Lost and found. German Shepard Biddulph, stoke on trent
Discussion
Hi ph massive,
So i go away for the weekend and come home and this has found its way in to my house via the wife. She found it sitting on our patio on saturday morning.
We are in the Biddulph area in staffordshire. We have put him on the lost and found website, contacted local vets, but at the moment no luck. We think he is about 8 months old.
http://www.doglost.co.uk/poster.php?dogId=50582
No collar or chip which really winds me up. Either someone is really missing him or got fed up and threw him out.
At the moment he is asleep by my feet after a little trot round the garden playing with squeaky fried egg some one got him. As i say he only saw me last night at 2 in the morning so he is still getting used to me. Its a good job we have some good neighbours who have lent us bowels leads etc. at the moment we have a travel cage that some one lent us which he calls bed, whilst i don't agree with them fido seems to like it so may be used to sleeping in one. He comes and goes from it as he pleases.
He has been bathed as he was a bit wiffy and has sustained a small injury to the top of his head but it seems to be healing.
The cat is non to sure but she can be a little madam so i have no doubt she will show him who is boss if they scrap.
If he is not claimed, looks like i have a dog.
So i go away for the weekend and come home and this has found its way in to my house via the wife. She found it sitting on our patio on saturday morning.
We are in the Biddulph area in staffordshire. We have put him on the lost and found website, contacted local vets, but at the moment no luck. We think he is about 8 months old.
http://www.doglost.co.uk/poster.php?dogId=50582
No collar or chip which really winds me up. Either someone is really missing him or got fed up and threw him out.
At the moment he is asleep by my feet after a little trot round the garden playing with squeaky fried egg some one got him. As i say he only saw me last night at 2 in the morning so he is still getting used to me. Its a good job we have some good neighbours who have lent us bowels leads etc. at the moment we have a travel cage that some one lent us which he calls bed, whilst i don't agree with them fido seems to like it so may be used to sleeping in one. He comes and goes from it as he pleases.
He has been bathed as he was a bit wiffy and has sustained a small injury to the top of his head but it seems to be healing.
The cat is non to sure but she can be a little madam so i have no doubt she will show him who is boss if they scrap.
If he is not claimed, looks like i have a dog.
Update
We have only had one person contact us as they thought it might be their missing dog. Turns out theirs is a 4 year old and this is to youmg. He has been wonderfull to be honest we both had to go to work today which normally only happens about once or twice per week. He was on his own for abou 8 to 9 hours. I was expecting a little mess but apart from some dog hair there was nothing. I think he just chewed on his bone the whole day.
We have a neighbour that is supplying us with decent food as he has 11 dogs so always has plenty in.
We started him on dog food but he wasnt impressed and would only eat if some one was there with him. We have since switched him to mainly a raw diet. As i dont know anything about dogs i can only go recomendations. I have been told that the tins of dog food and the cheaper biscuits are like fast food for dogs and if he does stay i would like him to have decent grub. At the moment he is getting tripe, chicken middles (carcas) and bones. The first time we put a piece of tripe in his bowl he looked at us and we could see in his eyes "what do i do with that" but after a nibble and a shake it all over the kitchen walls he went mad for it.
As i say its early days and some one may see the advert and come and find him. Its a shame if its genuinly lost as he is a lovely dog. If some one threw him out then they don deserve him back.
He however will get me fit. I am currently getting up around half hour earlier so we can go for a walk before i go to work and if we do keep him i am already thinking about agility work to keep him fit and entertained
Will keep all you dog lovers posted
Regards
Hairy
We have only had one person contact us as they thought it might be their missing dog. Turns out theirs is a 4 year old and this is to youmg. He has been wonderfull to be honest we both had to go to work today which normally only happens about once or twice per week. He was on his own for abou 8 to 9 hours. I was expecting a little mess but apart from some dog hair there was nothing. I think he just chewed on his bone the whole day.
We have a neighbour that is supplying us with decent food as he has 11 dogs so always has plenty in.
We started him on dog food but he wasnt impressed and would only eat if some one was there with him. We have since switched him to mainly a raw diet. As i dont know anything about dogs i can only go recomendations. I have been told that the tins of dog food and the cheaper biscuits are like fast food for dogs and if he does stay i would like him to have decent grub. At the moment he is getting tripe, chicken middles (carcas) and bones. The first time we put a piece of tripe in his bowl he looked at us and we could see in his eyes "what do i do with that" but after a nibble and a shake it all over the kitchen walls he went mad for it.
As i say its early days and some one may see the advert and come and find him. Its a shame if its genuinly lost as he is a lovely dog. If some one threw him out then they don deserve him back.
