Wrapping it all up...

My genius hour project has come to an end. During the entire month of taking Loki to daily trips to the park, I found progression in Loki's social behaviour towards other dogs.

In order to successfully achieve some progression, I made a list of the following things that ensured Loki would have a smooth introduction:

1. Setting: I found the setting to be extremely important because Loki is a more dominant and territorial dog (he doesn't even allow you to step on the lawn!). It was imperative for Loki to meet new dogs in a more public setting, somewhere he could not feel territorial or dominant.

2. Climate: The weather had to be beautiful. By ensuring the weather was pleasant and comfortable, it guaranteed that Loki was going to be happy to walk. When the weather is rainy or too windy, Loki tends to either rush his walks or acts quite gloomy. By being in a good mood, it meant that he would be more pleasant towards the dogs he'll meet at the park.

3. Owner: It was important for me to be calming and supportive. During his interactions with the other dogs, I had to assure him that it was okay to see the other dogs and encourage him to do so. By being calm when your dog is being introduced to another dog, he may learn to understand that this new dog is not an enemy.

4. Reassurance: Since Loki has severe separation anxiety and jealousy issues, it was very important for me to keep acknowledging Loki during these interactions. By directing my attention to the new dog, Loki would direct his attention to my actions rather than trying to interact with the other dog. I had to ensure that Loki was still my priority during the interactions. This was achieved by constantly saying "Good boy, Loki!" or "Say hi, Loki!"

I tried my best to confirm Loki's progression by bringing back for a second interaction with the dog from the first blog post, Aengus. I used Aengus as my final interaction for a specific reason. Because he was most aggressive towards this dog, I figured it would be better to re-introduce Loki and Aengus and see how much the project has impacted him.

The results were incredible. Loki showed absolutely no aggression towards Aengus. In fact, Aengus' owner noticed his change is behaviour as well. Loki didn't transform into another dog, but he did show a lot of improvement.

I really enjoyed learning how to train my dog to become more tolerant towards other animals. I hope to still continue his daily trips to the park and hope to see further progression in his social behaviour.

The chihuahua and the poodle

Loki and I ended up going to the local park this morning. With my camera strapped around my neck, we walked to the park and had a very pleasant surprise.

After a bit of running around, Loki ran into one of his new friends - Chi-Chi! During their reunion, I saw something that was actually quite surprising and new to me. Loki wasn't nervous at all! He allowed Chi-Chi to sniff him and wagged his tail happily as Chi-Chi did this. After their sniffing of each other - this is where it gets surprising - they were running around together. This is something that Loki has never done with another dog before. Usually, he allows the others to sniff him or vice versa and then moves on. This time, it changed.

He was being more social than usual. He was surprisingly cheery after seeing Chi-Chi. The dog's owner told me that Chi-Chi has met a dog with similar problems like Loki. After this dog met Chi-Chi, the dog was very playful. Perhaps it's not Chi-Chi's personality that makes him quite universally popular with the dogs he meets.

However, there are some problems that I encounter frequently when taking Loki to the park for my Genius Hour project. It's the problem of being able to record his behaviour with another dog. I find it quite difficult to record since the other dog's owner usually creates small talk with me. I have trouble turning on the camera and start recording since I find it quite impolite to do so while another person is speaking with me. This is a problem that needs to be fixed because, with great regret, I could not record this new behaviour.

I plan on bringing Loki back to Aengus since he's easily accessible (family friend's pet). Perhaps his behaviour and slight hatred towards Aengus will change since their first encounter. I will keep you posted.

Loki's second report... progress!

According to a few resources, it states that the best way for a dog to meet other dogs is at the park. After Loki's first failed introduction to a puppy, named Aengus, I decided to take him to a park that he's quite unfamiliar with.

The results were incredible! Originally, Loki and Aengus were introduced in my home - which, of course, was a terrible idea. After taking him to the park, he met another dog named Chi-Chi. This dog, Chi-Chi, is a chihuahua that belonged to an elderly man. Because he was small in stature, I figured Loki would feel less threatened by him.

According to the man, his dog was quite eager to meet Loki after seeing him and I play some fetch. Like Chi-Chi, Loki was quite excited as well. There was some tail-wagging and tongues hanging out. I knew this was a good sign.

Of course, Loki was still quite hesitant of Chi-Chi but he showed absolutely no aggression towards his new companion. Loki stood in a spot while he allowed Chi-Chi to sniff him. He was still hesitant to play around with Chi-Chi but, still, he was happy. After this experience, I have learned that taking Loki to an unfamiliar place (somewhere he cannot feel territorial) is an excellent spot for Loki to feel calm enough to meet others.

I returned to the park this morning but the trip came to be unsuccessful since there were no dogs present - only toddlers and parents.

His next adventure may be another dog park, beach strip, or hiking trails.

ChiChi second video from Catherine Vo on Vimeo.