Finders, Keepers

I have been trying to get a good picture of Tibby laying on my lap.  She does this all the time, but it's hard to get a picture of it.  She has to have a pillow to support her head.  If it's not perfect and she isn't comfortable or properly supported then she jumps off.  However, if everything is perfect then she lets me rub her belly!

Tibby wearing her superhero walking costume :P

I had Tibby wear her Thundershirt on our walk today and we had a lot of success.  It's not a miracle cure or anything - I still used the cheese and did our little focus game when there was a potential reaction trigger.  My goal is to keep Tibby from reacting.  I don't want her to rehearse that behavior ( any more than she has already).  Our walk was 100% successful!!

At one point I was basically luring her past some triggers, but it's Ok with me.  If that's what I have to do at this point....that's what I have to do.

The luring part we were walking by - man walking alone (biggest trigger), man mowing lawn, woman standing in yard with arms folded watching us and an off leash dog barking and moving toward us (another big trigger).

Yes I had to lure her past them, BUT she was able to actually eat the cheese and be lured.  It hasn't always been that way.  I almost lost her when the barking dog started to move toward us, but then she came back to me :)  Good thing I crossed the street when I saw the off leash dog up ahead.  She isn't ready for a moving dog right next to her yet.

We also met a nice older couple that wanted to pet Tibby.  I'm not sure when Tibby went from the outgoing/crazy/jumping on every stranger puppy to the shy/timid/ducking an outstretched hand dog.

But she didn't bark at them!  Yay....

Finally, a public notice.  If you lose your balls in front of my house....I will keep them.  Yes, I'm the mean neighbor that keeps the neighborhood kids' toys.  I give them the overnight test.  You have one day, one night and one day to claim your balls.  If they are still there the next night - then they are mine!  We aren't really interested in any other toys....and they only ever seem to lose balls....hmmm?

These are the latest lost toys - a spiky ball and a super heavy purple ball.  The purple one is really heavy - I've never seen a ball like it before.  Yay!  Free toys!

Fear Period?

I think Tibby might be going through a fear period or stage?

She has been acting a little strange for the last week or maybe a little longer. It started with her refusing to go outside by herself. I thought it was because we had a few day of very high winds - that were blowing leaves and junk around.

 She will go outside, but only if I put her leash on her and go with her. She had one accident before I realized that she wasn't going off the porch to potty. She was too scared. So I started going with her - to make sure she actually goes potty.

Then at our lesson on Friday she was acting skittish of the tunnels and she growled at Loretta's husband. That's not normal for Tibby.

Yesterday, my parent's had a few people over for dinner and I brought Tibby over after we were done eating. She's done this a bunch of times. She usually likes to show off her tricks and meet all the new people. She'll walk around wagging her tail and getting petted. Yesterday she hid behind me or under the table. I gave up on her doing tricks and she eventually ate a couple pieces of cheese from some of the guests. She would only take the treats if I was standing next to her or holding her on my lap. She sat on my lap for most of the time.

The strange thing is that she goes for walks and doesn't act scared about anything. The same things that freak her out in the backyard, she doesn't even are about on a walk.

Last night I was doing laundry and he was scared of a towel on the floor.

I'm hoping it is just a stage. Anyone have experience with fear stages? I read some info online and it said that there can be a fear period at around 2 years and Tibby will be 2 at the end of April.

It's just really strange.  I also noticed that she is a little more aggressive with Catty when they are playing.   Although yesterday Tibby chased Catty around the backyard, so.......maybe she is coming out of the fear period?  It was the first time she has chased Catty in at least a week and that is their favorite game.

Rainy Day

I'm sure I'll use that title 50 more times this Spring!  Today was garbage day.  Tibby does not like the garbage can.  It's big, brown and rolls around.  Last night, during our walk, the street was lined with garbage cans.  Tibby wasn't fazed at all!  She even stopped to pee next to one.  Yay!  I think, just like her puppyhood fear of man hole covers, she is growing out of her garbage can fear.
This morning it was raining.  When we went outside for our walk there was a crack of lightning and thunder right above us!  Tibby was startled, but I just acted like that was completely normal and continued walking along.  She rolled up her tail and trotted along beside me. 
Jessie, my childhood dog, was deathly afraid of thunderstorms and fireworks.  I wish they had invented thundershirts when she was alive.  When I brought Tibby home I didn't want her to be afraid of anything.  Of course, it would be nice if she would be cautious about some things like - strange men, cars, eating garbage!