Can someone remind me of the "good bits" of dog ownership please

[pippixox]

saw this fake ad on a forum a few weeks ago.... sums it up really! need to read to the end

CRAIGSLIST AD
*****************************************************FREE TO GOOD HOME**************************************************** (or moderately decent one)



Hi, I have a 2 year old pure bred Great Shepdanepoo that needs to be re-homed. That's right he's a one of kind designer mutt. His mom was a German Shepherd and dad a Great Dane. Heck there might be some unicorn in there. I threw in the poo b/c it seems to make him more appealing.



Sadly I can't keep him anymore. When I first adopted him I never ever thought that I might have to move. Apparently, no pets are allowed anywhere in this country besides where I currently live. Also, I think I'm pregnant so it's okay to give him up, right? I would never do that to my future kid though. Don't worry I'll never tell my child I owned a dog only to give him up. B/c that would be teaching him or her that when life gets hard just dump your problems onto someone else and make excuses for your own lack of responsibility.



Anyways, this dog is annoying. He requires a solid exercise routine. I have to exercise him mentally and physically (that's right both kinds of exercise) for 3 hours almost everyday. I have to be out of the house by 5 am (rain or shine) to go on a bike ride with him for 45 mins. Then I play fetch, tug o war, hide n seek and other games. Followed by some training. This is all done before I go to work so he can stay asleep in his crate until I come back about 8 hours later. When I do come back I have to play with him some more, ughhhh. If I don't do this he whines and yelps the rest of the day. Who would have thought that a GSD mix would have this much energy.



He slobbers and farts a lot. He always manages to get water onto my kitchen floor instead of into his mouth. He eats everything, seriously, everything. I have to make sure that my floors are free of socks, leather/cloth materials, tissue paper, really any paper, certain shoes and small plastic things b/c he will eat it. I have to be so tidy and clean now, its frustrating. He snores like a trombone. Don't be fooled by his 80 lb body my friend b/c he is a lap dog, whether you like it or not. He barks like a maniac at anyone who walks past my fenced backyard (esp. if he hasn't been exercised). Meaning, I actually have to go outside and tell him to be quiet, otherwise he won't stop. He tracks in a s*** ton of mud. When he's sick I have to take him to the vet or else he just lies there looking lifeless. Btws, who would have thought that seeking services from a professional who went to school for 8 years or so would be expensive, really. Blows my mind.



He is great w/ kids, cats, and other dogs. But he must be supervised while around them b/c of his size. He is not super friendly towards adult strangers, just aloof. In fact, don't expect to be walking Lassie down the street. He is no eye candy. When I baby sit my mom's pure/well bred husky everybody runs up to me. Sh** ppl stop cars to come pet the husky (no joke). But when I walk my dog most ppl. just want to get to the other side of the street to avoid him; I guess he is scary looking . He does walk well on a leash but you need to be strong and firm b/c if he sees a rabbit, fox, deer, squirrel, or bicyclist (random right) he will try to run after it. So you must know how to handle that situation (and hitting him is not handling it).



All in all, when I first went to go adopt a dog I was really looking for a dog like lassie. He is nothing like it. What a disappointment.



He is up to date on all his shots, according to the second family that returned him to the shelter. Yep, his balls are gone but his sack is still there.



I've changed my mind he is no longer free. There is a re-homing fee of $300.00. I want to recoup some of the money I spent on him. Heck, I'll even throw in the cat for free. She is also a lot of work; I have to clean her litter box everyday, pet her and play with her w/ a piece of string. I just don't think I have time or money for that.



Never mind, who am I kidding. Despite everything I mentioned above I love him to death. This dog loves me despite the many flaws I have. He has loved me better than most men I have been with. And I am willing to put in the time, money and effort to keep him. B/c I know that this kind of unconditional love is hard to come by. Hope everyone here may come to that realization themselves.

Read more: http://www.yourpetforums.co.uk/thread/3036/dog-rehoming-ad#ixzz2r1KaFMa2

 

[lexiedhb]

3 years of single handedly trying to turn around a dog while the rest of the family undermines you everytime can leave you feeling like this.
I appreciate its not just his fault totally i know exactly who the blame lies with but no matter WHO the blame lies with i still have to deal with the fall out daily.
He wont be going anywhere unfortunately, even though a perfect home for him has been offered in the past, and im sure the charity he came from would be more than happy for him to go live with a person he has respect for, he absolutely adores and has two fully trained gun dogs. But again im not the one standing in the way of that. I've had just about enough of the situation I am stuck in but am currently unable to do anything about it!

Again i can understand why he glares at me as im the "bad guy" but what else am i supposed to do? Let him walk all over me too!? Id rather be ignored than that.

He IS walked several times a day, unfortunately just for 10/20 mins rather than hours. He gets to run around in the garden, play with all the neighbours dogs and have a good blast.

