As mentioned in the previous post, Rhiya has now been on her medication, one 40 mg capsule of Fluoxetine per day, for 3 weeks. In this time we have NOT gone on any walks in hopes of reducing her exposure to any triggers, which is supposed to help reduce her Cortisol levels. Cortisol is the hormone caused from excess stress, and in dogs it plays a key factor in stimulating a dogs "fight or flight" response. (CARE for Reactive Dogs website). We have only been out in our own yard for potty breaks and play sessions. I wasn't sure how long our break from walks/triggers would end up being, but in seeing some noticeable changes in her behavior over the last week especially i feel now is a good time to move onto the next step after the "respite" phase. After this period of isolation from exposures that make her react, we must pin point her triggers and ideal locations to start DS/CC training (Desensitization/ Counter Conditioning). Sooooo......
Rhiya's Triggers:
- large dogs
- medium dogs
- small dogs
- basically ANY dogs...
- any other furry moving object
- ... and some people (randomly)
Possible Locations:
- In our car, in the Petco parking lot
- around the outside of the Dog Park
- Stuart Park
- other walking paths/parks on/around the Portneuf Greenway (http://www.seidaho.org/2013brochures/Portneuf%20map%20outside_proof.pdf)
- Portneuf Wellness Complex area.
The key for us will be to determine the point at which Rhiya can visually see any of her triggers... but NOT react.... We might need a few football fields for this. HA! I think we might try the petco parking lot tonight... we'll see. Wish us luck! She's a SMART dog, and she's worth all the effort it takes to help her enjoy life a bit more without being so nervous.
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