Well, another week has gone by, and while hings aren't back to "normal" in Roo's life, we are definitely making progress.
Our trips to visit the pet supply shops and boutiques have been very limited, as most of these are in high traffic areas which have the potential to send Roo into her fearful mode. For the time being I want to avoid that, so we don't take a step backwards. But we can still visit prime pet spots in LA!
Since her old favorite dog park, Whitnall Highway Park (well, maybe it wasn't her favorite, it was just convenience and we've built a nice list of friends there) is kind of "ground zero" for her noise anxiety, we've been avoiding it. Which is a bummer because you all know how much she LOVES to retrieve a ball, and since we live in an apartment we rely on dog parks to really do this (indoor tosses just don't count). Fortunately, LA does have other dog parks and two or three of them are still fairly close, depending on the time of day and the traffic. Despite the heat on Saturday, I decided to load Roo and Duval in the car for even just a short trip to the park at Victory and White Oak- The Sepulveda Basin Dog Park. This is actually a really wonderful park. There are THREE separate parks here. The main big park which is meant for all dogs- large and small (though it's preferred that mostly large dogs come here, for safety's sake). There are close to 5 acres in this large area, with some large trees on the perimeter for shade. For the little ones ( 20 lbs and under ONLY) there is a .5 acre park adjacent to the large dog park. And on the other side of the lot there is another 1-1.5 acre area meant for older, smaller, or more timid dogs. Both of the smaller parks are also quite well shaded.
Roo, Duval and I stayed on the large side. She was quite excited to retrieve, and despite a loud bang from some construction equipment on the way in, she was able to shake it off and start playing rather quickly. It was quite hot so I was not throwing the ball very far and made sure she took plenty of breaks. During one of her breaks another park visitor stopped to chat, and some sort of noise bothered her at this point. But she took it in stride, and while she wouldn't retrieve her ball, she did not sprint for the gate, he just laid down and relaxed until she forgot what she was afraid of. We visited the park again on Wednesday- she retrieved for about 20 minutes that day and spend the next 20 in slight fear mode after someone banged the poop scooper on the metal trash can, BUT again she did not run for the gate and just rested under whatever table or tree I was near. it's not the old Roo but it is progress!
On Sunday evening we met up with some friends and their foster dogs at Weddington Park. Weddington Park is a beautiful park with lots of space for dog walking and/or jogging. However, many people use it as an "unofficial" dog park, despite the fact that it is not completely fenced in and rests very close to Universal City, the 101, and busy Cahuenga Blvd. Generally I've found that the folks who bring their dogs to this park off leash are aware that others prefer to enjoy the park with on-leash dogs and do not wish to be bothered by off-leash dogs, and so they are typically good about calling off their dogs. Most of the time...we didn't have any real problems Sunday night, just one goofy lab who looked intent on catching up to our 3 leashed dogs until one of my friends yelled for the guy to call his dog back. Before my friends arrived Roo was having some anxiety about noises coming from nearby Universal City, but she seemed to perk up at the sight of her friends William and Lily. (Click on their names for more info- these two gorgeous pups are looking for forever homes!)
Monday we were back at the Zoom Room- week 2 of agility, still going well. I also brought her older brother Duval to the Zoom Room on Wednesday for Senior Stretch and Agility, which, by the way, is a wonderful class for the older kids who just need a little mental and physical stimulation.
Today, Friday, Roo and I were in the mood for a hike. The tough part about having a dog with noise anxiety is that it limits where you can go and hope to have the best experience possible. We love Franklin Canyon, but there are some homes high in the hills under construction, which means loud construction noises occasionally echo through the canyon- not good for Roo. Runyon usually means parking on the street, so she could be freaking out before we even hit the trail. Same with Griffith Park. So we chose Tree People/Wilacre, and hiked the main trail down and on one of the single track offshoots on the way up. I am always nervous about rattlers on the single tracks. I am told there is one who lives up at the top of the single track we usually take- I've never seen him or heard him, but am always looking for him! Thanks goodness we did not find him today either!
Anyway, I am happy to report that we haven't really had any major freak-outs in the last few days, and though she sometimes heads to her crate when I am getting ready to take her out, she no longer shakes and hides in there and will come out to be leashed. Sometimes at night she only goes out to pee and poop and then right back to the door, but I allow it. I'd rather she have positive experiences than try to force her to do something which could end up with her freaking out 1/2 mile from home.
I have ordered some new tools to try, stay tuned for an update.
