More work with Sienna 21/11/18

We did some more work with Sienna today, trying to ensure she has all the necessary skills to make a new home work.  It is important to set dogs up to succeed so we try to cover every possibility.

Harness and lead were quickly put on and Sienna was keen to get outside for a walk again. Each walk we go a little further, slowly building up her confidence.

Often, when dogs panic or are overwhelmed, their fight or flight kicks in and they will often try to bolt so it is important to go at their pace.

You can see from the following video just how far we went today. The key to working with nervous dogs is small steps, at their pace.

Sienna did really well with two passing cars. I encouraged her onto the grass verge and fed a stream of treats until the first car had passed.  When the second car approached, she moved onto the verge and looked expectantly for treats.  Such a quick learner.

You will see in this video clip she is now keen to get back to the safe zone of the kennels.  Rather than lure her with treats, I reward her with a treat for coming back to me or with praise.  We also do a couple of treat searches on the way back.

At some point, Sienna will need to go into a car - whether that is to the Vets or a new home. She has limited experience of car travel other than being brought to the kennels so we did a little training to desensitise and counter condition her to cars, ensuring it is a positive experience.

Sienna loves using a snuffle mat so we use this to pair good things with the car. This is her second time jumping into my car but this time I close the door while she is in there and move to the front of the car.

Sienna then went back to her kennel for some rest time.  It is important to avoid doing too much at once.  Dogs need to rest and digest their learning.

The kennels have created an enrichment room and it is designed to be similar to a lounge. This gives dogs a fabulous opportunity to explore and build confidence, have fun and relaxation and gives us an opportunity to see how they would be inside a home.

Sienna's coat is quite matted in places as we have avoided in-depth grooming until now.  She will allow people to groom her gently but is not keen when there are some tangled areas. For this next step, we use a snuffle mat again.

We begin by using the softer side of the brush and then once she is comfortable about what is happening we switch to the wire side.

You can see her lift her head when I reach one of the tangles but she quickly goes back to the snuffle mat. At the end of the video, she moves away, signalling she has had enough brushing for this session. It is so important to listen to what a dog is telling us.

A number of treats have been hidden around the enrichment room and Sienna begins to explore.  When she first arrived in rescue she was too nervous to investigate or be curious.  

She finds the treats in the toy box and works really hard to get to them.  A number of the toys make noises and this would have made her jump - look at how confident she is now.

Next a little game of consent. Today, one of the lovely kennel ladies is standing nearby and we are chatting - mimicking what might happen at a Vets. Sienna is a little distracted at times (she does like to know what is going on)!  She soon gets into the game and I can check her ears, eyes and teeth!

We then did an impromptu vet check!  Chloe took over the chin game while I mimicked the actions of a Vet.  Sienne did so well.

At the end of the session, which was kept brief to avoid overtiring her, Sienna chose to lie down.