Ed sleeping in the early morning in his new spot which he dug out yesterday evening as Niko and I sat in front of the house. He dug, paced, and wandered around checking his other spots for about half an hour before settling in yesterday evening. I was surprised and gratified to see him here this morning because this new spot is directly in front of the house about the same distance away as his old spot diagonally off the west corner. It is also much more exposed and doesn't have a tree, to hide behind like his previous spot. He has another spot which is behind a tree in between those two spots which is also new as of two days ago.

Eddie arrived at the end of January, if memory serves, and has only known his new home with almost complete snow cover. He seems to be happy with the appearance of the ground and spring time, as we all are. He has begun to chase after critters and is bounding around much more. Its almost as if he can see better now, but I suppose it could be his echo location works better with less snow cover. Anyway he seems happier and as not run into anything. I think he is beginning to like it better here and hopefully is becoming more comfortable. I don't blame him since I would have severe difficulty facing winter without the knowledge of coming spring, as nice as wintertime is. We all agree its time for winter to be over.

In favor of the argument that he can see better might be the reasoning which says his poor vision might be a result of stress and has more to do with the visual cortex as apposed to the retina or eyes themselves. Of course a combination is also possible. I'm becoming more enamored of the idea that his visual impairment might be stress or experiential trauma related.

P1010216 treats_3-23-2009

end of week TEN

Yesterday passed the end of week ten, with Eddie still sleeping under his tree, and life has been routine since I have had some work to complete. The other day when Ed had almost finished eating his dinner he accidentally clipped the bowl with a toe nail and let out a yelp as he jumped back. Otherwise he is getting more comfortable eating from the bowl so I have been moving it closer to the house and moving Niko's bowl closer to his so that now they are comfortable eating about six feet apart. Clearly Eddie is becoming more comfortable around Niko and is almost beginning to play with him. Niko Initiates the play by growling and posturing and Eddie sort of responds by backing off and then playfully lunging back at Niko but with his teeth bared. He is clearly conflicted about what is going on, but I consider this to be positive progress. Also since it is almost springtime here and the snow is melting quickly they are beginning to harass some of local ground burrowing critters together: Nothing like a little hunting to bond dogs.

I have had the flu for the past week and have not been walking them as much as normal. But last week as I just beginning to feel bad we had a long walk up to the top of a local hill and Ed really enjoyed himself. It seems the further we get away from know territory and especially the house the more comfortable he is with getting close to me. He seems to be making progress though and is beginning to hang out closer the house during the day as the snow melts and there a more nice spots in the sun to rest on pine needles.

Tonight when I gave him and Niko their bones I left his on the plate. He noticed the plate immediately and saw Niko chewing happily for about 30 seconds and then let out a few barks and paced and check the bowl/bone out from different angles. After a minute of his whining and and sitting and pacing I relented and dumped the bone on the snow beside his plate. He had no problem grabbing it even with the plate almost touching it. When he becomes apprehensive about eating he looks up and around especially at the trees and house as if checking to see if they are going to get him. He seems to convince himself that the trees and hours have not moved and then warily proceeds to eat.

Adoptionn day treat 3-18-2009

P1010187 week eight greeting Nanette

Eddie officially adopted

five inches of snow fell last night in about 26 degree temperature. Eddie stayed in his hole by the tree and has dug most of the wood chips away so he is resting on bare ground. There were some Eddie foot prints on thin dusting of snow covering the deck and the bean bag bed look as if he might have slept there for some time last night. I moved the barbeque from the deck and stacked the firewood in its place so that the deck walk way is now clear. I'm glad the change did not deter him. I would not know if he has been making a practice of sleeping on the deck since he can easily hear my foot steps inside the house and leave before I can open the door to check on his where abouts. He is always in his spot by the tree in the mornings though.

