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Griffen
Jun 8, 2013 23:32:01 GMT -5
Post by melonie on Jun 8, 2013 23:32:01 GMT -5
I got to go meet an 8 month old Pit Bull tonight at the shelter. His name is Griffen, and he has been at the shelter since Feb. He is pretty shy, but I guess once he warms up to you, you are his and he wants all the attention you can give him. He doesn't have any basic obedience training yet. I spent about 15 minutes alone with him, where he did slightly warm up to me. Once I gain his trust I'm going to start him on the basic obedience commands. I have more video footage of him, and would love input from the crowd once I get them uploaded. I think he thought if he didn't look at me, I'd disappear.
This video is before he decided I wasn't so bad and came to sit next to me... an arm length away. I just sat there and spoke to him quietly and let him decide for himself to approach me: s659.photobucket.com/user/mellowknee/media/VID_20130608_214054_462_zps45ccf5fd.mp4.html
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Post by melonie on Jun 9, 2013 0:45:31 GMT -5
Here is another video:
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Griffen
Jun 9, 2013 10:20:22 GMT -5
Post by melonie on Jun 9, 2013 10:20:22 GMT -5
Here is a video where he is out of his kennel, and Darcy is there. There was a dog outside in the middle part of the dog run set up. He started jumping on the door and she was afraid he'd his the door handle. He's DA, so obviously she didn't want that door to open.
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Griffen
Jun 9, 2013 10:54:18 GMT -5
Post by maryellen on Jun 9, 2013 10:54:18 GMT -5
he is gorgeous. but grabbing him by the collar if he is a fearful pup is a bad idea.. she should always have a leash around her neck just for this type of situation.its better to leash a dog that is fearful then grab its collar.. and have lots of good treats in her pocket too to help
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Griffen
Jun 9, 2013 10:56:18 GMT -5
Post by maryellen on Jun 9, 2013 10:56:18 GMT -5
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Griffen
Jun 9, 2013 10:58:36 GMT -5
Post by maryellen on Jun 9, 2013 10:58:36 GMT -5
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Griffen
Jun 9, 2013 12:27:33 GMT -5
Post by melonie on Jun 9, 2013 12:27:33 GMT -5
I cringed when I saw she did that. I didn't notice until I watched the video.
Before I actually pet him, I sat and just talked softly to him. When he took a treat I offered to him, I praised him, but didn't pet him. After he came and sat beside me, I petted him a few times, but not the entire time. Mainly I just sat there talking to him softly off and on. When he'd look at me I'd offer my hand to sniff, and then a pet.
I can't get back to the shelter until Tues. but I was going to have Darcy meet me there and then both of us go for a walk with him. I may not be able to get back to the shelter again until the weekend, again I'll have Darcy meet me there. Hopefully next week won't be such a crappy work week.
(should note that Griffen is not DA, he plays well with other dogs. The dog that was on the other side of the door is DA)
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Post by maryellen on Jun 9, 2013 12:53:50 GMT -5
he still looked uncomfortable with the petting, maybe hold off on that until he really trusts you? maybe try some clicker training ? that way you can treat reward and not touch him, this way he can slowly get to trust you ? honestly he looked really horrified being touched, and his eyes said ALOT about how he was feeling.. his body language too was not good at all..maybe build his confidence thru training and no touching at first.. i could be wrong, but that is what i would do.. and if you can get a foster home lined up for him as the shelter will only make him worse as time goes on.(not you but someone else maybe)
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Post by melonie on Jun 9, 2013 15:17:53 GMT -5
I was a actually reading up on clicker training last night and wondering if that would be the best way to go with him. Not sure if the shelter has one but I do.
I'll talk to Watch to see if they can find him a foster.
Sent from my XT881 using proboards
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Griffen
Jun 10, 2013 7:31:39 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Jun 10, 2013 7:31:39 GMT -5
Moving this to the rescue board.
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Post by megan on Jun 11, 2013 9:02:33 GMT -5
He's definitely uncomfortable and drooling in the videos, lots of calming signals.
I know you said when he took a treat from you that you praised him, just remember that most easy-going, friendly dogs like praise, but a dog who's scared of people could think praise isn't so great. In fact, some fearful dogs, before they trust you, could consider praise (talking directly to him or at him) more of a punishment. Praise isn't inherently a motivator or a reward for all dogs, and if he's not made the association between you praising him and good things happening, he could consider it a negative.
If you're going to go into his run or a play area like that and sit with him, bring a book or magazine and sit facing away from him, paying no attention to him, and read softly out loud. But don't look at him or pet him. Just let him get comfortable with you hanging out nearby without the pressure of interacting. You want to work on one stressor at a time. First, get him comfortable with you being present without interacting.
Bring SUPER high value treats, like cooked bits of chicken or pork or beef, or grab a rotisserie chicken at the store and break it all up into hundreds of little bits, separate into baggies, freeze most and bring a baggie with you each time and gently toss them towards him or place on the ground while you're reading without doing ANY interacting. Right now, the whole idea is to take all social pressure off so he doesn't feel forced to interact. Let him come to you and when he does, carefully place more food down, but don't surprise him, and don't pet him. Petting could be punishing him for him at this stage, and if he comes to explore and you pet him, you could essentially be telling him "coming to me is punished." Remember, it's all about what Griffen finds rewarding and punishing, not what most dogs enjoy or find punishing.
And if he likes other dogs, I'd be talking to the shelter about getting another easy-going, confident dog involved in the interaction. Preferably a calm dog who may want to sit in the room and snuggle up with you while you're reading or walk around a bit while you're reading so you can interact with that dog. That will take a HUGE amount of pressure off of Griffen (you should interact with the other dog, ignoring him) and that may get Griffen more inclined to check you out. Just remember, the first few times he comes to check you out are KEY. Let him come to you, don't pet him yet, and go back to the basics (food rewards).
Clicker training is a good idea for a dog like him, but remember the clicker itself could be frightening for him. Someone he trusts already should introduce the clicker and charge it only if it's not frightening to him. If it's frightening to him, that's okay, ditch the clicker for now and just work on taking all social pressure off of him.
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Griffen
Jun 11, 2013 10:42:30 GMT -5
Post by melonie on Jun 11, 2013 10:42:30 GMT -5
Thanks for the input Megan! When I first got to the shelter I sat outside his kennel. However there were a couple rude dogs that were going nuts, so that is why we moved him to the quiet meet and greet area. I don't feel the praise was out of line. When he took the treat, I just said aww good boy. I didn't touch him. I just used my voice softly, and upbeat.
I'm going to try and get out there this afternoon if Darcy can meet me. I could go alone, but I do not want to be the one handling him yet. It will be another 3 days before I can get back out to the shelter. All I want to do today is a walk with him and Darcy. This weekend I'll start the real work with him.
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Griffen
Jun 13, 2013 17:32:15 GMT -5
Post by loverocksalot on Jun 13, 2013 17:32:15 GMT -5
Awe poor Griffen. It makes me sad to see a young dog so broken and scared.
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Griffen
Jun 13, 2013 23:25:08 GMT -5
Post by melonie on Jun 13, 2013 23:25:08 GMT -5
Saturday will be my first day with him. Someone actually came in to adopt him today, but Darcy sent me a txt msg and asked me if I knew the person. I called her tonight and told her not to let him adopt the dog. One because he's known to get into trouble with the law, second, he already has a pit bull, third, he lives in a town with a pit bull ban.
I discussed finding a foster home for him, and some other things. Looking forward to Saturday for many reasons... Will be my first day off of work in 7 days!
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