I took a little break from posting earlier to play with the dogs. I let them inside tonight (Ivan is always ready to come in for a treat) and much to my amazement, Piper walked right on in! He was just bouncy and a wigglin' that tail. I got down in the floor with him and he licked my face! This has NEVER happened! He was so excited and ready to play. I went and got him a hot dog (his favorite food) and he followed me through the whole house. He hit the brakes a few times when he came to a doorway, but he went through each door and was all happy again once he got into the open part of the room.
Whats stranger to me is that in the past Piper has been more receptive to my hubby but tonight hubby was gone and Piper went nuts playing and getting attention. When hubby got home, he immediately calmed down. Why would he change like that? Usually, he wouldn't come to me in the past but would respond to hubby. It's like he got us confused or something...lol Hubby got down in the floor with him and he livened up a little, but not like he was with me. He hasn't been inside in a while so maybe he was just excited about that. We offer for him to come in each night but he doesn't want to. The only thing different about tonight was that it was thundering quite loudly. Maybe he is scared of thunder and thats why he came inside?
Either way, I was just so happy to see this dog act this way. He was acting just like any other playful dog. Even Ivan was excited. He was jumping all over Piper and trying his best to get all the attention....lol. Piper just had this "get the heck off of me" look on his face when Ivan was doing that...lol.
I fed them both some hamburger meat and Piper ate right out of my hand......licking and all. I'm just so happy about this. Its like we have a new dog and I sure hope things stay this way. I just love this dog so much and when he actually reacts to me its just a nice feeling.
Awwww Thats great news! Just be happy that he is warming up to you!
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~Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring it was peace~
Your husband is the Alpha, he responds in a more subdued manner when the husband is there, the same as when you are at work, and the boss walks in. Entire pecking orders change when another member is present. Sometimes the pecking order needs to be completely reestablished, complete with fights for dominance, depending on the household. Dogs are pack animals and color blind, in case the doorway thing throws you. If your husband is larger,darker of hair, deeper of voice, all these are things a colorblind pack animal will find intimidating. I have seen quite adverse reactions to black, or dark skinned humans, chickens, or dogs for the same reason. Even with humans, black is a dominate and intimidating color. Dogs see shadow and light more acutely than we do. A tall person, or a doorway can be a giant obstacle to them. Glad he is doing better. Act real normal around him and promote him slightly above the pup, if possible, giving him the lion's share of attention, even though the pup is a nicer guy. If he gives you crap, be nice to the pup in front of him, play them off each other-if it looks like it will work. Go with the flow. All dogs and people are different and there is no common rules for any of us, just generalizations.
Daisy, Piper was a rescue (about 3 yrs old), so to speak. His owner had moved off and left him with no food, water, or shelter. A neighbor gave him food and water after she realized the man had moved (which was 3 weeks later). She ran him and his 'brother' on Petfinder last November and when we seen them we immediately went and got him and his 'brother' Percy (Percy died from complications during neutering about 2 weeks after we got him). In the beginning, Piper was so scared of us that he wouldn't let us get anywhere around him. My husband had to hog tie him to get him home (literally), but we knew we had to get those dogs out of there. After Percy's death, Piper got to be a littler harder to deal with, but we ended up with an unexpected puppy at Christmas (Ivan) and they two have gotten along so well. I think Piper h as observed us playing with Ivan and is beginning to trust us.
Piper was VERY scared of doorways and small spaces when we got him. We had to put a choker on him and drag (yes, really) him into the house when we got him because he would not use any shelter (scared of small spaces) and we wanted to keep him warm and dry. It took about 3 weeks before he would actually get up and walk around any.....and even longer to walk through our bedroom doorway and into the living room. He is still cautious of doors.....and has to stop and sniff them before he'll go through......but he's doing it......and we let him do it on his own time so he will be comfortable.
We have him walking on a leash now (not perfect, but he's trying) and playing ball. When you have come as far as we have with this dog, its impossible to not have an extremely deep bond with him.......we are crazy about Piper (and Ivan too). Living with this dog has taught us so much about life and love.
When we first got him, I really didn't know anything about how to handle a dog like this, but I got lots of advice and suggestions from the members of TP ( I was a member there back then) and I'm SO glad that some of those same people are here now, as well. Protodog and Kittys Mom have been superior in helping me throughout all of this. Both are much more experienced than me in dealing with fragile dogs.
And that brings me to my next question.....Kittys Mom.....you said...
"Act real normal around him and promote him slightly above the pup,". Are you saying that we should promote Pipers level in the pack order here? I thought dogs established that on their own (shows how much I know...lol). Piper is very submissive to Ivan, and I can tell that Ivan wants to be the alpha dog here and that brings me to 2 questions.....
Why should Piper be the alpha?
And how do we go about making him the alpha?...lol
Normally, an adult dog who has been living in the home will rank above a new pup. Normally. And the idea behind treating dogs differently is to reinforce the order, not to create it. However, Piper may not be able to handle the responsibility of ranking above Ivan. Wasn't Piper submissive to Percy? If so, I wouldn't suggest trying to push Piper up the social ladder.
Nevertheless, you can still work on Piper's self-confidence. A submissive dog doesn't have to be an insecure dog. I know a dog who gleefully rolls over for almost every dog she meets. This dog isn't fearful; she simply doesn't want the responsibilty of being in charge.
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"Thought is an invisible and subtle power that mocks all the efforts of tyranny." Alexis de Tocqueville
Yes, Piper was very submissive to Percy. Is this something born into a dog or happens because of how they were treated as a pup? (about not wanting to be the alpha).
"Thought is an invisible and subtle power that mocks all the efforts of tyranny." Alexis de Tocqueville
If he gives you crap, be nice to the pup in front of him, play them off each other-if it looks like it will work. Go with the flow. All dogs and people are different and there is no common rules for any of us, just generalizations.
(shows how much I know...lol). Piper is very submissive to Ivan, and I can tell that Ivan wants to be the alpha dog here and that brings me to 2 questions.....
