Better Living Through Medicine

Lucy and I have had a VERY busy past couple of weeks. I've been working on the ethics proposal for my thesis, while Lucy has been mastering Sit, Down, Stay, Crawl, Leave it, Find Lamby, Watch me, and Come for a cuddle! We've made huge progress, and I think before I can get to all the recent good stuff, I have to take a step back and report on how we got here:

• Time
• Patience
• Exposure
• Practice 
• Love 
• Good treats 
• Prozac... 

Luc and I made several trips to the vet within our first two weeks together. The adoption agency recommended a visit within the first month, but as a ridiculously anxious Dog Mom, I took Lucy for her first visit 2 days after adopting her. To be fair to me/rationalize my anxiety, she still had worms and flea bites and was scratching ALL THE TIME. Her paw was infected and she wouldn't stop chewing it. In fact, she was constantly chewing/aggressively biting her paws and her tail and back. We got meds to fight the foot infection and itching and car sickness and worms, and I thought I'd see them for our next annual checkup. But then the anxiety started...

That was when I started this blog--when Lucy's overwhelming hatred of noises in my apartment left her howling for hours every night. Her panic was contagious, and I didn't know what to do. Short of barricading her in my room while BLASTING nature sounds and classical music and a fan, nothing seemed to keep her calm. So back to the vet we went! Luckily, Elemental Vet Services, where I take her, is UH-MAY-ZING. Lucy and I both absolutely love them. 

Even getting a shot can be fun when you
get special attention!

Lots to explore! 

Our second appointment was half consultation about the actual issues and half mini-therapy session for me. Our awesome vet let me process everything that was happening and express ALL of my concerns. At the end, she looked at Lucy and diagnosed her with a "noise phobia" and "dog OCD." When she recommended a combination of behavior training and medication, I was hesitant. This, too, we processed while Lucy ran around and gave everyone in the room tons of affection.

Waiting for the appointment to start, Luc lays down and
holds my foot 

The vet made a very convincing case: 

1. Lucy was clearly in a LOT of distress. And I would be too, the vet explained, if every evening I KNEW (like Lucy "knows") that people were breaking into my house and threatening me and my owner and my owner wasn't doing anything about it!! Her panic and response was a result of her interpretation of the situation: she was hyper-vigilant and detected threat where there wasn't actually threat. Her anxiety and distress was SO high, that my behavior interventions were ineffective. 
2. There is no evidence that taking dogs taking antidepressants does any physical harm. Living in chronic stress, on the other hand? A LOT of evidence that living in terror is a pretty awful thing for your mental AND physical health. 
3. The longer I let her fear continue, the harder it would be to change/the more negative associations she would have with my apartment. 
4. When I asked about other "natural" treatments, the vet pointed out that just because a treatment is "natural" or "organic" doesn't actually make it safe or mean it's been rigorously tested. 

In the end, Luc and I left with prescriptions for Prozac (intended to help lower anxiety and OCD symptoms, but would take about 2-3 weeks to kick in) and Trazadone (intended to provide anxiety relief in the short term). O M G. 

The impact of the Trazadone was immediate. It definitely made her a little tired at first, but not terribly so (and she quickly adjusted). The vet explained that the meds would probably change her behavior from "THERE IS A SOUND IN THE APARTMENT AND SOMEONE IS COMING TO HURT US!" to "Oh, huh, there's a sound in the apartment" which was the perfect description. 

When I took her to my parents' house for our summer vacation, I discontinued the Trazadone (there were no signs of people attempting to break into our house in the evenings, so Luc was nice and calm), but kept her on the Prozac. Something amazing happened.... she stopped itching and scratching and biting herself all the time. I thought maybe it was an environmental allergen to something in Ohio not in Maryland, but when we returned to Columbus and she remained on her Prozac, the itching stayed away. And so did the anxiety (even without the added Trazadone). 

NOT STAGED. 

In general, Lucy seems INFINITELY happier these days. She is calmer on walks, with other dogs and people, when I leave, and when there are noises. We had a 3 week period where the guys upstairs moved out, so she was SUPER relaxed, but even with new upstairs tenants, she is so much calmer. And I am too! 

Better living through medicine! ;)

Evenings in the living room = no problem anymore!

Enjoying the evening at the park!

Napping with my running shoe ;) 

 

Camp Plaze!