He however will get me fit. I am currently getting up around half hour earlier so we can go for a walk before i go to work and if we do keep him i am already thinking about agility work to keep him fit and entertained
Will keep all you dog lovers posted
Regards
Hairy
Update number 2
Well me and fido have been getting on famously. I have been trying to introduce him to different situations to see how he will behave. We have been walking in different areas to gauge his reactions to, other dogs and people. We were round my parents last night for a family gathering and he was ace. Lots of kids running around, attention and a different house.
Where we have been walking has lots of dogs and he seems fine. If anything a bit nervy round them. I always approach the owner and state that he is a stray and i don't know how he will react. They have been really good and make there dog sit and wait he either just walks past with no interest or goes up for a sniff. There is no aggression, bared teeth or anger. If anything at first he seems a little bit frightened. A friend brought one of his b
h leonburgers down this morning and we both let them loose around each other (although mine was still on a lead in case anything happened) and he was brilliant. Said friend then brought back one of the dogs the biggest he has in fact to see what would happen. Again nothing but a bit of playing between them. I thought the shepherd was big until i sat it next to a leo.
Where we go has a plethora of animals running around. Rabbits, fowl, birds, squirrels etc. he is not bothered by any tbh squirrels seem to get his attention as they shoot across the path in front of him. We did come across some ducks on the path i though here we go famous duck massacre of 2013 but he just walked past and ignored them.
We are going to contact the dog warden again tomorrow and see what the procedure is for us keeping him. I also am going to the dog training club on monday to check it out. As it looks like i am keeping him then i want him to be entertained and not like the 99% of dogs out there bored and fat. I want him fit, healthy and more important happy.
I have told him sunday afternoons are for relaxing and he seems to have mastered that very quick
Oh and we have called him "diesel" we did have lots of suggestions but this has stuck.
Will keep you posted on progression.
Well me and fido have been getting on famously. I have been trying to introduce him to different situations to see how he will behave. We have been walking in different areas to gauge his reactions to, other dogs and people. We were round my parents last night for a family gathering and he was ace. Lots of kids running around, attention and a different house.
Where we have been walking has lots of dogs and he seems fine. If anything a bit nervy round them. I always approach the owner and state that he is a stray and i don't know how he will react. They have been really good and make there dog sit and wait he either just walks past with no interest or goes up for a sniff. There is no aggression, bared teeth or anger. If anything at first he seems a little bit frightened. A friend brought one of his b
h leonburgers down this morning and we both let them loose around each other (although mine was still on a lead in case anything happened) and he was brilliant. Said friend then brought back one of the dogs the biggest he has in fact to see what would happen. Again nothing but a bit of playing between them. I thought the shepherd was big until i sat it next to a leo. Where we go has a plethora of animals running around. Rabbits, fowl, birds, squirrels etc. he is not bothered by any tbh squirrels seem to get his attention as they shoot across the path in front of him. We did come across some ducks on the path i though here we go famous duck massacre of 2013 but he just walked past and ignored them.
We are going to contact the dog warden again tomorrow and see what the procedure is for us keeping him. I also am going to the dog training club on monday to check it out. As it looks like i am keeping him then i want him to be entertained and not like the 99% of dogs out there bored and fat. I want him fit, healthy and more important happy.
I have told him sunday afternoons are for relaxing and he seems to have mastered that very quick
Oh and we have called him "diesel" we did have lots of suggestions but this has stuck.
Will keep you posted on progression.
Edited by HairyBeast on Sunday 7th April 16:22
Update number 3
Well dog warden has been round. And she has 2 gsd of her own so we were on to a good thing straight away. She took all our details and if no one comes forward in the next seven days he is legally ours. We have to keep him for 28 days minimum but he is not going anywhere. The person we spoke to 8 days ago should have taken all the details but never did i suppose they are very busy.
How long will 7 days feel like now an eternity i would expect. She rechecked for a chip but could not find one. We have all sorts of goodies lined up to buy but will wait untill he is legally ours
Going from a compleatly fat lazy lifestyle i had this dog will do wonders i already have lost half a stone and 1 belt notch.
Cant wait to start agility or something like that to keep him happy
Regards
One happy potential gsd owner
Well dog warden has been round. And she has 2 gsd of her own so we were on to a good thing straight away. She took all our details and if no one comes forward in the next seven days he is legally ours. We have to keep him for 28 days minimum but he is not going anywhere. The person we spoke to 8 days ago should have taken all the details but never did i suppose they are very busy.
How long will 7 days feel like now an eternity i would expect. She rechecked for a chip but could not find one. We have all sorts of goodies lined up to buy but will wait untill he is legally ours
Going from a compleatly fat lazy lifestyle i had this dog will do wonders i already have lost half a stone and 1 belt notch.
