Well, after my last post I.thought.I.was.brilliant didn’t I?
Dog staying when I said no and cat happily wandering around the garden. Kids and dog interacting nicely and happily.
Well, guess what,? I have learnt that it really is not that easy. We have had two setbacks this week and they are entirely my fault.
Firstly Belle was coming around beautifully, she was wary of his presence but certainly starting to trust that he was going to leave her alone. My constant telling him ‘No’ and treating him seemed to be working but the next time I let him into the garden it just so happened that Belle was already there. She was startled so she ran and before I could hold his collar he was off and he caught her.
Panic set in because it all happened so fast and I had visions of cat flying everywhere. However, he didn’t hurt her or try to tear her apart thank god. He just wanted to catch her and once he had he simply waited for her to run again so he could chase her some more. My knowing this of course is of no use to Belle who has now taken to sitting back on the garage roof and giving him a very wide berth. Gutted. It looks like dog and cat integration is going to take a lot more work.
Secondly and the biggest problem I have is that Jack seems to think that my youngest son is a kennel mate and a lower ranking one to him at that and the truth of how much of a problem this is manifested this week. Through no fault of Jack or my son.
I have always been very strict about the children not disturbing Jack while he eats, not because I thought he would do anything, but just because this is all still so new to him. At the end of the day he has been in a kennel with other dogs where they have to vie for food and top dog gets it first and will stop other dogs from eating by snipping at them if necessary. He is learning that here he does not have to do that, his food is how own but it is still early days.
I am also very strict about when we eat and that he is not allowed near us when we are eating and he is never given any titbits or food off our plate. He is very good with this and he does not approach us at all when we have food.
Yesterday, we were happily eating our tea and he was lay on his bed taking no notice what so ever and there was a knock at the door. I went to see who it was and of course so did the children, we all, without thinking left our plates unattended. When we went back, Jack was eating my son’s food and as he approached his plate Jack became very aggressive towards him. It was incredibly scary and a side to Jack that I have never seen before. It was clear he was not going to attack him, he was just telling him that this was his food now and go away. Now had I or my daughter headed towards that plate Jack would have allowed either of us to remove it without a beat. The fact that he see’s my son as a threat and a lower rank to himself is a really big problem for me.
The moment I intervened with a very loud and panicky ‘No’ Jack immediately left the plate and skulked off to his bed with is head down knowing he had ‘done something very wrong’.
I can’t blame Jack, he is a dog and food was left and he wanted it and although he does not come near us when we are eating I hadn’t thought about what would happen if food was left available to him that was not his.
Also, he isn’t just any dog, he is a dog that has spent the first four years of his life in a very strict routine, living and eating in a kennel with other dogs. He is now in a place where new things have to be learnt and we all have to adapt in order to make it work. It is new to all of us.
Both these happenings have taught me a massive lesson and I realise that a lot of training is require when it comes to food. This is a really big priority. Also making Jack realise that he is actually a hell of a lot lower down the pecking order in this household than he currently thinks he is.
Making the children understand that there are times to approach him and time not to approach him is also very important. Sleeping and eating are times NOT to approach him.
Until then, the muzzle is firmly back on when the children are around. I know that he would not suddenly attack them for no reason but a nip or a bite or any kind of aggression is not a chance that I am willing to take.
At the end of the day, no matter how gentle and calm he is 99% of the time I now know that there is an aggressive side to him with regards to food. He is a dog, not a human. Any dogs can be unpredictable and as yet Jack has not had sufficient training to deal with his new environment to give him that level of trust.
So, lots more research into dealing with these behavior problems and how to go about putting them right.
Onwards and upwards.
merleytwister 
Inside every dog there is a wolf, waiting to get out. That’s why I prefer cats on the whole. They’re just full of food.
lol this is true, well he will be a wolf in a muzzle now. 🙂
Dogs and food – I think it’s a main obsession with most of them anyway! I know my family dog used to become very wolf like and growling aggressive if she was given a marrow bone for a treat. We couldn’t get near her for about a week every time she was anywhere near that bone, it was really alarming to see her change of personality, the rest of the time she was soft and soppy! And we never did convince her, that actually none us were really interested in that mangy bone!! 😀
Perhaps if Jack had his dinner like this dog maybe it would encourage some human behaviour! There’s actually a medical reason this dog eats like it does, see the text below the video. But be prepared to laugh – this is seriously trained dog!!!
Aww that dog is ace ha. Jack is the same when he has a bone but only with Oscar. Other than that he is lovely with us all x
Poor Belle! I hope she and Jack find a way to be friends eventually.
It will come with time I hope 🙂
Following on from my comment on the previous post – despite these setbacks, I think you are doing very well, because you have a really good grasp of dog, cat and perhaps even human psychology. I’m NOT commenting here from a professional point of view, but as someone who has taken an interest in pets, particularly dogs and how they interact in families.
The way you write about how Jack views things, his background and how he sees his place in the family are all insights that a lot of people never get and the fact you see those things gives you a big advantage in probably being able to make this whole situation work out really well in the long term. It was good to read in the latest post that things have improved, but again it was because you worked with your son and Jack to make it happen.
By the way, have you had any time to look at the book Walking Ollie, that I mentioned to you a few months ago – your posts are now sounding incredibly like that book. perhaps you will be in a position to write something similar one day! 🙂
Thank you 🙂 I did get walking Ollie and I absolutely loved it! I do think that you have to ‘think dog’ in order to understand what is going on. A lot of people would have viewed what happened as the end but it is important to take the time to understand why they behave in the way that they do and his background is hardly his fault, plus my son had already been told to leave him when he was eating! Things are much, much better. He even growls at me if I go near his bone but he wouldn’t snap at me as long as I say ‘Leave it’. I have taught Oscar this now and when we feed him Oscar tells him to wait and Jack stands patiently and does not go near his bowl until Osc tells him ‘good boy’ so I think we are in a good place. I would love to write something one day mostly because this dog is so comical. 🙂