I'll bet, when he's settled more and you've worked through some of his anxieties, you'll find out he's very bright. Most any dog would be ditzy after a rough start like your poor guy
Thanks Renee, but Marley's not recent.
He's actually been with us for close to 2 yrs. now, and through two professional trainers. We're not his 2nd home ... we're his 4th, and he was only a little over a 1 yr. old when we got him.
He's the one that rough-shod rescue lied about ... told us he was turned in by a family that had to move, that he got along well with other dogs, and that he ignored cats. All lies. We tracked down the truth by a lot of research using info from his tags and the little bit of paperwork that came with him. He was severely neglected in his first home .. left chained outside 24/7 from the time he was a pup, mostly fed and watered by a neighbor who *finally* called animal control. Marley was forcibly seized from that home at 11 months old. He was at a shelter and adopted, brought back b/c of unpredictable aggression. He then went to a resuce and was adopted from there ... brought back again for unpredictable aggression. All that was in another state.
The "rescue" here picked him up from there ... based on his stunning looks, and fabricated a brand new history for him. She chose him for us ... supposedly "matching" him to our very short list: a.) No human or other-animal aggression issues, and b.) Preferably housebroken. When we had problems she flatly refused to take him back. We found out later from a trainer once associated with her that she knew about his issues ... and wanted him out of her home b/c she was worried about her own dogs and her fosters.
That's when our long journey with Marley started ... beginning with getting him out of his anxiety issues. He only
seemed calm but was not ... he was shut down, terrified, and terribly anxious. Saw a post here recently, saying we shouldn't force dogs to accept cuddles or hugs if they don't like them. But I think it depends on
why they don't like them ... Marley didn't b/c he was terrified. Can only imagine what else happened to him in his first "home".
He
loves his hugs and cuddles now, but after nearly 2 yrs. of us working +R with him, along with 2 private trainers ... his prey drive's never going away and some of his old anxieties may continue to surface from time to time. Vet suspects some of it may be due to lack of adequate nourishment during his puppyhood. Thankfully he's not HA ... but may have become if some idiot mistook his anxiety and trust issues for "dominance". He's not the dog he was nearly 2 yrs. ago ... but he's still our special needs furkid.
We'd love some of those famous Chaz "vibes" and hugs for him!