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Monday, September 30, 2013

Shyla's Socialization

Our lives continue to be very disrupted by all the flood damage. Getting to town and our normal vet, doctors, physical therapists, and dentists is a several hour ordeal of driving bumpy dirt roads that take a long route around the worst damage.

As a side note, national workers, like the National Guard, are doing yeoman's duty for us right now, and they won't be paid if our government shuts down tomorrow. I sure hope that doesn't happen. Many emergency workers have given weeks of their lives to help us with our flood disaster. I, for one, would feel horrendous if their pay was cut off.

After all these weeks of us being almost cut off from town, I finally decided that Shyla had to see a vet for two small lingering problems. My regular vet hospital had no appointments for us so I took Shyla to a vet who we'd never met before.

Many of you know how fearful Shyla was when she arrived about a year ago - I would not have ever considered taking her to this new vet a year ago. She was too terrified to go near any strangers. All sorts of everyday things, like strollers or canes, paralyzed her with fear. I've worked very hard on socializing her over the past year, and she's made amazing progress. She isn't a "normal" dog by any means - she's still much more nervous about the world than most dogs. However, she can live her life happily and without daily fear now - which was my biggest goal.
Despite her progress this year, I was a bit worried about taking her to a new vet. Moreover, he was a male vet, and males are scarier to Shyla than females. But, much to my happiness, all of our hard work shined through. Despite being in the smallest exam room I've ever seen, Shyla wasn't excessively nervous. When the vet came in the room, she planted her hind feet as far away from him as possible, and then she stretched her body so it was super long and she nudged him with her nose. After a little bit of petting, she let the vet look in her ears and even sample the discharge from them without flinching.
Before having Shyla as my dog, I would not have understood how happy someone could be about having their dog have a fairly "normal" visit to an unfamiliar vet. I was overjoyed!

When I first realized how fearful Shyla was, I joined a discussion forum for owners of fearful dogs. I am frankly appalled by how often owners decide that it's not "worthwhile" to try to teach their fearful dog how to meet strangers. I will admit that it is a *very* long process. My trainer and I didn't let strangers approach Shyla until about 9 months into the training process. However, I always thought that being somewhat comfortable around strangers was an important goal because our dogs do have to interact with vets, vet technicians, visitors to the house, and other random people in the world. It would seem unfair not to try to teach them that strangers are not as scary as they might think.
I am glad, in our case, that Shyla has been able to come so far. I think that she has the potential to continue to grow, and there's a chance that, someday, she'll meet strangers with nothing but happiness.

31 comments:

  1. Those Lab genes of hers are over-powering the fear genes!

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  2. What a good story you have told us today about Our Mountain Girl.
    She is such a beauty and I feel sure her confidence will grow with every positive experience she has!

    I am sorry you have to drive over horrible roads though! Must make your back hurt worse than usual.

    Cheers,
    Jo

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  3. Well done, Shyla! This is a good sign of how deep the internal security base has become, isn't it?

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  4. I'm hoping for no shut down, too! I'm sorry things are still so tough for you guys from the floods, too. You know, to me, Shyla's greeting of the new vet sounds extremely normal and brave, and I'd say that it does really show how far you've both come. There are so many people who really wouldn't appreciate the great milestones she's made and I'm always glad when I read about her that she ended up with you. You could have taken on any dog and done great things with it, whether it was a little puppy you took on or an older dog, but Shyla needed someone with your skill set to help her become all that she was meant to be. :) No matter what dog you have in the future, they'll be well adjusted!

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  5. Oh Shyla! A special Rottie Badge of Courage is coming to you today! Well done! I agree with Ms. Houndstooth, as I often do...Shyla landed in the right place. I love that last picture of her feet planted firmily but her body clearly reaching to the sky!!

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  6. Way to go Shyla! We are all so proud of your accomplishments.

    Millie & Walter

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  7. Hi Y'all!

    What wonderful news about Shyla's vet visit!

    Y'all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

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  8. Give your self a lot of credit for being a dedicated mom
    Benny & Lily

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  9. Shyla is one lucky dog to have people who love and care for her so much!

