cbmcts
Well-Known Member
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 in 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.
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 in 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.