Cody is a very cuddly, loving guy wrapped in a history of abuse and neglect. He would gladly spend his time mashed against his person or cuddled in his person's arms, but he has learned that touch and extended contact can be very scary. This has created a very ambivalent dog - one who will seek out touch and then become very tense and growl.
He loves belly rubs. This is a doggy bed that sits under my desk and is one of Cody's favorite crash spots. Often I'll look down at him and sometimes he'll roll over and expose his tummy. This isn't Cody "submitting" to me - this is Cody asking for belly rubs (which he loves!) The act of rolling on his back and exposing that area of his body is pretty scary though, and oftentimes is accompanied by growls.
Sometimes I'll stroke his belly, sometimes I'll simply talk to him and encourage him. His body language determines my actions. In this case he was so tense that touching him may have pushed him over threshold, and so I talked to him without touch. He rolled back over, still very tense and growling.
Fully back on his stomach now, he gives me a cut off signal by turning his head to the side. I continue to keep talking to him in a soft, slow tone.
He starts to feel better and even lifts a back leg, indicating he may roll on his back again. His face has softened, his ears have changed from being stiff and out to the side to being pressed back against his head in an appeasement position. His eyes have gone from hard and stiff to being soft, and he has stopped growling. At this point I put my hand down to him and rub his cheek and neck for a moment to reinforce his calm energy.
A few minutes later - he's curled back up into a dog ball and is snoozing. These interactions can take a lot out of Cody!
These next two videos were taken the same night, an hour or so after the pictures. Cody repeatedly seeks out attention, growls when being touched, and then when he has worked through the tension, responds with affection and requests more touch. I deliberately leave my hand in contact with him to encourage him to work through his tension while still having physical contact. The majority of the vocalization is an expression of insecurity and at no point in the videos does he tell me he is considering biting.
This is a large grey area with Cody and as I watch the videos, I see times when I should have removed my hand earlier or made it still earlier. That is the benefit of videos though - no one can critique your training like you can!
This video we same some of the same behavior, but Cody is working on disengaging himself when he feels uncomfortable. This is huge for Cody and is a skill we've been working on for several weeks now. I love how Cody walks away a couple times and then comes back on his own when he is ready. At one point he does get anxious and chases his tail, but this is a stress reliever and he brings himself back out of this. This is pretty intense for Cody, and while the entire thing lasted less than three minutes, it isn't something I do very often. Working with a dog close to threshold requires being more precise than working a dog a little further away from their threshold, and being precise while holding a camera is very hard!
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