Like I do every year through the last days of December, I started a list of all the plans and goals I have for the coming year. I absolutely love setting goals, and almost without fail I never reach them. In looking forward I also looked back over the last few months of 2010 and realized that this past year was the same. I haven't accomplished much. So I'm going to work things a little differently this year, starting with erasing that list I made that I wouldn't have finished anyway, and this is what I came up with...Health - This hasn't been a priority in the past, and it needs to be. At this point I'm not sure if there is anything physically wrong with Frodo, but letting it slide and pretending there's not is irresponsible. As soon as I have set word that I have a job, I'm making an appointment. This also includes getting more exercise and losing weight, for both of us!
Safety - The last few weeks have been a real eye opener for me with regard to Frodo and people he doesn't know. Between taking him to the vet and hauling him halfway across the country to live with strange people he's taught me a lot about showing when he is uncomfortable and what his limits are. My resolution for this section is to teach him how to feel comfortable in a muzzle for when he does need to be pushed over threshold (vet's office) and letting him decide when he wants to meet anybody else. I don't get to decide, that other person doesn't get to decide, FRODO gets to decide. And when he does eventually decide, it is my responsibility to bail him out if he starts to feel uncomfortable, because he has shown he isn't capable of walking away himself. I need to learn to tell people "No" more often.
Relaxation - I decided this year not to set any concrete goals for Frodo's reactivity with other dogs, especially because there are so many other variables present in any situation that can alter the way he reacts. I know that he can walk into a room full of strange dogs and strange people at a seminar and not have a reaction all day, but seeing the back of a single dog a block away can cause him to react quite badly. Therefore my goal this year is to continue to learn everything that I can about helping reactive dogs, and my hope is that we can decrease the instances and situations where he feels uncomfortable enough to react.
Shaping - I want to learn how to shape, and how to teach Frodo to offer behaviors beyond bumping with his nose, laying down, and targeting with his paws.
And that's about it. I realize that his issues aren't going away anytime soon, and that's okay. I used to view all of his issues as something that we had to overcome before I could get on with doing what *I* wanted to do, like agility and taking him everywhere that well-behaved dogs are allowed to go, competing in every dog related activity or sport under the sun, etc. Now I view our work as a journey to getting Frodo comfortable and confident in areas where he is now fearful and reactive. The chance of us ever competing is very very low, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun going to classes and learning all kinds of adorable and useless tricks at home.
Most of all I think that the most important aspect of any behavior modification is support, people to share in the elation of a success and the frustration and disappointment of setbacks. I think in part you really have to surround yourself with people who have experienced those same highs and lows as yourself because it is something that the general population, even within the dog community, cannot really relate to unless they have been there. I was fortunate enough to have the ever-present support of wonderful people like Silke, Linda, and Sue in Pennsylvania, as well as to be moving to Minnesota and the likes of Crystal, Megan, Robin, Elizabeth, and Laura, all of whom I hope to get to know even more throughout the coming year.
