My new dog is having a breakthrough!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

It has been a rough two days. First he moves to this house where his water bowl is so big he falls in it ( We have a pool, don't worry he has a real water bowl)


Then there's these five furry beasts that he wants to play with but all they do is hiss at him (except for the rag doll who likes dogs, is curious and keeps inching closer..this morning they were face to face until she decided to back off a bit..last night she laid in the doorway and stared at him while he slept..she used to sleep in the dog bed with my other retriever but this guy hasn't proven trustworthy yet)

Yesterday he learned tough love since his last owners were not very good dog trainers. He learned his new mommy means DOWN, SIT and HEEL. I have never had to train a dog with a choke but this guy was so out of control it was the only way. All my other dogs came to me as tiny puppies..this guy is a puppy in a monster's body..he is a good 70 lbs. But he is getting with the program.

He was jumping at doors and forcing his way in to the point that I had to physically wrestle him down but one day later he is practicing good door etiquette and now waits for the invitation.

Today it is raining so he is learning better cat co-existence.

He is learning that he has the run of the house except for two rooms. These are the rooms where the cat food is and I wanted the dog to have his space and the cats to have a safe haven from the big rust colored thingy. The house is 3000 square feet so they all have their space.

He is learning that jumping up and humping does not win friends and influence people although next week we are visiting Mr. Surgeon who will take the payoff out of humping anyway.

Last night I could tell he was filled with anxiety from having to learn so many life lessons so I took a little nap on the floor with my arms wrapped around him.

I could tell he was having nightmares...today he is at my feet with his chew toy...getting rid of some nervous energy but is quite content.

I was worried the last two days it wasn't going to work but he is such a fast student, I think it will turn out fine.

As soon as my sis comes over with her digital camera, I will post some pics. He has one of the most beautiful faces I have ever seen on a Golden... his eyes are amazing ...reminds me very much of my last fella who lived to be 17 years old (the dogs get better medical care than me)

I'm so relieved it is working out...it's all he ever wanted was to be included in someone's life all the time.

Next we are going to work on in and out of the car..his only experience with cars was trips to the vet and to be moved to another home...he is now going to learn that cars are good because they mean Mommy want him to go everywhere with her.

I really love this little SOB :loveya:

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. What have you named him?

I hope it is something better than "little SOB".

[blm]

2. aw, geez, nsma....what a heart tugger.

You're making me miss my old pet rescue days in California.

There is a great joy in bringing stability to those abused animals who are only looking for genuine love from a responsible human being.

Glad your golden guy found you.

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. is it just me, or does it seem like all women who own dogs

Take great pleasure in taking them to get neutered? :shrug:

[blm]

6. hmmm...I dropped off my latest rescued cat to get spayed this morning

and the only pleasure I will get from it is knowing she'll stop wiggling on my comforter. Oh, and that wild male cats will stop spraying my front door.

[slinkerwink]

44. my dog isn't neutered---I prefer for Max to have his jewels

But he's really old and can't hump that well anymore as he did in his teens, heh.

[bearfartinthewoods]

4. we take only adult dogs...hard core rejects from the SPCA

chronic runners, mostly...escape artists...and dogs with trust issues.

it's challenging works. cuddling helps drive the nightmare's away and help you bond so you feel more able to survive the challenges. after rehabbing 12+ i know the value of a good cuddle.

good luck, even if i don't think you'll need much of it.

[rasputin1952]

5. Pretty good progress for 2 days!...

I am impressed!

70#'s?! do you ride him around the house?

Give us a name!

One more thing, *ahem*, if you are calling yourself 'mommy' an he is an SOB......uh-oh, never mind! :eyes:

Get those pic's on the board!

:loveya: :kick:

Edit: BTW...bet he won't "love the car" after the trip to the surgeon!
:scared: :wow:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

12. Yeah but only one more bad car experience

After that it is rides to obedience school and then we will work with a friend of mine that trains dogs for movies..he isn't show quality but he is smart...I want him to be the kind of dog people want to be around so when we go out my friends will all say "Bring Cocoa with you!"

[rasputin1952]

18. I cannot think of a better home for this dog...

He was very lucky to have come into your life, and visa-versa.

:loveya:

[proud patriot]

7. I love my Goldie

I'm sure he'll get with the program ,
all goldies want is to make you happy
and they are very sensitive creatures .

[commander bunnypants]

8. Good for your pup

and congrads

DDQM

[davidinalameda]

9. how sweet

I want to go home and play with my kitties

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

10. Uh-OH I spoke a little too soon!

Oh well I guess breakthroughs are followed by breakdowns.

Anyway, the name he came with was Cocoa..I wanted to change it to HANK as he looks like a Hank, but since we are breaking old habits that die hard, I decided to leave it at Cocoa since there is so much confusion..we used to get to wrestle, now we are taught it is bad manners and will get us a squirt with the water bottle AKA GOD.

