Tuesday Topics #35 - Getting Soft

I used to take Cabana to different parks and walking paths all the time, rotating through our favorite places as well as looking for new favorites. But last spring, after Cabana got a foxtail in her nose, I stopped going to so many different places. During the summer, Cabana and I walked daily to the soccer fields at King Park because the lawns there are always green and well-manicured, with no threat of foxtails. We got to know the people and dogs at King Park really well because we saw them so regularly.

Finally, we've been able to go back to our old favorite walking path, now that the foxtails are gone and the weeds have been cut back somewhat. Cabana has a great time, sniffing all the smells, roaming leash-free, running pell mell. Well, for the most part. We've gone there a few times recently, but every time, I have noticed a big change in Cabana.

Cabana seems to consider the green grassy fields of King Park her home turf, so whether there are big dogs, unfamiliar dogs, yappy dogs, she usually gives them a greet-and-sniff. Sure, she doesn't choose to play with every single dog, but at least she isn't fearful.

However, when we are NOT at King Park, Cabana's confidence around other dogs diminishes greatly. In the photo above, some dogs pass by, and Cabana skirts WAY around them to avoid them entirely. These are dogs that we have met MANY times before. They aren't mean, but granted, they are on the older side, maybe slightly curmudgeon-ish.

If we pass a dog directly in our path and Cabana can't avoid it, she pulls back her ears and allows herself to be sniffed, but very grudgingly. She doesn't bark or act aggressively, but she just acts very uncomfortable, like, "Do I really have to do this?"

A few times when I have taken Cabana to other dog parks recently, Cabana doesn't even want to get out of the car. Or she gets out but then won't play with ANY other dog, even friendly little pups who do everything they can to initiate play with her. She even refuses other Labs, which used to be a surefire favorite. She doesn't act fearful the whole time; she does roam and sniff. But it seems like she's saying, "This isn't MY park. These aren't MY friends." (This is exactly what happened at doggie daycare a couple months ago--she wouldn't play with the other dogs and just acted tentative the whole time.)

I don't know if Cabana is getting more fearful, or if it's just what dogs do as they mature. After all, she can't act like a puppy forever, when she expected every dog to be her new best friend. But as a dog that got career changed for wanting to meet and play with every dog in a 5-mile radius, it does concern me that she has become so hesitant.

Cabana has always been a bit of a soft (sensitive) dog, but is she getting too soft? Should I keep trying to take her to lots of different places again so she'll be accustomed to them, or should I just take her where she feels comfortable? After all, the dog park is supposed to be fun for her, not a chore.

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Doggy Day Care

In preparation for occasions when we might need to board Cabana, today we went to a dog boarding/day care ranch for a day-long evaluation. A lot of our dog park friends take their dogs there and love it. At this ranch, dogs are grouped into similar ages and temperaments. There is no kennel time; instead, they are loose all day in play yards, with a human handler present the whole time to provide supervision and affection. An open gate leads to an indoor area with dog beds, so dogs can go inside to nap or stay outside to play, whatever strikes their fancy. The mandatory day of evaluation ensures that only friendly dogs are accepted.

I dropped Cabana off, feeling a bit like I was sending my child off to preschool or kindergarten! I worried that Cabana might be weirded out by the new place and wonder when or if I would be back to get her. Of course, Cabana loves to play with other dogs, so I wasn't concerned about her behaving badly--but I did have concerns about whether she'd feel comfortable without me being present. We have such a regular routine, and Cabana is with me almost all the time, so I knew that doggy day care might be a "growing experience" for her.

At 4:00 pm, I picked Cabana up from the dog ranch. The woman at the front desk gave me this cute "report card" and photos of Cabana taken during the day.

They said that Cabana was nice and sweet, but she didn't play very much with the other dogs. She was very "reserved" and "tentative". Even in the photos, it's easy to see that Cabana wasn't comfortable from the way her ears are pulled back.

