I'm getting frustrated with the lack of response

[ruthcatrin]

Also displaying a pretty rotti behavior too.....

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I'll take your word for it, but none of the rottie pups I've worked with were to that extreme.

 

[Tiger12490]

I'll take your word for it, but none of the rottie pups I've worked with were to that extreme.

Mine would play they werent to the extreme a TM is im sure ive never dealt with one but shes got some rotti possible temp...im not sure what the OP wants though at this point

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[Catia]

LOL tiger--no rottie pup I've ever experienced-she makes even a mellow rottie pup seem energetic in comparison, she takes the 'wait & see' & layed back thing to a whole 'nother level.

Luckily close to me there are 2 rottie owners who have wonderful tempered adults, who are trained well & layed back & Tessa LOVES them both. I do not get to see them much, just in passing, but they always allow a romping session, which is a treat, as Tessa loves to wrestle with the biggest boys LOL, she seems not as interested in pooches her size.
There is also a huge golden retriever that loves to wrestle with her & lets her get away with everything, as she still gets puppy pass from the big dogs.

 

[kbuchanan66]

No, I was not prepared for Tessa's personailty, & I think there is no way I could've been considering the circumstances.
I expected a rottie cross, & was prepared for that, 100% (or so I thought lol)
.

Catia you are not the only one my dear. Barron's mom was a Rott and I prepared for a Rott temperament and thought process and energy. While Barron at least has some of that I believe he has at 1/2 of if not 3/4 the Mastiff personality and energy. The techniques I was told to use in another forum specific to Rott's I just could not imagine using with Barron they just didn't fit his way of doing things. A lot of Barron's guardian instinct were being construed as aggressiveness(not a single aggressive bone in his body) and poor socialisation(HaHA that boy goes EVERYWHERE with me and has ben socialised since I got him.).

Once coming here to Mastiff Forum I saw the light! It was really nothing I was doing or not doing.. it was my dogs Insticts/personalty specific to what he was mixed with and what those breeds were bred for! Any questions or concerns I had were answered proptly and with out the negative talking down tone that I see in soooooooo many forums. \

Anyways what I am trying to say and what has been said already in this thread is.... Give yourself time to figure out your bundle of joy that came into your life. Don't let people who have NEVER owned such an acient breed dictate what is "Wrong" with Tessa. Tessa is Tessa, she is her and has her own personality specific to what ever the lil gals genetic make-up consists of.

 

[kbuchanan66]

LOL tiger--no rottie pup I've ever experienced-she makes even a mellow rottie pup seem energetic in comparison.

This is what alerted me to find out what else Barron could be. Barron was quite mellow as well for a puppy. I mean he had his crazy moments but not like Rott pups I have seen.

 

[Catia]

Tiger--at this point, me, the OP wants (needs) to know that Tessa's oddness isn't because I am doing something wrong.
Yes, I do need some reassurance.
I've plenty of experience with pups--20+ yrs worth, if this weren't something *extremely* different, I'd not be seeking support.
I think it's safe for me to say that unless you've experienced the difference, you're not going to understand. It really is that different, at least for a puppy. If she were an adult, I do not think it would seem as extreme.

 

[chuckorlando]

If your not beating or screaming at the pup or some other extreme deal, it aint you. You need to ignore the ass hats that clearly dont know what they are saying. A dogs a dogs a dog. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I would love to watch a great dane chase fox if all dogs are the same. ahahahaha. Your making it more then it needs to be. You have multiple folks here that say it looks and sounds right for a tm mix. Do you want to have a tm? If no well rehome now. If you can deal, well just enjoy the ride. With any breed there are thing that are a given. Things that needs doing. With Fila it's more or less keep people away. So you would do all that needs doing. Then raise the dog like a dog. It will have it's TM specific deals and you just learn to work around them. But at the end of the day, take out the breed specifics on the todo list, and your left with a dog. You want it to be ok around people, you socialize, you want sit, teach sit, stay, teach stay. No diffrent then a relationship. If you can deal with all the crap you hate, a relationship will last forever

 

[BradA1878]

I dunno how much this will help, but I'll share my experience with Luytiy, my male Caucasian Ovchakra...