Anyway I was on the phone with the people who were his second family (who couldn't handle him)

After peacefully dealing with the cats this AM, he went to wander to the kitchen where he got into it with a couple cats, knocked my Krispy Kreme donuts on the floor, tried to eat them..while I was cleaning the donuts, he went after my albino kitty who gave him a claw to the nose (bloodied him a bit)that backed him off for a minute...he then sprayed at the base of the stove...first time...and I threw his happy ass out and yelled at him..I left him outside for about 20 minutes while I cleaned up and calmed down the cats

he came back in and went to spray on the stove again..he went BACK outside (it's like wrestling an alligator when he gets all wound up)

I can't wait til Tuesday when he gets neutered as that will cure that one but as I said this was the first time and at least it wasn't the carpet (I had put 2000 dollars worth of carpet in the house not anticipating falling in love with a dog.)

We are closed in the two back bedrooms now (one is my office) for a little quiet time...he is chewing the hell out of his chew bone and getting it out of his system...this is a TEST :D

I still love him and I know he appreciates me and his new found inclusion..but he is slowly getting who rules the roost.

And on a side note to Magic Rat...if you tried to hump me and spray in the house, I'd cut your nuts off too! :evilgrin:

[rasputin1952]

11. MR as a castrato...

*mental note*: "Do not piss off NSMA while sharp objects are in the vicinity"!

O8)

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

13. Sounds great. You have the right approach. You have to be

the alpha dog, or he will challange you.

It is just how they think.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. He is smart but STUBBORN

I know that is a trait of some retrievers. My first one was never this way and the ones I raised for the Seeing Eye Dog Institute were not this way but the Labs were...in fact, my first was a seeing eye dog who developed hip dysplasia, which was why I got to keep him..

This guy doesn't even retrieve he was so poorly raised...we'll fix that after the weather gets better with a few trips to the ocean..he does like water..

but yeah...you can't be lovey with him til long after the discipline is done or he thinks you don't mean it.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

20. Yeah, my current dog is 13 and is a mutt Pointer of some kind

I had to beat her ass regularly for about a year before she gave up and accepted me as Lord Almighty and Master of the Pack. Some of them are stubborn. But that is a good thing once you are in control. A well-behaved dog with a active mind is a great thing.

[Cooley Hurd]

15. Sounds like what Chuckiemutt put me thru...

Charlie was a son of a bitch to train. Airedales are fiercely independent and seem to contemplate every command you give them. He's gotten so much better in the last few months, though, despite having his doggie world turned upside-down by having to live with a friend of mine after my auto accident (he's still there, but I hope he can come home in a few weeks, once I'm back up on two legs).

Congratulations on your new pup, NSMA! Persistence during training pays off, eventually (take it from me ;))

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

24. Hey how are you healing up?

Is Chuckiemutt on regular visitation?

[Cooley Hurd]

25. I'm Healing, slow but sure...

...Thanks for asking! :hi:

Chuckiemutt's coming over tonight to spend the weekend with me. Luckily, I have help on the weekends to be able to do so. I can let him out without a problem but sometimes, he enjoys himself outdoors so much that it takes a bit of "coaxing" to get him to come back in (spoken like a true parent of a insubordinate child ;)).

You GOTTA post some Pics of Hankocoa when you can! Heck, we haven't had a DU dog thread in, hmmm... 27 hours? :o


Charlie's TRUE self! :D

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

28. And Cocoa has a big black/brown nose just like that!

with a small flack of red after his showdown with Ralph this morning!

I am happy to hear your recovery is going well and of course was happy to hear you had a little escape from the reality of it all the other day :D

[Bertha Venation]

16. You're a great dog mom.

I'm proud to have made your acquaintance.

[SiouxJ]

17. I know what you mean about the car thing

My two new babies used to be pretty nervous whenever I put them in the car. They'd try to get in my lap while I was driving as they thought I was gonna drop them off at yet another foster home. A few trips to Petco cured them of that. Now they think every time we get in the car, that's where we're going. Natasha won't even get out of the car when I get home! She just sits there like she's saying, "c'mon! let's go somewhere else!" I take them everywhere with me now and they are so well behaved. Never a peep out of them. I've had them 6 weeks now and I think they feel pretty secure. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would give up these two - they are so well behaved.

I'm sure once yours feels more secure he will be a good dog too. He's lucky you found him. Good caring homes are hard to come by. Yup, that's one lucky dog!

:hi:

[rasputin1952]

19. Your little ones are lucky as well...

good homes ARE hard to come by; yours found a loving one as well!

:loveya: :hi:

[SiouxJ]

22. Hey you!

:loveya: too Ras!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

21. He's actually VERY GOOD on the ride..lays in the back seat

or sits with a bit of nosey out the window taking in the scents..he doesn't try to get in the front seat..in fact he is a better rider than any dog I have ever met...

Now I have to get a harness though so we can have the top down.

It's getting IN the car he doesn't like because he has it associated with bad things...soon that will change.

[SiouxJ]

23. Well that's good

mine are the best I've ever had too. They don't even try to get food when I go to a drive thru. I've NEVER had a dog that didn't get in your face for people food. I guess their former owner did a few things right. Still, it's hard to resist Boris' cute little face when he comes in the kitchen to see what I'm up to.

[cally]

26. Congrats on the new puppy

My Golden is 90 plus pounds and it's important to train them when they are so large. Have fun and I want to see pictures!