Cant wait to start agility or something like that to keep him happy
Regards
One happy potential gsd owner
Update number 4
Well 4 days to go till we can legally adopt diesel. We have been meeting other dogs some he ignores some he gets in to a tizz about. He is fine until the other dog starts barking then he will bark back. We were out for about 2 hours tonight even he was a bit tired when we got in ( i was totally fubard).
We have found his Achilles heel however. He is not very food orientated but toys omg he goes mad for them. Give him a tennis ball and you would have think he has on the lottery. As i type this i can hear his squeaky plastic egg he has been chewing n pawing for the last hour.
I went to the local dog training club on monday to see what its all about. Watched the beginners class exit the hall and did laugh to myself when the lesson finished and 8 of the mot unruly ill behaved dogs shot out the door. I am talking him monday not really for a lesson but i have been advised to walk him outside for a bit then bring him in to meet the other dogs for a few minutes the go back outside. Rinse and repeat. I did tell the trainer that i have never had a dog before and she advised me its more the owner that needs the training as well as the dog. She is probably right
I am going to look for a harness as suggested it looks a good strong method of control but there is so many to choose from. I even found one online site that does gsd specific ones. So i am not sure which to choose
If all goes to plan we will have him chipped and tags done on monday night then i have to start looking for a new car as he does not fit in the back of a punto easily.
He has got a massive hooter, its like a ERF air intake
Will keep you all informed and thanks for taking the time to check on him folks.
Well 4 days to go till we can legally adopt diesel. We have been meeting other dogs some he ignores some he gets in to a tizz about. He is fine until the other dog starts barking then he will bark back. We were out for about 2 hours tonight even he was a bit tired when we got in ( i was totally fubard).
We have found his Achilles heel however. He is not very food orientated but toys omg he goes mad for them. Give him a tennis ball and you would have think he has on the lottery. As i type this i can hear his squeaky plastic egg he has been chewing n pawing for the last hour.
I went to the local dog training club on monday to see what its all about. Watched the beginners class exit the hall and did laugh to myself when the lesson finished and 8 of the mot unruly ill behaved dogs shot out the door. I am talking him monday not really for a lesson but i have been advised to walk him outside for a bit then bring him in to meet the other dogs for a few minutes the go back outside. Rinse and repeat. I did tell the trainer that i have never had a dog before and she advised me its more the owner that needs the training as well as the dog. She is probably right
I am going to look for a harness as suggested it looks a good strong method of control but there is so many to choose from. I even found one online site that does gsd specific ones. So i am not sure which to choose
If all goes to plan we will have him chipped and tags done on monday night then i have to start looking for a new car as he does not fit in the back of a punto easily.
He has got a massive hooter, its like a ERF air intake
Will keep you all informed and thanks for taking the time to check on him folks.
Well officially our 7 days are up. Although if you read the paperwork from the dog warden its 8 days. The wife is going to ring them tomorrow and see if we take legal ownership tomorrow. I hope so as its a trip to pets at home for me tomorrow night for harness and more importantly a tag with contact details on and of course his new name.
He is also going to be chipped tomorrow night to
Looks like i am the new owner and its ace. He is fast becoming my new best friend.
Will let you all know tomorrow what happens
Regards
Hairy
He is also going to be chipped tomorrow night to
Looks like i am the new owner and its ace. He is fast becoming my new best friend.
Will let you all know tomorrow what happens
Regards
Hairy
Hi folks.
update number what ever
well we have just spoken to the dog warden and diesel is now officially ours. woo hoo.
we went out last night and saw horses for the first time, i made himm sit and wait just off the path to see what would happen. There were 3 horses. one small, one medium and what can only be described as an elephant walked past. he was not bothered no woofing or noise. he did move a little back in to my legs when the largest of the horses came round one of the others so i think he was a little scared. he also is wary of tractors for some reason.
Now to go shopping for cushions, beds and all manner of goddies for him. cant wait to see what the next few years brings now. i imagine i will loose a lot of weight taking him for walkies. we still need to put weight on him so he is having extra large breakfasts and dinners. i dont want him to fat however.
On this subject and this may be a bit of an opened question how much walking should i be doing. i dont mind the walking but am cautious if he is not used to it i may be doing to much. we go out at all sorts of times but tend to have one big walk a day. this consists of 1 to 2 hours on various terrain various hilly bits. I am not sure if i should split this in to multiple walks of a shorter distance. also with now knowing his history i dont want to walk the legs off him untill he is ready.
he is due now to go to the vets for a check up. the wound / hole he had on his head is healing nicely and has now closed. there is just a bit of a lump now. I would suppose he would also need any jabs as we dont know if he has had any previous.
i can now post him in the "show photos of your dogs section"
thanks all
regards
Hairy
update number what ever
well we have just spoken to the dog warden and diesel is now officially ours. woo hoo.
we went out last night and saw horses for the first time, i made himm sit and wait just off the path to see what would happen. There were 3 horses. one small, one medium and what can only be described as an elephant walked past. he was not bothered no woofing or noise. he did move a little back in to my legs when the largest of the horses came round one of the others so i think he was a little scared. he also is wary of tractors for some reason.