I purchased Luytiy to work on our property as a guardian, I needed an older dog to work ASAP. We got Luytiy at 1.5 years old, and he basically wanted to kill me - not really exaggerating here - he really acted like he hated me.

I tried EVERYTHING to get him to like me, I was so stressed over it. I liked him, but he just wanted to eat me... slowly the "I'll eat you" vibe turned into "I'll tolerate you but I don't like you"... That transition to 6+ months tho. It was horrible living with a dog that large that was that uncomfortable with me, and I was uncomfortable with him because of it.

We did training classes, classical conditioning, medication, everything... but the improvement was just not there. Then, when he was around 2.5 years (we'd had him for a year) I just gave up and wanted to rehome him. I couldn't deal with the shit anymore. I sent out an email to a trainer who we had worked with (Luytiy and I) and asked if she knew anyone who would take him. She told me this: "No, I don't. You and Jen are the only people I know who I would trust to handle a dog that aggressive. You NEED to make this work. Stop poking at him and trying to 'fix' him, accept him for who he is, and show him he's a normal part of your family. Get over it and save that dog!"

She had never been so blunt with me, but I really respected it and I listened. I just forced myself to get over the fact he didn't like me, and just started to treat him like my other dogs - not focusing so much on him. It worked really well. Now Luytiy likes me more than he likes my wife (which is pretty rare). He and I are buddies. He's never aggressive toward me - he's still a dangerously aggressive dog - but not toward me or our family. I softened myself with him a lot, and I do stupid "pet" things with my working dog now too... Like taking him winter camping and snuggling in a tent with him. I'd never thought I'd be able to do that with him in the beginning. Treating him like there was nothing different about him and I really helped a lot.

Anyway, my point is, it took me realizing that I just needed to accept who Luytiy was and be myself with him. Stop trying soooo hard with him, as it was causing too much pressure in our relationship.

The Russians say the only way you can rehome an Ovchakra is by tying them to a tree and abandoning them, so someone else can find them and give them a home. I used to think that was nuts (and still would never do it), but I see why they say that now. These guardian breeds BOND with their owners, and it takes a long time for them to trust you after being rehomed - even at a young age. You have to act like a normal person with them or they just get suspicious of you. Too much focus, fuss, drama, and emotion will make them think something is up and slow the bonding time.

So, my advice is, don't worry so much about the low energy and making your pup what you want her to be - just focus on who/how she is, and set your life up to use her personality in the best way possible.

 

[Catia]

Brad -Thanks for the story, i actually had to look up Ovchakra because I've never seen or heard of one. Beautiful pooches!

 

[bullyhillmama]

I'm glad that you've been able to mentally turn that corner and realize that this will be ok! I agree with Chuck.. I hate.. HATE... the dog is a dog is a dog rhetoric that is being thrown around these days. I think it's popular in rescue circles to try to demystify some breeds or make people more likely to adopt a "scary" breed. I hate it. I've had all kinds, and they aren't all the same. Equal? Sure. All worthy of loving homes? Yep. BUT NOT THE SAME. our local shelters call pit bulls "boxer mixes" whenever they think people will buy it. But I have 2 pits right now and I've had boxers and they aren't the same. Understanding your breed makes the dog make sense, makes it easier to forsee possible issues and to know what to expect. Because they aren't all the same... I'm sad that someone was able to make you feel belittled because they have their head in the clouds. That would be like giving someone an ovcharka, telling them it's a malamute mix and making them feel stupid for being confused. Or telling the parent of a special needs child that they're a bad parent because their kid doesn't do what the other kids do. but they're all the same, right?? Wrong. You're doing great! Don't let idiots interfere in your life.

 

[SavingGrace]

I can say, as for the guardian instinct, especially at night - I never had a better nights sleep than with a 145lb CC sleeping between me and the door. There wasn't a THING I worried about when I went to bed, never slept better. Being home alone was just fine too. When solicitors came to my door, I'd put one of my hands on her collar as if I could ever truly hold her back and put the other hand on the door latch of the storm door to hold it shut. She'd sit nicely next to me while the solicitor told me what they were selling. When the solicitor would ask if they could hand me their brochure I'd ask them which hand they wanted me to let go.

All of the brochures ended up in the mailbox and the solicitor off my stoop!

