Interesting moments in the life of Pippa

I've had a few interesting developments crop up in the last few days, with Miss Pippa.

Last weekend, I went out of town for a dog show with Charm.  My parents were so kind as to watch Britty, Buster, Willow, and Pippa for the weekend.  At my parents' house, the dogs were fed about an hour earlier than I usually feed them.  The day after I brought all the dogs home, I was in my office working and Pippa was in her corner on the dog bed, when 4 pm rolled around.  Pippa got up, came to the doorway of the office, and just looked at me.  I said hi to her and she wandered away.  A bit later, I heard an odd, sort of halfway bark coming from the living room.  I looked around and all the dogs except Pippa were in the office with me.  She'd been the one to bark and make noise!!!  Every day since then, Pippa has come to the doorway of the office sometime between 4 and 5 pm to remind me that she'd like her dinner!

For a few days now, I've noticed a stuffed toy carcass in the corner where Pippa likes to lay.  I assumed that one of my dogs put it there, since I've never seen Pippa touch a toy and my dogs are constantly dropping them in random places.  Today, I finally realized that Pippa might have brought that toy to her corner herself!  What brought me to that realization was finding the toy relocated to Pippa's crate.  I know none of my dogs would do that, so the only answer is that she put it in her crate herself.  I have no clue when she might have done that, but it was kind of exciting to know that she's been carrying a toy around!

This evening, for the first time ever, Pippa decided to lay in her crate with her front feet and chin resting on the door frame of the crate, instead of cowering in the back!  I tried to get a photo, but that spooked her in to retreating to the back of the crate.  Still, that's the first time she's felt safe enough to relax in her crate with the door open.

Every day with Pippa is just interesting.  She's a sweet dog, and she really wants to interact with me, she's just scared and doesn't know how.

Huge step for Pippa!!!

Check it out, two updates in as many days.  Dogs love to prove us humans as liars, and Pippa did it in spectacular fashion this morning.  Just as I say that progress is slow, Pippa takes a huge, brave step.

This morning, I got up really early to let dogs out and released Pippa and Willow from their crates.  Then, we all went back to bed for another hour to snuggle.  Pippa went to her corner, Willow jumped on the bed and curled up.  I was halfway asleep and heard the pitter-pat of doggie toenails on my wood floors.  Charm and Willow were curled up on the bed, and Pippa rarely moves from her corner, so I assumed it was either Buster or Britty just wandering, and ignored it.  It was a constant pacing, though, so I started to get curious, and when I heard the toenails approach the bedroom door and stop, I opened my eyes to see who it was.  There was Pippa!!!!  She had come to find me!  It took a minute to register, and she just stood there looking at me.  I said a soft "hey Pippa," and she scurried away.  I didn't think anything of it, except that she must have gotten curious as to where everyone was.  I got up a bit later and found that Pippa had left me a little "present" in the living room.  Apparently, her pacing and then seeking me out was her way of telling me she needed to go out to poop!  No big deal on the accident - wood floors make that kind of clean up easy.  What was a huge deal was that Pippa realized she needed to go do that outside, and was trying her hardest to get out there (the pacing and then coming to find me).  Now I know what those things mean for Pippa, and I'll be more vigilant in the future!  I think that's the first time she's come to seek me out in another room and it's just so exciting, even if it was just because she needed to go out to potty.

A long overdue update

I do apologize to all of you that have been waiting for an update.  Life got busy!  Also, Pippa's progress is very slow, so it has become more difficult to write about now that we've passed major hurdles (like not pooping when someone touches her or just walking upright).  I will try to post more frequent updates, but no promises!!

Pippa continues to make progress, but it is very slow.  She still seems to prefer her hallway corner or her crate, but she has now accepted a dog bed in her corner and will lay on it if I make sure that it's in her spot.  I haven't given her a blanket or bed in her crate yet, because she just eats the fabric.  Pippa has reached the point where she knows what "outside, go potty" and "kennel up" mean, and will willingly go outside when asked or get in her kennel.  I can even stand by the back door and call her to go outside and she will come...at a normal walk rather than a scurry!  I can stand near her kennel and call her to that as well, but if I'm too close, she won't go in, she just kinda circles around the living room until I move a step or two away.  She has become comfortable enough with me that she just looks at me with curiosity when I approach.  She doesn't scurry away from me and will just get up and walk away at a normal pace.  She still doesn't feel comfortable coming up to me and doesn't like it when I come up to her unless she's safely in her corner or crate.  She still won't eat or drink if I'm watching, but is interested in food.  Pippa knows what dinner time is, and if I'm too slow in bringing her food bowl to her, she will come out of her corner and look for me.  Lately, I've been feeding her in her crate, so she's a bit confused about where she's supposed to eat - her corner or her crate.  This evening, she heard me getting dinner ready and raced to her crate.  I didn't bring her bowl right away, so she went back to her corner.  A moment later, she was back in her crate.  Then her corner...and then her crate.  She ended up eating in her crate.  I would like her to learn that she can eat in different places and that it's all "okay."  Pippa has also learned that me asking her to kennel up is often preceded by me opening the treat jar.  The treat jar has a metal latch on it, and I always give her a little cookie when she goes in her crate.  So, Pippa has associated the sound of the treat jar latch with going in her kennel and getting a treat!  This evening, I opened the treat jar to convince Charm to come inside, and I heard Pippa hurrying across the living room floor and going in to her crate!  Of course, I gave her a treat for that, and then left the crate door open so she could go back to her corner if she wanted to.  Pippa is continuing to make progress in baby steps, but there is progress there.

Willow also deserves a bit of an update.  She's made more progress than Pippa, but she's got a different type of personality.  Willow has also learned what the sound of the treat jar latch means, and was even faster than Pippa in getting in to her crate this evening, when I opened the jar!  Willow has also learned that dogs get treats when they come inside when told.  Willow struggles with that, so I make sure to reward her for going through the scary doorway and coming inside.  Of course, even if she's already inside and the other dogs are coming in, she still thinks she needs a treat.  I went outside to bring Charm in, and when I came in, I found Willow sitting on the couch, looking at me over the back, waiting for her treat!  Since she came close to me voluntarily, she got a treat.  Willow is an odd little dog.  She rarely comes up to me on her own, she ducks and runs if I approach her, and she generally doesn't really want to be close to me.  The exception is when I'm in bed.  If I let Willow join me and my dogs on my bed, she instantly wants to snuggle and be as close to me as possible!  It's just weird!  She curls up next to me and seems to just love the snuggling...but only on my bed.  Willow has started heartworm treatment now and will hopefully be ready for a forever home after the first of the year.

And, a quick Kipling update.  He continues to make slow progress.  He will now occasionally approach and give nose nudges when he wants attention.  He still tends to run away if a person looks directly at him, but he's starting to see that people aren't as scary as he thought.  He likes to engage in play, and will play for a bit before he remembers that he's supposed to be scared.  Kipling had his first real bath, and survived the experience.  He even got his fur trimmed up a bit without to much drama.

I'm enjoying these fosters.  Willow makes me laugh often, with her antics.  Pippa surprises me daily with how strong the Brittany spirit is.  Both will make wonderful pets for the right family, eventually.  Pippa will take longer than Willow, but that's okay.  In the mean time, I'll continue to just quietly hang out with Pippa and help her learn that people really aren't that scary.

And, just for fun - I "tortured" the dogs by making them wear a pumpkin hat on Halloween - neither Pippa nor Willow were amused.