Now to go shopping for cushions, beds and all manner of goddies for him. cant wait to see what the next few years brings now. i imagine i will loose a lot of weight taking him for walkies. we still need to put weight on him so he is having extra large breakfasts and dinners. i dont want him to fat however.
On this subject and this may be a bit of an opened question how much walking should i be doing. i dont mind the walking but am cautious if he is not used to it i may be doing to much. we go out at all sorts of times but tend to have one big walk a day. this consists of 1 to 2 hours on various terrain various hilly bits. I am not sure if i should split this in to multiple walks of a shorter distance. also with now knowing his history i dont want to walk the legs off him untill he is ready.
he is due now to go to the vets for a check up. the wound / hole he had on his head is healing nicely and has now closed. there is just a bit of a lump now. I would suppose he would also need any jabs as we dont know if he has had any previous.
i can now post him in the "show photos of your dogs section"
thanks all
regards
Hairy
Hi all
Well its been an interesting day. We have been getting on bought beds and things like that now so diesel is more comfortable in the house. He now has his own space with a bed and proper blankie. He has cushions in the lounge again his own space. We go to the dog training place for the first time tomorrow and he is going in the back of a volvo xc90 thing with a leo.
He has been getting all sorts of goodies from the neighbours. Tonight he was give the heart kidneys and liver from a deer. Most of it was bagged up but he had to have a little as a treat. We are still going out and enjoying it.
We did have a little scare this morning when the wife came back from taking him out in tears. It turns out the owner found her walking down the road. Its a bit of a long story but to cut it short he had the dog but also has a bh that was in season. As he would not leave her alone he took diesel to his granddads house to stay there until the bh finished her season. His grandad died but he could not take it home again. So he kept it there locked in an outbuilding going down and feeding it once per day. Poor thing chewed its way out i can only presume it was bored stless. When questioned why he had not been looking earlier as we have had him for 3 to 4 weeks now his reply was "i was to busy". Apparently he is going through a messy divorce and his ex partner has taken his dogs.
He has openly said that he doesn't want him back as he is a hand full. Well I'm sorry but that is a complete pile of crap. Anyone who loves their pets would have been out looking and would want him back. I can only suppose he never wanted diesel in the first place. Anyhow he cant have him as he is now ours (following all the dog wardens paperwork). I have walked past this house and he always seemed to look in a little more attentively in the drive than normal. The chap that had him said he often drives a round and may stop if he sees us i hope he doesn't as i may not be so restrained as to tell him he is a total knob.
Anyhow diesel is getting on fine he loves his food even if i don't, I'm a bit of a girlie when it comes to fresh animal innards.
Will let you know how we go on at training tomorrow
Regards
Hairy.
Well its been an interesting day. We have been getting on bought beds and things like that now so diesel is more comfortable in the house. He now has his own space with a bed and proper blankie. He has cushions in the lounge again his own space. We go to the dog training place for the first time tomorrow and he is going in the back of a volvo xc90 thing with a leo.
He has been getting all sorts of goodies from the neighbours. Tonight he was give the heart kidneys and liver from a deer. Most of it was bagged up but he had to have a little as a treat. We are still going out and enjoying it.
We did have a little scare this morning when the wife came back from taking him out in tears. It turns out the owner found her walking down the road. Its a bit of a long story but to cut it short he had the dog but also has a b
h that was in season. As he would not leave her alone he took diesel to his granddads house to stay there until the bh finished her season. His grandad died but he could not take it home again. So he kept it there locked in an outbuilding going down and feeding it once per day. Poor thing chewed its way out i can only presume it was bored stless. When questioned why he had not been looking earlier as we have had him for 3 to 4 weeks now his reply was "i was to busy". Apparently he is going through a messy divorce and his ex partner has taken his dogs. He has openly said that he doesn't want him back as he is a hand full. Well I'm sorry but that is a complete pile of crap. Anyone who loves their pets would have been out looking and would want him back. I can only suppose he never wanted diesel in the first place. Anyhow he cant have him as he is now ours (following all the dog wardens paperwork). I have walked past this house and he always seemed to look in a little more attentively in the drive than normal. The chap that had him said he often drives a round and may stop if he sees us i hope he doesn't as i may not be so restrained as to tell him he is a total knob.
Anyhow diesel is getting on fine he loves his food even if i don't, I'm a bit of a girlie when it comes to fresh animal innards.
Will let you know how we go on at training tomorrow
Regards
Hairy.
Hi all
Yes i agree with you cappo as we only found out on sunday which house it was we no longer walk past it. I dont want him to have any reminder of his old crappy life.
