Charlie's Thread

[HuffleClaw]

So glad to hear things are going well for you two. You are doing such a good job in making sure he gets the exercise and mental stimulation he needs. I bet he's having a ball with all the attention and activities.

I googled "rope loop knot toy dog" and a few similar results came up. Not sure if you like to shop online or not. A few popped up under Walmart, so that might be an option if you can't find them at a pet store.

My dog's favorite tug toy is a fox with a big squeaker in the head and small one in the tail. However, it's not super durable. We have gone through, I think, 6 in less than 9 months. Going through them faster as he has reached his adult size. It's great for fetch too though. You can fling in pretty far it you hold it by the tail. Look like this.

View attachment 2979494

Thank you so much! I also found some new DIY enrichment games he loves. His favorite is when I have 3 cups and put a treat under one making him stay while I put it there, and when I release him from the stay he uses his nose to figure out which one has the treat. He also likes when I put his food in an empty egg Carton with some treats or blueberries and he figures out how to get the food out. I’ll try to find something for him!

 

[ElizaMay]

I appreciate the gentle reply, everywhere else I’ve turned to has been a slap in the face.

1.) By correction I really mean if he is performing an undesirable behavior I try to distract him from it if that makes any sort of sense? For example if he’s barking or trying to run at something he’s not supposed to I’ll recall him and offer treats etc

I'm sorry for what you are experiencing.

A very important way of thinking to consider:
if an animal is not behaving in a desired way and you offer treats, you have *rewarded* the behaviour.

When a prey animal (such as a horse) behaves in a desireable way, the reward for them is immediate cessation of work or release of pressure (from the leg, bit, seat, longe whip) When they do not, we must ask ourselves what we are doing incorrectly - are we asking wrong, is the animal tired or physically unfit/sore?

When a predator pack-based animal behaves in a good way, we give treats - for some dogs it's food, for some it's play.

When they do not, we again ask ourselves, where did we go wrong? - or, where did they have bad experiences prior to us meeting them that has led to this.

A dog senses when they intimidate us, when we are nervous. It makes them nervous too, and protective. I am certainly no god of dogs, but I think you are moving in the right direction to at least consider and think about why he acts as he does.

It would be infinitely more beneficial though to distract him by bringing him away calmly from whatever he is barking at, and to possibly begin long leash training in the house -that is where you have a leash around your waist attached to a harness on him, so that he will be cued to follow you wherever you go without you having to purposely pull him, to help him understand you are the leader. (Also, refrain from having him off- leash outside.) When he barks in fear at something, you can simply turn your back on whatever it is and calmly walk to do something else, communicating to him non-verbally that it doesn't perturb you in the least, and he can trust you.

 

[Iluveggers]

Hello! Thanks for the update! It sounds like you both are doing well! My boys are very rough on toys, so I usually buy the cheap bulk packs on Amazon, take out one or two at a time, and replace as needed. Order another pack when I take out the last one. My puppy is such a good chewer he will destroy a tennis ball in a week! but he will play fetch for hours. We also now buy the big bags of tennis balls lol. I haven’t found a durable expensive to that will last, so I figure I might as well buy the cheap ones since they get destroyed regardless!

Case in point:


A once functioning tug rope. It’s still one of his favorites!

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Our big dogs like these. It’s called a Jolly ball. With your dog I would get the solid one not the hollow one. The hollow ones are cheaper but wear out quicker.

 

[HuffleClaw]

Today’s enrichment included a box… yup.. a box. And 2 old shirts. I sprinkled some kibble and treats on the bottom and put one old shirt, then sprinkled more kibble and treats, added the other shirt and repeated the same process. It was fun for him scavenging lol. Also I learned he LOOOOVES to catch treats when I toss them. And when he doesn’t catch them, he uses his nose to find out where they went. I love seeing him work his brain. It was raining so to burn off energy, we trained with both obedience and tricks and played with some of his toys.
This is what the box thing looked like:

Just put this in the freezer for tomorrow!

 

[Iluveggers]

Today’s enrichment included a box… yup.. a box. And 2 old shirts. I sprinkled some kibble and treats on the bottom and put one old shirt, then sprinkled more kibble and treats, added the other shirt and repeated the same process. It was fun for him scavenging lol. Also I learned he LOOOOVES to catch treats when I toss them. And when he doesn’t catch them, he uses his nose to find out where they went. I love seeing him work his brain. It was raining so to burn off energy, we trained with both obedience and tricks and played with some of his toys.
This is what the box thing looked like: View attachment 2981784


Just put this in the freezer for tomorrow! View attachment 2981783

Shirt thing is a great idea! Sounds like your boy is very smart!

 

[HuffleClaw]

Some of my favorite photos from our little adventure today

 

[HuffleClaw]

Oh and this one too!

 

[StinkyAcres]

Charlie is beautiful. I'm curious, how much does he weigh? (sorry if you've already mentioned this)

 

[Iluveggers]

I love his expressive ears!