Introducing...Rocky

Well done, on the good progress that you have made so far. Could you leave Rocky at home when you ride, by putting him in his crate, so that he has company but can't get into any kind of trouble? Mr JB might also benefit from seeing Rocky staying calmly in the crate. Of course this might be a step too far currently.
 
been following but not posting as a non-dog owner I'm totally clueless. but I read the latest update with a smile on my face, I'm so pleased you're making progress :) sounds very challenging but I guess now you can see improvements it must feel a bit less difficult to handle. Lucky Rocky landing with a patient person who will show him how to be a happy chap.
 
Thanks all, honestly I'm such an amateur but am trying my very hardest to end up with a polite, well behaved and fun dog!
PAS I'm making progress on crate training but he's clearly been shoved in a crate as a puppy and left there; going in the crate is viewed by him as punishment and I don't want him to experience that at the moment as he can be slightly volatile and I want him to feel secure and happy with us. He is quite comfortable in the car (in a crate funnily enough!) so I'm not worried about leaving him there.
 
I am so happy to read your last update his a lovely looking dog I had a murle collie with the same face markings, this was many years ago I bought her from Southall market from some men of the travelling community, she was in a bit of a mess hated other dogs and wouldn't live inside, so she lived in the hay barn at the yard where I lived in the mobile home there, one of my liveries absolutely loved her and the dog also seemed to want to constantly be with her so I ended up giving her the dog and she happily lived indoors with her, I have a feeling my mobile home brought back to many scary memories for her and that's why she just wouldn't step one foot inside, so I am just glad she had a happy life in the end.
 
JennBags said:
Thanks all, honestly I'm such an amateur but am trying my very hardest to end up with a polite, well behaved and fun dog!
PAS I'm making progress on crate training but he's clearly been shoved in a crate as a puppy and left there; going in the crate is viewed by him as punishment and I don't want him to experience that at the moment as he can be slightly volatile and I want him to feel secure and happy with us. He is quite comfortable in the car (in a crate funnily enough!) so I'm not worried about leaving him there.
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You definitely aren't an amateur (I am so takes one to know one etc). I really like that you are taking things slowly with the crate, it's obvious he won't react well if you try and tough love him through the process of getting used to the crate. I still occasionally feed my pup meals in her crate.

That picture of the two of them is wonderful
 
Hats off to you for taking on this dog..if anyone can succeed with him you will be the one.He’s such a beautiful dog I keep looking at his first photo,just stunning. I’ve just started a collie head pyro today..he’s motivated me.
 
Oh dear it's 2 steps forward and one straight back again! We all came up to bed, he took a used sanitary towel out of the bin, I went to take it from him and he went for me, drew blood. Then he shat on the landing, no doubt a stress response, he looks very upset.
 
Oh no. Poor lad..poor you! Such a stressful thing when they get stuff they shouldn't, have to fight all your instincts. Mine don't bite me but are liable to swallow whatever they have more quickly if I try and take it away! So I have had to try and make the default response going to get a biscuit to do a swap rather than going to grab the contraband item from the dog.... it's verging on impossible sometimes though. I'm sorry he got you. ?
 
My first instinct is to teach a very strong leave it command, mine are horrific scavengers so this has been invaluable. However, I think his brain is just overwhelmed currently. Maybe don’t make any fuss at all, obviously you need to retrieve unsuitable items, so offer an exchange of a high value treat instead. If Juno is used to this, ask her to come and get a treat, sit, take it the way she has been taught. Any OTT discipline/just taking stuff from him is not going to work with this dog.

I can understand Mr JB not being happy, he doesn’t want you hurt. Mr CT is the same. I don’t know how patient your OH is and how much he’s prepared to tolerate from this dog.
 
JB I was going to post this earlier but thought I was being a negative nelly...I personally would get him off the bed until he understands some ground rules.
For me this is a dog that needs really clear boundaries and handling for the next few weeks if not months.
No freedom in the house to raid bins etc, taken from one place to another by you, you control all resources..food, exercise, interactions with other dogs, where he sleeps, you make all the decisions, everything comes from you.
This IMO would be the fairest thing and if you put the work in now, you will have a much happier dog.
It's not for everyone and your OH has to be on board but it will help him in the long run and it's helped a fair few people in the past, including me.
 
Oh ouch! I'm sorry that's happened. We have one that I can't take things from, I have to do bright distracting voice then high value treat. He's getting better. And this is despite being treated the same as his brother who I can do anything with, though this one will protect anybody and worries if anyone is hurt.
 
