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Old September 29th, 2015, 11:44 AM
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DMCWLVSSR DMCWLVSSR is offline
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been awhile but need help now, sorry so long

I am having a delemia and need feedback. my boys story.
A friend of a friend found him as a stray, my friend had him a month then was going to take him to the pound because he "is a handful". I couldn't let that happen and said I would pick him up and find a home. I recently lost my Freesia and was not yet ready for another, or so I thought... I have had him for 2.5 months. Got him his shots and neutered. He gets into everything. I can not have anything on the night stand, dresser or counters. I have no more potted plants he is alone when I am at work. Has access to in or outside.
He is a very smart boy but does not want to do what I want him to do. Commands of sit & down he does. Stay he knows but only does for food. Comes when he feels like it. He shy's away from people unless you have a dog. Barks and is a bit aggressive acting when friends come over but calms down after awhile. Walks on a leash ok pulls a bit. At the dog park or just when playing with another dog he is very rough and is an ankle biter. (This is why he now is grounded for 3 weeks for a shoulder sprain.) When I tell him No he barks and nips. Any kind of restraint he nips (putting leash on, cleaning ears, getting a thorn out of paw) it was bad when I first got him, he is getting a bit better. I assume these are all trust issues and will ease once we bond better. I hope. I don't think it is vicious actions just rough play. We both have a lot of work to do and unlike my friend I am not ready to give up on him. So any feedback welcomed. I wish I had the $ for a trainer but after the vet. bills from my girl I am definitely short in that area.
He is a handful but was slowly comming around. now
Things went backwards when he injured his shoulder and Ive had to keep him down.
He is approx 8 months I assume I am his 4th home.
1) Where he was born,
2)the friends friend,
3)the friend
4)then me.
I have had him for 2.5 months. I am Worried that he will not heal; since I can not keep him calm. I can not afford a good trainer Or kennel him for the recouperation.
I am an older single person, I am away 8-10 hours 5 days a week. No one to ask to check up on him. I live in a small house. I have a small yard that is 13'by 36'.He broke out of a 4'X 4'metal wire crate. I am worried he'll hurt himself more with that escape and him tearing apart the yard and getting the "zoomies".When not home.
I contacted a rescue reguarding him. They claim he will go into foster care for awhile then be evaluated. Then try to find him a home.
I do not want to give him up! He is starting to trust me.
the nipping is much better.I can now take his collar off and on. His reaction to NO has calmed. He is listening to commands a bit better.
I want to be patient and see if time will make things better. I think if I keep things as they are for a few more weeks maybe he will heal and we can get back to the park and play with his pals again and take our hikes in the woods. To keep his enegery level even. So we can get back to where we were before the injury.
Is this fair to him? Am I wrong to want to keep him with my situation?
Or.... should I let him go to see if he can find a home with more space, more time,
and with a younger person more able to keep up with him?
I would love to hear what you would do in my situation. It is a very hard choice I have to make. I don't know what mix I am guessing Malinois cross

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  #2  
Old September 29th, 2015, 03:50 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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I think you should find a very good dog behaviorist to help you , have you crate training him so he will not get into everything when left home alone? How much are you exercising him , he looks like a very high energy dog ? I think it's great you're keeping him and hope you can find
someone to help you work with him. He could had been abused at one time , poor puppy. Does he bark at men or women more or it's the same ?
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  #3  
Old September 30th, 2015, 09:02 AM
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marko marko is offline
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To me this sounds doable and fixable - with help. I encourage you to try and keep this fine boy but a firsthand look by a trainer is certainly recommended.

As for questions I was going to ask the same thing.

Would group training be affordable for you? It's usually cheaper than private when money is an issue.

As for all these behaviours, at the end of the day your dog isn't listening to you so you need hands on training for this - it's not super difficult mind you, but you need the time with the specialist.

Group obedience training (if they will take your dog) would be good because you could see firsthand in a group with a good leader how your dog will react to basic demands you will make of him. Once a dog is properly trained, peace of mind also tags along.

If this is the route you choose - ask someone you trust - like a vet or a friend for a reference to a good trainer. (lots of losers out there)

Hope that may help.
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  #4  
Old September 30th, 2015, 03:29 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Ach! Rehoming is such a hard decision. It sounds like you're giving him a loving home, and that's worth quite a lot, imo. I do hope you can find someone to help you get him sorted. So no advice for you on that count.

I do, however, have a suggestion for his recuperation--have you tried tethering him to your belt on a short leash while you're home. Kind of a pain for you, but I've used the method with good success after we had full hip replacements done on a dysplastic springer. One nice thing about the tethering is that it forces you to focus on the dog and allows for some good bonding/training time.

When you're at work, can you confine him in a small room? Bathrooms are pretty good, but if the floor is slippery, make sure you put down a throw rug for him so he can get traction. If he's clever, then it might be a good idea to tie or somehow fasten any cabinet doors closed so he can't get into anything dangerous. Also, put the toilet paper out of reach--we've found that shredding it is entertaining for bored doggies...

Best of luck!
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  #5  
Old September 30th, 2015, 06:29 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
Ach! Rehoming is such a hard decision. It sounds like you're giving him a loving home, and that's worth quite a lot, imo. I do hope you can find someone to help you get him sorted. So no advice for you on that count.

