S3 EP06: My Experience with Emotional Learning

Calling all puggies and hoomans to the 2024 Melbourne Pugoween Pug Rescue Monster Ball to be held at Bark Park, Australia's only indoor leash free dog park. Dress in your spookiest and funniest costumes and enjoy a night of fun for all whilst raising money to help rehabilitate pug rescue and adoption. Victoria Squishies tickets are selling now and you can find the link in the show notes. Spooky lighting and your favourite pugaween toons will be provided by DJ a slash.

Yummy food will be provided by Holy Cannoli and we're giving away show bags with every human ticket sign. Plus you'll be able to play with your friends, participate in some games, dance with your humans, and of course there will be a best dress pug and best dress porrint competition. Pug Rescue celebrities Momo, Biggie Smalls, Prue and Matilda will be joining us along with some other pug rescue mates who are available as blind dates for the night for the Hoomans who don't

have a puggy of their own. So grab a ticket for yourself, for your friends and your hoomans, get your costume sorted and start practicing your dance steps because we're planning on having a lot of fun. So pop into the show notes now and get your tickets while you're listening to this week's episode of the Puglife show.

Hello Hoomans and Puggies, welcome to the Puglife show, brought to you by pug parties because your pug deserves to be the best dressed at the porty and you can check out their outfits@pugparties.com. i'm your host, Donna and with me are my Puggy co hosts, Rosie and Kenji, along with our new rescue foster Buster. Our last episode was an episode with Doctor Dennis Warwald, who wrote a book called a dedication to difficult Dogs, a heartwarming tale shedding light on

canine mental health. And if you haven't listened to it yet, I highly recommend you do before listening to this episode. Why, you might ask? Well, in this episode I'm going to share with you how I have fared so far using the knowledge I have gained from reading the book and talking to Doctor Dennis

on the podcast. So you get a firsthand account of putting some of the lessons into practice and seeing hearing my results so far so you can judge for yourself if you'd like to purchase the book and put it in to practise yourself. But before we zoom in, I want to remind you to subscribe to our newsletter in the show notes so you get advance notice of our next episode and much, much more. If you're not already aware, I got a lot from Doctor Dennis book,

so much so that I read it twice and I underlined things that I found especially interesting. Now I'm not telling you to go to that same level of review, it's just that I have a vested interest in the book. Kenji is on flocks attained for anxiety and for those that don't know what that is, it's also colloquially referred to as puppy Prozac. And whenever one of our rescues, Roxy, was living with us we went through the assessment process that eventually had her start using

it as well. But for good reason. Not to mention the countless rescues I've come into contact with through fostering and fundraising for pug rescue. So reading the book for me was part intelligence gathering, part wanting to be a better pug mum. I want to qualify up front. Not all dogs or rescues suffer from long term anxiety nor

need to go on to medication to help. We try a lot of different things before going down the medication path to make sure that we're doing the right thing to give pug their best life. However, sometimes like humans, medication helps them live their best life and that is the most important thing when making a decision about what is best for your puggy.

Now what I loved about Doctor Denison's doctor Dennis's book was the research backed insights into how Kenji or any other dog might be feeling in circumstances that may or may not be viewed by pawns as anxiety inducing.

Like going for a walk around the block. We understand that another dog on the footpath ahead might trigger a response, but an overly aggressive response in our opinion to a dog of the same size might seem odd until you consider that your pug might have had an unpleasant interaction with a similar dog in the past that you're not aware of because it's happened before your time or with someone else, but it still had an impact.

Now that I've read Doctor Dennis's book I know that the pug is telling me that they're not comfortable with the situation and if I as their parent don't do something to make them feel safe they will do it themselves by telling that approaching dog to keep away. That is growl or bark or lunge. So and it's quite interesting case in point and this incident happened after I'd

read the book to be transparent. I was walking Rosie and Kenji with our then foster rescue pugs Roxy and Wally. Unbelievably they walked together quite well, so it wasn't a complete disaster for me trying to sort out four leads all at once. On this occasion, we were walking down the main road footpath past an easement not far from home, when my neighbour called out to me to say hello. He was with his staffie, walking through the easement as a shortcut from our street to the main road footpath.

And we're at that point in time a good five metres apart. In these sorts of situations, I'm overly cautious. A bigger dog coming into contact with a pack of four dogs, even if they're smaller, is still an uneven playing field. And past experience has taught me that neither the bigger dog or the grumble of pugs like to interact. So I was holding off all four pugs and trying to keep them in motion. A blitz slowly, so that our paths didn't cross unnecessarily.

