Rescues Intro: Fred and Rubble

Fred Flintstone

Fred was given to us as an owner surrender.  He and his smaller brother, Rubble, are 5-month-old, purebred, red-tri Australian Shepherd puppies.  Both are very fearful, and have obviously been under-socialized since birth.  Fred is the more cautious of the two, though is more willing to make direct eye contact.  He's very keen and observant, learning quickly to muster up the courage to Touch, Sit, Down, Go To Mat, and now even Come when called.  Before any of this was going to work, we had to get a collar on him, help him be comfortable enough with our presence to take food from our hand and be willing to come out of his kennel.

Recently, Fred started showing some reactivity in the form of barking and some growling toward strange dogs.  After he and his brother recovered from a bout of kennel cough, they were introduced to the small dogs daycare. Fred showed us that he was a rambunctious puppy, eager to play.  True to his herding roots, Fred tends to bark at dogs in an attempt to instigate play.

I gave Fred his first lesson in the Wags & Wiggles lobby on Friday, April 26th.  Prior to Friday, all the boys' training had taken place in their kennels.  Fred was somewhat overwhelmed by the busy environment initially, but his extraordinary food drive won out, and he demonstrated Touch, Sit, and even lying down for his Go To Mat cue.  Handling work, which has been ongoing in the kennel, was not going to happen in the lobby on its first day.  In the kennel, Fred has progressed to putting his chin in the trainer's hand while the other hand feeds him.

The trainers have hung a treat bucket on the boys' kennels.  The staff will periodically visit throughout the day.  Some attempt to make friends, others just toss the boys a cookie.

Due to spending a majority of their day safe in their kennels, the pups need baths from time to time.  Fred tolerates it better than Rubble.  However, when Fred is picked up, he is so shut down in fear he cannot accept food yet.  Ongoing handling work will help Fred learn to feel safe in a person's arms.

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Barney Rubble

Rubble is a sweet little boy underneath all his apprehension.  His coat is an unusual texture and color for an Aussie, and his right eye is a little misshapen.  He's more open to trying new things than his bigger brother, Fred, though it's harder for Rubble to maintain direct eye contact with people.  He's a good worker, happily earns each breakfast and dinner (Canidae kibble) meals while learning the basics of obedience.  Rubble offers behaviors sooner/faster than Fred, but only because he's a little less worried about the new people in his life.

Rubble has demonstrated some space guarding.  He will growl a little at people when he first notices them approaching his kennel.  It is our hope that as he learns to trust more and more people through many positive experiences, this will dissipate on its own in time.  On the other hand, Rubble also vocalizes from mild separation anxiety after completing a lesson with me.

When Rubble was introduced into the small dogs daycare recently, he showed how much he relies on his brother for confidence with other dogs.  However, when Fred started attempting to "herd" the other dogs into playing with him, Rubble said "I'm outta here!" and started mingling on his own.

Rubble and I had his first lesson in the lobby at Wags & Wiggles last Friday.  We tried for the basics:  Touch, Go To Mat, Sit, Down, and handling.  He executed all his cues very well after overcoming some apprehension about the new location -- he's a smart boy, eager to please.  It was during our handling work that he had a tremendous breakthrough in trust.  I admit, he made me tear up a little.  I was able, for the first time in our dozen or so sessions, to stroke him all over, scratch behind his ears, under his collar, and on his hips.  He was completely relaxed throughout the process, and loved this newfound form of human-dog affection so much, he offered his belly for rubs.

I look forward to keeping you all up-to-date on the puppies' training.  We've already had a few interested parties contact us regarding their adoption, but they're not quite ready yet.  I'm really proud of what they've been able to accomplish in just a few short weeks, and I'm sure they'll make great companions someday to the right home.

Tasha Salsido, CTDI

Staff Trainer, Wags & Wiggles RSM