Duke's Journey to Independence: Breaking the Bond

[turbo]

Duke has been "Velcro Dog" for over a year since we adopted him from a shelter. Tonight was the first time that he has spent the night in the bedroom without me. He is always stuck to me like a burr.

Last night, my wife and I spent the evening (New Year's Eve) playing cribbage, dominoes, and other games, while sharing treats, and Duke might have felt a bit left out compared to normal times. Maybe we got a chance to break or weaken the dog/person bond just a bit... hopefully enough so that he can be more independent. He's a sweetie, but really clingy, and I think that's holding back his development. He is too smart and strong and curious to be stuck to my side.

 

[Tsu]

Good luck 'weaning' your sweet boy, turbo. I'm sending good juju your way.

edit: post more pix! I have a big crush on Duke.

 

[turbo]

Good luck 'weaning' your sweet boy, turbo. I'm sending good juju your way.

Thanks, Tsu. He's a good boy - he's just too stuck on me. Paradoxically, he thinks he can get away with stuff that he knows that I won't approve of. I hate to be tough with him because I'm afraid that others had been abusive, and I know that his previous owners had abandoned him and left him to live on his own. Animal Control picked him up in May and my wife and I didn't visit the shelter (apart from our gifts of money, food, and cleaning supplies) and bond with him until late September. He was the next dog scheduled to transfer to the "kill shelter" and we couldn't let that happen. If a dog gets shoved over to that place, they get a week or so (max) to get adopted, or it's the end. So sad!

 

[turbo]

Duke chewing on his own foot and growling to himself.

This picture was taken the very next day after we took him home. It was obvious that he was already VERY happy with his new place.

He loves chasing tennis balls that I throw with a Chuckit.

Just looking handsome and wise. I edited out "cute" because it just didn't fit. This dog is beyond "cute".

 

[turbo]

He's a quick learner, and knows all kinds of words. If I ask him for a ball, he finds a tennis ball and brings it to me. If I ask for a rope, he'll dig up the braided tug-of-war rope that the neighbor made for him. If you don't want to get him too worked up, it's best to spell the words "walk", "treat", "outdoors", etc.

I have taught him to sneeze on command and stretch when I tell him to. He slides his front feet way out in front of himself with his butt stuck in the air. It's pretty cute. Some commands are mostly verbal, like "stop", "cross the road", "wait", "heel" etc. Others are all visual commands. When I point to the floor or the ground (motion over his head) he sits. When I lower my hand palm-down, he lays down, and when I hold my hand out toward him palm-out, he stays. I can walk away, and he'll stay until I motion both hands toward my chest, then he comes to me on a dead-run.

 

[Evo]

My favorite is the one of him chewing his foot!

It wasn't long before my rat terrier learned what the letters O-U-T-S-I-D-E meant. That was the smartest dog I've ever had, and I've had some smart dogs. He also carried a security blanket around with him. When he laid down, he'd place a hind foot on one corner then walk around in circles with the tip of the other end in his mouth. This would twist up into a point and he'd fall asleep sucking on the twisted tip of the blanket.

I miss him so much!

 

[turbo]

Terriers can be too smart for their own good. My sister had a Cairn terrier (Gerty) that was always getting herself in trouble with curiosity and doggedness. She was a handful. Spitting image of Toto, too.

 

[rhody]

Very good friend to have Turbo, looks like a real sweet smart dog, man's best friend, does he chew his tail too ? How is he around loud noises, like motorcycles ? hehe...

Rhody...

 

[turbo]

Very good friend to have Turbo, looks like a real sweet smart dog, man's best friend, does he chew his tail too ? How is he around loud noises, like motorcycles ? hehe...

Rhody...

He doesn't mind loud noises. A neighbor on the side road across the road from us has a large pulp truck, and as he descends that hill, he uses his engine brake to slow down, in order to save on brake wear. That's pretty darned loud, and I often walk him on that road, since there is no through-traffic (dead-end).

When I help a neighbor milling out lumber on his saw-mill, Duke is usually with me, and he doesn't mind that noise either. If he can see me, he's usually pretty content.

 

[turbo]

My neighbor Al allows Duke to jump up and put his paws on his chest and lick his face. I discourage that at a minimum because his grand-daughters are very young and Duke could easily knock them to the ground and hurt them. Al's excuse is "Look at that face!"

