We took Silas for his checkup with the veterinary behaviorist two weeks ago. (Yes, I am a bad blogger.)
He was so happy!!! to see her. He was jumping on people for pets and trying to climb the desk to see the receptionist, you name it. This is what happens when you have a dog who is unreliable with strangers–his manners are terrible.
I got a good report on his behavior walking around outside her office. I was hoping he would walk on her sidewalk. That was a big no, but he was at least less panicky to just be outside in the parking lot. Plus we got big bonus points because he didn’t bark back at a little reactive fluffy dog.
The behaviorist was sympathetic to his current road block, which is that he still has a lot of fear-associated habits, even now that the fears are gone. So, for instance, he is perfectly comfortable on our sidewalk, unless we try to walk even one step past a certain point. Then, he’s as bad as ever. Alas, her best advice was to just keep doing what we’re doing.
So, things are good. Lots of room for improvement, but good.
When the behaviorist weighed him for his new short-term medication dosage, we got quite a shock, though. Silas is up to thirty-seven pounds. Oh my goodness. He’s really best around 32 pounds. We’d been hovering around 35, which is okay but not great. I checked as soon as she said 37, and sure enough I have to dig in to feel his ribs.
It turns out that with a dog shaped like Silas, you just don’t get the other indicators. He still has a waist. He still has a pretty extreme tuck-up. He doesn’t look that much heavier. But he’s busily turning into a little butterball. I think he’s given me so much misery about eating since summer that I haven’t been paying enough attention to what he is eating.
Now, more exercise, fewer cookies.
Has your dog ever snuck on a few pounds while you weren’t watching? What gave it away?
My Imperfect Dog 