Rotten Reggie update

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
Some of you may remember that I took on a deaf rottie rescue in May - just fostering of course ;) Now that he's been here a few months I thought I'd update you all (It's Sunday, peeing down and I'm bored so why should I suffer solo??)

His back story is that he was brought to a vets at just over a year to PTS as "he never f'ing listens" and kept knocking the kids over. The vets refused to do it and contacted a national all breed rescue who took him and sent him to a rescue/trainer who specialises in deaf dogs who had him a year ( I wasn't aware of this at the time, it was in the middle of lockdown and comms weren't as clear as they could be) The original rescue then asked a breed rescue to take him and that's how he became my emergency foster a day after I'd lost another dog after an op... A vet check during castration confirmed that there is no obvious congenital reason for his deafness and as he is so hand shy, the assumption is he was battered around the head.

Reggie regularly lives up to his rotten nickname but is showing a very good brain too, if only he would use it in a productive manner. He might only be 45kgs but my god, he is strong! He really is like a tank and although I've always thought I was strong I cannot hold him without a headcollar. That is also attached to his collar with two links and another link attaching the collar to the lead as well as the head collar. He also wears an escape proof (so far) harness and I generally use a walking belt so he is also attached to me! Talk about overkill but he is prone to hysterical tantrums when he can't get to something he has spotted in the distance when he will turn himself inside out and go backwards through your legs if given the chance. He has snapped a leather dogmatic, a lead and wriggled out of a standard harness during these episodes which is why there are so many attachments... On a plus point, these tantrums have really calmed down since he's realised he can't get free - it's a while since he's laid in the middle of the road screaming because I wouldn't let him go to a dog. I did have to tell a van driver than leaning on his horn wouldn't work as y'know he's deaf. Embarrassing though :)

His good points - I regularly have to remind myself of these - are that he is good with other dogs (with one notable exception, a friend of mines male rottie of a similar age, they hate each other and both wind themselves and each other up constantly so we just keep them seperate) especially bitches. He loves the cat, she's not so keen though as he now presents his behind to her so she can batter that rather than his face then his tail knocks her over. He is spotless indoors and only his beds get chewed. He loves his sofa and crate. He is starting to take notice and look to me occasionally when out - until now I was just ballast on the lead. When you've got his attention he is very good on hand signals including a V sign when he tries to join in work meetings. One of things that I was worried about was that he showed signs of separation anxiety ( while I was WFH during lockdown I fully expected to have to go back to work at some point) but as long as he sees you go and is given a treat he settles quietly. He picks up tricks and training quickly. He loves a cuddle but we've had to work very hard on the expectation that he can just launch himself onto your lap and climb up you. He's still quite puppyish in that he piddles on peoples feet when excited and can be a bit mouthy but the mouthing is getting better - the piddling just means he's introduced to new people outside...

The challenging parts - he is stubborn, very, very stubborn and as said before will use his weight against you! He's my 10th or 11th Rott over 30 odd years so I'm used to hard headed dogs but he is probably the hardest one yet. It has taken 4 months to teach a reliable 'swoppsie' when he has something he shouldn't have and a decent amount of roast chicken or a whole sausage is the only acceptable bribe. No scraps for Reggie :) He's wary of strangers but once they offer good treats they are accepted. Unless they are wearing high viz, he will kick off at that especially if they come towards him. Work to do on that as nobody in high viz can get close enough to even throw food at him yet. All outside doors have to be kept locked as he can open them otherwise (guess how I discovered that?) and I don't dare give him access to the dog flap and garden unsupervised. This is one of the biggest issues inreggie 3.jpg that he is very reactive to movement and if any of my neighbours are in their garden he throws himself at the fences relentlessly to the point that I'm worried he'll go through them. One neighbour is happy to turn the hose on him - the dog really is of the opinion that he's so sweet he'll melt in water - which backs him off for a split second until they stop. The other neighbour has builders at the moment and despite repeated requests, they will lean over the fence to talk to the dog sending him into a frenzy. I can get him back indoors though with a hand signal but that's why he has to be supervised outside! Other big issue is trying to keep his attention on me, tried a vibrating collar indoors with minimal success. When you make it vibrate, he totally ignores it except for a full body shudder like a horse having a shake and when he focuses on something while out he becomes an unmovable object and I really struggle to snap him out of it. It's becoming more successful, less of a full on wrestling match more of a snap the headcollar/shake the harness but without voice I have to be more physical than I like. He spotted his nemesis on the other side of the field at training a few weeks ago and had to be carried away by collar and harness as he totally shut down to stare at him and was working himself into hysterics. Tyres are a bit of an obsession :) Some muppet probably gave him tyres to play with at some point. He's learnt that car types (while still attached to cars!) are a no no but cyclists need to watch out as he will try to grab their back wheel...luck not judgement saved them the first couple of times we had groups of cyclists pass both sides of us. I suspect they thought I was a Covid paranoiac when I was shouting 'space please, go wide' hanging onto a dog that thought all his birthdays had come together.

