Can Duke Become More Independent After Being a Velcro Dog?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around Duke, a dog described as a "Velcro Dog," and the efforts of his owner to encourage Duke's independence after a year of close attachment. Participants share personal anecdotes, observations about Duke's behavior, and reflections on dog training and bonding.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes Duke's clinginess may be hindering his development and expresses hope that recent experiences could help break this bond.
  • Another participant shares their affection for Duke and offers encouragement for the owner's efforts to help him become more independent.
  • Participants discuss Duke's intelligence and ability to learn commands, with one owner detailing various verbal and visual cues he has taught Duke.
  • There are reflections on the previous treatment of Duke by his former owners, with one participant recounting a moment that suggested Duke may have experienced fear or trauma.
  • Some participants share their own experiences with smart dogs, drawing parallels to Duke's behavior and training challenges.
  • There are mentions of Duke's interactions with neighbors and how he is treated as a beloved pet within the community.
  • One participant expresses curiosity about Duke's reactions to loud noises and his behavior around children.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a fondness for Duke and agree on his intelligence and need for independence. However, there are varying opinions on the best approaches to achieve this independence, and the discussion remains unresolved regarding the effectiveness of different training methods.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the impact of Duke's past experiences on his current behavior and training. There are also limitations in understanding the full scope of Duke's emotional state and how it may affect his independence.

Who May Find This Useful

Dog owners, trainers, and those interested in animal behavior may find this discussion relevant, particularly regarding the challenges of fostering independence in pets with strong attachment behaviors.

  • #61
Here is a picture of Duke's sign. When Al was using some deep red latex paint a year or so ago, he rinsed his brushes, etc in the vicinity of Max's sign, making it look like the aftermath of a blood-bath. Too funny!

Anyway, these signs are probably a lot more neutral (legally) than "Beware of Dog" type signs, since if someone trespasses and manages to get bitten, they can claim that you have a mean dog and that the sign proves that you know you have a mean dog.

Duke_sign.jpg
 
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  • #62
turbo-1 said:
... so she and Duke can stay in the shade and cool, and my neighbor and I are going to jack up and level my new wood-shed. He's giving me a bunch of concrete pavers, so I can keep the hemlock stringers off the ground.

Okay. Now I want to see pictures of you new wood-shed. Or did I miss seeing it somewhere?

btw, my "swing-set building" is coming along. I'll post a picture of the progress when my daughter gets home with her camera.
 
  • #63
New wood-shed, all blocked up and leveled.
woodshed.jpg

Duke is pretty happy with the addition, too. If I end up in the dog-house, Duke and I will have plenty of space.
doghouse.jpg

Got to take out that center brace (transport only), but I'll leave the others.

You might have noticed that the guy who builds these utility buildings uses rough-sawn full-dimension lumber. Very rugged stuff, and the skids are hemlock, which is really rot-resistant. I paid $1850 delivered (tax included) for this shed, which is probably less than I would have had to pay for just the materials to build one, and it saved me a lot of time (garden is first!) and labor.
 
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  • #65
dlgoff said:
Nice shed. Are you going to tie it down so wind can't move it?

I posted my shed pictures https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=505682". I'll trade you. :biggrin:
I don't think I'll have to tie it down. That sucker is heavy! Soon it will be full of firewood, and the only time it will be empty is when I put all that firewood into my attached garage-shed and haven't yet gotten the detached shed loaded. I keep my firewood on a 2-year cycle. Much of my wood (bought from my niece's husband) is oak, which dries quite slowly. Oak that has been cured for a summer just sizzles and hisses when you try to burn it. We really need to have two consecutive summers under cover to make that kind of wood burn efficiently.
 
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  • #66
My dog and I dropped by a neighbor's place today while on a ride on his 4-wheeler (it is Duke's vehicle and don't try to claim otherwise!), and the neighbor's son (~45 or so) called him "woof-woof" instead of Duke. Duke is normally pretty low-key, but started going "Woof, Woof, Woof" while staring at him. It was funny.
 
  • #67
Duke has been gassing me out all day. My wife decided to try him on Earthborn Holistic grain-free dry dog food. He seems to like it, and that's OK, but he'll probably need time to get used to the food. In the meantime, I can't open the windows in this heat-wave and will have to suffer through his gas-discharges for a while.
 
  • #68
turbo-1 said:
Duke has been gassing me out all day. My wife decided to try him on Earthborn Holistic grain-free dry dog food. He seems to like it, and that's OK, but he'll probably need time to get used to the food. In the meantime, I can't open the windows in this heat-wave and will have to suffer through his gas-discharges for a while.

This makes me laugh, because lately one of E's favorite books is "https://www.amazon.com/dp/1583940537/?tag=pfamazon01-20" -- which one of her older brothers (P) selected for her at the used book store.

She's also at an age where she thinks making a toot is funny, and she will do it again if you give any hint of noticing (or at least try). I guess as a small update there, she turned two earlier this week.
 
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  • #69
physics girl phd said:
She's also at an age where she thinks making a toot is funny, and she will do it again if you give any hint of noticing (or at least try). I guess as a small update there, she turned two earlier this week.
My toddler niece is a song-writer. When she asks to get to the bathroom, and sits on the toilet, she sings "Pooping and peeing, pooping and peeing..." She's a character.
 

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