My better half has left me. Jeff had to fly to the middle east for a week or so and I'm here alone with the three poochies. Or should I say the two dogs and Trixie. She gets a special mention.
I suppose that after a string of great fosters I needed one pup to keep me grounded. Trixie is a sweetheart, but oh my goodness I am tired. Without Jeff it is just me on Trixie watch. The chewing is insane. And worse still is that she eats what she chews which can become pretty dangerous. But there are consequences to being in a constant state of stress: I've become a grouch.
Time to regroup. This compulsive chewing is a big negative that will hamper her from finding the forever home she deserves and I need to correct it. What I need to do first however, is establish and maintain that level of trust, respect, and affection that is the basis of any relationship. Trixie isn't her bad behavior. She is a dog that hasn't had a stable home in no one knows how long and is just looking to love and be loved. She loves me no matter how upset I get, I need to remember to love her just as unconditionally. After that, everything else will fall into place.
4 comments:
Sounds like Trixie is a real challenge. She sounds a lot like my young foster from last year that basically tore apart anything she came in contact with. I could not leave her alone for a minute without her stealing something. She did get a little better. And she did find a forever home with a retired couple. But even they ended up buying a crate for her for those times when she had to be left alone for short periods of time. She was not well-socialized or trained so I really had my work cut out with her and the folks that adopted her had to continue on from the very basic level I was able to train her up to.
I know well the frustration you must be feeling but I think you have the right attitude and thank goodness, recognize where your communicating with her may need some work. That is rare and it is a good thing! So take a deep breath and follow the advice you have given me - to just have fun with it. Yes, everything else will fall into place. Right when you least expect it, someone is going to want to adopt that little Trixie - even with all her flaws they will love her and you will find yourself actually missing her and her craziness! :) Hang in there!
Thanks! But I think that I need to call in for an assist on Miss Trixie. I'm trying to get in touch with the rescue to see if maybe professional training is an option (though I know that funds are hard to come by in rescue.)I have never quite encountered a problem like this one before. She is a doll, and I'm sure that I'll laugh about all this later, but for now... *dramatic sigh*
I hope you are successful in getting training. I was not offered any for my "problem child". Some dogs are just more challenging (read: nuttier) than others!
We are taking a weekend off to go visit the family. Trixie will stay with another foster mom so she will be able to asses and we can figure out a game plan. Who knows, maybe a different set of eyes will be able to sort out the problems.
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