Cabana was SO happy to see me when I picked her up, jumping all over the place. (At home, she never greets us in anything close to an exuberant manner, rarely even getting up when we come in the door.) It was sweet that she missed me and was so happy to get in the car and go home. Even if she doesn't seem to love it right now, I do think it's still good for her to go to doggy day care every so often. Maybe next time, I can arrange to bring her on the same day that Maggie goes, so she'll have a familiar friend there. I don't want Cabana to get separation anxiety, and I know it's good to shake up her routine every now and then. This way, if we do have to leave her there overnight, it won't be as traumatic for her--or me!

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The Elevator and a Sweet Transvestite

After several peaceful days of country living at Seven Oaks Ranch, our trip took a turn for the polar opposite. We drove down to visit my sister who lives in a high-rise apartment, smackdab in the middle of Los Angeles. Yes, this is my sister who is not fond of animals--but she was very receptive to us bringing Cabana. After Cabana's initial desire to greet and sniff, she quickly learned to respect my sister's boundaries. My sister was fine with Cabana being in the same room, as long as there was no physical contact between them.

Here we are on an early morning potty break in the central courtyard, encircled by about six of these tall apartment buildings. My sister lives on the top floor.

The first few times we went up and down in the elevator, Cabana was completely fine. But after the first day, she suddenly decided that she DID NOT LIKE THE ELEVATOR!

On the first morning, I was able to coax Cabana into the elevator with treats. We were down in the foyer after the potty break when Cabana REFUSED to get back in the elevator, hunkering down and digging in her heels. Several times, I had to let the elevator go, since I knew other people were probably waiting for it. I didn't want to just brute force her in, because I knew we had several days and MANY potty breaks ahead of us. I didn't want to traumatize her and felt that if she was able to come in on her own, it would be much better.

If my sister lived on the 4th or even the 7th floor, I might have given up and just taken the stairs--but I didn't really fancy the idea of going up and down 12 flights of stairs every time Cabana needed to do her business.

While attempting to get Cabana more comfortable about even standing NEAR the elevator, a man stepped out of the elevator, carrying a small Pomeranian dog. I explained to the man that Cabana was afraid of the elevator and would he mind getting back into it with his dog, so that Cabana would be more comfortable about being in there.

Not only did this friendly man help me coax Cabana into the elevator (even with the Pomeranian, it still wasn't easy!), he and his dog rode all the way up to the 12th floor with us to make sure Cabana was okay. This was at 6:00 in the morning, not a time of day when most people are feeling their friendliest!

This incident reminds me of the old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover", because this kind and helpful man with the Pomeranian happened to be wearing a sheer pink blouse, a bra, pink lipstick, and large gold earrings. His medium length blonde hair was curled under and coiffed in a Cameron Diaz-like style. In my state of desperation, I hadn't cared what he looked like! But he had a wonderful British accent, and he spoke and comported himself in the most polite and "normal" manner. I don't think many people would have gone as out of their way as he did.

The next day, I saw the man again, this time wearing a beige floral outfit, and he inquired about how Cabana was doing. I was pleased to report that Cabana had improved tremendously. Thank you, Mister!?

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Not Scared of the Rocket's Red Glare

...or of bombs bursting in air!


Last night, we took Cabana with us to see the fireworks, which may be somewhat controversial. However, we didn't go far from our house, and if Cabana seemed at all uncomfortable, I figured we'd just abort and go home. I suspected that she would be fine with them because she doesn't startle easily to sudden or loud noises.

Sure enough, Cabana was completely unaffected by the fireworks. She thought it was quite exciting to be outside, sitting in the dark with all of us. We weren't super close to the fireworks, and that probably helped her comfort level, too. Too bad my photos are so lousy! This was the best of the bunch.

Hope your dogs and animals fared okay through the holiday!

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Scary Things

It's obvious that Cabana has no fear of water.

