Sat Jan 13 13:07:21 PST 2007
Backyards and Resilient Dogs
Since my last entry on the subject,
Glindy has gotten a lot better about going outside. I wish I could
identify a single factor, but I have a feeling it's a mix of
things.
Some of the things that I think have helped are:
It's been said before, but dogs are amazingly resilient. All they really need is love and patience.
Some of the things that I think have helped are:
- It's too cold for the idiots who live behind me to sit outside lighting firecrackers. Loud noises probably contributed to her avoidance of the backyard.
- I no longer give Glindy a choice about going outside first thing in the morning. She's going; end of story.
- I now wait just out of sight of the french doors when she's outside, so that I can let her back in as soon as she scratches at the door. I don't want her to see me, or she'll just want back in right away. On the other hand, I don't want her to be left outside too long, either. In my mind, I'm reinforcing that going outside is not an indefinite exile, and that she can come back in when she's ready.
- I escort her outside at least twice each day: once at dinner, and again before bed. This ensures she potties, and that the backyard is still part of our "pack territory."
- I'm re-landscaping the backyard, so there are all kinds of new and interesting objects and smells to keep her occupied out there.
- Drastic landscaping modifications might have changed the contextual cues enough that she no longer considers it the same backyard that she wanted to avoid previously. Who can really read a dog's mind?
It's been said before, but dogs are amazingly resilient. All they really need is love and patience.
Sun Jan 7 09:20:11 PST 2007
A Day Off
All three dogs are at day care today.
I think all of us needed a day off. Glindy, especially, needed a
chance to get out of the house and run around like crazy.
Perhaps just as importantly, I needed a day off, too. While I love my dogs dearly, their constant demands for attention and the responsibility of ensuring that their needs are met throughout the day can be very wearing.
I'm going to enjoy my day off. I don't know what I'll do with it yet, but I'm taking great comfort in the fact that it won't involve letting the dogs in and out all day long, or having a head thrust under my hand for ear-scratching every time I pick up a book to read.
Even so, I'll be glad when the dogs are home again. A house without dogs seems so empty. A day off is nice, but the love of one's pack is even better.
Perhaps just as importantly, I needed a day off, too. While I love my dogs dearly, their constant demands for attention and the responsibility of ensuring that their needs are met throughout the day can be very wearing.
I'm going to enjoy my day off. I don't know what I'll do with it yet, but I'm taking great comfort in the fact that it won't involve letting the dogs in and out all day long, or having a head thrust under my hand for ear-scratching every time I pick up a book to read.
Even so, I'll be glad when the dogs are home again. A house without dogs seems so empty. A day off is nice, but the love of one's pack is even better.
Wed Jan 3 00:03:59 PST 2007
Slide Show: Autism Service Dog Awareness
Today I added a new
PDF slide show to my handouts
page. It provides an overview of autistic spectrum disorders,
provides an introduction to the subject of autism service dogs, and
points to some future goals for the ASD-SD
community. I've licensed the presentation under a Creative
Commons by-nc-sa
license in the hopes that this will encourage folks to
incorporate the information into their own advocacy efforts.
If you find the slide show useful or interesting, I'd love to hear about it. Of course, if you have constructive suggestions for how to improve it, I'll welcome that too.
If you find the slide show useful or interesting, I'd love to hear about it. Of course, if you have constructive suggestions for how to improve it, I'll welcome that too.
Tue Jan 2 23:38:35 PST 2007
Traumatizing Your Dog in One Easy Lesson
One of the hardest things about
training my own service dog is that there are times when I'm simply
not functional. This can lead to some unfortunate side
effects.
Historically, Glindy has always been very fond of sitting outside on the back porch. Even on cold winter mornings, she used to love going out there and sitting, her nose turned up and working hard at taking in all the outdoor scents. That's all past now, though.
These days, Glindy simply will not go outside unless I go with her. She won't step outside to eat or eliminate unless I'm out there to keep her company, even though my two other dogs still love spending short periods of time in the very same yard.
