Some Questions re new dog.

[jreilly]

Hi all,

 

I'm new to these boards and have really enjoyed reading some of the posts. I'm just after a wee bit of advice please.

 

We just acquired a 4 year old neutered male BC 3 weeks ago because the owners couldn’t keep him due to their son becoming allergic to the dog.

 

He had been kept outside all day and was walked about half an hour at night and so is quite a bit overweight (coming down a bit now!).

He is quite well trained in that we have never used a lead on him and he always comes immediately when called and he won’t put a paw off the pavement until told it is ok. He is very affectionate and is always after cuddles.

I’ve had him out a few times with me on my bike and he’s great at sticking with me.

 

Slight problems are :-

He doesn’t seem to want to socialise with other dogs. He just runs back to me when a dog comes near him. My partner’s daughter has a West Highland Terrier who is round quite a bit and he just ignores it, occasionally he looks at it and shows his teeth but that’s all.

 

He shows no interest in toys at all. He just looks at me as if I’m daft when I try to get him interested in playing with a tennis ball.

 

He doesn’t like to eat drink or do the toilet when we are watching which is not really too much of a problem but he won’t take treats from us so we can’t use that to train him.

 

I guess my question is, is 3 weeks just not long enough for him to feel comfortable about learning new things or is he just too old to start teaching new tricks.

 

I’m very happy with him as he is but it would be nice to do a bit more with him.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim.

[MaggieDog]

Dogs are never too old to learn new tricks! Your boy has gone through a major life change in 3 weeks - I'd give him some more time to settle in. Take things at his pace and give him lots of love and I think you'll see him start to turn around.

 

Has he had a vet check to make sure he's healthy? With the extra weight there could be underlying issues keeping him from being his best.

[Guest SweetJordan]

I too think that you need to give him more time to adjust, and to give yourself more time to work with him. Our family adopted our BC back in the spring who's now almost 23 months. We were told that she was really good w/ other dogs(something that was important to us). After adopting her we found out she had fear aggression issues w/ strange dogs. Probably because her previous owners didn't do anything with her, they just kept her in a crate. I almost had to take her back to the rescue because she wouldn't stop picking on my lab and he was scared of her. We decided that she had been through so much already that she probably just needed more time. It took her a good two months to stop picking on our lab(the poor guy was so patient). We soon figured out that she does great w/ dogs she knows really well and enjoys their company. Her best friend is my mom's doxie. And our lab is no longer afraid of her and she doesn't pick on him anymore. She likes him now. But it does still take her a long time to warm up to a strange dog more so if the dog is bigger than she is.

We have spent a lot of time working with her and she has really taught me how to be extra patient. I taught her basic obedience with little effort and she had to learn how to behave in a house and how to feel comfortable without being in a crate all the time. She's very trustworthy in the house(crated when we are away) she is still adjusting. She gets nervous easily(for example, if company comes over or anything is different) and is extremely timid.

Though she's as sweet as can be w/ all people and loves children she'll probaby never be able to go to a dog park or be able to join the local disk club, but she's still learning to just ignore other dogs when she's out and about. We took her to a training class and she made some really big improvements, but we had to sit away from the group. By the end of class she was able to walk to the middle of the room while keeping her attention focused on me. So you might want to try taking him to a class it will help with his socialization.

Anyway, my point is that it's just all going to take time. Our Riley has been w/ us going on 7 months and she's still adjusting and hasn't completely come out of her shell yet. We continue to work w/ her everyday.

 

And as Maggiedog stated dogs are never too old to learn new things. In fact they should learn new things on a regular basis and bc esp. enjoy the mental challenge. Though I think the most important thing you can give him right now is lots and lots of exercise(mental and physical). He probably still has a lot of pent of energy from the way he was living.

[jreilly]

Hi ,

thanks for the replies, it's encouraging to hear from folk who have had similar experiences. I'm sure you're correct in saying that I just need to give him time to adjust. We're already seeing changes in him, he seems happier now and has more energy since we have been giving him loads of walks and I'm sure he has lost a bit of weight.

We did take him to the vets as soon as we got him and he checked out ok apart from his weight so that side of things is fine.

I had him out last night and there were 2 incidents where other dogs came running over and he just ran away from them back to me, he didn't seem scared or anything it was just like he was not interested in playing or he had never been allowed to before. I'd be quite happy for him to run off some energy playing with the other dogs as long as he would still come back when called.

Looks like I just need to give him time and take things at his pace.