We did go to dog training which was very stressfull for us both. Its only a small group but one of the other dogs constantly wines barks and makes all manner of noises. I knew it would wind him up. I took him in with his mate aslan the leo but when the other dogs came in it was clear he was un happy and very stressed. There was no anger just winey panic. The trainer told me to take him outside to calm him which we did took me about half an hour. We then walked back in 6 feet turned round and walked out. He was a lot better. At the end we just went in the hall with his mate and walked laps of the hall. He seemed ok bit nervy at first. He did very well considering its day 1 of doggie school. A new place, new people, new dogs hell even being in the back of a car with a leo. Which he has never done.
I think for the first time he did ok. Its just gonna take a while longer but we will overcome as they say. Having another dog there that he knows and seems to get on with is helpfull. It seems to calm him down even to the point he will now try to play with the leo
Regards
Hairy
Yes i agree with you cappo as we only found out on sunday which house it was we no longer walk past it. I dont want him to have any reminder of his old crappy life.
We did go to dog training which was very stressfull for us both. Its only a small group but one of the other dogs constantly wines barks and makes all manner of noises. I knew it would wind him up. I took him in with his mate aslan the leo but when the other dogs came in it was clear he was un happy and very stressed. There was no anger just winey panic. The trainer told me to take him outside to calm him which we did took me about half an hour. We then walked back in 6 feet turned round and walked out. He was a lot better. At the end we just went in the hall with his mate and walked laps of the hall. He seemed ok bit nervy at first. He did very well considering its day 1 of doggie school. A new place, new people, new dogs hell even being in the back of a car with a leo. Which he has never done.
I think for the first time he did ok. Its just gonna take a while longer but we will overcome as they say. Having another dog there that he knows and seems to get on with is helpfull. It seems to calm him down even to the point he will now try to play with the leo
Regards
Hairy
Hi folks
Thought i would put another update
We have been attending dog training or puppy school as we call it and he is doing ace. From the first lesson where he could only stand 2 mins in the group we now spend the entire lesson with them. We are starting on the simple lessons and commands and he is doing very well. We are still walking all over and getting about. We have started letting him off the lead but are still very cautious. If he sees another dog, cow, horse, cat, crisp bag at 200 yrds he is off.
He is looking a lot better now he is having regular decent food
He has changed body shape and colour as well. Its fun to watch him run around. When he first came he just trotted about. Now he seems to prance with his chest shoved out saying look at me I'm so proud.
We are going away tomorrow to prague till sunday and he is going to stay with his mate the leonburger. He is going to have a right old fun time as they have 9 and they all play with diesel. Even though they are big they are slow and diesel keeps running rings around them. There owners even have a doggie pool in the shape of a bone so its pool party time. He wont want to come back.
Thought i would put another update
We have been attending dog training or puppy school as we call it and he is doing ace. From the first lesson where he could only stand 2 mins in the group we now spend the entire lesson with them. We are starting on the simple lessons and commands and he is doing very well. We are still walking all over and getting about. We have started letting him off the lead but are still very cautious. If he sees another dog, cow, horse, cat, crisp bag at 200 yrds he is off.
He is looking a lot better now he is having regular decent food
He has changed body shape and colour as well. Its fun to watch him run around. When he first came he just trotted about. Now he seems to prance with his chest shoved out saying look at me I'm so proud.
We are going away tomorrow to prague till sunday and he is going to stay with his mate the leonburger. He is going to have a right old fun time as they have 9 and they all play with diesel. Even though they are big they are slow and diesel keeps running rings around them. There owners even have a doggie pool in the shape of a bone so its pool party time. He wont want to come back.
Hi all.
Thought i would give an update as to how diesel is doing. We are still going out for nice long walks but over the last few weeks it has just been to hot for him. We switched to early morning and late evening walks when it was cooler. As it has cooled down a little now we can get back to normal. Diesel is still going to puppy school and passed his first award on monday night. The bronze certificate. He has come on leaps and bounds over the last few months. In fact as he has only had about 10 lessons he did ace. We do a lot of work at home with him as well. He has now been put on an extendy lead as he was off mooching around a few weeks ago at night and saw a rabbit. That was it he was off. It took the wife about 20 mins to get him to come back. No amount of calling, shouting or toy squeaking would get him back. So we decided this type of lead was better than the possibility of loosing him. He now goes out on a normal lead for about 50% of the time as i don't want him to get used to the other lead.
We are having an ace time of it and still go out at the weekend with his bestie the leo for about 4 to 5 hours with a pub stop of course.
I did laugh during the recent thunder storms we had. Me and swmbo heard the rain and got up about 5 am. Then the thunder came. She ran out the bedroom shouting i will check the cat you check on the dog. The cat was hiding thinking the second apocalypse was here. I ran down stairs and found the dog sitting up with his toy firmly clamped in his chops. I could see in his eyes he was thinking is it frisbee time now dad.
