Take Down

Shep was just running around our house like a MAD MAN. MAD MAN. Garbage can knocked over, rugs kicked up, all the sheets off of our bed, the whole nine yards.

We call it the Terror Chase.

The Terror Chase usually happens at night just as Jeremy and I are winding down for the evening. Its as if a bell goes off REALLY loudly in Shep's head that its time to make waves at Casa Techtmann. He runs and runs and runs and runs and will run you OVER if you get in his way. Then,after 30-45 minutes of insanity, very abruptly, he will drop down on our bed and fall asleep. The first time he did it we seriously thought he was dead. We had never seen anything like it before! He is virtually unstoppable and if we dont catch it when it starts its like a tornado whips through our house. Our trainer taught us some pup calm down techniques (http://www.ttouch.com/) that work beautifully, but again, only if we catch him on the front end.

Surprisingly, I caught him in time, despite the garbage can, rug and sheet debacles. TTouch has been a miracle for Shep, but sometimes he is resistant at first. Tonight was one of those nights. We have had discussions recently about how it is almost like Shep has no self awareness and I know this sounds crazy, but isnt really "grounded". So, a thought occurred to me as I am taking down my dog to TTouch him. People, like myself, who has sensory issues often respond well to deep pressure and it makes them (and me) feel a bit more grounded. So, in an trial run effort to ground/calm S, I wrapped him in my arms in a deep hug and just held it for several minutes. Not only did he stop resisting me, he was asleep and snoring within 5 minutes.

Its a beautiful thing:

From Shephard Meets World