So, two weeks ago I wrote about how I have two friends who are looking for dogs, and how I was worried because they are both impulsive and apt to bring home the wrong dog.
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One friend is actually being patient! Yay, friend! A week after I wrote that blog post, the other friend may have gotten the wrong dog. Or maybe not. She actually wanted a certain breed, the kind she’s had for two dogs in a row, and she found one in a shelter. And she wanted a young dog, and this guy is a year old. So far, so much better than I hoped.
But breed, age, and even sex are not everything! There is also the very important personality/compatibility match. And I’m not sure this is going to be a great match for all time. This dog is not as sweet and bonded to people as her last dogs. He seems only mildly interested in humans, and only mildly happy to have them pet him. (Granted, he might develop that trait over time. We’ve no idea of what his background is; he may not have had the opportunity to bond with a person.)
How do I know so much about this dog? Because after a week in my friend’s home, she asked whether I might take him for a week or two, both to evaluate him and to help her through two related problems common to young, untrained dogs.
Problem A: He chews anything he has access to.
Problem B: He won’t tolerate being confined in a crate or on a tether without barking, barking, barking.
Ouch.
My friend lives in a rental duplex, in close proximity to several neighbors, and while her landlord is dog-friendly, she feels vulnerable to complaints that might arise as this guy learns that barking won’t earn him an early release from the crate.
I have a nice insulated office, a bit of distance from immediate neighbors, and maybe a stiffer spine than my soft-hearted friend. I also have Otto, who can model appropriate good manners behavior around humans and at play with other dogs. And it’s not much different from fostering, which I like to do because it’s interesting and gives me new canine behavior and health problems to consider and deal with and write about. And, we’ll see; he might end up being an actual foster, if he doesn’t seem like the type of dog that my friend was looking for. The very fact that she was eager to see him go somewhere else for training and evaluation speaks volumes to me; usually, she’s way over-attached to her animals. We’ll see. We’re on day one. And so far, so good.
