It's hard to imagine that Mojo has been involved with this type of training. It just adds to the mystery that is him. Pictures are of Jay and Mojo enjoying an unseasonably warm Leap Day morning.
 |
| The end! |
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunny with a bit of Mojo
Something I'm fascinated by is the fact that Mojo is excellent on leash. He walks right next to you (and always to the right), and he looks up a lot to make eye contact ... the kind of connection you might see on a dog who's had training. I remember when Jay was training our previous lab in agility, and this type of closeness and eye contact was a big part of it. You can see how little slack there is on the retractable leash ... he could pull away because it's not locked; he just doesn't.
It's hard to imagine that Mojo has been involved with this type of training. It just adds to the mystery that is him. Pictures are of Jay and Mojo enjoying an unseasonably warm Leap Day morning.
It's hard to imagine that Mojo has been involved with this type of training. It just adds to the mystery that is him. Pictures are of Jay and Mojo enjoying an unseasonably warm Leap Day morning.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Today I Bought a Book ...
Today was a day when Jay and I both admitted to feeling frustrated.
Not at Mojo -- certainly not! -- but at ourselves. Just feeling inadequate. I can't speak for Jay, but for myself, it was wondering whether I'm smart enough about how to help Mojo acclimate.
So, I was reading through various websites and postings about how to help a fearful dog adapt, and none of them really clicked with me. The dogs they were talking about didn't sound like Mojo. They seem more ... advanced. They already responded to treat rewards, or extra play time, etc. Mojo loves treats, but as you can see in a previous post, he won't extend himself for one. And he doesn't play. Roll a ball toward him and he barely even looks at it. Get down with him and say "who's a good boy?" in doggy baby talk, and he looks embarassed ... for me.
Anyway, looking through the websites made me feel even more inadequate, until I found the one that I should have latched onto in the first place, based on the name: FearfulDogs.com. I mean, seriously -- is there a place more perfect for the likes of us?
It's all based on the fascinating story of the woman who runs the site and the dog she rescued. And after being 9 days into our time with Mojo, who still lives in our kitchen but has shown signs of bonding, trust, and progress, you can bet I was reassured to read the following:
At last! I found someone who has not only been through what we're going through (to an extreme we are not [mercifully] dealing with), but she has dedicated herself to helping help people like us who want to give a fearful dog its confidence back. So far, the chapters I'm most eager to read are: Helping a Fearful Dog Interpret Humanity, and Getting a Dog to Play.
So, today I bought a book.
And I shall learn to read Mojo!
Not at Mojo -- certainly not! -- but at ourselves. Just feeling inadequate. I can't speak for Jay, but for myself, it was wondering whether I'm smart enough about how to help Mojo acclimate.
So, I was reading through various websites and postings about how to help a fearful dog adapt, and none of them really clicked with me. The dogs they were talking about didn't sound like Mojo. They seem more ... advanced. They already responded to treat rewards, or extra play time, etc. Mojo loves treats, but as you can see in a previous post, he won't extend himself for one. And he doesn't play. Roll a ball toward him and he barely even looks at it. Get down with him and say "who's a good boy?" in doggy baby talk, and he looks embarassed ... for me.
Anyway, looking through the websites made me feel even more inadequate, until I found the one that I should have latched onto in the first place, based on the name: FearfulDogs.com. I mean, seriously -- is there a place more perfect for the likes of us?
It's all based on the fascinating story of the woman who runs the site and the dog she rescued. And after being 9 days into our time with Mojo, who still lives in our kitchen but has shown signs of bonding, trust, and progress, you can bet I was reassured to read the following:
Initially, Sunny [her dog, a border collie she rescued from an animal horder] could not tolerate any contact with people. He lived in a corner of our living room for more than a month. He ate, slept, peed and pooped there. I imagined that “any day now” Sunny would come bounding out of the corner and realize that life was good. He didn’t. It took over a year and a half for him to
not just tolerate me, but also to stop showing signs of fear when I approached him.At last! I found someone who has not only been through what we're going through (to an extreme we are not [mercifully] dealing with), but she has dedicated herself to helping help people like us who want to give a fearful dog its confidence back. So far, the chapters I'm most eager to read are: Helping a Fearful Dog Interpret Humanity, and Getting a Dog to Play.
