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Thread: Update on Jesse

  1. #1
    Puppy jessesnewperson's Avatar
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    Talking Update on Jesse

    For those who don't know. Jesse is my awesome Chocolate lab I got in May.
    He is almost 2 now and his previous owners didn't do anything with him but put him in the back yard and feed him. So, he was 80 lbs of obnoxious when I brought him home. Issues included: Stepping all over me, barking nonstop, not housebroke, major leash pulling etc.

    Sooooo fast forward to now....

    I went to PetSmart and they hooked me up with this super-dooper harness thingy that keeps him from pulling. It works great. He walks very nicely on the leash and we have lots of pleasant walks now. WIN!

    We went to the dog park. The first few times it was just with a friend of mine and his puppy. They did great. Jesse has to pee all over everything but he loved it and we could work on his recall. Then we went one night and there were 2 other big dogs. I was kind of concerned...for no reason. Jesse happily played with them. One of the other dogs had kind of an attitude, he growled at him once, and Jesse would just step back and look at him like "WTH is your problem?" and go find another dog to play with. On the other side of the fence was a small beagle with a REALLY nasty attitude and he would growl and bark at the dogs on our side if they got close to the fence. Jesse just watched in completely confusion, head cocked to the side as if he was completely perplexed that this dog was unhappy. Never growled or barked back, just watched him. The next time, there were three other dogs and all was well. Jesse doesn't listen real well in groups. WIN WIN WIN

    AND....the finale....
    Jesse's obedience class starts August 4th. I've never done one, but I've never had such a large dog that was so unruly either. He still pees everywhere, but he's getting better in the house. So I'm kind of nervous. He's a great big loving dog with not a whole lot of manners. I hope they are patient.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    I'm glad things are going well with your big boy! It sounds you are up to the challenge!

    Sometimes other dogs who growl are unfriendly, sometimes it's your own dog who annoys the other dog because they don't have great social skills and the other dog is just trying to let him know when he's crossed the line. My dogs play with each other all the time but with other dogs less frequently. They get told off by other dogs when they are being too... whatever. Chase is a major butt sniffing fool and some other dogs don't appreciate the intense scrutiny. As long as it's confined to a growl type correction, not an all out fight, it may just be the other dog letting yours know his behavior is not appreciated. I don't usually mind if my dogs get those types of corrections from other dogs, I figure it helps them learn how to interact appropriately. I will certainly step in and correct behavior I'm afraid is getting annoying, but if the other dog corrects him first, that's OK. And my dogs end up looking at the other dog like, "What the heck, Dude?" How do you tell them it's their own fault?

    I hope your obedience classes go well. I've been to plenty of classes where there have been adult dogs who never had training before and the trainers seem to keep things under control. You may be getting a little bit of a late start, but since they claim labs settle down some between 2-3 years of age, maybe you'll find he catches on quickly and is the star of the class! Good luck!
    Sue

    Chase 9/29/2006- 6/30/2017 Always in our hearts
    Lark 12/25/2012- 2/2/22
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    “Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor as well as love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this world be like without dogs?”

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  3. #3
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Awesome update. Labs love to please and Jesse is proving it.

    One thought on the growling and it did not occur to me until Jeff mentioned it about Hemi - is Jesse neutered? Jeff noted that there were a couple of dogs at dog camp who were neutered that growled at him. The same thing happened to Archie on some of our first outings before he was neutered.

    Ah, the peeing. He has an entire world to mark now. When walking I allow Archie to mark in only certain places. If he attempts in a no zone, I tell him leave it and walk on. I control when he can and when he can't. These are things you both learn how to do in class. Good for you for jumping in and taking him. Don't worry about his age, I took Melody, so I could learn, and she was 10. You'll both have a great time; it's really fun. Patience, treats, praise and more patience. When doing homework, I found that a couple of shorter sessions at home worked better than one long session per day.

    Keep us updated.

  4. #4
    Real Retriever KenZ71's Avatar
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    Great update!
    -- Ken, owned by:

    Max - Black Lab mix gotcha 4/23/2012 Born 12/2011
    Scarlett - Yellow Lab gotcha 4/19/2013 Born 2008? 2007?
    Lizzy - Terrier mix gotcha 6/29/2014 Born 2006?
    Zeus - Papillon mix gotcha 1/30/2015 Born 3/26/2014

    Avatar: Ziggy, my kitty who crossed the bridge a few years ago.
    He slept in the sink for years, silly boy.
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  5. #5
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    Thanks for updating!!! Good luck with the upcoming class!!!

