Pets: My new dog is a whimp

explod · 25 June 2010

I had to have my pet dog Fred put down a year ago and it took a great deal to get over it. In fact whenever I met a Jack Russell in the street I became emotional. Family said I should get a new one.

So to do the right thing went to the RSPCA shelter having targeted a good looking Jack Russell online.

He had been found wandering with no history and after spending an hour with him he seemed to be a bright dog and he also pleased with my wife and I. We have called him Max, he is approximately five years old and desexed.

Max has been with us for just over a fortniight but he is tepid. Very well behaved and never toileted inside and now responds to his name. Never makes a sound at night and that is some of the problem. As a watch dog he is useless. He is confident enough with my wife but shies away from me on direct approach and a lot of the time really cowers with tail down. He likes to be held as a baby in arms and if fact does not move no matter how much you jerk around.

I think Max had been the pet of young girls but the master of the house may well have dealt with him in servere manners. Just my take.

Max is the perfect dog in every way, on the lead and socialising with other dogs spot on and can stand his ground aggressively if need be.

My previous dog let us know of all unusual events, would not do it often, just when it counted but Max is in far away land as a watch dog.

Can a dog be trained at this age to be alert or is it perhaps too early for him at his new home.

Anyone have some ideas, hate to impose but know that you Julia are very good with animals.

cheers explod

nunthewiser · 25 June 2010

explod said:
I had to have my pet dog Fred put down a year ago and it took a great deal to get over it. In fact whenever I met a Jack Russell in the street I became emotional. Family said I should get a new one.

So to do the right thing went to the RSPCA shelter having targeted a good looking Jack Russell online.

He had been found wandering with no history and after spending an hour with him he seemed to be a bright dog and he also pleased with my wife and I. We have called him Max, he is approximately five years old and desexed.

Max has been with us for just over a fortniight but he is tepid. Very well behaved and never toileted inside and now responds to his name. Never makes a sound at night and that is some of the problem. As a watch dog he is useless. He is confident enough with my wife but shies away from me on direct approach and a lot of the time really cowers with tail down. He likes to be held as a baby in arms and if fact does not move no matter how much you jerk around.

I think Max had been the pet of young girls but the master of the house may well have dealt with him in servere manners. Just my take.

Max is the perfect dog in every way, on the lead and socialising with other dogs spot on and can stand his ground aggressively if need be.

My previous dog let us know of all unusual events, would not do it often, just when it counted but Max is in far away land as a watch dog.

Can a dog be trained at this age to be alert or is it perhaps too early for him at his new home.

Anyone have some ideas, hate to impose but know that you Julia are very good with animals.

cheers explod

Give him time to know his territory and gain trust and love in you guys . all takes time ....... getting adult dogs is a very different kettle of fish than raising a pup .... well worth it tho , i have rescued a staffy from the pound and after 3 years i couldnt ask for better . he was the same as yours for a good year before he realised we were not there to harm him . now look out to the poor bugger that ever came near my family with evil on there mind .

newbie trader · 25 June 2010

Yeah I agree with Nun. It's only been a fortnight, probably needs a little more time. Good work adopting through the RSPCA.

explod · 25 June 2010

Thank you Nunn and Newbie for your take and believe you may be correct. I will give it awhile and report back.

Had Daughter around tonight for dinner tonight and he really crooned up to her.

skc · 25 June 2010

explod said:
Thank you Nunn and Newbie for your take and believe you may be correct. I will give it awhile and report back.

Had Daughter around tonight for dinner tonight and he really crooned up to her.

My vet cousin said that all dogs from pound carry some sort of baggage / shadow... however they do improve over time.

Julia · 25 June 2010

Hi Explod,

I also agree with Nun. Heaven knows what the dog may have been through in the past, e.g. he could have barked more than his owner wished and have consequently been beaten for barking.

And then there are some dogs that just don't seem to have that instinct to bark. Two of my German Shepherds NEVER barked at any unusual sound, so were useless watchdogs.

And honestly, with my pup now being eight months old (and a first class watchdog), I'd be pretty happy with a passive personality that has fitted well into your household. My girl is very stroppy and has been very challenging to train. There's a lot to be said for a quiet soft nature.

Do you have friends or neighbours with a dog that barks readily at anything unusual? If so, perhaps you could borrow that dog, have someone create some sounds outside and when the borrowed dog barks, encourage your dog to do the same, rewarding him mightily if he does.