So, today I bought a book.
And I shall learn to read Mojo!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Oops.
Hmmmm ... we have a new puzzle to work out with Mojo.
Overnight, we heard him walking in and out of our bedroom several times, which as you know is a HUGE new thing and one we were getting a real kick out of.
What we didn't realize, is that he had to go. And then I remembered his foster mom Robyn's sage wisdom that when he needs to go out he paces. Oops.
We did the get-dressed-scramble, but our noses told us that we hadn't figured it out quickly enough.
It happens.
But it also was repeated today while we were at work, so we are going to have to figure this out. On the one hand, we're thrilled that he's more comfortable venturing out of the kitchen ... but of course not so thrilled if he figures it's a good place to boldly go where he's never gone before.
So, we're going to adjust feeding time and make sure we've gotten him out enough (we still have to keep him on leash because we're concerned he won't come in when called and it's an awfully big yard to be chasing a dog around!).
We'll just have to see how it goes. No pun intended. OK, yes it was.
I guess we need to get more fluent in Mojo!
... and it's probably time to ratchet up the rug cleaner and odor remover inventory.
Overnight, we heard him walking in and out of our bedroom several times, which as you know is a HUGE new thing and one we were getting a real kick out of.
What we didn't realize, is that he had to go. And then I remembered his foster mom Robyn's sage wisdom that when he needs to go out he paces. Oops.
We did the get-dressed-scramble, but our noses told us that we hadn't figured it out quickly enough.
It happens.
But it also was repeated today while we were at work, so we are going to have to figure this out. On the one hand, we're thrilled that he's more comfortable venturing out of the kitchen ... but of course not so thrilled if he figures it's a good place to boldly go where he's never gone before.
So, we're going to adjust feeding time and make sure we've gotten him out enough (we still have to keep him on leash because we're concerned he won't come in when called and it's an awfully big yard to be chasing a dog around!).
We'll just have to see how it goes. No pun intended. OK, yes it was.
I guess we need to get more fluent in Mojo!
... and it's probably time to ratchet up the rug cleaner and odor remover inventory.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
HALL-elujah!
No pictorial record for this one, because the moment was very fleeting, but Mr. Mojo's curiosity must have gotten the best of him last night after we had gone to bed. Actually, thinking about him had made me restless last night, so I had camped out on the couch so that I didn't keep Jay up. But I don't think Mojo knew that.
Around 3:00, the ticking of nails on the floor caught my ear. What was he up to now?
Apparently, Mojo was ready to explore. He took a couple of test drives just a few feet out of the kitchen, then back to his corner. A peek around the corner, then a few feet more. To my amazement, he made it all the way to the other side of the room and down the hallway to the bedrooms (that's the whole length of our house). Wow!
In fact -- this is so cool -- I'm writing this back in the bedroom, and I can hear him now. He's in the living room, and maybe, just maybe, he's going to do it again without the cover of darkness. That would be HUGE.
Footnote: Yesterday afternoon marked the one-week anniversary of Mojo's homecoming. Looking back over the posts from these first days, it is remarkable how quickly he has melted our hearts, even though we haven't quite been able to do the same for him.
I can't wait to see what the next week brings!
Around 3:00, the ticking of nails on the floor caught my ear. What was he up to now?
Apparently, Mojo was ready to explore. He took a couple of test drives just a few feet out of the kitchen, then back to his corner. A peek around the corner, then a few feet more. To my amazement, he made it all the way to the other side of the room and down the hallway to the bedrooms (that's the whole length of our house). Wow!
In fact -- this is so cool -- I'm writing this back in the bedroom, and I can hear him now. He's in the living room, and maybe, just maybe, he's going to do it again without the cover of darkness. That would be HUGE.
Footnote: Yesterday afternoon marked the one-week anniversary of Mojo's homecoming. Looking back over the posts from these first days, it is remarkable how quickly he has melted our hearts, even though we haven't quite been able to do the same for him.
I can't wait to see what the next week brings!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
This Could be the Start of Something Big!
Mojo and Jay went for a walk out to the pasture, and when they came back in, Mojo opted to stay in the dining room instead of hi-tailing it for the kitchen. (Well, for the sake of accuracty, Mojo would have been low-tailing it.)
So we sat in the living room, in plain sight, and he seemed content to know we were nearby, and went to sleep. It's been a couple hours and he's still there. Part of it could be his desire to expand his range of motion, and part of it could be that he loves the warmth of the radiator!
I'm dying to have him try out his memory foam dog bed, but so far, he just likes to look at it and sleep on the floor instead.
Do You Want Cheese With That?
I believe his inner dialog went something like this:
(looking at the cheese): "I love cheese."
(looking at me): "Could you bring me that cheese?"
at cheese: "I could go get the cheese."
at me: "Can't you bring me that cheese?"
at cheese: "I really love cheese."
at me: "Seriously, you didn't throw it anywhere close enough to me."
at cheese: "Maybe she could bring it to me ..."
at me: "Oh. You're not bringing it here, are you."
at cheese: "If she'd just leave, I'd get that cheese."
at me: "LEAVE!"
... and so I did. Let's just say the cheese wasn't on the floor for long.
Any move out of the corner is a victory to me!
Friday, February 24, 2012
50 First Dates
Whenever the movie "50 First Dates" is on TV, no matter how far along it is, we watch it. Love Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler together, love the happy ending ... love the movie. (If you're not familiar with it, the idea is that a woman was in a terrible auto accident, and as a result her memory resets to the morning before the accident every day, so when a guy falls in love with her, he has to "meet" her for the first time each day, and she has to fall in love with him again each day. But it's funnier that that.)
Sometimes with Mojo, we feel like we're in our own version of that concept.
Yesterday, it seemed like he was definitely considering a move beyond the kitchen doors. Jay left for a Bible study at around 6:30, so I mosied back to the bedroom where I had my computer set up and was working on a few things. And then I heard an unfamiliar sound: a doggy head shake with flapping ear percussion! Was it possible that Mr. Mojo was out and around?
Almost -- he was standing at the kitchen threshold, nose in the air.
I know, I know ... I should have just let him be and gone back out of view, but I thought maybe if he saw where I was, he would come my way. Nope. But when I checked the kitchen, he was sitting up, he was a little engaged, and so I gave him some loving, sat with him for a while, and talked to him all the way back to where I was working.
When Jay got home, Mojo sat right up, went out for a quick constitutional, and later on, we could hear him wandering around a little more. But he was not yet a dog without borders.
Then, this morning I heard him up and peeked out to see him walking around the kitchen, sniffing at the place where treats are stored, and told Jay maybe he needed to go out. (Jay says it was my way of saying that he needed to get up LOL.)
So he rushed to get dressed, went to greet Mojo, and darned if that beautiful dog wasn't back trembling in his corner. What the ...?
It's as if he has this imprinting in his mind of some evil person who yells "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO BE MOVING AROUND -- GET BACK IN THAT CORNER AND STAY THERE!"
Once he and Jay went a few laps in the freshly fallen snow (up to Mojo's knees!), he was more relaxed, accepting pets (and treats of course) and back in his comfort zone.
His foster dad, Ben, says the behaviorist explained that Mojo captures each experience as a photograph, and when he collects enough photos of a certain thing, it becomes an accepted fact. For example, that when we come into the kitchen and love on him, he doesn't need to look away or back into the corner because we're just going to keep doing what we always do: give him some pets and rubs and he won't be harmed. We're building up a lot of those photos and building his confidence that he's safe when we come in the kitchen.
BUT, he doesn't have any/many photos of what happens when he wanders around the kitchen and virtually none of what would happen when he comes out. At least, not of what happens in his forever home with us here. So it seems (to me) that he draws on old memories of what happened when he used to do such things, and those must be awful pictures indeed. I wish his memories went no further back than the time he spent with his foster family, and that hed realize it's OK to come out and play.
I guess we just haven't had enough dates yet ... but I know that time will come.
Sometimes with Mojo, we feel like we're in our own version of that concept.
Yesterday, it seemed like he was definitely considering a move beyond the kitchen doors. Jay left for a Bible study at around 6:30, so I mosied back to the bedroom where I had my computer set up and was working on a few things. And then I heard an unfamiliar sound: a doggy head shake with flapping ear percussion! Was it possible that Mr. Mojo was out and around?
Almost -- he was standing at the kitchen threshold, nose in the air.
I know, I know ... I should have just let him be and gone back out of view, but I thought maybe if he saw where I was, he would come my way. Nope. But when I checked the kitchen, he was sitting up, he was a little engaged, and so I gave him some loving, sat with him for a while, and talked to him all the way back to where I was working.
When Jay got home, Mojo sat right up, went out for a quick constitutional, and later on, we could hear him wandering around a little more. But he was not yet a dog without borders.
Then, this morning I heard him up and peeked out to see him walking around the kitchen, sniffing at the place where treats are stored, and told Jay maybe he needed to go out. (Jay says it was my way of saying that he needed to get up LOL.)
So he rushed to get dressed, went to greet Mojo, and darned if that beautiful dog wasn't back trembling in his corner. What the ...?
It's as if he has this imprinting in his mind of some evil person who yells "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO BE MOVING AROUND -- GET BACK IN THAT CORNER AND STAY THERE!"
Once he and Jay went a few laps in the freshly fallen snow (up to Mojo's knees!), he was more relaxed, accepting pets (and treats of course) and back in his comfort zone.
His foster dad, Ben, says the behaviorist explained that Mojo captures each experience as a photograph, and when he collects enough photos of a certain thing, it becomes an accepted fact. For example, that when we come into the kitchen and love on him, he doesn't need to look away or back into the corner because we're just going to keep doing what we always do: give him some pets and rubs and he won't be harmed. We're building up a lot of those photos and building his confidence that he's safe when we come in the kitchen.
BUT, he doesn't have any/many photos of what happens when he wanders around the kitchen and virtually none of what would happen when he comes out. At least, not of what happens in his forever home with us here. So it seems (to me) that he draws on old memories of what happened when he used to do such things, and those must be awful pictures indeed. I wish his memories went no further back than the time he spent with his foster family, and that hed realize it's OK to come out and play.
I guess we just haven't had enough dates yet ... but I know that time will come.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Road Less Travelled
Today we had one of those late-winter snow falls that make you feel like you're living in a snow globe. The air temperature is actually pretty warm, there's no wind, and the flakes are huge. They fall on top of each other and in no time, the ground is covered and the roads are a slushy mess.
Jay took Mojo deep into our little woods alongside a creek. Plenty of smells, lots to see. He still goes into a crouch when Jay stops (what on earth did someone do to this dog?????), but with some quiet chatter and gentle pets, he'll pop back up and stick by his side. His right side. Mojo does NOT like to walk on the left side!
Could there be a better environment for a walk in the woods? When we got home from work today, Mojo sat up ... an indication that a trip outside would come in handy. After business was taken care of, Jay took him on a couple laps around the yard, and then took him on an adventure. I wanted to take a couple pictures, so I just had to follow the clues -- big boot prints, small paw prints.
Jay took Mojo deep into our little woods alongside a creek. Plenty of smells, lots to see. He still goes into a crouch when Jay stops (what on earth did someone do to this dog?????), but with some quiet chatter and gentle pets, he'll pop back up and stick by his side. His right side. Mojo does NOT like to walk on the left side!
Where's Mojo?
Chopped Liver
So, yesterday Jay got kisses on his hand! (The camera caught the tail end of the love fest.)
I, however, apparently haven't passed muster (yet) unless I have a treat in my hand.
Sigh. My time will come.
We can tell Mojo is conflicted about staying in the kitchen corner or venturing out where we are ... I think he's getting closer to wanting to test drive a trip to the living room. He seems most rested and relaxed when both Jay and I are in the kitchen talking (not to him, but to each other), or when I'm in there cooking or emptying the dishwasher or whatever. It's as if he's comforted to know we're around.
