I have a house guest at the moment, slightly different theme , but similar in a way to the new puppy thread. He is a three and a half year old pure bred Doberman, who has come to live with us while his owner finds a new house in London. He has been very well trained but his owner allowed him to sleep in bed with her. Over my dead body, I thought. Three in a bed is a crowd. The only other person who sometimes shares with us is my old cat Graham.The only time he is allowed on the bed is if he is invited, while I am having my tea in the morning, and he sneaks up to say hello while OH is in the shower.
He has his blanket on the floor and at night he is allowed to have it on the sofa. Generally he has been very good and only tried to creep onto the sofa during the day, a couple of times when he thinks we are not looking. As soon as he sees us coming he gets off. Yesterday I bought him a new padded cushion bed and once he got used to the different feel of it he seems to love it.During the day he takes himself off and settles down when he feels like a nap. Last night- put his bed on the sofa and bade him goodnight along with the cats, who seem to have taken to him and he to them. Get in to bed, and after five mins, I hear a noise. I go onto the landing to find Nico (dog) wagging his tail and looking hopefully at me. OH had forgotten to close the second door which leads to the corridor and up the stairs. After a few seconds I went back down stairs with him and put him back to bed making sure that the door was closed and didnt hear a peep from him until he appeared this morning for his cuddle. Graham was sitting on the end of the second sofa wondering why I was going up and down the stairs with the dog. Its the first time that Nico has slept on his own (apart from when he was in quarentine) and he has settled very well and is responding to calm but firm handling. He is a super dog and so rewarding as a companion. I am hoping to have one of his puppies when he sires his first litter later next year. If there is one as temperamentally lovely as him, I shall be delighted. lorna
I`m not a teacher for nothing, you know!! If I was clever, I`d be dangerous.
I WILL miss him when he goes home, but he was born in The States and came over here at the end of last year. He then spent 6 months in quarentine. He has lived in London for about 3 months and then his owner wasnt able to have him in her flat anymore and as this girls mother lives all over the world (too long a story) I have become like a surrogate mum. I simply couldnt see him put back into kennels, so I said I would have him while she finds a new house. He has his passport now, so he can go to and from the continent. She will pay me for all the food but Im not all that bothered as I am at the moment `his foster mum`, and he will be coming to me from time to time for a holiday. We are taking him with us in the caravan at the end of October and his owner is coming with us for a couple of days. He has never been to the beach or seen the sea, so that will be interesting.
Today we walked to the next town and got the bus back. lorna
I`m not a teacher for nothing, you know!! If I was clever, I`d be dangerous.
I have to keep in mind that although we are falling in love with him, he IS NOT MINE to keep, but I shall enjoy him while he is with us. Even OH adores him and he is not a dog person. You see my plan IS quite cunning. lorna
I`m not a teacher for nothing, you know!! If I was clever, I`d be dangerous.
My daughter took Nico to the woods today where they had a lovely time until................................... he came across a black labrador. I am afraid he disgraced himself by going for the other dog. He was fine with all the other dogs but seems to ablsolutely loathe labradors. Apparently he does it when he is out with his owner. If you`re around Wendy. Any ideas?
At home and when we are out with him on the lead he is absolutely fine and usually I make him sit when we see other dogs coming if I see them coming. At the command `relax` he is fine. Dont have to raise my voice or anything. He is very gentle, and kind hearted and loves people, unless they shout and make him jump when he goes into `protect mode`. He is not aggressive in any way.
Is there a way I can help him or lessen the stress. I though maybe one of those extendable leads would be quite good but it would then mean that when we are in the woods he cant run free. The problem only seems to be with labradors. We did wonder if he had been attacked by one, as a puppy.
He has lived with other dogs when he was in the States, so he has been `dog socialised` as far as I know. lorna
I`m not a teacher for nothing, you know!! If I was clever, I`d be dangerous.