[SOteric]

27. Oooh! Love me some big, happy dawgs.

Goodonya for being a responsible alpha figure. He'll be a happier, longer-lived little dude for it.

[welshTerrier2]

29. Our Best Training Tip

we took our welshterrier to a training class (actually 2) when she was a puppy ...

she learned all the basic stuff: sit, stay, come, etc ...

the trainer added one tip that has really paid off ... every dog owner should know this tip ... the "come" command doesn't always work ... it's especially a problem if there's a major distraction (e.g. another dog, a squirrel, or some interesting food on the ground) ... so, what to do? you start yelling come over and over and louder and louder and no dice ...

the trainer had us pick "an emergency word" (we use "ici" which is french for "here") to get the dog to come when it's really important (e.g. when a car is coming or we can't find her) ... when the dog comes, she always gets a "super treat" like a hunk of cheese or a piece of meat ... practice this command periodically but use it only in real emergencies ...

it really works !!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

31. Thanks that is a good thing because that is happening now

although again I suspect his hormones are a good 50% of it and the newness of his home is a good chunk of the rest.

What I am learning is after we have some serious bang up of wills where I actually have to scare the shit out of him, I bring him in the back room with a chew toy until he gets all the anxiety out, then I love him up.

He is SO hard to handle that I worry at the end of the day he will hate me....we just had another head butt at the back door because I am trying to teach him periodically throughout the day to go out.

He was an outside dog at his last home so in his mind if he goes out he isn't coming back in.

Today, I have been spacing it..leaving him out for ten to thirty minutes then letting him back in, but he gets so worked up over it, there is no reasoning with him.

It's a very new experience.

Again, I have never met such a stubborn fella...but he's getting it day by day.

as I said, it's only been since 5 pm wednesday..so we really are making good progress but for the bumps in the road.

Thanks

[cally]

32. I had to teach my dog different commands to go outside

When I just mean for him to go out to pee, I say potty. OK, I know it's stupid but I had young kids at the time. He knows he just goes out for a few minutes and then comes right back in. I used to have to almost throw him out in bad weather. I use out when I mean him to go out for a long time.

I also was told to remove his food occasionally to establish dominance.

[Crowdance]

34. Ah, dominance. We cat owners can only dream of dominance.

The cats are clearly in charge here....

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

35. Yeah I hear ya!

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

36. Hello, I am the cat of your house.....I am being channeled through

this poor excuse of a human....

Dominance? You can't even handle equality!

Hah!

Now, go open my cans, worthless being.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

38. Mine are making it clear I offended the gods of cabinet tops when

I brought the giant beast in the house. They aren't eating my offerings until they get really really hungry.

[pmbryant]

30. Excellent

Thanks for letting us know how it's going. Sounds great for all involved!

:bounce:

EDIT: Just read your update, but it sounds like you will soon have things under control. :-)

--Peter

[LWolf]

33. Congratulations on the new family member!

Sounds like you're off to a great start. My mom has an 85 lb Golden; 85 lbs of "I love you, please play with me." "I love you, let's cuddle." Plenty of love to go around!

[salin]

37. The trials and tribulation of new adult dog ownership

I predict it will be a longer "adjustment" period than it would be with a new young pup; but that once through it the period of "naughtiness" (chewing furniture, wall corners, shoes, etc. and overall willfulness) will be MUCH shorter than would have been the case than would have been with a new young pup.

Keep us posted!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

39. Well he hasn't chewed anything yet, though he loves slippers and socks

the smellier the better. Every once in a while I let him have about 5 minutes with a slipper...it's our guilty pleasure. There's only one specific one he likes and they are old.

[salin]

40. keep an eye on that...

the one person I dated who had a bonded dog (to him) that loved shoes - got a bit jealous as I came into the picture. The dog (an Akita) responded to me, was friendly and all... but ended up - on first opportunity - shredding a favorite pair of boots. All we could figure was that he sorta favored shoes/boots... but was long past chewing them... but could blend that joy with sending a message that his master was spending a tad bit too much time with another.

[ScreamingMeemie]

41. Awwwww.. that is so sweet. What a good Mommy you are.

He sounds adorable...and lucky.

:hi:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

42. If anyone can advise

Unless I missed it. He won't go out in the backyard and we've had a few incidents over it.

How do I deal with that. He is afraid he'll be left out.

[ScreamingMeemie]

43. Do you go out with him? Jessie had this problem when we first

brought her home...I would go out with her, stand there and then come back inside for just a few seconds. Then I would come out and reward her with a treat. I lenghtened the time that I would stay away and eventually (I think two weeks) she realized I wasn't abandoning her. Much like putting a toddler to bed. ;)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

45. He panics if you go to come in without him

then he blocks or forces his way into the door.

[Hillsey]

46. He thinks you are going to abandon him. He's afraid.

You just said he is afraid he will be left out. Um, well, yeah. He IS afraid of that.

The best thing to do would be to go out WITH him and stay with him to make it okay to be out for a period of time, and then after some days or a few weeks gradually work in to going back into the house without him. He needs some time to get used to this. As it stands now he thinks you putting him out is abandonment.