  6. #6
    Puppy jessesnewperson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by POPTOP View Post
    Awesome update. Labs love to please and Jesse is proving it.

    One thought on the growling and it did not occur to me until Jeff mentioned it about Hemi - is Jesse neutered? Jeff noted that there were a couple of dogs at dog camp who were neutered that growled at him. The same thing happened to Archie on some of our first outings before he was neutered.

    Ah, the peeing. He has an entire world to mark now. When walking I allow Archie to mark in only certain places. If he attempts in a no zone, I tell him leave it and walk on. I control when he can and when he can't. These are things you both learn how to do in class. Good for you for jumping in and taking him. Don't worry about his age, I took Melody, so I could learn, and she was 10. You'll both have a great time; it's really fun. Patience, treats, praise and more patience. When doing homework, I found that a couple of shorter sessions at home worked better than one long session per day.

    Keep us updated.

    No, Jesse is intact.

  7. #7
    Puppy jessesnewperson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by smartrock View Post
    I'm glad things are going well with your big boy! It sounds you are up to the challenge!

    Sometimes other dogs who growl are unfriendly, sometimes it's your own dog who annoys the other dog because they don't have great social skills and the other dog is just trying to let him know when he's crossed the line. My dogs play with each other all the time but with other dogs less frequently. They get told off by other dogs when they are being too... whatever. Chase is a major butt sniffing fool and some other dogs don't appreciate the intense scrutiny. As long as it's confined to a growl type correction, not an all out fight, it may just be the other dog letting yours know his behavior is not appreciated. I don't usually mind if my dogs get those types of corrections from other dogs, I figure it helps them learn how to interact appropriately. I will certainly step in and correct behavior I'm afraid is getting annoying, but if the other dog corrects him first, that's OK. And my dogs end up looking at the other dog like, "What the heck, Dude?" How do you tell them it's their own fault?

    I hope your obedience classes go well. I've been to plenty of classes where there have been adult dogs who never had training before and the trainers seem to keep things under control. You may be getting a little bit of a late start, but since they claim labs settle down some between 2-3 years of age, maybe you'll find he catches on quickly and is the star of the class! Good luck!
    The first dog that growled at him, the owner said was abused and he sometimes did that. The beagle was purposely by himself, the owner said because he was aggressive. Good thing there was no one on his side of the fence I guess. Why would you bring an aggressive dog to a dog park when others might be there?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by jessesnewperson View Post
    Why would you bring an aggressive dog to a dog park when others might be there?
    I do it to correct a particular behavior or to be able to observe said behavior. I cannot correct a problem if I can't see it. I sometimes take a leashed dog in a leash free park and I get told all the time that it's a leash free park. Sometimes I just smile and say, I know, thank you, and other times, I ignore. Depends on my mood and the person I guess.

  9. #9
    Puppy jessesnewperson's Avatar
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    I guess that's a valid point. This beagle really isn't big enough to hurt Jesse and they keep him in an area by himself. He growls and snarls if the another dogs come close to the fence, even if they're chasing a ball or engaged in their own activity. I don't see it getting any better over the couple of weeks We've been there.

    The other one that is some sort of terrier mix that is in the same part as Jesse isn't bad. He just growls, the owner corrects and he's over it. Poor Jesse just looks confused when other dogs are grouchy. He believes every dog should love him.

    Then we met a blue pit bull and I panicked. Pits are just not my thing. I had one before I got Jesse, had a terrible experience with him, and had to have him put down. It's a long story but the short version is...he was a stray, I took him in, he attacked several other dogs, and a friend of mine who got in the crossfire,very viciously and I could not keep him. No shelter would take him and I really didn't want to leave him at a shelter anyway. So I did the only thing I felt I could, I had him put to sleep. BUT, this blue pitt, they called him Blue and he was the sweetest thing. He had that pit bull "smile" and he was very mannerly, more so than Jesse, I admit. They played a while until Blue got tired. I don't think Jesse ever gets tired.

  10. #10
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    A lot of people don't realize their friendly dog can cause aggression in other dogs. It is all in the (sometimes hidden) body language.

    Pits are given a bad rap IMO, and based on my experience. The news reports don't help with their reputation either. They are some very determined dogs though and I have to admit takes a really strong willed person to be able to handle them. They will test you at every turn, but other than a tendency to hang on when they bite, no different than other strong willed dogs, again IMO.

 



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