Moving forward, one inch at a time!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Snow Big Thing
Another stealth attack on the food and water bowls overnight! I could hear Mojo up in the middle of the night and was wishing he'd decide to venture out into our part of the house, but not yet.
As Ben, his foster dad, has reminded us ... the smallest thing is a big mark of progress with Mojo, and for me, that was having him sit up for me as soon as I opened the back door early this morning. He was ready for his close-up with a snowy yard. So out we went, and he went, but found the sounds of cars zipping by on a slushy road a bit unsettling. He was quickly ready for the safety of his corner.
But Jay woke up looking foward to some one-on-one time with his boy, so off they went for a few laps around the back forty. It's hard to see that tail, but it's totally moving in the right direction!
Monday, February 20, 2012
To Have and To Hold
Sunday evening, Mojo wisely chose to hang out in the kitchen instead of the dining room. After all, the rug and floor in the kitchen holds many more possibilities of interesting smells (and crumbs!), and it's just an all-around nicer place to be.
So each time I had to go in there last night, I'd make a point of walking over to his food and water station, shake the bowl and look at him and say, "and if you're hungry, your food is right here."
I did that probably 5 times, and just left it at that.
This morning: food and water, GONE!
Smart dog.
He also walked to the back door when I went out to put the cat food in the bowl, but retreated to his corner when I came back in. Me thinks the boy needed to GO!
So, when Jay got up, he grabbed the leash and Mojo was willing to be led out ...
where he peed for what seemed like an hour. Ah, the benefits of a housebroken dog. And we got a nice poop out of him, too. We were like proud parents cheering their kid's first boom-boom on the potty.
Now, he's back in his corner, but it looks as if Mr. Mojo may be getting his groove back.
So each time I had to go in there last night, I'd make a point of walking over to his food and water station, shake the bowl and look at him and say, "and if you're hungry, your food is right here."
I did that probably 5 times, and just left it at that.
This morning: food and water, GONE!
Smart dog.
He also walked to the back door when I went out to put the cat food in the bowl, but retreated to his corner when I came back in. Me thinks the boy needed to GO!
So, when Jay got up, he grabbed the leash and Mojo was willing to be led out ...
where he peed for what seemed like an hour. Ah, the benefits of a housebroken dog. And we got a nice poop out of him, too. We were like proud parents cheering their kid's first boom-boom on the potty.
Now, he's back in his corner, but it looks as if Mr. Mojo may be getting his groove back.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Getting a Grip
This is really hard. To know that Mojo is in a safe place and to see that he doesn't know it yet. To watch him try and disappear. To ignore him so that he can just settle in and work these things out.
I feel sad -- because I don't know what went wrong for him at such a young age, but clearly it was enough to take all the sparkle out of him.
I feel mad, because somewhere out there is an idiot (sorry, I'm not choosing to find a nicer description) who is responsible for this.
I feel deflated, because my ego whispers the lie that I should be enough ... that Mojo should be able to tell that we already are so committed to him, and that even though his foster parents warned us that this would take time .... I guess I wanted to be part of some miracle conversion that would be accomplished in hours instead of days.
And I am also dismayed with myself that I'm having a hard time accepting that.
I guess it's a good thing we are studying perserverance as taught in the book of James in our couple's Bible study!
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
What was that old bumper sticker? "Give me patience, Lord ... but hurry!"
I feel sad -- because I don't know what went wrong for him at such a young age, but clearly it was enough to take all the sparkle out of him.
I feel mad, because somewhere out there is an idiot (sorry, I'm not choosing to find a nicer description) who is responsible for this.
I feel deflated, because my ego whispers the lie that I should be enough ... that Mojo should be able to tell that we already are so committed to him, and that even though his foster parents warned us that this would take time .... I guess I wanted to be part of some miracle conversion that would be accomplished in hours instead of days.
And I am also dismayed with myself that I'm having a hard time accepting that.
I guess it's a good thing we are studying perserverance as taught in the book of James in our couple's Bible study!