They have a shepherd/pit-bull cross that is a sweet dog, but they pay more attention to my dog than theirs when we are around. The daughter wants to take care of Duke if we are going to be away, and her little girls smother him. If my wife and I should die, he'd have a loving home, at least. During get-togethers, Duke is treated like an honored guest, and got his own Christmas present (large mesh bag of tennis balls in a dog-themed gift-bag) and his own personalized Christmas card. He is a celebrity.

 

[dlgoff]

If my wife and I should die, he'd have a loving home, at least.

Knowing Duke, virtually that is, I wonder how long it would take him to get over missing you.

 

[turbo]

Knowing Duke, virtually that is, I wonder how long it would take him to get over missing you.

I don't know. He loves me and my wife and sticks like glue. At least he already has close connections to the neighbors, and they love him, too. When I walk him past their house and they see us, they pile out and we have to visit for a while.

If I wasn't in the picture, he'd probably have a hard time for a while. He follows me to the bedroom every night to sleep on his dog-bed. He'll get up with my wife to get a walk and some food, but as soon as she heads out to work, he comes right back to the bedroom and settles in until I get up. We have our routines, and he's pretty set on preserving his.

 

[Tsu]

Thanks for those pix turbo. He is just the mostest hunkiest duke in the whole wide world. I love his big broad chest. I also love paw chewers. I just know if I ever got to meet him, I'd pass out cold like a teenager meeting her rock star idol. I've copied the pix and used them as murals on the walls of my pup house. Can you get one of him lying on his back? :rofl:

 

[turbo]

Thanks for those pix turbo. He is just the mostest hunkiest duke in the whole wide world. I love his big broad chest. I also love paw chewers. I just know if I ever got to meet him, I'd pass out cold like a teenager meeting her rock star idol. I've copied the pix and used them as murals on the walls of my pup house. Can you get one of him lying on his back? :rofl:

Here you go. When I let him "win" a tug-of-war, he often flips onto his back and chews the rope while wiggling back and forth, teasing me and hoping for another round.

 

[turbo]

One more piece of rope-toy cuteness. If he "wins" and is ready for a rest, he still guards his toy.

 

[turbo]

The people who abandoned Duke did not treat him well, as far as I can tell. A couple of weeks ago, I stopped into visit a friend who has a small-engine repair business, and there was a welder (helping him to build a wood-processing machine) who breeds bulldogs. He made friends with Duke and all was well. He went back into the shop and came out with a handful of long welding rods. Apparently, that looked too much like a stick, because Duke cowered and backed up without taking his eyes off the guy. He ended up in back of me, using me for protection. That was sad.

Then last night, he went to the front door and leaned against it while looking at me. I went right over and took him outside. He threw up twice then settled down and peed, so I took him back inside. He went to his bed and sat down and hung his head refusing to look directly at me until I made him come to me and rubbed his ears and head and told him what a good dog he is. He did everything right, and was still ashamed. I can only think that he had thrown up in his previous owners' house and had gotten disciplined for it. He's a dog, for Pete's sake! You've got to expect that if he has eaten something that disagrees with him, he might throw up. We have never ever spoken harshly to him for doing something that natural, so his sense of shame was not instilled by my wife or myself.

I don't know how long he was on his own after his owners abandoned him, but I know that during his 4+ months in the Humane Society Shelter, he never got abused. The caretakers and staff loved him, and when I took him back for a visit when dropping off some donations the entire staff came out to visit with him. He was a popular inmate. I'm glad that we got him.

 

[rhody]

The people who abandoned Duke did not treat him well, as far as I can tell. A couple of weeks ago, I stopped into visit a friend who has a small-engine repair business, and there was a welder (helping him to build a wood-processing machine) who breeds bulldogs. He made friends with Duke and all was well. He went back into the shop and came out with a handful of long welding rods. Apparently, that looked too much like a stick, because Duke cowered and backed up without taking his eyes off the guy. He ended up in back of me, using me for protection. That was sad.

Then last night, he went to the front door and leaned against it while looking at me. I went right over and took him outside. He threw up twice then settled down and peed, so I took him back inside. He went to his bed and sat down and hung his head refusing to look directly at me until I made him come to me and rubbed his ears and head and told him what a good dog he is. He did everything right, and was still ashamed. I can only think that he had thrown up in his previous owners' house and had gotten disciplined for it. He's a dog, for Pete's sake! You've got to expect that if he has eaten something that disagrees with him, he might throw up. We have never ever spoken harshly to him for doing something that natural, so his sense of shame was not instilled by my wife or myself.

