Hello all,
First let me tell you a little bit about my dealings with our 4 legged friends.
My first memory of having a Dog in the home was when I was a young boy.
Her Name was Cindy, she was a a small Terrier type cross I think.
Her and I were best friends, Where I went she followed close behind me, what ever trouble I could find she was in there as well.
My Mum tells me she once found us sitting under the Kitchen Table with the Sugar Bowl and the Milk, we were both coverd in a sticky mess.
I admitted to getting the Sugar and Milk but it was Cindy that had mixed them together. When Mum asked Cindy if this was true, the guilty look on her face gave her away lol.
We were both sentenced for our crime and punishment was swift, Strip and the dreaded BATH. Do not pass GO Ect. We spent many years together until Cindy found a boy friend and ran off to live with him. (Well I believed it, it didn't occur to me she
was really old lol)
My next dog was a Black Labrador/Doberman cross. his name was Jason.
I first met him while out one day while visiting my Mother. She had a young Lurcher called Shelly. On one of my visits we took Shelly out for a walk and she was in season.
Soon we noticed this big black dog was showing a bit of attention to Shelly.
So Shelly was told to get on with her stuff and off we went home.
Of course it didn't take long for Jason to find us and there he was patiently sitting at our Gate. I went out to shoo him away. He just looked at me like I was stupid, you
know the sideways look of "yer right". So I gave him a stroke while looking for a Name Tag. Name on one side and Address on other, sweet.
So we put a lead on him, stuck him in the car and took him home. Job done.
We had been in all of 15 minuets when I noticed Jason sitting quietly by the garden gate. We took him home.
Next morning he was back again, so we took him home again, the elderly couple that he belonged to told us no matter what they did to stop him getting out and going for a wander, he always got out if he wanted to.
They also had Jason's Sister and she was a Proper lap dog. She was happy to sit at their feet most of the day. Jason was becoming too much for them to deal with so they asked me if I wanted him as they could see how well
we got on together.
So I took him home to my place to meet the person who would later become my Wife lol.
He was a great Dog, so smart. He just knew what you was saying to him.
While out walking he was a dream. Tap on a wall he would jump over it, tap again he would jump back, if he needed to go to the toilet and we were on a path he would back himself into a bush and do his stuff there, if there was no bush he would squat at the side of the road and do his stuff in the gutter (this was before the days of being told about poopper scoopers).
He would carry his lead in his mouth but if bored he would stop
sit down and refuse to move until you took the lead from him lol.
He would carry anything you gave him and he would guard it with his life until I told him to "Give".
I used to leave him sitting out side of shops and most times I would come out to find children all over him. He loved the attention from children. But when out walking at night a totally different Dog would walk with me, Jason just knew when to go into Guard Mode.
Then I had to have some major work done on where we lived and we had to move out for a month. We was placed into a flat that would not allow Dogs. So my friend said she would look after him for me until we got back home.
Jason escaped and was picked up by the Police. My friend went to claim him and they gave her a real hard time about him being out on his own, she tried to explain that he just got out and all they would say to her is
"Its not that hard to keep a Dog safe".
They went out into the yard and found he had escaped from the kennel and yard.
Boy were they Red faced.
But because they had took him to an area he had never been in he didn't know how to find his way home. We lost him. I was totally gutted, I looked everywhere for him, my every spare moment was spent driving around just looking for my Dog.
Its only then that you realise just how many Dogs look just like yours.
The amount of people I stopped and asked if I could look at their Dogs.
Most were understanding if a bit defensive. And I cant blame them lol.
But I never did get him back, Once about a year later I saw a Skinny looking
Dog that could have been Jason eating out of a bin, I stopped the car and got
out and called Jason. I was about 10 feet away from him, he looked up and stood there. I slowly walked to him and the closer I got the more sure I was that it was him, gently calling "Jason, Jason". Less that Four Foot away and a car comes around the corner and sees me in the middle of the road and stops, sees Jason and thinks its a good idea to try and grab him for me, this of course scares what I truly believe to have been Jason and he runs off. That was the last time I ever saw him.
