First outside DS/CC session!

Well, you can tell Katie is doing much better, since I am writing less.  Somehow, "everything was good today" just gets a bit boring to keep putting down.  :)

But tonight, we actually did our first DS/CC outside on the front stoop.  This is a huge step for Katie, and she is feeling much more comfortable out there, as demonstrated by her absolutely refusing to come in when I thought she had had a good session!  I wound up going as far as the front feet on the walk, but didn't want to push it too far.

And she is learning how to work a new style of Kong.  Generally I give her frozen Kongs, so that she can spend a long time licking them.  I've been giving her single dog treats rattling around loose in them, so that she has to figure out a way to get them out.  It's more difficult, but she is getting the hang of it.

Bright and clever Katie

It's so good to see my "old" Katie coming back!  She's willing to be outside in the yard without me, doing her tricks for dinner, playing with toys, Kongs, me and the cats.  I'm looking forward to seeing how she does on the greyhound walk on Saturday (weather permitting), and have rolled the dice and signed us up for Intro to Agility, that I had to drop when I realized that she couldn't handle it without the drugs.  We will see how this goes!

Oh, and we did some DS/CC OUTSIDE today!  Not too long, because the entire idea is to make it a positive experience, and not by going out the front door, but it's a start.

Week 4

Katie's really making progress!  After my post-Solvang concerns, she has settled back into being more like her old self.  She's walking to the door after meals for potty breaks, back to eating eagerly (and playing with her treat toys, AND even showing some inclination to train... we worked on crossing paws today!)  She's being more social, coming in where I am and doing play bows, keeping me company while I am on the computer or watching tv.  And she is trying to play with the cat.  *sigh*  But she is getting to a point where I can start the DS/CC in earnest again.  Hopefully I will be able to take it outside!

Continued progress

I'm leaning towards what I am seeing in Katie being side-effects of the medicine.  The two most common are lack of appetite and lethargy/depression, and that seems to be exactly what I am seeing.  She perked up a bit at breakfast this morning, pretty much my normal girl.  Of course, I also was feeding her in her safe spot, so that may have contributed to it.  And she seemed pretty happy at dinner time today, which would be after today's dose took effect, so I could be wrong, and this could just be "one of those things".  We'll see what the vet says, just to rule out any physical causes, and discuss possibly tweaking the dosage with the behaviorist if there are no physical causes, and then I may just relax a bit, remind myself that this is a journey, and take it day by day.  Today we even felt like playing some hide and seek in the yard, yesterday we did mad zoomies.  Katie is such a joy to watch when she is playing!

And even more fun:  we played with our favorite treat toy, our new bunny stuffie, and ran zoomies out in the yard.  She is being way more energetic, so I think whatever it was may have resolved.

Notes for vet

Katie is "off" in her eating.  I have video, but wanted to jot this note down for the appointment on Saturday.  Didn't give her the Prozac this morning, and she did seem a bit more interested in the food.  Still stopped eating abruptly, which was followed by 2-3 swallows where she thrust her head out so that the neck was straight, with a bit of toss of the nose upwards, and the adams apple (or dog equivalent of) was very apparent, which was accompanied with a bit of a gulping sound.  After that she ate a few kibbles that she had dropped.

But other than that, she is doing well.  We actually went out in the yard and played chase (I run a few steps, and she goes crazy around the yard).  She is stealing clothes (you'd think that by now I would figure out "keep them out of the dog's reach", but no).  In general, she is seeming much happier.

Week 3, and as expected...

I am seeing Katie's confidence grow by leaps and bounds.  She is going out for potty breaks with less and less fuss.  I still need to walk out there, but I no longer need to leash her, and she is walking to the door on her own.  Saturday night she merrily stalked a possum out in the yard.  Today she is trying to play with the cat, and has voluntarily grabbed her squeaky snake to play with.  She is seeking me out and joining me in other rooms, instead of hanging out in her safe place.  We still have something weird going on with the food, but I am hopeful that that will resolve in the next few days.

Today she was even willing to work at the door on some DS/CC.  So life is looking up!

End of week 2

I am starting to see glimmers of my happy girl again!  It's not huge, but little things like being alert and engaged when I walk into the bed room, instead of just hunkered down on her safe spot.   She's even dashed out the door for a potty break once, which she hadn't done in ages.  The bad side is that the weather is getting nice, which means that the kids are starting to be out playing, and that is causing her some stress.  But still, it's nice to see the old Katie peeking through.

More of the same

She's slowly coming around, I think.  It's a bit of a guessing game on the amount of Xanax to give her.  I dropped the dose down today, and she was less willing to work for kibble, but still willing to work for cheese.  It is only week two of the new drug, so it's still early to see much change.  But she is getting more comfortable going outside.  Less hesitation in the door, doesn't need to be coaxed out of the bedroom, etc.  Morning is still a bit tricky, but I think that may be because she wants to sleep in!