From Bad to Good

Last summer, a friend at a local Humane Society shelter told me to come meet a dog that looked as though she could be my recently deceased dog's grandbaby. I had loved Goldie so much and was disappointed that I only had 3 years with her, so finding a young one who looked like her was appealing. Hold onto your seat though... this little lady was nothing like Mama Goldie!

When I met her, she was extremely nervous and she didn't have a name. So I called her "Little Girl" during our initial interactions. She cowered in the corner the first several times I visited. Eventually, she came out of her shell and I fell in love. And, so she was named Beignet (Ben yay') and I brought her home.

She had been a stray for the first 14 months of her life, so she was not potty-trained, had a bad habit of eating paper and cardboard and thought that running through the house in circles was the best game! She wore me out and drove my older pit-mix, Toffee, over the edge. I had to do something. The accidents had given my home a distinct scent (not one I appreciated). The wildness was causing minor altercations with Toffee (who thank GOD is a great dog). We considered rehoming her, until my friend Cory at Middle TN Dog Psychology reminded me of the basics of behavior modification.

1. All dogs want a "job". No, modeling would not fit the bill (although she's pretty enough to be one) and no, I wouldn't be able to earn a living off of her efforts. Rather, they need a daily routine in which they focus on following their leader and being part of the pack. So, we started walking daily and to my happiness, she leash-trained quickly.

2. All dogs want "boundaries". She was not sleeping at night (I can assume a behavior leftover from nights as a stray) at the foot of my bed and I would wake up to toilet paper strewn throughout the room, magazines shredded and Christmas ornaments pulled off the tree and eaten. So, we began crating her at night. The crate became her den (her safe place) so she could relax and rest. And, this proved to be the core issue with Beignet's behavior. Not sleeping at night made her wild during the day! As soon as she began sleeping safely... that nervous energy that she'd exhausted on chewing, destruction and running around in circles slowed down considerably.

3. All dogs want "discipline". Not a heavy hand when they do something wrong - rather a set of rules to follow and be rewarded. Feeding time was tough at first because my pit sits and waits, but Beignet wasn't picking up on it. Cory fixed it in one 30 second session (still don't know what he did, but I'm glad he did it!). Now both dogs sit/wait until I release them to eat. Other routines include walks, potty breaks, snuggle time, play time with each other, chew on their bones time, and more.

Yes, I still coo over how pretty she is and kiss her and hug on her way more than I should. But, overall, we've settled into a nice routine. We still have the occasional destruction (recently she opened a cardboard case of beer, punctured a can and drank it as it was spraying all over the kitchen), but for the most part - our home is once again a peaceful, enjoyable place to be.