Out of Character OES
He was tied in the back yard about 50 feet from the house when I picked him up, the household had about 7 kids and apparently 3 adults that reside there, inside the house they also had 2 little dogs from what I can tell had been treated much better than my poor Sprocket. Sprocket did not socialize with the other animals as he was always tied out back or lose on the reserve, he did not have any water or food dishes when i rescued him. He was completely matted from under his eye to bobtail, is missing a toe, and was roughly 60 pounds. He was quite excited to see me and when I untangled him from his chain, immediately he ran to my parked car jumped in, sat down and gave me this look of "Lets go home mom, I'm ready". Even after a week of him being in his new forever home with me I still cried empathy for this poor little man, I immediately had a grooming appointment set up and got him all cleaned up and shaved down. He's amazing, lets me bathe him once a month, clean his ears with no problems (he loves it) brush him everyday, loves his bandanas and is fairly good with common commands considering his previous conditions.... So what's the problem? He seems happy since the rescue? True. but he is very out of character for his breed, I do keep in mind of how he was previously treated, please do the same, for the first week of two he would always have head down looking up at us with his big beautiful eyes anticipating for us to strick (we dont believe in hitting our animals), he has a hard time adjusting to the cats, he steals garbage wether outside while on a walk or even once inside the house, and becomes VERY aggressive if you try and take it away, if you didnt know better you would swear he is out for the kill. When i come home at night after work he seems to want to test me, and does not listen to simple commands, instead tries to go for the cats or their food even if he just ate supper himself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, i'm sorry this is sooooo long i just wanted to make sure to include all details that may help in your suggestion. |
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| honestly it doesn't sound out of charachter for the breed at all. If there are no rules and no training they would all be like that. Let's forget about before and deal with today. Your dog apparently needs training and you need to find a way that works for both you and him to set parameters and make him feel secure. |
| It often takes more than a couple months for a rescue dog to acclimate itself to a new environment. We've had dozens of rescued OES foster dogs through our home and none have behaved exactly alike. Don't cave into the dog's demands because you feel sorry for the life he had. He needs a strong person (you) to give him direction. All food and all good things come from you.
We generally hand-feed dogs that are resource guarders. Holding a bowl of kibble in you lap and allowing him to eat will help reassure him that nobody else is interested in taking his dinner. Eventually we literally have the dogs eating out of our hands. If he's truly food aggressive it's best to feed him alone in a quiet corner or in his crate until he learns that nobody will take food away from him. Then you can work up to hand feeding. Every rescued OES we've taken in has had a different personality. Some are bouncy OES that are stereotypical of the breed. Some are shy and withdrawn, others are skittish, some are very calm and settle in comfortably very quickly. Others take several months to feel at home. They all take patience. Sprocket may never behave in the way most OES would. So what? As different as they may be even the most damaged dogs had endearing qualities. You love them for who they are but try to make them better through patience and training. Try working with some simple commands such as "sit" and "down" on your own using treats as incentive. As he becomes more comfortable you both would benefit from a formal training class. He'll need patience to become better socialized and comfortable in his own skin. You've done a great thing for Sprocket by getting him out of a horrible situation. He's not damaged goods, he's a young dog with great potential. He needs you to achieve that goal.  |
| Try a year. I have had Bella for 2 years now, and she still got into a scuffle with Nigel after being here a year. Now we are fine, but I have a female who HAS TO be Alpha (singleton bitch) and she is always a bit over the top. Nigel is respectively scared of her now, and doesn't push her boundries anymore.
It does take them a while to settle in, but that doesn't mean he/she won't be the best dog you ever had either. Hang in there and train, train, train. |
| He sounds perfectly in character for an OES who was never trained nor socialized properly, which is probably what resulted in him being tied outside to begin with.
Fortunately he has you to civilize him, providing you can stop feeling sorry for him. OES are to the core hairy opportunists. Some may hide it better than others, but the truth will out  If you behave like a door mat (speaking as a professional doormat, which is why I only live with dogs of a specific temperament range to begin with), he'll wipe his paws all over you. He's a dog. They live in the here and now, and in the here and now he must be thinking he hit the jackpot!!! <vbg>
He's a lucky dog fron the sound of it. Now make him earn his good fortune. Love the name! Did he come with it, or...? Kristine |
Sounds like a dog 
Sprocket- is a muppet! http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sprocket |
| Our rescue Samson was about the same. The first thing I can say is to always pet him by starting on his chest and gently raising his chin up till he starts looking at you. In doing this is gets him use to touch in a good way as most abusers strike from above.The food issue is not uncommon, he probably never knew when his next meal was. One thing I have learned over the years with rescues is to feed him smaller amount throughout the day so he always see food in his bowl and they learn they will always be feed. Another thing I have noticed is dogs coming from this situation don't like to be kenneled up at all. To them its no different then their chain, its a prison.