Luc and I made our first Maryland visit shortly after her adoption, so I could attend a wedding. There was no doubt in my mind that I would bring Lucy home with me, but I was anxious about finding someone to watch her for the night I would be with my parents at the wedding on the Eastern Shore. When her Aunt Laura volunteered to host her for the weekend, I was SUPER relieved and grateful, and yet still quite anxious. It was our first period of separation, and I had no idea how Lucy would handle it or, uh, how I would handle it....

Snuggles at my parents' house

Snuggles on the way to Camp Plaze (Laura
and Bob's house)

Happily exploring the AMAZING yard!

And enjoying a good game of fetch 

We instructed Lucy to get out of this plant...

Laura is a MASTER gardener and their yard is gorgeous. We had to keep telling Lucy to come out of various bushes and plants. At some point, Laura gestured to this one particular plant and said, "This is the dog bed plant. Baxter [their dog] and other visiting dogs are allowed to lay in it." As if Lucy perfectly understood what had just been said, she plopped down in the middle of the plant.

"Aunt Laura said I could lay in this bush!"

Any nerves I had about leaving Lucy disappeared when I saw how calm and happy she was with Laura

 But I was THRILLED to receive photo updates throughout the weekend. I definitely was experiencing more separation anxiety than Lucy was!

Apparently Lucy carried around her Lamby (originally given to her by Aunt Laura) and Baxter's bone. 

I should mention poor cousin Baxter, who used to have to put up with visits from my childhood dog, Mickey. Mickey was a difficult house guest for Baxter.... he would take his toys, usurp his bed, and steal LOTS of attention. Now Baxter has to deal with cousin Lucy! But he did so very graciously. 

Lucy was certainly happy to see me when I picked her up on Sunday morning, but had clearly thoroughly enjoyed herself at Camp Plaze. Despite her noise phobia and other anxiety, she really is a very well adjusted dog. Both she and I agree that at the end of the day, nothing matters more than fresh air, good food, and--above all else--people you love and who love you. 

So many snuggles!

Lucy and I recently took a trip back to my parents' house in Maryland--the second one we've made this summer. Luc LOVES these visits home because there are tons of people around for her to snuggle with, chase, and sleep on top of. She really is such a pack animal.

Morning snuggles with Grandma Dina

As the perfect Jewish dog-grandma, Grandma Tru's 
first words were, "She's too skinny! Are you eating enough?"

Meeting Hannah and Sam! I observed that if Hannah and Sam produced a dog child, it would look like Lucy

Distracting Grandpa Richard from his work

Proudly brining Lamby to show grandpa

Whenever someone took a seat, Lucy was there!

Love fest with Julia

She LOVED Bairy's calming presence

Danish Grandpa!!!

Surprise attack as Helle has morning coffee

This recent trip allowed me to easily see so many signs of the progress she/we have made in the last 2.5 months together. We made our first Maryland visit only about 2 weeks after Lucy's adoption, and we were both on edge through much of the trip: I was anxious about Lucy being anxious, and in the end, I was deeply troubled by how much happier she seemed at my parents' house. This time, neither the transition to my parents' place or the transition back to Ohio felt like some dramatic leap. Lucy seemed perfectly happy and relaxed in both places. We're making it work! 

Observing her kingdom

Licking our wounds

Just a quick update to say that Luc and I have spent the last week back at my parents' house in DC. I have lots of pics and updates, but for now, I will share a cute story from several weeks back. 

About three weeks ago, Lucy and I were out for our evening walk, enjoying the relative coolness of Columbus'  late afternoons. As we approached a corner, I heard someone shouting from behind us, "She got away! Watch out!" I turned and there was a black dog bolting across the yard heading right for us. Before I could react, the dog was growling, lunging and seemed to be biting Lucy. I shouted and tried to push it away, but was grossly ineffective. Instinctually, I hurled myself on top of Luc--putting myself between her and the dog. Probably not the smartest move, but it was successful. 

The owner caught up to us and pulled the dog away. "I'm so sorry! Are you alright? Is your dog okay?" Part of me felt like I should have reprimanded him for not controlling his dog, but I sort of just nodded and rushed off with Lucy, eager to get away and assess the damage. Luckily neither of us had been bitten, but my knee was bleeding quite a bit from when I'd thrown myself on the ground. Mostly I was just pissed off that this dog had potentially ruined my progress with getting to Lucy trust other dogs. *grrrrrr*

Back at the house, I sat down on my bed to put a bandaid on my knee. Lucy was eager to help...

