dog
Gracie bit Brian at a dog fair we went to on Sunday. We went to return a leash we had borrowed from the adoption agency, and then started walking around to check out the other booths.
We found the greyhound booth and I want one now more than ever! They're so lazy and laid-back, exactly what I want in a dog. And they look really funny!
Meanwhile, Gracie had found a pig's ear somewhow and started eating it. Brian yelled at her to drop it, and she growled at him. Then he tried to yank it out of her mouth and she bit him. It didn't hurt him much, but afterwards he looked at his hand and saw that it was bleeding quite a lot. He yanked the leash and then was able to get her to drop the treat.
We went back to the adoption agency to try and figure out what happened, and what we should do. They told us we should never take food out of a dog's mouth. Brian and I did that to our old dogs all the time... but our old dogs were small dogs. (And my dog never growled at me like Gracie did!)
It was a really heavy experience. We tried to find an EMT truck to get Brian cleaned up... meanwhile Brian wanted me to hang out with Gracie away from him because he had bled all over her and she looked like a maniac. We sat within sight of Brian as he approached the EMT truck, and Gracie started going crazy with separation anxiety. She was pacing, whining, barking, just going crazy. Then Brian returned from the EMT truck: apparently the truck is only for animals, not people. They would not help Brian.
So we went home with Brian's bloodied hand and our maniacal looking dog. It was a really draining experience.
We took Gracie to the trainer the next day. We laid out the issues we had with her: the bite (although I suppose it's our fault), she freaks out lunging and barking when she sees joggers, skateboarders, or bicyclists, and she keeps pooping in her room.
When Brian got her back from the trainer, he did a test. He gave her on leash to Brian, and then the trainer rode by on a bicycle. She hid from the bicycle behind Brian's legs! The trainer said the pooping was probably because she could sense our energy - from how disappointed we are in her after the bite.
I took her for a walk the next day, and she was much better. The trainer said to correct her when she even sees a jogger/biker/skateboarder. This time we saw a jogger and as soon as she turned her head toward the jogger I corrected her, and sure enough she didn't bark. So she seems a lot better.
Since we got her back from the trainer, we've had to put her on the tough love schedule again. She has to stay in her room almost all the time, she can only get treats when she does tricks, she has to let us leave the house first, and re-enter it first. And since we started that, she's pooped in her room almost every morning. It's really gross. I wonder if the tough love energy is affecting her.
I took her out for a walk the other night, and she LAID DOWN on the ground and refused to walk past a certain point, no matter how much I told her no or corrected her. It didn't make sense. When I tell her to go to her room, or sit, she usually doesn't do it either. It's getting frustrating.
I know a dog is a lot of work, but I am not really enjoying the work that is needed with a dominant dog. She is a really great dog when she wants to be, but she also can be an absolute brat when she doesn't get her way. (like lying on the sidewalk when I am trying to walk her!!) The agency is worried we will give her back, so they offered to pay for the next 3 training sessions on them. (which we would have paid for, they didn't really need to do that!) They assure us after these training sessions she won't be bratty anymore. I hope they're right.
We found the greyhound booth and I want one now more than ever! They're so lazy and laid-back, exactly what I want in a dog. And they look really funny!
Meanwhile, Gracie had found a pig's ear somewhow and started eating it. Brian yelled at her to drop it, and she growled at him. Then he tried to yank it out of her mouth and she bit him. It didn't hurt him much, but afterwards he looked at his hand and saw that it was bleeding quite a lot. He yanked the leash and then was able to get her to drop the treat.
We went back to the adoption agency to try and figure out what happened, and what we should do. They told us we should never take food out of a dog's mouth. Brian and I did that to our old dogs all the time... but our old dogs were small dogs. (And my dog never growled at me like Gracie did!)
It was a really heavy experience. We tried to find an EMT truck to get Brian cleaned up... meanwhile Brian wanted me to hang out with Gracie away from him because he had bled all over her and she looked like a maniac. We sat within sight of Brian as he approached the EMT truck, and Gracie started going crazy with separation anxiety. She was pacing, whining, barking, just going crazy. Then Brian returned from the EMT truck: apparently the truck is only for animals, not people. They would not help Brian.
So we went home with Brian's bloodied hand and our maniacal looking dog. It was a really draining experience.
We took Gracie to the trainer the next day. We laid out the issues we had with her: the bite (although I suppose it's our fault), she freaks out lunging and barking when she sees joggers, skateboarders, or bicyclists, and she keeps pooping in her room.
When Brian got her back from the trainer, he did a test. He gave her on leash to Brian, and then the trainer rode by on a bicycle. She hid from the bicycle behind Brian's legs! The trainer said the pooping was probably because she could sense our energy - from how disappointed we are in her after the bite.
I took her for a walk the next day, and she was much better. The trainer said to correct her when she even sees a jogger/biker/skateboarder. This time we saw a jogger and as soon as she turned her head toward the jogger I corrected her, and sure enough she didn't bark. So she seems a lot better.
Since we got her back from the trainer, we've had to put her on the tough love schedule again. She has to stay in her room almost all the time, she can only get treats when she does tricks, she has to let us leave the house first, and re-enter it first. And since we started that, she's pooped in her room almost every morning. It's really gross. I wonder if the tough love energy is affecting her.
I took her out for a walk the other night, and she LAID DOWN on the ground and refused to walk past a certain point, no matter how much I told her no or corrected her. It didn't make sense. When I tell her to go to her room, or sit, she usually doesn't do it either. It's getting frustrating.
I know a dog is a lot of work, but I am not really enjoying the work that is needed with a dominant dog. She is a really great dog when she wants to be, but she also can be an absolute brat when she doesn't get her way. (like lying on the sidewalk when I am trying to walk her!!) The agency is worried we will give her back, so they offered to pay for the next 3 training sessions on them. (which we would have paid for, they didn't really need to do that!) They assure us after these training sessions she won't be bratty anymore. I hope they're right.