Willow with the Pumpkin hat and scarf.  This is the least terrified looking photo that I managed to take.

Pippa with the Pumpkin hat.  She was trying to become one with the wall.  

My crew, sporting Halloween scarves.  L to R - Charm, Buster, Britty

A new milestone

Today, Pippa hit a new milestone!  She was able to walk from the back of the boarding kennel almost all the way out to my car on leash!  Then, she walked from the garage in to the house on leash.  This is HUGE for her, as walking on a leash has been a challenge.  I'm not sure what has finally clicked for her, but I'm very glad that something did.  I think, just to keep it up, I'm going to be walking her around on leash every day for a while.

I went out of town last weekend, so Pippa and Willow got to go back to the boarding kennel.  The staff were all happy to see them looking so much better.  Willow and Pippa did well at the kennel and seemed kind of excited to see me when I picked them up.

Pippa just amazed me today.  I saw her walking out on a leash and almost cried!  Then, when I got home, she was actually pawing at the crate to be let out of the car.  She willingly waited for me to put her leash on and then she jumped down from the car.  She did try to hide in a corner in the garage, briefly, but I told her no and she just walked along beside me.  I can't even describe how exciting this is.  Both her walking on a leash and wanting to get out of the crate, and just her overall seeming to want to interact a bit more with me and the other dogs.

Another first for Pippa!

The little girl is getting more brave every day!  Tonight, she actually joined in getting in to mischief with my Britts.

At the back of my yard, I have a 4 and a half foot tall retaining wall, with 6 foot fencing on top of that.  My neighbor behind me is at a higher elevation and they have trees in their yard.  My Britts spend lots of time with their front feet on the retaining wall, watching for birds or critters in the trees and on top of the fence.  When I'm sitting on the patio, I'll often look up from a book or my cell phone or laptop and see the backs of two Brittanys stretched out with their front feet on the wall, heads turned upwards.  I usually call to them and ask them to get down, as Buster has been known to climb up on the wall to get closer to the critters.

Tonight, I was sitting outside, checking email on my phone.  I glanced up and saw two Britts side by side with front feet on the wall.  I called to Buster, and out of habit, was about to call to Charm when I realized that Charm was right next to me!  I looked again, and sure enough, the dog with her feet planted against the wall and stretched out to check out critters was Pippa!!!  Not only was she feeling brave enough to do what Buster was doing and check things out, she was right next to Buster!  Usually she keeps her distance from my dogs.

Also, I noticed this evening that when I went to feed Pippa, she was waiting for her food and didn't shy away from me like usual.  She's stopped flinching every time I approach.  She still watches me, but it's much less warily than she used to.  I think I'm actually seeing some real progress with her!

Pippa relaxed!!!

This evening, I decided to take Pippa's rehab up a notch.  I decided that she was going to come out of her corner and sit on the couch with me for a few minutes.  I've tried this before, but as soon as I take my hands off of her, she scurries off the couch and runs back to her corner.  Tonight, I picked her up and carried her out of her corner and over to the couch.  I sat down with her and started just giving her a little massage.  After a few minutes, she put her head down and seemed to be enjoying it!!!  I decided to shift positions a little and see if she'd snuggle with me at all.  She got a little anxious as I shifted us both around so that she was laying next to my leg on the couch.  Once I got her situated, I just rested my hand on her back.  It took her a while, but eventually, she put her head down and settled in.  Then, she took a deep breath and relaxed!!!  I was so happy for her!  Of course, at nearly the same moment, Buster scratched at the door to be let in.  I gave it another minute, then got up.  As soon as I moved, Pippa jumped off the couch and scurried back to her corner.  Oh well....we'll try it again tomorrow.  She is making progress, even though it's very, very slow.

Smart Pippa

Well - typical for a Brittany, Pippa is a very smart little girl, even when she's scared.  This evening, my Border Collie was dancing around in the hallway, so I asked her if she needed to go outside.  She danced towards the back door, so I got off the couch to let her out.  Britty, my BC, was being silly, and when I opened the door, she decided to go in to my bedroom.  She does weird things like that...she wants me to invite her outside, I guess.  Or maybe it's just because she's a Border Collie.  So, I'm standing there at the back door, and calling out "come on Britty, outside, go potty!  Outside, outside, outside."  Just as I moved away from the back door to go track down my wayward BC (who is 12+ years old and starting to go deaf), Pippa came around the corner of the hallway, headed outside!  Every time I tell Pippa to go outside, I tell her "outside, go potty" and apparently that's sunk in enough that when she hears it, she starts to head outside.  Of course, as she came around the corner, she saw me walking towards her and had to scurry back to her corner.  I got out of the way, called for dogs to go outside, and Pippa came around the corner again and headed out.  What a smart girl she is!  And, yes, the wayward Border Collie went outside eventually too.

Pippa is also a typical Brittany clown, even though I don't think she means to be.  She's a very short girl - probably under 17 inches easily.  Now, my boy, Buster, is a very tall Brittany at 21.5 inches.  Lately, every time the dogs come in from outside, Pippa and Buster have been at the front of the crowd.  Buster calmly trots in, while Pippa scurries.  Every time they are the first two in the house, Pippa ends up scurrying in, and somehow sliding UNDER Buster as she comes inside.  I'm not entirely sure how she's getting between his back legs to get under his body, since she's wider than he is (have I mentioned she's a fat little thing?).  Somehow, though, she manages to slide between his back legs, under his belly, and out between his front legs!  Every time, Buster gets this look on his face like 'what the heck?!'  He stops and looks back at me then back at Pippa before heading the rest of the way in to the house.  Meanwhile, Pippa has finished scurrying in to her corner of the hallway.

Every day with Pippa is an adventure!  She's adorable and I'm anxiously waiting for her full personality to come out.

Pippa's Back!

Yup, Pippa is back home with me now.  Actually, she came back to me on Monday night, but I've been too exhausted to post.  My friend that is watching Kipling asked if she could foster him for a while longer...she's enjoying the challenge of getting him to trust her.  I had no problem with that, so Kipling will get to hang out with my friend and her dogs for a while longer.  In the mean time, I now have Willow (another of the Magnolia dogs) here with me.  Willow was in temp foster care, and now we're trying to find a spot for her in the Denver area so that she can get free heartworm treatment.

So, Pippa....she's readjusting to my home.  It's taken her the last two evenings to remember that "outside, go potty" means that she needs to go out the back door, not run to her crate and sit in the back.  She is remembering, though, and that seems to be the only step back that she's taken.  She still loves her corner of the hallway, and I'm fine with that.  I do wish she were more willing to come out and be social, but I know it will come in time.

Last night, I sat outside with the dogs for a while, and Pippa actually was pretty active and peppy.  She gave a little bark of excitement, which is the first sound I've heard from her.  She RAN around the yard, and almost seemed like she wanted to play.  She was being silly and happy, and it made me smile.  She knows her name, and every time I say it, she looks at me.  In the yard, she even play bowed at me when I called her name and asked her if she was being silly.  I also managed to get her to take treats from my hand...I had some left over treats in my pocket from Charm's training class, so I offered them to Pippa.  She was more than happy to take bits of hamburger and cheese from me.

Today, Pippa has been pretty quiet, and I'm letting her adjust to having Willow in the house.  They haven't interacted much yet.