And should something happen, I had a clear escape path. If things got messy, I'm sure that you'd do the same thing with your pug or pugs. Interestingly, Rosie, Kenji and Roxy were all standing off where it was Wally was pulling on his lead, sniffing in the direction of the staffy. Now, I will pause here and say that Wally was the newest addition to the grumble and

he didn't really fear anything. So it didn't surprise me that he was trying to get closer to the staffie, even though I was not particularly keen to give him that much lead. Now, my neighbour assured me that his staffie had received copious amounts of obedience training, and that if Wally would like to say hello, then he was okay with his staffie saying hello as well.

At the mention of obedience training, I did think back to the book where Doctor Dennis said that no amount of obedience training will stop a dog from having an emotional response. So I did think to myself that I was going to be extra alert for any change of behaviour by the staffy. And to be honest, I'm so glad that I did. Now, Wally and the staffy got to within less than half a meter of each other, both on firm leads. And then the staffy turned. He snarled and he barked and

he tried to lunge at Wally. Unfortunately for Wally, I yanked on his lead so hard he flew back, because I was just so worried what might happen. But as doctor Dennis said, sometimes you have to do something that your pug may not like for their own safety. Now, my neighbour thankfully had a strong hold on the staffy and pulled him back to get his attention away from Wally and back under control, which was difficult, but I now know that it's because the staffie was having an emotional

response to Wally. No amount of obedience training is going to stop the staffie from behaving that way when it's an emotional response. All of this understanding is because of Doctor Dennis's book. Now, what shocked me in this situation was that after all this had happened and I was trying to get away whilst also checking on Wally, was that my neighbour then told me that his staffie had had an altercation with a pug a

few weeks previous and had forgotten to mention it. Needless to say, I walked off immediately, not willing to put myself or the pugs in any more danger. And then I had to have a work with my neighbour a couple of days later about not mentioning the pug altercation prior to the interaction with Wally. It's kind of. I would have thought that would

have been something that you would have said upfront. But anyway, thankfully Wally was unharmed by the entire experience and to make sure that there was no lasting impact to him, Rosie, Kenji or Roxley, we went for a walk along the same footpath the next day. When we got to the spot where it all happened, I got them all to sit and then I showered them with cuddles and treaties. And thankfully

that seems to have done the trick. They walk past that spot every other day and I don't see any indication of their reacting to it. So it looks like I've managed to cut off any lasting impact at the pass before it become ingrained. Now, what would I have done

differently if I hadn't read the book first? I don't think I would have understood the reaction by the staffy as well as I did. I may have said something different to my neighbour about keeping his dog under control, which is kind of what you would normally do.

And although we did talk about the fact that he hadn't mentioned the prior pug incident after the fact, it was irresponsible and it's something that possibly I could have said at the time, but at that specific point I was more concerned about all four pugs than correcting my neighbours lack of foresight. I also don't think that I would have done as much with the puggies the next day to make sure that they didn't have a lasting memory of the incident at

that point of the footpath. It's the great thing about the book that it basically helped me build on previous knowledge. So I would have walked down that footpath again, like the old adage of get back on the horse with the puggies to make sure that they sort of. They walk it every other day. So it was really important to me that they didn't. That they went back the next day and then didn't obviously encounter that staffie. So they knew that it was a one off.

But I wouldn't have thought to do the treaties and the cuddles to help them feel safe with me again. Like Doctor Dennis talked about in his book. Now, incredibly, like, after having read the book and after having experienced this situation, it really made me think about how the

pugs would have felt. Now, the thought that my pugs might not feel safe with me or trust me to protect them when they need me to, especially after an incident like what happened with the staffies was, had then become to the forefront of my mind. Because then I think to myself, how many other times have they been in a similar situation or an event has occurred where I may not have reacted in a way that

made them feel safe? And so now I think about how and when I can do things to make sure that they do feel safe and that they do feel like I am there to protect them, which is something very different to what it was like before I read the book. And so,

interestingly, with that thought and that newfound knowledge about making sure that we make our puggies feel safe and feel protected with their human, it actually also made me think about what I do when I introduce a new rescue into the house. Especially when you consider that a pug that is now in foster care may have had at least two moves in as many months prior to coming to my home.

