A short update. Today I set up the homemade tiny teeter in the driveway for Katie. She wasn’t happy about it. But I had treats (really nothing more than dog food out of her dish that she hadn’t finished, but it’s oh so much more special when handed out piece by piece by her mama than piled in her bowl.) and I was gentle with her, giving her a treat if she’d touch the board, if she’d put her front feet on the board, if she’d walk toward the center.
She still needs me to put all four of her feet on the board, and there’s a towel under each side to soften the banging noise, but she DID sort of run across it on her own twice, over the space of about 3 separate short sessions. It’s just a board and a 2 inch plastic pipe, but it moves and makes a bit of noise, and she’s not totally freaked out.
Progress.
Change Is Hard 
March 6, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Tell your mom to get some good treats. I wouldn’t do that stuff for food I left in my bowl the first time around either.
your pal, Morgan
LikeLike
March 7, 2010 at 1:32 am
That sounds like the right approach. Desensitizing one thing at a time. Trying to do all the people & dogs & obstacles all at once would be tough.
LikeLike
March 7, 2010 at 4:29 am
WhooHoo, great job. Diana
LikeLike
March 7, 2010 at 6:14 am
Great job! You are doing just the right thing to make it less scary for her.
You are so not alone in this. I see so many dogs that have to learn teeter this way.
LikeLike
March 7, 2010 at 7:34 am
Morgan has a point. But don’t tell Katie!
LikeLike
March 7, 2010 at 9:40 am
Progress is good. We would love to see a picture of your teeter though.
Essex & Deacon
LikeLike
March 7, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Sounds like you are totally on the right track! Chicken works wonders for me, by the way! 🙂
From mom:
Thanks for thinking of us and the symphony. The musicians accepted a huge cut – 38 weeks of work down to 25 next season. It was either that or be out of a job altogether. So it’s hard to feel relieved but at least we still have health insurance for another year. Unfortunately, it’s a part-time job now. I only work part-time but my husband was full-time. Just a few years ago, it was a 48 weeks out of the year job and as a part-timer I worked at least 28 of those weeks. Columbus doesn’t want to support a full-time orchestra -we just don’t get corporate support and never had an endowment. Too bad but what can you do? We know we’re not the only people struggling. How’s the job search going for you?
LikeLike
March 7, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Chicken works for Katie too! But I’d have to cook some… just might. She deserves something really good to work on that scary teeter!
Essex & Deacon…I’ll post a picture of our tiny handmade teeter this week.
LikeLike
March 8, 2010 at 12:16 am
Sounds great! Can’t wait to see pictures and hear more updates.
LikeLike