Samson has changed dramatically since he came to live with us, gained his weight back and now actually has muscle on those bones. He tried pushing boundaries but I would suggest as with yours he had never had them before. It takes time and patience and lots of exercise and then love. IMHO |
BoonDock Saint wrote: Our rescue Samson was about the same. The first thing I can say is to always pet him by starting on his chest and gently raising his chin up till he starts looking at you. In doing this is gets him use to touch in a good way as most abusers strike from above.The food issue is not uncommon, he probably never knew when his next meal was. One thing I have learned over the years with rescues is to feed him smaller amount throughout the day so he always see food in his bowl and they learn they will always be feed. Another thing I have noticed is dogs coming from this situation don't like to be kenneled up at all. To them its no different then their chain, its a prison.
1) The past is the past. 2) There is nothing to indicate anyone struck him. My foster dog will cringe if you look at her cross eyed. And I know her background. She was spoiled mercilessly. There's no reason to believe anyone ever raised their hand to the little princess. In her case, it's poor breeding. Bad genetics. Call it what you will. 3) Did I miss the part where he was severly undernourished? Never mind. It's irrelevant. I've had truly FAT foster dogs with resource guarding issues. Think Shamu. They protect their food, but heaven knows they've never gone without a day in their blubbery lives, so there must be something else going on. Resource guarding is not uncommon in dogs. It makes good survival sense, so it's genetically hardwired to varying degrees, and then too can stick with them if they try it and it works for them. Hand feeding them (was that Nita?) is superb advice. Make them work for each kibble while you're at it. Excessive fearfulness (or pushiness) is not uncommon in dogs. And as for dogs being confined: most dogs, including mine who have never known a chain, would prefer to sleep upside down on a sofa as opposed to being safely confined in any manner including crates unless you bother to show them that crates can be a nice and peaceful and safe kind of thing. He may not need to be crated. But it doesn't hurt to teach him that he can be if needed and he will survive just fine. My foster dog, placed once and returned for uncontrollable rowdiness, who can, miraculously be crated at my house without issue - in fact, she RUNS into the crate on command - convinced the family who adopted her that she would simply DIE if they put her in a crate. So, naturally, they couldn't BEAR to do that to the widdle princess. They could bear to return the widdle princess though. 
I'm nominating her for a Tony. Or an Oscar. Or whatever the appropriate canine award for great drama and theatrics is. Dogs! You gotta love'em  
All of what Sprocket's owner describes is not uncommon in dogs. But if you want to see a grown woman (usually) cry, find your closest (good, as in genuinely knows dogs) obedience instructor, and tell her about the assumptions about abuse, and above all the precautions and exceptions from caninehood you have to make because it's a RESCUE dog and watch her dissolve into a heap of humid frustration on the floor because she's heard the excuse ("but it's a rescue dog!!!) so many times she wants to gouge her eardrums out. 
Truly. Kerry and I both know this rather vividly because we sat through a round of serious frustration along these lines from obedience instructors from across the country not too long ago. It was a real eye opener. For me, at least. Anyway, carry on, Sprocket! We have high hopes for you in the shape up and fly right department! You're a good dog. And now somebody's given you a chance to prove it. No excuses. You don't need them. We have faith. 
Kristine |
spacegirl21 wrote:
Oh, wow. That's adorable. No wonder I like the name!
KB |
| Yes I know Sprocket (the muppet) VERY WELL! Fraggle Rock was my daughters favorite show when she was little. I became very well acquainted with ALL the Fraggles--Gobo and the gang!
Brings back MANY good memories! Listen to the experts that just shared their WISDOM with you--take their advice--be patient--and your Sprocket will steal your heart!  |
| Give him time to adjust as easy as that and no sadness for him, start a good routine and stick to it, there a smart breed and if you keep up the training and a consistent routine with him he will slowly adjust.
Rescues take longer as you dont know the extent of his existence previously, one step back and two steps forward as they say, eventually he will settle over time with you setting the boundaries for him. His not use to that but will except it over time with regular training and patients. Love the name too. |
| He sounds normal to me too. I think all sheepies would raid the trash given half a chance. He just has a few little things to iron out, you have done brilliantly so far, you can deal with these issues. My advice is..
Forget the past.. he has. Stop feeling sad for him, start living your happy life. Get a trainer who can deal with these specific issues, then move on!  |
| Maybe i made it sound worse than it is.....Sprocket IS a GOOD dog, and he one my heart the first day I met him.....it's mainly the food aggression part...what I didn't explain properly is that, when I feed him his meals, he does not guard this food I can add food to the bowl, or come near it, he knows I put it there......it's when he STEALS food from the garbage that he becomes the instinctual guard predator.....I need to find a way for him to drop it or release because I know it's not good for him, I understand he doesn't realize it's not good for him....I've started training him "DROP" with his toy, and he's doing well but he instinctually forgets the command when it comes to stolen food.