There are probably two reasons for this. Firstly, I think Glindy has bonded more closely with me over the past year. Between long business trips where we're together 24/7, and the long periods when I'm between contracts and spending time with her at home, I think Glindy has become more attached to me than ever.
Secondly, this was not a good summer for me. I was frequently depressed, and as a result I wouldn't always hear Glindy barking to come inside. Sometimes, she would end up outside for half a day because I'd lost track of time, fallen asleep, or simply become too tuned-out to hear her.
For the other dogs, this wasn't as traumatic, even though they experienced the exact same thing. However, for a dog like Glindy who is not only deeply attached, but also has a history of severe separation anxiety, I think this was just too much for her to handle.
It's my educated guess that she's learned to associate being outside with being isolated from me, and she is no longer willing to do that even for a quick potty break. So now, if I don't want her eliminating in the house or skipping meals, I have to go out with her. Since she will usually take care of business promptly while I'm there—something that wasn't always true in the past—this isn't a Greek tragedy. It does, however, highlight some of the things that can go awry when human depression and canine separation anxiety collide.
The greater point, I suppose, is that people (disabled or not) can certainly mess up their dogs unintentionally. But then again, dogs are resilient creatures, and if we're willing to accept them for who and what they are, the damage isn't insurmountable.
Glindy, who has always been too smart for her own good, has learned the wrong lesson too well. As a result, I need to make changes in my own behavior. Whether or not Glindy will ever again be comfortable going outside without me isn't what matters. What matters is that we continue to build our bond together, and work through things as a team.
My dog is willing to spend her days working beside me, accommodating my disabilities and personality quirks, and helping me to live with them more easily. The least I can do is treat her separation anxiety the same way, and extend her the same unconditional love she affords me. After all, isn't that what being partners is all about?
Historically, Glindy has always been very fond of sitting outside on the back porch. Even on cold winter mornings, she used to love going out there and sitting, her nose turned up and working hard at taking in all the outdoor scents. That's all past now, though.
These days, Glindy simply will not go outside unless I go with her. She won't step outside to eat or eliminate unless I'm out there to keep her company, even though my two other dogs still love spending short periods of time in the very same yard.
There are probably two reasons for this. Firstly, I think Glindy has bonded more closely with me over the past year. Between long business trips where we're together 24/7, and the long periods when I'm between contracts and spending time with her at home, I think Glindy has become more attached to me than ever.
Secondly, this was not a good summer for me. I was frequently depressed, and as a result I wouldn't always hear Glindy barking to come inside. Sometimes, she would end up outside for half a day because I'd lost track of time, fallen asleep, or simply become too tuned-out to hear her.
For the other dogs, this wasn't as traumatic, even though they experienced the exact same thing. However, for a dog like Glindy who is not only deeply attached, but also has a history of severe separation anxiety, I think this was just too much for her to handle.
It's my educated guess that she's learned to associate being outside with being isolated from me, and she is no longer willing to do that even for a quick potty break. So now, if I don't want her eliminating in the house or skipping meals, I have to go out with her. Since she will usually take care of business promptly while I'm there—something that wasn't always true in the past—this isn't a Greek tragedy. It does, however, highlight some of the things that can go awry when human depression and canine separation anxiety collide.
The greater point, I suppose, is that people (disabled or not) can certainly mess up their dogs unintentionally. But then again, dogs are resilient creatures, and if we're willing to accept them for who and what they are, the damage isn't insurmountable.
Glindy, who has always been too smart for her own good, has learned the wrong lesson too well. As a result, I need to make changes in my own behavior. Whether or not Glindy will ever again be comfortable going outside without me isn't what matters. What matters is that we continue to build our bond together, and work through things as a team.
My dog is willing to spend her days working beside me, accommodating my disabilities and personality quirks, and helping me to live with them more easily. The least I can do is treat her separation anxiety the same way, and extend her the same unconditional love she affords me. After all, isn't that what being partners is all about?