So weird. Despite Elvis' upbringing and the inherent handicaps that go with being a puppy mill dog, he apparently was leash trained at some point. Either that or he's going to go down as the only dog I've ever met who knew instinctively what to do on a leash. He's also another dog when it comes to being petted or given a treat. Normally, I can't make eye contact with him if I want to drop him a tidbit of food, but whenever the leash is on, he's sitting looking up at me and doesn't pull away when I drop a piece of food. He's not cringing or starting when you reach down to pet him (even if you come down over the top of him). Damnedest thing I've ever seen. I told Randall today that if he continues with this behavior, and doesn't revert to his panicky self when Haley comes out of season and he comes off the leash, it will be an incredible turn around. If he does, I plan on getting him a smaller slip collar and fastening a clip to the end of it. I've used that when moving from on leash to off leash in obedience training, and it might just work with him for this. That's the plan anyway if it happens.
Right now (evening), he's laying on the pillow with Haley looking very comfortable. He occasionally tries to breed her (Haley is annoying in that she won't turn around and tell him she's not ready), but it's funny when she's ignoring him and walking off. Here he is hanging on for dear life, trying to get his business done, and she's walking off. And an 8 pound dog standing on his rear legs isn't going to stop a 20 pound dog, so she takes him with her. LOL
One thing I am seeing that is going to bear watching is his level of aggression towards Skeeter. He's definitely got the macho thing going, and I'm working on curbing that, though I doubt there's a whole lot that can be done because of his past history. Just something to keep any eye on and stop before it gets started.
Wednesday
Sucks to be this little fella, I tell you.
First up for his day, Haley comes in season. She wears hot pants, so she's in no danger of being bred, but here's this little guy who has been used at stud all of his life, presented with a bitch in season. "Yes! I know what to do! Huh? What do you mean, 'No.'?" Poor guy. The bafflement is writ large on his face, but he's handled the leash he's been on today like he was born to it (well, except for what you see in the picture below). I can only think his mind is on other things, but regardless, this may be the best thing that could happen, because he's getting picked up, taken where there are noises, putting up with strange things. All to the good for him. Pain in the butt for me because it's been a long time since I dealt with a bitch in season and a stud dog around.
Second up for his day wasn't so good. I took Haley in with me to lay day and closed the gate in the den. Randall was sitting on the bed when I turned around to shut the door just in time to see Elvis get stuck between the bars of the gate. He was one highly motivated little guy and that motivation got him well and truly stuck. We ended up getting tree loppers in and cutting one of the bars. What was great about this, though, was he didn't panic and start coughing. His eyes got real big, and he sort of cringed when the loppers came out, but he really did take it well.
He did get a cough pill this evening because things before and after dinner tend to be hectic, and he got pretty worked up. I finally just gave him a pill and crated him for awhile. That's what I'll do tomorrow night, too, until things calm down.
Tuesday
He's been really skittish today. I've been in and out of the garage so the door has been going up and down. I've had a project I started working on today that involved a jigsaw and a piece of plywood. It also involved bringing the piece of plywood into the kitchen. That's not been terribly popular with him. He's also had two cough pills today...one with breakfast and one with dinner. I suspect since he's changing over to the liquid Lasix is the main cause, but he's also sneezed a few times, so I think his allergies may be contributing, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment