on my my hat and coat, make idiotic excited noises, and grab his leash (which he still hates and can not walk on, but he knows it means Outside), then walk to the door and he came out with no force on my part. I have been making sure he gets to play until he is bored once he is outside so he knows leaving the crate=funtimes. I’m glad I can get him out without stressing him out. Getting him back in is still a challenge, he just gives up and sits there until I pick him up and bring him close enough to the stairs that he comes in. After he comes in he gets pets for about 10 or 15 minutes on his bed then food or treats so hopefully he closes that loop soon. Bageled up and snoozing after an excellent playtime and breakfast: 
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Dec 21, 2023 15:45
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That is some dense fluff!
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Dec 21, 2023 16:50
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Can anybody recommend good long lasting chew toys? Newton doesn’t get through a bunch of it but he likes to chew when he’s bored. I got him a Bam-Bone thing: https://www.chewy.com/ethical-pet-bam-bones-plus-beef-tough/dp/215510 and he loves it but I noticed it gets sharp in the areas around his teeth marks. And I noticed a little blood on one corner. I also found some sharp ish bits tearing off if it. Other people complained about similar issues on Chewie (I impulse bought this in a store without seeing reviews). How do they sell so many pet products that are potentially dangerous? I feel like every time I get something I find out later I shouldn’t have. Now I have to break his little heart and take it away from him
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Dec 22, 2023 22:11
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Thanks all, my local petsmart didn’t have yak cheese but they had bully sticks which I ponied up for. He’s not a heavy chewer so I’m not too worried and they’ll last a while.
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Dec 23, 2023 01:53
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Those are some very cute dogs. So I guess then maybe not bully sticks for Newton? Who would have thought that petrified bullcock would be so harmful? I guess if the nylon bamboo thing makes his gums bleed a little that’s not as bad as cracked teeth.
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Dec 23, 2023 21:11
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Newton felt safe enough to come out to see the couple people I had over for Christmas Eve. He went back to the crate a couple times to cool off, but eventually fell asleep in his living room bed with his new Christmas present.
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Dec 25, 2023 22:22
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Luckily Newton seems to get nervous over a lot of things but new people are not one of them. I wouldn’t throw a rager yet but if there are a couple of calm people around he’s quite happy to take some treats and pets from them (and if they are unwilling to comply I ask them politely but firmly to leave).
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Dec 26, 2023 00:22
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Where are they rear end in a top hat Give them back
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Dec 27, 2023 16:13
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Flesh Forge posted:the prosthetic balls were called Neuticles, not the dogs New thread title
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Dec 27, 2023 16:17
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So yesterday and today Newton has started spending most of his chill time in the living room with me on his bed instead of just my room/ his crate. I checked the calendar and yeah, 3 weeks to the day. Training starts tomorrow, looking forward to it.
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Dec 27, 2023 23:10
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He really is getting more comfortable. And now that his personality is coming out I am starting to see the husky in him. His tail is definitely curlier, and he is very strong willed when he wants something (or doesn’t want something). For example, laying in the back yard and not coming inside 
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Dec 28, 2023 04:44
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Thank you, my friend took it with whatever the newest fanciest iPhone is. The depth of focus definitely makes it look like I have an English wood for a backyard but the reality is I have just neglected raking and trimming up half-dead bushes and saplings.
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Dec 28, 2023 16:53
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I’m also interested in the air diffuser thing, this is what I found on Amazon. ThunderEase Dog Calming Pheromone Diffuser Kit | Powered by ADAPTIL | Vet Recommended to Relieve Separation Anxiety, Stress Barking & Chewing, and Fear of Fireworks & Thunderstorms (30 Day Supply) https://a.co/d/2yOQC7N The reviews aren’t great and for one person it burnt lol Newton is a very dog-oriented dog and most of his anxiety occurs indoors (he is much more calm in the back yard) so I feel like this is a good fit. But I’m interested in if anybody has any firsthand experience with it.
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Jan 4, 2024 18:25
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It was 13 dollars and I have a bunch of fire extinguishers, ordered. With how much Newton’s attitude is changing day to day I’m not sure if I’ll be able to say one way or the next but whatever.
