For a fearful dog, Katie sure does get into a lot of mischief! Most of her transgressions begin when she catches the scent of anything even vaguely edible and end just as she’s about to ingest something inappropriate, offensive or just plain dangerous. We are not naive about or inexperienced with her wily ways; we keep food away from the edges of counters, don’t leave meals unattended on the table, use sealed garbage cans and have established a mostly reliable ‘drop’ and ‘leave it’.
Although it is frustrating to admit, our three children are the worst offenders and Katie’s (unwitting) allies in her quest to sniff out tasty morsels. We struggle mightily, but still wage a losing battle of finding food before Katie’s truly awesome olfactory prowess beats us to the treasure.
Over the course of many successes, Katie has learned that school backpacks often yield a bounty of half eaten lunches. Her pointy little nose can push open any zipper to sniff out savory snacks and it is not uncommon for us to see her parading around with an apple or a sandwich between her teeth. She is lavishly rewarded with special treats when she drops the food at our request, but occasionally swallows the contraband before we realize she’s discovered another stocked book bag.
Inevitably, management (and training!) failed, and Katie’s nose finally got her into big trouble the other day. She found a sandwich in a mostly closed book bag, and my daughter panicked and shouted for my help. (As a side note, I NEVER ask my children to take anything high value from our dogs.) I was a second too late, and came around the corner to see Katie swallow an entire peanut butter sandwich encased in plastic wrap in one humongous gulp. Katie looked at me, sniffed the ground for stray crumbs and ambled away as I stood there frozen in shock and my daughter sobbed in the background.
Katie had swallowed inappropriate objects in the past, but the fully wrapped sandwich that hadn’t been chewed struck me as serious cause for concern, so I called my vet (and good friend) and told her our sad tale of woe. The three choices she offered were to observe Kate for several days to confirm that the plastic wrap passed through her system (or not), to bring her in for the vet to induce vomiting or to induce vomiting at home.
My vet felt that the home remedy was the best “first” choice, and gave me the dosage of hydrogen peroxide appropriate for Katie’s weight. I ran out, got a fresh bottle from the pharmacy and poured the measured dose down Katie’s throat with shaking hands. Not even two minutes later, the plastic wrap and sandwich came right back up, and that crisis, at least, was averted.
While it may seem as if this story is about our ongoing struggle to keep Katie safe from forgotten food, it is more deeply about the power of trust. Katie allowed me to physically manipulate her in a way I had never tried before, and stood quietly (but not fearfully) without being restrained.
The fact that Katie trusted me enough to open her mouth and stand still so I could administer the hydrogen peroxide was amazing. The fact that she swallowed the liquid then turned to push herself into my legs for some pets with her tail wagging gently was astounding.
That trust was won over the course of five years. We built our connection moment by moment, with every action and interaction. I offered choices when I could and broke challenging tasks down so we could succeed. More often than not I changed my expectations, rather than try to change Katie, and together we grew as individuals and as a team. Of course I made (and still make) mistakes, or ask for too much all at once, but because we trust each other, Katie and I can generally compromise and find a middle ground.
For any dog, but most especially our shy and fearful dogs, the ability to trust may be our greatest ally as we grow together. It’s a gift earned through hard work, consistency and patience. It allows us to find a calm in times of crisis and forms the cornerstone of our precious relationships.
Question: How do you build and maintain the bond of trust with your fearful dog?
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