Willow is another of the Magnolia Britts.  She's been in a foster home that make phenomenal progress with her.  When she went to her foster home, she played keep away constantly and didn't want people to get close.  Now, she's willing to sit on the couch with me, and I can pet her easily.  If she gets spooked, she still bolts, and you have to approach slowly and step on the light line that she drags around with her, or you'll never catch her until she calms down.  This evening, she let me pet her, she wagged her tail, and she was even interested when Charm came in to the room playing with her squeaky toy.  As I type this, she's curled up in a dog bed in the corner,

Still alive!

Sorry all!  Pippa and Kipling have been on vacations of their own while I was on vacation the week of Labor Day.  Then, due to scheduling, and an agility trial this weekend, they just stayed on vacation.  Pippa is coming back to my house sometime this coming week, and Kipling will be rejoining me soon as well.

Over the Labor Day weekend, I was off in Monroe, LA, showing Charm in conformation.  Then, I was home for two days and back on the road to Colorado.  I returned from Colorado last Monday, and was then swamped with work.  This weekend, I was gone all day Saturday and Sunday at an agility fundraiser trial with Charm and Buster.  I had a great time with all my trips and events, and Buster and Charm had fun and were great dogs!

So - Pippa has been staying with my parents while I've been gone.  Pippa has adjusted well.  She lays in the corner and seems to enjoy being brushed and petted.  According to my Mom, Pippa actually barked the other day - just one little bark - at thunder.  She didn't seem scared of it, though.  The report from my parents is as follows:  "Pippa is very curious as to where we are and even though she does not get up and look for us she will turn her head and try to see us when she hears our voice. She will look at us now and not turn her head away when we bend down to pet her. She does seem to enjoy the attention given to her. She watches us a lot as we are sitting in the same room as her and at times will sit up for awhile instead of laying down."

Kipling has been staying with a friend of mine who has experience working with fearful dogs.  She's been enjoying working with him.  Kipling has learned to leave cats alone, and has started coming up to her voluntarily at times.  Kipling was playing keep away and didn't want to go in his kennel - the cat got irritated at him, and chased him in to his crate and held him there until my friend rescued him.  He's been learning how to live with cats and Belgian Tervurens and that there are dogs other than Brittanys out there.  

I'll update more once they come back from their "vacations" and get settled back in at my house.

Day 24: Dogs are weird!

Day 24:  Two whole days without internet means no updating!!!

So, my opinion that dogs are weird has been re-affirmed.  Kipling has decided over the last two days that coming in the back door is scary.  So, now we have to play this game where he stands in the doorway, but won't come in until I'm not looking.  If I turn around too soon, he runs back outside.  It took me an hour to get him to come inside the other night.  I finally had to hide in my room, wait until he was firmly in the living room, and then vault the sofa to get to the back door and shut it before he could bolt back out.  Not sure what's going on in that little doggie brain of his.  Pippa has suddenly decided that "outside" means "crate" and so whenever I make her move from her corner, she throws herself in her crate.  I now have to shut all crate doors to get her outside.  The last weirdness for these two - they won't walk over a towel on the ground.  They have no issues with throw rugs, but apparently the towel in front of their crate is scary.  Kipling and Pippa keep sliding in to their crates because they scurry around so much, and I was starting to worry that they'd hurt themselves.  Kip has bad hips and a bad knee.  Pippa is just such a round little thing.  So - I put a towel on the ground in front of their crates.  Pippa was desperate enough to go in her crate that she finally ran over it.  Kipling, I had to lead to his crate by his collar.

On the plus side, Pippa continues to respond more and more to me.  She's continuing to look at me whenever I say her name or talk to her.  She's continuing to come find me if she hasn't seen me in a while.  Kipling is getting braver too.  He actually came up and licked my toes while I was sitting on the couch last night.  He also kind of asked to be petted the other night.  Charm was standing in front of me, getting petted, and Kipling came up next to her.  I slowly reached out and started scratching under his chin.  He relaxed in to me as I kept petting his chin and chest.  I stopped and moved my hand away just a bit, and he moved forward and touched his chin to my hand again.  We did this about 3 times before he decided it was scary and ran off.

So, it's still slow progress, and yes, dogs are weird!

Day 21: Quiet Day

Day 21:  Today, I gave Pippa and Kipling a quiet day, as I was busy with stuff for work.  They seem to do better with a day off after a day of excitement.

Pippa spent most of the day in her corner, but she was sprawled out and relaxing.  She's back to going to her crate or going outside when I ask her to  She's been keeping her eyes on me and just watching to see what I'm going to do.  When I approach her, she just waits to see what's going to happen...am I going to pet her or ask her to move or offer her a treat.  Outside, she's very relaxed now and will trot around the yard exploring.  When I ask the dogs if they are ready to come in, she runs up to the door with everyone else.

Kipling has relaxed in his crate most of the day (with the door open) or explored the yard with Charm.  He has continued to come up and put his chin in the palm of my hand if I put my hand out and look away from him.  Tonight, I sat on the floor and petted him a bit.  He found that stressful, but seemed to start to relax a bit near the end.  He's getting braver about things...he is starting to explore and play with toys and chew on bones.

Both are making slow progress in their own ways, and I hope it will continue!

Day 20: Major Progress!!

Day 20:  Today saw major progress for both dogs!  It was so exciting after yesterday's setbacks.  Maybe the dogs just needed a day off yesterday.

Today, Pippa got to take a little trip.  I'll be going out of town in a week, and my parents are going to watch Pippa as well as my own dogs.  So, today, Pippa went over to my parents' house with me to check things out.  Britty went with us to keep Pippa company (and 'cuz Britty always gets to go).  Unfortunately, Pippa got sick in her crate on the ride over.  We carried Pippa, in her crate, outside so that we could clean the crate and Pippa.  That was a bit traumatic for her...she had to be caught and hosed off.  Honestly, she acted like we were trying to torture her.  After managing to catch Pippa, getting her hosed off (and getting myself soaked with water in the process), my Dad dried her off with a towel.  That was the only part that Pippa seemed even remotely okay with.  We set up the crate inside, and she promptly threw herself in the back and huddled in the crate like she used to do at my house.  I had to resort to taking the crate apart and carrying her outside to get her to potty.  My Mom did get Pippa to lick peanut butter off of her fingers, so that was progress too.  When it was time to leave, I made Pippa go outside for one last potty break and my Dad took her crate out to my car.  Outside, Pippa was right on my heels, following me around and staying close to me.  Once we came back inside, Pippa panicked because she couldn't find her crate to hide in.  Here's where the HUGE progress comes in.  I knelt down near her, and she came to me!!!!!  I know that I was just the most familiar thing there, but still, it was a huge thing for her to come to me.  She's never done that before.  She usually stays at least 4 feet away at all times.  I picked her up and she latched on to me with her legs.  I carried her out to the car, and put her in the crate.  Fortunately, the ride home did not result in her getting ill.  When we got home, I lifted Pippa and her crate out of the car, and let her loose in the closed garage.  We had a bit of a struggle getting in to the house, as Pippa decided she needed to hide in a corner of the garage.  I managed to get her inside and she instantly settled in her corner again.  She seems thrilled to be back at my house, where things are familiar.

