confidence building

5 Comments August 20, 2013 peacelovefoster

Few things in this world touch my heart the way Otie does. I’m not sure what it is about him, but his big head and his worried expression have nestled themselves so far into the depths of my soft spots that I think I would do just about anything for him. He is such an anxious and worried dog, and it really breaks my heart to watch him worry about things many other dogs don’t blink an eye at. So when he is with me, I feel like it is my mission to make him comfortable. It is my job to find things that make him happy and let him do them as much as his little heart desires. Or else he makes sad faces like this:

You might remember the photos from when I borrowed Otis from his dad over Memorial Day Weekend. We went on a grand adventure with our friends Kimmie and Nicky to the Billy Goat Trail along the Potomac River. We had so much fun! It was such a care free day out, and I knew one of those hikes was exactly what Otis needed while he spent the weekend with my parents.

I dropped him off with my parents Thursday evening, so he was very happy to see me Saturday morning. We woke up bright and early to meet with Kim and Nicky before the trails got too crowded. The canal was crowded, but the route we took was actually very empty – which was great for our two cautious dogs! It was a fun, confidence-building walk. I love seeing both dogs so relaxed.

I knew he was feeling good because he went into the water all on his own. Nicky was chasing after a treat and forgot about it, and Otis went right in! I turned around and he was on his way in, no encouragement needed. It was a moment of bravery for Mr. Otie.

He had such a good time and was totally wiped out afterwards. What a fun way to kick off our weekend! Did anyone else spend fun time outdoors as the summer winds down?

5 Comments July 10, 2012 peacelovefoster

So FosterMama says I need this thing called CONFIDENCE. I’m not sure what she’s talking about, but I do have an inkling that it has to do with all of the very scary stuff that I encounter on a daily basis. When I run and hide from these scary people, places, and things, Mama usually refers to me as “Silly” and laughs it off. I try to tell her that these things are really, really going to get me and that we need to get away fast!!

Sometimes I even tell her that by barking at them, especially if they’re big scary monsters coming into my house. I tell them, “GO AWAY! Go away! Look how big and scary I am! Go away!” I try to do my best at showing them it’s not a good idea to come in here, but then they do anyway! Once they’re in and FosterMama ~~makes sure they’re not yielding any weapons~~ says hi to them, then I decide they’re okay in my book. But until then it’s all a big show.

FosterMama says that I like to put on big shows for the scary monsters because I’m not confident. She says I need to learn to be comfortable in my own skin. According to her, there are a lot of ways to help me do this. Well, I’m waiting lady! Where is my strong Bravery Armor?? Then, to my dismay, she tells me I’m not going to get brave overnight. Shoot. I have to do a lot of exercises like nose work, clicker training, agility, playing with Mama – stuff like that. All of these are supposed to help my confidence.

Well, remember how I told you FosterAunt is around? FosterMama took that, plus a perfect weekend evening, as an excuse to go on a confidence building adventure. We walked and walked and ended up at this place that looked weird and different, called a “playground.” FosterMama told me that if I learned to climb all over it, I would slowly catch on that new things can be fun! I was weary at first, but pretty quickly I got the hang of it. We went up and down and up and down. I even started wagging my tail!

Did I mention that FosterUncle came too? I was comfortable enough up there to hang out with them while FosterMama did her usual click click click away behind the big black box in front of her face. I really didn’t even mind it. I think I could feel my confidence Bravery Armor showing up already! Or, at the very least, I felt my sorta-comfortable-in-new-situations Armor building up.

I certainly felt good enough to give FosterAunt & Uncle some loving.

FosterMama says that one day someone will adopt me who is willing to put in all the time and effort I need to grow into a more confident dog and come out of my shell (didn’t realize I was a turtle?). She says it is going to take a lot of love, understanding and patience, but that the perfect person is out there somewhere. After all, I have shown her in just two months what an amazing dog I can be, so I will surely win the heart of whoever takes a chance on my shy little self.