|
|
Location: East Midlands, UK
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,775
|
31-07-2012, 11:39 AM
Originally Posted by tawneywolf 
When I first brought Zillar back, she literally hurtled through the front door like a loose cannonball, with me hanging on grimly behind her
I remember when Tai came to me, I saw him long before I saw his owner, on a bloody flexilead for goodness sake, he soon learned, unfortunately those lessons were never carried on, so glad he ended up with you and had to learn manners and how to conduct himself in civilised society
How you have got through the utter minefield that was Ben, well.....you have my undying admiration for your fortitude, you were my shining example when I was battling with Zillar, totally exhausted by her some days, I kept thinking of you and Ben
if she can do it I can
Well thank you. Actually Tai was very easy because he is a "normal" dog (I hesitate to use the word "normal" to describe a utonagan!) in that he really does want to please you - unlike his predecessor, Hal, and Hal's son Ben! All we needed to do with Tai was be firm and consistent, and he did the rest really.
But Ben
he really was a nightmare. we had to start totally from scratch as until we got him a couple of years ago, apart from his short spell with his last but one owner, he had always been allowed to do exactly what he wanted, probably because everyone was frightened of him. If you tried to do something he didn't like, he would threaten you in the scariest way imaginable - short of actually biting. He had lighting reactions, and in less than the blink of an eye you would find yourself with his mouth round your hand, snarling with a very threatening look in his eyes. We have gone from that extreme to the situation where we are in now where at the very worst he will turn on you with an angry noise, it's not a growl or a snarl, it is an angry noise, I can't think of another description. Normally now he just lifts his head and you know by his eyes what he is feeling. I am not happy even with this low level "threat", but tbh he was so scarred when we got him, I am not sure whether we will ever get to the situation where he totally trusts us whatever we are doing to him. He is a real challenge and he amazes me almost every day. If someone told me a week ago that we would be able to use a pair of electric clippers on him and clip him round his tail, his thighs and between his legs I would have laughed!All dogs deserve a second chance, even the red zoners. He came within a gnat's whisker of OH wanting to have him put down at one point, but thank God he stuck with it. It is mainly down to OH in any case that Ben is the dog we have today, I can't take much if any credit for it.
|
|
Location: Bolton
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 24,075
|
31-07-2012, 01:43 PM
|
|
|
|
Location: East Midlands, UK
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,775
|
31-07-2012, 02:45 PM
Originally Posted by tawneywolf
It is so very hard to even tone down such learned behaviour, I just think whichever one of you 'did it' deserves A Mention
|
|
 |
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
| Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 2 (0 members and 2 guests) | |
|
|
Similar Threads
|
||||
| Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
| Chest freezers any one help? | x-clo-x | General Dog Chat | 7 | 13-10-2011 02:32 PM |
| Get it off your chest! | Azz | Off-topic Chat | 67 | 27-12-2010 08:23 PM |
| microchip in chest :( | perrypooh | Dog Health | 54 | 30-09-2007 07:28 PM |
| bad chest(time out) | zoeybeau1 | Health & Fitness | 14 | 27-07-2007 09:48 PM |
| Getting it off my chest...... | Shelly | Off-topic Chat | 7 | 10-06-2005 06:58 PM |