Anyhow just thought i would let you all know he is doing ace. Still got his appetite although this was a little smaller during the heat wave.
Regards
Hairy
Thought i would give an update as to how diesel is doing. We are still going out for nice long walks but over the last few weeks it has just been to hot for him. We switched to early morning and late evening walks when it was cooler. As it has cooled down a little now we can get back to normal. Diesel is still going to puppy school and passed his first award on monday night. The bronze certificate. He has come on leaps and bounds over the last few months. In fact as he has only had about 10 lessons he did ace. We do a lot of work at home with him as well. He has now been put on an extendy lead as he was off mooching around a few weeks ago at night and saw a rabbit. That was it he was off. It took the wife about 20 mins to get him to come back. No amount of calling, shouting or toy squeaking would get him back. So we decided this type of lead was better than the possibility of loosing him. He now goes out on a normal lead for about 50% of the time as i don't want him to get used to the other lead.
We are having an ace time of it and still go out at the weekend with his bestie the leo for about 4 to 5 hours with a pub stop of course.
I did laugh during the recent thunder storms we had. Me and swmbo heard the rain and got up about 5 am. Then the thunder came. She ran out the bedroom shouting i will check the cat you check on the dog. The cat was hiding thinking the second apocalypse was here. I ran down stairs and found the dog sitting up with his toy firmly clamped in his chops. I could see in his eyes he was thinking is it frisbee time now dad.
Anyhow just thought i would let you all know he is doing ace. Still got his appetite although this was a little smaller during the heat wave.
Regards
Hairy
Hallo all,
Yes its been a while since i gave an update. Diesel is fab he is and has been for a long time my best friend now. We have had him for about a year he has settled in a lot more. He still does not get on with the cat, that's more the cats fault however. he just wants to play and bounds towards her and she is having none of it.
We still go to puppy school every week but they have had an influx of different dogs and it has caused havoc with his training. almost to the point of going back to square 1. when we first went there were 4 other dogs. the leo he is mates with and 3 others that pretty much kept them selves to themselves. now we have a mixture which includes a rottie cross and another GSD. Both are rescues and have, how shall we say, issues. Diesel and the other shepherd have to be kept at other ends of the hall, as the other GSD will randomly jump out and start barking. This in turn sets others off and diesel just joins in. They both are fine when they are actively doing something like find the ball or treat. I don't mind as the lady that rescued the other GSD has told us of his story and he had a horrible start in life so leeway has to be given all round.
I did change the motor as Diesel didn't fit in the back of a 2 door fiat punto very well. I now have a turbo diesel mondeo estate which he loves going in. he has never really settled in cars which surprised me as he will jump in anything that arrives here. the mondeo he loves though it takes a few miles for him to settle down but he now just lies down in the back and seems to settle better.
he is still on his raw food but over the last few months has started becoming a little food possessive. so we are slowly changing that. he loves his bones and trotters.
we have had a few problems but we put this down to him coming in to the terrible twos (if there is such a thing for dogs). overall he is fab though and i cant ever see my house now with out a doggie. we are even thinking of another to keep him company for the days we are both out at work.
as requested a few pictures
Just after a shower. he went out for about 3 hours in the rain and mud. he came back and i thought bugger it he is going in the shower. which he did not mind while he was in there. didn't seem happy after though
please tickle my nose dad.
Oh and who wouldn't want a photo of there dog in a hat.
usual Sunday afternoon sleeping position.
Thanks for taking the time to check on us and as usual regards to the PH massive.
Hairy
Yes its been a while since i gave an update. Diesel is fab he is and has been for a long time my best friend now. We have had him for about a year he has settled in a lot more. He still does not get on with the cat, that's more the cats fault however. he just wants to play and bounds towards her and she is having none of it.
We still go to puppy school every week but they have had an influx of different dogs and it has caused havoc with his training. almost to the point of going back to square 1. when we first went there were 4 other dogs. the leo he is mates with and 3 others that pretty much kept them selves to themselves. now we have a mixture which includes a rottie cross and another GSD. Both are rescues and have, how shall we say, issues. Diesel and the other shepherd have to be kept at other ends of the hall, as the other GSD will randomly jump out and start barking. This in turn sets others off and diesel just joins in. They both are fine when they are actively doing something like find the ball or treat. I don't mind as the lady that rescued the other GSD has told us of his story and he had a horrible start in life so leeway has to be given all round.
