THE ABERDEEN TERRIER

When I look at Angee I see the original Aberdeen Terrier. Slim, agile, very high energy and really not thinking about anything she isn't looking at. Smart as a whip with no 'off' button'. Never have I seen any dog with such a drive to dig in the earth. Walking her down a trail is a constant matter of her running to the end of the retractable leash and beginning to dig. Then she will begin a second hole on the other side of the trail. By the time I reach her, she runs ahead and begins more holes. I have seen her do this continually throughout a six mile hike. Many times she will drive her nose into earth without using her paws. It has been a task trying to keep the skin on her nose intact and her paws reasonably clean.

My wife gave me a book about Scottish Terriers that was originally published in the early 1900s. The photographs in the book show an amazing resemblance to Angee, not only in general stature and hair patterns, but in the fact that most of the photographs show dogs with dirt on their noses. The people who took those photographs must have gotten tired of trying to wash away the dirt. And just like the photographs, Angee's coat is a coarse fur that is actually a brindle with gray. It seems to do a great job in protecting her from the brambles. One of her favorite hunting technique is to just launch straight into any cluster of bushes or tall grasses. Despite all she has encountered, I have never seen her react to blackberry vines or stinging nettle, she just plows right on through.

ANGEE: FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT

Taking Angee for a walk can be both a joy and a trying experience. Though she is much better about the leash aggressive behavior, she is still a handful on walks because she is so energetic and fit. Last Tuesday we took her on a 6 mile hike in the forest, climbing just over a thousand feet of elevation. With all the rain and wind and slippery slopes, we were pretty tired when we got back, but Angee wasn't even phased. Her instincts are such that she managed to stick her nose into every mound of fresh turned soil on both sides of the trail for the entire three hours of the hike. She even managed to take some skin off the top of her snout while rooting in the soil for whatever was living in that earth. (Oh yeah, Angee is quite the digger). It rained the entire hike but nothing bothered Angee. She was ready to go for her daily neighborhood walk the moment we got home.

Any potential adoptive parents will have to be ready to walk Angee at least an hour a day. Because she is so active and energetic, Angee is a prime candidate for getting into trouble around the house if ignored or left at home alone. We have never left her at our home alone for more than four hours at a time, just because of her need for activity and interaction. (Actually, we have a family policy of never leaving any of our dogs alone for more than four hours.) And on those occasions she has been at home alone, she has always been well-exercised before we left. Fortunately, Angee is house-trained such that there has never been an 'accident' in the house. She is probably one of the smartest Scottys we have had the pleasure to foster.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

If you have been watching the nightly news you have probably seen the story about a group of volunteers who are trying to do something for the 50,000-100,000 stray dogs wandering the streets of Detroit, Michigan. The rescue group was down to its last few dollars when NBC picked up the story for national coverage. Viewers from around the nation have been so impressed with the rescue efforts in Detroit they have been sending funds and trying to make a difference from the comfort of their living rooms. Now the volunteers have a web site: http://www.detroitdogrescue.com/

It a city with so many other problems, it would have been easy for people to forget about the animals left wandering the streets. It does my heart good to know Detroit has people that will take the time to focus on the victims left behind. That's what rescue is all about. And kudos to NBC.

Angee is a BIG SUCCESS at the 20th Annual Walk for the Animals!

I could tell Angee was a little nervous when we arrived at Ester Short Park, site of the WALK FOR THE ANIMALS, presented by the Humane Society of Southwest Washington. Loud music, lots of people, hundreds and hundreds of dogs, cats, even ponies, all over the park. She yawned a bit as we got registered (I carried her through the lines), but she settled in and seemed to enjoy being the only Scottish Terrier in the crowd. Things only got more crowded in the park as the starting time for the 3 mile walk approached. Angee took the people dressed as cats or dogs in stride. Every now and then a dog would get loose and surprise Angee from behind, but she never lost her composure. Just before the start of the walk I noticed Angee's harness had broken so I attached a second leash to her collar, securing her in the event of a worst case scenario. Angee can definitely out run me, that I know.

Finally the walk began and the entire crowd moved forward. I was a little worried about setting Angee up for failure by starting her in the most crowded portion of the walk, so we began at the very back of the crowd, working our way through all the people and animals as they streamed through the city. Angee seemed to walk along the outside edge of the crowd, at least pretending to be more interested in the bushes and trees along the way. Being short-legged, her feet were just a blur as she charged through the other dogs. Things were so crowded and narrow I let Angie lead me along the waterfront at a pretty good pace. By the time we reached the turn around point at Beach's we were close to the head of the crowd.


