Dog Tails

Client Notes – Oscar

Who is Oscar?

Oscar is a 3(ish) year old that was found in Alabama as a stray and transported to Rhode Island. 

I first spoke with the family in December 2021 when they had only had him for a couple of weeks. He was hiding in the bedroom and didn’t want to come out. The only time he left was when he was physically carried outside to go to the bathroom. Not exactly ideal, but I didn’t tell them to not do it. We talked about the risks of forcing a dog with an unknown background to do anything, even go outside, and to watch his body language & respect his communication.

In terms of “training”, there really wasn’t much that could have been done at that time. All he wanted to do was hide. They tried luring him out with food without much luck. I told them to give him time to decompress. I didn’t hear back from them until a couple weeks ago when they scheduled a virtual call. 

He’ll now come out of the bedroom and go downstairs. During our call he was lying on the couch with the family, and only barking when other family members came home. He will also bark at people coming into the yard. 

They did have success with meeting outside first, then everyone going in together. Oscar would usually bring himself upstairs to his safe space and eventually come back down. I told them to continue doing that. 

Family did say they recently were able to take him out of the house, out of the yard, and walk up the street. First time in almost a year! 

He also has a dog acquaintance. They don’t play with each other or snuggle on a dog bed. But they have sniffed each other and shared space without issue.

Quick recap because social media gives us short attention spans:

  • Picked up as a stray
  • Being treated for heartworm
  • Scared of basically everything
  • Has had very little exposure to the world beyond the fence

So, what is the plan? 

  • Boundaries
  • Accountability
  • Rules
  • Follower State

Just kidding! Here is the actual plan for where he is at right now in his life:

Brain Games

Oscar has been on a heartworm treatment for the past six or so months and has had little activity. I suggested they start introducing some things that will engage his mind. 

  • I sent them the link to these Nina Ottosson puzzles at Chewy (not an affiliate link and cheaper than Amazon). 
  • Encourage sniffing in the yard
    • Hide treats
    • Scatter kibble

Nature

We also want to get Oscar someplace where we can put him on a long line and let him follow his nose, dig a hole, pee on everything, roll in whatever as long as it doesn’t smell too bad, maybe go for a swim – all those dog things. Without the distraction of other people, dogs, cars, bikes, other “friendly” dogs, etc. 

Mental & Physical Wellness

Oscar’s vet visits and treatment is being covered by the rescue he was adopted from. But the vet is not in a location convenient to the family. Once he is done with treatment they want to find a vet that is closer to their home. 

I provided recommendations for local vets and suggested they ask whoever they go with what their options are for helping Oscar mentally, so he’s not so scared of everything. If he is terrified with his tail tucked all the time he’s not going to learn anything. Forcing him to “face his fears” isn’t going to help, either. 

Managing Behavior

I like the “Off Duty Hack” from Kim Brophey’s FDM course.

“The purpose of the Off-Duty Hack is to create a predictable pattern for dogs that are

over-excited or reactive when guests come to the home to settle down quietly at a distance from visitors through proper management and social signaling.”

But we aren’t sure Oscar is ready to be downstairs, behind a gate, possibly leashed (per the protocol), without access to get to his safe space. So we are going to modify it a bit:

  • Oscar will be upstairs in his safe space.
  • There will be a gate at the top of the stairs.

They will also practice meeting people out in the yard first. 

  • Respecting any distance he puts between himself and the visitors.
  • Not forcing him to take a treat from them.
    • Or sniff their hand because they also have a dog. 
      • Which actually doesn’t matter and is a good way to get bit.
  • Going in together and letting Oscar go upstairs to his safe space.

Social Life

Continue to meet up with the neutral dog. Even if it’s just to hang out in the yard or take a walk down the street. 

Training

I suggested a few easy behaviors as a starting point, like a hand touch and the Up/Down Game from Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed program, to build confidence. 

Next Steps

We only had an hour to talk, so I wanted to get as much information about the dog and get them on the right path before getting too far ahead of ourselves.