Brings new meaning to "licking your wound"

You messed with the wrong girl! 

The next afternoon, Lucy and I were playing Chase-Fetch (aka the most fun game ever) in the apartment. Chase-Fetch works like this: I throw Alli (the stuffed alligator), Geoff (the stuffed giraffe), and Dino from the living room onto my bed and Lucy runs after them, leaps onto the bed, collects the toy, and then runs around the apartment until I catch her. We've played this game probably 100x and neither of us had ever gotten injured. On this particular day, however, Lucy slipped as she attempted a flying leap for the bed and smashed into the wooden frame, flipping onto her back, and landing with a loud thud. She laid there, whimpering and crying as I rushed into the room. When my poor girl attempted to get up, she faltered, then hobbled on three legs to her bed. 

My little diva, moments before she made
a miraculous recovery 

My poor girl. Based on her SUPER fast
 recovery time, I think she was more stunned than hurt.

As I lay next to her, stroking her leg, consoling her, Lucy started to once again clean my knee. The obsessive photographer mom that I am, I documented her adorable-ness on camera....

Lucy looks at her own wound --> Remembers my wound -->Decides to clean my wound while I stroke her leg

It was a small, simple moment that reminded me just how lucky we are to have each other--both totally devoted to protecting and caring for the other. Brings new meaning to reciprocity (though I didn't lick Lucy's wound).

p.s. While I contemplated a trip to the dog ER and researched broken legs, Lucy hopped up, grabbed her toy, and ran into the living room as if to show me that she was still the winner of this round of Chase-Fetch!

"I win!"

Dog School and Luc Leash Walking (Part II)

Lucy enjoys her peanut butter kong during her break

Lucy and I returned to Dog School for the 2nd and 3rd weeks of our Polite Walking course. After our first--somewhat disastrous and extremely stressful class--I made sure to be more prepared: I researched dog car sickness to prevent pre-class vomiting. Having run out of rewards by the end of the first exercise, I brought MANY more treats. Rather than just bringing a stuffed animal, I brought a kong filled with peanut butter to keep Lucy occupied during the "breaks" between exercises. I wore a sweatshirt that had pockets to hold treats for easy dispensing during activities. And I brought everything in one giant bag, so I had my hands free to get Lucy calmly (well, relatively speaking) in the door. 

  The class operated from several basic principles: 

1. Teach Lucy that it's fun to be at my side--that good things happen there (i.e. you get treats). 

2. Teach Lucy that pulling is NOT going to get us to move forward more quickly (or at all). 

3. Teach Lucy that I am more important than any distraction. 

We applied these principles in a few basic exercises, each building off the last. I wasn't supposed to advance to the next exercise if she hadn't successfully completed the last, which meant that Luc and I quickly fell behind. 

The first step was to use "backwards walking" to get Lucy to walk on the leash without pulling. I'd never considered the fact that it's impossible for her to pull if I walk backwards while she walks towards me, but it worked like a charm. Every few steps, I'd reward her with a treat. 

It is worth mentioning that the trainer often reminded us to use really delicious, highly desirable treats  (real chicken, liver bits, etc) early in the training process. She said that although some dog owners worry using really good rewards will make the dog "reward dependent", she suggested the opposite: learning takes place far more easily with stronger rewards, and in turn, it takes less time to get to a point where you need very few (and then no) rewards at all. I took her advice to heart, bringing dog bacon bit treats to our 2nd and 3rd classes. Those were more effective in getting Lucy to focus in the classroom, but still did little to keep her interested when in the real world. 

When we mastered backwards walking, I was supposed to take a few steps backwards and then smoothly turn around, and walk a few steps with Lucy at my side. If she pulled, I smoothly turned around and went back to backwards walking. This did not go so well. My "smooth" transitions were very, very choppy.

Lucy pulls --> I force her to turn around --> We do backwards walking --> Turn around with her at my side

Practice in the yard

We spent the rest of our time introducing more and more "distractions"--unfamiliar objects and sounds--and changing the pace, direction, and pattern of our movement. Lucy really, really liked to be out in front of me, even if she wasn't technically pulling, but we were making progress. By the end of week 2, we could semi-successfully do the exercises during class.

