Getting ready for Einstein

Spoke last night with Kathy Parsons, the wonderful woman who runs Sheltie Rescue in southern California. She asked me to take over the fostering and training of a sable and white Sheltie named Einstein. He was purchased as a pup from a pet store by a woman who had an autistic son and who later had another baby. By the time the 2nd baby was 2 years old the owner was at the end of her rope, overwhelmed with the challenges of caring for her family. The dog had not been socialized or trained, and due to the chaotic nature of the home environment, he was skittish and fearful.

Kathy took him in and gave him room and time to learn to trust her. He was initially terrified. 10 months later, he has flourished in her household. In order to prepare him to be adopted out to a "forever home", we want to have him transfer to another foster home (ours) where we will develop the following:
- his ability to trust people other than his immediate foster mom
- basic obedience skills, using the positive reinforcement approach of clicker training
- impulse control (this means we'll be helping him to break some habits he's developed, such as racing around the yard whenever he goes outside, trying to hide behind his foster mom when a car goes by while out on a walk... we'll be developing his confidence out in public and his maturity).

Kathy is prepping a rag with her scent on it to leave with us when she brings him over on Sunday. She'll bring us "his" crate, and bed, so he can have as smooth a transition as possible. We're making sure we have the kind of food he's used to eating, to help him avoid the digestive issues that often happen when a dog is moved from one home to another.

We're preparing to create a structured environment, to give him a few quiet days to observe the new group and the new routine, before we ask anything of him. During this phase, he'll be on leash at all times in the house and in the yard, so we have complete control over him. We'll also introduce him to the clicker with high-value treats, and establish the association between the clicker and rewards. We might start to reward for eye contact. Because this dog will be upset to leave Kathy, we are taking steps backwards to re-establish success on behaviors he's already accomplished. We're setting him up for success, and we are happy and excited to welcome him into our home, love him and train him, and help him forward on his journey.