Sometimes, okay often I wonder why I did this to myself but overall I don't regret keeping him. He's funny, bright, teaching me a lot (in hindsight, my other dogs must have been wishing they were deaf. I never realised how much I used voice to direct them and get their attention) and has so much potential.
 

SashaBabe

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 March 2019
Messages
1,017
Visit site
I often wondered what had happened to Reggie and if you had persevered. I'm so glad you decided to keep him and are making progress, albeit slowly, which is understandable. He is such a beautiful boy and is so lucky to have found a home with you. It would be lovely to have more updates on his progress in the future.
 

Pearlsasinger

Up in the clouds
Joined
20 February 2009
Messages
44,730
Location
W. Yorks
Visit site
I have been looking out for this post! And I'm sorry to say that I laughed all the way through it.

Well done you for persevering with him (although I know you couldn't possibly have done anything else). He has certainly fallen on his paws now, after what sounds to have been a dreadful start.
 

Bellasophia

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 May 2014
Messages
2,445
Location
Italy
Visit site
Absolute synchrony;you are so in sync with Reggie and his ways, that my admiration grew as I read through your post..ive had a rottie so I know they are not for everyone.
Reggie is the personification of extreme,plus he’s deaf .Yet you love him to bits ,each and every kilo of his exhuberant abundance.
Reggies are a rarity;not all rotts are like this,but you are even rarer.Not only do you accept every quirk in his being ,you embrace him.I think he found a bright light in you and I really enjoyed the humour in your description ,so much so that I think you should write a book.I think Reggie would enjoy laying back,sipping champagne from a cyclist‘s helmet,from the proceeds of your royalties.
Who knows ?He could go from Rotten Reggie to Reggie Rich.?
 

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
There ain't no dedication here :) I think I'm just as stubborn as my thug of a dog! I've had a lot of help and support from the rescue and also members of the local breed training group despite lockdown. They are still laughing at the silent row the dog and I had a couple of weeks ago that involved a snap of the lead, finger waggling and fist shaking and culminated in Reggie turning his back on me, sitting there with his nose in the air. He is a sulker, I've only seen cats carry on like him in the past. On the other hand, he's bright enough to attention seek by misbehaving - if I'm ignoring him, like when I'm working, earning a living to feed him and so on - he will flip open the bin, look at me as he knows that my head will snap round at that click sound. Or now that the temperature has dropped and I'm wearing socks, he'll try and remove them. He firmly believes that if his eyes are shut, he can't see me and I can't see him or feel his teeth on my toes...

He has my OH well trained - he goes to the door to be let out, OH gets up to open the door, dog charges past him and jumps on the sofa. Every single time, he gets turfed off but no, it's a great game apparently. I keep telling OH to block him, don't let him do that but it doesn't seem to be sinking in. TBF to poor OH, he has just remined me that he can't be expected to train the poxy dog ( big bonus of a deaf dog, you can call him all the names under the sun without hurting his feelings) OH feels he has has done his duty by only rolling his eyes when I import another delinquent animal despite in the past being bitten, having his veg and fruit pinched off the plants, the garden dug up, various (expensive apparently, who knew?) tools chewed and the one that I'll never be forgiven for, even many years later taking a vomiting dog to the vet in his two week old car... It didn't help when I pointed out that it could have been worse - it might have been the other end. I did get the car valeted afterwards so don't know what his problem is.