If that doesn't work, I doubt there's all that much you can do other than encourage and reward him if he shows any sign of barking. In the end, though, if you have a dog that's loving and easy to manage, then just get a decent security system and enjoy your little dog's nice nature.

Let us know in a few weeks how he's going.

robots · 26 June 2010

hello,

Might be the jokes explod, maybe just do one or two a day
Thankyou
Professor robots

MRC & Co · 26 June 2010

nunthewiser said:
Give him time to know his territory and gain trust and love in you guys . all takes time ....... getting adult dogs is a very different kettle of fish than raising a pup .... well worth it tho , i have rescued a staffy from the pound and after 3 years i couldnt ask for better . he was the same as yours for a good year before he realised we were not there to harm him . now look out to the poor bugger that ever came near my family with evil on there mind .

That post nun reminds me of the book 'White Fang'. Have you read it by any chance? Brilliant book, but is about a wolf that has been beaten badly by his owners but ends up with a great life yet takes him a long time to trust humans again after being beaten and abused.

nunthewiser · 26 June 2010

MRC & Co said:
That post nun reminds me of the book 'White Fang'. Have you read it by any chance? Brilliant book, but is about a wolf that has been beaten badly by his owners but ends up with a great life yet takes him a long time to trust humans again after being beaten and abused.

No havent read it but the fella i rescued had allsorts of battlescars internal and external ....... would bolt everytime i raised my voice for a good six months, up until he realised i wasnt gunna kick the crud out of him.its a strange thing fear .. now he not scared of anything and any agression shown around me or my circle EVEN messing around amongst "the boys" is met with pure concentration and full attention to see if its coming at me........ he no longer runs

Awesome dog this fella .. kids can do anything from fighting with it to snoozing on it.

He does have his bads points tho ...... eaten 2 cats 1 budgie and attacked a few other dogs in the time we have had him........ We know this now so we try and keep him away from these situations of other animals.

MRC & Co · 26 June 2010

Yeh, I've got an old fella, 15 to be precise, but the next dog I get will definately be a rescued one! Hate the thought some get put down just because the ******** owners that bought him decided they don't want to look after them anymore or because the dog was abused by poor owners and 'rescued' only to be put down because nobody else wants it!

Once I've made my billions ;-) my first charity would definately be setting up some kind of system to save these kind of dogs.

GumbyLearner · 3 July 2010

explod said:
I had to have my pet dog Fred put down a year ago and it took a great deal to get over it. In fact whenever I met a Jack Russell in the street I became emotional. Family said I should get a new one.

So to do the right thing went to the RSPCA shelter having targeted a good looking Jack Russell online.

He had been found wandering with no history and after spending an hour with him he seemed to be a bright dog and he also pleased with my wife and I. We have called him Max, he is approximately five years old and desexed.

Max has been with us for just over a fortniight but he is tepid. Very well behaved and never toileted inside and now responds to his name. Never makes a sound at night and that is some of the problem. As a watch dog he is useless. He is confident enough with my wife but shies away from me on direct approach and a lot of the time really cowers with tail down. He likes to be held as a baby in arms and if fact does not move no matter how much you jerk around.

I think Max had been the pet of young girls but the master of the house may well have dealt with him in servere manners. Just my take.

Max is the perfect dog in every way, on the lead and socialising with other dogs spot on and can stand his ground aggressively if need be.

My previous dog let us know of all unusual events, would not do it often, just when it counted but Max is in far away land as a watch dog.

Can a dog be trained at this age to be alert or is it perhaps too early for him at his new home.

Anyone have some ideas, hate to impose but know that you Julia are very good with animals.

cheers explod

Well get off your **** and take him for a walk you lazy ****!

Julia · 3 July 2010

Gumby Learner, if you can't add something constructive to Explod's questions, how about just staying out of it.

There's no reason for you to imagine Explod is not already taking the dog for walks and doing everything he can to offer the new arrival love and security.

Why do you set out to be inflammatory and aggressive, when nothing in the thread calls for such an attitude?

Calliope · 3 July 2010

Julia said:
There's no reason for you to imagine Explod is not already taking the dog for walks and doing everything he can to offer the new arrival love and security.

