He hates me.
I'm convinced.
He hasn't smiled in a few days.
He's hardly eating.
He doesn't even try to give me goodnight kisses anymore.
Yup, ever since "The Dog Whisperer" showed up on Monday, Sabaka definitely is not his old self. This however, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Because he had become such a menace, we had to do something. Until Monday he had it made. Ate when he felt like it, slept on the couch whenever he felt like it, left his toys all around the house, barked like a fool at every person, animal and moving object that passed by the property, was an ankle biter, a curtain biter, and jumped on anything he wanted. He jumped on us, jumped on anyone he knew that visited the house, jumped on our bed, jumped on the recliner, jumped on the boys bed.
Yes, most of that was our fault. He was of course "the baby" around here until Harry came home, and he was missing an eye and we felt bad for him. We created a monster and were in denial about it. Thankfully we finally faced reality and hired a trainer to come to the house and train us in how to train him. We kiddingly called her the "Dog Whisper" before she came - knowing it would taking nothing short of a person with some God given talent for reaching stubborn dogs.
In three hours, she earned that title. She is amazing. Amazing despite the fact our worst fears were realized when she told us everything we'd done wrong, which was just about everything. She got on us instantly about getting outside and walking him more. We knew that was coming but dreaded taking him on pulls. Not walks, pulls. We walked, but he pulled. The entire time, he'd pull. The first step in improving that was clipping his leash on the the front (chest) of his harness, rather than the back. She then took US for walks and showed us how it's done. Whoda thunk it? Walking a dog can be enjoyable!
In three hours she gave us the tools to keep him off the couch, off the furniture, and people. She taught us how to train him so he doesn't try to attack anyone who comes to the front door by demanding he give us "space" around the entrance. She also told us to change his diet and recommended "Taste of the Wild" brand. He seems to love it no less than his usual crappy dog food, and since it's sugar and filler free and costs the same, that was an easier fix for us.
He's learning the non-verbal sit. This is huge. Instead of jumping on us when he sees the leash, or wants us to pat him, he's learning to figure out that he'll get what he wants if he just sits.
He's learning verbal commands like "Wait' "Stay", "Come" and "Off".
He's getting at least two one mile walks a day.
He's sleeping on the carpet during the day, rather than the furniture.
He's ignoring other dogs during his walks, and other than a short whine when he hears or sees one, there's no pulling, barking or attempts to break free.
We're even gonna enroll him in a group obedience course - something we couldn't even consider before since he did NOT play well with others.
Okay, so perhaps he doesn't really hate me. Maybe he's just becoming more independent.
We still have a long way to go, but for the first time since we got him, we're not constantly worried about how he'll react to people. animals and moving objects. He's definitely a happier dog.
Publish Post
He hasn't smiled in a few days.
He's hardly eating.
He doesn't even try to give me goodnight kisses anymore.
Yup, ever since "The Dog Whisperer" showed up on Monday, Sabaka definitely is not his old self. This however, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Because he had become such a menace, we had to do something. Until Monday he had it made. Ate when he felt like it, slept on the couch whenever he felt like it, left his toys all around the house, barked like a fool at every person, animal and moving object that passed by the property, was an ankle biter, a curtain biter, and jumped on anything he wanted. He jumped on us, jumped on anyone he knew that visited the house, jumped on our bed, jumped on the recliner, jumped on the boys bed.
Yes, most of that was our fault. He was of course "the baby" around here until Harry came home, and he was missing an eye and we felt bad for him. We created a monster and were in denial about it. Thankfully we finally faced reality and hired a trainer to come to the house and train us in how to train him. We kiddingly called her the "Dog Whisper" before she came - knowing it would taking nothing short of a person with some God given talent for reaching stubborn dogs.
In three hours, she earned that title. She is amazing. Amazing despite the fact our worst fears were realized when she told us everything we'd done wrong, which was just about everything. She got on us instantly about getting outside and walking him more. We knew that was coming but dreaded taking him on pulls. Not walks, pulls. We walked, but he pulled. The entire time, he'd pull. The first step in improving that was clipping his leash on the the front (chest) of his harness, rather than the back. She then took US for walks and showed us how it's done. Whoda thunk it? Walking a dog can be enjoyable!
In three hours she gave us the tools to keep him off the couch, off the furniture, and people. She taught us how to train him so he doesn't try to attack anyone who comes to the front door by demanding he give us "space" around the entrance. She also told us to change his diet and recommended "Taste of the Wild" brand. He seems to love it no less than his usual crappy dog food, and since it's sugar and filler free and costs the same, that was an easier fix for us.
He's learning the non-verbal sit. This is huge. Instead of jumping on us when he sees the leash, or wants us to pat him, he's learning to figure out that he'll get what he wants if he just sits.
He's learning verbal commands like "Wait' "Stay", "Come" and "Off".
He's getting at least two one mile walks a day.
He's sleeping on the carpet during the day, rather than the furniture.
He's ignoring other dogs during his walks, and other than a short whine when he hears or sees one, there's no pulling, barking or attempts to break free.
We're even gonna enroll him in a group obedience course - something we couldn't even consider before since he did NOT play well with others.
Okay, so perhaps he doesn't really hate me. Maybe he's just becoming more independent.
We still have a long way to go, but for the first time since we got him, we're not constantly worried about how he'll react to people. animals and moving objects. He's definitely a happier dog.
 |
| Before the Dog Whisperer |
 |
| And after! |
Note: He still leaves his toys all over the house but I guess we can live with that one.
Publish Post
1 much apprecitated comments from readers!:
Sounds like an episode of super nanny.
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