Still Nervous

The park walk was good. It was empty however so no real challenge, but, that's not such a bad thing. I don't want to induce an anxious state in him by forcing an environment on him which he doesn't like. I'd rather confront situations as they arise, so in other words, not go out of my way to look for other dogs or the like but to be calm when he does come into contact.

The actual dog park we where going to go to next had two German shepherds in, unleashed, so I thought it not a good idea to take him in. It sucks that I can't or maybe wont let him go in there with other unleashed dogs but I've got to think of what is good for him and at present I don't know what to expect.

For example, to get him used to older men, I stand and chat in a shop on the way home so he can see me being calm and that there is no threat. However, he smelt a large dog outside before I could see it and his tail was right under his legs. Shows I made a wise decision about the dog park. He is getting better not pulling on the lead because he knows I'm his pack leader but on the way home he was pulling on the leash. He'd chose flight in this case. I kept stopping him, calming him, but it was only when we got home that he began to relax. The reason for me stopping him is that I didn't want to reinforce it by quickening my pace to get home quickly. Although I maintained a slow walk, it was too slow for him hence his pulling.

Either he has never been allowed to socialise with other dogs or he's had bad experiences. I wont give up on him though. It's cool because as I'm teaching him, I'm re-training myself too.

The Witch and the Hound

Thanks for the link babe. Indeed I will waffle about our little lad, everyday is so full of funny things he does I wont be at a loss for things to say.

Right. Off for his 5am walk!

(I must be mad)

Meeting other dogs

So he is a good dog. He's not aggressive at all but he will react to another dog who gets to close or barks at him. A Chihuahua was the first of today's tests and Flash did well even though it was barking his head off at him. Why was the Chihuahua barking though? I still don't understand canine language or social hierarchy so was it a greeting or something else?
I decided to just calm him down and allowed the dog and owner to walk ahead of us before continuing. Flash didn't bark back at all but he was clearly not happy with it.

The second test for him came in the form of a spaniel. To me the dog was okay, it wasn't aggressive, didn't bark but just seemed inquisitive. He (or she) stopped, saw Flash and then made a very confident beeline towards him. The spaniel stopped a few feet away and that's when Flash jumped up in the air and barked "keep your distance!". I kept calm, gave a quick tug on the leash and told him to be calm then slowly removed him from the area. The other owner did likewise and once he was away he stood very calmly next to DD and I.

The last test was a terrier in a muzzle, but I spotted him and we stopped until they passed.

I think half the problem comes from me. I'm unsure when to allow him to be near other dogs and at times it's not even an option anyway. I know I don't want to constantly remove him from any other dogs as he'll never get that interaction which he needs and will always be unsure of them. So I think I need some proper advice and to do me some research!

First Walk

After his morning cuppa LOL! he was ready for a full day of play. He really does have a lot of energy but they come in spurts so you do have time to just chill with him too. His first walk with us was good with only one problem. A puppy was coming the other direction and ended up eyeballing him. Flash did the usual dog thing and barked and lurched for him, but with a quick tug he fell back in line and was calm again after after a second calm assertive tug. There where at least another 15 dogs in the park at that time too but he was calm near them so I'm really impressed by that. Well, when I say near I don't mean sniff butt close. That's something we'll tackle when he gets used to his surroundings and more importantly, being part of our pack.

Flash's first night

Flash settled in well today. He had some separation anxiety because he missed his old Mum, but our daughter kept him occupied and calmed down. He's a very loving dog and quick to respond to commands usually so I don't have too many worries about him. He was good on his first trip to the park and although it took him ages to settle in during the night (which is to be expected) he was good with that too.