# HUGE BRAG...I could cry happy tears!!!



## rbush (Oct 25, 2006)

I'm mainly a lurker here, but I got Hannah two years ago as a rescue. She had been a stray for a long time. I spent the first year working on a good foundation with basic obedience, NILIF, clicker training, etc. 

I moved twice in a six month span and we kind of plateaued. She is fear-based aggressive toward strangers and other dogs especially. About four or five months ago, I started working with a trainer. We have been working really hard in all types of situations, including having Hannah stay with the trainer for a week while I was out of town. I have taken Hannah to the library and sat outside while people walked in and out. I have stood outside the store and the gas station while people came and went. We progressed to having people meet her if they were interested and give her treats. She is now really good meeting new people, especially if she doesn't feel trapped and can check them out first. 

Next, hurdle was other dogs. There is an amazing dog park here. Its not just a grassy bowl for dogs to jump on each other and intimidate or get intimidated. Its a huge canyon with miles of trails, creeks, bushes, etc. We started off getting her and my trainers dog together. No easy feat, but a month of walks and a week at the trainer's house, and now they are best buds. We also started going to the park and walking down the on-leash part and turning around when we got to the off-leash part of the park. Then we took her on the flexi and I had her lay down when other dogs walked by. It was SO hard for her and she would bark her little head off warning them to stay away. She finally got so that she realized it wasn't about her. None of the dogs cared about her or focused on her. She stopped barking. 

Then we took her through the park on-leash, but we would just walk around other dogs with me in between while Bora (trainer's dog) was acting as diplomat. We have done that for several weeks until she was on a super long flexi and was meeting old, quiet dog nicely. This last weekend was her first day off leash and she was AMAZING!!!! She was meeting dogs she felt comfortable with and avoiding those that didn't. The main difference was her posture and her confidence. She has a really great recall, but for the first time she wasn't glued to me. She would check in regularly and stay close, but she actually let herself have fun and play. Its the first time I've seen her let her guard down a little bit and just have FUN. There were a couple of dogs that would get too rowdy and she would just growl under her breath and give them wide berth, but honestly, that's normal behavior. There were a couple of times that she would run up and bark at another dog out of fear, but I would just call her and say, "Let's go" and we'd be off. Its like something in her brain just clicked. 

At one point, our group was talking to another group of people and she was in a group of six dogs and they were all smelling each other and being polite. When she had checked out everyone, she came over to me and sat down just as calm as you please and waited for us to be on our way. I seriously got choked up a couple of times as I saw the amazing changes in my dog. Its taken two years of solid training and counter-conditioning, but oh, has it been worth it to find out my dog's true personality. 

I also have to say that I have been SO impressed with the quality of dog ownership at this park. When people call their dogs....they come! Its amazing. The dogs seem well socialized, well exercised and stable.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Congratulations. Sounds like you've got a lot to be proud of. Rehabbing a fearful dog is tough work. Keep it up!


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## mkennels (Feb 12, 2008)

don't you love it when you see the work you are doing finally coming together, it is the greatest feeling in the world, congrads and keep it up


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## AnnaRiley (Feb 14, 2008)

This is great! I've been through some similar stuff so I know how happy you must be feeling about all this.


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## rokanhaus (Mar 20, 2006)

That is awesome!!! Good work!!!


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## MTAussie (Dec 9, 2007)

That is so awesome! Congratulations to you and Hannah! It sounds like you have really worked hard. What a success story for you and your trainer! Welcome to the board and I look forward to more posts!


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## rbush (Oct 25, 2006)

Thanks everyone! It doesn't sound as great when I tell people, but honestly, I NEVER thought I would see this day. NEVER in a million years. She just seemed so happy and confident. I'm still on cloud 9. Maybe we can do classes after all!!! I've always wanted to do agility with her. We took one class and it was kind of a disaster. She tried to bite the teacher and she barked and growled at all the dogs in the class, but she could already do all the stuff. I'm just so glad that we are getting over this hump because it means I can take her more places and do more things with her and it means we can have more fun! YAY!


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## KCandMace (Apr 8, 2008)

Congrats to you both. What an achievement!


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## VectorSketcher (Jul 20, 2008)

I am glad I opened up your thread and read your story, I have a 6 month old pup that has the same fear aggression issues with strangers and especially with dogs she doesn't know. I have been doing a lot of training with her as well as working with great trainers and I get to see a little glimpse of what you are now seeing, but it is just a glimpse, I hope to have a story like yours to tell one day!


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

Congratulations! That is a HUGE achievement. I know how hard it is as we have a reactive girl that we've been working with for over a year. It's such a rewarding feeling when they start relaxing and having fun around other dogs.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

See but if you tell people who KNOW, those who have dealt with fearful and reactive dogs, we realize just what an achievement it is.







I know exactly what you mean. Every day Risa has a non-dog-reactive day is a blessing. It's amazing to look back and see how far you've come, isn't it?


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

HUGE congratulations, that is no easy task and you did very well with her! YAY!


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## wildwolf60 (Apr 13, 2001)

Congratulations!! We have a rescue that was sort of your pup....adopted her 4 years ago now. She was also fear-based aggressive, towards strangers and other dogs too. I applaud your work, and it's so rewarding to see them come around like that! Kudos!








We've worked with our girl, and while she's not perfect, and I didn't get the chance to do all the things you've done with Hannah, we feel that our Luna has really come full circle, and we're very happy with her. It always warms our hearts when we think back on how she was originally!


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## Rügen (Mar 19, 2008)

That's an amazing story! You've done a wonderful job with Hannah. It's so nice to read about someone's success who has put SO much time and effort into rehabilitating and properly socializing their dog. It seems most people don't want to put that kind of effort into the situation yet still expect their dog to turn out as well as Hannah after only a few sessions with a trainer. I applaud your commitment and wish there were more dog owners such as yourself.

I have a pretty good idea which park you are talking about, it's Tanner right? It's so beautiful there!!! I took my golden to Tanner a lot after my female shepherd passed away. He was so lonely and upset. I believe his interactions at Tanner really helped him with his loss. Since I got my pup we no longer go, but we never had any bad experiences there and I attribute it to the parks beautiful and interesting landscape. The dogs are constantly on the move following the trails with their owners, playing in the fields or taking a swim in the river! I love it when the sunflowers come out in spring then again in fall when the leaves turn ~ it's a dogs paradise


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