Milo今年8歲，本來是一隻開心活躍的比高，跟男女主人關係一向十分要好，可是自從一年前由女主人懷孕後，一家人的關係不知不覺地起了變化，漸漸地Milo自己選擇疏遠女主人，然後也跟男主人少了接觸。兩位主人是百分之百愛狗之人，起碼對自己的狗十分愛護，沒有因為即將增添新家庭成員而對Milo冷淡起來，可是生活上的習慣及模式不免會有改變，有些狗對這種改變會處之泰然，慢慢適應過來，但對Milo來說這改變並不容易接受，加上女主人外表上的改變，行為上的改變，以致身體賀爾蒙的改變都讓Milo感到無所適從，遠離男女主人的情況越來越明顯，直到新成員誕生後，Milo甚至未曾走近過嬰兒，只要嬰兒被帶到的地方，Milo就會立即跑到別處，嬰兒在房間睡覺，女主人在廳拿著他最喜愛的小食呼叫他，他也不願走近，這一直維持嬰兒出生後一個多月也沒改變，後來更加會躲藏起來。主人一向很疼愛Milo，為他的行為而感到傷心，亦不知如何處理。

很少遇到這類的主人，很重視狗狗的感受，重視的程度去到要找專業人士去幫助，希望令狗狗回復從前一樣開心。其實問題出現在於當初由小改變時沒有開始讓狗狗去適應，對改變的事情產生一個良好印象，而嬰兒出生後也需要跟狗狗建立良好關係，為日後嬰兒成長期間的行為對狗狗的挑戰做好準備。經過兩星期的行為改變訓練，主人的努力初見成效，Milo開始表現輕鬆，也活躍起來，雖然仍然未會主動走近嬰兒，但起碼再不會立即逃避，能近距離逗留一會。當我跟他們上第二課時，Milo已有很明顯的改變，我再教他們如何開始讓Milo跟嬰兒接觸，Milo也沒抗拒，而且自己躺在主人身邊，這個畫面就好像一幅全家福相，我真的興奮起來，也來不及找他們的手機或相機，怕Milo好快會走開，所以立即取出自己的手機為他們影了這張從未出現過的「全家福」。之後男女主人換了位置繼續練習，忽然女主人對男主人興奮的說：他很久已沒放他的手在我的身上了！我聽到她的說話立即又拿起手機為他們留下這特別的時刻，想不到一個普通到不能再普通的場面可以令他們這樣的開心，我知他們會繼續努力因為他們同樣愛護嬰兒及Milo，因為他們都視為一家人！

eddie Choi
CPDT-KA, APDT(Professional Premium Member)
Completed KPA Puppy Start Right for Instructors course

2014-03-16 “動物行為-那些行為是不適或疾病的訊號＆情緒問題” 講座
– 領養我(義工組織)

如各下有興趣參加請按以下連結報名(內有付款辦法)，所有收入用以幫助待領養的小動物。 https://www.facebook.com/events/462252897237693/

eddie Choi, CPDT-KA, APDT(Professional Premium Member)

My husband and I adopted a 5-year-old male Yorkshire terrier in March 2013 and named it “Cookie”. Cookie is a wonderful dog as he is obedient, smart, with excellent toilet training and superb eating habit that we find him adorable.

However, Cookie is timid, nervous and insecure. His habit of lingering around people also bothers me. We are living in a high-rise building that dogs are not allowed. Whenever we need to take Cookie out for a walk, he has to enter into a bag and wait patiently to take the lift that Cookie feels bizarre and frightening. Moreover, Cookie feels uneasy to wait alone when my husband and I are out for work. The situation worsens during thunder and storm, that Cookie shivering a lot and shuts down by not eating or drinking when panicked.

Eddie provided prompt assistance to soothe Cookie and ease our tension. We adopted “positive reinforcement” techniques to retrain Cookie to revolve around his anxieties with good things. We placed treats inside his outdoor bag, that Cookie eventually associated the bag with “good thing”. Then we zipped the bag and took him out for short walk day-by-day. Also, Eddie taught us useful quick fixes by stop responding to Cookie’s undesirable behavior with petting. We arranged his bedding into an enclosed space and covered it with blankets like a “den”, because a dog feels safe inside a “den”. After two months’ of painstaking effort, Cookie now enters his bag and takes short walks readily; moreover he is less anxious at bad weather and when stays alone.

Dog training is a persistent and challenging task, yet thanks to Eddie that Cookie is now our great companion. If you need a reliable, committed and experienced dog trainer; Eddie is your choice.