The Diva Dog: A Work in Progress

Calicocoa would like a car of her own one day.

As you may know from reading "The Dawn of Calicocoa's Diva Days," our new dog addition to the family came with aggression issues and arthritis.  I wanted to let you know that Calicocoa is making some progress. Or, rather, we are making progress in understanding her. Over the past two months, she's been feeling more comfortable in our household and she's been on medication for her joints.  The numerous visitors, movers and contractors have given us the opportunity to work on her behavior issue.

Aggression towards people is generally a sign of fear, and she still takes her time trusting people. She assaults guests with growls, barks and menacing postures. When strangers are in the house, we encourage them to remain aware of her, but not interact with her. The added attention frightens her more and makes her even more unpredictable. The biggest obstacle seems to be getting her to relax and focus when a stranger arrives. When she's panicking she fails to notice that nothing bad is happening to her. If we get her to sit down away from the "intruder" and calm down, one can actually see her expression change as she begins to rationally assess the situation. She will still scare easily once calmed, but she won't be lunging, nipping, or barking throughout the visit. If she sees us interacting normally with someone that helps. If we ignore the person's presence, which often happens once contractors get to work, she starts to ignore them too. Still it will be a long road to recovery on this one.

Early on, it became clear that some previous owner played nasty tricks on her; e.g. offering a treat and giving a punishment instead. There is a No-Tricking-The-Dog Rule in the house. As she has grown to trust us, we're finding that she's fairly obedient. She obeys"leave it," "come," "back," "up," "down," "inside," and "stay." She knows "tsst" means cease and desist, which is a great tool for when she's menacing strangers. I suspect she knows "sit," but I won't ask her to do it, because she is clearly physically uncomfortable when sitting up.

As to the joint issues, her medication makes a huge difference in her attitude. It turns out she is a fast runner, albeit she has a stiff gait. She has been putting some muscle back on her legs with all of this outdoor time. She is happiest when she is running a circuit around the yard, and she spends a lot of her outdoor time ranging. Sometimes when she returns to the front door she jumps for joy in anticipation of getting her supper no doubt. She is a very serious dog, so these gleeful moments are treasures.

While she loses patience with little Griffin every day, she has learned a lot from him about how to beg for affection. On her third day with us, she watched me rubbing Griffin's belly from across the room, and a few minutes later was lifting her own leg in imitation. Now her day is not complete if she has not had her requisite belly rub. Eventually, she began imitating Griffin's postures for Thunderdome Wrestling Death Match.  This is not a game that one wants to play with a 60 pound dog, so I've shortened it so all she has to do hang her mouth open and raise a paw in the air before she falls on her back to get a peaceful belly rub -- no mouthing or kicking is allowed in Thunderdome Surrender the Belly Match. This is not a dog who knows her own strength.

In general, she's happier and healthier than when she first got here. I hope one day she will be less afraid, so that other people can enjoy her too.

In the meantime, I'll share some of Calicocoa's likes and dislikes in her own words.

Calicocoa's Favorite Things:
5) Dinner time is awesome. I feel like skipping.
4) Sitting in the dirt/grass/straw watching the neighbors is the best way to spend an afternoon.
3) Running circles around the yard... I can fly!
2) I <3 Belly Rubs.
1) The car is the best thing ever... riding in the car... sleeping in the car... sitting in the car... sniffing the tires... When can I get a car of my own?

Calicocoa's Top Five Dislikes
5) I will not go down those stairs if I can not see what is down there first.
4) Puzzles are troubling. I do not understand what you want. What if I do it wrong?
3) Bathtime is so uncomfortable. I'll sit still if you promise to kill me quickly.
2) Griffin is annoying and he's everywhere. He nips at me, but I can't nip his little head off. It's so unfair.
1) Strangers are after me. Wooohooohooohooohooohoo! Grrrr...