Im not saying he's the most fulfilled/happy dog in the world but its not as if he spends his life in a box either.

make training fun? make it so he WANTS to engage with you? work out what makes him tick and use it to your full advantage? Think of the problem as your (your families) fault rather than his? Stop putting human emotions on him (he does not glare at you as though you are the bad guy- he is a dog- they dont think like that) Try and make him the most fulfilled and happy dog thus removing his issues? Maybe see a trainer? Talk to your family so you are all on the same page? are your requests of the dog unreasonable, compared to your mothers?

If you have time to be peeved at his behaviour, post about it etc etc you have time to spend working with him.........

 

[Lunchbox legend]

I have some questions:

• How old is he?
• What do you feed him and how does he get fed?
• What commands does he already know (e.g. sit, wait, etc.)?
• Does he know any tricks (e.g. holding a biscuit on his nose, doing a 'high five')?
• Is there a secure place, like a tennis court near you?
• Does he have any other doggy company?

I actually have more questions running through my mind but those will do for now .

I sounds to me like you've tried with him but haven't quite been able to hit the mark (not a criticism, I promise xx) and have lost confidence and motivation. It sounds as though you need a break and some help.

Feeding
First things first. What is he eating? Some commercial dog foods are so awful you might just as well be giving your dog McDonalds laced with amphetamines every day. Yuck, yuck and double yuck. I feed raw and have done for years so I'm probably biased but I'd seriously recommend looking at his diet as a start - even if you keep to commercial but use a better quality feed (if you aren't already ). Does he have his food just in a bowl or do you hide it around the house (under plastic pots, under his teddy, behind the plant pot for e.g.) or put it in a feeding ball, where he has to work to get it?

Age
I've asked about age as you don't say how old he was when you got him. Some age ranges are a bit more challenging than others. A young dog will have energy that I'm jealous of and an older dog would need a bit more time/a different approach to training.

Training
I asked about what commands and tricks he knows as this gives some idea about how well his training has been going and/or what sort of time he's been spending with his humans. It does sound as though he's absolutely begging for your attention and you can use this. Some people find obedience training boring which is why I asked about tricks as doing these with him is better than nothing. There are quite a few books on Amazon about how to train your dog to do tricks. I bet when you have your first success with him, you'll feel so proud and you'll start loving him again. At the moment you just feel like a failure when you have anything to do with him - but that can change. Honestly .

Off lead time and doggy company
I've fostered a lot of dogs and the recall of some of them was pretty challenging. Maybe you can find a place like a tennis court, 5-aside footy pitch, baseball pitch, etc. where he can be let off lead but can't escape. I'd also have some really high value treats (doggy liver pate, hot dogs, anything with a really meaty smell) for when he comes back to you. I've found that it's easier, sometimes, to turn and run away from a dog that won't come back to me as it then chases after me, than to try to get to it, or get it to come back to me.

Also, some time with other dogs might help him let off some steam and have proper doggy communication. Think how you might feel if you never got to talk to other humans and only had animals for company.

Training classes
Perhaps you, your mum and dog could go to a training class? You'd get the help you need, your dog would get the company he needs and the people there will be able to point you in the direction of safe places for him. You never know, you might even find a dog sitter so you can have a break .

The good points of having a dog

• Cuddles
• Waggy tails
• Meeting new friends
• Getting out to walk in places you wouldn't normally go
• Winning something in a novelty class at a dog show
• Laughing at the silly things they do
• Making silly noises so they put their ears up and their heads on one side
• The feeling of success each time your dog learns a new command
• Feeling the bond when your dog eventually knows what you want just by looking at you

I really do hope you can work it out as you'll get so much from him when you do. Greyhounds are such gentle, loving creatures .

Oh, and sorry for the long answer but you do sound at the end of your tether .

 

[islander]

Excellent positive and supportive thread Lunchbox legend!

 

[leflynn]

I have a greyhound that does this on occasions (minus the destructive bit) and he is either missing someone - me normally if I am late home from work and he drives OH bonkers. The other option is that he wants to play with us! Failing that a pigs ear fixes everything

Normally cuddles on the sofa or 10 mins of playtime cure all whining/tail wagging and being a pest and he is back off to being the lovely daft big soppy greyhound he is (36kg so not small either). He might also be picking up on your stress as our does (if I cry he comes and cuddles me). Our was a rescue and we've only had him 18 months but we trained him to be left from the start, it did take a while and we also can't let him off the lead as he just runs away! He has proved this by a dodgy catch on a lunge line and he nicked off a mile away and someone thankfully caught him for me.

Have you ever looked up the greyhound page on facebook? They are really helpful and can de-code greyhounds behaviour as they aren't always the same as normal dogs! Boots vocal signals are very diff to any dog I've had before. Ours thrives on routine, but really loves going new places - maybe that would help? Sounds like you and your mum need to decide the ground rules as poor grey might be confused? I'm no expert but it sounds like one does one thing and another does another? I tmight be worth checking his food as ours got more chilled once we changed his food and made sure we were both feeidng the right amount.

There is nothing like a greyhound that leans in on you for a cuddle after a long day at work, plus a teethy roach sleep always amuses me

 

[Lunchbox legend]

Excellent positive and supportive thread Lunchbox legend!

Thanks.