White Coat Syndrome?

Yesterday was Alfie's annual checkup.  He was due for a couple of booster shots as well as routine tests to make sure he didn't have parasites (he didn't, yay!) 


Alfie's always done fine at the vet.  He's well-behaved -- a little apprehensive (licking his nose more than usual, etc.), but nothing too severe.  But yesterday afternoon was different.  Since we live right on the edge of town, our vet is a country vet who sees all kinds of emergencies as well as handling more routine stuff.  Yesterday as we walked in, I realized they must be slammed with emergencies. They were very full, all the techs were busy, and it was much more chaotic than usual.  In addition to all kinds of crazy animal noise from the various exam rooms, there was even some kind of angry family squabble that you could hear going on (yikes!)  Alfie crouched down to half his normal height and pressed into me, panting and obviously anxious.  I've always heard that you should try not to be extra-reassuring to anxious dogs, as they'll feel their worry is justified.  So I tried to "act normal," but I couldn't help noticing Alfie just wasn't himself.  

 Well, I ask you:  do you like going to the doctor?!

Unfortunately, the busy office meant that our appointment was delayed, and Alfie's anxiety had time to "develop."  When we finally got into an exam room and the tech took his temperature, she looked at me with some alarm.  "Well, how long has he been sick?  Has he been eating okay?" she wanted to know, adding, "His temperature is three and a half degrees over normal!"  I assured her that he'd been fine, and his appetite certainly wasn't suffering...but tried to explain that Alfie seemed to be reacting to the stressful environment.  She agreed, but pointed out that in her experience that usually didn't raise their temperature more than a degree or so!  They finally asked me if I'd be willing to wait a while with him, and see if he improved...obviously, they didn't want to give him any shots if he really was sick!


I know Alfie, and I knew he wasn't sick, just stressed out!  I wasn't sure how long it would take him to recover, though.  But I decided to wait and see if he improved.  We went to the very end room, closed the door, and settled in.  Slowly, things quieted down out front.  I sure wished I'd brought my own book to read...with a sigh, I grabbed their stack of reading material.  By the time I'd gotten through Cat Fancy, Alfie was lying on the floor, his chin on my foot.  By the time I finished Dog Fancy, learning more than I ever wanted to know about everything from Otterhounds to Obesity, Alfie was lying on his side (head still on my foot...of course!)  As the clinic got quieter and quieter, I worked through a nasty assortment of graphic material on heartworms and hookworms.  Bleah!  At long last, our tech returned, and the verdict was...his temp had dropped three degrees!!  Even I was surprised.  They were able to finish his checkup and give him his shots.


Happily, everything else was routine.  The vet praised Alfie's manners, as well as his "beautiful ears, teeth, and coat"  (hooray!)  He was also happy with his weight and fitness.  So, all in all, a good checkup!  

                          Two paws up for a good report card!


It just seemed crazy to me, though, that Alfie could have such a marked physical reaction to his surroundings.  Has anyone else ever had this experience?  I'd be interested in your comments, if so!  I think next year I will try to schedule his appointment first thing in the morning, and see if the clinic is quieter.  I could also try taking him there when he doesn't have a checkup, giving him treats and positive reinforcement, to help desensitize him a bit.  Still, if it's another crazy day like yesterday, he might just have his fears confirmed!


In the meantime, all is back to normal.  Some of you will remember that last year in the spring, I started working with Alfie on trailing/tracking, with the possibility in mind of eventually working with him to find lost pets.  Several things have come up that have made the "lost pet" venture impractical...but, if anything, I've gotten more interested in tracking!  I've been doing some research into local classes that teach "formal," or AKC tracking, and am now exploring that option.  It turns out that, although labradoodles are considered "mixed breed" dogs by the AKC, they can still participate in competitive tracking as part of the Canine Partners program.  I think this would be a great goal for us to work for!  And, Alfie's always game for a new challenge.  Stay tuned!

Expect the Unexpected

I've gotta be prepared for anything these days!

Strange things have been happening to us on our walks lately.  Yesterday I was at Hobby Lobby and as I got my card out to pay I put Alphini into a down/stay and dropped the leash, pretty confident he'd just take a snooze til I was done.  As I waited for my receipt, a lady walked by, distractedly talking on her cell...with a flexilead attached to a little dog who was, shall we say, "flexiwalking" about 6-10 feet from her (yes, inside the store)!!  Alfie saw this too, and was at least as surprised as I was.  He picked up his head, looked at them, then looked at me, with "??" written all over his face!  What a good boy, he never got up or anything despite it all.

