Well done Beat!

This picture may not look that special to you, but it is!

Beat is a very worried little dog and even though my other boys are friendly and always trying to avoid confrontations, he still feels pressured whenever he is close to them. Not when they are outdoors with lots of space around them, but it has been difficult for him to be in the house with them. It takes so little for him to feel cornered.

Sometimes it has ended in Beat attacking - just because he didn't know what else to do, but most of the time Beat has just tried to stay away from them. Unfortunately that also means staying away from me as the other boys usually are close to me.

So about a year ago, when I realized that it was a serious problem, I started working on it. Beat was castrated and I started teaching him a different way of handing difficult situations. I have been very aware of the dogs' signals and stopped their interaction before it got too much for Beat to cope with, so that I could help him out of the situation without attacking. No screaming or being cross - there is no point in being cross with a dog that is already afraid. I have just gently showed him how to get away from the other dogs, so he did not have to attack.

By now he has learned to walk away rather than attacking, when it's all too much for him and because there are less 'intense' situations, he is feeling a lot safer around the other 3 dogs. It is not a perfect relationship, but most of the time they trust each other and me enough to live together in peace.

I got a lump in the throat today when I saw Beat sleeping peacefully under the table very close to Whisper. Not long ago 'under the table' would have been enough for Beat to feel cornered and attack. Seeing him feel safe enough to sleep is... well fantastic!

Recently I've also seen Beat sleep next to Biscuit on the sofa - I blipped that yesterday and the day before.

It really is amazing - a year ago I would not have thought this would be possible. I am so proud of you little Beat :-)

See you tomorrow!
Emmy and the Hazyland boys

Woooohooooo I've been to work today and felt ok! Tired after a week in bed, but otherwise fine! Yipeeeee!