Sir Galahad

Had some time with this lovely lad today. Thanks to the hard work of the rescue volunteer he is coming along leaps and bounds.

He was such a nervous little man, worried about many things but gradually he is being desensitised/habituated to them. 

If you watch the video below you will see his startle response when he pokes his head in the box filled with balls. But look how quickly he recovers and goes back to it. Resilience - so important for our dogs.

He gives himself another fright later on but again, quickly recovers.

You will see that there are many interactive toys across the floor from snuffle mats, boxes with toys and treats, interactive food puzzles and some strips of fleece (which have been sprinkled with rose water). This type of enrichment quickly engages dogs, helping them to calm and use their noses and the room was deliberately set up this way.

Sir G was worried about televisions so last week his wonderful rescue lady spent some time with the TV on but no sound while he sniffed and interacted with the toys on the floor. 

This week, we had the sound on low to begin with. He coped and did not react but when we increased the volume, just a little, he noticed. What was lovely is that he chose to self calm – there are some strips of fleece on the floor sprinkled with Rose Water.*** 

Sir G and many dogs enjoy the calming effects of rose water and he chose to lie down on them, carefully inhaling the scent. 

He was then able to resume his explorations of the room so we increased the volume again. Once more, Sir G returned to the fleece strips to self calm. So wonderful to observe.

We did some more work with a couple of other dogs, parallel walking with a female dog on the other side of a clear barrier. Sir G looked at the other dog and then looked at me and carried on. Amazing. We then had a large bouncy male boy (lovely Roo) and Sir G was able to do the same. Check in with me and walk on.

This boy has come so far from the days of living in an alley!

Well done Sir G and well done Terrier SOS for the work you do with your dogs.

*** zoopharmacognosy - involves a choice of herbs and plant extracts that would commonly be found in that animal’s natural environment which is presented to them. The animal is free to choose to inhale, lick or have the remedy applied topically, essentially allowing them to manage their own health. Please do not start offering your dog any old rose water. These are specific for animals and an Applied ZooPharmacognosy practitioner should be consulted for advice.