A Stressful Day

Poor Bandit had a bit of a rough one yesterday. It all started pretty well. I woke up and Bandit snuggled with me as he watched his very first movie, a good one too, Ghostbusters. Bandit had a hard time with some of the ghosts, but so far so good. Then he went into the Vet to get his distemper shot, which he did not like at all. He even bit my vet, then proceeded to pee in his office. I was not impressed. It was too cold for a jog yesterday, but we went to the Farmers' Market afterward, bought some samosas and a pie, and when we pulled back up to the house Bandit proceeded to throw up his breakfast, and presumably his anti-worm medication.

Poor guy. After he bit the vet, the vet asked me if I knew what I was getting into with a dog like this. So that got me thinking...did I know what I was getting into when I signed on with this particular dog? Not really. I learned pretty early on that Bandit was a bit of a special dog, very excitable, eager, quick, but also a little jumpy and testy. And aparently...a biter. In his defense he only bites in warning, never hard. I've learned that he bites when his means of escape has been taken from him. When given the choice to flee or fight I've only ever seen him chose flight, which is why I know we can work on this biting thing.

Since moving in with my parents Bandit continues to get more and more calm. I know it's hard for him sometimes, but I think the more we shift the power in the relationship on to me and off of him he will relax, and these little problems will continue to dissolve. It's difficult sometimes not being able to fully immerse us in the training method that I have chosen, as alot of it requires us to have a routine that will be established once he finally moves in with me. I'm following the method of Jan Fennel, who adapted it for dogs from the work that Monty Robert's has done with horses. Although it's a little unorthodox and might take a little time I am commited to giving it a try. If it doesn't yield results I'll gladly switch over to obedience training, but I as I understand her method, there is alot in it that I think will work particularly well for Bandit.

My vet told me that I needed to be firmer with Bandit. He saw the soft voice that I use with him, and assumed I had no power in the relationship. But part of what I like in Jan's method is the idea of leading with calmness. It's not a battle of wills with Bandit, when he does something undesirable he simply gets ignored. There is nothing Bandit hates more than being ignored, except maybe shots. His behavoir immediatly turns around. I speak with him softly because he is a skittish dog, and I think barking orders at him will only aggrevate and unsettle him in the long run. We'll see how it goes, but I think(from what I have seen so far) Bandit will respond well to the method.

All in all, though, things are going pretty well. Oh, and one more thing. Bandit made a big breakthrough on his work with his bone yesterday. After a number of days of solid dedicated work, he has sucessfuly severed one half from the other. Good job, Bandit. Keep up the good work!