Ludo goes to Daycare!

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

A few big weeks for Ludo!  

Mr. Ludo has some fear issues.  He is very shy and is scared of lots of thing, even things as small as really loud birds chirping. He is afraid on walks, he's startled when we're in the front yard and a car drives by.  He is startled by the noise of airplanes flying overhead.  He's afraid of big dogs or any dog barking at him. He even jumped when my sister stepped out of her car in front of him.

I'm trying to help him but also really working to not reinforce his fears by coddling.  

On Walking

Ludo is really nervous on walks.  He is getting better, but he still requires a lure and we've only been doing half-mile neighborhood walks because it takes an entire string cheese to get him around-- I don't really want him to have more cheese than that so I've kept our walks short.

However, we had a bit of a breakthrough last week. I remembered reading here about a dog that just didn't want to walk away from home but if they drove somewhere and walked, the dog was fine.  I figured it was worth a try so we drove to my local bike path and we ended up walking two miles.  He struggled while walking on the paved path, but directly adjacent to the path (really only about 10 feet away), there was a nature path that was more of a trail.  On the way back to the car, we needed no cheese.  His tail wagged and he stopped to sniff things curiously.  I was astonished but it also gave me an idea.  The next day, we walked in a nature reserve and OMG, you guys!!, there was no cheese required.  He was probably the happiest I'd ever seen him.  It was warm enough that he could get his feet wet in the river and he splashed around and just had a really wonderful time.  

Any day that we have that option, we're going trail walking.  I had a lot of fun and so did he.  It was really quite moving to see the change in him.  He was confident and excited and curious and I swear he had a smile.

Of course, when you play in a river, you have to have a bath, so here's a cute photo of him in his new bathrobe!

On Daycare

So last week, Ludo was evaluated for a new doggy daycare.  This specific daycare was recommended to me by the private trainer because she said it is the only place around that has trained workers watching the dogs constantly, there are no cages for required rest times, all dogs are evaluated and not all dogs are admitted and they have been known to ask people to stop bringing their dogs because of behavioral issues.

Going in, knowing that Ludo can be standoffish, I wouldn't have been surprised if Ludo was not accepted.  For the evaluation, they took him into one of the main rooms on his own to get used to the sights, smells and sounds.  Once he was acclimated, they'd bring in two different dogs.  One was a dog that would allow puppy behavior and not correct, the other was known to correct but not show aggression.  I had been very upfront with the daycare and let them know that he was cautious and could be a bit shy.  It took Ludo a good 15 minutes of the 30 minute evaluation to just get acclimated to the space... even then, he wouldn't engage with the evaluator.  I was watching in another room through a webcam feed. At that point, they introduced him to a toy poodle named Ruby.  He immediately got along great with her. They zoomed around and played great.  The other dog was bigger than Ludo and knowing Ludo is shy, they kept the dog leashed to control their interaction.  Ludo immediately tucked his tail and did not want to engage with the big dog.

Because of the way he played with Ruby, the daycare said they think he would be fine coming to daycare but until he was ready, they would choose a playgroup for him and let him go at his own pace.  They suggested I bring him in at least twice a week to get him used to the atmosphere and suggested Mondays and Tuesdays as they are the slowest days and might not be as overwhelming.

So yesterday was his first day and they basically had to drag him away from me... he had his puppy brakes on.  He stayed there for about 4 hours and truthfully, I waited the whole time for a call to come and get him because he couldn't cut it... well no call came!  When I picked him up, his tail was wagging and he looked like he had a good day.  The worker said that he was really nervous and wouldn't engage with her on his own but that he played perfectly and respectfully with the dogs in the small dog room.  However, when introduced to dogs his size or bigger, he wasn't ready.

Today was even better.  He was there, again, for about 4 hours. Dropping off was a little bit easier and picking him up he was even happier than yesterday-- not just happy to see me, but interacting with the workers.  She said he voluntarily engaged with her and wanted her affection and he played with a dog his own size today! They were really pleased with his improvement and I have to say, I'm a really proud mama. (PS, do you see Ludo in the back? I pulled this photo from the daycare Facebook Page)

There is no webcam for the small dog room, but I like that once he moves into the big dog areas, I am able to watch him all day if I choose.  I also really really appreciate that they are letting Ludo go at his own pace and are really trying to work with him to build his confidence.

On Everything Else

That really is all we've been up to.  Daycare is a nice break for me.  It'll be nicer when I decide he's ready for a full day. I'm working on scaling my business so it's nice to have the free time and not feel guilty about Ludo being bored or not getting enough exercise.  It works really well for everyone.

We're struggling right now with nipping.  Not mouthing and wanting to chew on things, but when he wants someone to stop doing something, he will nip.  I've tried closing his mouth, time outs, collar holds, turning my back and ignoring him... I swear, nothing fazes him.  I'm still looking for solutions if anyone has one :)

He's also lost like 3 teeth.  The first one was scary because we were playing tug with his holee roller ball and I looked down and there was blood on it.  I scooped him up and put him on the bathroom counter and put a wet tissue on the spot to stop the bleeding (it wasn't much) but the other ones didn't bleed at all.  I haven't found any teeth, but I've read that most dogs swallow them.

We're having a Christmas party this weekend and there should be about 35 people of all ages, shapes and sizes.  I'm looking forward to seeing Ludo meet everyone for the second time.  I'm also hoping my cousins bring their dog (he's a little guy, actually the brother of my last dog) and I think Ludo and Lucky would play very well together.

I am so enjoying getting all the DK Christmas cards, as well.  I hope everyone has a really wonderful Christmas filled with love, puppies, friends and family.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks for the update on Ludo.  One of the things we did to socialize our dogs was take them somewhere and just let them watch what was happening - parks outside of schools and stores, near traffic, near train tracks, etc.

[Nancy & Echo]

So good to hear your latest episode about Ludo.  It really helps me think ahead and picture situations with my dog in the future.  Once again, thank you so much!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

It's wonderful to hear how well Ludo is doing and I love how well you understand him.  I hope you get lots of time over the holidays for trail walks -they are the best :)  I agree with Jane and Linda,  His nipping sounds normal and I found short time outs work wonders  

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Thanks guys, for the tips about nipping.  I tried yelping when he puts his teeth on me again and that actually really seemed to resonate with him where it didn't a month or so ago.  If it doesn't solve the behavior, though, I'll go back to time-outs.  :)

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

So agree with Jane on the time-outs for nipping.  However, is it possible he is also nipping because he is teething.  He is just so cute, I cannot imagine that boy doing anything wrong! Haha BTW - love this blog! And, love that fact that you love Ludo so much too!

[Becka]

Good boy, Ludo! 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

This all sounds like great news and I love hearing about how well Ludo is doing.  The mouthing will get better....just stay calm and consistent with your reaction.  I really find time-outs eventually get the message across to them.  I hope you and your sweet puppy have a great Christmas too!