Yes I am sure Explod is a compassionate man unlike that other dog lover Kevin Rudd. You may be interested in this little item;

Then there's Abby, of the Jasper & Abby children's book fame. Abby is a dog, the same one that ran away when Rudd tried to pat him on 60 Minutes. In his press release, Rudd says Abby is going to "another friend's place", which can only mean it's the green dream for Abby, too.

As for Jasper, well, Jasper is a cat. Who cares what happens to it?

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...-as-rudd-departs/story-e6frg71o-1225886372202

Julia · 3 July 2010

I hope you're wrong about Jasper and Abby, Calliope. I'm quite possibly an idealist as far as animals are concerned, but when I heard about them going to various friends, I assumed that was just while the Rudds were away on holiday.
They might be better off with other families anyway, given Rudd's notorious filthy temper.

Didn't he write the book about Jasper and Abby when he should have been reading the Henry Tax Review?

explod · 3 July 2010

Was waiting another week before I post on progress and it is going well. I have walked Max at least 4 k's every morning since he came to our home, it keeps me active and Max in good spirits, and he is. He is still a dud as a watch dog but love him very much already. Jumps into my lap every evening as we sit and watch telli in front of the fire and he sleeps in a basket beside my bed. And perhaps being a good watch dog as Julia has pointed out to me may not be everything.

Will have more to say and more requests for advice in a weeks time but just thought I would post this up as I feel a bit hurt by the comment of Gumby and wonder what I have done wrong.

cheers all

explod

GumbyLearner · 3 July 2010

explod said:
Was waiting another week before I post on progress and it is going well. I have walked Max at least 4 k's every morning since he came to our home, it keeps me active and Max in good spirits, and he is. He is still a dud as a watch dog but love him very much already. Jumps into my lap every evening as we sit and watch telli in front of the fire and he sleeps in a basket beside my bed. And perhaps being a good watch dog as Julia has pointed out to me may not be everything.

Will have more to say and more requests for advice in a weeks time but just thought I would post this up as I feel a bit hurt by the comment of Gumby and wonder what I have done wrong.

cheers all

explod

I'm sorry explod. It was a stupid and insensitive post.

explod · 18 July 2010

Was reading over some of the threads just now, particularly the political threads, geezz get a life.

Anyway my dog Max was nuzzling my leg just now and realised its time to update.

He is starting to run along our side fence and give the odd other dog and walker a few barrells. He is very happy to sleep in his own kennel at the back door. Just the odd bark chasing a possum or two away, otherwise silent.

But he is so well behaved and when out walking the free leash areas, a number of times have tested him when running to greet other dogs, a swift wistle and call his name max and immediately runs back to my side. Now thats a dog that has been well trained by someone.

He has never cowered to my wife and is now gaining confidence with me. Still shys away when I have the shovel in hand and away from my feet but as some have mentioned in 6 or 12 months he will throw it off.

What I find very hard to understand is the cruelty that must have been inflicted on him in earlier life. Good pets are ever loving and loyal and I'd just love to do a bit of whipping the hide of the one that hurt Max.

Anyway, thank you all for the advice and support, where we live is Max's place.

Ps... Oh, not sure if I mentioned it, but we were initially worried that he would run away. A couple of weeks back we went shopping and left the gate wide open, when we returned I thought, oh sh t but there was Max strutting out of the kennel to meet us, tail wagging with a look on his face "you left the gate open"

cheers explod

CapnBirdseye · 18 July 2010

explod said:
I have walked Max at least 4 k's every morning since he came to our home,

explod

Poor bugger, no wonder he has no bark. If you pro-rata that from his legs to yours thats about 30k's a day!

Only kidding tho, dogs love and need a good work out and plenty dont.

explod · 18 July 2010

CapnBirdseye said:
Poor bugger, no wonder he has no bark. If you pro-rata that from his legs to yours thats about 30k's a day!

Only kidding tho, dogs love and need a good work out and plenty dont.

Tell you what, I cant keep up to him, I'm the one buggered. He is in fact the longer legged type and runs like a greyhound, loves it. In front of the open fire at the moment with legs in the air.

Garpal Gumnut · 18 July 2010

Are you quite sure he is a full Jack Russell?

We had a dog many years ago, with a bit of dingo in him, and he never barked but he was good at snakes, wallabies and terrifying strangers, ( we lived way out bush )

Anyone who mistreats a dog is a mongrel. Good on you for taking Max in. He sounds like a great dog.

gg

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