Kipling had to stay at home while I was out today.  So, he was in the crate most of the afternoon.  He seemed okay with that, though.  This evening, I was sitting on the couch, and Buster decided it was dinner time.  Kipling was in his crate, with the door open, watching Buster and I "talk" to each other.  Buster was barking at me, then giving me hugs and just being a silly boy.  Kipling got very brave and decided he wanted to join in the fun.  I had a hand outstretched, and Kipling came up and put his chin in my hand!!!!   I said hi to him, scratched his chin a little bit, then went back to playing with Buster, Charm, and even Britty.  Kip didn't like being ignored, and every time I looked at him and put out my hand, he'd come up and put his chin in my palm!  Huge progress for the boy.  This evening, he's come up to me several more times and let me pet him briefly, or just stopped to see what I was doing.  He's coming in and out of the back door with no issues again, and seems much more settled than he has been so far.  I'm not sure what happened between last night and this evening, but I'm thrilled that it did happen and Kip is starting to trust me more.

Day 19: Bit of a setback

Day 19:  This morning, Pippa was being a very brave girl.  I left her out of her crate while I was in the shower.  Once I was ready, I went in to the living room just to check on the dogs, and Pippa actually peeked around the hallway corner and came in to the living room just a bit to find me.  I was thrilled that she seemed to be getting braver.  Then, this afternoon, I had a bit of a set back with Pippa.  My Mom came over, and it surprised Pippa.  I was trying to get Pippa to go outside and she freaked out because Mom was standing in the kitchen.  Pippa pooped on the floor, then threw herself in her crate.  I had to loop a slip lead over her head and drag her out of the crate.  Since then, she's been afraid to go outside when told to.  She keeps trying to put herself in her crate.  It's okay, I knew there would be setbacks, and we'll work through it, I'm just sad that she is still so scared!

Kipling, on the other hand, is getting comfortable enough to cause mischief.  I had some spools of ribbon on the coffee table.  I was in the kitchen and I heard him chewing on something.  I didn't think anything about it, because he's been chewing on dog bones.  I happened to glance over after a while and found him on the dog bed eating the cardboard spool for the ribbon!!!  Fortunately, he didn't eat any of the ribbon, just the cardboard.  What is it with Brittanys and cardboard???  Anyway, I just laughed at him and took the ribbon and spool away.  He's still very skittish about approaching me if I'm looking at him, but will take treats from my fingers if I face away from him or he's in his crate.

Both had scary stuff happen today - Kipling got a waterless shampoo bath and brush out, as his fur was getting kinda nasty feeling.  He needs a real bath, but we'll work up to that.  Pippa had to get her collar changed out.  I bought her a name tag, and decided that the collar she was wearing was too big.  It was very traumatic for her to have me removing and putting on a collar.  Poor baby.  They survived, though, and are both soundly sleeping in their crates now.

Day 18: Pip and Kip try Panda Express

Day 18:  Yesterday was fairly uneventful for Pippa and Kipling.  We spent lots of time practicing going outside, getting in crates, and taking treats from my hands.  I've been working hard with the dogs, and decided to give them a little break yesterday.

Today was a bit more eventful.  Pippa is really starting to understand when I tell her to go outside or go to her kennel.  She still spent most of he day in her corner, but ventured out when I asked her to.  She did get up several times just to change positions and she's starting to sprawl out in the corner, rather than laying in a tight little ball.  This afternoon, when I had all the dogs outside, Charm decided that Pippa needed to play.  Pippa was trotting around the yard, and Charm raced up to her and proceeded to bark and play bow at her.  Pippa was a little confused and just kept looking at Charm then at me.  I'm hoping she'll figure it out and start playing a bit.  I think she kind of wants to and I know that Charm can be very persistent.  This evening, I was sitting in the living room, and Pippa got up to peek around the corner to see where I was.  Then, I was outside with the back door closed, trying to coax Kipling inside.  When I opened the door, Buster, Charm, and Pippa (!) all came outside to see what I was doing.  I was very surprised to see Pippa at the door with my dogs.  She has started going in and out on her own.  She won't ask to go outside, but my others go out often enough that as long as she goes out with them, we don't have any accidents.  After our adventures outside, I picked her up and sat her next to me on the couch.  She let me hold and pet her for about 10 minutes before she squirmed loose and ran to her kennel.  She's still hesitant to take food from my hands or to eat while I'm watching, but she does like treats so I often walk by and drop treats in front of her. 

Kipling has finally figured out what "go kennel" means, so I no longer have to play "catch the dog" when I need to leave.  He's willingly going in when I tell him to now.  He's still very skittish and it takes lots of coaxing to get him to come up to me.  He does love Charm.  Yesterday, Charm was laying on her dog bed and Kip decided that he needed to lay on top of Charm!    He loves to play with her in the yard, and they have lots of fun running around.  This evening, I thought Kip had already come inside and started to shut the door just as he was coming in.  That apparently traumatized him and he wouldn't come in the door.  I sat outside and tried to lure him towards me with treats.  He wasn't having any of it, though.  When I opened the door to go back inside, all the other dogs ran out.  I left them outside for a bit, then opened the door and stood back and Kip rushed in with the rest of the dogs.  I decided he'd had enough drama for the day, and sent him to his crate with a treat.  He was quite happy to settle down with a treat.  

So - Pip and Kip's big adventure for the day...I went to Panda Express for lunch, and I always save a bit of orange chicken for each of my dogs.  My dogs will all carefully take food off of a fork, so once I'm done eating, I give them each a little bite off of my fork.  Kipling watched first Britty, then Buster, then Charm each enjoy their piece of chicken.  He was very interested, but kept his distance.  I offered a bite to Pippa and she licked at the chicken on the end of the fork but wouldn't make a move to actually take it in to her mouth.  I tried giving it to her from my fingers, and she still just licked at it.  Finally, I set it on the ground and walked away.  She quickly gobbled it up!  Kipling was still watching, so I put his bite of chicken on the fork, held it out to him, and turned half away from him.  He stretched forward and carefully took the chicken from the fork.  I had an extra piece and I offered that last bite to Kipling...he decided he really liked Panda Express and happily took that second piece of chicken from the fork.  Silly dogs!  Now I'm going to have five drooling, begging dogs watching me eat my Panda Express, instead of just three dogs.  Oh well...they enjoyed it!!!  

Kipling laying on top of Charm

Day 16: The Pip and Kip Show

Day 16:  So, by popular request, this is going to now be the Pip and Kip blog, rather than just Pippa.  It'll still be mostly about Pippa's journey, but I think Kipling's journey is important too.

First, a little about Kipling.  He's also from the rescue in Louisiana.  He's a 4 (ish) year old boy.  He's very sweet, but just like Pippa, very scared of people.  Where Pippa just turns in to a lump and tries to pretend she doesn't exist, Kipling dances just out of reach and keeps moving at all times, lest he be caught.  I think Kipling will actually recover faster than Pippa, because he's at least willing to interact with me and come to me.  He just needs to learn that it's okay if someone reaches for him.  He needs to learn that loud noises and sudden movements are not going to hurt him.  Kipling LOVES my dogs, his little stubby tail vibrates 100 mph when he's around my dogs and in the yard playing with them.  He happily explores my yard, plays with the other dogs, and has even tried picking up a toy or two.  Like Pippa, he won't eat if someone is watching him, but he will drink water.

I made a tiny bit of progress with both dogs today, but I think the big, noticeable steps may be slowing down a bit, so I may not be updating daily if I don't see any significant changes from one day to the next.

