Our dog, Matisse, isn’t the most outgoing in certain social situations. The two weeks of board and train she went to was a benefit in multiple ways. She is regimented in following commands from people. The extends to most people, but is strongest with those she has the most experience with, with me being the one she responds best to at this point.
The training gave her stability in her environment and managing anxiety provoking situations as well. The “place” command which involves her in a down position on a clearly defined small space such as a manhole, picnic table, bench or ottoman, is the strongest and most stable of all her commands. This week we’ve had people coming in and out of the house here for the family reunion. These times have brought about wary, cautious or fearful responses from her. She lacks confidence and resorts to leaving the area or doing a lower volume, “ruff ruff” bark that is fear-based, not dominance oriented.
In these situations I’ve placed her on the ottoman in the living room and had her watch what happens around her. Every person coming in sees the proverbial, “cute dog” and wants to come and say hello to her and pet her. She’s not ready to be approached though. Left to her own devices, she’d retreat out of the room and remain hidden. Placed on the ottoman, she calms down and lets people approach her—people who always want to give her attention, which she likes under other circumstances.
By having her face her fears in a controlled, stable situation, she calms down and has gotten better through the week. Two nights ago she was completely fine with people all around her, playing with Daisy, the Golden Doodle who lives here, without concern for the loud voices and many people in the general space.
Her anxiety has hopefully peaked and with continued positive experiences, she’ll begin to be more confident in social situations with strangers. Daisy has none of these concerns—she’s a people social dog, ready to have everyone greet her.
Daisy and Matisse continue to be best dog friends. They play all day in the most positive, non-competitive play I’ve ever seen between two dogs. I’m not a two-dog person, but after seeing them together it makes me understand why some people would want a two dog household.
The Big Boy Update: My husband has turned on content controls on YouTube on my son’s iPad. This is due to my son making some poor choices with content options on what he’s been watching. The result is a very unhappy son, saying there’s nothing good to watch.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: My daughter can, from everything we can tell, not discern colors at all. She won’t admit to this though. She told Sydney something unprecedented yesterday though as they talked about colors they liked. She said, “I remember seeing turquoise…when I could see.” She contends she can’t remember seeing anything at all. This is confusing information from her, but it is perhaps confusing to her in her mind.
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