 Meet Kepler! This lucky pup goes to work with his momma Rebecca, who has a 1,000-sq. ft. office space and baby gates the area around her desk for Kepler to hang with her. On breaks they play fetch in the room. (Can we work there too?!?) Overall, Kepler is a happy and playful pup, with no issues approaching dogs or people he hasn't met before. But about a month ago, a friend came by with her roommate's dog, Pheebs, and there was a little scrap when Kepler crawled under Pheebs' belly, No one was physically harmed, but the experience was scary for Kepler, Rebecca, and the friend. So recently, when Pheebs return for a visit, everyone was a bit apprehensive. Rebecca describes the scene:
"Kepler was in the baby gate setup with me, Pheebs was sniffing at the gate with stiff body language, hackles up, tail high, and was giving Kepler the side eye. She let out growls every so often, and found gaps in the gate to stick her nose through. She started to lift her lips and show her teeth at him. "We were both nervous given their short history, but then I noticed her body softened. Pheebs started to whine and paw at the gate. She switched between the growling, lip lifting, pawing, and whining for about five minutes. "We still weren't sure what to do. Then Pheebs offered a play bow, followed by a growl and a whine." Rebecca wondered if Pheebs maybe wanted to play, so she went to iSpeakDog and learned about Barrier Frustration. Both Pheebs and Kepler were exhibiting Pro-Social behaviors towards each other, while appearing to be frustrated that the gate was keeping them apart. "I'm so glad I consulted the website," Rebecca says, "because as soon as I let Kepler out of the enclosure, they started playing immediately and didn't stop for almost two hours." In her letter to iSpeakDog, Rebecca said, "This project is amazing. The work you and your team did gave my little man a positive experience and will continue to do so throughout his entire life." Rebecca, you have no idea how happy it makes us to read stories like yours and Keplers'. Thank you for sharing. How has iSpeakDog helped you and your pooch? Do you have a story to share? We'd love to hear from you. Comments are closed.
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