Bellasophia Reggie is much more likely to get me locked up rather than make my fortune!

snooze1.jpgWatching the neighbours.jpg
 

{97702}

...
Joined
9 July 2012
Messages
14,849
Visit site
He’s a rescue - of course I admire your dedication and hard work, you are doing an amazing job with him, but it’s kind of what you sign up to when you take on a rescue? They don’t know poor things, it’s up to us to teach them ❤️

Massive well done on your progress so far, he sounds like an absolute poppet even if he is challenging as well - keep going, good luck ?❤️❤️❤️
 

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
He is great, hilarious and full of personality that's for sure :) For some bizarre reason I've always chosen the more 'difficult' dog. Partly because I have the set up at home to deal with them (see OH tolerating risk to life, limb and possessions!) and having long being involved in rescue, I've seen how hard it is for some dogs to actually have a successful rehome. So many homes swear blind that they can deal with the disclosed issues but one week later, the dog is returned... In saying that, I think I'd find a puppy harder than a older rescue - so much firefighting with a pup, so many ways for them to try and kill themselves, so much more patience required in house training! I loathe housetraining...

I do have to remind myself to look back and see the progress he has made - at one point I realised that he'd never work with me if I didn't remember to praise the good. It was about a month after I got him and he was being really challenging and it felt like life was just a constant litany of me saying 'no, stop that,FFS' and dragging him around on a lead. Of course, without being able to use your voice, it's harder to praise so I had to remind myself to give him a thumbs up, a stroke or a pat when he was good. I was talking to a friend of mine who had also taken on a rescue after losing her old dog and saying 'oh yes, between day 2 and 7 you start thinking what on earth have I done?' and about 4 - 6 weeks in, after they've got their paws under the table so to speak, you despair because it's getting worse instead of better. That has been my experience of adult rescues each and every time but you forget, don't you? It was a reminder that just because he's deaf he's no worse (or better) than the average young male rottie - they're not called rotters for nothing! As a breed, they are hard headed, stubborn, independent minded, clever so particularly if they didn't have the best start, they are going to demand that you work with them to get results - they are not dogs that will go out of their way to do what you want unless there is something in it for them (usually chicken or sausage ;) ) They are not usually dogs that you can force or bully for any amount of time. When they do start to work with you though, it's the best feeling in the world :)

I do still have my request in for a small bitch of any breed to the rescue. Reggie will benefit from a steady dog as he is so much more settled when we walk with other dogs and can relax a bit rather than his head swiveling hard trying to keep an eye on everything as he does when it's just him. I have said that this time they owe me a nice easy one but I just know that it'll probably be the ancient hospice case that I'll fall for again to break my heart. Thirty years ago, it was a three legged Rottie bitch called Ruby with a terminal diagnosis who got me involved with rottweiler rescue and started all this!
 

MuddyTB

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 February 2010
Messages
593
Visit site
What a brilliant story. He is so lucky to have found you, I can't imagine many people would have the will or the ability to deal with a dog with his start in life and issues. He's landed well and truly on his feet.
 

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
Reggie is very reluctantly overcoming his extreme dislike of being out in the rain - he's had no choice this week! He will still try and stick his head under the back of my coat if the rain is is his face and thinks I'm very unreasonable when I object to a wet head up my bum...

He picked up a thorn in his paw yesterday and talk about dramatics - he couldn't walk with it (he said!), just sat there waving the paw but also really didn't want me to look at it either. It took a friend and I a full on wrestling match to remove it. I was just glad that there weren't many people around as we probably would have been reported for cruelty due to the screaming. When he's not grievously injured, you can touch him all over but it did make me think that it's probably a good idea to start working on him going to the vets and getting used to others handling him. Because he came to me in the middle of lockdown, I haven't had him out and about with other people the same way I normally would and knowing his penchant from hysterics, it's time to give my vets a call and see if he can go in there for quick visits and the doling out of treats before he actually has to be treated ( translation by Reggie, slow and painful torture ;) ) for anything. After having a dog that was prepared to eat a whole vet, I really don't want to be in the same position again plus it's not fair to the vets or the dog - if the dog is spending the whole time trying t kill the vet, they are next to impossible to diagnose and treat properly.
 

