My apologies for not blogging on Pippy yesterday. I do want to let you know what happened yesterday and where we are now. I thought about including Pippy’s future in today’s blog as well. I have decided to mull some of that over tomorrow during our long drive home and focus on the most recent events in today's blog.

Friday was an interesting day for both of us. Throughout the week we have been using a protocol based on counter conditioning and desensitization (CC&D) in order to help Pippy be comfortable on a leash when around other animals. I made a mistake I would not make if I were advising a client. It was eye opening to be in the client’s shoes during the implementation of the protocol. It is so much easier to predict pitfalls and accept having to back track when you are the objective party advising somebody else. I now understand just how easy it is to become focused on the goals for the day and lose sight of the process. Like so much of life, it is the journey that is truly important not the destination.

The morning behavior modification session was very frustrating for me and I truly felt that we did nothing but move backwards during our 20 minute session. It was so easy to focus on the backsliding and not even notice the progress we were able to make. When I reviewed my notes last night, I realized that we had not even done that badly. It felt horribly discouraging at the time, though. A debrief with Pat Miller and the other interns helped me put everything back into perspective, recognize that I had made a very common error, and put my head back together for the afternoon session.

I took a really deep breath before our shorter afternoon session and backed up even more than described in Pippy's protocol. Actually following the protocol made all the difference in the world. During those short 16 minutes, Pippy and I were able to not only return where we stopped the prior day, we more than cut the prior day’s distance in half. This had us only a few feet from completing the entire phase 1 portion of the protocol! By not focusing on the end goal we were able to arrive there with ease. Needless to say, we had a HUGE Pippy Party (running, jumping, and more chicken) at the end of our session.

I had to complete, turn in, and prepare a significant amount of work last night, which meant I spent a lot of time at the computer and not focusing on Pippy. As it turns out, I had one of her favorite foods for dinner (chicken) and she still had some energy to burn. We turned my dinner into a training session where Pippy received tiny pieces of chicken for quiet, calm behavior. By the end of my dinner (it was a long dinner as I wrote while I ate), Pippy was consistently and contentedly laying at my feet.

In addition to the protocol we have implemented during the internship, Pippy has learned a few good manners. There is certainly more for her to learn, but she is well on her way to being a much more enjoyable dog in our human world. She has learned to sit to have her leash attached and removed from a harness before and after a walk. She has learned that barking and pushy behavior does not get attention and that quiet, gentle behavior does. She has gently learned that not everybody likes having little girls chew on their hands and arms in play. She has had a heavy dose of “Say Please” or “Nothing In Life is Free” and learned that sitting and asking for what she wants earns her "good stuff". That “good stuff” came in the forms of play, going outside for walks, her food bowl, treats, and even cuddle time on my lap.

With some effort and commitment, Pippy has the potential to make somebody a lovely little life-long companion.


Just think for a minute about what this week must have been like for Pippy. She gets a new name that she does not know; a veritable stranger picks her up, puts her in a strange car, and drives 534 miles away from everything she’s ever known; goes to a strange hotel; gets plopped in the middle of an 80 acre farm with animals and noises she has never seen or heard; and is then expected to be functional and learn new things. Oh yes, do not forget that all of this occurred without anyone being able to explain it all to her. I do not believe I know a human that would cope well under these circumstances. I know I wouldn’t. Pippy not only has survived this week, she has succeeded!

I will write one more blog on Monday about my impressions regarding Pippy’s future and post a video of one of our training sessions. Here are a few of the pictures from this week at Peaceable Paws.