Then today, we were off to pick up some items at Target and as we headed toward the counter to pay, 2 kids somewhere in the 5-7 age bracket careened around the corner, racing full tilt toward us.  The little boy wasn't even looking up, but down at a toy in his hands...before I had time to think "where's your mother" we'd collided, while his sister screamed at the sight of Alfie and dashed to the other side!  Now that was a real test, even for a well-trained dog, let me tell you!  But this is where not only training, but also Alfie's good temperament, came to the rescue:  his typical response to the odd, unexpected, or even frightening things that pop up on walks is a great one -- he stands still and just sort of watches, taking it in and I suppose, trying to figure it out!  That's just how he's always been, and I love it.  Pretty soon Mom and Grandma had shown up with effusive apologies...phew! 

After that came an episode I'd rather not go into, but suffice it to say I found it odd to encounter what seemed to be an entire bag of Doritos spilled on the floor of the bathroom stall at the library!  Hmmm...talk about a training challenge...

Then at the store this afternoon I had a rather unusual exchange with my checker, who wondered (in a sincerely concerned voice) why I talked to my daughter as if she were a dog (you know, giving little commands, kissy noises, etc.)...only to find that, really, I was talking to my dog...oh dear!  It's been quite a day. 

The good news is that with all the strangeness going on, Alfie's been a real trooper.  Larry from GDTx came to visit and do a short walk with us and was very pleased with his progress...hooray!

On that note, let's walk into the sunset...

The Strike Is Over

Who knows why Alfie quit "finding" things while on swap...or what, if anything, he was trying to accomplish by it.  I do know that he's clever and not above manipulating circumstances to his advantage, so wonder if that may have played into it somehow.  I'd give a lot to be able to understand what goes on inside that little furry head...

Don't you wish you knew!

...but the main thing is, he's back!!  On our very first post-swap walk together, Alfie was happy to work and we started off with the basics.  Curb work, straight line, sit, down/stay were all great, as was his attention.  If anything, those areas were better than ever.  He seemed more grown-up, less distracted than I remembered from before. 

"Watch me!"

With all that going well, I decided it was time for the big test and asked him to find a trash can.  Immediately his head went up, sniffing and scanning, tail went up wagging, and he trotted off quite eagerly...but my heart sank as he led me PAST not 1, not 2, but 4 trash cans...and finally stopped in the customer service area (which had a seat, trash can, and a counter...all things he used to find...)and just looked at me with a puzzled expression.  Oh dear!  Well, at least he was trying, I told myself (which is apparently more than he did before!)  With trial and error, he finally figured it out.  This procedure replayed three more times as we v-e-r-y slowly found a couple more trash cans and a seat.  Then, all of a sudden, it was as if something clicked.  Alfie's old confidence came back and the rest of the afternoon he found everything on the first try as he'd done before.  

Alfie gets a treat for "finding the girls" (ladies' room).  He's sitting incorrectly - he shouldn't be at right angles with me like this - but I was so happy he found it I sorta forgot about correcting him, oops!

 
Today's walk was similar.  When I asked him to find a trash can he sort of walked up near one but then circled around noncommittally, unsure of himself.  Inside the store I asked for a seat and he led me past several before finally indicating one.  But the rest of the afternoon went almost perfectly.  One time in a shoe store he "found" me a seat stacked high with shoe boxes -- so he technically found the right thing, but I couldn't sit there because I didn't want to sit on top of a customer's shoes!  The command for that situation is "sort it out"-- which basically means, "good job, you did it, but there's a better answer."  He did "sort it out" perfectly, leading me to the very next seat and impressing the shopper whose shoes it was!  Hooray for victories!  He was especially happy to do all the bathroom finds, leading me confidently and quickly to each one.  When he "found the sink" for me, there was a little girl there washing her hands with her mom's help and she said, "Oh look, Mom, that dog knows where the sink is!" Alfie knows when he's doing well and looked up at me all pleased with himself.  Funny boy!

Alfie in a down/stay at the mirrored seat in the shoe store.

Michelle asked me to make a note of all this on his weekly report, as it will be important for his trainer to have on record when he eventually leaves us for advanced work.  We may also try to arrange a couple of short swaps in the interim to see if the "on strike" behavior crops up again and if so, what's at the root of it.  For right now, I'm just happy to see that he's back working happily and doing a great job of it.  One day at a time!