I did change the motor as Diesel didn't fit in the back of a 2 door fiat punto very well. I now have a turbo diesel mondeo estate which he loves going in. he has never really settled in cars which surprised me as he will jump in anything that arrives here. the mondeo he loves though it takes a few miles for him to settle down but he now just lies down in the back and seems to settle better.
he is still on his raw food but over the last few months has started becoming a little food possessive. so we are slowly changing that. he loves his bones and trotters.
we have had a few problems but we put this down to him coming in to the terrible twos (if there is such a thing for dogs). overall he is fab though and i cant ever see my house now with out a doggie. we are even thinking of another to keep him company for the days we are both out at work.
as requested a few pictures
Just after a shower. he went out for about 3 hours in the rain and mud. he came back and i thought bugger it he is going in the shower. which he did not mind while he was in there. didn't seem happy after though
please tickle my nose dad.
Oh and who wouldn't want a photo of there dog in a hat.
usual Sunday afternoon sleeping position.
Thanks for taking the time to check on us and as usual regards to the PH massive.
Hairy
Well good afternoon PH massive,
Thought i would give everyone who has paid an interest an update as we have had some major changes with diesel over the last few weeks.
its a bit of a long story so bare with me on this.
When we go out walking we use a varied selection of leads. Due to his terrible recall we don't let him of the lead. now as the wife wants him to have some freedom so she uses on of those extendy leads so he can trot around to his hearts content. i personally like him next to me and use a short lead. he is some times aggressive to other dogs. some he is fine with some he does not like. for some reason Akitas really boil his piss and we don't know why. so when we are out and we see another dog we make him sit. we do this for 2 reasons. 1 so it calms or try's to calm him down 2. he is easier to handle when sat. I can hold him but the wife struggles when he is essentially walking on his back legs to get to another dog. this is much easier to do with a short lead which is why i use this.
fast forward a few weeks and we had a incident. well the wife did. she was down her grandfathers and he was being an angel. door open and he just sat in the house while she decorated. she took him for a walk and went past the cows he did not bother about them. unfortunately going home was another story. when she turned the corner to go in the house he went for the cows. as he was on this extendy lead he had built up 26 ft of momentum. he has such an explosive burst of speed there was only going to be one outcome. i turned the corner to see the wife going from vertical to horizontal in a split second. it was such force that he pulled her over the hedge and she landed flat faced on the concrete. i ran up and picked her up and asked if she was ok. she had massive bruises on both knees, elbows, chest and stomach. the hedge is 5 foot and she went over it like superman. i then went after the dog. i took me 20 mins to catch him while he was rounding up these cows. when i finally managed to get hold of him he got a stern telling of (no hitting as i will explain in a bit). while i dragged him back all he wanted to do was get to these cows and nothing was going to stop him. when i got home and finished showering him i thought right its time for drastic measures.
we have been going to the puppy school as i call it every week for about a year now. To say he hasn't improved would be wrong. his first lesson he could only stand 2 mins with other dogs but now does the whole lesson. we have however, as previously described in the tread, got new dogs in the class that have issues. he training has faltered now and he hasn't progressed in the last 3 months. after much searching the internet i narrowed it down to 2 trainers, one in wales and one in Stafford. the chap in Stafford won as he is an ex police dog trainer and used to training shepherds. i did discuss this with my current trainer and she agreed that diesel has kinda gone back or faulted and this may be better for him. her only concern was that he may be harsh with him. i assured her that even if i paid and he was i wouldn't go back. diesel is my best pal and i want the best for him and i would never harm or allow others to harm him.
so this brings me on to my next bit Craig Flint or "The Dog Man" as he is know paid us a visit yesterday.
Predominantly its web based by which i mean he will visit and asses you, then open up various pages on his site to the best training method for your dog. you then follow the plan and call him for further training sessions. it may be biweekly or bimonthly depending on how your dog does. now its not cheap the first session cost me in excess of £200.
so this chap turned up yesterday for the first visit. he sat down and talked us through the different methods and how my dog thinks. now i know why he charges so much. by god does this chap know his dogs. one of his first questions was when i talked about the cow incident "did you hit your dog" i said no, i would never hit him its wrong and that would make me as bad as the previous owner. he openly admitted if i had done he would not be here.
after much talking and discussing we have found out the most effective method to teach him. i wont say the other methods are wrong or incorrect but for my dog the method he described is most beneficial to us and diesel. i don't want a robot dog but when i say sit i want him to sit and not move or more importantly react to another source such as a dog or cow. i want his recall to be come her now (once) and he does it with out question or hesitation. i want to be able to let him off so he can run around with out fear if incident.
I have to be honest i wish i had done this a year ago. i leaned more in one 3 hour visit yesterday than i have in 1 year of training school. his knowledge was unbelievable and i honestly i am in awe what he did with my dog only after the first session. as diesel has learned all his traits while he was a puppy albeit wrong ones he has to relearn them and that's the bit puppy school hasn't been very successful with.
we have do do lots of things new and the biggest and hardest part is not to think of him as a human. he is not very driven when training by food or toys. we we have to up the drive for food. he has taught us how to do this. effectively its a complete change for diesel but were only on day one and i can already see an improvement. once we learn the basics we are then going to learn to track. both me and the dog will have to learn this to be effective.
