Back to The Ducky Diary

My brother spent most of this past week with us and Ducky was not happy about it.

I met Doug at the airport on Saturday afternoon (8/19) and from the time we got back here to the house until he left on Wednesday afternoon to visit with a friend in Asheville, Ducky was in snark mode. At least toward her uncle. So much so that we had to keep her on a leash the whole time she was in the house. (Well, except during the night while she slept in her crate.)

Thank goodness for doggie daycare! She spent most of the day there on Monday and Tuesday. At least she was able to relax and enjoy the company of her doggie and other human friends for a while each day. 

Since Doug was going home yesterday (Friday) after returning from Asheville, I felt Ducky would be better off at daycare (again) for even just the few hours her uncle was in the house. 

It worked out nicely, actually, because her daycare facility is not that much out of the way coming home from the airport.

I chuckled a bit on Wednesday afternoon because as soon as Doug left for Asheville, Ducky spent a good 10 minutes running around the house looking for him. She knew his scent but couldn’t find him. She finally gave up and went back to nap on her bed. 

When I picked her up at daycare yesterday, she sniffed the air in the car for a moment. Satisfied that Uncle Doug wasn’t hiding anywhere, she laid down on the back seat and slept all the way home. By the time we arrived at the house, she seemed satisfied that the tall stranger wasn’t here any more. She played out in the yard with Shadow for a bit and then took a nap in her bed.

Doug’s dog isn’t comfortable with strangers, either, so he understands what it’s like to have a human-reactive dog. I’m grateful for that understanding. Especially when I’m feeling ready to wring Ducky’s neck for being such a noisy brat.

Having said all that, I know what I need to do. Sort of. First step is writing it all down, like an outline. (Maybe in The Ducky Diary. Better yet in the Training Notebook that I haven’t started using yet.) When I get that done, I’ll figure out Step Two: Implementation.

Have a great weekend, dear readers. And those of you threatened by Harvey, please stay safe. We’re sending out positive energy and thoughts to all of you.

8 thoughts on “Back to The Ducky Diary”

  1. somethingwagging says:

    Sometimes I wonder what part is reactivity and what part is a person’s motions or body language.

    I’ve fostered fearful dogs who reacted to everyone except for that one special person with a very calm demeanor. And I had a bizarre experience with my dog-reactive Shadow who was very comfortable when we encountered a loose dog who had gotten out of his gate. She was even comfortable when I coaxed him to our home so we could keep him safe until we found his people.

    Don’t you wish you could just sit Ducky down and talk to her? At least to tell her your brother was harmless and she could stand down and relax.

    Glad you got to enjoy a visit and that you had a management plan that worked for you. Hopefully the next visit will go easier.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Jan K says:

    It’s so good to have a plan, and a written one is even better. My friend wants to visit this fall, and that’s exactly what I need to do with Luke too. I kind of miss the days when company could just come, without all the drama. 😦

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Tails Around the Ranch says:

    How funny. Sam has the same reaction to one of my brothers and it breaks his heart since he’s a super dog lover. It’s the only person in the world that upsets Sam. Hope Ducky has her regular MoJo back. ❤︎

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.