The return walk was probably a bigger test for Angee as she had to face oncoming dogs that, in many cases, were a little leash aggressive in their own right. Angee never once lost her composure. In fact, she actually seemed to enjoy the occasion. A number of people commented on the 'little scottie'. We saw no other Scottish Terriers at the event. Total time for the three mile walk: 1 hour and 8 minutes.

I really feel Angee has reached a turning point in her behavior with other dogs. Where she was overly aggressive and unsocialized, she is now open to the idea that other dogs are not necessarily a threat to her. She knows she needs to pay attention to the human at the other end of her leash, that there are expectations of her. Maybe the most noticeable difference in Angee's behavior is in the way she looks at me rather that at the other dogs in the immediate area. It is almost as if she trusts me enough to ignore them. We still have some work ahead, but I'm proud of what we have accomplished. It was a good day.

NOW THAT I 'VE GOT YOUR ATTENTION...

Angee always seems to pay better attention after she's had an opportunity to burn off some steam. We usually walk a half hour before we try to learn new behavior. Angee is a very fit and agile scotty so she really needs the exercise.

While developing Angee's ability to walk I have tried to develop her walking on my left side. When we do encounter other dogs on the trail, Angie then has to split her attention between me and the other dog. When I sense her attention is becoming locked on to an approaching dog, I try to get her attention. If she pays attention to me (looks up at me) she gets a treat. I usually win, but sometimes I don't.



Some days it seems as though Angee is looking for an excuse to not bark and growl at other dogs. I can point at a clump of grass on the side of the trail and Angee will focus her attention on the grass for quite some period of time, until the other dog passes. I have wondered if she really isn't looking for an excuse to not carry on, particularly in light of my showing displeasure when she carries on that way.

Now Angee is to the point of ignoring other dogs rather routinely. She will either take interest in a stick or clump of grass on the side of the trail or maybe look to me for some sort of attention.

Angee is now to the point of trusting me during those times when she is unsure. I'm glad, because we are going to try and put it all together in a very public place where we will both be unsure. The 20th Annual Walk for the Animals, presented by the Humane Society for Southwwest Washington, will be held May 7th, Ester Short Park in Vancouver. Lots and lots of dogs, cats and four-legged creatures. My fingers are crossed.

CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE?

Angee went through this period of being fascinated by snakes. Big snakes, little snakes ...anything that she thought might possibly be a snake... had her jumping at all twigs or branches laying on the ground as though it was her only mission in life. Unfortunately, this fascination would cause her to dart at the smallest twigs immediately in front of every step I took. So long as I watched Angee we could avoid problems. The moment I took my eyes off her (like when I looked at the scenery) Angee would likely jump at something exactly where I was to step, scaring both of us. All the more reason for Angee to walk at my side such that she would be mindful of where I was likely to step. It took some work to get her to walk at heel, but she picked it up when I persisted. She seems to walk best after she has exercised for a while and has had a chance to calm down and behave.



Training Angee to walk at my side has been important in getting her attention as we walk. Back when she led me during walks I was pretty much 'out of sight, out of mind'. Walking at my side somehow strengthens my attempts at getting her attention. Of course I reinforce her noticing me by giving her a piece of kibble when she responds to my calling her name.

LEASH AGGRESSION: SOME SCOTTIES HAVE IT AND SOME DON'T....YET

Angee first came to Aberdeen Rescue with a host of issues. The physical problems were easily diagnosed and cared for; she was spayed and her teeth cleaned and a trial of allergy medication begun. Her behavioral issues seemed more difficult to sort out.

Initially, Angee was so amped up and over-stimulated all we really noticed was her behavior of not focusing on anything for more than a second or two. It was as if everything had her attention, and nothing had her attention. She wasn't too different from other dogs brought to our rescue organization. Even after several weeks of adjusting to her new circumstances she just seemed to never rest. It was pretty clear I would need to figure out some way to get her attention if we were going to work on other problems.

And the other problems were definitely present. She was leash aggressive, she wouldn't respond to being called and she would make every effort to leap out an open door (house door or car door) at the slightest opportunity. When she did get loose (several times) she would put her nose to the ground and just keep on running, never looking back.

Eventually I saw some of the things we needed to work on. Her leash aggression stood out clearly. Any dog would send Angie into a rage so bad you didn't dare get close to her without risking a bite. Walking her with other dogs was out of the question. In fact, walking her at all was quite a chore. She tended to try to drag me down the street on any walk, constantly darting left and right, a problem that made worse the leash aggression when we met other dogs. Any change in these behaviors would be based on getting Angee's attention while we walked. As it was, calling her name got no response, almost to the point I wondered if she was deaf. Turns out, she has very good hearing but just wasn't responding to me.