Then later I thought it would be a good idea to buy a German Sheppard Pup. I did EVERYTHING wrong. I didn't know any better. I broke all the rules for buying a puppy. But I just wanted a German Sheppard. I phoned the first add I saw and rushed off to look at it. Now this place I found myself at was a Farm.
The guy that met me at the gate warned me to not wave my arms around or make any sudden movements near the mother, I now know this should have been all the warning I needed to turn around there and then and walk away.
I was lead into a Barn where I saw this Litter of Pup's. Like some kind of a mug
I picked and brought one on the spot. This Bitch Pup I called Athena.
I took her home to meet the Family, (I know, yet one more mistake, the family
should have been with me when I picked a Dog).
My home was not puppy safe and it was not long before Athena broke her back leg.
This was a disaster, I started to carry her everywhere. She bonded more and more with me, while this was good for me it was bad for my Wife and my Child.
Athena became more and more possessive towards me and would try to get between my Wife and I if we sat close or got the slightest bit intimate.
She would nip at my Wifes hands and I would say "oh shes only playing" and
ignore the problem. I would go out and leave Athena at home and when I got
back my Wife would say to me, "She has been a right cow" but I never saw it.
Things went from bad to worse and I now know it was all my own doing.
The last straw came one day when my young daughter walked past her food
bowl and she went for my daughter and had her pinned up against the wall.
I found her a new home and thankfully she was as good as gold for them.
This time I am hoping I am a bit wiser, hell I sure am quite a bit older lol.
So onto the present. Last week my Daughter found someone selling some Jack Russell
Puppies and she wants to buy one for a Birthday Present for her Mum. I have said OK but on the condition that she takes her Nan with her to look at them.
She has found a lovely little boy and paid a deposit on him. We pick him up on Friday the 2nd of March. This week has been a busy week, getting everything we need to welcome him into our home and life. I have for some time now been watching all the latest Dog Training programs on TV. But they at this time are aimed at correcting bad training.
I have been downloading every E Book I can find on the subject and have decided to give the Clicker Training Method a go. I have my clicker ready and I think we are now a puppy safe home. All I can do now is wait.
So I thought it might be a good idea to find a Doggy forum and share with you
and hopfully learn from you.
First let me tell you a little bit about my dealings with our 4 legged friends.
My first memory of having a Dog in the home was when I was a young boy.
Her Name was Cindy, she was a a small Terrier type cross I think.
Her and I were best friends, Where I went she followed close behind me, what ever trouble I could find she was in there as well.
My Mum tells me she once found us sitting under the Kitchen Table with the Sugar Bowl and the Milk, we were both coverd in a sticky mess.
I admitted to getting the Sugar and Milk but it was Cindy that had mixed them together. When Mum asked Cindy if this was true, the guilty look on her face gave her away lol.
We were both sentenced for our crime and punishment was swift, Strip and the dreaded BATH. Do not pass GO Ect. We spent many years together until Cindy found a boy friend and ran off to live with him. (Well I believed it, it didn't occur to me she
was really old lol)
My next dog was a Black Labrador/Doberman cross. his name was Jason.
I first met him while out one day while visiting my Mother. She had a young Lurcher called Shelly. On one of my visits we took Shelly out for a walk and she was in season.
Soon we noticed this big black dog was showing a bit of attention to Shelly.
So Shelly was told to get on with her stuff and off we went home.
Of course it didn't take long for Jason to find us and there he was patiently sitting at our Gate. I went out to shoo him away. He just looked at me like I was stupid, you
know the sideways look of "yer right". So I gave him a stroke while looking for a Name Tag. Name on one side and Address on other, sweet.
So we put a lead on him, stuck him in the car and took him home. Job done.
We had been in all of 15 minuets when I noticed Jason sitting quietly by the garden gate. We took him home.
Next morning he was back again, so we took him home again, the elderly couple that he belonged to told us no matter what they did to stop him getting out and going for a wander, he always got out if he wanted to.
They also had Jason's Sister and she was a Proper lap dog. She was happy to sit at their feet most of the day. Jason was becoming too much for them to deal with so they asked me if I wanted him as they could see how well
we got on together.
So I took him home to my place to meet the person who would later become my Wife lol.
He was a great Dog, so smart. He just knew what you was saying to him.
