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This is my first time to a dog forum. My background is a 48 year old lifetime dog owner. I am not an expert but always have had good luck with my dogs.
Three days ago i was backpacking at National Forrest when a large white dog approached. Boy is she ugly. Fur is all matted with seed pods and burrs stuck to her to the point that it was blocking her vision. I frequently hike with my dog and have dog treats in my pack. This dog is very scarred but takes the treat and i am able to pet her. She is starving to death. Hip bones are sticking out and her front paw is injured. I wouldn’t leave any animal in the woods in this condition and this one has approached me for help. I get her to follow me the 3 miles back to my car. I grabbed her and took her home.
She lay quietly as i took the dog trimmers and cut the matted horrible fur off of her and i found a Labradoddle under the fur. She is taller than my neighbors Labrador yet only weighs 44 lbs. I would guess her to be 10-13 months old.
I don’t think i am going to keep her. I didn’t want to take her to a shelter because of her condition. I want to nurse her back to health make her social and find her a home. This dog does not show any aggressive behavior but is just scared and confused.
The first two days i have let this dog eat and play with my dog. She likes my Schnauzer more than he likes her. She seems happy. I need more than a happy dog. I need an obedient dog as well. I put a leash on her and she went nuts. Pulling, rolling, and biting the leash until she collapsed in exhaustion. I am a large guy so i just held on and let her go crazy.
I don’t know if i am rushing her. My thought was to set rules for living with humans right away so that she does not develop bad habits. She is already showing a little territorial behavior. She lies on my back yard deck and barks at my neighbors. She seems to find what she considers being safe spots and does not move far from those spots. She only approaches me when I have food. She seems to want to be in my area but about 8 feet away. She is very jumpy at my movements.
All of that leads to this one question. Am correct in trying to get her on a leash this early. If so how persistent should I be. Let her buck and roll until exhaustion. Then go some more. Maybe I could put food in the yard. Bring her to it on the leash. I don’t know if I can get her in any one direction without dragging her. Maybe she will figure out that we have a destination and that the journey has a rewarding goal.
I felt pretty good about saving this dog but she is confused on how to be a pet. I am confused on how to make her a pet.
I could go on and on with this post but I will stop here.
Three days ago i was backpacking at National Forrest when a large white dog approached. Boy is she ugly. Fur is all matted with seed pods and burrs stuck to her to the point that it was blocking her vision. I frequently hike with my dog and have dog treats in my pack. This dog is very scarred but takes the treat and i am able to pet her. She is starving to death. Hip bones are sticking out and her front paw is injured. I wouldn’t leave any animal in the woods in this condition and this one has approached me for help. I get her to follow me the 3 miles back to my car. I grabbed her and took her home.
She lay quietly as i took the dog trimmers and cut the matted horrible fur off of her and i found a Labradoddle under the fur. She is taller than my neighbors Labrador yet only weighs 44 lbs. I would guess her to be 10-13 months old.
I don’t think i am going to keep her. I didn’t want to take her to a shelter because of her condition. I want to nurse her back to health make her social and find her a home. This dog does not show any aggressive behavior but is just scared and confused.
The first two days i have let this dog eat and play with my dog. She likes my Schnauzer more than he likes her. She seems happy. I need more than a happy dog. I need an obedient dog as well. I put a leash on her and she went nuts. Pulling, rolling, and biting the leash until she collapsed in exhaustion. I am a large guy so i just held on and let her go crazy.
I don’t know if i am rushing her. My thought was to set rules for living with humans right away so that she does not develop bad habits. She is already showing a little territorial behavior. She lies on my back yard deck and barks at my neighbors. She seems to find what she considers being safe spots and does not move far from those spots. She only approaches me when I have food. She seems to want to be in my area but about 8 feet away. She is very jumpy at my movements.
All of that leads to this one question. Am correct in trying to get her on a leash this early. If so how persistent should I be. Let her buck and roll until exhaustion. Then go some more. Maybe I could put food in the yard. Bring her to it on the leash. I don’t know if I can get her in any one direction without dragging her. Maybe she will figure out that we have a destination and that the journey has a rewarding goal.
I felt pretty good about saving this dog but she is confused on how to be a pet. I am confused on how to make her a pet.
I could go on and on with this post but I will stop here.