3 car rides in!!!

So, as I have previously posted…Dudley and the car rides were a big hurdle for me. We have done 2 car rides to my sister’s house, which is 7 miles away…ending in fun times with the birthday slumber party and a little hang out at the house while I did laundry. Last night we went up to our neighbor’s house for a little dinner (20 hour pork roast on the smoker, it was amazing!!!) and Dudley had a moment where my neighbor’s wife had walked down the road to check the mail, etc. He saw her, we had a chat and I went to coax him into the car. He didn’t need any coaxing or tugging and just hopped right in!!!

When we got up their driveway and parked, getting out was another story. They have a 5 year old Malinois who Dudley is still learning about. She is very vocal and does a ton of posturing but is actually not as aggressive as she comes off. Dudley’s reaction to aggressive dogs is to just get away from them if his happy face and wagging tail doesn’t work to charm them. He didn’t bolt on me but just went down the driveway a bit to do business. Once we got inside, Dudley found the dog beds in the living room and picked one to nestle into. He is very good at making himself at home, probably from living in a rescue situation where you need to pick the good bed quickly! He recognized the other dinner guests as they were our other neighbors with his weekend slough walk buddies and there were tail wags aplenty for them. He is just the most loving and accepting dog ever, even with a malinois barking in his face.

After dinner, which Dudley spent relaxing in a dog bed and not begging for food (bonus!!!) we all spent a little time chatting in the living room. It was funny to see the different dog dynamics. I was on the dog bed with Dudley while he was hanging off the end of it getting his hip massaged by me while the Malinois was pestering people to throw the toy for her. I have known Chloe (the Malinois) since she was 9 weeks old and have dog sat her many times over the years. And I absolutely adore her parents but her dad…sometimes he doesn’t have a clue as to what the difference is between a well trained dog and a well behaved dog. Her mom, on the other hand, has a firm voice and doesn’t put up with all of the barking, etc. It was nice to see that Dudley could relax in another person’s house with a barking dog and trust that he was safe. He didn’t get stressed out and just found his space and made himself at home. My old GSD would take Chloe’s barking in his face as a challenge and bark right back at her, with a few paw slaps and tussles. They were pretty funny to watch because the Malinois has a high pitched bark and Kota had a very impressive Issac Hayes bark. Dudley just finds a spot to chill <3

I have a feeling that when I do dog sitting for the Malinois’s parents over the next year, things will be more chill. They prefer to use me as a dog sitter since I am right next door and I can hang out at home with the cat and parents and then go up the hill. Chloe is completely different when she has pet sitters and is more relaxed. Dudley is just “the Dude” and he just wants to hang out and chill with other dogs.

I am so happy that he finally was willing to hop into the car without a struggle. We will figure out the safest way for him to ride and hopefully I will be able to lift him into the back seat without any grumbles. I have a feeling that if I am able to have the nephews get into the back of the car with him and have it be a playful moment, he will figure it out!!! I’m thinking that all three of them in the back seat will be a fun time for him…I want to make the back seat with a restraint seem like a good thing. The nephews enjoy rolling around in the back seat while the car is parked and love it when i pretend like we are going somewhere. We roll the windows down and turn the radio up and pretend like we are driving to Mexico. Big imaginations make for Big Fun! I’ve even been known to get mapquest out on my phone to make it seem real.