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
What was that old bumper sticker? "Give me patience, Lord ... but hurry!"
The Ins and Outs of Doors
His first night with us, Mojo didn't budge from his spot in the dining room. Well, he reversed position, but it didn't look like he had done anything else. He ate a few bites out of Jay's hand, but ignored the water bowl.
Sunday morning, when Jay decided to take out the garbage and leave through the front door (that is right in Mojo's sight line), it created a stir ... he backed himself up as far into the corner as he could go.
What was he thinking? Maybe he was afraid he was going to be hauled off again, put into yet another strange car, or strange home. It was, after all, the only door in our house he had experienced.
So, off to church we went, leaving him half on his new bed (only his behind has given it a bit of attention thus far), and half on the floor.
Sunday morning, when Jay decided to take out the garbage and leave through the front door (that is right in Mojo's sight line), it created a stir ... he backed himself up as far into the corner as he could go.
What was he thinking? Maybe he was afraid he was going to be hauled off again, put into yet another strange car, or strange home. It was, after all, the only door in our house he had experienced.
So, off to church we went, leaving him half on his new bed (only his behind has given it a bit of attention thus far), and half on the floor.
Leaving him there while we were in church was definitely an act of faith! Would he decide to get up and explore? Did I remember to leave the food far enough back on the counter tops (it's been years since we had dogs curious enough to pull food down for themselves, and I hadn't even given it any thought)? Did we close the basement door (we always do, but would this be the day it could have mattered if we didn't)? Will he eat the couch? Did I care if he did?
We definitely weren't concerned about him peeing (etc.) ... after all, we'd had a relatively incontinent senior dog in the house for the past several months, so we were pretty used to that. Not that we'd allow it long term, but until he figured out where the "out" door was and we figured out how Mojo would communicate the need, we knew the odds of a few accidents were high. Pee happens.
When we got home, he was almost where we found him; a little less scrunched up, but glued to his spot. We decided it was necessary to get him outside -- it is a beautiful day, and this dog needed a little fresh air.
It wasn't a Kodak moment -- he trembled, wet himself, and trembled some more, but once up and out the door, he was willing to walk with Jay for several laps around the yard. He stayed pretty low (in the first picture, look at how his back legs are positioned: he just goes belly down as if ready to do an Army crawl), but eventually he was getting the hang of it. Tons of smells, sights, and sounds to absorb, and he was in a constant state of alert. Who knows how many times it'll take before that tail will come out from between his legs.
He's beautiful, he's fragile ... and he's now a part of our family. It's unbelievably hard to not just want to scoop him up and hug him and pet him and coo in his ear. To ignore a Lab is a challenge ... one I'll confess I haven't mastered yet. I admit to random acts of petting and coo-ing.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
To the Rescue!
This afternoon, we brought home a 2-year old yellow Lab named Mojo. We adopted him through Midwest Labrador Retriever Rescue, a wonderful non-profit organization committed to giving labs a second shot at the loving home they should have been given in the first place, but lost either because an owner's life change, or abandonment or neglect.
In Mojo's case, it appears that the issue was neglect. His history is sketchy, but the one thing that is abundantly clear is his utter discomfort around people. He spent time with a trainer and an animal behaviorist, and they believe that the issue wasn't abuse -- they don't think anyone harmed him physically -- but he appears to have had no interaction with people at all ... surely as cruel to a Lab's inherent temperament as physical blows.
And so, he was brought into foster care with a wonderful couple who took on the daunting task of trying to teach Mojo to be, well, a dog.
In their care, he learned to play with a ball (fetching one remains kind of confusing), chew on a bone, and frolick with his foster brother and sister (both Labs). In the course of the 5 weeks they fostered Mojo, he grew to trust them enough to stop hiding in the kitchen and ultimately joining them wherever they would be in the house.
The foster parents cautioned us that we are going to have to be very patient as Mojo transitions into his forever home. It's Mojo's world, and we're just hosting it, and he has to learn that we're here for him and that we're in for keeps.
This blog is going to follow Mojo's progress (as well as ours) as we all learn how to do life together.
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