Simon -- Important

NEW INFORMATION:

Simon isn't taking medicine at the moment.
______________________________________________________________________________

Simon is difficult in some ways.  The anxiety medication helps, but it's still important for you to know the signs of trouble.  Anxious dogs in some ways act exactly like angry dogs, and both types have teeth.  He's never bitten a person and we would like it to stay that way.

Some guidelines that will keep things extra smooth:

1.  He MUST NOT be on the chairs.  He starts to defend them.  We have been leaving furniture on the seats.  If you feel like hanging out on the chairs to play PS3 or whatever, just put him in his crate so he doesn't get confused.  (It's okay for him to hang out on the back of the green chair as long as there isn't a human in the chair.)

2.  Use the crate whenever you're not sure.  If he seems extra crabby with Annie or extra nervous, just use the crate.  He feels safe in there.

3.  Always "bribe" him into the crate with a big piece of duck jerky or string cheese or the like.  We don't want him to decide to argue with you about whether to go in or not.  Dogs argue = teeth. 

4.  Not really relevant anymore.

5.  Annie is a great indicator.  If she is having to "deal" with him a lot, it means he's having trouble.  Use crate.  We would rather he have a lot of naps than have him decide he has to solve his own problems ( = teeth ).  We figure he'd be crated 24-7 at the kennel place, so any free time he gets is an improvement.

6.  The main symptom is growling.  He mostly growls at Annie, but it can be confusing if you're nearby; you might wonder if he's growling at you.  Probably NOT, but our inclination is to have him go into the crate at that point anyway.  Better safe than sorry.

7. (John here.) For all the "put him in his crate" advice above, recall that it is not a punishment. The model is not, "No, bad dog, crate for you!" It's more of a happy, normal thing. "Okay! Treat? Let's go! This will be good for everyone!" I suggest giving random treats even when NOT crating. This will help avoid Simon learning that 'treat means crate' and then still giving you a hassle.

8.  Glo is completely available for questions.  Her numbers are home (207)929-8746 and cell (207)590-7634.  She has Simon's brother and knows how these boys tick.