Yeah, the girl who found Sam called the number on his collar and it was out of service. The vet he was taken to was able to identify the clinic the tag was from, but nobody was able to get in touch with any owners or anyone looking for him. The way Sam behaved when I first got him, between submissive peeing and food aggression, as well as being so young, it seemed likely someone could have abandoned him. But all the looking into that was done by the girl I got him from, who takes in a lot of stray animals and does this sort of thing a lot (she's thinking of trying to open a shelter).
Sam is doing good by the way. He's finishing his food more often, but progress is very very slow. Our strategy is to just leave him alone when he eats. At this point I can walk right by him or even touch him and he almost never growls. It's also easier to tell when he's getting nervous - you can see him stiffen up - and I just back off, maybe talking in a high voice, and give him his space. The only problem usually is when he loses interest in his food, and it stays there, and every time someone goes anywhere near it he runs to it, but will barely eat it. At first I tried to trick him into not paying attention when I removed the leftover food and bowl. More recently he won't seem upset as long as I don't do it when he's at all thinking about actually eating it.
Anyway what we have done about it is:
-make him lie down and stay while we put the bowl down, and wait for a release command before eating
-don't touch him while staying or when eating and give him some space
-decrease the portions slightly
-bury a couple of small treats in the bottom of the bowl (Zukes mini-naturals, salmon flavor - Sam doesn't like a lot of dog treats, but would do anything for these)
-praise him and give him a treat if he finishes his food and doesn't guard it, as soon as he's done.
His darting at things during walks is also still going on. It's happening less and less but again progress is extremely slow. He's gotten really good about most other things about being walked, but when there is a squirrel or rat nearby it's like he has no control over himself. He needs to sprint to it. So I'm still usually the one walking him. I think he got a little bigger even.
We got this face harness thing called the Gentle Leader. I gave it a try because all I had that worked for when he got like that was a pinch collar which I'd rather not be using. Sam had to get used to it, but it works. He can't pull with it on. If he pulls, he is pulling against the ring that hangs right under his jaw. A thin strip of nylon goes over his nose, and is connected to the ring below. Normally it applies no pressure (and he can open his mouth as usual). If he pulls, it tightens around his muzzle which is not a way that is comfortable to tug in. He cries a lot sometimes but only because it's working and he can't do what he's not allowed to. He is amazingly good at healing with this leash on, it's completely different if you try to give him a few feet. So he's usually walked now either healing right next to me, or doing his thing with the harness and retractable leash.
He still does not like the face harness thing, and will try to take it off. But most of the walk he's able to forget about it. I still take him to the park every day, and use the retractable leash and harness. But the first time he goes for a bird or something and doesn't stop when I tell him to, he's back on the face leash thing and we do the rest of the walk like that. He seems to be understanding those consequences and has passed up some temptations recently that really impressed me.
And finally, I'm not kidding, Sam prefers baby dill pickles to bacon.
Sam is doing good by the way. He's finishing his food more often, but progress is very very slow. Our strategy is to just leave him alone when he eats. At this point I can walk right by him or even touch him and he almost never growls. It's also easier to tell when he's getting nervous - you can see him stiffen up - and I just back off, maybe talking in a high voice, and give him his space. The only problem usually is when he loses interest in his food, and it stays there, and every time someone goes anywhere near it he runs to it, but will barely eat it. At first I tried to trick him into not paying attention when I removed the leftover food and bowl. More recently he won't seem upset as long as I don't do it when he's at all thinking about actually eating it.
Anyway what we have done about it is:
-make him lie down and stay while we put the bowl down, and wait for a release command before eating
-don't touch him while staying or when eating and give him some space
-decrease the portions slightly
-bury a couple of small treats in the bottom of the bowl (Zukes mini-naturals, salmon flavor - Sam doesn't like a lot of dog treats, but would do anything for these)
-praise him and give him a treat if he finishes his food and doesn't guard it, as soon as he's done.
His darting at things during walks is also still going on. It's happening less and less but again progress is extremely slow. He's gotten really good about most other things about being walked, but when there is a squirrel or rat nearby it's like he has no control over himself. He needs to sprint to it. So I'm still usually the one walking him. I think he got a little bigger even.
We got this face harness thing called the Gentle Leader. I gave it a try because all I had that worked for when he got like that was a pinch collar which I'd rather not be using. Sam had to get used to it, but it works. He can't pull with it on. If he pulls, he is pulling against the ring that hangs right under his jaw. A thin strip of nylon goes over his nose, and is connected to the ring below. Normally it applies no pressure (and he can open his mouth as usual). If he pulls, it tightens around his muzzle which is not a way that is comfortable to tug in. He cries a lot sometimes but only because it's working and he can't do what he's not allowed to. He is amazingly good at healing with this leash on, it's completely different if you try to give him a few feet. So he's usually walked now either healing right next to me, or doing his thing with the harness and retractable leash.
He still does not like the face harness thing, and will try to take it off. But most of the walk he's able to forget about it. I still take him to the park every day, and use the retractable leash and harness. But the first time he goes for a bird or something and doesn't stop when I tell him to, he's back on the face leash thing and we do the rest of the walk like that. He seems to be understanding those consequences and has passed up some temptations recently that really impressed me.
And finally, I'm not kidding, Sam prefers baby dill pickles to bacon.