If I take it he does it with the owners and not with yourself. Then it is something they are giving off. If they feel uneasy or worried the dog will think he has to go into protect mode. I would suggest, once settled, they go to classes that way they will meet other dogs under controlled circumstances and learn to relax. I have to say, unless he lived in a very unusual place in the States. They aren't very good dog walkers. So the dogs do not get as socialised as they should. That is the one good thing about the British. You never go out without seeing someone walking their dog. Wendy
He was born in and trained in Boston, and yes he did spend a lot of time with a dog walker. The only dogs he doesnt like are labradors. He has been socialised with other dogs and has lived with other dogs.
lorna
I`m not a teacher for nothing, you know!! If I was clever, I`d be dangerous.
Have been to Boston, but some time ago. Never saw a dog out while I was there. But some places do have creche's for dogs etc. Living with other dogs and even meeting the same dogs every day, if it is a small circle isn't really socialised, as such. My Mentor says your dog should meet 3 new dogs every day mine are lucky if they meet three new ones a week ! If it is breed particular then something has probably happened when he was younger. If that is the case, manage the situation and put him on the lead until she can get somewhere to help sort the problem out. Wendy
Yes thats what I do when I am out with him. I am just vigilant and only let him off lead when I am sure the coast is clear. Mainly for his own good. I am probably more alert when I am out with him, than my daughter. We never had dogs when the kids were small. We had cats instead.
I have a soft muzzle for him, which his owner puts on him sometimes, but when he has it one he thinks its because he has been naughty, and actually hes not a naughty dog at all. I get the impression that this is what she`s been told to do. I had dogs for the first 25 years of my life and never owned a muzzle because we didnt need one. Hes very easy to handle and the only time he pulls a little bit in the first five minutes, because he is eager to get going and then he settles down to heal very nicely.
Its good experience for me anyway, especially if I am considering having one of his puppies. I was unaware of what a nice breed of dog a Doberman is. Thanks for your thoughts on the matter. lorna
I`m not a teacher for nothing, you know!! If I was clever, I`d be dangerous.
Just a thought, is he keen on playing ball? I had a collie X foster once who was dreadful with other dogs as she had had several bad experiences before I got her (and she was only 14 weeks old). Luckily for me she was ball-obsessed. I used to take a ball out with me and if I saw another dog I threw it for her to fetch. That way her mouth was full before she saw the other dog. I usually threw it in the other direction just in case. She was also petrified of small kids having been teased in her first home. As she was so pretty kids always wanted to pet her, so I used to throw the ball away from them to get her out of the way, and then tell them to leave her alone before she got back. She went as an only dog and was very happy like that.
All this did mean I had to be vigilent at all times and didnt always make for a relaxing walk, but she was able to be off lead for most of the time. If the park was very busy then she had to stay on the lead sadly.
My friend had a dog who also hated Labs, (which are 2 a penny in Surrey!)which was funny as he was always fine with my 4. We twigged if we said "look, there`s Hovis" (my dog) he just ignored them! Funny old thing he was. She was very cautious of Labs just in case, but he did seem to get better with age.
Neutered pets are happy pets! Please spay or neuter your pets. There are thousands in rescue waiting for loving homes, and not enough people to take them on.
Well he doesnt seem to know what to do with a ball. You throw it and he certainly doesnt run and bring it back. I dont want to muzzle him as it gives others the impression that he is agressive, which he isnt, and also he should not be made to feel he has been naughty, if he hasnt. In fact he doesnt seem to have any toys. I dont want to spoil him and make it difficult for his owner when he goes home. If he was mine he would have loads of toys. As you quite rightly say, walkies arent as relaxed as they could be for me, but as long as he is with us I will try to make things as right as I can. He`s been through a lot of upheaval and If i can provide calm, stability for a while then its a small price to pay for vigilance. Hopefully I can ward off any more incidents. Its funny how its only one breed he doesnt like. I think there must have been an `incident` when he was little. PS. I will teach him how to play with a ball though. lorna
I`m not a teacher for nothing, you know!! If I was clever, I`d be dangerous.
but he was born in The States and came over here at the end of last year. He then spent 6 months in quarentine. He has lived in London for about 3 months and then his owner wasnt able to have him in her flat anymore and as this girls mother lives all over the world (too long a story) I have become like a surrogate mum. I simply couldnt see him put back into kennels, so I said I would have him while she finds a new house.
He was fine with all the other dogs but seems to ablsolutely loathe labradors. 
