Royal K9 Korner Welcomes Miss Celine

3 yr old Celine - currently non social

3 year old mixed breed Celine came for her meet and greet on June 19th. She comes to us with an unpleasant history with other dogs. Celine was adopted from a litter of pups who were born in the woods. Her breed is unknown and we suspect she could be of quite a mixture. Possibly shepherd,  maybe coyote and whippet or greyhound. Who really knows. She has a wonderful loving family who started off her training perfectly. She has a solid knowledge of the basic skills and is happy to please. Her family is more than willing to help her overcome her adversity.

Over her few years, and during some of her walks, Celine was confronted aggressively by unleashed and 'less than friendly' dogs.  She has now built up defensive behaviours when she sees any dogs. She goes into "Get them before they get me" mode.
Celine is sweet and cuddly with people and proved that on our first meeting. Fortunately Lady May is very laid back with new dogs. Due to her disability she greets them all in a laying down position. 

I always introduce new dogs behind a gate and have a safely lead on.  When Celine first saw Lady May, she went into the expected defence mode and reacted negatively. Fortunately, Lady May has seen this before. She did not respond and looked away.  Good girl Lady May! By the end of the M&G Celine was able to allow me to lead her past Lady May and even shared space with her outdoors.

Celine came back for a 3 hour "test visit" yesterday. She came through the gate full of happiness and was eager to say hello to me. Lady May laid quietly behind the gate when Celine approached. Although Celine was obviously on guard, she approached with out any negative reaction. Good girl Celine. Well done Lady May.

I kept various gates between the two for the beginning of the visit and slowly moved towards removal as the visit progressed. 

Celine - "Oh, hi, I know you"

Outdoors time was very limited due to our heatwave. We made the most of the few minutes we spent each time and practised going in and out. Of course Celine was eager to head out and tried to head towards the gate for home. She was reluctant at first but did comply and did a thorough check around the yard. Lady May laid a few feet away until she felt safe enough to come closer.

Lady May keeps a safe distance away. She keeps her back to Celine.
Is she showing Celine she trusts her?

I have agreed to allow Celine to visit when there are no others on site. We believe it's very important for Celine to learn that she is safe here. My hope is for her to build on that with Lady May before we begin to slowly and safely introduce her to others. I like to believe Celine will eventually be happy when she has other dog friends. That may not happen. We know other dogs who remain people friendly only.

Celine still wearing a safety harness for protection.

Just so cute! Celine rests her chin on the bench. She can clearly see the entrance gate.
Is she watching for her daddy?

Celine investigated the entire yard. There are so many scents here.
It was too hot to complete the full yard in one time.

Safety halter is removed and Celine was free to investigate with just a long lead.

Lady May is laying on the sidelines and Celine showed no reaction at all.

While we were indoors we used some time to practise her basic skills. Celine was very compliant and showed me how clever she is. She has a solid foundation for various commands.  She was 5 for 5 on Sit from stand, Sit from down, Down from sit, Down from stand and Stand from down.
Her 'stay', was also very evident when I asked her to stay in place while I puttered in the kitchen. I removed the gate and she still stayed put! Well done Celine! Well done mommy!!

Celine- "Maybe it's close to food time?"

By the time home time rolled around, it was obvious Miss Celine had her fill and was most definitely ready for nap time.

This dog sitting place is sure tiring!

I will be looking for a few days in the next while when Celine can visit and continue to build on her feelings of safety with Lady May. At the moment my calendar is very full with few open days. I'm hopeful we can one day introduce Miss Celine to a few of our other calm, well-mannered Royal K9 extended pack members.
We welcome Miss Celine!