The dog thread is better than the cat thread, because it features dogs.

[Callie]

Just been down for a gin top-up and sure as eggs is eggs he's in the armchair. This time though I've not got treats with me so I'm perched on the front of the chair while he's forced to the back. That'll learn him.

Does he respond to a firm out/off or just go wiggly and TOOOO CUTE?!

 

[Callie]

View attachment 316714

Nope

Awww shes so lovely x

 

[two sheds]

Does he respond to a firm out/off or just go wiggly and TOOOO CUTE?!

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Fucking Godalming

 

[lizzieloo]

Awww shes so lovely x

Honestly, she's a bit too lovely, we spend our days reminding each other not to fall in love with her.

 

[Saunders]

Honestly, she's a bit too lovely, we spend our days reminding each other not to fall in love with her.

The people next door said they were fostering but I think they’re going to keep her. They were ready for a permanent dog though

 

[Saunders]

I’d like to say how wonderful my dog is. It’s been a time of change for us and he’s just fitted in with it all. He doesn’t come when I call him if he’s doing something interesting, rolls in unspeakably stinky things and digs holes in all the wrong places. Nevertheless he is a great solid companion and I love him.

 

[Sprocket.]

I’d like to say how wonderful my dog is. It’s been a time of change for us and he’s just fitted in with it all. He doesn’t come when I call him if he’s doing something interesting, rolls in unspeakably stinky things and digs holes in all the wrong places. Nevertheless he is a great solid companion and I love him.

There is nothing that can bring you more joy or occasional embarrassment than a dog with character. Glad he’s a good fit .

 

[Motown_ben]

Rudi dog

 

[rubbershoes]

Old dog with new blanket

 

[lizzieloo]

View attachment 316895
Rudi dog

OMG!

 

[Epona]

I met another lovely dog today when I was out doing my biodiversity monitoring stint. It's quite a popular dog walking spot down by the river. Today's dog was a German Shepherd type dog, it made a beeline for me to say hello, all waggy and making happy doggy snuffling noises.

One of the other volunteers said to me "Dogs really like you, don't they? They always go straight to you" I replied that was OK because I like dogs. Maybe they can tell that or something

 

[BoatieBird]

Could be something to do with eye contact Epona, confident dogs make eye contact with people as a way of connecting with them.

https://www.rover.com/blog/dog-eye-contact/#:~:text=Just%20like%20eye%20contact%20is,of%20charisma%20at%20dog%20shows!

 

[two sheds]

Interesting, I did also read that closing your eyes when up close to your dog shows trust.

 

[BoatieBird]

I remember watching something about dogs (BBC maybe? THe wolf in your living room?) and them saying that really intelligent dogs can read facial expressions. Treacle could recognise slightly raised eyebrows as shorthand for 'yeah, go on then'

 

[Elpenor]

Interesting to read the above. I suspect our daft spaniel took the view it was always better to ask for forgiveness with big round eyes than permission

 

[BoatieBird]

 

[two sheds]

will watch that, ta. I've also been recommended "It's me or the dog" which I must look at.

 

[two sheds]

One thing I need to sort out though. I was told he'd run up to someone who was walking towards the kids and two rellies (not the parents) on a path. He went behind the bloke and bit him - drawn blood . He's not felt like he'll do that with anyone - he's on the lead anyway.

But he's barked a bit aggressively at a neighbour's son so I'm keeping him away from kids. Today on the walk a cyclist stopped to talk and I gave him a treat to give to Frankie who was fine at first then started barking at him.

Two dogs he was really friendly with but a third he barked aggressively again - I wonder whether it was because the owner came over and started petting him at the same time the dog was really close and sniffing. It may have been too much for him. He did snap at a small dog who greeted him one time, and the owner did say he could be a bit of a bully to small dogs.

So I do want to socialize him, but would it be best to keep him away from unfamiliar dogs and people (difficult though because he looks so friendly and is normally wagging his tail) until I've got him so he doesn't pull on the lead, and doesn't lose it when he sees squirrels and cats?

Any thoughts?

 

[Saunders]

I don’t really know the answer two sheds but something I found with mungo during our first year or so together was that working on training, bonding outside together meant that there were fewer opportunities for him to have a wrong reaction to another dog, or a person that made him uncomfortable.
The focus of our morning walk would be (eg) gradually working towards getting him to down stay while I walked a 6 metre circle around him. We’d stop for a few minutes every so often, have a go at a simple element of making this happen, and he’d be rewarded with a bit of his breakfast. He knew I had food reward and he was peckish so kept pretty focussed on me, and successfully completing a task.
And through this gradual process we built communication and trust. We used picnic tables and benches to practice hup, over, off etc. not always with great success. I learned to quit while I’m ahead.
He is by no means, as my posts on this thread will attest, a well trained obedient dog and we’re still a work in progress, but having that thing to do together while out meant that the other people and dogs were less important, and that he was in the groove of responding to me. I found doing a lot of our training outdoors very beneficial.
This is all very waffly, sorry, I hope you get the gist and it might be of any use.

 

[two sheds]

no that's interesting, thanks - the 6 metre circle i.e you got him to lie down and stay while you walked round him off the lead?

I do take the treats out with him and he is very treat focused so that's promising.

 

[Saunders]

no that's interesting, thanks - the 6 metre circle i.e you got him to lie down and stay while you walked round him off the lead?

I do take the treats out with him and he is very treat focused so that's promising.

Yes. Not instantly by any means.

 

[two sheds]

Ta - I'll try to think of something like. I can't let him off the lead yet though.

 

[Saunders]

Took a few weeks once I’d decided it was something I wanted to achieve, as each element needed to be worked on step by step.

 

[Saunders]

I don’t want to sound like I know what I’m talking about because I really don’t but I think it’s also helpful to think in terms of reward, not treat.

 

[Saunders]

FYI I spent about 2 years ‘training’. By which I mean working on something when out together, even if it was sharing a sandwich where he had to wait to take his pieces.

 

[kabbes]

It takes about 18 months of care and attention before a rescue dog fully attaches. Saunders is right — the best way to accelerate that attachment is by working with it. But during that initial time, you can’t expect that it will react to you as if the bond was already established.

You’ll get there, two sheds. You really will. The dog just operates to its own timetable, not yours. Keep on going and two years down the line you realise you have a different dog.

Some things you won’t change, though, and other new bad habits will form. None of us are perfect! Don’t beat yourself up about that fact.

 

[two sheds]

Interesting both, ta. And yes it took a couple of years for Cosmo to settle down with me. At the moment I'm concentrating on trying to gt him not to pull. He's a lot better on the way home already.

Still though, kabbes do you think I should introduce Frankie to new people and dogs? (Carefully, on loose lead but ready to pull him back although he's bloody fast, and bloody strong for such a small dog).

 

[kabbes]

I’m not a dog behaviouralist but I think not until you believe you have an absolute bond of trust between each other. The most important thing is that he doesn’t fail. You don’t want to put him into situations you don’t know that he can handle. Build the trust and the ability to follow commands first, I feel.

I’d be saying something very different if this was a puppy, of course.

 

[two sheds]

That makes a lot of sense, ta