I just have to brag on him...He can be the biggest pain in the butt dog...but I swear he is just so good sometimes.
Eddie has a tendency to be unpredictable...toward strange dogs, toward strange people. He *can* react aggressively.
Well, today, I had him out in the yard with me. I was sitting in a lawn chair and he was sitting in front of me getting a back rub. I heard some sort of noise; it sounded a little like a cat yowling and I thought to myself "Great"...because that is another thing Eddie isn't the best with...cats. A loose, running cat would be dead if Eddie managed to catch up to it. As soon as I finished the thought, Eddie took off. I chased him around the side of the house and he was staring down the driveway. It wasn't a cat, it was a DOG! Eddie barked and went off in its direction. I called to him ONCE..."Eddie! Come!". And just what did Eddie do? He IMMEDIATELY turned and came back to me and sat down! You could have knocked me over with a feather, I was so shocked! Eddie has good recall but in intense situations, I wouldn't bet on him returning to me. All I could do is sputter out "GOOD BOY!!! GOOD BOY EDDIE!!!" We went back into the house and I was beaming...I was just SO SO proud of my boy! Right now, in my mind, he's the best dog ever! lol
You can work so hard with an animal and not see much in the way of progress but then they just surprise you and let you know..."Hey, I was learning something after all!" I am JUST SO proud of him! I know to most owners that this isn't that big of a deal...just basic obedience, but this is something that Eddie and I have struggled over for awhile...listening to me with high distraction and in intense situations. So this is a HUGE deal here and a major breakthrough.
As for the stray dog; after I returned Eddie to the house, I went looking for it and was unable to find it. I called some neighbors and left some messages. I'll keep looking and maybe call Animal Control tomorrow. It looked like a Rottie mix...but young. As soon as it saw Eddie, it basically bolted down my driveway pretty fast, so I didn't get the best look at it but I'll keep my eye out for it...although I hope its found its way home. From what I could tell, it looked well cared for...at least according to the glance or two that I had.
Eddie has a tendency to be unpredictable...toward strange dogs, toward strange people. He *can* react aggressively.
Well, today, I had him out in the yard with me. I was sitting in a lawn chair and he was sitting in front of me getting a back rub. I heard some sort of noise; it sounded a little like a cat yowling and I thought to myself "Great"...because that is another thing Eddie isn't the best with...cats. A loose, running cat would be dead if Eddie managed to catch up to it. As soon as I finished the thought, Eddie took off. I chased him around the side of the house and he was staring down the driveway. It wasn't a cat, it was a DOG! Eddie barked and went off in its direction. I called to him ONCE..."Eddie! Come!". And just what did Eddie do? He IMMEDIATELY turned and came back to me and sat down! You could have knocked me over with a feather, I was so shocked! Eddie has good recall but in intense situations, I wouldn't bet on him returning to me. All I could do is sputter out "GOOD BOY!!! GOOD BOY EDDIE!!!" We went back into the house and I was beaming...I was just SO SO proud of my boy! Right now, in my mind, he's the best dog ever! lol
You can work so hard with an animal and not see much in the way of progress but then they just surprise you and let you know..."Hey, I was learning something after all!" I am JUST SO proud of him! I know to most owners that this isn't that big of a deal...just basic obedience, but this is something that Eddie and I have struggled over for awhile...listening to me with high distraction and in intense situations. So this is a HUGE deal here and a major breakthrough.
As for the stray dog; after I returned Eddie to the house, I went looking for it and was unable to find it. I called some neighbors and left some messages. I'll keep looking and maybe call Animal Control tomorrow. It looked like a Rottie mix...but young. As soon as it saw Eddie, it basically bolted down my driveway pretty fast, so I didn't get the best look at it but I'll keep my eye out for it...although I hope its found its way home. From what I could tell, it looked well cared for...at least according to the glance or two that I had.
