New Day

I dropped Tucker off last week. His foster mom is a wonderful, easy-going woman. She was going to take Tucker sheep-herding this past weekend. I hope it went well; I think he'd like it.

When I dropped him off, he immediately started playing with his buddy and that certainly eased the transition for me. His foster mom sent me an email letting me know he's paced the gate when I left, but went back to playing with his dog friends, so Tuck will be okay.

The friend that joined me on this sad, but good trip said I should get a lab. I don't think of myself as a lab person, but what should happen? The owner of my in-laws great aussie called to tell me their wonderful little girl dog commingled with the neighbor's black lab and now has 5 week old puppies as proof? Destiny? I'll go look...

A short lived affair

I've been in tears all day struggling with this decision, but I feel I have to return Tucker. He is the sweetest boy and wants so badly to please, but our environment is not a good match for him. I believe he needs more stimulation than we can provide him. He barks/yips in the yard, house, car. Whether an obsession or a bad habit, it is a very large part of his personality—at least here. Perhaps he needs more space or a dog buddy—or more likely, a job.

Last night our neighbors were over. The mom is a vet tech and her daughter is around six and dog-savvy. They've both met Tucker before and the little girl has patted him. She's a very quiet little girl—and this is an understatement. Tucker was leashed to me. The little girl was very gently petting him, she wasn’t jumping or squeaking—or even speaking. When she stopped, Tucker starting nipping at her clothes. There is not a mean bone in his body, all he wanted to do was play. She didn't react and actually thought it was kind of fun. However, I immediately said “No!” and put Tucker on a down, then removed him from the situation.

Neither mom nor daughter were frightened or bothered by it, he didn’t make contact with skin, but I know that nipping is what he was bred to do. He nips at me if I race by him. I can’t help thinking in a different situation, if I should have my head turned and a small child comes running by…

My husband and I had a long talk about it last night and again this morning trying to determine the best next step. Tucker is a beautiful little boy dog who is very sweet and exhibits traits for which he was bred. I understand the learning curve with a new dog. I know training is a long process and needs to be viewed with the big picture/long term goals in mind. However, this made us assess our lifestyle and dog needs with his needs/breed.

Packworks felt Tuck was a medium-high drive dog. My take is he'd be happiest with a job whether it is actually working or working with someone who can consistently and regularly provide him with something to do (herding, agility). Not piecemeal, not every once and a while, not miles of long walks. (Even the seven miles yesterday didn't slow him down much.) If he isn't regularly engaged (and toys don't seem to hold his attention for very long), he isn't happy/is bored. I play with him in the yard, but if he loses interest in the game, there's the sky to deal with. I am not able to give him the amount of attention he seems to need.

We've been working on the leash and it still needs work. He sits for his dinner, waits to go out the door, walks my pace down stairs. He's very smart and very tender. While crying, he was curled at my feet. What is not to love about this dog? But for his sake and ours, I think he needs a different family.

Calmer...at least for now

I think Packworks missed the boat on Tucker. They had great ideas, but for the wrong dog. In 24 hours, he became a much different animal and not one I wanted. Today I walked him around seven miles in three different walks and he's back to sweet.

He still sky barked. Bad. Really bad. But perhaps if I keep him tethered to me I can stop it.

I'm also going to take some obedience classes, either starting this week or early June. Classes were not recommended by the trainers, but I think it will be a good solution and good for bonding.

I'll keep Tucker another week.

Pulling My Hair Out

One week down the hatch and what a hatch it is! Tucker is obsessive/compulsive about the sky. He tears around the yard, eyes fixed skyward, barking. It doesn't matter if a bird, contrail, or plane is in sight; he's over the top about it. Same in the house if he can look out a window. I hate this and don't know how to deal with it!

Packworks said to keep his world small and only walk him in the backyard, but after one day, he's gone from a sweet boy to a snippy boy. Awful. I took him back into the neighborhood this morning and though he pulled, it was better for both of us. Where's the mental stimulation from walking the backyard? He didn't look at me while doing it, but at the sky. Periodically he'd flop down and I'd be dragging him until he got up. What is this proving? If this is leadership, I say someone else can have it!

He won't poop (yet) while on a leash, so of course he went inside. Not his fault. This has me so on edge I can barely stand it!

Tucker

Tucker is either a short-coated border collie or a border collie/cattle dog cross. Neither the rescue nor the vet were positive. He's somewhere between 1-2 years old and a fine little dog. I did bite off a handful considering his breed and his desire for chase...cats, small kids. Not all bring it out or should I say, not all create a wreck out of both of us. All entice him: cats, kids, dogs, people, cars, but to see a couple in a row put him in hyper drive. One alone, we can manage. Thank heavens he's little, but I don't want to turn him (and me) into whirling dervishes.

Oh. Did I mention he's also a jumper? And a counter surfer?

I've taken him to the vet and he got a clean bill of health. I'm hoping to set up an appointment with an organization called Packworks. The rescue folks recommended it because of Tucker's shyness. Another neighbor recommended because of the great advice they gave him on his rescue dog.

So Mr. Tuck is not a poodle, nor an Aussie. He does shed. My skin is reacting. And right now, I questions my sanity. I'm hoping he'll be just fine.

Another Possibility

I looked at a dog this past weekend. What a handsome boy! I had a couple of reservations though. He's only been at this foster home a couple of weeks. He has two wonderful acres to roam, three other dogs to play with, two cats to chase and fields worth of bunnies. So understandably, he was not particularly focused on me. Of course, that was disappointing, but pushing my ego aside, I understand (and hope) that's something that would change. When he did come up, he was very willing and eager for loving.

However, he is also very shy. His foster mom said he probably was an outside dog without a lot of human or canine interaction so new things overwhelm him. It is possible this shyness could evolve into aggression without the proper leadership and training. Would this be easy to do or would it be a constant part of owning Jake? God bless, Lucy, but I don't want another dog whom I need to continually monitor. I want a dog who is confident without being aggressive, friendly without being in your face, and is compliant but not lacking esteem.