Today, I worked from home all day.  Kipling was brave enough to lay down next to my desk chair and let me pet him for quite a while.  Then, he got up and went to the dog bed across the room.  He went to sleep in the dog bed for a couple of hours.  Usually, when I work from home, all the dogs hang out in the office with me, so Kipling seemed to find it safe and settled really well.  I did have to play "catch Kipling" this evening when I needed to leave to take Buster to Obedience class.  Usually, "catch Kipling" ends when I manage to corner him in a hallway or room and then get to the side of him and manage to put a hand on his back.  At that point, he freezes to see what I'm going to do.  I spend a few minutes just petting him, then take him by the collar and gently lead him to the crate.  I don't want to set him back, but sometimes, it's necessary to just get him in the crate.  I'm trying to avoid collar grabs with him, but since he freezes when I manage to touch him, that's working okay for now.  He will occasionally take treats from my hands, but I have to sit very still and wait patiently for him to come to me.  If I try to grab him as he's taking a treat. then it takes several more tries to establish his trust again.

Pippa is continuing to venture out of her corner of the hallway.  If she doesn't know where I am, and can't find me, she'll put herself in her crate.  I left her in her corner when I went to take a shower, and when I got out, she was laying in her crate.  If she doesn't see me for a while, she'll venture out of her corner to just locate me, and then she goes back.  She's gotten comfortable enough in her corner to get up, move around, and change positions.  She can see me in my office from her hallway corner, and every now and again, she will sit up, check to make sure I'm still there, and then lay down again.  She is now fairly reliably going outside and to her crate when I walk up to her and tell her she needs to.  Pippa still won't eat if anyone is watching and she will only drink a tiny bit.  She will lick gooey treats off of my fingers, and she will take small treats from my hands.  Today, I even got her to lick peanut butter out of the mostly empty jar.  That was scary for her, because apparently peanut butter jars are scary.  Once she realized there was good stuff inside, though, she was willing to lick out of it.  She did keep her eyes on me the whole time, to make sure nothing bad was going to happen.  Pippa continues to be interested in my dogs, and loves to watch Charm hunt birds in the yard.  Pippa isn't quite brave enough to join in, but she'll stand at a distance and watch both Charm and the birds.  She's making progress.  It's slow, but steady.  I'm getting less and less of the wide eyed, terrified look when I approach her, and more curious looks as she watches to see if I'm going to ask her to move, or pet her, or offer her a treat.

Kipling, I hope will be ready for adoption in a month or two.  Other than his fear, he's healthy and ready to be placed.  I just can't put him in a forever home until he is willing to come up to people rather than keeping 4 feet away at all times.  Pippa...well...she's going to be a long term foster.  She needs to go through heartworm treatment, but that's not going to happen until she's a little less fearful.  I expect I'll have her at least 6 months...maybe more.  That's okay.  She's really an easy foster, and I can wait for her to learn to trust people.

Day 15: It's Alive!!!!

Day 15:  Today, Pippa took the initiative to move out of her corner several times!  Looks like there's a real dog that's been hiding under that lump of fur and terror.

This morning, Pippa did everything I asked her to with very little prompting.  She went outside, she pottied, she even went in to her crate when I had to leave the house.  It was another day in the office, so I didn't get to spend much time with her this afternoon.  I'm working from home the rest of the week, so I'll get to spend more time with her.

This evening is when the huge progress occurred.  I was sitting outside, enjoying some ice cream and the not to hot weather.  I had the back door open and all the dogs were outside with me, except for Pippa and my old gal, Britty.  I heard toenails tapping on the wood floor and then on the concrete of the patio, but I just figured it was Britty coming outside, and didn't bother to turn around and check.  Then out of the corner of my eye, along the fence line, I saw a little liver and white dog!  I looked up and saw Buster laying in the grass, so I turned to look more fully, and there was Pippa!!!  She'd decided to join us all outside without any prompting from me.  Heck, since she'd already gone potty, I was just gonna leave her alone to stay inside if she wanted to.  Normally, when the back door is open, Pippa races inside and hides.  Tonight, she spent some time exploring the yard, and then calmly wandered back inside after a bit.  It was so exciting to see!!!

Later, after it got dark, I was inside, sitting on the couch, checking email.  It was fairly quiet, dogs were all laying around, tv was off, and my laptop keyboard doesn't make much noise.  I heard Pippa get up from her corner of the hallway, and walk in to the living room just far enough to look around and see where everyone was.  I looked up and said hi to her, and she turned and went back to her corner.  It seems like she's starting to trust me and wants to at least know where I am, even if she's not quite ready to hang out in the same room with me and the other dogs.

I decided that since she'd been so brave, we were going to try something new for her "get Pippa used to being touched" session.  I picked her up and set her on the couch next to me.  She wasn't too sure of that, but let me massage her for a few minutes.  Then, I got distracted by one of the other dogs and took my hands off Pippa for just a moment.  That was all she needed to scamper off of the couch and back to her corner.  That's okay...we'll keep trying.  Eventually, she's going to become a "real live dog"

Oh, and I know this is Pippa's blog, but I have to brag on my other foster, Kipling.  Kip is also very terrified, but he's at least more active than Pippa.  He's very wary of loud noises, sudden movements, and people in general.  Like Pippa, he has about a 4 foot comfort zone and tends to play keep away if you try to move inside that zone.  He really likes my dogs, though, and is picking up things quickly from them.  He's already figured out that if Charm rings her bell at the back door, I'm going to come open it, so he runs to stand at the door when he hears the bell!  Tonight, he was outside playing with Charm and when he came in, he play bowed at me!!!  Not sure he meant to, but it was really cute and he was so happy!  He's been very peppy today, meeting new people at the vet clinic, rolling around in the grass, sneaking up next to me to see what I'm eating, playing with the other dogs, and even standing on his hind legs to peek over the back of the couch at me.  

Day 14: Getting to meet new people

Day 14:  I missed updating yesterday, so I'll hit that one first.  Yesterday, Pippa got to meet new people!  She was very brave and allowed herself to be petted.  She was hiding in her corner at the time, but she didn't cower quite as much as usual, so that's definitely progress.  I was gone most of the day yesterday, out on a play/swim outing with Charm.  While I was home, though, Pippa did a great job of moving when I asked her to, without being picked up.  She's starting to relax a little, and even stretched out on her side in her crate, rather than being all curled up in a ball.

Today, I had to go in to the office, so she had to be in her crate while I was gone.  Once I got home, though, she willingly went outside on her own, and trotted around the yard for a while.  She came inside and ate her dinner, the relaxed in her corner.  She's been doing very well with going to her crate when told and going outside when told.  She still doesn't like to come out of her corner unless something disturbs her, and then as soon as she thinks its safe, she's right back in her spot.

I wish I had more to update, but we're pretty much holding steady right now.  Pippa is relaxing more and more, and starting to act more like a "real dog" but it's going to be a long, slow journey!

And a quick OMG update!!!  Pippa just wandered out of her corner and in to the living room.  She peeked at me and when I said Hi, she scurried back to her corner.  But, she came out all on her own!!!!!

Day 12: Another Foster Joins Us

Day 12:  Today, I went and picked up another of the Magnolia Brittanys to foster.  There were some concerns about his behavior, so he didn't get to take a ride to California with the rest of the dogs.  The boy is named Kipling, and he's also rather fearful, but no where near the level that Pippa is at.

This morning, before I left, I had to change out Pippa's crate.  I needed to loan out the plastic one she was in, so Pippa got a small wire crate instead.  She seemed okay with the new crate, I just had to show her that when I say "kennel" I now mean this wire one.  I put it in the exact same spot as the plastic one was in, but she still needed a little help at first.  She willingly walked, on her own, outside and to her kennel when prompted!