Thanks,

Jim.

[Gemmy4ever]

Your dog isn't interested in toys? It's not really a 'bad thing' but...it's nice for a dog to have a favorite toy. My dog, well, puppy didn't have alot of interest in toys for the first time. But, after a couple months, she liked them a little. And later, she'd grab a toy and when we'd come close to her, she'd run away. (the game keep away, I guess) she has tons of fun playing that game! Maybe your dog needs a little more time, and..just keep throwing toys at him until he sees the one he'll love forever.

[Shetlander]

I had him out last night and there were 2 incidents where other dogs came running over and he just ran away from them back to me, he didn't seem scared or anything it was just like he was not interested in playing or he had never been allowed to before. I'd be quite happy for him to run off some energy playing with the other dogs as long as he would still come back when called.

 

I also think these are very early days and as your new pup settles in he may show more interest in toys and playing with other dogs. Do keep in mind that some dogs just aren't that interested in playing with other dogs or at least strange dogs. My shelties were like that and a lot of Border Collies would rather do things with their person than mess around with other dogs. Even Quinn who loves other dogs would much rather play fetch with a human (doesnt need to be me) than chase around with his best friends he's known from puppyhood. Also, some dogs, especially those who didn't have exposure to toys as puppies, have no interest in toys.

 

Be sure that your guy is not getting overwhelmed by these other dogs or his disinclination to play may turn to fear or aggression. Again, it's only been a few weeks. You may well see big changes over the next year in regards to dogs and toys. Or he may always be reserved with most dogs and never that much into toys. Either way, he sounds like a real sweetie who is lucky to have found such a great new home.

[Bo Peep]

I've run into some problems with my adopted dog, but all in all they are working themselves out very nicely. She just didn't know how to "be a dog". She's learning now. Maybe your little guy needs some help too. With a male I adopted from a terrible situation, it took almost a year to earn his trust. It was well worth it. Hang on and you will have a wonderful little guy there.

[suskie]

I've run into some problems with my adopted dog, but all in all they are working themselves out very nicely. She just didn't know how to "be a dog". She's learning now. Maybe your little guy needs some help too. With a male I adopted from a terrible situation, it took almost a year to earn his trust. It was well worth it. Hang on and you will have a wonderful little guy there.

 

We adopted a BC from a shelter. She had run away from her home and it was obvious she was abused due to her submissiveness. It was a process to show her she was safe and loved in our home. She was worth all the time spent to get the fear out of her eyes. Now, we belong to her and she's the best dog we've ever had.

[redborder]

I think he needs more time to settle in too. None of mine is interested in playing with other dogs, I don't think that is a bad thing.

All dogs are different when it come to food and toys. If nobody ever introduced him to toys, it might take a time till he likes them....

And maybe try the treats in a controlled environment like your home and start building up on that. And preferably before you feed him ;-)

[Shetlander]

We adopted a BC from a shelter. She had run away from her home and it was obvious she was abused due to her submissiveness.

 

I'm not saying your pup wasn't abused, but I do want to point out that some dogs are just genetically very shy to the point of being fearful. My first sheltie was like that, though he did gain confidence over the years. But when he was a young dog, a number of people seeing him cower away from them would say "Oh, he must have been abused!" My response was always "Since he's lived with me since he was 7 weeks old, I sure hope not." The fear, uncertainty and suspiciousness were just who he was, though as I said, he became more confident and steady with time and lots of work.

[ziggzmom]

I'm not saying your pup wasn't abused, but I do want to point out that some dogs are just genetically very shy to the point of being fearful. My first sheltie was like that, though he did gain confidence over the years. But when he was a young dog, a number of people seeing him cower away from them would say "Oh, he must have been abused!" My response was always "Since he's lived with me since he was 7 weeks old, I sure hope not." The fear, uncertainty and suspiciousness were just who he was, though as I said, he became more confident and steady with time and lots of work.

 

 

This is so true! Many people assume that a dog was mistreated if it's spooky or shy....I've had a couple dogs that were very shy and fearful. One went to the bridge several years ago(I know she was never mistreated) and one is still with me(he's a rescue, but I really think he's just a shy dog and was not mistreated). They both improved a lot over time. The one that is still with me is very uncertain and frightens easily. I don't react when he is afraid and that makes a big difference. Also, if I get him to play tug and interact with me when he's frightened. He forgets that he's scared-lol....These two dogs have taught me so much=)

 

Janet