Until the New Year

Last Saturday was Mack's last day in class until 2013.  He loves going to Canine PhD.  People are always giving him tasty treats and he loves offering up kisses for Meredith.  Not to mention, it is the only time he gets away from the shelter for a substantial period of time.

We know the New Year will be a new start for Mack.  He will finally get the home he has always deserved.  Until then, we will keep working in that direction.  He has a lot of friends and fans cheering him on.  How could you not love that face, with his big, pleading, love-me eyes?  I cannot resist them!

Mack in Class

 We started class off with some more BAT training on Saturday.  A wonderful man, who is also in the class, agreed to be the scray stranger.  He is a man, he was wearing a baggy coat, and he had a hat--all things that might potentially scare a pup.  Mack does tend to be more wary of men than women.  In this exercise, you are trying to get the dog close to whatever scares them without flooding them and causing them to go over threshold.  You want them to know that you will keep them safe so you do not force the dog to walk right up to what scares them and be pet, for instance.  In Mack's case, we walked him to about ten or fifteen feet from the man and then when he offered us a calming signal, like putting his nose to the ground or looking away, we walked him away from the man and gave him a treat.  By doing this, we are encouraging Mack to show us what he needs to be safe in a calm, collected manner, instead of teaching him that we will not pay attention to his needs and that he needs to get defensive or unruly to protect himself.  Sometimes, when you are doing BAT training, you may decide that you are doing it with one person, like the man, and the dog will actually be paying more attention to something else, like the audience, and then you refocus what you are doing to fit whatever the dog is fearful of.  It is important that you do not force your dog to get too close to whatever scares him in this kind of training.

We also did another exercise where we would stand apart from the man.  We would walk about halfway to him, he would say "Mack," and then he would throw a treat just past Mack.  The dog is being rewarded by the stranger and is still being taught to retreat, instead of move towards what scares him.  This worked out great for Mack.  In no time, he was smitten with the treat-throwing-man and wanted to be his best buddy.  It became difficult to get him to walk away.  Food is friendship, haha.  We gave him a break and let the other dogs in class have their go.

 

Then, we took all the dogs on a walk around Freedom Park.  There were a lot of people and dogs, but Mack did not seem to mind.  He was just happy to be away from the shelter.  He was pulling on his leash though, so we know he still needs some leash work.  It is difficult to train a dog in a shelter setting because you have to get everyone who interacts with the pup to do the same things you are doing.

Unfortunately, as will happen sometimes in real life, Mack did have a negative experience with another dog in class.  Mack does well with dogs, but this other dog is not entirely confident with others and it can turn into aggression.  He freaked when he saw Mack and went over threshold.  Meredith and his owner were able to calm him down quickly and within eyesight of Mack.  Charlotte and I were also able to calm Mack down and start helping him to feel secure again.  We did not want to leave on a bad foot so we did some more training with that dog when we got back to the training facility and then, when Mack got back to the shelter, we made sure he played with one of his best friends, a dog named Skye, who is also available for adoption through PAWS Atlanta.

Mack is currently being weaned of an anti-anxiety medication he has been on for some time and seems more active and happier when he gets out of his kennel.  He is still a nervous wreck in the mornings and when a stranger walks by his cage.  We are weaning him off the medication now in hopes that we can change it to something more effective or in hopes that he does not need to be on it at all.  Mack was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever ( a tick-borne disease) and has been undergoing treatment, which is nearly completed.  He may have some long-term effects from the disease, but nothing that cannot be managed fairly easily with medication.  He is an amazing candidate for fostering.  If there is anyone out there who would be willing to help save Mack's life by taking him into their home temporarily and helping with his training please contact Laura at lmckelvey@pawsatlanta.org. 

We Love Our Donors

Mack is rocking a donated jacket, while lounging on our agility ramp. He seems to enjoy wearing it during these cold days.  Thank you to everyone who helps us keep our babies warm, happy, and healthy by donating to PAWS Atlanta!

Mack Goes to Arabia Mountain

No class this week due to the holidays!  That did not stop Charlotte from taking Mack on a special outing to Arabia Mountain in Lithonia.  He loved being away from the shelter.  They, of course, saw strangers along the path and Charlotte would say "incoming" and give Mack treats when he gave a calming signal or sat.  This is a way of getting him use to new people, and it is a lot of fun too!