But you are all right, just time and patience will solve everything i'm sure. That's right SPROCKET is from Fraggle Rock!!! I loved that show growing up!! |
AnimalPassionist wrote: Maybe i made it sound worse than it is.....Sprocket IS a GOOD dog, and he one my heart the first day I met him.....it's mainly the food aggression part...what I didn't explain properly is that, when I feed him his meals, he does not guard this food I can add food to the bowl, or come near it, he knows I put it there......it's when he STEALS food from the garbage that he becomes the instinctual guard predator.....I need to find a way for him to drop it or release because I know it's not good for him, I understand he doesn't realize it's not good for him....I've started training him "DROP" with his toy, and he's doing well but he instinctually forgets the command when it comes to stolen food. But you are all right, just time and patience will solve everything i'm sure. Aww...the dreaded resource guarder!!! Treat the boy and get him to leave what he is wanting to snip you over... It is a trade...I give you turkey, you give me trash!!! I had to be a big bargainer with one of our OES that was just flat out aggressive... If it becomes a problem then, you need to get him into training!! IMHO (good idea anyway) This is a story of one of our rescues that does awesome from biting days to "Daddy's Boy" http://www.performanceoes.com/MurphysLawUnleashed.html (Thanks Kristine) Check the whole site out....wonderful info!! That's right SPROCKET is from Fraggle Rock!!! I loved that show growing up!! |
| I guess its me - but how is he getting the garbage to begin with? The first step is to stop that, and then work on the guarding behavior. |
kerry wrote: I guess its me - but how is he getting the garbage to begin with? The first step is to stop that, and then work on the guarding behavior.
That's my first thought too... prevent the bad behaviors and praise the good ones. |
| He sounds OK. Rescues take at least a year.....and then some to trust you. In the mean time you have to very slowly change as many bad habits as they developed. Eventually you'll see the disappearance of most issues, some will always remain as a shadow. Jack still flinches if I raise my hand over him too quickly. And as for resource guarding, it is still very much evident. He and Glacier had a tussel over a bone just the other day. I consider myself fortunate in that I can take the food bowl away without being bit, but he still challenges me or tries to gulp everything down in one big gulp. Best just to let him eat.
The more you can do with him in the way of commands.....not only obedience, but also some fun agility type stuff, the more he sees you as the boss. By all means work on the food issue as well.......hand feeding with sits and downs mixed in (what we call doggie push-ups) shows him nothing is free, you have to work for your tucker. Dogs don't live in the past the way we do. They forget, but behavior learned back then still colors their life today until you have colored over all the ugly parts. |
| I also would relocate the trash for a while. That being said, what a wonderful thing you did by adopting this poor Sheepie. I bet he thinks he's in doggie Heaven. Hugs to both of you.........Kathy
Doesn't one of our member's actually keep their trash container on top of the fridge to out-smart her dogs? |
My trash can is in the closet!! 
I would never get anything done but, chasing them out of the kitchen... Which is what I spend alot of time doing anyway!! |
Chauncey wrote: I also would relocate the trash for a while. That being said, what a wonderful thing you did by adopting this poor Sheepie. I bet he thinks he's in doggie Heaven. Hugs to both of you.........Kathy
Doesn't one of our member's actually keep their trash container on top of the fridge to out-smart her dogs? Garbage on the fridge - that would be Kristine (Mad Dog)
At 1st it seemed odd, but now I automatically reach up there to throw garbage.....LOL Ours is in a lidded can that has a small tab to release the top with a spring. Maggie (the coonhound version of Sybil) learned to bypass it and just flip the lid off. So, we now have it taped on with a wide piece of clear packaging tape on each side. Amazingly, it can be reused for several bag changes..... |
I just want to say kudos to you for rescuing Sprocket! We're in a townhouse with a one dog rule, but I hope to one day own a house and be able to take in rescues. It warms my heart every time I read a story about one of these amazing dogs being rescued  That is after I get over the heart break of the story before the rescue.
Thank you to all of you who rescue OES's, it's amazing, and I have so much respect and admiration for you all I know it must test your patience during the learning curve each dog goes through, but keep up the good work! You're doing a wonderfully important job! |
| Chauncey is only now ( 4 years old, and never missed a meal ) starting to stick his head in the trash and we have a swinging lid on ours. If I have something " good " in the trash, I put it in the laundry room which is right off the kitchen. |
| Tiggy raided the trash last week.
1st time ever, she's nearly two. The cupboard door wasnt properly shut, there were good smelling things in the trash and she is not getting her usual amounts of exercise due to an injury. |
| Sprocket has found garbage outside while on a walk, in a pile of snow before I could find it, and the one time he did it in the house i just didnt think he would open the lid, stick his head in and close the lid, he definately out smarted me there!!! but he was doing so well i didnt think he would bother silly me hahaha.....for the most part he's doing well though. I'm sure he thinks it's doggie heaven, he gets a nice warm house, cuddle in bed with us and one of the cats....(i know i maybe shouldn't have allowed this especially right away to establish the pack the way i wanted) but how could i resist, plus that just means a little more time to work on the minor stuff which i'm totally willing to do so I figure it ways itself out for now haha.
I actually bought some bitter apple spray and sprayed the lid of the garbage....so hope that works....day 2 so far so good, mind you there hasn't been any chicken in there since the other day. |
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