I don't know how long he was on his own after his owners abandoned him, but I know that during his 4+ months in the Humane Society Shelter, he never got abused. The caretakers and staff loved him, and when I took him back for a visit when dropping off some donations the entire staff came out to visit with him. He was a popular inmate. I'm glad that we got him.

Turbo,

That was a heart rending story, about 5 years ago I volunteered at the Potter League for animals and worked with abused dogs and other assorted furry creatures for about 3 years. It sounds like poor Duke has a bit of post traumatic abuse syndrome. Funny how once he saw the welding rods that was a trigger that possibly resulted in him acting nervous. I worked with one special dog (a sweetheart unless cornered or threatened) who was placed in two stressful adoption situations in a row, (the people who adopted him lied and tied him, and kids taunted him, resulting in the dog nipping). He eventually came back to the shelter and the decision was made to be put down. That really really bothered me, through no fault of the animal. One day I happened by the crematoria at the shelter, and saw his remains, that did it. I couldn't go back to the shelter after that, it still brings a tear to my eye to this day.

Rhody...

P.S. That was not the only reason for leaving, there were a few especially odd people who worked there, but the main reason was losing my buddy.

 

[turbo]

Turbo,

That was a heart rending story, about 5 years ago I volunteered at the Potter League for animals and worked with abused dogs and other assorted furry creatures for about 3 years. It sounds like poor Duke has a bit of post traumatic abuse syndrome. Funny how once he saw the welding rods that was a trigger that possibly resulted in him acting nervous. I worked with one special dog (a sweetheart unless cornered or threatened) who was placed in two stressful adoption situations in a row, (the people who adopted him lied and tied him, and kids taunted him, resulting in the dog nipping). He eventually came back to the shelter and the decision was made to be put down. That really really bothered me, through no fault of the animal. One day I happened by the crematoria at the shelter, and saw his remains, that did it. I couldn't go back to the shelter after that, it still brings a tear to my eye to this day.

Rhody...

P.S. That was not the only reason for leaving, there were a few especially odd people who worked there, but the main reason was losing my buddy.

Thanks for helping the abused animals as long as you could stand it. The chief caretaker at the Humane Society has a large scar on his face (and other scars) from an abused pit-bull that attacked him. The Animal Control officer that picked Duke off the streets had no idea of his parentage, but called him a "pit bull mix" on the papers. That can be the kiss of death for a dog that needs a good home. Such a gentle, handsome dog spending 4+ months in prison over such a characterization...

Anyway, Duke was his favorite inmate and he was practically begging me to take him and give him a good home. My wife had already settled on Duke, and I went to the shelter to see if we "clicked". The caretaker brought him out to the exercise yard to visit with me and told me that the shelter was at capacity and would have to send the longest-resident (Duke) to a shelter that kills unadopted dogs. When I said that we'd take Duke, I thought that he was going to hug me. He coordinated exercise and enclosure-cleaning for the dogs, and he told me that he always tried to allot a little extra play-time for Duke and a female German Shepherd, and their friend (an over-fed Lab that the staff called Fatty). I tried to get a neighbor to go to the shelter and adopt the German Shepherd, but his wife was resistant. They have recently adopted a dog, though, and there is ample evidence that their dog was abused as well. So sad.

 

[Tsu]

Here you go. When I let him "win" a tug-of-war, he often flips onto his back and chews the rope while wiggling back and forth, teasing me and hoping for another round.

*sigh* :!) :!) thanks turbo. Someday I hope to meet him. ::shy: Just hope I can maintain my cool and stay up on all four legs...

 

[waht]

Beautiful dog Turbo, it makes want to get one right now.

 

[turbo]

Beautiful dog Turbo, it makes want to get one right now.

Please give a shelter dog a good home, waht. It's good for both of you. Due to the poor economy and lack of jobs, the shelters around here are full. So sad.

 

[turbo]

I usually take Duke to the neighbors' house in the afternoon so that he can meet the little girls (5 and 7) as they get off the school-bus. Even if they are stressed or tired, they brighten right up when he barks and hops around to greet them, and they give him hugs and kisses. The bus driver is a woman in her 50s and she always smiles and waves at us as the girls get off the bus - she knows how special he is to those two little girls.

The older girl often wants me to hug her, but the younger girl was a bit more reserved. Lately, she has been giving me hugs (unsolicited) as Duke and I say good-bye, as she did today. The girls have been upset by their biological father's separation from their mother, and they are stand-offish with men in general. Duke has helped bridge that for them. They were always friendly and polite when they moved back here with their mother after the separation, but not so willing to be close, even with my wife whom they see less frequently than me. Duke changed all that. Duke and their dog Max are great buddies and both the girls want to have fun with both dogs, throwing toys, giving them sticks and chew-toys... They don't want to go in and play video games or watch TV shows - they want to stay outside and interact with the dogs.

