When I first envisioned a giant schnauzer puppy, I knew her gender, where I wanted to get her and how I planned training her. I hadn't contacted the breeder, because I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed in place before I even filled out the application, much less put down a deposit.
Then I found Nakia on Craigslist. Honestly, I thought the ad was a scam. I texted back and forth with the owner/breeder and decided that I at least wanted to meet her. Looking back, I'm grateful that I didn't know just what I was getting into: If I had I might have said no to the dog that changed my life.
M was nice, seemed knowledgeable and the setting was idyllic. I didn't see or hear any other dogs while I was there. According to M, she'd had "some" training. Watching her gallop frantically around the yard, I noticed her gait seemed a little off. When I asked about it, M assured me that she probably had a goathead between her pads. I asked about training, reactivity, and behavioral issues. I assured M none of those things were deal breakers for me, but the more I knew, the more I'd be able to help her transition. I was told she was "used to a crate or run" and her only issue was not quite enough training time.
When Nakia approached me something in the pit of my stomach made me know that I needed to bring her home. I told myself that even if I didn't keep her, at the very least I could get her out of there and to an appropriate rescue. As soon as I opened the back door, she jumped in.
Within hours of her arrival, I learned that Nakia was terrified of well.... everything. Anyone entering a room set her off barking hysterically- even if she'd seen them only moments before. She was especially petrified of men. The sound of doors opening and closing set her off. She was confused by our other dogs and paced continuously.
I introduced her to her crate, thinking it might help her settle. I opened the door and placed a couple of treats into it. She crept to the door and then proceeded to lose her mind. Hysterically barking, spinning and crying, she wet herself and couldn't make it past the threshold. I threw a blanket over the it to get it out of sight and just sat with her until she finally calmed down.
The next morning I made an emergency appointment with a trainer for evaluation. A few hundred dollars later, I was advised to euthanize her. Many of the points the trainer made were valid, but I couldn't bring myself to make the appointment. At the time, I told myself the trainer hadn't had the time to really get to know her. I decided to get a second opinion. The second behavioral consult went marginally better, but I was cautioned that she was going to need intensive training and she'd likely significant behavioral support for the rest of her life.
There were several weeks in the beginning when I wanted to pull my hair out. In addition to the triggers she showed on day one, she reacted to the sound of metal on metal, anyone entering a room (even people she knew and even if they had only just left and returned). Trucks terrified her, loud voices (even on the television) sent her over the edge. Once startled couldn't settle for at least 45 minutes to an hour. She would bark continuously, pace, whine and furiously claw at doors and windows. It was a lot.
The first time I left Nakia at home, I thought that putting her in my room would be more comfortable for her (and safer for everyone else). That was when I realized she didn't just have separation anxiety. She had full blown confinement trauma. I was gone for less than 90 minutes. During that time she lost control of her bowels and did around eleven hundred dollars in damage to my door, the wall trim and the furniture.
My kids looked at me like I was crazy and outright asked me why I'd brought this crazy barking, farting mess home. Some nights I wondered the same thing.
It took hours a day, every day for months.... but she's better. She's still suspicious of men, but she's found a couple she likes. She still doesn't like me to leave her home, but she manages several hours without too much fuss. Settling down is often difficult for her, but now it takes a few minutes rather than almost an hour. I love watching her learn that not everything new is scary. She's likely always going to be a kind of an anxious girl, but she and I are a team.
