Photos and text copyright Romping and Rolling in the Rockies 2009-2017.

All photographs and text within this blog are copyrighted.

You may not copy or repost any photos or text without specific permission from the author of this blog. When in doubt, please ask.

Monday, July 15, 2019

The Hachi Chronicle

Hachi's week was up and down. The vast majority of the time was happy.
When I take him for short outings to the meadow, he behaves super well. His recall is strong, just as long as nothing has put him over threshold in terms of fear. He's so affectionate, giving me kisses whenever he gets a chance.

This is the way he starts his recalls - bursting into action as hard as he possibly can.

In terms of training, he's become completely comfortable in his muzzle. He'll hang out for 15 minutes at a time wearing it without trying to get it off. He's also doing really well with his counterconditioning to R, in which he gets treats whenever R appears. He is perhaps doing the very best at learning to watch strangers going by in town. As long as the people keep their distance, Hachi is happy to observe them.


We met with his behavioral vet and trainer. They decided that we should increase Hachi's meds to try to help him relax even more. We doubled his Reconcile (doggy version of Prozac) and we'll be experimenting with higher doses of his short-acting anti-anxiety drug.

On the down side of this week, Hachi had an incident with R. Hachi was wearing his muzzle in a super relaxed way while separated from the Duo. We decided to let him out into the area where the Duo was, and Hachi immediately went after R aggressively. He was wearing a muzzle so he didn't hurt anyone.

I made some mistakes that might have led to that incident, like having been giving Hachi treats prior to letting him be with the Duo. That means that it may have been a case of resource guarding. We plan to try this again but without having any treats in the picture. I was upset about Hachi's attack during our first try at having him be with the Duo while wearing a muzzle because the muzzle is our biggest hope for making it possible for all three dogs to be together.

The rehabilitation of Hachi is a roller coaster ride. Each week, there are ups and downs. We both feel as if there is more up than down in terms of overall progress over the past 6 weeks or so. I hope that we're right. Hachi is such a sweet soul with us humans - and we desperately want to be able to integrate him into the family.

23 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    it is hard not to let the disappointments overbear us; but as long as the small-step successes keep coming along and, hopefully, outweighing the negatives, all is still good. You are giving Hachi every possible chance to come good and I say bravo to you. YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have boundless admiration for the time, effort and love you are putting into Hachi's rehabilitation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hachi is a lucky dude to be loved by you and the runner. It does sound like you have more ups.
    I trust R wasn't too affect by the aggression and thankful no one was hurt
    Hugs Cecilia

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are doing the best you can and Hachi is making improvements. Nothing is ever predictable so you will have some backward steps now and then. We're confident that Hachi will be a full member of the family eventually.

    ReplyDelete
  5. we hope for lots of ups and less or no downs and we cross all paws for hachi and the duo...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rehab with reactive dogs is always an up/down venture. Hopefully there are more ups to keep everyone safe and happy. He sure is adorable bounding in the wildflower meadow.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hachi is so fortunate that he is a part of such a loving family. We think he will ace this in time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. We are rooting for you Hachi! You have a great mom and family!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh it sounds like progress to me and some slipping backwards is probably to be expected. He is such a cute dude!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I know you'll keep trying until you find what works. It's all we can do. Great shots.

    Have a fabulous day. Scritches to the pups. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fear is such a powerful emotion in our dogs. I hope that all that you do for him, in addition to all the love you lavish on him, will help Hachi feel secure and happy. Under all circumstances.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I hope someday Hachi will be with his siblings.. he gets more handsome by the day

    ReplyDelete
  13. I admire how hard you work with him, and I'm glad there is some progress being made. The ups and downs are so tough; all you can do is focus on the good while taking a step back and figuring out how to do it next time. Which is exactly what you are doing!! ♥
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

    ReplyDelete
  14. The huge hurdles you have leapt over with the doggies, this one rises and falls for Hachi. I am sure in time he will adapt and live happily with Shyla and R, meantime hang in there. The occasional bump will smooth out . LOL from a VERY wet place in NZ.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The ups and downs of having a challenging dog. ((hugs)) I feel for you! <3 It really sucks when things are going well and suddenly they do something unexpected.

    ReplyDelete
  16. All in due time. Hachi has come so far already. We send lots of good thoughts and encouragement for Hachi to be able to be with his pack inside as well as outside.

    Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

    ReplyDelete
  17. Bless you and your family. I know it isn't easy, but there is always hope.

    ReplyDelete
  18. May your good week turn into an even better one this week.

    ReplyDelete
  19. dont laugh at me but have you considered talking to an animal communicator? I'll email you later this week about an experience. and stop laughing......

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'd say you are doing wonderful work with Hachi. He's a lucky pup to be with you.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I know there are so many bumps in the road! And you just do not know where they are.
    I hope things smooth out soon.,
    love
    tweedles

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm usually not one for saying "have you thought about trying..." but I was thinking about Hachi the other day, and decided that if you posted about problems I would mention this. My GP and I were talking about CBD and/or medical marijuana for pain control, so I did a few days of research online. Something that came up over and over again was people using hemp-derived CBD oil for dogs to reduce anxiety in all sorts of situations, including thunderstorms and social stress. Just a thought.

    ReplyDelete

If you are a Blogger registered user, you can skip the step asking you to verify that you are not a spammer. For posts older than 5 days, I have comment moderation turned on.

Thanks for your comments!!!!!