Reading Liesje's post on Kenya's reaction to inlaws, I thought it would be a nice thread to discuss our pups and how they take the holiday hustle and bustle.
We had company come over last night, that is staying for four days. This company also stayed last Christmas as well, and once over the summer. The last time this company was over Shimmer reacted negatively towards him (she's a year old this December so was about 8 months old when this occurred), when she ran into the kitchen and found this strange man alone with her. So I knew preparations had to be made for this year.
For Gaci, human-fearful girl, when she came into the living room and saw him, her first reaction was to run to him and see him. Two barks, two treats when quiet, and that was her greeting and she was fine thereafter. Success. She even jumped up on to the couch on his lap to say hello, although when he petted her lower back she hopped off the couch (still not wishing to be touched yet). On several occasions she approached him for a sniff or lick of the fingers, and then went off on her merry way. That's her way of being social to strangers. Our company even noticed how quickly she adjusted to him this year over last year, and this is the first year she jumped up in his lap to say hello. I have to say I am beaming with pride for her.
As am I with Shimmer. When Shimmer first came into the house (they all went out to pee first, before doing greetings, as we had just got home), I leashed her and we walked calmly into the living room. We walked by him (no barks, a few glances, but focus was on me). I "placed" her (her cue for lying/sitting on a dog bed and staying till released), and we just stayed that way for a while, while she observed. Eventually I unclipped the leash and released her, leaving the collar on in case it was needed, and for the first 45 minutes or so she self-distanced herself. She would sit about five feet away, and watch him. Not stare, and her body was relaxed, but she was definitely sizing him up. In about 45 minutues she approached him, stood up against the side of the couch, and sniffed his hand. Then gave it one lick. Then pawed it. That was the required sign to know she was deciding that he's okay (Shimmer picks and chooses her people - her extreme personality makes her a strange gal Mini-wise). After that, she jumped right into his lap and curled up for snuggles. Today she seems great thus far (her reactivity towards untrusted people is different than Gaci's, Shimmer has a mild fight response whereas Gaci has a flight response - they react differently towards their feared things). Of course, for our company, who was the target of Shimmer's negative reaction last year, this change was utterly obvious in her.
I think we are free to enjoy Christmas stress-free for the pups. We have more company coming over tomorrow on Monday, so we'll see how those introductions go. So that's sort of a real-world example working with two animals with issues, and how they are progressing over time, but mostly it's a record of a heartfelt happiness that is just making my heart grow and grow and grow.