So we are just about 3 months in to Dudley coming to his new home. Let me say, he is a cheeky fellow who hides behind this melancholy mask. I keep in constant contact with his foster mom and learn new things as we progress. Yesterday I learned that the Dude likes to have his own private room. His foster mom had two resident dogs and would take in fosters on a regular basis. She is an angel and made adjustments in her life for her dogs that I don’t know if I would be able to do. She really wanted to help Dudley after his amputation and moved from an upstairs apartment to a ground floor apartment just so he would be able to have access to his home. She also found housing that was pitbull friendly so that she could continue to foster and rescue dogs who were considered a risk just because they had pitbull genetics.
I will say that a lot of rescue/shelter dogs will most likely have pitbull in them if they are a mixed breed. I am very fortunate that I live on my parents property and don’t have to worry about this breed specific (not just pitbulls) stigma. I truly believe that a lot of the bad behavior comes from two things…not understanding the breed of your dog and not understanding dog language. Most of the issues fall upon us, as the humans. After my husband passed away, I started to take my GSD to the local spot where people would walk their dogs. Kota was a 110 lb dog with a massive bark and he would throw epic tantrums when I would take him away from whatever dogs he had decided to join up with. He was amazing with small dogs but wary of the border collie and “wolfy looking dogs” He only got in one scuffle with a female husky who was not fixed and whose owner kept her on a long lead because she was prone to going rogue and ending up running around on the mud flats chasing birds. People were always fearful of me and Kota because I kept him on a leash, knowing that he would refuse to go back to the car with me.
I haven’t taken Dudley Doodle out to the local spot yet. We’ve been working on car rides and he’s getting more comfortable with them. Unfortunately, this amazing area where people walk their dogs also comes with a lot of dog parent issues. Dog parks can get weird. It isn’t the dogs, it’s the owners and their issues. You have people who aren’t comfortable with their dogs. People who are hypersensitive with their dogs. I had a guy who had a lab that he was chucking a ball for and even though my GSD showed major issues with a ball being thrown, he still chucked a ball over the bank into the river for his dog while I physically tried to stop my old GSD from launching over the bank to chase the ball. And this person was a veterinarian, thankfully not a veterinarian from the clinic that I go to!
Dudley is so good with other dogs, almost too good. He wants to be friends and play and he is very good at figuring out the dogs that don’t want to play with him. Unfortunately his solution is to run away after the interactions go astray. I have plans to do some work with a local dog trainer who specializes in individual interactions soon. she does a lot of positive reinforcement and works on behavioral issues. From the reading I have done about boxers and pitbulls, you need to go into the battle with a gentle hand.
I’m so in awe of how in tune you are with Dudley, and dogs in general. I wish there were more pet parents like you out there. Your patience, and willingness to work though Dudley’s issues are priceless. Can we clone you?
As for dog parks…oh my gosh you are RIGHT! It’s not the dogs who have the problems. They work it out, if their people allow them to do it. But they don’t. People’s fears and anxieties get in the way of dogs’ relationships. We are finding this to be true with our Nellie, who loves approaching dogs with a hard, loud bark and non-contact near-miss nip, but people freak out more than any dog we think will get along with her. We recently put up a flyer at our RV park dog park, asking for anyone who is willing to allow their dog help Nellie learn some greeting manners, to give us a call. Well, someone did, and guess what kind of dog they have? A GSD!
I’ll be following along what your trainer suggests. Keep us posted!
Oh!!! I worry so much about not being the strict no touch no talk type with my dogs. I’ve always had cats but grew up with dogs…although they were farm dogs with no training but much loyalty to us kids when we ran around in the woods. I’ve learned to be the person who is there from beginning to end, with pets and people. I’ve found that being a very hands on pet owner has allowed me to find lumps and bumps etc because I am willing to give a good brushing/massage session on a regular basis. And I have learned so much from the groups and blogs that are out there! My acupuncture vet told me when he didn’t have an assistant to help “hold” the dogs while he inserted needles, that I was one of the few people he was comfortable with restraining my GSD. Kota did a lot of warning nips when getting his sensitive areas treated but I could keep him restrained just enough.
My neighbor with the German Short Hair and the Border Collie who we walk with on the weekends had an experience at the not official dog park about 3 months ago with a lady and her rescue australian cattle dog. She was not a seasoned dog person (especially with a herding breed who was a new to her rescue) and the 13 year old border collie ended up nipping her cattle dog on the lip in defense. There was a little spot of blood and the lady freaked out on my neighbor. His dogs are used to being around other dogs and are incredibly well trained but there is that point where dogs will let the other dog know that enough is enough. He made the decision to stop taking his dogs out to the area because of the people who act like it is their personal property. It’s actually a half circle that goes around the natural gas tank (which is fenced)…the other side is the river and it is a wonderful place to walk dogs, bird watch, fish or just go for a walk. I used to take my GSD out there a few times a week and he loved it! We met a lot of awesome dogs and dog parents but there were the little cliques. The Corgi herd was one that I hated running into. 5 corgis with bells and no manners. The dogs were awesome but the owners were a bit “elite” I was told that they didn’t want to approach me because I had Kota on a leash. He was on a leash because he would join a pack and not come back to me 🙂 And we know how that GSD bark goes over with people. I would have to drag him away while he threw a major fit because he wanted to stay and run with the dogs. And then get judged for that. ugh!
I would imagine that Dudley would also throw a fit if we left before he wanted to and then I would be that “evil lady who dragged her 3 legged dog away” Both Kota and Dudley would send me signals that play time was over even though their brains didn’t want to admit it.
Dudley has actually been having issues with his knee lately and I’m not sure if it’s because he’s been allowed to be lazy too much or if he gets that wild hair and wants to run in short bursts. He actually sat down when we were coming back from a low impact walk with his dachshund mix lady friend. When it’s just the two of them, they do a lot of sniffing and stomping around in the leaves. I do think that Dudley thinks he can do much more than he physically should. He was much better on our solo walk today, some short bursts of running and then waiting for me to catch up. That is what I like to see. He had been running super low to the ground but today his gait seemed better. My other neighbor tells me that I worry about everything too much but I find that by being observant, you can see the markers that your dog is doing too much before it becomes too much. He has the bullet proof Malinois who is probably going to have mobility issues in her old age. He’s an awesome person but sometimes doesn’t have a clue 😉 I finally learned to be assertive about when play time with his dog was over with my GSD because of Kota barely being able to walk the small distance back to our house after playing with his dog.
It will be a while before I am able to do training session with Pike (the trainer I mentioned) but I will do a blog post when we do. She’s awesome and very adept at dealing with dogs that have issues.