Bellasophia

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 May 2014
Messages
2,445
Location
Italy
Visit site
Does Reggie have a raincoat? All my dogs have had coats and even my rottie loved hers..Gillrugs .uk make made to measure waterproofs and also flectalon thermal coats...they were so well made I’ve cut mine down and used them again for smaller breeds as the years went on..
We are in the alps region...we go out rain,snow,freezing minus six C Temps....and when they have their coats on they get their walks every single day,and come home to a roaring log fire..
 

MrsMozart

Just passing through...
Joined
27 June 2008
Messages
41,222
Location
Not where I should be...
Visit site
Does Reggie have a raincoat? All my dogs have had coats and even my rottie loved hers..Gillrugs .uk make made to measure waterproofs and also flectalon thermal coats...they were so well made I’ve cut mine down and used them again for smaller breeds as the years went on..
We are in the alps region...we go out rain,snow,freezing minus six C Temps....and when they have their coats on they get their walks every single day,and come home to a roaring log fire..

My Rotties have raincoats. They love them. You should see the happy light in their eyes as they pull them off each other before settling down for a nice munch ??
 

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
I thought I'd update this as there have been some changes with Reggie - mostly good :)

He is now on Selgian, the dog equivalent of Sertraline (main difference to the human version is the tablets are half the strength and 5 times the price) and it does seem to be having a positive effect. Spoke to the vet before I brought Reggie in and he was very dubious about medicating him but as he witnessed the overly dramatic meltdown about having a muzzle put on which involved chucking himself on the floor, thrashing about screaming, dragged into the consultation room and then spending 20 minutes working very, very hard to remove said muzzle, he agreed that the options were xanax for me or anti anxiety meds for the dog. Since he felt that it might be illegal to prescribe xanax for me - so unreasonable despite my pleas - the dog got selgian. He also commented that it appears that I may have an autistic dog...for whatever reason, there is definitely some form of brain damage, he really isn't normal! The real challenge is deciding what is him losing the plot which he can't help and what is out and out thuggery, boundary pushing and just chancing his arm to see how far he can go. There is a lot of the latter. He's not stupid but he is strong willed and stubborn and doesn't do owt for nowt...

While the meds have not been a magic bullet by any means they do appear to have reduced the severity of the hysterics especially the pacing and panting for hours after an episode. He will still get fixated on things - always tyres, often branches, even if they are still attached to the tree, plant pots and sometimes other dogs if they are moving fast in the distance - if you can catch his attention in time, he will leave them and move on. Even if he does have hysterics, they don't last as long and I get a hold of the link between headcollar and collar (don't worry it's not a standard one, it's part of his lead, webbing reinforced with wire and I'm developing some serious muscle) and can drag him away and he will come back to earth once he's past them. I think he will always be obsessive though, he reminds me of some border collies and their hyper focus on things.

Training wise, well that's 2 steps forward and 5 steps back most of the time! He's started playing with me rather than just chucking toys around himself which helps as we can do a lot as part of a game. Downside is that I spend quite a lot of the time I should be working ducking the contents of his toy box as he fires them at me because I'm not giving him enough attention, always interesting when I'm on camera...trying not to flinch. He is very situational I've discovered - certain toys for certain games, certain treats for behaviours ie I started teach to him to drop the tuggy toy after a game and I used markies as a reward because that is what I had to hand. Now he will immediately spit out that tuggy toy for a markie but it doesn't work for a ball or if he has something he's pinched, that requires chicken... His very favourite trick is to stick his nose down the back of OHs trousers (he suffers badly from builders bum) when he leans over. He did it once, OH jumped and I laughed so the dog now stalks him in the hope he'll bend over. Well, it amuses me :) As always with the playing, it brought up a new issue which was he started launching himself at me, all four feet off the ground and hard to start a game and I really had to get very cross to stop it. While it wasn't malicious, it bloody hurt and there was a week or so when all I seemed to be doing was ignoring the dog as he really ramped up the jumping up before he gave up. He's also tried to do it to other people when he gets over excited along with mouthing which really isn't on. Absolute consistency seems to be the key with him and he would like to have a routine set in stone and while I'm reluctant to allow a really rigid routine as it will cause murders if it ever has to change, I do keep in more of set routine with him then I usually allow.