I had a friend visiting for a few days, and Eddie seemed much more comfortable coming near the front of the house to get treats. I'm still encouraged that he is just observing and thinking in his doggy way about the safety of the house. I'm beginning to think that negative stimulus counts for much more than positive stimulus which makes sense from a survival point of view. I'm hoping that the absence of negative events might eventually over time translate to positive. If enough time passes with nothing bad happening to him as a result of the new sounds and changes to the house then perhaps that will count as a positive.

Also this week I officially adopted him from the Humane Society. Nanette was good enough to come out for a visit with the paper work. Eddie was really happy to see her and recognized her right away. She told me that several of the dogs at Gabbs had been infected with the Distemper virus and seemed a bit "looney". According to Nannete it is possible that Eddie had a mild case which might explain some of his behavior and his inability to connect his actions with sounds that he causes. I'm thinking that he is a non-causal dog in his understanding of the world. although one indication that this not true is that he is getting more comfortable eating from his bowl. He seems to be beginning to understand that he is the cause of the noises the bowl makes when it moves. It is clear he is still studying the situation.

Ir is just afternoon and Eddie is up on the road sitting observing as I type this on the deck and Niko hangs out on the bean bag bed. roughly a month ago he would have at least come done and lied down by the gate at the edge of the deck. It is not clear why he has become so much more apprehensive but I think it is safe to say that he is perceiving much differently than me or Niko. I have been making much more noise than when he first arrived. I Think eventually he will adapt and hang out with us again on the deck and in the house. Time will tell.

End of week SEVEN

Eddie is still sleeping in his favorite spot by the base of a tree about thirty feet from the house. The snow is slowly melting away making his wood chip lined hole shallower, and more exposed. Yesterday on our morning walk Eddie his leg lifted really high to pee with Niko sniffing a spot on the ground just below. Niko moved just in time to avoid the stream. This is the first time I have seen Eddie really lift his leg high, and with Niko very close. He is gaining confidence and seems to be relaxing at least when away from the house. When we are near the house he is much more wary of getting close to me, as if he thinks I might try to trap him and force him inside.

This morning before our walk he and I began to play a little bit, with him happily greeting me and tentatively pawing me as I reach out with my hands playfully reaching for his head and neck. I have been gradually touching him more during walks when he is near enough, and am encouraged that he has less tendency to jump back. I think this is another sign that he is beginning to feel safer and more confident in his new situation, as well as his assertiveness about treats. Over the past few days he has begun to nose in close to Niko as if competing for Niko's treat, and occasionally when Niko is slow on the up take I will give Eddie a treat before Niko gets his.
For the past week I have been putting his food on the snow to avoid the stress of eating from bowl. I'm still not sure that this is a good idea because initially he seemed to be more comfortable eating that way but recently has become increasingly wary almost as if eating out his bowl again. I have begun to make various carpentry noises with the table saw and electric sander in the basement of the house. The first time I did this he began hanging out near the snow plow turn around, and his general wariness increased. Last night he and Niko hung outside one of my neighbor's house while I visited inside. He seemed much more comfortable around that house. I'm beginning to think that Eddie is bothered by the noise of water flowing in the near by creek which echoes off the flat side of the house. My neighbor's house is further from the creek so must seem much quieter. Also Eddie seemed more comfortable when the creek was silenced when the snow completely covered the flowing water. It is spring time and the creek is becoming louder by the day as the snow melts and the water flow rate increases.

My overall strategy is still based on the idea that Eddie finds change to be troubling and scary, and since I have no control over changes in the soundscape of the creek, the wind blowing through the trees, and snow-melt water dripping from the roof, the necessity of finishing my house remodel etc, I have been trying to develop in Eddie a sense of trust in Niko and me, that will be sufficient to out weigh all the those changes in the soundscape. Since change is my middle name I hope that this strategy works. I believe that trust takes time, on the other hand I would like to finish my house projects off.

