An Offsite Adventure

Class was canceled last weekend, but Charlotte did not want Evan to miss out on an opportunity to get Evan out of the kennel and into the world.  The weather was perfect, and he has so few chances to experience life as a regular dog.  She took him to their old stomping ground, Stone Mountain.  They use to go there every weekend before training classes began.  He got to see children, bikes, and other dogs as he sniffed around and explored the local flora.  He did fantastic and seemed to have a really good time!  On the way home Charlotte bought him a special treat and he devoured it happily.  We are excited to get back to class at Canine PhD this Saturday.  Evan is going to make a family very proud one day.  He is such a smart, fun dog!

Unfortunately, it is difficult to take pictures if you are just one person!  This is an old picture of me and Evan at Stone Mountain--clearly during the winter.  Charlotte had let me tag along with them that weekend, and we had a lot of fun.  He is wearing a Thundershirt, a product designed to help calm anxious dogs.

It's The Little Things

Charlotte took some extra time this weekend to sit in front of Evan's kennel and offer him calming signals.  Calming signals, for dogs, may include yawning, turning their head away, shaking off, sniffing, and so on.  Dogs use these signals to communicate with other dogs, and they try to use them with us though we so frequently miss or ignore them.  Cathy, another amazing volunteer, once lent me a book entitled On Talking Terms, which really broke it down (http://www.amazon.com/On-Talking-Terms-With-Dogs/dp/1929242360).  These signals helped Evan start relaxing and finally he laid down.  I always joke that it is a good thing we go to class so early on Saturdays because I am always inadvertantly giving Evan calming signals, mostly yawning!

For more information, check out this link from the woman who wrote On Talking Terms:
http://www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1

Pawsitively Proud

Evan is hanging out at the front desk today.  It is so important that he gets a substantial amount of time out of his kennel every day after being here for almost three years.  He seems to appreciate, so much, the extra attention and toys.  He is particularly fond of a squeeky stuffed bunny.  At the desk, Evan gets to meet new people from a comfortable distance.  He can also work on his training periodically, and the air conditioning is not half bad either.

He was a star in his class this weekend!  We took a long walk around Inman Park and saw lots of joggers, cyclists, other dogs, baby strollers, and other things.  To the inexperienced eye, he looked just like any other happy dog walking in a group, but we did still notice that his tail was held high and curled over his back so we know he did not completely put his guard down.  He was still communicating with us that he needed to be kept safe, and we assured him we would by not forcing him into anything he was not ready for, rewarding him with sniffing and chewing on grass, and praising him all the while.