The problem became applying our new knowledge in the real world. As you may recall, Lucy is the sweetest, most loving, people-oriented dog inside, but when I got her outside, it's was if I didn't exist. She became totally 100% absorbed in her environment, so the trainer recommended that we do our practice in smaller, safer, less distracting spaces, eventually working up to a normal walk. We mastered walking on the tennis courts. We mastered walking in the backyard. But for some reason, walking on an actual street just wasn't happening. I was determined and also very frustrated.

The miracle of chicken sausage!

The evening after our last class, I saw one remaining Trader Joe's chicken sausage link in the fridge, and remembered the trainer's parting reminder to us about the importance of using "strong rewards." On a whim, I cut up the sausage and put it in my little treat bag, put Lucy on the leash, and took her out for our evening stroll. Oh my goodness! INSTANT transformation!!!!!

Suddenly my side was the BEST place to be. Suddenly, Lucy couldn't take her eyes off me. We made it around the entire block without her pulling even once! I was ecstatic! A few days later, I ran out of sausage and went back to the bacon bits--transformation reversed. I ran out to the Kroger and replenished my supply before our next walk... and we were back in business!!

As the trainer promised, by the end of the next week I was able to go more and more steps between rewards. I was able to get Lucy's attention to sit at corners. I started to genuinely enjoy our walks! I was so, so proud of both of us!

Sitting at the corner of our busiest street. Total focus. 

Lucy, calmly and happily sitting within
30 seconds of getting off the main road 

I'm still learning what works and picking up on conditions for success. One day last week, we had one of our most frustrating walks since the discovery of chicken sausage. Lucy was pulling non-stop, jumping out at every sound, and I was growing more and more frustrated. I decided to turn off Indianola and onto a smaller street that runs between Summit and Indianola for several blocks. It was like a miracle had taken place! Without cars, bikes, and motor cycles whizzing by, Lucy quickly and easily found my side. Lesson Learned: Rush hour is NOT the best time for our walks. Side-streets are way better than Summit or Indianola (which run north south and are part of major commuting routes). I also gained an appreciation of the fact that we'd been training in THE MOST distraction filled conditions: major road close to campus with dogs, tons of cars, parties, bikes, trash, etc. I was even more proud of the progress we've made.

Took me about 4 weeks to figure out how
to hold the leash, clicker, and treat bag ;) 

We still had (and have) issues... Lucy hates bicyclists, HATES skateboarders, and HATES HATES HATES motorcycles. Given that I live on a very busy street with a 2-way bike lane, this causes all sorts of problems for the start and end of our walks. She is still pretty reactive to dogs across the street (though she seems to do better with dogs she can actually greet), and there are still some days where even the best treats can't hold her attention. But we are striving for progress, not perfection. I walk with my head held high with total confidence that we can do this. I think she is confident, too. 

& In with the new...

Through the ups and downs of the last few weeks, I've had family/friends ask me whether this new life with Lucy is really what I want right now. In my last post, I discussed the challenges of integrating the needs of a highly anxious dog into my existing routines. In full disclosure, I shared that for the first few weeks, a part of me did wonder whether I'd done the right thing. I questioned my ability to figure things out, to handle the changes. I asked one of my friends how long it took her to adjust to having her puppy, and she said "about a month." I can now safely say, Lucy and I experienced a significant shift in our comfort, our ease of being together, at right around the 6 week mark of our new life together.

My last post did include description of some of the many ways that, thanks to Luc, I've already grown and changed: I'm more flexible; I've become okay with disorder; I developed and am sticking to a structure (which has significantly increased my work productivity) during an unstructured summer period; I'm exploring new parts of Columbus. I'm busier, but I like busy. I experience more frustration, but I also experience more love, more joy, and more fun. I laugh more. I play more. I let go of things more easily. I'm never lonely and NEVER bored. I described these things, but want to take a moment to show them to you. Here are the new structures and routines that Luc and I have figured out over the last 6 weeks...

So, Lucy sheds a LOT. She also likes to cuddle and nest. My pillows and sheets were always covered with her hair, so I created a nesting blanket for her. Every morning, when I leave for school, I put out her nesting blanket, so she doesn't shed on my pillows! # win

And yet, I still found myself washing my sheets and linens twice a week.

Linnens in the background 

Introducing, Lucy's Shedding Sheet and Nesting Blanket set! I make my bed every morning, add Lucy's shedding sheet and her nesting blanket. MUCH easier to shake this out and/or wash it. Shed away, Luc! #doublewin

MORNING ROUTINE. Yes, my mornings start earlier and are busier, but they are a hell of a lot more fun. It's WAY easier to get myself out of bed in the morning....

Morning Goose!

Lucy wakes up my Mom during a visit

I then get up and get dressed, while Lucy lounges in bed, often looking at me as if to say, "Do we really need to get up now?" When I go into the kitchen to make coffee and pack my lunch, Luc enjoys her morning look-out time in the backyard.

Proud adult moment: Installing the magnetic door net. Note: the gate didn't close so Lucy is on a tie-line

Proud adult moment 2: I Macgyver-ed the gate so it stays closed. Boom!

A quick game of fetch in an attempt to get her a little tired before we go for our morning walk.

(Exciting updates on Loose Leash Walking and dog school coming soon!)

Back home for her breakfast (and mine). I then begin to pack up for school. 

"Don't even THINK about leaving me."

Despite Lucy's best efforts to look adorable and prevent me from leaving, eventually I have to go. Lucy stays in my bedroom for the day. Here are the things I've figured out: 1. Keep the blinds closed (has almost eliminated her barking). 2. Lucy loves classical music. It drowns out the upstairs noises and helps her relax. I used to use a classical music radio station, but then realized that the station becomes Italian Opera in the early afternoon. I think forcing her to listen to that constitutes abuse, so the obvious solution was to create her own YouTube playlist that I set up on my iPad to play on repeat (duh). If classical music helps brain development, both she and I will be inducted into Mensa in no time. 3. The vet told me to give her a REALLY good treat when I leave, so she associates my departure with something good.

She gets her favorite toy with peanut butter
and delicious treats inside. I used to feel
guilty about the fact that several of the
tastiest-smelling treats are literally IMPOSSIBLE
to get out of this, but, well, it keeps her busy.
#parentingwin 

I created a classical music playlist for Lucy. At least 150 of
the 2,075,691 'views' are Lucy and me

My arrival home at the end of the day is basically a national holiday. I open the door, she begins her full-body wag, gives me a million kisses, and we cuddle on the bed. I ask her about her day, tell her about mine, and THEN she finds her toy and eats the treat.

Lucy refuses to actually eat any treat until I get home. Sigh. 

SO many kisses 

While Lucy enjoys her toy, I do my afternoon hair cleaning. Get ready for this... 

ALL HER HAIR FROM THE FLOOR. 

Wait, maybe you didn't understand how much hair that is because the picture isn't to scale....

In fairness, this photo shows what happened when I was out of town for a weekend
and didn't brush her/clean the floors for 3 days (during peak shedding season). But still. 

My fav birthday present. I swear, she's comfortable. 

Depending on when I get home, I may
do some work before our walk. 

Afternoon walk time!

Monday Miracle: She's actually tired. 

DINNER TIME! I give Luc her dinner and then have mine.

Lucy plays with Dino while I have dinner

Time to settle in to do some work. Lucy has her own project to do....

 She gets 1/4 cup of her food in this bobble thing. The miracles of intellectually stimulating toys!

At some point, both she and I need a break from all our hard work....

Some days we do obstacle courses!

Some days we do training! 

Most days we play tug of war, chase, Where's lamby, and dance around the living room to Justin Timberlake or The Beatles or Taylor Swift. She's very good at entertaining herself, but I don't want to miss out on all the fun!

Once we've gotten our evening jitters out of our systems, Lucy settles down and reminds me that it's time to get back to work....

Lucy checks in with me periodically. 

Lucy nests on my Snuggie, which she has
made her unofficial backup nesting blanket

Invariably, Lucy is ready for bed before I am. "Come on, Sara!"

This is what happens when I lay down and get ready to turn out the light. 

I fall asleep, happily exhausted, with Lucy at my side and a smile on my face. 

It's still a process. We are still making adjustments and changes, learning what works and doesn't. But it doesn't feel like I'm making some huge sacrifice anymore. Not at all. It feels right.