Today I took Mississippi to a fenced in dog park in Milwaukie. She tore up the terra firma. She ran like the wind. Lucky for her, many dogs came and went so there was always a new pooch to match (or try to match) her energy level. She played very nice, got a little too excited at points, but she did fine, and I did fine too. She even ran past me to touch her nose to my hand, took her treat and took off again. I was nervous she’d never come back long enough for me to leash her, and I certainly had to wait a while for her to get tuckered out, but eventually she crawled under a picnic table and lay down. Another dog was messing with her as I was trying to get her leash back on but we did it. First day at an off leash doggy park, success! She was so incredibly tired when I put her in the car that she leaned on me for a while then soon went back to the back seat where she could lie down properly. When we got home, she was lumbering around and it looked like she actually tripped on my foot from being so tired. We got her some fresh water and an ice cold kong. She seems like a happier pup.
I found a map of all the dog parks in Portland. We’ll be doing a lot of dog park discovering now. Looks like Brentwood near us has a fenced in park. East Delta, in NE looks very nice for the extra drive. Wallace park is near Tom’s work so I can pick him up from the office and we can do some after hours romping.
I finally got ahold of Richard, the herding breed specialist through the OHS. He still has laryngitis! I felt so bad that he got on the phone and talked to me but was so relieved to hear from him. I was in tears as I apologized for bothering him while he was sick. I described what’s been happening and he knew exactly what I was talking about. His advice wasn’t feed feed feed the problem, this advice was make her work for it. Don’t withhold teaching her new things, she’ll learn faster than you can teach, so keep moving forward with training. When she jumps on you, don’t walk forward to push her off, she’ll jsut think you’re playing. Instead, fold your arms and turn around. If she barks, don’t reward her, fold your arms and turn around. Everything he said confirms everything that Alan and Andi have been telling us.
He’s going to meet with us in a week and gave me two commands that she needs to have down before we can really make progress. One is ‘look at me’ and the other is ‘off’. He said, like Alan and Andi said, to train the hell out of her. He suggested finding her work, any kind of work, just like Alan did in his email to me. He said getting her to help with household chores in great. She could help me load the laundry, or turn on the lights. I may have to rig the house better for her, she’s kinda of a squirt. I practiced getting her to put her paws near the light switch and she’s way too short. Looks like training her to walk up the step ladder might be the next trick. I practiced getting her to jump over a 4×4 because she’s gotten ‘jump’ down really good this week. I’m fantasizing about flaming hoops in her future.
Richard also told us she’s probably close to being out of the worst of her teenage phase. He said this painful period usually only lasts til they are about 2. The vet said she’s definitely at least 1, up to 2 years old. That gave me some hope that someday she’ll be a more manageable dog, that this behavior isn’t going to last forever. Just knowing this was helping me see all her good qualities today instead of getting frustrated at the bad ones. I know she’s an awesome dog, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like all this pain is going to be worth it. Sometimes it feels like she’s not going to get better, and that being responsible renters, if things don’t get better, shes going to have to go, and that thought terrifies me. She’s our responsibility now. Richard helped give me that shot in the arm to keep me going through this painful period.
Emotions have been running high around our house. A couple days ago we gave up on the idea of treating her for everything and the whole training philosophy that scolding and disapproving of your dogs bad actions is wrong. Then we found ourselves right back where we started, questioning what was the right way to deal with her, getting angry and frustrated and confused. One relief of choosing a trainer was that we could follow one philosophy through the training and not have to argue about what’s best. But it seemed things were getting worse and I starting to think I was asking too much from my trainer. Learning obedience and commands will be great, but I can’t expect him to help me with her deeper behavior problems. There’s no point getting frustrated. She’s our dog and we just have to find our way.
She sometimes barks and jumps when Tom and I hug. That is absolutely not ok. She won’t leave us in peace for one minute to just relax after work. Her barking is getting worse and treating her for attention barking doesn’t make any sense to me. I absolutely cannot sit back and let her chew up the house. I have no choice but to act, and though we’re getting much farther along with the crate, I don’t expect it’s going to help all that much with the chewing for attention. Anyway, we are learning, and we’re figuring out what’s best for the three of us. I was recommended some books today and I have my homework assignment for the week to get ready for Richard’s visit. I just need shots in the arm to keep going, to know we’ll eventually figure it out and we’ll have the happiest dog ever. I’ve had many doubts about getting her. I want to believe she can reach her full potential and be the dog that we can see in her eyes. She’s a firecracker.
I started to write the following text yesterday. I didn’t really finish it, but I think I’ll share it anyway. I felt like I wanted other people to be prepared for the extreme emotions you may go through when you bring home a pound puppy. And as I wrote it, I wanted to reassure myself that my emotions were temporary.
What emotions to expect when you take home a rescue dog.
Mississippi is a wonderful dog. She’s affectionate, smart, soft, and cute. She’s eager to please and she loves people. We got her because she let me put my hands all over her mouth, let me take toys from her, would sit on command and even knew how to shake. We anticipated challenges but she seemed smart and eager and it seemed rehabilitating her would be totally doable.
I still believe all of these things to be true. The journey from being a pound dog to being a happy, well adjusted, obedient dog is a windy one and much ges on between those two points. There are a ton of resources out there to help you teach commands and try to deal with common problems. What seems to be lacking is some writings on the emotions involved in rehabilitating a dog. I’d like to share some of the emotions I’ve been going through. I always believe that the more you know, the easier it is to deal with situations. If you are considering a pound dog, I absolutely hope this doesn’t deter you. Instead I hope it gives you more tools to help you have a smooth transition. Taking home a pet from the Humane Society is an incredibly rewarding opportunity. You are saving an animal’s life. And hopefully, with a little time and elbow grease, your pet will give you years of love and happiness.
I’ve tried to go through all of the emotions I’ve felt over the last couple weeks and have made an attempt to answer my own questions and put my own doubts to rest.
Maybe I am too selfish to have a dog. There is only so much of me to give.
We have wanted a dog for so long. We are going to try everything in our power for the next year to mold her into a great dog. She will be our trusty sidekick and it will be great.
I just want to hug and kiss my husband before he leaves in the morning without getting jumped on.
This is just a painful phase. Someday there will be plenty of time for husband and dog. She is the new member of the pack. She wants to be a part of everything.
I would like to cook dinner without a beast sitting on my feet.
I’m honored that she wants to me so close to me all the time. She will mellow in time.
it’s been such a long draining day, I just want to sit quietly and watch a movie. I miss my husband, so much of our ‘us’ time is now devoted to the dog.
This is an intense time of her getting settled. watching movies quietly with her just might not be possible for a while.
If I can’t handle a dog, how will I handle a kid?
I’ve been told border collies are harder than kids. They are most certainly two different beasts.
Will we be able to get her under control so that we can have kids, or are we going to wind up in the terrible situation of having to re home her because she cant be around small children?
All I can do is work with her as much as possible to get her to be gentle with kids. We have plenty of time and resources to work things out.