Gosh... Alright.
I don't know if Signal is going to work out in my living situation. I discovered that she is actually extremely territorial with strong protective aggression/active aggression towards anyone in the hallway of my apartment, waiting at the elevator, or in the parking lot. Reactive/territorial from inside my apartment at people walking by in the hallway. I wish I lived in a single-family home or a ranch somewhere.
This is actually depressing and maddening, weirdly. Signal and I clearly bonded very quickly, she learned a bunch of new commands in a couple days and is already housebroken, but the rescue was APPARENTLY completely unaware of her territorial instinct and that it is unsuited for apartment living- I'm sure being in this environment also would stress her out, being constantly on the alert for "intruders" aka my neighbors, which are literally everywhere and all around us. She is EXTREMELY territorial, clear protective aggression/active aggression when she sees someone in the hall, and thank god she is only 35 lbs. It's not fear-based aggression at all. She is very hard and tough both physically and mentally, very willing to bite and tug and use her mouth on every new object I'm willing to offer to her, and I think would honestly do well in protection sport. (lol..) And her instinct is not a fault at all. I like protective aggression when I'm living somewhere in a single-family home. But since I am in an apartment built in this weird way where it's like one long hallway connecting a bunch of rooms, like a hotel, I did mention in my adoption application that I would like a dog with no territorial instinct and no fear-aggression/any aggression and only reactivity when over-stimulated/playing. And that's what the foster mom told me: that she "has no aggression whatsoever, not territorial, and is friendly to everybody she meets"... which is obviously now proven extremely untrue. I'm sure the rescue was obviously completely unaware and had no way of knowing how she would act in an apartment environment in the city with shared indoor quarters, because she lived on a ranch in the middle of nowhere in the foster home. This whole issue of Signal not working out in my apartment has been stressing me out so much in the past day, I actually cried. What even.
I don't know. That was a rant. Is this some kind of godly test on me? What is this God test on my nerves and heart or whatever on my dog adoption situation... lol. Kill me, I am literally cursed. I really think Signal should find a single-family home or ranch or other living situation where there are no shared indoor quarters, somewhere better suited for her. She is literally perfect in every way, I love her craziness and drive and willingness to obey and learn, and her athleticism is perfect for both flyball and disc... except for the fact that I live in a dumb apartment shaped like a Hyatt hotel.
This is the saddest thing I have ever encountered in the past few years of my life. Somebody un-curse me.
The rescue really would have had no way of knowing how she would act in an apartment in the city... but then if they did not know, they also should not state it as fact that she is "not territorial, not aggressive, and loves everybody"... that could be the most false statement I have ever heard about this girl. If anything is stronger than her protective aggression, it would be her ball drive and herding drive, and that's it.
She is literally a perfect dog though. But this rescue needs to step it up. Or they don't. Life just worked out for the worse, that's all.
TL;DR I love Signal and the rescue did not know anything about her apparently, and her EXTREME protective aggression and territorial instinct is not working out in my apartment situation built like a Hyatt hotel. She thinks the entire apartment and the surrounding sidewalk is mine, and I don't blame her one bit.
opcorn:
