Bailey's Homecoming

The day had finally arrived and I was a bit over anxious! It was Saturday morning and I was up at 7:30 raring to go. I milled around the house a while, called to check in with the parents (they drove all night to FL) and then proceeded to take my time getting breakfast together and ready for the day. I still had plenty of time so I ran a few errands and then decided to go on up. I was only 30 minutes early for my noon appointment. :)

I first met with Jim and one of his assistants and we talked about some of the basics. The commands that Bailey had learned, the new rules and how to use the new collar. Bailey now has an e-collar. This is a collar that emit vibrations or electric shocks to be used for correction. The collar is very sophisticated. With the shock I can change the intensity from 10%-100%. None of which will really hurt him, but it gets his attention very quickly. Actually just holding the remote gets his full attention.

As far as new rules, there were several. To start with I can give no physical affection during this first week. This will help in my gaining the leadership role and also make him work harder for petting. The 2nd rule is that he can never sleep in the bed with me again. I don’t think this will be so hard for me, as he takes up a lot of room and gets real grumpy when I get up to use the bathroom at night. This is a leadership issue too. Pack dogs do no sleep with the pack leader and therefore Bailey shouldn’t sleep with me. The 3rd rule is that he can not be at my level at any time until I have achieved pack leader status. That means no furniture, no lap, and no stairs landing. He must stay below me at all times. So his new place is at my feet wherever I go. I also got some instruction on keeping my voice at a calm tone and give all commands this way. I should never have to raise my voice or pitch to get his attention. That is going to be very interesting indeed. :)

Then the really hard part came when they brought him out. I hadn’t seen my baby in 7 weeks at this point and we were both ecstatic. He knew immediately that momma was here and tried and tried to come to me. The trainer kept him in a “down” and we just sat there a long time. I had my hands in my pockets to try and keep me sane and from reaching for him. He was beside himself. He wanted me so bad and was freaking out because I couldn’t go to him. They said they hadn’t seen him act like that at all, but I was the one distraction they couldn’t provide during training.

We went through all the commands and I practiced with Bailey on the leash. He did very well but he looked exhausted! Both men stated that he was a very interesting case. He was even referred to as “stubborn as a mule” I just laughed and told them I completely understood. I’d been fighting with him for 6 years. :)

He was dying to leave though and finally it was time to go. We loaded him into the car and headed for the house. Bailey laid in the floor all the way home hardly bothering me at all. This is a first for us. Most trips, the first 20 minutes or so require me boxing him out of my lap and yelling off a lot. Not this trip. He knew I had the remote and he was good as gold.

Once home I let him go through the house and re-acclimate himself. He was moving very cautiously but I dismissed that. Almost immediately he jumped up on the couch and I had to zap him 3 times to get him down. From this moment on he laid on his bed. He only got up for water and potty breaks and then would go straight back to the bedroom. This went on the rest of the evening and I thought I was going to loose it. I had yet to see his tail wag or any sparkle in his eyes and panicked. I was so afraid that his spirit was gone. I want a dog that behaves, but I also want the fun loving side of him to still exist. I basically cried most of this afternoon. I never dreamed how hard it would be not to pet him. Especially with him begging for it like he was. That one evening was harder than all 7 weeks he was gone.

Sunday, was a bit better. We slept some, but had been up most of the night with Bailey coughing like crazy. I finally gave up around 7:30 am and took him out to potty. We had a minor disagreement over breakfast that was quickly ended by the collar and then all was fine. Over the course of Sunday we took a short walk and practiced all our commands at every opportunity. As we enter or exit any door I make him lie or sit down and wait to be released until I have come through the door. It’s a slow process, but seems to be getting better. His healing is much better than it has ever been and we may be able to take actual walks from now on. In the past I’ve almost dislocated my arm a few times. :)

We were up again most of the night on Sunday night and then continued our practicing on Monday off and on. He seems to be getting it, but I have to be paying very good attention. I have to catch him doing things improperly in order to correct him. This will go on for the next 38 days at least. Apparently, anything you do with a dog for about 40 days straight becomes a new habit. That’s our goal. Keep us in your thoughts. We have to make it through this.