This morning Eddie took two treats but not a third while nearby house. He gladly takes one treat, and then a second, but will not take a third until I throw it to him. this pattern of initially moving toward something and then becoming more apprehensive seems to be a pattern. If he he is really stressed in in general by something like the weather or something out of place or strange he might not take a treat at all. If he is feeling comfortable like this after noon returning form a good ski he will take more treats.

Today I skied downhill with him and Niko for the first time after removing the climbing skins which enabled me to go much faster. Niko always enjoys skiing and Eddie seemed to really enjoy it also and is much easier to ski with than Niko so far since he doesn't try to get in front of me and run me into trees the way Niko does. Eddie really seems to be getting more comfortable and for a while I though he was growing, but I now think he just relaxing and standing up taller instead of being scrunched down in in submission and readiness to jump.

Eddie has not been inside the house for the past week, and has been spending the night in his spot by a tree about 30 feet from the house. I put a six inch layer of wood chips on the bare ground at the bottom of his 18 inch depression in the snow. I'm encouraged that he has chosen a spot close to the house. I also knowthat he occasionally sneaks up onto the deck at night as evidenced by the wood chip trail he leaves behind. He is staying warm and is putting on wieght and seems to be staying warm enough. He seems to be keeping an eye (or ear in his case) on the house. Snow is still melting and dripping and dropping off of the roof and the surrouding trees. I think this is a mater of some concern to him. I think this is one case where seeing might help to understand the strange noises created during the snow melt processes. His animal patience and quiet mind probably helps him making these long term observations. As his mental paradigm I'm hoping that over time it will take him less time to ascertain safety.

On the food front, I have decide to change my appraoch a bit, for two main reasons: Random and constant change to avoid reinforcing negative patterns, and releiving the stress of eating. Over the past few weeks he did not seem to be getting any more comfortable eating from his bowl so I have been setting his bowl out with food in it, and then after he sits down to think I dump the food on the snow. He immediately chows it down without the tension and apprehension of eating off his plate. He ignores the the bowl placed on the ground about two feet away from where the food is dumped. I conclude from this he is afraid of EATING from the plate not afraid of the plate itself. In the past he was wary of just the presence of an empty bowl or plate nearby. This is part of my new strategy to illiminate sources of stress and making him feel more comfortable and safe.

I have come to htink of his mental paradigm as one of fear, and I'm trying to shift that to a more positve hopeful outlook. It seems that he is afraid of change. any change seems to result in a default reaction of fear. I'm trying to reform that to a more optomistic and less fearful outlook by removing sources of stress I have control over. I'm hoping that an inate tendency away from fear will take over and shift his mental framework toward one of safety and away from automatic suspision of change. I have a feeling that the doggy disiplinarians out there are rolling their eyes, we shall see.

As well as hanging out closer to the house he has begun peeing closer to the house and is now adopted a spot near the garge about 150 feet closer to the house than his original spot by the snow plow turn-around. Also he is beginning to hold his tail a bit higher and wagging it on walks more frequently, as well as lifting his leg when peeing on walks. These subtle shifts are encouraging to me as indications that a more positive mental framework is emerging in his mind.

On a more theoretical note if that is possible, I have been intorducing small chages in the daily routine, mostly as result of normal circumstances due to the changing season and my ongoing house remodel. I moved the three plywood sheets from the deck yesterday, and will be interested to see how he reacts if he ever comes back onto the deck. In the coming weeks as I get back to into construction mode with the longer warmer days kicking in, I'm hoping that he will not be terrified by the power saw and other pandemonius construction noises. So my overall strategy is to eliminate all unnecessary stress while introducing new possible sources of stress. Change is going to be rampent around here with the coming of spring and as the house interior morphs, so I'm going to let him define his comfort zone. In other words I'm going to give him some space and time to relax and enjoy, instead of asking him to confront his fears and accomplish what I want. The main reason I feel comfortable in doing this is that I think we both share the same goal, of a more socialized Eddie. I'm shifting my paradigm to noe of change coming from the bottom up instead of from the top down, allowing him set the agenda of his transition.

treats on deck

After a few hours of me working on the computer with Eddie and Niko hanging out, Niko and I are going a bit stir crazy not having had our morning walk. This is the second time Eddie has hung in the house during the day for any period of time. The first time was immediately before his extended forest outing of the past three days. Today answers a few questions I've been working on.