Did you think about it? It's once from their old home where they may have been neglected or abused, and they come into pug rescue care. Then they would have had surgery of some for, and then they may have had to have gone into rehab, depending on the type of surgery that they've needed, and then they would have gone from rehab to my home. So some can experience multiple moves in as many months and they need

a lot of specialist care. And so that can actually be quite confronting and quite scary for them. It's a lot of disruption in a short period of time, and it's not surprising that some puggies find it harder to adapt than others, especially the ones who've been horribly treated by their original owners. You can understand why they may not trust the new foster family initially. So, interestingly, the next time we had a new rescue come to stay with us after I had read the book, it was

actually more like six rescues to stay for a day. That's right, I had four of my own at the time. I had Rosie, Kenji, Roxy and Wallye, and then I was adding another six to the grumble for the day. Like it was definitely a puggy porty. Luckily it was only for a day, for a day stay. So I noticed immediately when I went to pick up all of our new friends that some of the rescues were either really excited, they were in their crates, they're really excited

because I could tell there was a new adventure. Some were not so sure. And then I had one in particular who was shaking and it was obviously fear. It wasn't cold, it was fear. I gave everyone a couple of treaties when they were safely stowed in the car before leaving, everyone took the treats except for the one that was shaking and his name was Kevin. So Kevin was

showing clear signs of anxiety. And having read about this in Doctor Dennis's book, I knew that no treat eating meant he was so anxious that his appetite was being smothered by the anxiety and that we needed to take things slowly so that I could earn his trust. So when we got home, I unloaded all of the crates into the garage, first from the car, then I opened the back door to the back garden and then I opened the crate doors so each of the puggies could come out in their own time.

I then sat in the middle of the garage floor and gave everyone a couple more treaties and then watched them quickly sniff the garage before bolting out the back door to the grass and new smells, not to mention the waiting. Rosy, Kenji, Roxy and Wally. That is all but one little Kevin who watched his sister run out of their crate and into the backyard, but couldn't bring himself to trust this new

world just yet. So I sat outside of the crate door, just off to the side, and I talked to him quietly for a little while and I let him sniff my hand, but ultimately he had the say. I tried to give him another treaty but he still wasn't interested. So that was when I decided to leave him for a little while to see what he would do. He was safe in his crate and in the garage. The back door to the grass was open, ready for him when he was

ready and he knew he could come out when he wanted to. So I left him there for about 30 minutes whilst I was outside with the others checking through the door every now and again to make sure it was okay. And I actually watched his sister come in and out to check on him. I think in the hope to see if he was going to follow her, because they're very tight knit, so I think she thought she could get him to come out. But anyway, after a while, I decided the garage just might be too much

for him. The smells, the equipment on the walls. It was dark compared to the outside. All of those things. So I walked in, had a quick talk with him, told him that I was going to move his crate to the backyard so he could see what everybody else was up to, even if he decided to stay in the crate. So I locked the crate door, picked it up, I walked it out to the grass area, and it opened up the door again. So he was all good to go. I then left him to his own devices for a couple of hours again,

because he was safe in the backyard. There was no need for him to rush. It was all at his own time. He did eventually come out of the crate, I think at the behest of his sister, and on seeing that everybody else was zooming around the backyard and chasing each other and having loads of fun. But he still didn't trust me enough to take a treaty off me when everybody was outside and I was giving everybody else treats. And that was okay.

Let's face it, he'd had breakfast, so it's not like he was going to starve or anything. So at this point in time, it was about 4 hours into the visit, and everyone had started to sort of come into the house and settle in for a snooze once they'd sort of given the lounge and dining area a once over, of course. Interestingly, Kevin stayed outside with his sister, so he's out of the crate playing with his sister. But he still wasn't up for coming into the house. And I could see that his sister

wanted to come inside and bed down for a little while. I mean, let's face it, I've been going flat knacker for about 4 hours. So I thought, okay, how can I. How can I help Kevin out and his sister out? So I grabbed their crate from outside, and I brought it right inside, right next to the open back door so that. That way Kevin could come in and hide in the crate if he needed to, and his sister could come in without needing to worry about him being outside by himself.

Interestingly, it took another 2 hours before Kevin would actually cross the threshold and come inside properly. And it was so interesting to watch because he would come to the door, have a look and a sniff, and then he'd back off. It was a lot like dipping your toe in the water to see if it's okay to jump in. But when he finally decided to come inside fully, that was also at the point when he accepted

his first treat from me. So it took 6 hours and a lot of calm, gentle approaches for me to earn a small amount of his trust. But I got there eventually and because of that he spent the last few hours of their visit enjoying playing with everybody inside and outside. To be honest, I don't think Kevin and his sister actually took a nap the entire day. There was just. There was too much going on.

