return to top

Gigi's Grand Adventures

More good things!

Gigi has made some new HUGe gains of late.

Yesterday she seemed to actually enjoy her bath. She's still scared to DEATH of the hose....but she DID bravely allow my daughter and I to wash her with a bucket, rags, and our hands. We tryed to make it pleasant as possible. She really love it. I didn't have to have a huge grip on her, though we did keep the stream of cookies coming.

OUr game plan is twofold really.

One we'd like to be able to have her over some of this fear before winter comes, to make indoor bathtime easier.

Two, we'd eventually love to be able to come within a 20 foot range, with the hose, without her being scared out of her mind.

Husband thought I should be using the hose a bit yesterday. I didn't agree (due to how fearful of it she is). After two weeks of bathing as we did yesterday, we'll try to gently introduce the hose.

In the meantime, I'll let her near the hose daily.....pretend she's a horse, and work on desensitizing her - but not actually using it ON her. That should help - I hope!


Another big deal ! G bravely allowed husband to pick her up. That wasn't a possibility in the previous months. We needed to be able to do this in the case of emergency or other extreme situations where you might need to lift your dog! Way to go G!!!!

I was able to take her to the petstore in the middle of a busy day yesterday! while I was browsing the horse section, she layed down as she calmly waited!!!! Another HUGE step! She was terrified when I first started taking her in public!

Another big deal...........though she will stand slightly allert, until I refocus her, she doesn't want to mess with the yard rabbits. Before she'd about knock me over trying to *get* them. she's such a good girl. She merely needed to learn how I wanted her to behave.

Our obedience lessons.
After realizing she didn't know stop stay, nor would she cooperate when she got loose from me, I"ve been working on basic obedience. (due to her being a several year old dog with MINIMAL socialization - a group dog obedience class just won't work yet) So we are working on our own in the yard.
She loves to work with Mom, though she's smart and wasn't it to be a whole lot funner. After the sit and stay command, and I've said Gigi Come! She lingers, and I can see her thinking. *how can I make this more fun and show mom how athletic I am?!!!*
When she comes, she BLASTS, running for all she can, then comes to a dead stop right in front of me. Kind of what I want, but not quite.
Occasionally she runs right past. Not so good.

I had to show the husband how good she is doing, an d made the terrible mistake of giggling at G's swift come to mom. Now she thinks it's great to make mom giggle. Bad mom. *blinks*

I'm proud of her, and we continue to work.

We've only had one bad incident on our walks in a month. She will now ignore dogs in yards, birds, rabbits, dogs BARKING at her....she just still doesn't behave if we walk past another walking dog. I'll keep at it. She's come such a long way in every other way, that I know there is hope.

Anyways, I dont' have time to proof read.....but I need to get her latest accomplishments logged!

Go Gigi. Man she's come a LONG way in 5 months!!!!

Comfortable

Just a quick entry today.

G's had a major comfort advancement this week!!!!

She trusts me, and looks to me for comfort and safety. She likes everyone else in our home, but yet was still wary.

My 19 year old son said it best. If Gigi came and sat by you, you could pet and touch her. If you sat by Gigi, it wasn't okay to touch or pet her. She'd either make a yip noise, jumping around, or she'd swiftly move away. 15 feet away.

It had to be on her terms.

In my workshop, Gigi has a chair. My buddy lays in her chair while mom works. She definately didn't like visitors to our room.

This week, she's really become much less wary. She doesn't jump and run away if someone awakens her. And she's allowing someone (besides me) to approach her when she's resting. She'll continue to lay there while the person (my 3 kids and husband) pet her.

major, major advancement for her!

She even looks proud of her more confidant self when she lets someone in her bubble!


Go Gigi!!!

Gigi Meets Barklay the really big scary horse

She's been to the farm enough that I felt it was time to come into the barn while I care for Barklays hurt foot. It's a private farm with only 2 horses, so a good situation for getting her aquainted.

She was calm walking down to the barn. That was a bonus because I was lugging over a gallon of hot water.

She was fairly quiet when we entered the barn. She eventually realized that there were really BIG ANIMALS in those stalls!

She didn't bark, she was just alarmed. Barking dogs shouldn't be at the farm, so Gigi passed the test thus far.

This part made me very sad.

I need to soak Barklays foot in a bucket of water for 30 minutes. Something he doesn't do without me standing there keeping his sore foot in the bucket. It's hurts, so I'd want my foot out too.

So he didn't need a dog bothering him.

So I elect to put her in a horse stall. It's lit, with soft bedding. This part made me sad. I put her in there......she wasn't upset. She didn't whine. She didn't look at me like why are you putting me in a cage mama? She just went in a layed down. I don't know how to take that. It made me sad wondering what went on in her life previously to cause no reaction? Or is that a good sign? gosh. It just seemed so odd of her.

my friend came down and gigi stood up wagging her tail when mj spoke to her.

I continued caring for hurt horses foot.

I get all done, and let gigi out after barklay was in his stall again. She roamed free in the closed barn, while I dumped buckets, and swept floors etc.

Then I had to go into barklays stall.

I do not understand this either. She was so scared of him....that Gigi had her tail tucked as far as it would go. Yet she lurched at him. Was she thinking she had to defend herself? Or was it her usual gleefully hello? (I'm working on that)

I suppose overall it was a good experience. We'll do it some more. The horses didn't care a bit that she was a bit goofy at the end. I take that as a good sign. If they sensed something odd, barklay would have turned on us.