Eddie on his 6th day

The little guy is a really tough neogiator and I fear that an unbiased observer might conclude that he has me completely out flanked out patienced and is pretty much winning on most fronts. He still will not come into the house but last night did peer in the open front door from the deck three times around 11 pm. I'm glad the wood stove cranks, but feel bad about the extra carbon going into the atmosphere. At least I don't have to drive in to see him at the pound every day. I got to sleep at 2am and planned to wake shortly thereafter to trap him on the deck and then get him inside, but I did not wake until 5 am. I closed the gate and Edie came inside but he was shaking from perhaps both cold but mostly fear (22 degrees F). Fear becaus the water purifier back flushed at 3 am which makes a horendous water flowing sound for about 1/2 an hour. I think it must have terrified him. He settled uneasily into his crate after making his usual rounds carefully checking the sliding glass door and skylights in the loft several times. Poor guy.
here are some videos of the morning and day after:






Well Well Well..... HOORAY HOORAY HOORAY.... Eddie came inside and it is only 6:30pm. I heard him out on the deck and waited a few minutes before going out the garage door and up onto the deck closing the gate behind me. Eddie calmly lifted his up from where he had settled on Niko's deck bed. I walked past him opened the front door and the brave little guy came right inside. Niko and I hung out by the fire as he paced and checked out the general situation with the windows and the fornt door doubling checking everything. I let him in and out several times to communicate to him that he could stay out on the deck if he wanted and that he was not trapped. He is now settled peacefully in his kennel in the loft listening to me type. He is a heart warming little fellow and I am beginning to glimpse my life returning to normal. Thanks ED!




One of the questions I have been wrestling with all day is whether letting Eddie roam freely is the best way for him to learn. The alternative of keeping on a lease or confined. I really didn't have much choice in eth matter anyway because his collar slipped over his head on third day he was here. In some sense alowing him great freedom may also have freed his mind to reform his neural pathways with out the constriction of being trapped. Trapped in the sense that his mind would be focused on the other side of fence, or how to get out, or just trapped depression. I've throwing alot of ghanges at Eddie bring in at least one new thing each day and changing up the routine, the lighting, the food, my habits that his mind must be in information turmoil. His freedom may allow teh sorting of that information into more peaceful and open constructs.

I think his mental process might be going something like this. He has a list whether concious or subconcious or both that categorizes sensory phenomina in terms of danger. What I am trying to do I think is reclasify the items on that list that have to do with teh house as not dangerous. He already recognizes I think that inside is warm is good. inside is where his pack is. He had teh desire to come inside but there are things like windows, computer fans, fire, etc. He is motivated to reclassify these items because he and I are buddies and knows that I want him inside. The most important thing he has to go is trust of me and Niko in reforming his judgements about things. That is trying to hold his colar on the hillside was so bad. I have to trust him more and then he will trust me more and a positive cycle is established which feeds on itself.

Any way BS aside Eddie just a moment ago indicated to me as I was typing that he wanted to go outside. He wnet onto the dekc and immediately settled onto Niko's bed, where upon Niko came out the door and rousting him before he could ly down. I took the bed taht was using by the fire and put it outside beside other bed. Niko chose that one and Eddy kind went in and out a few times gingerly stepping on the cornre furthes from Niko who was lying with his nose very close and a bit above the other bed. I moved the other bed a few feet away but with a better view of the scary door.
Just got back from checking: no on the bed. Eddie is hanging out half way to the gate sitting. Thinking about what I had just written about trust I figured I'd let him out if he wanted to go. He did not and instead came inside and half way up the stairs to the loft and then back outside. I think he is worried about taking Nikos bed. Niko can be a grouch at times. Anyway I moved the bean bag bed back to where it had been adjacent to Niko on what I thought should have been Eddies bed. Eddie is really great progress!!!