Deer Shouldn't Talk

Last week we visited Cabela's...Alfie's first trip there.

Everything's more fun when Grandpa's here for a visit!

It's a great place for training, with a giant aquarium; taxidermy exhibits; elevators AND stairs for puppies to find and navigate; a cafe; and, usually, crowds of people too. First stop was the walk-thru aquarium...sorry, no good pictures of Alfie to share...but Katharine did almost get eaten by a giant catfish!

Close encounters of the catfish kind.

...Well, maybe not, but the big guy did seem to be following her around! Alf was kinda bored by it all. Next, it was off to Africa.

Um...are we sure it's a good idea to practice down/stay in front of this giant rhino?!

After that, I let Alfie find the elevator. I thought the puppies found elevators by the appearance of the doors...but as Grandpa pointed out, Alfie circled sniffing until he found it. Is there an elevator smell? I don't know. Anyway, he found it and we went up...and meandered around until...



[The video shows Alfie transfixed by an animatronic deer's head that is mounted up high near the ceiling. It's motion activated, so every time we start to move away we set it off again. Alfie's ears are flicking back and forth as he watches the deer's mouth and head move while it talks. He doesn't seem to like it, and yet he doesn't want to leave either!]

I've never seen a dog react to the talking deer quite like Alfie! One puppy I remember just sort of tuned the noise out and didn't look for its source; another one saw the talking head but was more interested in other things. Alfie spotted it immediately and didn't want to let it out of his sight! We stayed there the longest time, and even as we finally walked away he would turn around and peek at it some more over his shoulder. Funny puppy!

If they won't let me "speak," a deer should definitely not be allowed to talk!

Nail-Polish Peril

Sandal weather has definitely arrived!  On Saturday I decided it was time for some pretty toenail polish.  Now, I don't wear polish on my fingers (can't seem to keep my hands still long enough for it to dry)...and on my toes, only in the warmer weather.  So this was the first time I'd gotten the polish out since Alfie joined our family.  I opened the bottle and...GRRR...WOOF!

"Alfie, quiet." 

"Mmmggg."  He knows how to growl with his mouth closed...keeping the letter of the law while still registering his disapproval!  I ignore him and attempt to continue...

"Woo-roo-roo!"  Now he's bouncing around, all sassy.  I have him sit, and then down, while I finish.  Phew!  Okay, so far so good.

Maybe it's just the color he doesn't like...

A few minutes later, it's time for the second coat.  I wait til Alfie's out of the room...laid out in the flying-squirrel position...looks asleep.  Yay!!  I sneak back to my bathroom and ever so quietly unscrew the polish.

"Gruff, WOOF-WOOF-WOOF!"  He's back in the doorway, jumping around and barking red alert.  Nothing wrong with that nose I guess!  I shrug and ignore him...he stalks off looking a bit offended that I didn't take his dire warning seriously.

The good news?  When I did the girls' nails for Easter he totally ignored it.  Well, almost totally...he did leave the room!

I'm telling you, I get no respect around here!

Crazy Pelicans? No Big Deal!

Here's just a little example of what I like about Alfie's personality. We're constantly running into the strange, the odd, or the unexpected and he just seems to take it in his little puppy stride.

[Below: video of Alf & me walking up to this strange little pelican whirlybird stuck in someone's front yard...its body swings around in the breeze on a horizontal axis while its wings whirl on a vertical axis....Alfie walks calmly up toward it to investigate]

I love how he's curious, but not reactive...doesn't try to run away, bark, or attack the admittedly bizarre piece of yard art! I know it's not a really big deal but it's just an example of his whole easy-going outlook on life. Gotta love it!

On a side note, do any of you puppy raisers out there, like me, enjoy the extremely rare moment when you're talking to someone out in public...and they don't bring up the dog? Don't get me wrong, I love to talk to folks about guide dogs, puppies, and all...and I think it's important for us to educate people when possible! But today I happened to be at Whole Foods looking for a certain type of tea, and one of their staff helped me find just the right thing...we chatted about the products, etc...and he never once asked me a doggy question. All of a sudden I realized, Wow, this is so unusual! He assisted me with such calm nonchalance that one might think Alfie was the third or fourth adorable, chocolate-colored labradoodle-guide-dog-in-training to stop by today, and it was really not a big deal. I loved it! But in the checkout line, it was back to the usual ...people pointing and oohing. Sigh! I really don't do this for the attention, but it seems to come with the territory!