new changes

Panda's improvements continue. She enjoys her walks. Lately, she's been jumping up on the sofa and sitting right next to me. I reach out to pet her without her running as much. She goes to the groomer now verses being put under to be shaved. When other dogs play she likes to jump in an join the fun. She takes treats from my hand now. She's doing real good. Now, I will start to take her out in public slowly.

Panda Moving Along!

The newest sign of improvement happened recently. Panda walked over to the sofa and jumped up and walked over to me for cuddles. She wagged her tail as I petted her and baby talked her. She then walked over and laid down on the sofa. Her leash training is going nicely. I have a thin leash for her collar and a sturdier leash for her harness. Both are the same length. She walks behind me, but has used the bathroom once already on the walks. She enjoys it because we stop and she just takes it all in. We walk on a path that is more secluded so not to overwhelm her too much at first. I sit on a bench and let her walk around to smell the forest a little. She stays close to me on the walk so i can tell she feels more secure with me than the outside world. I figure a few more weeks of leash training and then I will take her out more in public. All the sounds outside are still new to her even though she’s been free from the Mill a year now. There’s still hope for this little girl!!

Panda plays now

Panda has been improving in her foster stay. She learns from the other dogs. I have squeaky toys for the dogs and from watching other dogs playing, she now grabs the toys and runs with them. When other dogs are playing she tries to join in and runs around excitedly. I groomed her myself and she did great. She sat very stiff, but it was an amazing change from when she would try to bolt. I massage her several times a week to lessen the stress. It’s time to expose Panda to things now. She is going to start her leash training now.
I'll make sure to double leash her with a leash connected to her collar and one to her secured harness.

Panda is Improving

Panda has had some big improvements lately. She was taken off of the Anxiety Medications and placed on natural Asian Herbs to help her uneasiness.
Every day I pick her up and set her on my lap for a while. I give her a back massage while she rest. She now sits on my lap without trying to bolt. I don't restrain her while she is sitting at all. When I move her forward to move next to me she slowly walks away and sits quietly on the sofa. No more frantic running!!!! I always try to baby talk her when approaching and use a command when lifting her to give her some warning of me picking her up. I groomed her recently and she didn't have extreme fear like she did before. Soon, Panda will have some adventures in public. She's been in foster care since October so I think enough time has passed to push her a little further. We'll see what happens next!

Panda gets a lot of enjoyment watching other dogs play. Sometimes, she tries to jump in the middle of dogs playing. She comes when called now. Not all the way into the room next to you, but close by. She goes outside with other dogs running down the stairs and will run into the house on her own now, even if I am standing at the door. I turn my head in the other direction and she runs past. She goes out around 4 times a day. She eats very well. I feed her Fromm dry food mixed with home cooking on top. I mix in her meds and probiotics. I’m looking into adding an Asian Herb for anxiety to mix into her diet to help. She’s currently on the medication Prozac and Xanax. Panda was recently shaved down again. Taking her to the vet to put her under while shaving avoids any added stress.

Panda Cont...

Panda is slowly getting closer to me. Every other day I massage her for 10 minutes gently and talk to her softly. I sit on the steps going downstairs and keep my eyes away from her. With my head turned i can see her come to smell my arm and then she backs off. This is a huge step for her. I try to keep my movements around her slow so she can adjust and calm herself before fleeing. Here is a recent video- sorry for all the baby talk, but she responds very well to it. :)

Panda came into www.caringheartsrescue.org in the Fall of 2009'. She came from a Backyard Breeder who was finished with her because she would not produce babies anymore. She only gave birth once in the three and a half years the Breeder had Panda in her Kennel. The Breeder mentioned that Panda was one of those dogs that liked to play the "hide and seek game." She would run from her if approached. She was right about that.... this Breeder ruined the life of this poor creature. Panda is one of the most fearful dogs I've come across, but I'm determined to see her through to a new home. I'm a foster for www.caringheartsrescue.org. This Blog will act as a sort of Project for me to document Panda's progress and to give the potential new foster or adopter an idea of Panda's needs.

Panda was a mess when she first came into Rescue. She's still very frightened, but much better than at her arrival. I'm hoping we get to a point where she will not run when approached. I was so overwhelmed with not knowing how to deal with this level of fearfulness that I contacted many trainers in the area. That led me to a Dr. Kathy Meyers- http://www.veterinarybehaviorclinic.com/
She was kind enough to foster Panda for our Rescue. She agrees that Panda is a very extreme case of fear.

Over the months I tried my best not to get in Panda's way. I wanted her to just get used to my presence and all the noises of a home. Panda does great with other dogs so it’s great for her to see relaxed dogs and learn from them. She goes outside and does great with the housetraining as long as she is let out several times a day. She's learned to go up and down stairs by running with another dog in the household.
She's on the medication Prozac and Xanax to help her while she adjusts.