His bestest friend is a Northern Inuit and the pair of them play hard with lots of body slamming and sneaking up on each other when one is having a roll but he matches his play to other dog if that makes sense? He's happy to say hello nicely to other on lead dogs and if they want to play gently he will. He's not great with off lead dogs charging up to him and jumping up at him but TBH I don't really blame him for that and all he'll do is lunge at them. It's amazing how quick the 'He's friendly' owners collect their dog at that point!

I'm dying to get back to training class as I think he'll really benefit from them as will I - it's too easy to not keep moving forward and improving without that support. I honestly don't think that he'll ever be a totally stable dog that you can trust completely due to the hysterics and his tendency to be pushy but he does make me laugh every day along with swearing at least once if not multiple times daily.
 

Bellasophia

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 May 2014
Messages
2,445
Location
Italy
Visit site
Ditto ,splash girl is right..awesome update and all credit to you.
You clearly love him to bits and he you.You’ve dropped his rotten prefix and he’s now Reggie..LOL
I still think you should write a book,your descriptions had me in stitches,especially the non flinch/ on camera scenario..I presume thats often a work call being bombarded by his flying toys.Priceless.
 

Pearlsasinger

Up in the clouds
Joined
20 February 2009
Messages
44,730
Location
W. Yorks
Visit site
I'm another who is in admiration of your patience and skills with Reggie. We have had several rehomed dogs and 3 Rottweilers and I'm not sure that I would have been able to deal with Reggie, or even wanted to really. I am glad that you persisted though, if nothing else, your stories make me laugh - and I do think that Rotters are often very misunderstood dogs who deserve a chance at a normal life.
 

FinnishLapphund

There's no cow on the ice
Joined
28 June 2008
Messages
11,250
Location
w(b)est coast of Sweden
Visit site
Thank you for the update. I'm so impressed with your dedication/stubbornness to persevere with him.

I don't know if he's autistic, something else, or like with the dog muzzle, perhaps either have had a bad experience with one before he came to you, or maybe basically have a phobia about having his mouth restricted.

One of my late bitches had what I think is an odd reaction to wearing a dog muzzle. Since Elizabethan collars is a little ungainly, have a tendency to result in my legs getting bruised, and another one of my (late) bitches had been much happier wearing a dog muzzle, next time one of my other bitches needed an Elizabethan collar, I thought I'd try the dog muzzle again.
Unlike the Smooth Collie, which had been happy as a lark wearing the dog muzzle, the other bitch became so upset by having this contraption covering her whole nose, that within minutes she suddenly vomited in it.

This was many years ago, so I don't remember if it was days or weeks later, but I did put it on again, to see if her first reaction had been a coincidence. No, she got just as upset, but this time she started to retch, and as I recall it, that's when I decided to hurriedly take the dog muzzle off.
Strangely enough she could wear a Halti, but that of course didn't cover her whole nose.

Anyway, that's of course far from what you described. Again, I'm amazed you persevered, and dragged him into a consultation room. I think there's a high risk the only direction I would have dragged such a dog was back out through the front door.
He's so lucky to have ended up with you, and your OH.
 

