were interesting, to say the least. First, he doesn't appear to have undergone any formal training. He didn't respond to either "sit" or "down," and has a nasty habit of jumping up on people. After about 3 days I managed to get him to understand that I'm not going to pet him 'til he sits or lies down, which was nice. He figured that out quickly.
Second, he doesn't appear to have been allowed indoors. I'm guessing he was a ranch dog. His first 20 minutes in the house, he peed four times (sigh). Three were easy cleanups, but the fourth was on the corner of the couch (grr). Had he previously been an indoor dog, he should have been trained to only pee outside.
He's amazingly strong. His leg muscles are huge. This is what further clues me in he was a ranch dog. He likely spent his day running with the pack, herding sheep. What I can't figure out is why he'd no longer be with his prior owner. I can't see a rancher getting rid of a dog, unless there were problems with the dog (biting the sheep or cattle, etc.). So far he doesn't appear to have any significant behavioral problems that can't be corrected with some work.
On the other hand, he's extremely insecure. I can't tell yet if it's just Buddy, or if it's because he's been living in a shelter for two weeks. He feels the need to be constantly in my face (jumping up, trying to lick, etc.). As I mentioned earlier, I've been working on getting him to understand he's not going to be pet until he sits or lies down. The problem is that the second you then take your hand away, he's up and in your face again. A couple evenings ago I was sitting on the floor watching TV, with a dog on either side of me, and dared remove my hand from Buddy for a fraction of a second to fast forward through some commercials. Soon as I moved my hand, he was up on his feet and in my face (sigh).
He seems to be getting along with Toby, though there were a couple of fights. Once, Buddy was lying on the living room floor and Toby walked in. Buddy launched himself off the floor and attacked Toby. That lasted about two seconds. Soon as I moved, he ran into the kitchen (of course, peeing all the way there).
The second time I heard the beginning of a fight in the garage, which again lasted about two seconds. Soon as I opened the door, he ran again.
I've been putting a fair amount of work into making him understand I'm big dog, Toby's medium dog, and he's little dog. For example, Toby gets greeted first when I get home. Toby gets fed first. Toby gets treats first. Toby gets to come in the house first. Toby gets to come in while Buddy stays outside. Toby gets to sleep on my bed (as he always has), while Buddy sleeps in his crate.
He's a great dog. He's really friendly, loves to be pet, and in some ways acts like a cat. You know how a cat will stretch forward, arching his back end up in the air? Buddy does this. The other day when I was scratching his hind legs, he raised his rump into their like a cat. And he seems to think, like a cat, that it's okay to try and curl up on my lap.
I have to watch him closely in the house, to see if he's trying to pee. He was neutered last Wednesday, and the vet said it'll take about 5 weeks for the testosterone to get out of his system. After that, he should stop marking. In the meantime, it's not allowed indoors unattended. If he gets rowdy, he goes out. If I'm eating or in the shower, he goes out. If I'm trying to play a game, he either lies still next to me or goes out. Eventually he'll be allowed free run of the house, but not 'til the peeing stops.
He also seems to be somewhat of an escape artist. I learned this early. I was moving a wheelbarrow of dirt into the front yard, and he somehow managed to squeeze between the fence post and the wheelbarrow. Within seconds, he was running down the street. Stupid idiot could have gotten himself killed. He made it about 2/3 of the way down the street before I caught him, and only did because he saw someone washing a car and ran over to them. I snagged him there, and had to carry him back home. After that, I locked him within the back yard, while leaving the dog run open so I could get in and out without having to worry about him.
His trip to the vet showed he had sores around his neck. It looks as though he'd been made to wear a pinch collar for long periods of time. Toby wears one while we're walking, but that's it. Without a pinch collar, he chokes himself trying to pull. The pinch collar stops him from doing that. I haven't yet taken Buddy for a walk, that'll be a while. He needs to undergo some formal training before I try walking him. In the meantime, he has to be satisfied with playing with Toby in the yard.
Last night I got home from work to find two filthy dogs in the yard. They'd been playing in a mound of dirt in the backyard, and of course slobbering all over one another, so were pretty much covered in mud by the time I got home from work. I learned that I'm going to have to change clothes first thing when I get home, so Buddy doesn't jump up and soil my work clothes (as he did). Eventually he'll figure out he's not allowed to do that, but it's going to take a while.