And she's not scaredy of cats. (I interrupted a staring contest. I think our cat Angie was the victor this time.)

Last week, Cabana held her own with this huge rhodesian ridgeback (hind end pictured here), even though at 110 pounds, he was over twice her size.


She's even unfazed by this noisy little plane, flying low overhead.

BUT...Cabana DOES get scared--and by the strangest things!! Some blog readers may remember our struggles with the refrigerated sections in grocery stores. That fear got better then worse, then didn't matter.

But Cabana was sure this terracotta pot had it in for her. Yesterday, when she first saw it in someone's lawn, she backed up and hackled. Talking cheerfully and reassuringly, I went up and tapped it a few times. Even then, Cabana danced and pranced around, like, "I'm not getting any closer to that fearsome object!" Today, we went back to it, and she had completely gotten over it. "Oh, that thing, pah, I know it's nothing now."

Another scary object is this new pop-up crate! We rarely crate Cabana anymore, but we're going on a trip in April and will be staying in a rented house. In case we need to leave her for short periods, I didn't want her loose in a strange house. So I bought this collapsible crate, which I think both Natalie and Ro have--right? Only $25 at Target, and I love not having to store some big old thing! I thought it would be good to leave it out for a while, so Cabana could get used to it. Good idea?!

Well, I tried for over 15 minutes to get Cabana to go in the crate yesterday. She never minded the big plastic ones that we had borrowed from our puppy group. But I don't know why, she did NOT want to go in this one.

I tried everything short of brute force, while Cabana kept yawning and play bowing to show her discomfort. I threw in Charlee Bear treats, no go. I threw in baby carrots, still no. I threw in her Kong stuffed with a cookie, no way. Finally, I threw in a hunk of cheese! Still NO!!

What choice did I have, I decided to give up for the time being. But when my daughters got home from school, my younger daughter climbed in the crate, and Cabana happily dashed right in after her! Problem solved. As is evident from the photo, Cabana doesn't mind being in there one bit. In fact, she doesn't want to get out!

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Refrigerator Fear

I hadn't previously taken any pics of Cabana in her dapper green jacket, so here are a couple. She looks so cute with her tongue out!


In the one below, she looks like she's trying to be a swimsuit model or something. Does that seem weird to say? I guess it's the way she has her body kind of twisted with her head held high--she looks so posed....Okay, I guess it does seem weird to say.


In the past week or so, I have become aware of Cabana's fear of the refrigerated sections in grocery stores. I think it's always been there, but I hadn't put two and two together to see the correlation between her sometimes hesitant/obstinate behavior in grocery stores and the fact that we were passing or approaching a cheese stand or deli counter.

It doesn't happen when we're going through a cold section with doors (like ice cream), but it definitely happens in the dairy section. I don't know if it's the sound of the fan/motor, or the cold air that's sinking down to her level, or that maybe the floor is cold there?

Last week, I needed two things at the grocery store, one of which was sour cream. Cabana would NOT allow us to get to that part of the store. I tried it from one angle and then another--but whenever we got close, she would hunker down and refuse to budge. I tried cajoling, pulling, giving treats. I finally had to ask another customer in the store to bring the sour cream to me!

Since then, I have gone back to the store when I wasn't in shopping mode. No purse, no hurries, no timeline. I tried carrying Cabana around the refrigerated sections, hoping she'd see there wasn't anything to be afraid of. I gave her treats to get her to come closer--but she was still fearful.

Then my puppy group leader and her GD puppy, Accord, met us at a grocery store so they could help Cabana overcome her anxiety. Nothing pleases Cabana more than to be around other dogs, and she would have followed Accord to the ends of the earth. She followed Accord through the refrigerated sections with no problem.

But today, I went back to my usual grocery store with Cabana, and the fearful body language came back. However, after 3-4 times of working back through the trigger spots, Cabana seemed to be much better. We'll see how it goes the next time we go back there.

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