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Jan 4, 2024 20:39
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Instant Jellyfish posted:I work for a veterinary behaviorist and we have these things all over both the office and training center. Never had any have fire issues and they’ve been using them for like a decade now. It’s pretty variable about how dogs respond to them. Some get a lot of benefit, some don’t seem to get any. It’s a relatively cheap and easy thing to try out though so we recommend them a lot. Thank you! Newton update: We had our first training lesson on Saturday. The guy definitely seems to know his stuff as a dog trainer, even if he wasn’t always great at answering my questions. I decided to give him a shot and signed up for some more lessons. He did give me some good tips, and said I was on the right track with him. We made some progress with him here. One thing he suggested after seeing how badly Newton shut down when I put his leash on was to try to continue to build his confidence without the leash before I put it back on. Newton doesn’t bite the leash, pull, or anything like that…it just immobilizes him. I can have the door open and he’s ready to run out and play, but if the leash is on him, he bluescreens and doesn’t move (even if I am not holding the other end). If I try to guide him with the leash he locks up, and as soon as I unclip it he comes online again and goes back to his old self. Since he really needs help with other things as well, he recommended we build his confidence and his trust before we go too far with the leash. Unfortunately a big hurdle with Newton has always been getting him to come back inside after going out for potty breaks/playing in the back yard. For a while, he was only comfortable in one corner. So he’d go there and I could just pick him up and get him inside. Then he got more comfortable, but I found I could say “Newton, settle down” and he’d go to that corner and sit and I could grab him. I tried to treat him whenever I did that but he usually wouldn’t take them. Often I could put him down after I got to the bottom of the stairs and he’d follow me up then and inside, but after a while that didn’t work and he’d run off if I didn’t carry him all the way in. Then he got comfortable in the whole yard and poo poo went south. The “settle down” trick didn’t work…likely because that was really just making him give up and go into learned helplessness mode. But with his newfound confidence, he had the ability to run away from me. Eventually he would give up and sit down, but the time I’d been spending trying to get him back in wasn’t helping either of our comfort levels. At my trainers’ suggestion, I’d been leaving treats near the stairs/entrance to the house. So a few days ago I spent a while out there trying to lure him up the stairs with treats. It didn’t work and I had to corral him up and grab him. The next evening I put his dinner on the stairs and gently tried to put a big board at the base of the stairs to keep him from running off after he cautiously plodded his way far enough up to eat it, since he has never tried to jump, scratch, or climb over any barriers or gates. I reasoned if I could pull that off the next step would be having his dinner waiting for him inside and he would start to go in. Big loving mistake, he panicked, plowed through it and ran to his security corner and became a helpless, quivering mess. I brought the poor guy in and gave him the rest of his dinner and some treats and let him unwind in his crate and felt awful about myself. But after that, he has started following me inside when I go in. I give him all the praise I can and treat the hell out of him. I divided his meals up so that he gets one every time he comes in. I also found that adding a little hot water to his kibble elevates it from passable gruel to Seriously Gourmet poo poo, and he’s eating it with more gusto than he used to. He’s nervous when he comes in, and since that night he’s been more nervous in general. But hopefully he gets over that, learns to look forward to the reward he gets when goes in, and I can remove that stressor from our routine. He also always gets a petting session when he comes in (if he’s up for it). After one stressful evening that took like a half hour to get him inside I was on the stairs wondering how much this dog hates me, I heard whining from my room, and when I went in he was on his bed and waiting for pets, which I was clearly late for. He has also progressed to occasional belly rubs, which is good? He won’t do upside down bitey face yet, I don’t think he has the confidence. 
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Jan 5, 2024 01:59
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Thank you, I’ll try to get him less nervous around the stairs in general. Luckily he doesn’t seem to have any issue with actually going up the steps, just going back inside in general was scary and not fun and the steps were the first part of that. I’ve found that lately if I walk up the stairs quickly and open the door right away he will cruise right in with me. Another thing I did was put a grippy rug down in the kitchen, since I think the lack of traction was really freaking him out. Now he can run in and out without slipping. This morning it was really loving cold out and he didn’t seem to want to play as much as usual. After about fifteen minutes he started hanging out near the stairs and his tail went down a bit. I went up, he followed me to the top, got scared and turned around, paced around the yard with his tail down, I went down again and back up and on the next try he followed me all the way in for treats, breakfast, and pets.
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Jan 5, 2024 15:51
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Newton’s verdict on snow: 12/10
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Jan 8, 2024 14:50
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We have also been working on leash walking. I got the lightest, dinkiest one I could on Amazon for chihuahuas and hamsters because the big one was a bit overwhelming for him. I wouldn’t walk him down the block with it but for getting used to it in the yard it doesn’t seem to shut him down as badly. Any tips for getting him to walk somewhere I am guiding him that he doesn’t want to would be appreciated. He humbly requests I get it the gently caress off: We had two incidents yesterday where he refused to come in without being picked up and carried under duress. I think it was because he was having so much fun in the snow and I’d given him enough treats and food that he wasn’t hungry enough to want to come in for his meal, and we’re not at the point where coming in on cue is second nature yet. After that I made sure to let him wear himself out in the snow and reduced his treats and he’s been 2 for 2 for coming in under full cooperation. We will see how it continues.
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Jan 8, 2024 19:49
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