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
Honestly, I'm no saint - if I was my halo would be somewhere about my left ankle! - just determined that since this hooligan animal now lives in my house, that he will become less of an embarrassment/ liability at some point in the future. He has been and is hard work like a lot of dogs that come through rescue. Unfortunately, there is a macho thing with large dogs that they must be kept in their place, forced to do as they're told and so on and when you have bright, strong willed and by nature a bit thuggy breed like a Rottweiler, that can really escalate quickly to a bad situation for both dog and handler. Even the dogs I've had from pups so training in place from day 1 have had their moments when they challenge you and how that is handled really sets the tone for then and into the future. I'm sure there are other breeds like this but rotties really do appreciate fairness and will fight back as a rule if they don't get it. Once they have that mindset and bad experiences - usually being screamed at, body rolled or yanked about for daring to object to by growling or snapping - they don't forget and find it next to impossible to be the trusting dog like the ones I've had from pups. That doesn't mean that you don't discipline them, just that the punishment has to fit the crime IYSWIM but with the rescues, they will often be wary and defensive for the rest of their lives. And they love praise, once they get out of the shutdown mindset they will do anything for attention and praise and you can actually see them almost swell up with pride once they get something right :)

Through the rescue I see so many that been mismanaged rather than actively ill treated and they are so different to the dogs that that come in because their owner has died or is too ill to keep them. All will be a bit unsettled in kennels to start with but it is amazing the difference between the two types of dogs. Those that are in 'through no fault of their own' are relaxed within a week, are confident that they will be fed, that all hands are kind hands and even if you need to do something that they aren't keen on will at most, have a little grumble and huff but submit (and demand a bloody good treat after;) ) Those dogs are a doddle to rehome, yes they will test their new owners on occasion and try very hard to train them to do things the dogs way but basically are cooperative animals. The others, the ones who haven't had fair consistent training, have been dominated (cos that's what you have to do with large breeds isn't it?) are on alert constantly in case you are unfair to them. It's really hard to do any meaningful work with a dog with that amount of adrenaline going through them all the time! Multiply that by 100 for the dogs that have been hammered...and that is the downside of taking on a rescue from a breed that is intelligent, holds memories and will defend themselves. But as always, it's not the dogs fault and that is why I take them and then question my sanity!
 
Last edited:

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
Thank you for the update. I'm so impressed with your dedication/stubbornness to persevere with him.

I don't know if he's autistic, something else, or like with the dog muzzle, perhaps either have had a bad experience with one before he came to you, or maybe basically have a phobia about having his mouth restricted.

One of my late bitches had what I think is an odd reaction to wearing a dog muzzle. Since Elizabethan collars is a little ungainly, have a tendency to result in my legs getting bruised, and another one of my (late) bitches had been much happier wearing a dog muzzle, next time one of my other bitches needed an Elizabethan collar, I thought I'd try the dog muzzle again.
Unlike the Smooth Collie, which had been happy as a lark wearing the dog muzzle, the other bitch became so upset by having this contraption covering her whole nose, that within minutes she suddenly vomited in it.

This was many years ago, so I don't remember if it was days or weeks later, but I did put it on again, to see if her first reaction had been a coincidence. No, she got just as upset, but this time she started to retch, and as I recall it, that's when I decided to hurriedly take the dog muzzle off.
Strangely enough she could wear a Halti, but that of course didn't cover her whole nose.

Anyway, that's of course far from what you described. Again, I'm amazed you persevered, and dragged him into a consultation room. I think there's a high risk the only direction I would have dragged such a dog was back out through the front door.
He's so lucky to have ended up with you, and your OH.

I suspect the reaction to the muzzle was a tantrum because it was different when he was already stressed by being somewhere new. I had started training him to a muzzle a while ago but stopped because it was making him reluctant to wear his headcollar and never restarted the training - my fault. Reggie can be very odd about somethings and make even odder connections to bad experiences many of which completely baffle me. Some battles I decided not to fight at the time and muzzling was one of them but I forgot to go back to it. However, it is something that he will have to get over as vets and their staff deserve not to be bitten and unfortunately I do suspect that he would have a chunk out of them if stressed enough. The plan is that he is going to visit the vets a lot to just have treats ASAP to try and find a different way of making them acceptable. In the meantime, muzzling is going to go ahead to keep people safe sadly but we will do some work at home too.

