From the Styx by Peggy Tibbetts

Self esteem is as important to dogs as it is to humans. It’s so important I’m willing to bet that 99% of the dogs in shelters have self esteem issues.

Venus does. Zeus doesn’t. We’ve had Zeus since he was 7 weeks old. All his life he has heard the words “good puppy”, “good boy”, “good dog”, “good Zeus”. He knows he’s good. I’m pretty sure when Venus was a puppy she heard the words “bad dog” a lot. By the time she came to live with us at 10 months old she was convinced of her badness.

This past summer we learned that in order to reduce her anxiety we have to satisfy the Akbash in her and let her run wild, in spite of the risks. It has been working quite well. With the increase in Clomipramine and the running wild once a week she reached a new level of calm. I wondered if it would be possible to keep her from becoming anxious, to anticipate her anxiety before it escalates. That meant I had to pay closer attention to the triggers. What makes Venus anxious?

The past couple months have brought on some challenges for Venus as well as opportunities for me to address her anxiety. In mid August, school started and our schedule changed. During the summer I babysat Hailey and Bodi 3 mornings a week. Now I babysit Bodi 3 afternoons a week and Hailey comes here every day after school. Venus adjusted easily to the change with little more than a hiccup. She noticed – of course – then adapted.

We live a block and a half from Cactus Valley Elementary so there’s a parade of kids walking, biking, and scootering to and from school. Venus started barking more, a sure sign her anxiety level was increasing. I decided to try something new. Instead of telling her to stop barking and be quiet, in other words focusing on the barking, I went out on the porch and praised her. “Good girl,” I said repeatedly. She stopped barking. After about a week of consistent praise her barking gradually diminished.

Admittedly I had a “well duh” moment over the whole “good girl” thing. I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure out that Venus responds best to praise. Perhaps I was just too focused on training. Or maybe I’m just a stupid human. Whatever the case, I started saying “good girl” when I wanted her to do anything. “Good girl. Sit.” “Good girl. Come.” “Good girl. Leave it.” “Good girl. Hold.” I use the “hold” command when she’s on leash and wants to chase another dog, or cat, or kids on bikes.

The next challenge was Lake Powell. During our trip in June we didn’t understand that Venus was regressing. She acted anxious and obsessive while we were there and then attacked Zeus the day after we came home. We knew Venus had calmed down over the summer. But I needed to see the contrast. Would the truce the dogs made at Trappers Lake hold? Or would a trip to Lake Powell cause another regression?

Labor Day weekend we took Hailey and the dogs back to Lake Powell. We kept up the praise technique, never scolding, always telling her she’s a good girl. The change in Venus was evident from the start. She had to ride in the camper again but this time showed no anxiety because we kept saying, “Good girl.” Instead of feeling like she was missing something by not riding in the pickup, she felt special.

After we set up camp the first evening we took the dogs down to Hobie Cat Beach for a swim. The dogs rode in the backseat of the pickup with Hailey. On the way, a coyote crossed the road in front of us. Tod stopped. The coyote halted about 20 feet away and stared at Zeus and Venus. I held my breath. The window was open. Venus and Zeus sat side-by-side and stared back at him. They didn’t bark. They didn’t try to jump out. They sat perfectly still. Eventually he trotted off and they watched spellbound until he disappeared over the desert berm.

He made quite an impression on Venus. At the beach instead of bounding into the water like she usually does, Venus put her nose to the ground and took off. I wondered if she would try to track the coyote so I kept an eye on her. She ran back and forth and up and down the beach, nose down. We soon realized she was setting up a safety perimeter. She barked at 3 women and herded them onto their beached boat, much to their chagrin. She meant no harm. She was simply warning them and protecting everyone on the beach from what she perceived as a threat – the coyote.

All 3 nights the coyotes were active on the ridge above our campsite, howling and barking. Venus and Zeus listened quietly but remained alert. Even though they were supposed to be leashed at all times, we allowed them to establish a perimeter of pee around our campsite because that’s what dogs do. It really helped Venus control her anxiety.

Last June she had spent her days obsessively chasing lizards. She hardly swam. This time around she chased lizards a little bit, but she also swam a lot, chased sticks and balls, explored and played with Hailey and Zeus. The contrast was amazing. She acted like a normal dog.

In the campground she wasn’t even bothered by the other campers. A large group arrived at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday and noisily set up camp until 2:30 a.m. Engines roared, car alarms went off, headlights shone in our camper, loud voices talked and laughed. During all the commotion Venus barked once. She was so friendly that on Saturday evening she even happily greeted the Park Ranger as he scolded me for not having her leashed.

When it came time to head home on Sunday, the camper temp was 91 degrees, too hot for her to ride comfortably, and we knew it would only get hotter on the drive. So she had to ride in the backseat with Zeus and Hailey. Luckily our pickup’s backseat folds down into a nice roomy flat area for the dogs to ride. And there’s a single jump seat for Hailey, but that makes the dog area much less roomy. In fact it was pretty cramped for the 2 dogs. Neither of them could stretch out like they usually do. We made several stops so they could take a break and stretch their legs. They persevered without any snarling or snapping. Whenever Venus became restless I repeated the mantra, “Good girl” and she settled down.

Lake Powell redux turned out to be a huge success. For us it was like an obedience trial and Venus won a blue ribbon. The downside is we had so much fun playing with Hailey and the dogs, we totally forgot to take photos – doh!

The next, even bigger challenge for Venus came in mid-September. Tod spent 9 days traveling. That meant just me and the dogs at home, and no running wild for 2 weeks. Zeus is accustomed to Tod’s wacky schedule and takes it in stride. Even though Venus has been with us for more than 3 years and during that time Tod has always traveled, whenever his suitcase appears her anxiety increases. This time I started out by reassuring her. “Good girl.” I repeated it over and over during his absence. I muttered it in my sleep. She never tired of hearing it. She always responded positively. I allowed her to sleep outside at night to satisfy her guardian instinct. The 9 days flew by without any problems.

And how does Zeus react to all that “good girl” nonsense? He doesn’t. He knows he’s a good girl.

The peace they forged at Trappers Lake has held fast for almost 2 months – through changes in routine, a Lake Powell trip, Tod’s absence, thunderstorms, loud bangs, and close quarters. So how do I keep Venus’s anxiety from escalating? I say, “Good girl”. She responds with a goofy grin, remains calm, and does whatever she’s told.

Works like magic.
 
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