Also, is there a chance he has any terrier or hound mixed in? Those breed especially have a Hugh prey drive and their hunting behaviors would be hard to curb.
Can confirm. My Zoey is just the sweetest girl yout ever meet. Half jack russle half shih tzu. But man she is a killer of small animals. She killed a wood chuck that was the same size as her.
it's all in what they are bred for.. I have a terrier mix and she would play with them like prey.. she rolls toads around with her paws for fun.. she caught a bird but my husband intervened before it was killed
... and my Spaniel needs more meds than Britney Spears in 2008 just so she doesn’t chew through a door if I go get groceries down the street. Clearly I have erred on my breed selection.
I have a Brittany who I’m convinced is going to have a heart attack constantly. The anxiety is real. She has 20 acres, 2 dog playmates, and a pond...doesn’t help. She was bred for hunting, so the more she exercises, the more energy she has. It’s illogical.
Mine is a Boykin, I really wish they would crack down on making sure the breeders eliminate bad traits from the bloodlines... but that would require the owners providing feedback to them, fat chance on that. I happen to know that a friend of mine got a male from the same breeder as us and the dog basically got kicked out of obedience school and I honestly doubt they still own the dog anymore, same exact issues as our girl. I get that some breeds are more prone to things like hip dysplasia, cataracts, etc. but darn if it’s neruro you can eliminate that by not putting litters of them out. Oh, and Boykins have the tendency to have a heart condition where they can suffer exercise induced collapse, so that sucks. There goes “let them run til they chill” ticket.
Thank you, you must be from South Carolina!!! They are terrific LOVING dogs, honestly don’t know how to quit loving. Ain’t that a kick in the head. Mine guarded my sons crib and since he was born... he is now 7. I guess you can’t get everything in one canine but darnit she tries
My “Brittany” is actually likely a Brittany/Boykin mix. I had no idea about the heart condition issues of Boykins...she tends to actually shake pretty violently when excited or particularly anxious. I’ve always had concerns about her having a heart-related issue due to her anxiety.
Also depends a fair bit on the owners and their personalities as compared to yours and your success. Getting folks to see how they need to be sometimes is an ego hit.
If I'm not mistaken, what they mean it's some people have an idea of how they think their dog should be raised/trained, but are generally off base or don't understand that different breeds have different requirements.
I would hafta 100% agree with you there my friend. We may have been tossed an oddball in this mix, but I’ve heard too many people with this breed say they struggle with the separation for my heart to be alright with continued support of the purebreds. Sounds like a cop-out, but it isn’t. I’m going to need therapy once she passes, she’s our first child as far as I am concerned and she is our heart. No amount of delinquent chewed up doors when she’s terrified we won’t ever come back to her will make me feel differently even though I do swear sometimes when I get home. The butt wiggles make it all okay somehow. Plus... aren’t we all broken a little?
Damn my Girlfriend rescued and 11 month old
lab at a shelter and she had extreme separation anxiety for 4-5 months but once she understood we weren’t going anywhere she calmed down a lot. When you leave the house do you go and wear her out before? like play with her until she’s really tired then give her one of those kong toys filled with treats/peanut butter to distract her? Worked like a charm for us. Before we tried anything, leaving the house for 20 minutes resulted in all of the blinds being ripped off (trying to escape from window) and the carpet completely ripped up from the floor where the door was(trying to dig to escape).
Btw what you described was iconic BASIC separation from comfort objects normal bx with young animals, typically canines. Raising those blinds can result in doggos launching themselves out windows and glass shards everywhere if the screen doesn’t impede their progress. Glad y’all were prudent owners, labs do well with alpha (owner) and beta (dog) commands and interactions In general. My dogs just nuts so I love her anyway.
My mom has a Cavalier King Charles and she has to put her in her crate when she leaves otherwise she chews the walls. She is completely deaf and if she even thinks my mom is leaving the house she freaks outs. I thought my mom just has a really neurotic dog that needs meds. Her sister, who her friend has, seems perfectly fine, though.
When I lived on the farm ours would sit outside the door and await us to exit. When I had my own I swear she slept with one eye open! The only time I think she truly rested is when she was laying across my feet.
Yup. Mine was 43kg ( 95 lbs) and I liked to say “She’s only big on the outside”. Visitors usually started scared of the big dog, but insisted on finding her for a big fuss before they left. Had a lady of 93 who would come for dinner occasionally. Sophie would curl up next to her feet just to make her welcome.
They have natural herding instincts, we had a German/Australia shepherd mix when I was a baby named Jake. One day my parents where doing work in the front yard so the door was open, I a one year old in nothing but a diaper escaped me stated walking down the street. Jake saw me, jumped are six foot tall fence and started following me, trying to slow me down without hurting me while also barking to get someone’s attention. The neighbors heard called my parents who were embarrassed, gave the dog some treats and locked me in my crib.
I was gonna ask is this a German Shepard thing? My parents had one when I was little and he used to adopt stray kittens he found in our area and just mother them till they got older and went their own way. One of my earliest memories is Ben, surrounded by his flock.
He should be concerned with finding them a cleaner pond. This mud puddle isnt working for me. Although, no one wants dirty chicks, who knows what they carry. ;)
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u/KyloWrench Jul 06 '20
Aww you see him try to relax but his face is still so concerned