This weekend, Pete took Hoss off to a Crime Scene Investigation weekend down in McDonough, Georgia, in order for them both to learn some useful skills. Although it is a fun affair, kind of like a murder mystery with pooches, it was a wonderful opportunity for owners and dogs alike to learn valuable team working skills and problem solving. It also provides a chance for the dogs to learn to use tracking skills and scent work, recall and retrieve among other things, but most importantly to develop a closer relationship with their owner. Hoss, as many of you already know, is a former Gwinnett County Jail Dogs Program Alumni, whom we rehabbed here at the Ranch two years ago, when the Sheriffs Dept asked us to work on his fear of men. He could not stay at the Jail, could not be fostered anywhere with menfolk, and his future was bleak as he was out of options. Once our work with him was completed, (he was doing all of our evaluations involving male owners within a week) we fostered and much later adopted him, having fallen captive to those amber eyes and the cries of Rooowoooroo that he delivers every morning. It was a huge step outside of his comfort zone for Hoss to go to an event with thirty or so people, all cheering excitedly and yelling enthusiastically, as here at the Ranch we purposefully maintain an atmosphere of calm at all times. Its not that we dont like enthusiasm, it’s just that for the work we do, we need the dogs to be calm and centered for most of the day, and Hoss, as a member of staff, has gotten very used to quieter humans. Well, not only did Hoss do very well with all of the tasks involving scent work (Id have fallen over if he hadnt, him being part blood hound and all....) but he also trusted Pete enough to step right outside of his comfort zone and integrated beautifully with all of the humans at the event. He finally got to meet long time Hoss fan Heather Kennedy, who recognized him straight away; Heather had sponsored him while he was in the Jail Dogs Program, so Hoss owes her a great deal and rightly rewarded her with a big cuddle yesterday. Some of our clients here at the Ranch cannot understand why we spend more time focussing on and working with the owners than the dogs themselves. Dogs like Hoss, whose future was very uncertain, are proof positive that if you work on the relationship in a way that the dog can understand in a language that you both share, then when you need that dog to step outside of his comfort zone and trust you...he surely will. Its all about the relationship folks. Thanks to Meredith Minkin and BD Malone for putting on such a fun filled and educational weekend that both my boys enjoyed immensely. Cant wait for the next one! .......And heres the boy blunder wearing his medal proudly today ( we made him remove it while he excavated the tunnel with Freddie of course).
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 01:12:47 +0000
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