This is also the first day Eddie has had treats offered to him on the deck. He initially turned his nose up at the barbecued buffalo burger which was OK by Niko who gladly munched his. Eddie was preoccupied with checking out the deck and the firewood pile, gate, and plywood leaned up against the wall etc. After refusing it from my hand, I placed some buffalo onto the deck and he nosed it to to say no thanks and proceeded with his more pressing intellectual endeavors regarding the deck, house and windows. He came back passing the treat I had placed and sat on the Bean bag bed beside Niko standing by the bed and facing me. Eddie accepted some buffalo and then some more. Apparently the bed was enough of a positive to make a treat OK. After running out of buffalo I feed some Peanuttier halves and then a bigger biscuit. Eddie took the biscuit and placed it on the ground beside the bed and then got back onto he bed. When no other treats were forth coming he went back and munched on the biscuit as Niko did the same with his. Apparently having to lower his head to eat a treat from the deck is more stressful, perhaps because having ones head lowered is a more vulnerable position with less sensory awareness of the surroundings. I then let Niko out the kitchen and went back on the deck to feed Niko through the gate. I saw some gears turning in Eddie's noggin when Niko came into view. Eddie would not a treat at the gate end of the deck but after I let Niko in and we returned to the front door end of the deck he gladly accepted more treats. I hesitate to let Eddie back out too soon. I want to relax enough to carry away a positive memory of the house. Kind of like making sure to take a antibiotics completely so as not reinforce the negative germs or in this case thoughts. Positive associations might take longer to form, just a meaner more resistant germs take longer to kill. I'm amazed that Niko has not yet been out to pee.

Eddie come in out of the cold

The minimum temperature last night was 20 F. I noticed Eddies paw prints on the powder layer of snow on the deck as I was making the daily fire. He might have smelled the smoke because a few minutes later As I was making coffee I saw Eddie walk purposefully past the kitchen door headed for the deck. I went around and opened the front door and he came right in. I Left Niko and him and peace in the loft as I finished the morning rituals. I pulled out the barbecued ground buffalo I'd saving for this occasion, thinking to improve the positive aspects of the house inners with food association, and went up into the loft to share it. Eddie was shaking and looking around at the skylights and seemed very apprehensive. The wood stove was popping furiously as it was coming up to temperature. He did not want anything to do with treats so after trying for few minutes and feeding Niko some I gave up on the buffalo treats not wanting to cause more stress so I went back down into he kitchen with Niko in tow following the treats. Eddie came down but did not want treats and happened to step on a rubber flip-flop (thongs to some people) which were on the floor. He startled and left a four 18 inch long skid marks of his claws, two from each foot on the concrete floor. One way to trim the tow nails I suppose.

My plan is to ignore him, and let him warm up and then try to get him to take a treat or two perhaps out on the deck. I put on Pandora Internet Radio playing Indigo girls and some music to try and make Eddie relax. I don't want any chance of hearing about Rush Limbaugh the new voice of the republican party on radio. I suppose he is just more evidence that you can put lipstick on a pig and have people embrace the new beauty... as long as those people are republicans.... what else could you conclude from the evidence. Lipstick or not I think he is national embarrassment, and what really blows me away is his prominence in what used to be a respectable political party.

Hooray Hooray... as I was spell checking this Eddie came up from the landing and settle on Niko's bed.... food for a new theory about change being the most scary thing for Eddie. More on the later unless Eddie's patient fans are lucky. The weather this morning was party cloudy with nice sunshine beautifully lighting the new snow. So did he come in toe get out of the cold or because the weather improved his overall disposition making the house less scary or both. Or some thing else? At least he has decided to grace us with presence inside yet again.