When I got home with Kipling, Pippa was a bit confused about having him join us.  Not really frightened, just a little worried about the initial chaos that always seems to happen when a new dog comes in.  Kipling really liked the corner Pippa has set herself up in, so he camped out with her for a while as he settled in.  Fortunately, Kipling is a little more brave and really wants to play with my dogs, so he came out of Pippa's corner fairly quickly, so she didn't have to share for long.  I set up a large plastic crate for Kipling, right next to Pippa's little wire crate.  Well, that pretty much made Pippa's little mind explode.  I told her to go kennel and there were suddenly two to choose from and neither one was in exactly the right spot.  That was the only time today that I've had to pick her up and put her somewhere.  Once I placed get in the correct crate, she understood, and later this evening, she got it right when I told her to go kennel

Pippa and I spent our customary hour outside this evening, so that she could get some exercise by wandering around the yard.  Once I'd decided that I'd been bit by enough mosquitoes, we came back inside.  Then, we spent some time in the hallway, working on accepting being touched by people and taking treats from my hand.  I got her to take one treat from my hand, after dropping a bunch on the floor and then stepping out of sight so she would eat them.  She decided she liked the treat and took the last one out of my hand!  Then, I sat next to her and massaged her and let her just experience someone sitting next to her and touching her.  I started to fall asleep sitting there in the hall, so it was time to put Pippa back in her kennel and for me to go to bed (after writing this, of course).  Pippa actually walked to her kennel, instead of scurrying towards it and throwing herself in.  I think she was actually kind of relaxed!

Day 11: Huge Progress!!!

Day 11:  Today, Pippa made quite a bit of progress and I'm very excited about it.

This morning, when I let Pippa out of her crate, I just turned the crate so that it was facing the open door to the back yard.  I opened her crate and told her "outside, go potty!"  I've told her that every single time I pick her up and carry her out.  This morning, she ran from her crate out in to the backyard and ran straight to the grass to potty!!!!  When she came back in, she headed for her corner and sprawled out in it.

At lunch time, I had to run out for a bit, so I picked her up and carried her in to the living room.  Once I had her crate in sight, I set Pippa down and told her to "go kennel."  Again, I've been saying this to her every single time I pick her up and put her in the crate.  As soon as her feet hit the ground, she ran to her kennel and sat in the back of it.  When I got home from lunch, I thought Pippa might like a nice soft bed in her corner, instead of just the hard floor.  So, I found a big dog bed that would perfectly fit the corner, and set it there.  When I let Pippa out of her crate, she ran to her corner, stopped, and gingerly got on the dog bed.  I could tell she wasn't real sure of it, as she lay in the corner with her head pressed to the wall, which seems to be her "I'm scared" posture.  I went back in to my home office and just left her alone to settle in to the dog bed.  I got up to check on her a bit later and found that she'd moved one side of the dog bed away so that she could lay on the floor.  I'm actually thrilled that she felt comfortable enough to do that, rather than just laying frozen in fear on the bed.  Since she doesn't want the bed, it got picked up and put back in another room.

This evening, for our last potty outing before bed, I decided to see if I could get Pippa to walk all the way from the hallway to outside on her own.  The real challenge is just getting her to stand up.  She was laying against the linen closet door, so I just very slowly started opening the door.  She sat up and as I kept opening the door, she stood.  Then, in a happy voice, I said "Pippa, outside, go potty!"  She trotted in to the living room and started heading for her crate.  I told her again that she needed to go outside, and she turned away from her crate to go outside!  While we were out there, she of course went potty, and then she spent some time exploring the yard.  I caught her staring at me, so I clapped my hands and called her to me.  She actually came towards me and got to within 3 feet before she remembered that she's scared and veered off.

Once I let the dogs in, I was hoping that I could tell Pippa to kennel and get her to go in, but she ran to her corner instead.  I got her to stand up again by opening the linen closet again.  Once she was standing, I told her to "go kennel" and she went in and sat in the back!  I'm hoping that this will continue and that I won't be having to pick her up and carry her quite so much.  If I can get her comfortable moving in the direction I want her to go, then I can start re-introducing the leash to her.

Day 10: Lots of Petting

Day 10:  Today Pippa spent a fairly uneventful day laying in the hallway while I worked.  She would get brave on occasion and get up to get a drink of water from the bowl near her.  She also stood up a few times to change positions.  She's definitely becoming more relaxed in her little corner of the hallway.

After I got home from teaching agility class, I took all the dogs outside and we sat out there for an hour.  Pippa is very comfortable in the yard now.  She will wander around, lay in the grass, follow Charm around, and just act like a normal dog.  The only thing she still won't do is come near me.  She managed to get within 3 feet, which is a whole foot closer than she's approached so far.  When it was time to go in, I opened the door and my dogs rushed inside.  Pippa wanted to go in, but I was standing next to the door.  I waited quietly to see what she'd do, and she finally decided to be brave and scuttled past me and in to the house.

One inside for the evening, I decided to sit with Pippa and just pet and massage her.  She was laying in the hallway, so I sat next to her and slid her over until she was touching me.  She instantly tensed up.  I ignored the tension and just massaged her for a good half an hour.  She finally relaxed and put her head down.  She had been tensely holding it up.  Once she was relaxed and seemed comfortable with me, I managed to get her to stand up, and with a little prodding, she went in to her crate on her own.

I think I'll continue the nightly massage sessions with her now that she's not quite so terrified of me.

Day 9: She's Relaxing a Bit

Day 9:  Pippa seems to be relaxing a bit...and I noticed all my other dogs are a bit more mellow in the house as well.  I plugged an Adaptil diffuser in to the outlet near Pippa's favorite corner.  I also put an Adaptil collar on her.  Not sure if these things are helping to make her more relaxed or if she's just naturally relaxing more.  My other dogs seem more mellow, so maybe the diffuser is having an effect.

Instead of being all curled up in the corner, she's starting to sprawl out a bit, which is a good sign that she's relaxing.  Pippa will now drink water in front of me and even ate a treat with me watching.  Granted, the other dogs were all hovering around and she didn't want to share, but she still ate with me watching.  Normally, she won't eat anything until I look away.  I have been leaving a small bowl of water for her in the hallway, and I can hear her get up and get a drink on occasion.  She's no longer completely frozen in fear inside.  She still tends to scurry around but we're making progress.

Outside, she's made huge progress.  She has stopped trying to hide in the one tight spot I have in the yard (which is completely blocked so she can't get back there...didn't stop her from trying, though).  She will now wander around the yard, sometimes even trot.  Pippa likes to follow Charm around, because Charm is always hunting and finds interesting things.  When Charm stands on her back feet to look at birds in the trees, Pippa will tilt her head up and look too.  I think Pippa would like to stand on her back legs too, but isn't confident enough yet and is a little too fat to do it!  Pippa seems to like Buster too, and will sniff him and follow his lead as well.  If I'm petting Charm or Buster, Pippa will try to sneak up to me.  If Charm is in my lap, Pippa usually gets brave enough to come up to me, but if I move at all, she scurries away.

Pippa still has about a 4 foot comfort zone regarding people.  If I get closer than 4 feet and she's standing up, she'll back away to give herself more space.  The only time she lets me get close is when she's laying down.  Then, I can pet her, pick her up, whatever.  She's an interesting dog...usually, dogs with space issues like that always have space issues.  Pippa only has an issue when she's standing.  She's getting braver, though, and I'm hoping her "personal bubble" will shrink down a little bit.