While out walking he was a dream. Tap on a wall he would jump over it, tap again he would jump back, if he needed to go to the toilet and we were on a path he would back himself into a bush and do his stuff there, if there was no bush he would squat at the side of the road and do his stuff in the gutter (this was before the days of being told about poopper scoopers).
He would carry his lead in his mouth but if bored he would stop
sit down and refuse to move until you took the lead from him lol.
He would carry anything you gave him and he would guard it with his life until I told him to "Give".
I used to leave him sitting out side of shops and most times I would come out to find children all over him. He loved the attention from children. But when out walking at night a totally different Dog would walk with me, Jason just knew when to go into Guard Mode.
Then I had to have some major work done on where we lived and we had to move out for a month. We was placed into a flat that would not allow Dogs. So my friend said she would look after him for me until we got back home.
Jason escaped and was picked up by the Police. My friend went to claim him and they gave her a real hard time about him being out on his own, she tried to explain that he just got out and all they would say to her is
"Its not that hard to keep a Dog safe".
They went out into the yard and found he had escaped from the kennel and yard.
Boy were they Red faced.
But because they had took him to an area he had never been in he didn't know how to find his way home. We lost him. I was totally gutted, I looked everywhere for him, my every spare moment was spent driving around just looking for my Dog.
Its only then that you realise just how many Dogs look just like yours.
The amount of people I stopped and asked if I could look at their Dogs.
Most were understanding if a bit defensive. And I cant blame them lol.
But I never did get him back, Once about a year later I saw a Skinny looking
Dog that could have been Jason eating out of a bin, I stopped the car and got
out and called Jason. I was about 10 feet away from him, he looked up and stood there. I slowly walked to him and the closer I got the more sure I was that it was him, gently calling "Jason, Jason". Less that Four Foot away and a car comes around the corner and sees me in the middle of the road and stops, sees Jason and thinks its a good idea to try and grab him for me, this of course scares what I truly believe to have been Jason and he runs off. That was the last time I ever saw him.
Then later I thought it would be a good idea to buy a German Sheppard Pup. I did EVERYTHING wrong. I didn't know any better. I broke all the rules for buying a puppy. But I just wanted a German Sheppard. I phoned the first add I saw and rushed off to look at it. Now this place I found myself at was a Farm.
The guy that met me at the gate warned me to not wave my arms around or make any sudden movements near the mother, I now know this should have been all the warning I needed to turn around there and then and walk away.
I was lead into a Barn where I saw this Litter of Pup's. Like some kind of a mug
I picked and brought one on the spot. This Bitch Pup I called Athena.
I took her home to meet the Family, (I know, yet one more mistake, the family
should have been with me when I picked a Dog).
My home was not puppy safe and it was not long before Athena broke her back leg.
This was a disaster, I started to carry her everywhere. She bonded more and more with me, while this was good for me it was bad for my Wife and my Child.
Athena became more and more possessive towards me and would try to get between my Wife and I if we sat close or got the slightest bit intimate.
She would nip at my Wifes hands and I would say "oh shes only playing" and
ignore the problem. I would go out and leave Athena at home and when I got
back my Wife would say to me, "She has been a right cow" but I never saw it.
Things went from bad to worse and I now know it was all my own doing.
The last straw came one day when my young daughter walked past her food
bowl and she went for my daughter and had her pinned up against the wall.
I found her a new home and thankfully she was as good as gold for them.
This time I am hoping I am a bit wiser, hell I sure am quite a bit older lol.
So onto the present. Last week my Daughter found someone selling some Jack Russell
Puppies and she wants to buy one for a Birthday Present for her Mum. I have said OK but on the condition that she takes her Nan with her to look at them.
She has found a lovely little boy and paid a deposit on him. We pick him up on Friday the 2nd of March. This week has been a busy week, getting everything we need to welcome him into our home and life. I have for some time now been watching all the latest Dog Training programs on TV. But they at this time are aimed at correcting bad training.
I have been downloading every E Book I can find on the subject and have decided to give the Clicker Training Method a go. I have my clicker ready and I think we are now a puppy safe home. All I can do now is wait.
So I thought it might be a good idea to find a Doggy forum and share with you
and hopfully learn from you.
