Denton
New member
- Mar 7, 2013
- 18
- 0
- Bulldog(s) Names
- Mattie
I've had Mattie for 3 weeks now after adopting her from a shelter. I live alone, so at the moment, it's just Mattie and me. She's 3 1/2 years old and I believe she's been bounced around between potential homes and shelters for most of her life to this point. She's alone about 9 hours a day while I'm at work. She's been good inside since I've had her, so she gets the run of the house while I'm gone. I've been checking in at lunch most days and make a thorough walkthrough each afternoon -- so far nothing is being chewed on or eaten that shouldn't be and there are no other... um.. surprises.
When walking her, she's mostly good. She'll walk alongside me and follow my lead -- until she sees another dog. At that point, she will growl, bark, and try to run towards it. (If it's a cat instead, she'll go extra nuts.) On my part, I'll respond by snapping the leash in accordance to how hard she snapped, giving her a loud No, and keep going straight. I try and make a point not to break stride to give her the impression that seeing a dog nothing out of the ordinary. To a much lesser extent, she'll act similarly with people. With people there is no barking or growling -- she just wants to run up and jump on every random stranger on the street and start playing.
In the three weeks I've had her, there's been very little real contact with other dogs. We'll pass by other walkers on the other side of the street, but that's as close as it gets. I bring her to the dog park at the apartment a few times a week, but there have never been other dogs there when we visit. (Go figure, right?)
In a few weeks, I'll be taking a 5-day trip and will be boarding Mattie at the local PetSmart in Johns Creek. [Amazingly, they have good facilities, lots of play time, on-staff trainers, on-staff vets, and lots of other extras I wouldn't expect from a big box pet store.] I'm a bit worried, because I'm not sure how she'll act in an environment with lots of other dogs running around during the group play times. I know they'll be watching closely and have had to run into problems before, but that doesn't necessarily make me less concerned.
After the trip, I planned on doing some more formal training, probably at PetSmart again just because I think working with a group of other dogs will be better for her. (In this particular case, the social aspect is the key draw.)
If this sounds good (or not), please let me know - I'm open to suggestions!
-Denton
When walking her, she's mostly good. She'll walk alongside me and follow my lead -- until she sees another dog. At that point, she will growl, bark, and try to run towards it. (If it's a cat instead, she'll go extra nuts.) On my part, I'll respond by snapping the leash in accordance to how hard she snapped, giving her a loud No, and keep going straight. I try and make a point not to break stride to give her the impression that seeing a dog nothing out of the ordinary. To a much lesser extent, she'll act similarly with people. With people there is no barking or growling -- she just wants to run up and jump on every random stranger on the street and start playing.
In the three weeks I've had her, there's been very little real contact with other dogs. We'll pass by other walkers on the other side of the street, but that's as close as it gets. I bring her to the dog park at the apartment a few times a week, but there have never been other dogs there when we visit. (Go figure, right?)
In a few weeks, I'll be taking a 5-day trip and will be boarding Mattie at the local PetSmart in Johns Creek. [Amazingly, they have good facilities, lots of play time, on-staff trainers, on-staff vets, and lots of other extras I wouldn't expect from a big box pet store.] I'm a bit worried, because I'm not sure how she'll act in an environment with lots of other dogs running around during the group play times. I know they'll be watching closely and have had to run into problems before, but that doesn't necessarily make me less concerned.
After the trip, I planned on doing some more formal training, probably at PetSmart again just because I think working with a group of other dogs will be better for her. (In this particular case, the social aspect is the key draw.)
If this sounds good (or not), please let me know - I'm open to suggestions!
-Denton