Dogs Walk This Way Rescue
Bodhi's First Time in a Scary House
Bodhi's First Time in a Scary House
Bodhi would not be in my life without Dogs Walk This Way Rescue who are determined to improve the lives of abandoned dogs in Romania. Run by a team of volunteers in Surrey, they bring abandoned dogs from Romania to the UK for a better life. They also support rescues in Romania who save dogs from the cruelty and neglect of kill-shelters by providing food, medication, neutering programs and other essential support. They have rehomed over 1000 dogs since the organisation was launched. Lucky for me I was volunteering the day Bodhi arrived so I quickly put my name down to adopt him! Three days later I collected him from the kennels and took him to his new home,
Bodhi's First Time in a Scary House
Bodhi's First Time in a Scary House
Bodhi's First Time in a Scary House
Bodhi was six months old when I took him home to a house he found very, very scary. He was amazingly content in the car, although many rescue dogs aren't. Abandoned on the street as a small puppy, he'd gone straight to a rescue shelter, so mine was the first home he'd been in. He ducked his head and looked at the door frames when he went through doors, he took three months to build up the courage to climb the stairs and he jumped at every unusual or sudden noise. It took a long time for him to feel confident around the house and moving home meant starting all over again. He stills hates the noisy kitchen but having a safe crate to retreat to has always helped him. I still take a crate when I go on holidays or to other peoples houses, just in case. New environments can be challenging but Bodhi is determined to overcome his fears and make friends with everyone.
Crate Training
Bodhi's First Time in a Scary House
Crate Training
Not all dogs need crates... Not all dogs like crates... but without a crate I would have been lost. Bodhi was so nervous and anxious that having a safe space for him to take himself off to was really essential. My previous dogs had never used crates so I was clueless, but my fellow volunteers gave me lots of great advice. He cried the first night I crated him (understandably) but after that he made it his happy place. Thinking he was doing so well, a few nights later I left the crate door open but he became stressed and chewed the furniture and doors. He needed to feel snug and safe and being out of his crate seemed to cause him more distress, After a few months with the crate door shut at night I was able to leave it open and give him the choice. He always chose to sleep in there rather than outside. These days he likes to sleep on the sofa at night and I allow him to because he's older, calmer and much more secure.
Behavioural Training
Behavioural Training
Behavioural Training
When Bodhi was settling in I had some small challenges with managing his boisterous side. As a DWTWR volunteer at the time, I enlisted the help of an Animal Behaviourist to nip things in the bud. I had to create a time-out zone for when Bodhi was getting too excited. His over excitement would lead to him biting me... sometimes very hard! I was taught how to firmly grab his collar and lead him to another, larger crate in another room. (Never, ever use the dog's safe crate as a place of punishment). After two minutes in his time-out crate Bodhi would happily and calmly trot back out. I don't have room for a second crate now but I know when he's getting over excited and now just the words 'time-out' are enough to remind him to calm down. Our behaviour has a huge impact on our dog's behaviour so we need to educate ourselves in order to give them the best chance!
The Power of Cheese!
Behavioural Training
Behavioural Training
I never thought a tube of squirty cheese would be my secret weapon but these days, it is. The licking is calming for dogs and I first started using it on walks with Bodhi. I would use it to walk him past other dogs and along busy roads to help him feel less anxious. He had a habit of bouncing on the lead towards other dogs, apparently it's a kind of defence mechanism in anxious dogs, and the cheese stopped him doing that. The squirty cheese is also the only thing he'll come back for when he's off lead in the forest. It took me over a year to really feel confident having him off the lead but I'm glad I worked up to it. You need to really know your dog and how they will react with other dogs. For example, I know to put Bodhi on his lead when other dogs are on leads because he may try to play with them. I also know he will run away from certain breeds he's had bad experiences with and that more than one bouncy dog at a time can spook him. I think sometimes people see great recall as the holy grail but with rescue dogs, there are so many issues at play.
One Happy Dog
Behavioural Training
One Happy Dog
I probably didn't have the best boundaries with my previous dogs, but with Bodhi I knew it had to be different. He needed very clear boundaries, not just because he was very headstrong, but because just like children, dogs need boundaries and routine to feel safe. No sleeping on the bed... No dinner from the plate... No getting on the sofa (until he calmed down enough). Nowadays he actually answers me back with some very strange sounds but I think overall I did a great job. He sleeps alone downstairs at night and when I'm eating, he's usually dozing as he doesn't expect anything from me. When I come home he often doesn't even get off the sofa to greet me and I see that as a huge achievement... It doesn't mean we don't have a great bond or he doesn't care. It means he's content when I'm not around and doesn't have separation anxiety. Sometimes as dog owners, we want our dogs to need us and give us that huge welcome at the door. Bodhi not leaving the sofa suits me just fine because I don't need him to need me, I just want him to be happy... and he's one happy dog.
What is THAT?
Water? No thanks!
Water? No thanks!
Bodhi had never seen anything like a cow before our first trip to Devon. I wish I'd caught the moment the cow stood up though. In his usual skittish style Bodhi swung himself backwards and knocked me right off my feet. Once I'd got over the hysterics, we moved on with the help of some squirty cheese and went to meet some goats and sheep, all of which caused a similar reaction. I've got used to Bodhi's jumpiness outdoors now but he still takes me down now and then! A loud door banging shut and a car backfiring both sent him flying into my legs, and me flying to the ground. The squirty cheese does help but I try to be vigilant when we're out anywhere new or around new things. The nervousness is always lurking in the background and it's my responsibility to help pre-empt it in whatever ways I can.
Water? No thanks!
Water? No thanks!
Water? No thanks!
Bodhi's relationship with water is an interesting one. He's petrified on the rare occasion I try to bath him so I mainly use dry shampoo. He won't swim and I'm perfectly okay with that as it means I don't have to worry about what he's swimming in, or try to bath him afterwards! The strangest thing though is his fear of his water bowl. I've tried lots of different types but he just doesn't like having water around on floor level. I often see him monitoring the movements of the water bowl when he walks past it, or when a toy or ball go near it. He's just never fully relaxed around water and I'm not sure where this has come from. The most successful so far is a small plastic tub which I'd rather not use, but at least he drinks from it. During summer I top up the bird bath and any pots/buckets as he much prefers to drink outside.
Off lead (Part 1)
Water? No thanks!
Off lead (Part 1)
Before I could even consider letting Bodhi off the lead I had to learn how to keep his attention outdoors. Indoors was easy. Food. Toys. Done. Outdoors felt impossible at first. He wanted to watch every person, play with every dog, chase every bird/cat, and run from anything scary. Luckily our dog trainer was on hand to help. We would go to the local field with Bodhi on the lead and let him watch things until his attention would drop. The moment he lost focus on the person/animal/object we'd say 'Yip' and reward him. Over time he's got a lot better but I also understand his triggers more. M