Charlotte was real proud of Mack, and he seemed to be pretty proud of her too.  He loves the extra attention and mental stimulation.  We all look forward to the day when he is snuggled up in a warm doggie bed with someone who will love him for the rest of his life and maybe even take him on little adventures now and then.

Adopt Mack at PAWS Atlanta! (770)593-1155

Another Day At the Shelter

Mack is such a silly, affectionate, little boy.  Inman Park Pet Works donated some toys to PAWS Atlanta the other day, and it just made Mack's whole day.   He really wanted to fit in this bed but, despite his best efforts, we had to give it to a poodle named Nelson that was the right size.

Don't worry!  We made it up to him by offering him some of the many toys we got that day.  He got them after "working."  We did some training, then played with toys, then some dog training, and then played with toys.  It was a win win for everyone involved.

Of course, he had to hide one for later.  He was willing to share the treasure trove, but something had to be HIS.  So, he buried it.

                                           How could you NOT love this dog?!  Seriously?!

Another Fun Day with Canine PhD

Mack and his two "handlers" had a lot of fun this past Saturday walking Mack around Inman Park.  We are trying to get him to walk two steps with us and then sit by our side, not in front of us, and repeat repeat repeat.  He is not ready yet, but we have been working on it a lot at the shelter and he is coming around.  He does it is easy-peasy when there are limited distractions, but it is difficult when there is so much going on.  You cannot really blame him.  He spends most of his week at the shelter and when he leaves it there is so much to see, sniff, and do.

             And this picture does not even capture the half of it!  It can be a little overwhelming!

The best part of class is when we went to the playground.  The dogs got to practice "placing," which is what Mack is best at.  He placed on a wobbly foundation, and we were all super proud.

 

After the slide event, which was way more fun for me than him, we walked back to the training facility.  I could not believe class was already over!  All of the dogs did a great job.  There is no class next weekend so maybe Mack will go hiking at the Arabia Mountains.  He loves exploring.   Imagine how much more he will be able to do when he is in a home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mack is Learning so Fast!

 

Mack is really starting to understand that the head collar being put on means good things are about to happen.  He is still messing with it from time to time.  All things take getting use to, but he is almost there!

 

Here is Mack hanging out with Meredith outside Canine PhD.  I think they love each other!

Mack Skipped a Grade!

Mack went for another independent consultation with Meredith at Canine PhD last Saturday, and we worked outside.  A large group of people passed by to go to a nearby art gallery, and Mack did an incredible job handling all the new experiences.  We also got to see several new dogs.  Meredith thought me and him were ready to start the outdoor class on the 27th so we skipped a level!

This week we have been working on getting Mack adjusted to his new snoot loop.  He is also halfway there on learning "roll over."  All the way over!  AND he is still doing his bat training.  He is learning quickly and loving it.  He gets excited everytime we get in the car to go to the training facility.

I have better pictures of the weekend to come, but here is Mack in his head collar playing with a new toy.  We get him use to it by having him wear it while doing fun and novel new things so that he associates it with having a good time.

PLAYTIME! ****Ronald and Mack****

Thank you for the toys, Meredith!

 

Getting Mack Ready for his Loving Family

We really want Mack to get adopted!  Until then, we want him to have the best life possible so we are working with Canine PhD to offer him training so that he will be the perfect pet for some lucky person.  Mack is such a loving dog, but he can be reactive when he is scared.  Luckily, he would rather avoid something scary than go towards it.  We are going to build up his confidence and teach him how to calm himself when exposed to new situations.  This dog falls in love with people quickly and hard.  He loves belly rubs and cuddling up in a tiny ball beside you when you are doing something else.  He enjoys hiking, playing with other dogs, and tossing toys around.

He has been to two consultations at Canine PhD.  He is in love with Meredith, and she seems to be pretty smitten with him too.  She bought him a nice thunder shirt and some toys.  We are getting started on the basics.  We are getting him adjusted to his head collar, specifically his snoot loop.  It gives us a little better control of Mack in class, but is a gentle tool to use.  We have done some basic BAT training with him.  This means we have him approach something that might be scary for him, at a distance, and then reward him for looking and turning around.  He has learned some basic obedience like "sit" "down" and "side."  He is doing a great job!

Right now, he can still get overwhelmed by working for too long so Meredith has recommended that we do short exercises.  We work for five minutes, relax/play, work for five minutes, go on a walk, work for five minutes.  Shelter life is so hectic that these short little exercises fit right in.  There just isn't enough time in the day when you are taking care of so many wonderful animals!