Mamacast
Well-Known Member
I know its been several plus months but wanted to update everyone. Gusto is a little over 6 months old now and has turned into a great companion. So much great help from people here I am immensely grateful. Using the following suggested actions really worked:
Fed by hand all of his food and made him work for everything he got
Established a timeout space outside on the enclosed deck
Belly rubs while treating
Collar shaking with treats
"Waiting" for food
Not that I choreographed this but at a puppy match he tried to play with a grown cousin and she layed his nose open. As difficult as that was he took the point home and is now more moderate around almost everything!
The trainer never did start with us telling my referral "what did we expect, these dogs were raised to hunt lions" -so glad we didn't get started with him. We started with someone else the 1st of Sept and he has sit, wait (stay), place, heel and is now working on a long lead recall. The trainer absolutely loves him and would like to find a CC for himself at some point. My take away from this is that perhaps there were too many traumatic changes all at once and that it really required a period of time for acclimation to our home. We had picked him up from the breeder as she was returning from the ear cropping, and then scuttled him to a new home.
He is now one big teddy bear that still piddles when a woman greets him, has not started "marking", and shows no sign of aggression toward people or dogs. Until the snow started flying he would eat out at patio restaurants once a week where we would have strangers feed him while we visited. Many interactions with toddlers and strangers will approach without fear. Thanks so much to this forum for throwing many handlines when I needed them, I was so close to bringing him back to the breeder.
Fed by hand all of his food and made him work for everything he got
Established a timeout space outside on the enclosed deck
Belly rubs while treating
Collar shaking with treats
"Waiting" for food
Not that I choreographed this but at a puppy match he tried to play with a grown cousin and she layed his nose open. As difficult as that was he took the point home and is now more moderate around almost everything!
The trainer never did start with us telling my referral "what did we expect, these dogs were raised to hunt lions" -so glad we didn't get started with him. We started with someone else the 1st of Sept and he has sit, wait (stay), place, heel and is now working on a long lead recall. The trainer absolutely loves him and would like to find a CC for himself at some point. My take away from this is that perhaps there were too many traumatic changes all at once and that it really required a period of time for acclimation to our home. We had picked him up from the breeder as she was returning from the ear cropping, and then scuttled him to a new home.
He is now one big teddy bear that still piddles when a woman greets him, has not started "marking", and shows no sign of aggression toward people or dogs. Until the snow started flying he would eat out at patio restaurants once a week where we would have strangers feed him while we visited. Many interactions with toddlers and strangers will approach without fear. Thanks so much to this forum for throwing many handlines when I needed them, I was so close to bringing him back to the breeder.