Most of the snow is gone and what remains is icy granular, sandlike snow. The mud is showing and the dogs can’t use the yard very well to play without sliding all over, tearing up the grass- which Jeff hates. Reilly tore off parts of two back claws yesterday somehow running out back I don’t know if she slipped on the deck or on a slate, but two back inside nails were torn, one bleeding, when she came back inside.
Yard conditions really limit what I can do with Sage, since just walking him on leash requires constant training as we go and even so he is so anxious he pants and foams just being in the neighborhood, even before we encounter any scaries. I wish I had an indoor ring I could play with him in on days like these (as well as other days.) Maybe I could put a rubber floor on the basement- that’s not a clear place to play either. Being a reactive dog is very tough on everyone- him, me, my family.
Tomorrow we are visiting the Veterinary behaviorists at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. It is the last avenue I have available to heal him- I hate the idea of dogs on drugs, but I think he is an exceptional dog and that my counter-conditioning (while not as good as a real trainer) has improved a lot but is not over powering his fears. You can offer me the best chocolate ice cream at the perfect temperature, but if I am walking on the train trestle bridge and it’s coming I am not really going to be convinced that the ice cream will make it okay.
