The last week has been a non-scientific experiment in the respect that I have changed multiple variables of Coco's day to day existence rather than just one to see if we would modify her behavior. 
First, I've changed her food over completely to Wellness Superfive mix lamb. Second, I've been playing her a new classic music mix for pets CD given to us from Ogdog. And third, Ive started playing ball with her after her morning walks. I think that the extra exercise and the other changes have mellowed her out a bit. This week, she's only charged the door maybe once a night, and a quick "uh-ah" is enough to get her to come back to the couch or her bone and settle down. Now, that being said, she isn't cured of her dog aversion, but her level of stress in the apartment has gone down considerably. A guy was on his cell phone outside my door for a good hour last night and Coco was lying at my feet ignoring him. Another good barometer of Coco's mental state is birds on her daily walks. She can either watch them when she is settled, or she wants to eat them and pulls and whines at her leash to get over to them. This week she was aroused when she saw the birds, pulling a little, but was able to be coaxed to continue on her way. I've also been training her to do a new trick (shake), and if I saw her start to get nervous or bored I would pull out the clicker and do a short session.
The other notable news for this week is that I decided to try "rescue remedy" a flower extract suggested to me by Ogdog and a friend. I thought it was snake oil, to be honest
, but it had a significant impact on her behavior. I gave her a full dose on Thursday after she had a dog encounter that morning with Miguel and seemed particularly bent. I sprayed the extract onto a biscuit which she happily ate. Within 20 minutes she was snoozing on the floor, then snoozing on the couch. She could be enticed to chew on her favorite bone or kong for a few minutes, but in general she just wanted to stretch and be pet. It was a bit weird, and part of me missed my rambunctious bulldog. About 4 hours or so later she started chomping away on her nylabone like nothing had happened. Thinking that I had over-dosed her, and feeling like a bad fur-mom, I gave her half a dose when I took her to the vet on Friday. It did absolutely nothing, so I would say this medication is an all or nothing way to calm down your pet. This really opens up a new world for Coco, one in which I feel like I can stop the cycle of her being totally over-stimulated and scared and get her to calm down.
Miguel has been taking her on rides with him during the week. Coco loves riding with Miguel so here are some pictures he took of her. Against mom's personal convictions, Coco prefers a comfy SUV to a nice economical commuter car, and will happily settle down in the back for a snooze or sit up front and watch the scenery.
First, I've changed her food over completely to Wellness Superfive mix lamb. Second, I've been playing her a new classic music mix for pets CD given to us from Ogdog. And third, Ive started playing ball with her after her morning walks. I think that the extra exercise and the other changes have mellowed her out a bit. This week, she's only charged the door maybe once a night, and a quick "uh-ah" is enough to get her to come back to the couch or her bone and settle down. Now, that being said, she isn't cured of her dog aversion, but her level of stress in the apartment has gone down considerably. A guy was on his cell phone outside my door for a good hour last night and Coco was lying at my feet ignoring him. Another good barometer of Coco's mental state is birds on her daily walks. She can either watch them when she is settled, or she wants to eat them and pulls and whines at her leash to get over to them. This week she was aroused when she saw the birds, pulling a little, but was able to be coaxed to continue on her way. I've also been training her to do a new trick (shake), and if I saw her start to get nervous or bored I would pull out the clicker and do a short session.The other notable news for this week is that I decided to try "rescue remedy" a flower extract suggested to me by Ogdog and a friend. I thought it was snake oil, to be honest
, but it had a significant impact on her behavior. I gave her a full dose on Thursday after she had a dog encounter that morning with Miguel and seemed particularly bent. I sprayed the extract onto a biscuit which she happily ate. Within 20 minutes she was snoozing on the floor, then snoozing on the couch. She could be enticed to chew on her favorite bone or kong for a few minutes, but in general she just wanted to stretch and be pet. It was a bit weird, and part of me missed my rambunctious bulldog. About 4 hours or so later she started chomping away on her nylabone like nothing had happened. Thinking that I had over-dosed her, and feeling like a bad fur-mom, I gave her half a dose when I took her to the vet on Friday. It did absolutely nothing, so I would say this medication is an all or nothing way to calm down your pet. This really opens up a new world for Coco, one in which I feel like I can stop the cycle of her being totally over-stimulated and scared and get her to calm down.Miguel has been taking her on rides with him during the week. Coco loves riding with Miguel so here are some pictures he took of her. Against mom's personal convictions, Coco prefers a comfy SUV to a nice economical commuter car, and will happily settle down in the back for a snooze or sit up front and watch the scenery.
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