 

[BradA1878]

I can say, as for the guardian instinct, especially at night - I never had a better nights sleep than with a 145lb CC sleeping between me and the door. There wasn't a THING I worried about when I went to bed, never slept better. Being home alone was just fine too. When solicitors came to my door, I'd put one of my hands on her collar as if I could ever truly hold her back and put the other hand on the door latch of the storm door to hold it shut. She'd sit nicely next to me while the solicitor told me what they were selling. When the solicitor would ask if they could hand me their brochure I'd ask them which hand they wanted me to let go.

All of the brochures ended up in the mailbox and the solicitor off my stoop!

So true. I am not a fan of barking, but the barking of our COs at night when we had all that space in Taos, and was so remote, was music to my ears. We slept comfortable knowing the CO where out there doing their thing.

 

[Catia]

SavingGrace--LOL I will remember that line - & ask in the nicest possible way "Which hand would you have me release?".

I also recently got a neat tip to teach the dog to bark on command by saying "watch him" instead of "speak"-i like that idea too. I'm hoping she'll have a good "woof" once she's old enough not to have the puppy bark.

Yes, much of it I am trying to & am able to turn around, after some down time & putting my "people filters" back on.
I had forgotten about those...

I even took the day off work & stayed in all day, got some cleaning done & hung out with Tessa, bonding, soul searching & observing.

The issue is mine, I've been out of practice on my own personal 'socializing', due to illness, for past few years the only socilaizing was at work, which isn't socializing at all. I've been extremely reclusive.

It seems everyone is now a professional dog trainer & breed expert by *osmosis* via the TV.
I haven't had TV in about 12 years, so I missed all of that, thankfully.
I'm getting too much input from those well meaning 'experts by osmosis'...if you get my drift.

Also I had forgotten the attention a puppy brings in public, not just to the pup, but to me as well. I wanted to get out & about & having a pup sure helps, but the 'people filters' are necessary.

I have seen a few episodes of "It's me or the dog" (the one with that british lady)in the past year which i thought was OK & pretty commonsense. I just learned who Caesar Milan is today LOL I saw a brief clip of his life.

A few other rambling thoughts, before I worry too much about the guardian aspect, I should make sure Tessa's mix is actually part TM, meaning spring for the DNA test.

Though if I find out she's some collie mix, or poodle I'll just commit myself, cuz then it must be something I am doing wrong.

And also, my gut tells me something else is going on, could be she's just tired & maybe too much activity daily, or all of the growing she's done in the past 10 weeks, maybe I need to eliminate a walk, I dunno yet.

I was trying to keep her on an exercise schedule because she does this thing where she seems to spring to life from about 11pm-2am if I do not make sure she's tired, & it makes for a miserable morning. Hence me being on here now lol.

 

[Amanda F.]

I'm glad you have decided to keep Tessa She's absolutely adorable and sounds like a blessing! Both my boys are CC and have completely different personalities. Parker (almost 7 now) was a lot like Tessa as a pup. He was very independent and didn't seem to care if we paid him any attention or not. It was so strange to me. I can remember having a lot of the same thoughts and feelings that you do. It was like I didn't even have a puppy. He would eat and sleep and that was about it. Every time we would go for a walk it was like a chore to get him to move. If we got stopped he would lay down and not care to get back up. He was my first mastiff so I just assumed it was due to him growing so quickly. He turned around pretty quickly and soon became a velcro dog. He has backed off a bit now and very relaxed and confident. Jax has been a velcro dog from day 1 and continues to be (at almost 2). Jax is high energy and super needy! Thinking back on it, Parker was the PERFECT puppy and I am grateful that he was my first

 

[SavingGrace]

I watched a lot of Its me or the dog before I got our now CC, I actually like her. I've watched Caeser and he's okay too - Our current CC was my first PUPPY CC - our last girl (the big one) was already 3 by the time I came into the picture, and fully trained. What I learned through my 'first puppy experience' (never had a dog as a child) is that absolutely EVERYONE you will meet in public that has 'dog experience' will tell you what you should or should not be doing and it's extremely overwhelming for those of us that are experiencing a new puppy (first or not!) when you're sensitive to it. My current CC did have a serious congenital health defect, and she did act differently than a 'normal puppy'. Everyone kept telling me, I wasn't feeding her enough, I didn't have the right treats, she was too tired all the time, she was grumpy - etc. Turned out, she was sick. It was agonizing hearing all of these comments from, truthfully, strangers. We had to re-adjust to her when we started her on the right meds and prescription diets - and it's been 2 years of figuring out who she really is now that she's better. It's been a wonderful but eventful ride.