The upside to this was that thankfully the next time Kevin came to visit, we repeated the same process and it only took 4 hours for Kevin to venture inside and to accept a treat from me. So in my mind, fabulous progress if you ask me, and was a good proving ground for my next rescue foster. And now I'm actually turning the skills that I've learnt with Kevin and that I've practised

with Roxy and Wally and Kenji and Rosie to my latest challenge in our latest rescue foster pug Buster. So Buster is blind and hard of hearing. How do you get a pug who has been neglected for years by his previous owner to understand the house rules like no piddling inside and obedience training like stopping when we get to a road crossing when he can't see or hear much? Well, I can tell you it takes a lot of practice,

understanding and patience. Now, at the time of recording this podcast, Buster has been living with us for three weeks and we've been very much learning on the job. He's been learning his new surrounds and I've been learning to not move furniture or forget that he can't see me, change direction and therefore doesn't know to get out of my way when my hands are full of laundry and I can't see my feet.

I've never cared for a blind pug before. I have had pugs that go deaf with old age, but they already know the house rules and understand basic obedience when on walks. So this has been a new experience for me, let alone poor old Buster. I've had to adapt my approach a little to accommodate his lack of sight, almost lack of hearing and incredible sense of smell. If anything, the use of treats and pats to reward like Doctor Dennis says, has actually been a

lot better than I expected. So we use the treats and the pats to reward behaviour we want to encourage. And it's more important than ever for Buster since he can't see my facial expressions or hear my praise. Luckily for me, Buster loves a cuddle and a pat as much as he loves a treat so rewarding him for behavior we want to encourage has been a little bit easier on the run. Let's face it I don't always have treats on me when he does something that we want to encourage. So you've got to rely

on what you've got there. And then however the other side of the coin has been Rosie and Kenji. Rosie is so accepting of any rescue if Foster that it is rare for her to be bothered by a new pug. And overall she's been great with Buster. Kenji needs a little more time adjusting to a new household member and I think Buster has been a little challenging for him because Buster gets in a word into his personal space which Kenji doesn't always like.

Buster comes up close to sniff everything so including Kenji so that he can determine who he's, he's up against and next to and all those sort of things. And sometimes it's a little too close for comfort for Kenji and he snaps at Buster to move off which is obviously quite tough for Buster because he's just doing his thing to figure out what or

who is around him. And he's not intentionally invading Kenji's personal space as a way of trying to dominate him which is what I think Kenji thinks when Buster is coming up close to him and sniffing. So at the moment based on sort of the things that Doctor Dennis has talked about in the book, we're trying to manage the incidents as they arise. Since I can't always see what's happening until

it's too late. And it's not behavior that we want to encourage, we want to encourage and remove the sense of fear by using things like treats and pats and praise to make both of them feel safe. So what I'm doing is giving both Kenji and Buster good long pats and cuddles together so that Kenji can see that Buster is okay to be around and he doesn't need to be afraid of him or concerned that he's trying

to get up in his face. And that Buster doesn't develop a fear of being around Kenji either because obviously he's doing his thing, Kenji's reacting to it

by having a snap at him or a growl. And so sort of what we don't want is Buster to then lose his sense of fearlessness in the house because he's so fearless when he's exploring and we want him to retain that so that when he goes to his forever family they get to see him at his best and he's not afraid to approach other pugs, whether they're in the house or out and about a playgroup or anything else like that. So look, it's a work in progress.

Busta's only been with us for three weeks, and I'll keep you up to date in our Facebook group on how everyone is going with adapting to this new life, so to speak, myself, Busta, Rosie and Kenji included.

But what I'd really love to know is how you if you brought the book, and if you've tried some of the lessons from our episode with Doctor Dennis already, or from the book, I'd love to hear what you thought of it, how you went trying some of the emotional training techniques yourself, and please share them over in our Facebook group.

Living the pug life I'm sure you're having as much fun as I am learning new ways to connect with your pug, as well as learning how to understand their actions and behaviours better, regardless of whether they have anxiety or nothing. And if you liked the episode or think someone else might enjoy it, please share it and leave a review with your favourite podcast host such as Apple Podcast, so more pugporants can find us and join in with the fun.

It only takes a couple of seconds to give us a five star review, and it goes a long way to helping other pugpies. So until next time, thank you for joining us. Have a Pawson Week and hoomans, be generous with the snackies.