The first night home from the shelter, I gave Foster a big bed, a bunch of toys, and a rawhide. At some point I thought I should take the bone away from her and she bit my hand, breaking skin. I was mad of course, I gave her that bone. That was her first lesson for me. I needed to become an expert in resource guarding and living with biting dogs. So I did.
The next challenge we faced was Foster being left alone. At the time I worked at an engineering firm, 8 hours a day. Foster was stressed out at home. She chewed through the drywall to get out and would meet us in the garage wagging her tail. So we decided to enroll in a group obedience class where they put her on a choke chain and told me to yank her. Food was not allowed. Well I failed that class. I snuck treats in my pocket and wouldn't yank the leash. So we decided to increase her exercise. I read somewhere to have her run next to my bike. So I put her on a leash and off we went in the neighborhood. We didn't get far. A few houses down a woman came out of her house with 2 boston terriers barking at Foster. Foster could never let that go. So she cut in front of my bike, knocked me down, and I had lots of bleeding wounds.
Dave then decided that maybe off leash hikes in the canyon was what she needed. The first time we took off the leash, she darted into a huge field of grass, and would not come back. She ran for probably a 1/2 hr straight and the only way we kept up with her was to seeing her "boinging" in the high grass chasing varmints.
Then there was an "incident" with some kids on skateboards. She ran out of the garage and chased them for a long time, nipping at their heels. The kids got tired before she did and luckily nothing happened once she caught up to them. However I was mortified. Why did she do such naughty things?
I so loved this dog but I was reaching my wits end. So I approached Dave and asked if I could quit my job and find some line of work that Foster could come to work. Dave said yes and if you know Dave, that was a miracle. I had the animal background from working at vets and doing some dog training for a local trainer. We found a dog daycare in LA to go see first since there were none in the OC. 6 weeks later, Wags & Wiggles was open.
That did not end my challenges and love affair with Foster. She was Wags & Wiggles first interview dog. Clients would come with their adorable puppies and Foster would meet/greet. Foster was a terrible interview dog. She would immediately want to snark and put puppies in their place, not ideal. Her separation anxiety of course would come out whenever I left the play yard to visit with clients. Yeah, that was Foster having a screaming meltdown.
Then I discovered clicker training and WOW was Foster good at that. She was so smart. A couple clicks and some food and she would do ANYTHING! Punishment never worked for her or for me. She would just get mad and take a bite or she would get afraid. Clicker training really helped me see that what she needed to be a good dog was learning what TO DO and earning rewards for doing the right thing.
Yes, she still snuck into the dirty laundry hamper and chewed the pockets out of my favorite jackets. She would still get mad if she was crate too long. And yes, she would still take off chasing things when given the chance. She just wanted to keep me on my toes.
So the good things about Foster. She loved everyone! She would wag her tail and cry for people to pet her. She always wanted to be with me. She was a great cuddler in bed, as long as she was in the mood. She was willing to learn anything as long as it was fun. She kept my dog pack in line for 17 years. We always played a fun game and get your feet. We would pretend to grab her feet and she would bark with delight and pull them away. The afternoon we put Foster to rest, my mom and husband were there. Dave caressed her foot, and she pulled it back. Foster wagged her tail for my mom as her last official act in this world. Geez I miss her.
Here is a video of Foster's last playful moment. This was 1 week before she passed away and she got her mojo up to flirt with my friend's boy dog. She was queen to the end. So we had to say goodbye to Foster, who started the Wags & Wiggles craze. I owe her a lot.
Laurie Zurborg, CPDT, Founder
Wags & Wiggles Dog Daycare & Training Facilities