Day 8: Quiet Day

Day 8:  Almost missed it!!!  Today was a quiet day for Pippa and I.  I worked, she sat in her corner.

She is now afraid of the laundry room and if I open the door, she races in to the living room and paces around until I shut the door again and she can go back to her corner.

There were no new milestones for Pippa today.  In fact, we took a step back in that as I was trying to get her to go outside, she pottied on the floor.  That's okay, she's been making improvements by leaps and bounds, so I'll take a quiet day if that's what she needs.

Pippa did spend some time outside playing with the dogs this evening, while I cleaned out the garage.  She's looking at me every time I say her name, and seems to be more relaxed about me approaching her.

Today was basically a day off for all my dogs.  We'll be back to attempting to socialize Pippa tomorrow!

Day 7: She's a smart doggie!

Day 7:  Apparently, Pippa is determined to outsmart me.  Usually, when she comes inside after going potty, she races to her corner.  Last night, for the last potty break, I wanted her to just go in her crate, so I wouldn't have to pick her up and carry her there.  I set the crate with the door open just inside the back door.  Previously, Pippa has run inside and gone in to the crate when I had it set just inside the door.  Last night, she decided she didn't like that option.  She jumped on top of the crate and scrambled over then trotted around the kitchen, looking proud of herself.  Little stinker!  Once I got the crate in it's regular spot in the living room, she rushed in and stared back at me.  I really adore Brittanys, but I hate having to constantly figure out how to be smarter than the dog!

This morning, I decided to see how much Pippa has learned, so I just turned her crate a little bit and so that it was pointed towards the back door.  I had the back door open, and when I opened the crate and told her to go outside and go potty, she did!  I'm very proud of her.  Of course, then she came back in and went straight to her corner in the hallway.  When it was time for me to go in to the office, I had to pick her up and carry her back to her crate.

This afternoon, I had a moment of stupidity, and then had the challenge of figuring out how to get Pippa out of her hiding spot.  I came inside, I was on the phone, and I forgot to close the laundry room door  I opened the back door, let all the dogs out of their crates, including Pippa, and then continued my phone conversation.  I didn't notice that Pippa didn't go outside until I suddenly realized that the laundry room door was open.  I checked the side of the dryer...no Pippa.  I checked outside, no Pippa.  Hallway...no Pippa, crate, my bedroom, kitchen, office...no Pippa.  Then, I climbed on top of the dryer and peered down behind the washer and dryer.  There was Pippa, hiding between the two.  My laundry room is not that big!  There was no way I could pull the appliances out and get to her without a lot of work.  Finally, I managed to push the washer and dryer to the sides, making a gap in the middle, where I could see Pippa's head.  Then, I grabbed the vacuum, turned it on, and poked at her butt with the hose attachment.  Between the suction, noise, and poking, it got her moving, and she crawled out and scurried in to her crate.  I quickly shut the laundry room door and put everything back in place.  Silly girl!!!!

This evening, Pippa trotted around the yard, went to investigate what Charm and Buster were barking at, and even got curious when Charm and Buster both had their front feet up on the retaining wall.  She even managed to sniff my leg again when Charm was sitting in my lap.  Pippa is definitely more confident outside, but she also doesn't really want to be outside.  It's an interesting paradox.

Day 6: Wandering around

Day 6:  This morning, Pippa decided to be a little crazy.  I had scooted her crate to the door and let her outside to potty.  I hadn't had a chance to move the crate out of the doorway yet, when Pippa decided she wanted back in.  I tried blocking her with my body, but she was determined, and she took a flying leap at the crate.  She somehow managed to scramble on top of and then over the crate to get back in the house.  Crazy girl!!!

After that drama, she was quite content to just hide in her corner for the morning.  I had to run out for a bit, so Pippa got picked up and carried to her kennel so I could leave.  When I got home, she was more than ready to come out of her crate.  Just to ensure that she actually went outside, I did my slide the crate to the door thing.  This time, as soon as she was out of the crate, I kicked it out of the doorway and shut the door.  Pippa went potty right away, and then wandered around the yard exploring until my dogs decided it was time to come in and get dinner.  When I let her in, she went straight for her corner again.  I fed everyone dinner, and she actually let me watch her eat for just a few bites!

This evening, Pippa showed me that she's perfectly capable of walking on my floors if the motivation is great enough.  I was doing laundry, and the laundry room is right near the corner she's picked as "her spot."  Apparently I was disturbing her, because she got up and walked in to the living room to her crate.  The crate door was shut and she walked all the way around it, trying to figure out how to get in.  I went over and opened the door for her, then stepped back and she scurried in.  She's been laying in her crate for an hour now, with the door open.

She is still very, very wary of me, but coming out of her shell little by little.

Day 5: Pippa is getting brave

Day 5:  I finally figured out the least traumatic way to get Pippa from her crate to outside for a potty break in the morning or when I come home from being out.  I slide the crate (with Pippa in it) to the back door, with the crate door flush with the outside of the door frame.  Then, I step outside, hold the door tight against the crate, so there's no gap, and open Pippa's crate.  She rushes out and heads for the grass.  As soon as she's out of the crate, I shut the crate door so that she can't go back in.  Once Pippa is out in the yard, I slide the crate back inside and shut the house door so that Pippa can stay outside until she goes potty.  Pippa actually seems more okay with this than with me having to pick her up and carry her outside and it's much easier on my back!!

Today, Pippa was a very brave girl!  This morning, I caught her actually trotting around the yard, exploring.  When she noticed me at the door watching her, she came up to the door and scratched at it to be let in.  This afternoon,  she met a new person and licked cheese off their fingers!  This evening, I was sitting outside on the patio with all the dogs outside.  Charm was sitting in my lap, and Pippa got curious and actually came up and sniffed me...she even touched me with her nose!!!!!  Huge progress for her.

Pippa seems to feel safer outside, she's exploring and watching the other dogs and actually wandering around the yard.  She's stopped trying to hide herself in corners...she still looks at her favorite corner every now and again, but isn't quite as frantic to get back there.

Inside, Pippa is still hiding in her corner in the hallway.  However, every time I talk to her or walk past her, she looks up at me to see what's going on.  I've put a towel in her corner, so that if she does decide to get up, it will be easier for her.  My wood floors are very hard for her to walk on.  She does get up on occasion to change positions, but isn't quite ready to come out of the hallway just yet.  She is very interested in my interactions with my dogs, so I've been spending some time in the hallway, close to Pippa, playing with my dogs or petting them or letting them climb on me.  She watches it all very carefully.  I'm hoping that seeing that the other dogs aren't afraid of me will help her to be a little less fearful.

Day 4 - Holding Steady

Day 4:  Not much progress to report with Pippa today.  When she's inside, if I need her to move towards the crate or outside, I have to physically pick her up, and when I try to put her in a standing position, she just kinda folds in on herself.  I'm hoping that she will learn to stand up and actually walk when she's inside.  I know she's capable of it...I've seen her scurry from her crate to the corner of the hallway.  I've seen her walking around in the yard as well.  I've tried putting her feet under her and getting her to walk, and it just results in me dragging her along.  Neither of us is fond of that, so I'm just going to keep trying to get her to walk by standing her up and trying to guide her forwards.