Dogs are great therapy, especially for kids that can't express their fears or anxieties easily. Dogs deflect problems and emotions toward the fun of interaction, and they are a boundless source of love and affirmation.

 

[rhody]

I usually take Duke to the neighbors' house in the afternoon so that he can meet the little girls (5 and 7) as they get off the school-bus. Even if they are stressed or tired, they brighten right up when he barks and hops around to greet them, and they give him hugs and kisses. The bus driver is a woman in her 50s and she always smiles and waves at us as the girls get off the bus - she knows how special he is to those two little girls.

The older girl often wants me to hug her, but the younger girl was a bit more reserved. Lately, she has been giving me hugs (unsolicited) as Duke and I say good-bye, as she did today. The girls have been upset by their biological father's separation from their mother, and they are stand-offish with men in general. Duke has helped bridge that for them. They were always friendly and polite when they moved back here with their mother after the separation, but not so willing to be close, even with my wife whom they see less frequently than me. Duke changed all that. Duke and their dog Max are great buddies and both the girls want to have fun with both dogs, throwing toys, giving them sticks and chew-toys... They don't want to go in and play video games or watch TV shows - they want to stay outside and interact with the dogs.

Dogs are great therapy, especially for kids that can't express their fears or anxieties easily. Dogs deflect problems and emotions toward the fun of interaction, and they are a boundless source of love and affirmation.

Way to go Turbo... a big woof woof to you as well.

Rhody...

 

[QuantumP7]

I'm in love with Duke AND this thread! <3

I have an almost two year old mixed dog named Einstein. I love him SOOOOOOOO much! My mom has a German Shepard/lab mix dog named Moses. We got him from a shelter.

 

[DaveC426913]

Oh this is so bad. This is my first experience with a smart phone. I can be on PF while in a company meeting...

 

[lisab]

Oh this is so bad. This is my first experience with a smart phone. I can be on PF while in a company meeting...

Stray thought...?

 

[rhody]

Turbo,

It seems there is http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-12143079" people won't make to try to save their beloved four legged friends... Sad... and heroic...

The coastguard said one of the Jack Russell dogs returned to the beach. The other has not been seen since.

Rhody...

 

[DaveC426913]

Oh this is so bad. This is my first experience with a smart phone. I can be on PF while in a company meeting...

omg :blush: Wrong thread. This was aimed at PFRT. Well, so much for trying to PF from a smartphone...

 

[turbo]

Turbo,

It seems there is http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-12143079" people won't make to try to save their beloved four legged friends... Sad... and heroic...


Rhody...

I'd risk my life for Duke. It might seem silly, but he is very dear to me and to my wife. She needs at least one of us around.

 

[turbo]

My wife got a yearly bonus and she got some idea that she might want to buy Duke a new, comfy bed. He already had 3 beds set up so he can sleep anywhere he wants and he was happy. Anyway, I found this really puffy dog-bed, and we think we have a winner. He loves this bed. He climbs on and turns himself around and the bed just wraps up around him.

BTW, he didn't poop out that tennis ball, and the gray under his chin is a skineeze toy. He likes taking toys to bed.

 

[Tsu]

Awwww... so SWEET. :!) I like the way he keeps his tennis ball close by and handy...

 

[Vanadium 50]

You never know when you'll need a tennis ball. How horrible it would be if someone wanted to play fetch and there wasn't a ball around!

 

[nismaratwork]

My wife got a yearly bonus and she got some idea that she might want to buy Duke a new, comfy bed. He already had 3 beds set up so he can sleep anywhere he wants and he was happy. Anyway, I found this really puffy dog-bed, and we think we have a winner. He loves this bed. He climbs on and turns himself around and the bed just wraps up around him.

BTW, he didn't poop out that tennis ball, and the gray under his chin is a skineeze toy. He likes taking toys to bed.

For at least several seconds upon seeing this, I just made little incoherent noises along the lines of, "AWWWWWHODALITTLEPUPPYAAWW."

You are a lucky man, and that is one lucky dog.

 

[drizzle]

Cuuuuuute! :!)

 

[nismaratwork]

I've never met him, and I love that dog.

edit: I like that he gives his tail the ball, and keeps the chew-rope just at [STRIKE]hand[/STRIKE] mouth. Very VERY resourceful.