Sincere apologies if I offended anyone with the autism comment, it was not my intention. I don't even know if animals can be autistic but his reactions to somethings are so bizarre and illogical along with the hyper focus that when my vet said it it rang a bell! My only aim is trying to understand this animal and find a way that he can work with the world and be content. That would do a huge amount for my sanity which is only hanging on by a thread on occasion ...
 

FinnishLapphund

There's no cow on the ice
Joined
28 June 2008
Messages
11,250
Location
w(b)est coast of Sweden
Visit site
I suspect the reaction to the muzzle was a tantrum because it was different when he was already stressed by being somewhere new. I had started training him to a muzzle a while ago but stopped because it was making him reluctant to wear his headcollar and never restarted the training - my fault. Reggie can be very odd about somethings and make even odder connections to bad experiences many of which completely baffle me. Some battles I decided not to fight at the time and muzzling was one of them but I forgot to go back to it. However, it is something that he will have to get over as vets and their staff deserve not to be bitten and unfortunately I do suspect that he would have a chunk out of them if stressed enough. The plan is that he is going to visit the vets a lot to just have treats ASAP to try and find a different way of making them acceptable. In the meantime, muzzling is going to go ahead to keep people safe sadly but we will do some work at home too.

Sincere apologies if I offended anyone with the autism comment, it was not my intention. I don't even know if animals can be autistic but his reactions to somethings are so bizarre and illogical along with the hyper focus that when my vet said it it rang a bell! My only aim is trying to understand this animal and find a way that he can work with the world and be content. That would do a huge amount for my sanity which is only hanging on by a thread on occasion ...

I can't speak for others, but I'm autistic (Asperger's), and I'm not offended. Besides it was your veterinarian who said it first, not you.

In general I feel somewhat hesitant, for example when someone I met in real life claimed to know several dogs who was either anorectic, or bulimic. It's the definite part that makes me a bit hesitant, how can you know for certain if a horse have ADHD, or a dog is autistic? I mean, it can be difficult enough to get an autism diagnosis for a human, so it seems odd to me if it would be easy to definitely tell if a dog have it or not.

But that doesn't mean I don't think it can't be possible. Maybe Reggie is autistic, maybe he have some autistic traits, or perhaps it's just a coincidence that things in his behaviour made your veterinarian, and you think about autism.

Whichever it is, I really hope you manage to make him less of an embarrassment/liability without too difficult hiccups on the way. And trust me, you're probably closer to a saint than the rest of us. You still have a halo around your left ankle, mine would have ran away screaming long ago.
 

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
Woody and Reg in garden.jpgWoody and Reg.jpgWoody.jpg

Well Reggie has finally got a friend come to live with him - his name is Woody, a 7 year old little staffie cross. He's a private rehome as his owners are emigrating and we were lucky enough to be able to do a very slow intro over 6 weeks or so. He's only been here a few days and it's going really well with lots of games and good humour.
 

Bellasophia

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 May 2014
Messages
2,445
Location
Italy
Visit site
Only special people would do what you do.Seriously.
I also think Reggie is very special to accept an older male dog into his life..I’m seriously impressed.
Woody looks a beautiful dog And he’s so lucky you took him in.
Don't stop with your updates,they are an uplifting read .
Plus I’m still,in Reggie’s fan club.
 