Pippa is starting to perk up when I approach her.  Probably because every time I come near her I give her a treat of some kind.  When she first arrived, she'd try to bury her head in the wall whenever I approached or even looked at her.  Now, she kind of watches me to see what I'm going to do and see if I'm going to give her a treat.  She won't take anything except cheese spread from my hands.  All other treats, I have to drop on the floor in front of her, and once I'm out of her sight, she will eat the treat.

Charm. my young Brittany girl, tried to engage Pippa in play today.  Pippa just looked at Charm like she was crazy.  I will admit that yes, Charm is actually a bit crazy, so it was actually a perfectly valid look for Pippa to give Charm.  Sadly, Pippa didn't really understand that Charm wanted to play and so Charm gave up and went to find a toy.

I'm giving Pippa a break tonight and letting her stay in her corner without me.  I'll resume my hour of sitting with Pippa tomorrow.

Day 3 - Progress?

Day 3:  This morning, Pippa was ready to come out of her crate.  She actually started creeping out as soon as I opened the door.  Unfortunately, I knew that as soon as she was fully out, she'd run to her corner in the hallway, and I'd have to carry her outside.  I had to snag her by the collar once she was fully out of the crate, and lead/drag her to the back door so she could go potty outside.  I'm hoping that didn't set back her trust in me.  Next time, I'll plan better and either just move the crate to the back door before opening it, lasso her with a slip lead, or let her go to her corner and then carry her outside.  On the plus side, when I grabbed her, she only let a tiny dribble of urine out, rather than the full flood plus poop that she used to do.  We made it outside, she pottied, and then I slipped inside and let her wander around the yard for a bit.  Once I let her back in, she ran to her hallway corner and is didn't move from her spot.  I let Pippa hang out in her spot while I worked, and she would occasionally lift her head up to look at me and then put her head back down.

I ran out for lunch, and carried Pippa to her crate before I left.  When I got home, I decided to lasso her with a slip lead as she was coming out of the crate.  Yeah - that didn't work so well.  Apparently, slip leads are terrifying, and she urinated on the floor.  Then, she dove back in to her crate before I could shut the crate door.  Back to removing the top of the crate and carrying her outside.  Inside, she was right back to her corner in the hallway.  She kept an eye on my while I worked.  I fed her dinner in her corner again, putting up the baby gate so the other dogs would leave her alone.  As long as she can't see me, she'll eat her food.  If she catches sight of me, she stops eating.  She will drink water when I'm watching, though!!!

I decided to try another approach to getting Pippa outside, since she's a fat little thing and really heavy for me to be carrying constantly.  Since the slip lead freaked her out, I decided to try a step-in harness.  I took an old harness, made it big enough for her, and them managed to manhandle her in to it while she was laying in the hallway.  I half walked and half dragged her towards the back door...and then she saw her crate and launched herself in to it.  As I was trying to get her out, she somehow managed to wiggle out of the harness.  Once more...took the crate apart and carried her outside.  Lesson learned...SHUT THE CRATE DOOR so she can't go in there when I don't want her to.  After all that adventure, Pippa is tired out, and sleeping in her spot in the hallway with me sitting just two feet from her.  I touch her periodically, and talk to her.  She flinches every time, but she's no longer trying to stuff her head in to the wall, and will actually look at me.

Pippa being brave outside

Day 2 with Pippa

Day 2 AM:  Taking Pippa outside to potty has so far consisted of removing the top of her plastic crate, sliding a slip lead over her head before she can bolt to another hiding spot, and then picking her up and carrying her outside.  The whole time, I'm hoping that she doesn't potty on me.  When I set her down on the grass, she lays there for a bit, then will rise up just a tiny bit, crawl to a spot at the very end of the leash, and then go potty.  I have yet to see her actually stand upright.  After she went potty this morning, I took the slip lead off and turned my back on her to go inside.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pippa's shadow and she was actually walking and following me in to the house.  As soon as we came in, she scurried to a corner of the kitchen and stuck her head under the cabinets.  She proved she's a Brittany when I managed to lure her head out from under the cabinets by offering her some "cheese in a can" on the tip of my finger.  She was very interested in that particular treat, and after several offerings, I can now get her to stretch her head forward and lick my fingers if I have cheese spread on them.    The instant I take the cheese off the counter, I have to shoo my own dogs away, but I think their excitement has helped Pippa to take an interest in what I'm offering her.  Before I left to go in to the office for the afternoon, I took a dog biscuit and squirted a line of cheese spread on it.  I held it out for Pippa as she huddled in her crate.  She started licking the cheese spread off the cookie, so I gently left it in her crate.  As I was walking out the door, I hear her crunching the cookie!!  Progress, since she wouldn't take anything from me yesterday.

Day 2 PM:  When I came home from the office, Pippa was actually at the front of the crate, ready to come out.  I opened the back door first, then opened her crate, hoping she'd head straight outside.  Instead, she ran to the laundry room and tried to stuff herself behind the dryer.  Lesson learned...close all the doors in the house before letting her out.  I once more carried her outside to potty and stayed outside with her and my dogs.  I played with Buster and Charm and Pippa was brave enough to crawl to about 4 feet behind me.  Any time I look at her, though, she scurries off to where I can't see her again.  Inside, Pippa decided that a little corner in my hallway is a safe place.  I fed her dinner there, putting up a baby gate so the other dogs wouldn't bother her.  A second trip out to potty, later in the evening saw Pippa actually wandering around the yard.  She doesn't walk upright...more of a crouch, but she was exploring just a bit.  She won't come closer to me than about 4 feet, but it's progress that she's even coming that close.  She's back in her corner of the hallway now, and I'm sitting just over 4 feet away from her as I type this.  I figure I'll sit here for an hour or so, let her get used to me, then it'll be back in the crate for her and time for bed.

Pippa being brave and licking cheese spread off my fingers

Dinner time for Pippa, with Buster and Charm looking on

Hanging out in the hallway for a little desensitization..

Pippa's Story and Day 1

Pippa is one of 103 Brittanys that were rescued from a neglect case in Thibodaux, Louisiana on July 24.  American Brittany Rescue (ABR) took in 32 of these Brittanys, and the rest were divided between National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network (NBRAN), New England Brittany Rescue (NEBR), Flordia Brittany Rescue (FBR), and Brittany Rescue in Texas (BRIT).  I've been a foster home for ABR for 9 years, and I decided to take on the challenge of fostering Pippa and getting her ready to be adopted.  I thought it might be interesting to chronicle her rehabilitation in to a normal dog.

Pippa has been in boarding for a week, while she was assessed by a vet, and I made space in my house by adopting out my previous foster dog.  On the day she was removed from her previous home, she had to be spayed due to pyometria.  Pippa is completely terrified of the world around her.  She hides in tiny spaces and sits in the back of her crate pretending she doesn't exist.  My goal for her is to get her to come out of her crate on her own and interact with people willingly.  Right now, her terror is so severe that when she has to interact with people, she urinates and defecates.

Day 1:  I picked up Pippa from the vet clinic where she was boarding and carried her out to my car with a towel wrapped around her in case she had an accident.  I loaded her in to the crate, and drove home.  Once home, I carefully lifted the crate containing Pippa out of my car, and carried Pippa, in her crate, in to the house.  Her crate is set up in the living room, where she can see all the action.  At the moment, she is curled up in a ball in the back of the crate.  The crate door is open, and she can come out if she gets brave enough.  My own dogs have all put their head in the crate to check her out, and then decided to just leave her alone.

Pippa hiding in the crate

Charm watching Pippa in the crate