Sorry for war and peace but you all have been so nice and inquisitive in to how he is doing so i thought i would share this with you.
Regards
Hairy & Diesel.
Thought i would give everyone who has paid an interest an update as we have had some major changes with diesel over the last few weeks.
its a bit of a long story so bare with me on this.
When we go out walking we use a varied selection of leads. Due to his terrible recall we don't let him of the lead. now as the wife wants him to have some freedom so she uses on of those extendy leads so he can trot around to his hearts content. i personally like him next to me and use a short lead. he is some times aggressive to other dogs. some he is fine with some he does not like. for some reason Akitas really boil his piss and we don't know why. so when we are out and we see another dog we make him sit. we do this for 2 reasons. 1 so it calms or try's to calm him down 2. he is easier to handle when sat. I can hold him but the wife struggles when he is essentially walking on his back legs to get to another dog. this is much easier to do with a short lead which is why i use this.
fast forward a few weeks and we had a incident. well the wife did. she was down her grandfathers and he was being an angel. door open and he just sat in the house while she decorated. she took him for a walk and went past the cows he did not bother about them. unfortunately going home was another story. when she turned the corner to go in the house he went for the cows. as he was on this extendy lead he had built up 26 ft of momentum. he has such an explosive burst of speed there was only going to be one outcome. i turned the corner to see the wife going from vertical to horizontal in a split second. it was such force that he pulled her over the hedge and she landed flat faced on the concrete. i ran up and picked her up and asked if she was ok. she had massive bruises on both knees, elbows, chest and stomach. the hedge is 5 foot and she went over it like superman. i then went after the dog. i took me 20 mins to catch him while he was rounding up these cows. when i finally managed to get hold of him he got a stern telling of (no hitting as i will explain in a bit). while i dragged him back all he wanted to do was get to these cows and nothing was going to stop him. when i got home and finished showering him i thought right its time for drastic measures.
we have been going to the puppy school as i call it every week for about a year now. To say he hasn't improved would be wrong. his first lesson he could only stand 2 mins with other dogs but now does the whole lesson. we have however, as previously described in the tread, got new dogs in the class that have issues. he training has faltered now and he hasn't progressed in the last 3 months. after much searching the internet i narrowed it down to 2 trainers, one in wales and one in Stafford. the chap in Stafford won as he is an ex police dog trainer and used to training shepherds. i did discuss this with my current trainer and she agreed that diesel has kinda gone back or faulted and this may be better for him. her only concern was that he may be harsh with him. i assured her that even if i paid and he was i wouldn't go back. diesel is my best pal and i want the best for him and i would never harm or allow others to harm him.
so this brings me on to my next bit Craig Flint or "The Dog Man" as he is know paid us a visit yesterday.
Predominantly its web based by which i mean he will visit and asses you, then open up various pages on his site to the best training method for your dog. you then follow the plan and call him for further training sessions. it may be biweekly or bimonthly depending on how your dog does. now its not cheap the first session cost me in excess of £200.
so this chap turned up yesterday for the first visit. he sat down and talked us through the different methods and how my dog thinks. now i know why he charges so much. by god does this chap know his dogs. one of his first questions was when i talked about the cow incident "did you hit your dog" i said no, i would never hit him its wrong and that would make me as bad as the previous owner. he openly admitted if i had done he would not be here.
after much talking and discussing we have found out the most effective method to teach him. i wont say the other methods are wrong or incorrect but for my dog the method he described is most beneficial to us and diesel. i don't want a robot dog but when i say sit i want him to sit and not move or more importantly react to another source such as a dog or cow. i want his recall to be come her now (once) and he does it with out question or hesitation. i want to be able to let him off so he can run around with out fear if incident.
I have to be honest i wish i had done this a year ago. i leaned more in one 3 hour visit yesterday than i have in 1 year of training school. his knowledge was unbelievable and i honestly i am in awe what he did with my dog only after the first session. as diesel has learned all his traits while he was a puppy albeit wrong ones he has to relearn them and that's the bit puppy school hasn't been very successful with.
we have do do lots of things new and the biggest and hardest part is not to think of him as a human. he is not very driven when training by food or toys. we we have to up the drive for food. he has taught us how to do this. effectively its a complete change for diesel but were only on day one and i can already see an improvement. once we learn the basics we are then going to learn to track. both me and the dog will have to learn this to be effective.
Sorry for war and peace but you all have been so nice and inquisitive in to how he is doing so i thought i would share this with you.
Regards
Hairy & Diesel.
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