I usually do do a swap rather than a take, but stupidly didn't last night! Was about to go to bed and was being too lazy to go and get something to swap. I have also used Juno to demonstrate sit and take a treat to lure him away too.
I've been training "leave it" and "out" but he's only just starting and whilst he's doing brilliantly in the training sessions, it's too early for him to do it under normal conditions yet. I did say"out" to him and he considered dropping it, but the treasure was just too tempting for him. He's obviously had a lot of things taken off him in the past as he runs and hides as soon as you see him with something he shouldn't have.

CorvusCorax said:
JB I was going to post this earlier but thought I was being a negative nelly...I personally would get him off the bed until he understands some ground rules.
For me this is a dog that needs really clear boundaries and handling for the next few weeks if not months.
No freedom in the house to raid bins etc, taken from one place to another by you, you control all resources..food, exercise, interactions with other dogs, where he sleeps, you make all the decisions, everything comes from you.
This IMO would be the fairest thing and if you put the work in now, you will have a much happier dog.
It's not for everyone and your OH has to be on board but it will help him in the long run and it's helped a fair few people in the past, including me.
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Thanks CC, not a negative nelly at all, all input (especially from someone as experienced and knowledgeable as you) is alwasy welcome. I wondered if someone would comment about him being on the bed, that genuinely almost never happens, he sleeps in his own bed on the floor and I don't normally allow him to come up. I have considered tethering him to me but I'm not sure I could cope with it, I'm struggling enough at the moment, he is in the same room as me nearly all the time, I was just cleaning my teeth when he nipped into the bin.
 
I don't mean with you at all times but I do mean you need to make the crate a positive place ASAP/getting 'place' trained quickly and you take him everywhere on a lead at your side.
If he likes the car crate, there's no problem popping him in there for some time out in the interim. I'd also speak to him very sparingly...your voice/words/commands need to mean something.
He's either resting or training or going for a walk but it is all controlled by you.
At the moment he shouldn't have the opportunity to have a 'just'.

It's not forever and it will help you all.

Being possessive is strongly genetic, it doesn't have to mean he's had stuff taken off him in the past, I've seen very young puppies with high value items growl when approached by humans or their siblings, it's just nature.
 
Ouch - was just going to say that it sounded like it was all going in the right direction and then seen that last post! Naughty boy! Hope you are ok?
 
These unconfident, bright dogs really do try your patience don't they? I've been bitten (more than once, you think I'd learn!) by not thinking through the consequences of taking stuff from the rescues. The difference to me is do they bite to back you off and not come back for a second go? I can live with that even if I don't like it and it sounds like that is what Rocky did. I wonder if he's got into trouble, shouted at and possibly even hit for thieving which brings out the nervousness? It's still amazes me how different my rescues have been to the pups or even the rehomed from one home dogs I've had. The issues are real, will possibly be there in the background forever but, to date have always been manageable and both you and the dog adapt to each other. If Mr JB has only had pups, he must be thinking that you've imported a savage beast because it's such a shock to be bitten and/or realise that your dog might do that.

I do agree with CC that a boot camp/ Nothing in life is free (NILF) regime might work. Give him a chance to settle with really low expectations but also having to earn any attention. Strong boundaries reassure a nervy dog IME and it might also reassure Mr JB if he can ignore him a bit. At this point I'd normally throw the treat a distance rather than ask for a leave to avoid having my hand too near to teeth. To give you a laugh, Reggie wil steal for attention as much as anything but also has a tariff of treats to hand stuff over starting with a standard treat for a dishcloth, moving onto dried chicken for most things - bits of the garden brought indoors usually - but a sock will only be handed over for a whole sausage! He is very disappointed if I ignore him or just let him have whatever he is got and will spend ages showing me what he has in the hope I'll do swapsies :)
 
Hes been walked, he's been fed, he's done some training, he's had a play. All he's doing is running round,jumping and barking at the back door,. Tried having him on a lead next to me, just kept jumping up, trying to run off and barking. I've been home almost 2 hours and he hasn't stopped. Getting to the end of my tether.
 
Can you get him to lie down on a mat or a bed, as a "settle" exercise? Or can you go pop him in the crate in the car for a bit? See if that switches him off a bit. I don't really know but don't want to read and run either.
 
I would pop him in the crate in the car for a while to give everybody a bit of peace. If he likes the car crate, can you bring it in and use it in the house for his safe space until he is more settled generally?
 
I was considering putting him in the car, he's now settled down. PF I tried settling him on his bed, he'd stay for about a minute and then leap up again.
Oh I spoke to soon, he's got up again, he has to be tired, he's hardly slept all day.
 
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