How To Keep Yourself Calm

Isis (left Boxer), Jinx (right Boxer) and Kratos at the hotel.

While Isis has been taking this hotel detour with more grace then I would expect from her, we still have been working on keeping her calm. But what happens when you aren't calm? Perhaps you are like me and have an anxiety problem or maybe you're "once bitten twice shy" type. Whatever your reason, one thing is for sure. We need to control our anxieties just as much as our dogs.

So, when you feel the anxiety start to build in yourself, what do you do?

1. Sing a song and make it funny!
I promise your dog won't judge your singing voice. Singing requires your breath to be even and smooth which in turn will keep you from hyperventilating. Below are Isis' and Jinx's songs that I sing to them.

Isis' Song is set to the tune of 'Mary had a little lamb' & Jinx's Song is set to the 'Flintstone Theme'

"Isis is a bad dog,                       "Doodle, doodle doodle, she's a very bad dog she is.
bad dog, bad dog                       From the bed to the park down by the street.
Isis is a bad dog.                         She's the baddest dog you'll ever met."
Why? oh why bad dog?

Bad dog likes her chicken.
Her chicken, her chicken.
Bad dog likes her chicken.
Why? oh why bad dog?"

2. Use Code Words.
It's fun, you'll know if something is coming your way and so "oh shit"doesn't mean everything from a car flying towards you to a loose dog.

If you go for walks with other people, get them used to "Code words" for different scenarios but use ones that aren't alarming to the dog. For us, "Free Spirit(s)" = loose dog(s), "Sassafras" = Panic, too many triggers, get dog out of situation. "Hunters" = people, "Convoy" = cars

3. The "Tense & Relax"
The tense and relax is what I personally use to calm down if I am beyond over threshold. I wouldn't do this with a dog that is really sensitive to the leash but Isis doesn't mind. What you are going to do is hold your breath for 10 seconds. While you're holding your breath simultaneously tense every single muscle in your body. After, the 10 seconds slowly let out that breath while relaxing your muscles. You'll find this usually only takes once for your body to calm down. Still a little anxious? Try it again.

Have another method for calming yourself down? I'd love to hear it. Not all methods work with everybody but they can sure help.

It only takes one dog...

Really. It only takes one dog to ruin everything you've done in a second. In case anybody is wondering, Isis got attacked today. For once in her life she didn't instigate. In fact, she didn't even see it coming. It was an accident and I completely understand that.

At the end of the hotel, in the last room are two pitbulls (Yes, both are APBTs) . One of the is human/ dog reactive and the other is just dog reactive. One of the kids in the room opened the door at the wrong time and wasn't able to keep the human/dog dog back. He came right for Isis and I. I quickly picked up Isis and slung her over my shoulder (quite a feat for someone as small as me). He made one lunge and got the back leg of Isis before I landed a swift kick to his chest. That got him thinking twice and his owner was able to grab him before he came back. His owner apologized profusely and made sure that we were both okay after I put Isis up.

But the damage is done, both physical and mental. Isis has 3 punctures and 1 gash while I'm just covered in scratches from Isis. But mentally, Isis has been set back from working with dogs. All the work I've done with dogs behind fences is probably ruined. My hope for another dog while Isis is around is diminished.

To be honest though, I'm glad Isis was the dog I had out instead of Jinx or Kratos. Kratos wouldn't have fought back and it would have ruined his like of other dogs. And Jinx? I wouldn't have been able to stop Jinx from tearing that dog a new one. I gave the owner the name of a trainer around here so he could look into it when he had the chance. Maybe it will help him and his dogs. That'll be good for both of us.

Baseline & Off leash dogs

I finally have a baseline for Isis' Human Reactivity. In case anybody wants to know, it's about 40ft with the person sitting down. A lovely girl at the hotel was willing to sit there for us in exchange for a ride up to the store which I was more than happy to oblige.

Another thing, I noticed that around this hotel in NC most people will keep their doors open and just let their dogs run free. Thankfully, this hasn't happened with Jinx or Isis but it has happened with Kratos. Kratos is okay with dogs, only getting aggressive when dogs mess with his ears too much. But this still shouldn't happen for him just cause he won't fight back if attacked.

I can't wait to get into the new house.