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  10. You are obviously doing the right things. Shyla is becoming brave.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

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  11. Well done Shyla. Of course KB without your love, care, commitment, and dedication you could not tell this wonderful story. Woo Hoo I say to you Miss KB.
    Blessings,
    Goose

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  12. Good job, Shyla! I'm sorry life is so stressful right now. We haven't been around much, but we have wondered how you were making out with the floods! Hoping life gets back to normal soon!

    Your pal, Pip

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  13. Congrats to you on all your hard work paying off. Shyla has to be happier not being afraid of everything.

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  14. Congrats to both you and Shyla! By the way, that first photo of Shyla is a stunner...

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  15. The updates continue to astound me..what a wonderful girl! You two are so perfect for one another :) Congrats to my little chocolate buddy for being such a big girl at the vet :)
    xoxo

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  16. What an "love story" You and Shyla needed one another and make it each complete.
    Hoping things calm down for your area soon.

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  17. Way to go, Shyla and KB! The two of you are an incredible team!

    Love ya lots♥
    Mitch and Molly

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  18. all the hard work is paying off!
    xoxo

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  19. You've done such a wonderful job with her. You must try and teach them to socialize, you never know when an emergency might strike your family and the last thing you want is a dog that can't be around strangers or a dog that no one would want to take into their home.

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  20. Wonderful progress that enhances her life - yay! And about that shutdown . . .

    Your Pals,

    Murphy and Stanley

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  21. You can breathe a bit easier -- the National Guard IS continuing to be paid. All the military is. So they can continue to help the flood victims. I was very glad to learn that since disasters really don't care about political faceoffs!

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  22. Thank you for that news, Isaac, Emily, and Laura! I am relieved because we are all so grateful for the work that the National Guard and other federal disaster specialists are doing here.

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  23. We have watched Shyla's progress with great interest and also real pleasure. well done, pretty girl!

    That sort of fearfulness is something that is also often seen in horses. It is so sad when a horse you meet for the first time instinctively draws back and cowers when you raise a hand to pet it. It takes so many months of patient work to get it through to them that human touch can be a wonderful thing. I remember my joy with one young stallion I knew, the day he discovered the wonder of kisses on the tip of his nose!

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  24. WAY TO GO GURL!!! I didn't know you had this problem ~ Ma had a doggie that had that same problem, butts she too worked through it and wasn't perfect, butts like you was really really good!
    I only have a problem with other doggies. That sucks. No amount of trainers has seemed to help this problem. Ma is sad for me that I don't gets to romp with other doggie pals, butts I am very happy and healthy and I loves peeps!
    Goin' to the vetties is a bit of a challenge as you can imagine...
    Anyhu, so glads that everything went great and hopes your ear gets all betters!!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  25. Good job on helping Shyla through her fears! I loved reading how she very cautiously met the new doctor - that's definitely progress!

    Hope her ears are better soon!

    I especially love the shot of Shyla leaping over those sticks!

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  26. Shyla is trying to trust. You have brought her a long ways. I have a feeling she wishes she could trust too and not have afraid feelings.
    Good job Shyla-- we hope the dr fixed you all up.
    love
    tweedles

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  27. Thanks for stopping by to visit. Shyla has come so far. She is beautiful. You and your commitment to socializing her has really paid off Plus she loves you and trusts you. Our yellow lab was 18 months when we got her. She was also afraid of everything. With time, patience and introducing her slowly to new situations, she really turned round. Sadly she is no longer with us. She took the trip to the Rainbow Bridge end of July. He still lives in our hearts
    Barb

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  28. Thanks for stopping by to visit. Shyla has come so far. She is beautiful. You and your commitment to socializing her has really paid off Plus she loves you and trusts you. Our yellow lab was 18 months when we got her. She was also afraid of everything. With time, patience and introducing her slowly to new situations, she really turned round. Sadly she is no longer with us. She took the trip to the Rainbow Bridge end of July. He still lives in our hearts
    Barb

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  29. Well done. Having a dog that can mingle with houseguests and visitors is what it's all about.

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  30. Great she do some progress. I have to work with Vilja a lot but I dont really know whats the problem.
    Some says she is in her 2 year age and we call it spooky age

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