I do, however, have a suggestion for his recuperation--have you tried tethering him to your belt on a short leash while you're home. Kind of a pain for you, but I've used the method with good success after we had full hip replacements done on a dysplastic springer. One nice thing about the tethering is that it forces you to focus on the dog and allows for some good bonding/training time.

When you're at work, can you confine him in a small room? Bathrooms are pretty good, but if the floor is slippery, make sure you put down a throw rug for him so he can get traction. If he's clever, then it might be a good idea to tie or somehow fasten any cabinet doors closed so he can't get into anything dangerous. Also, put the toilet paper out of reach--we've found that shredding it is entertaining for bored doggies...

Best of luck!
LOL! I found that out too about bored doggie , Marty got a hold of a roll of toilet paper and shredded it ! He thought it was fun !
If the OP dog has a collar on him that should be removed if they leave him the bathroom , The collar could get stuck on the toilet faucet , read about a dog left in the bathroom overnight . The poor dog was dead the when the owners woke up. His collar got stuck on the toilet faucet and he chocked to death .
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  #6  
Old October 5th, 2015, 04:36 PM
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Dog Dancer Dog Dancer is offline
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What if you contacted a rescue and told them your situation with this beautiful pup and that you would love to foster him and possibly keep him but desperately need help. Do you think they may be able to help you with some training time. I agree with the others that you probably need professional help to get past this, and that it would be worth it. Bless you for wanting to help him. I have two very large dogs and often feel I am in way over my head with them!! In the end, trust your own instinct. If you feel you are not doing him justice then it may be best to let a rescue take him and have somebody work with him. Baby steps also add up to a lot, so if you feel you are on the right path, maybe a group lesson situation through the SPCA or somewhere would help. Good luck to you.
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Old October 17th, 2015, 05:20 PM
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DMCWLVSSR DMCWLVSSR is offline
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thanks for the feedback. We managed to survive the recuperation period. He has been back to the dog park twice and luckily with just a couple small dogs so all they did was run. We have taken obedience classes with the humane society. I've contacted rescues but he is not an acceptable candidate, they do not train dogs. They gave me a check list and he does 8 out of the 10 reasons they won't take dogs. So we are stuck with each other. He has mellowed with some of his behavior's. The biggest is getting him used to people and noises when we take walks. He still hates being left alone and gets into everything but I can't change that I have to work. Keep him in your prayers. This is some of his handiwork, used to have a healthy raspberry bush in that barrel, but that face just makes me cave.
thanks pets and purrs
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"The cat is the mirror of his human's mind… the dog mirrors his human's physical appearance." -Winifred Carriere
"A dog is the only thing that can mend a crack in your broken heart" -Unknown
When a Cat adopts you there is nothing to be done about it except to put up with it until the wind changes. TS Elliot
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Old October 17th, 2015, 08:10 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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He looks like a very high energy dog , it's too bad there not some job he could be trained for. Do think he could be a police dog?
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  #9  
Old October 17th, 2015, 11:55 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Yay on the recuperation!! He's such a cutie! What's his name?

We also have a dog that can be reactive to people and other animals. One thing that worked nicely for us was to train him to 'relax'--which means sit and look at my face. We taught him in two pieces--the 'sit in front of me' part, and the 'look at my face' part. The sit was easy, since he already knew that, and to get him to subsequently look at my face, I just held the treat up by my eyes. So, I'd say 'relax', give him a hand signal for the sit and hold the treat up by my eyes. To start, the reward would come when he sat and gazed at me for 2 seconds, and then we'd lengthen the gazing time before the treat was given.

Once he had it down pretty pat, we trained with distractions--a neighbor would walk down the drive or a biker would go by on the street and we'd ask for and reward his 'relax'ed behavior. Once he was doing well with distractions at a distance, we started taking him for walks. The distractions there were much nearer, but he caught on surprisingly quickly. I knew we were getting a handle on his reactivity the first time an Amish buggy went by--although horses had always triggered his craziness before, the first time I told him to 'relax' as one went by while we were walking, he plunked his butt down promptly and gazed at my face the whole time the buggy was passing us. You can bet he got high praise and lots of cookies for that one!

So that might be one thing you'd want to try with your dog.
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  #10  
Old October 18th, 2015, 07:16 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
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I can see why his face makes you cave, he is so handsome, (and innocent looking)
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  #11  
Old October 19th, 2015, 10:19 AM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Originally Posted by lindapalm View Post
I can see why his face makes you cave, he is so handsome, (and innocent looking)
I am thinking he looks very intelligent and alert and would made a great working dog. I bet he has mind like a mouse trap !
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  #12  
Old October 19th, 2015, 06:43 PM
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DMCWLVSSR DMCWLVSSR is offline
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His name is Kiowa. He is smart a little too smart. We are slowly gaining what we lost before the injury. His reaction to people is the same male or female. Getting a bit better at that too. Just going to be a long slow process. I hope I last. LOL I think we might do obedience classes again. He did back slide while I had to keep him down. Thanks for the feedback it is very helpful. Wish I had the time and money to do some sort of training. He would be good at anything.
pets and purrs
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"The cat is the mirror of his human's mind… the dog mirrors his human's physical appearance." -Winifred Carriere
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