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
Thank you BS. Most days I laugh more than I swear :) Woody is a very sweet happy loves everyone type of dog who appears to defer to other dogs all the time. Not a typical male terrier at all! I was originally looking for a small breed bitch (I too had the concerns about introducing 2 adult males) but getting a small stable bitch without major issues in rescue, without joining a long waiting list - and even when I did, the national rescues were very wary of the big/small dog combo - was proving difficult! I don't have the same contacts with those rescues that I do with the big dog rescues. So being put in touch with Woody's owner through a friend of a friend of a friend was a god send. In fact, it was the hydro therapist who used to swim one of my dogs next door neighbour and she told another friend about him who told me. Woody's owners were very happy to walk with us for many weeks so they - who am I kidding? Reggie - could get used to each other. I brought Woody home on Sunday after a loooooong walk together. All toys removed, crates set up etc. The first night was hellish - I got about 2 hours sleep as Woody was not happy if I left the room (Dear God, I'd forgotten about the staffy whinge!) with yowling galore. I knew he'd been used to sleeping upstairs but that isn't an option here because of the cat, and to be frank, I'm much more scared of her than neighbour complaints! Reggie was very happy that he is deaf that night. Monday wasn't much better but he has settled really well now with minimal whinging. The bit that has made me laugh is he wasn't allowed on the sofa in his previous home, well that lasted a day here but Reggie has taken over the crate instead and puts himself in it at every opportunity. They play together happily and not too roughly which is good as I was a bit worried that they would play hard. Toys are still off the menu for a while yet as Reggie is still a bit jealous of Woody getting any attention. Woody previously lived with another rottie originally and then a Boerbel - which was also offered to me as she needed rehoming too but no thank you, 72kgs of dog with a few issues and an insurance cost of £280 a month due to the breed, neither my house or pocket is big enough for that! She was beautiful but I do know my limitations (Plus I believe that divorce is expensive too?) |

Reggie is still Reggie - if you look at the first photo, you can see how I solved the bouncing off the fences problem - my garden now has heras fencing all the way round. Mind you, I did have to cover the feet of the fencing with mustard to stop him dragging them around. I'd spoken to my immediate neighbours before I put it up but Mr Nosy at the back found an excuse to knock and ask why it was there within a day so I couldn't resist telling him that there was a new house been built there :) That caused uproar with the households at the back. Apparently there was a meeting and talk of a petition to stop it before they realised I was joking...my garden is only 60ft long with a 3ft, if that access to the back! Mr Nosy still isn't speaking to me so win, win. It has worked really well as bouncing off wire (and being catapulted backwards) isn't much fun and one neighbour in particular is very grateful! Reggie is still an idiot with hyper focus - I'm not sure if I've got used used to his ways or he's improved TBH but we go to training most weeks and sometimes we even manage to participate for all of 20 minutes before he loses the plot. His main job is still playing with the puppies.

The next chapter may be a puppy. I'm trying to be sensible but there are a litter in kennels and whose owner died very suddenly and they were put in kennels by the dog warden. Not sure what is happening with them yet as various randoms are trying to claim them (worth hard cash aren't they? Not one of these people has even asked about the bitch) and there is no obvious next of kin so they are technically property and part of his estate. I have really fallen for the little bitch and if they do come up for rehoming, I don't think I'll resist too hard. A staffie and a small terrier only count as one rottie so it would still be the equivalent of 2 proper size dogs wouldn't it? OH is away next week and he knows the roolz - if you go away without me, I can import what I want :) This puppy is big enough that the cat won't think she is a rodent unlike the 4 five week old motherless chi's that I had for a couple of nights in the summer while their fosterer was ill. The cat stalked them with intent!
 

Bellasophia

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 May 2014
Messages
2,445
Location
Italy
Visit site
I loved your mustard on the fence tale..sounds very effective….when I had my rottie pup I used vicks on her lead to auto deter lead chewing/ grabbing..worked well.
Our rose bushes didn’t survive rottie puppy hood so well..one day my grinning “Reggie belle”brought a full rose bush,roots ,soil and all into my kitchen.. say it with flowers took on new meaning.
You are very brave to take on three and I can’t wait for the updates..I did a double take to think a cat would stalk a chi and I also read Ycbm mention her cat hunts rabbits..(you can tell ive never had a cat..)I learn a lot here lol.

What breed is the little terrier bitch.?
In my house my tiny schnauzer girl rules my st poodle with just a look..I bet your boys will be thrilled to have her…maybe your hub will take a bit more time lol.
 

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
God only knows what breed the puppies are. Mum is a small tan JRT type, maybe some border or Cairn in there. The pups are all completely different, a black boy who looks like a small square lab, a tan boy who has a proper pit triangle head but in miniature with light coloured eyes and the girl has dachshund legs and a terrier body and head, proper cut and shut! Maybe Mum was a bit of a hussy?

The rose bushes are the only thing that survived Reggie, everything else including the tree has been destroyed...
 
Top