02 June 2014

New Girl: BlueBelle



blue rat terrier
BlueBelle spent the first few years of her life as a breeding dog in a puppy mill. She was taken in by a kind New Rattitude foster home and was helped to heal physically and begin to learn what it's like to live in a home. She came to my home about four weeks ago.

Miss Belle is currently semi-feral, but is developing at her own pace with a little help. She spent the first week exhausting herself with panicked flights. I slowed down every household routine, stayed far away from her, and did not look her in the face. I did have to herd her from the yard into the house in the beginning. It is true that I could have cornered her and restrained her as she shut down and I could have penned her in a small area as I've been advised by several trainers. For this specific dog and for my specific personal aversions, I instead gave Belle the most and the safest choices I could give her. That is working for us.

At first, I fed her outside while the rest of the dogs ate inside. When the back door closes with me inside, Belle knows she can count on a respite from humans. I would talk to her without looking at her as I set her bowl down, and then I'd go inside. If she skittered away before eating all of the food, I would go outside and drop something new and yummy in the bowl while talking to her, and then return to the house. I transitioned her feeding place to my bedroom and by the end of the first week, she had learned the meal time routine and had associated my presence during this time with yummy food.

At the start of the second week, she was anxious but not panicked as I followed her into my bedroom with her bowl. I lay quietly on my back on the floor and stretched my right arm out behind my head with a handful of her favorite Wellness Core kibble mixed with 95% meat canned food. For twenty minutes, Belle didn't move from her crouch in the corner behind me. I got up and took the bowl out of the room with me. A few seconds later, I returned and resumed my position. Ten minutes later, I suppressed a happy giggle as I felt the first brush of whiskers on my hand. She slowly ate her dinner, one carefully extended handful at a time.

It is almost three weeks since I began the hand feeding and we have progressed, as of this morning, to her taking food from my hand while I am sitting on the floor. Each tiny change that's made has to be made one at a time and she needs enough repetitions of the "new look" to be satisfied that nothing bad will happen to her. This sitting change is very big. So the hand is still on the floor, it's still behind me (good for the upper abs), and I'm absolutely not looking at her right now.

Beautiful Belle continues to make progress in adjusting to life in a home with a human. I will post updates on her progress as I can.

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