Rain last night, then wind in the wee hours and I woke up to driving snow – not a lot, probably less than an inch, but still the first real snowfall of this heretofore very mild winter.
I took Tobie out for his long morning walkie…
…which was cancelled after a few hundred yards because Tobie has clearly never seen snow before. He got so excited about the whole thing that he went from acting the fool as normal to becoming a complete dangerous-to-be-near asshole. Now he’s back inside and wondering why I’m so mad at him, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to break a knee because Tobie decides to hit the afterburners in a random direction while I’m trying to get down a rocky grade that’s now all slippery with snow.
My brother and his wife brought their boys and dog to Christmas at Mom’s last week. A big slobbery 100 lb ‘puppy’ that will not listen when it comes to laying down, staying away from eating or leaving uninterested people alone. My brother got sick of dealing with him, my sis in law basically ignored her dog, and it annoyed the rest of us.
It had not come for Thanksgiving,but went to a kennel near where they live. My brother said that was next year’s plan for Moka. It was a fairly frustrating experience for all involved. I know how that can be, as I used to bring a big black lab up there, but at least my dog was pretty old and lazy, and would just lay around most of the time.
I know you want a dog, but given the number of posts where yours seems to be annoying you, or worse, maybe…you decide.
Naw, Tobie’s still just a puppy. I don’t let him run wild, he is learning, and I’m (fairly) sure he’ll be fine when he matures. In fact I think he’ll be great. I’m just paying my dues now, and I knew the job was dangerous when I took it. In fact we have had a recent breakthrough with “go lay down,” which he resisted/pretended not to understand for months.
He would be happier in a house with a fenced yard, though.
Tobie’s actions sound a lot like a friend’s dog. My buddy has a Black Russian Terrier that is huge. By the time the doge was seven months old, it was around a hundred and twenty pounds. To say he was a handful when he was a puppy would be an understatement. Now that he is a fully grown adult massing around a hundred and forty pounds, he is the sweetest, most gentle dog you have ever seen.
With good training, sooner (hopefully) or later, Tobie will grow out of this wild phase.
And to get all politically incorrect, he’s a Boy dog. Even neutered, boy dogs are more challenging than girl dogs. It is what it is. They have to, per genetic programming, push boundaries. Just like human boys gotta push. And push. And push.
Though, Joel, find a spot where you can let him romp untethered in the snow and do just that. Or get a long rope and a big stake and give him the scope to really get his spaz out.
But as to forstalling being killed or injured by Toby, yes, you did right. I have to do the same to my spaz boy dog when he becomes, well, a spaz threat.
Ah, the adventures of dogging.
It’s nice when they reach that age where stuff just clicks mentally and they don’t become a threat, like by biting down too hard on you or knocking your knees out.
Kind of like kids. We get all excited when they walk and talk and then spend the rest of their lives being told to set down and shut up.
Our Tervueren (Belgian Shepherd) was trained (by us) to Champion level in obedience trials.
On-lead, off-lead, voice commands, hand signals, the works. He was brilliant – biddable and fiercely loyal. He saved my wife from “violent unwanted male attention” at least twice that we know of, and the local thugs (aka her high school students) told her they would never rob our place because “you have a wolf in the back yard”.
Then we were invited to visit a long-time friend of my wife. She had a pair of Dobermans that insisted on jumping on everybody. When I insisted that they not jump on me, by applying techniques learned from our years of dog-training, I was UN-invited – I haven’t even spoken to the woman in over twenty years.
Apparently I was cruel to her dogs by firmly telling them “NO”, and simply raising a knee so they had to back off, and she has never forgiven me.
To (finally) get to the point – I’ve seen both sides of dog training. We were told by all and sundry that Xebec (Darkfire Tervueren Gervaise) could never be adequately trained because “he would always be just a big puppy”, but proved them wrong. Keep at it – Tobie looks smart, and he WILL learn what you expect of him. Don’t fail him by being like my wife’s friend.
The wife and I drove the folks down to Casa Grande a few years ago for their annual snowbirding session, and while we stayed over a few days it snowed in the Superstition Mountains. Just a few inches, but it was very pretty and made for a great day of hiking.
Joel, just chiming in again to say that I never leash my dogs on my unfenced 50 acres, and their recall is flawless. I trained them with a shock collar to come when they’re called. If they don’t come back right away, the next trip out, they get the ecollar on and by God they sure listen better when it’s on. I seriously doubt you’d have any trouble letting Toby out for 20 to 30 minute jaunts on his own with a bit of training and an ecollar.
Joel, have you joined AAA with the 100 miile towing option yet?
No. I’d never get a tow truck out here this far from pavement no matter how much I paid someone to promise to do so.
That’s why I have a very good tow strap, and try to keep my neighbors friendly.
If you are using a AAA membership card for your tow my guess is that being contract work they will find you and take you wherever you want to go, charging only if you exceed the 100 miles or the number of tows per year. Don’t let them drag your vehicle but should immediately put it on a flat bed. At least where I’ve been towed from they have. If your tow is difficult enough you will provide a set of thigh slapping laughter generating stories that may get the driver free beer. You all, if I remember correctly, have had building materials delivered, and if they could find you with loaded trucks I betcha a AAA tow truck driver can too. AAA will be paying for it if you are within the guidelines, not you, so money is not an issue and everyone welcomes a funny story.