Hikuro-93

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“I leave all my stuff to… uhh…” 💣💥

Well, for me it was gradual, and luckily I did it while they were still young (<2 years old), which made it much easier.

It ranged from presenting them certain challenges like, say, having them follow me over a small-but-intimidating hole they couldn’t easily jump over, or were afraid to. I’d first let them clearly communicate what they wanted (to reach me), then trying to encourage them to jump on their own (knowing they wouldn’t, because they were afraid). Then I’d help them once or twice, then back to start. They’d expect me to help them again, but I’d just get closer and encourage them again, providing less and less help until no help was needed. Usually at that part they tended to whine more, but I’d only catch them if I saw they weren’t gonna make. And with each step, with each improvement, make a big deal out of it - a big achievement, because it encourages them to aim higher to hear your praise.

In the case of one of them, which I got when he was a puppy retriever, he couldn’t even return inside the house because of a step by the door, as his tiny legs made it difficult. He whined, and whined, I helped at the beginning, and when I saw he could do it on his own I let him be until he made it on his own. He whined so much, so loud, and 5 minutes later I see him enter the living room all proud, looking for me. So I praised him a lot, then put him outside again to cement it - again, he whined a bit, but this time he made it faster to us. Repeat again, and this time he didn’t even whine, he just did it on his own and never got stuck there again.

Eventually I even got them to trust me to jump into my shoulders from a balcony about 2 meters high, to the point they love it and ask for it - this of course means extra wariness, since if I’m not entirely focused on them, and fail them when they trust me, they lose that trust much faster than they earn it - even if they don’t get hurt. My closest dog now even goes on his own to the rooftop whenever one of his toys ends up there, and retrieves it on his own, and jumps around like it’s not anybody’s business. You don’t need to go that far, but that’s to say the sentiment is what counts.

Basically any exercise where your dog needs you to help her overcome any sort of mental barrier, since even though you trust she can do it, she does not trust herself. And showing her that you trust her, and that she can indeed make it, and that even if she doesn’t you’ll be there for her, which will gradually make her trust you even more.

It’s a tough situation. But in my experience, specially with small dogs who get easily intimidated by this world of giant, often noisy stuff, your best hope is consistency. And that takes time, and a whole lot of patience.

Try to let her know she always has an absolutely safe space in you, and that if she feels uncomfortable she can always seek you no matter the situation. Take time to let her calm down by herself, for her to see there’s nothing wrong and she isn’t in danger.

You can also try some trust exercises, though maybe at a time when she’s more consistently relaxed and trustful. I did that with 3 of my dogs, 1 small and 2 retrievers, and it did wonders in terms of strenghtening mutual trust and knowing in case of an actual emergency they’re less likely to panic and run off aimlessly.

Another thing is anticipating stressful situations, and preventing them as much as possible. For example, say you expect to receive visitors, and children among them. Some children tend to overstep the boundaries of pets, which can lead to the pet’s panic or worse, self-defense. In this example try to pay special attention to the dog and make sure even if she’s a bit nervous about the guests she’s safe with you nearby. Goof around with her for a few seconds, speak in a playful tone to her, so long as you signal that everything’s ok.

So, consistency. It’s hardwork, and it takes a long time, but usually the best bet especially with pets who are sinking more and more into the anxiety hole. Even then it’s not a guarantee, as the main disruptors will still be there pushing the other way, but still better than nothing.

Hope this helped in any way, and that you are able to counter this! Cheers.

Portugal here. Specifically the Azores islands.

We also have that holiday, and it’s tradition for some people to craft dolls to display in front of their houses, often depicting social criticism in a relatively fun way.

Sure didn’t see this one coming, ironically. Before the pope had passed away I commented this on another post.

Bet the poor Pope couldn’t even attend because in addition to his health issues he must have felt the evil pressure oozing from Vance.

Welp, poor Francis. He was a good one, and difficult to replace especially in these uncertain times.

The silver lining is that he really made his last big act in life to admonish Vance, and by extension the Trump admin, about their wrongdoing. He has my gratitude for that.

I get to be the favorite of pretty much all the family pets. Always been.

Some family and friends joke that I probably could go to an African safari and the lions wouldn’t harm me. Not really rushing to find out if it’s true tho.