YOU know your dog and your dog knows you. Take peoples advice, listen to it, or ignore it. That's your choice. You know your dog the best. Use common sense. You are still learning your puppy and your puppy is still learning you. Trust your instincts and trust yourself. Every puppy is a new puppy. You can't be expected to know everything. Roll with it and see where it takes you. When in doubt - I've turned to my vets. If I know everything health-wise is okay - I can deal with the rest one day at a time. Training offered me calmness and taught me so many things about my dogs. If you find a GOOD trainer, it really can make a huge difference. You're doing fine - enjoy your pup!

 

[mcarrel]

My 12 year old son read your original post with me. He said that sounds like Gaia. While Gaia wasn't a TM she was a Great Pyrenees with a very strong working temperament. Gaia much to my son's disappointment didn't play, didn't greet us with excitement when we came home just a check to make sure the right people just came through the door and maybe came once a day for a pet. Food, affection, happy voices none motivated her. While I knew what to expect from her my son many times over the years thought Gaia didn't like him no matter that he knew that was her temperament and I will admit that sometimes her temperament was disheartening to me lol. Last year after Gaia passed away my son said something more eloquently than I ever could he said "you know mom when Gaia was alive I never noticed she was there but now that she's gone I notice how different home feels without her and it feels empty"

LGD have a temperament all their own I think as time goes by you will come to appreciate your girl's uniqueness. While your girl's temperament isn't something you were looking for or expecting it sounds like you do everything right by her. As someone else already said sometimes you get the dog you need not the dog you want

 

[ruthcatrin]

I will be quite shocked if she's not either a TM cross or a cross of one of the other LGDs. Her behavior is spot on TM.

We've had long thread arguements on here about Cesar, and while his books and basic theorys on his website aren't horrible, I can't stand a fair bit what he does in his shows with dogs. And unfortunetly thats what to many people use as their examples.

Additional suggestion. In addition to "watch him" when she starts guarding also teach her "I see him" as a way to tell her that you see it and she can stop. A TM in full voice is quite loud, and your neighbors will appreciate it!

 

[ruthcatrin]

I was trying to keep her on an exercise schedule because she does this thing where she seems to spring to life from about 11pm-2am if I do not make sure she's tired, & it makes for a miserable morning. Hence me being on here now lol.

TMs are often night active dogs. One thing new owners are often warned of is that if the dog is kept outside after dark they're often "night barkers". Apollo is certinally active about then, but its hard to tell how much is him and how much is us since Hubby works 2nd shift and doesn't get home from work till 11:30pm.

 

[Willowsmommy]

I didnt read through all the replies but in my experience, dogs feel what YOU feel. If you arent really whole heartedly into her, she can certainly feel that and her disposition will reflect that. I had a similar experience with a a mixed breed (no idea what breed) I went so far as to go through dog obedience with her, but I had become so hopeless by that time that even Ayla had given up on me. It was really sad. I felt like a total failure. So, I found her a new home. In her new home, she was perfect, well behaved, no bathroom accidents, all issues I had had with her. I did the best thing for her by finding her a new home. It has hard cause I had her since she was 8 weeks old and I gave her a better life about a little over her being a year old. She deserved it. I THOUGHT I was ready for a dog at that point, its taken me years to realize that I really was not. I was fulfilling a selfish desire, my needs, not the dog's. I've grown up a lot since then, life takes you on many of adventures. The hardest part, admitting that the choice you had made (in my case anyway) was not in the best interest of the dog. I still love Ayla, its been over 5 years, but I know I did the best thing for her. You have to put your feelings aside and think about what is best for Tessa. It may hurt like hell but its better then you both hurting like hell and having an unhappy family dynamic.

 

[DennasMom]

i want to experience this journey & see where it takes me, because that's where we are supposed to be.
.

YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YOU GO CATIA!!!!!!
:cheerleader2::cheerleader2::cheerleader2: