A short while ago I was given the pleasure of meeting a beautiful little dog called Fudge. Now like many animals and humans alike, Fudge had some issues that he was battling with. Issues that were holding him back and making him anxious and afraid. Fudge wasn't overly keen on meeting new people and he didn't get on well with other dogs and of course this presented quite a few problems for the owners and they were clearly concerned for Fudge and his ability to socialise with the world around him.
The owner was quite clear about the issues that Fudge had right from the start, so that gave me a head start because I knew what I was taking on, I knew the challenge that could lay ahead and I also knew that the chance of success could well be equal to the chance of failure and that there was a possibility that I wouldn't be able to successfully work on Fudge's mental state.
I started just be visiting Fudge. I wanted him to become familiar with me and with Juddy. I wanted Fudge to know what we looked like, what we smell like and get a good sense of how we behave. I wanted Fudge to know that there was no pressure on him to go for a walk if he didn't want to. I wanted Fudge to know that we would work with him on his terms and his terms alone.
As you can see from the video below, Fudge was afraid at first and quite rightly so. He'd never seen us before, he wasn't sure what our intentions were and he displayed the classic signs of unease such as retreating to the back of his cage, looking at you only fleetingly, and licking of his lips a lot.
After a few visits and lots of sitting on the floor and talking to Fudge whilst Juddy was close by eventually Fudge decided we might not be so bad after all. He came closer to the edge of his cage at first and the initial signs of fear and mistrust slowly started to erode. I started to see that he did actually want to work on his issues, he didn't want to be afraid any more and importantly he had started to feel that we were not a threat to him.
Then Fudge made a big breakthrough and very tentatively, very slowly came out of his cage for sniff and to see what we were all about. A small sign of the possibility of trust from Fudge had emerged and I was over the moon. We kept on with the really slow pace however because it was really important that we all took baby steps. I didn't want to rush him or his feelings because this would have been a big setback.
Then came the big day. Fudge decided he would accept the offer of a walk with us. Saying he was totally and utterly happy with the prospect would be untrue because issues like the ones Fudge was dealing with don't disappear overnight, but he decided he would accept it tentatively. He was clearly still nervous and the world around him was still a very big and scary one, but he had decided on his terms that we could be trusted.
A few weeks later. This is the new Fudge.
It would be silly to think that the total transformation of fudge has been completed and just as silly to think that the issues have all been dealt with, but you can clearly see that Fudge has made great strides. He gets on so well with his new mate Juddy and they run around and play like they have been mates for years.
Fudge's parents are over the moon with how he has progressed and their life has been made a little easier as a result of the progress he has made and are hopeful that this new found confidence will grow and grow.
As for Juddy, well to say I'm proud of him is a huge understatement. He deals with each and every dog in his own special way. He's caring, understanding, very relaxed about everything and extremely protective of any dog in our care. He really is a special little dog and it goes without saying I love him with all my heart.
The K9 Crew are well established, qualified Dog Walkers in Doncaster. We've got years of experience, and of course we're fully insured. Every dog in our care gets great care and has a great time. We make sure of it. So if you need your dog to have exercise and attention whilst you're not there, please get in touch and we'll do all we can to help.
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