April 23, 2015

Joey's temperament test

Wow! I am speechless at all of the comments on my last post. I almost always get nervous to press "publish" on my blog posts, but I get a little extra nervous when I write something pretty personal, like yesterday's post about the weight gain. I actually wrote that post kind of hastily, and now I wish I'd put more thought into it! But I am so glad to see that I'm not the only one who has those thoughts about weight gain and seeing the scale inch upward.

I did really well staying on plan yesterday. Going to the meeting made a big difference in my attitude toward counting my points, which made staying on plan a little easier. Today, Jessica asked me if I'd like to get together for coffee or lunch, and I said sure. I really wanted to say lunch, but I figured I'd better be safe and just do coffee (tea for me) and eat lunch at home.

We went to Panera, and I got an Earl Grey tea. We sat and chatted for about an hour and a half, and it was really nice to talk about what's been going on lately. Jessica is maintaining a large weight loss as well, and she's struggling a bit right now, too. I like having someone to talk to who knows the struggles I deal with daily. She has a big sweet tooth just like me ;)

In the afternoon, Joey had an appointment at a doggy daycare for a temperament test. I need to find a place to board him while Jerry and I are in Indy, and I've been waiting a month for him to get this test and (hopefully) be accepted into their care. It was pretty far away (about 40 minutes), and when we got there, Joey was SO excited when saw that there were other dogs there. We had to wait in the car until our appointment time, and he was dying to go play.



First, Joey walked around inside the house while I filled out paperwork. She wanted to make sure that Joey wasn't going to pee in the house or anything (when dogs board there, they don't go in kennels--they stay in the house like a pet). After that, we went outside to a fenced-in area where they would slowly introduce other dogs to watch Joey's behavior.

Let me tell you... today was a HUGE milestone for me. I've been really terrified of dogs for several years now, and that was one of the reasons I wanted to get a dog--to get over that fear. I was inside this fenced in area while the owner kept adding more (large) dogs, until there were about a dozen of them (I lost count). I was a little nervous, but NOTHING like I would have been a few months ago, before we got Joey. So, my fear is subsiding!

Anyway, Joey was doing great. They started with the submissive female dogs, then the more dominant females, and there weren't any problems. When they brought in a dominant male, I thought everything was going okay, until the other dog did something to upset Joey, and Joey bared his teeth in a way that the person who was evaluating him was very concerned about. She said when they show both sides of their teeth like that, it's just one step away from a bite.

She watched the two very closely after that, and it happened again. After that, she called it quits, and Joey had failed. I immediately wanted to cry. I thought that meant he was an aggressive dog, and I was instantly worried about the kids, and my cats, and all that. We went in the house, and she explained to me that Joey was doing awesome until the dominant dog came in the picture; and apparently Joey, himself, is very dominant (I never would have guessed that, based on how he acts with us).

She said she's sure that Joey would probably pass a temperament test somewhere else, but that she is extremely selective about who she allows in her daycare. She told me that I had no reason whatsoever to worry about the cats or the kids, and that he's not an "aggressive dog"; she said I'd just have to be very careful about introducing him to other dominant male dogs.

It never even occurred to me that he might not pass the test! Joey has never shown any signs of aggression to any people, or dogs we've encountered on walks, or to Nathan's dog, Bailey. So the fact that he bared his teeth at this other dog was was really surprising to me. So now I'm back to square one as far as finding a place to board him next week.


This weekend is going to be pretty busy. My sister arrives tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll get together with her. I'm also babysitting my friend's kids tomorrow after school. Saturday, our Glass City Marathon Relay teams are going to the expo in Toledo to pick up our packets. We have three teams of five people each, so it's a big group! We'll check into the hotel, and then go have dinner at an Italian restaurant we've gone to for the past couple of years.

Sunday morning is the race. I need to get working on some signs! I feel totally unprepared going into this race. After the race, we're having a party at my parents' house, just like we did last year. It's going to be tough not to eat and drink all kinds of crap there, but I am going to stick with my plan and count my points!

15 comments:

  1. We found our sitter on dogvacay.com! I'd suggest checking it out, we're very happy with the couple we found!

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  2. Hi Katie! I'm not sure where you took Joey and he didn't pass the test. My friends use this place and love it. I think it's pretty close to your side of town? https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucky-Puppy/152140097581?fref=ts Good luck finding a place to board him. I am very fortunate, I haven't had to board my puppy yet. Our family argues who will care for him when we travel, what a great problem to have--they all want him!

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    1. That's where we went :( She gave me a few suggestions for other places to check out, though, where she thinks Joey will do well.

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  3. Have fun at the race! I'm sure it will be awesome.

    I've had luck with Rover.com, in case you aren't able to find something else, you may like it. It puts you in touch with neighbors who are willing to watch your dog. There are ratings and reviews, it's pretty helpful.

    Good luck at the post-race party! You will be fabulous- you are so determined to stay on track, you definitely will!

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  4. Hi there! What a great blog; thanks for writing it! I've also gone through (multiple) rounds of injury and for me the ONLY way to stay positive is through exercise, not diet. Personally, dieting puts me in a bad mindset, like I'm depriving myself and don't deserve food, which makes me feel even worse, and on and on... Also, I need endorphins, and no diet in the world gives you that! I was laid off from running for about a year, and it was hard to give up my "identity" as a runner at first. But I started spinning and swimming and even did some trail (bike) races ... by the time I returned to running, I had NO weight gain and was able to come back strong (actually stronger in my upper body) and cardiovascularly fit. If I can do it, so can you!

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  5. I am sorry he didn't pass the test but I just want to kiss him all over his face......My dog was similar, perfect with people and LOVED cats (she thought she was one I swear) but hated dogs.

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  6. http://www.campcaninedownriver.com/ We just boarded our dog here a few weeks ago, it was a great experience for everyone!

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    1. That looks fantastic! And it was also suggested by the woman who did Joey's temperament test. I'll give them a call today :)

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  7. Saw this and immediately thought of you: 15 Funny Signs to Keep You Inspired and Laughing at Your Next Race: http://goo.gl/2wvkCY
    Have a great day,
    Julie

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  8. try www.rover.com We are pet sitters on there, but we live in Texas. However, it's a great site to find someone close by!

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  9. I'm sorry Joey didn't pass his temperament test. I had a dog that sounds similar to Joey and I used to be upset that he couldn't just play with any dog until a trainer put it this way. Just like people don't get along with every other person they meet, dogs feel the same way. We mesh with certain people while others make us bristle - and that's how dogs are, too.

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  10. Have you seen this yet? https://cannebodyhearme.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/the-after-myth/ It reminded me of your story! Brought tears to my eyes.

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  11. Have you tried taking Joey to a dog park? We try to do that to socialize our dogs. You see alllll sorts of dog personalities there, and it's good for them to interact with different types.
    Sounds like the woman needs a specific mix of personalities, so it's not that Joey did anything wrong, it just wasn't the right fit into the mix. Good luck, I hope you find a good fit for him!

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  12. Honestly, I wouldn't want to board my dog somewhere where the owner still uses dominance theory. Dominance theory is a pretty antiquated way to look at dog behavior, and has been pretty thoroughly debunked and discredited by some really major dog trainers. Dr. Sophia Yin was probably one of the world's most famous and best dog behaviorists, and this is her page on dominance theory: http://drsophiayin.com/philosophy/dominance

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  13. Oh no! Hope you find somewhere! Good luck with your race, cant wait to hear about it. Thanks to your post I found my favorite "after" picture from when I was at my lowest and active and am going to use that to motivate me to get back there. Sadly when I was at that weight I thought I was still too fat and now I look at it and wish I enjoyed the amazing shape I was in!

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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