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For those who don't know Boh's back story.... he was a shelter puppy in South Carolina. He was adopted at 8 weeks and returned to the shelter. He had some demodex and was on the euthanasia list. He was 12 weeks old, when I got him. Not knowing if the shelter did out of state adoptions, I sent an inquiry. I am in Maryland. For $85.00 Boh was transported to my front door.
It quickly became obvious that Boh had terrible resource guarding issues - his food, toys, space, body, crate EVERYTHING. He only guarded from people, not other dogs. It became apparent to me why he guarded from people. His original owners were old school and did inappropriate things in his training. I put newspaper in Boh's crate for the first night. Figured it would be easy clean up, if he had an accident. Boh immediately walked into the crate and peed on the newspaper. OK, they were training him on newspaper. Quickly did away with that. Old school thinking was to desensitize dogs by taking their food bowl, putting your hands in their food, etc. I admit I was guilty of such things back in the day. That only works, if the dog was never a resource guarder in the first place. Those dogs didn't care what you did. But to snatch something away from a resource guarder reinforces their belief that you will take their things.
I worked diligently every day to teach Boh that nobody was going to take his stuff. I hand fed him. I worked on his obedience. He is probably the smartest dog I have ever owned (and I have owned German Shepherds.) He learns quickly. He remembers what he learns. Those months/years of working on his negative behaviors has produced an amazing, well behaved dog.
After years of posting some of Boh's less than redeeming qualities, I thought it was high time that I shared how amazing he is.... Boh will be 11 years old in June. He knows all of his commands and then some. When we go for a walk, Boh sits on every corner, without being told. Sometimes I tell him to wait, but I don't really have to. He waits until I say, "Good boy! Let's go!" Boh's wait command is stellar. Wait is different than stay. Stay is when I put him in a spot that he is supposed to stay in. Wait is an important safety command. Wait! Don't move a muscle, until I say you can. Boh freezes. If I were to drop his leash, or we had a prong collar fail, he would immediately freeze. I don't even have to tell him. When I call Boh to Come, he comes and sits in front of me. He understands go back and will go the spot he was previously in. He knows so many tricks. If I can convey what I want, he can do it.
Boh loves other dogs - big dogs, little dogs, male dogs, and female dogs. He greets other dogs appropriately. If the other dog is unfriendly, (Seems some not so bright owners, want their dogs to meet Boh, but they are nasty), Boh might give them some lip back, but he is never aggressive. He is gentle with dogs and people. Everybody loves him. My neighbor invites him to her house all the time.
I love having a well behaved dog. I am so proud of him. He didn't grow into this amazing dog by himself. It was a lot of work on my part. I often read here and on other dog boards about owners struggling with their dogs' behavior. So to anyone who is considering giving up - you can't. Our job is to train our dogs - exercise their bodies and minds. People can be resistant to training suggestions. That is fine. But if your dog is exhibiting negative behavior, it needs to be nipped. There are so many training choices. You need to find what works for your dog. If you have children, you know that sometimes you have to tell a child NO! Same with a dog. I am not a positive only kind of person. I never overexplained things to a young child and don't keep yapping at a dog. I state my expectations. If I say, "Gentle", and teeth catch my finger, I'm going to yell, "No teeth!" Every time. If your dog has a behavioral issue and you keep doing the same technique, it isn't working. Your dog doesn't understand your expectations. It's not the dog's fault. It is yours. If you continue to do the same useless technique, roll up a newspaper and smack yourself in the head. LOL!
Working with our dogs is so rewarding. To see them reach their full potential is a beautiful thing. So to those struggling... you can to this! And to Natty Boh.... Goooood Boy! ❤
It quickly became obvious that Boh had terrible resource guarding issues - his food, toys, space, body, crate EVERYTHING. He only guarded from people, not other dogs. It became apparent to me why he guarded from people. His original owners were old school and did inappropriate things in his training. I put newspaper in Boh's crate for the first night. Figured it would be easy clean up, if he had an accident. Boh immediately walked into the crate and peed on the newspaper. OK, they were training him on newspaper. Quickly did away with that. Old school thinking was to desensitize dogs by taking their food bowl, putting your hands in their food, etc. I admit I was guilty of such things back in the day. That only works, if the dog was never a resource guarder in the first place. Those dogs didn't care what you did. But to snatch something away from a resource guarder reinforces their belief that you will take their things.
I worked diligently every day to teach Boh that nobody was going to take his stuff. I hand fed him. I worked on his obedience. He is probably the smartest dog I have ever owned (and I have owned German Shepherds.) He learns quickly. He remembers what he learns. Those months/years of working on his negative behaviors has produced an amazing, well behaved dog.
After years of posting some of Boh's less than redeeming qualities, I thought it was high time that I shared how amazing he is.... Boh will be 11 years old in June. He knows all of his commands and then some. When we go for a walk, Boh sits on every corner, without being told. Sometimes I tell him to wait, but I don't really have to. He waits until I say, "Good boy! Let's go!" Boh's wait command is stellar. Wait is different than stay. Stay is when I put him in a spot that he is supposed to stay in. Wait is an important safety command. Wait! Don't move a muscle, until I say you can. Boh freezes. If I were to drop his leash, or we had a prong collar fail, he would immediately freeze. I don't even have to tell him. When I call Boh to Come, he comes and sits in front of me. He understands go back and will go the spot he was previously in. He knows so many tricks. If I can convey what I want, he can do it.
Boh loves other dogs - big dogs, little dogs, male dogs, and female dogs. He greets other dogs appropriately. If the other dog is unfriendly, (Seems some not so bright owners, want their dogs to meet Boh, but they are nasty), Boh might give them some lip back, but he is never aggressive. He is gentle with dogs and people. Everybody loves him. My neighbor invites him to her house all the time.
I love having a well behaved dog. I am so proud of him. He didn't grow into this amazing dog by himself. It was a lot of work on my part. I often read here and on other dog boards about owners struggling with their dogs' behavior. So to anyone who is considering giving up - you can't. Our job is to train our dogs - exercise their bodies and minds. People can be resistant to training suggestions. That is fine. But if your dog is exhibiting negative behavior, it needs to be nipped. There are so many training choices. You need to find what works for your dog. If you have children, you know that sometimes you have to tell a child NO! Same with a dog. I am not a positive only kind of person. I never overexplained things to a young child and don't keep yapping at a dog. I state my expectations. If I say, "Gentle", and teeth catch my finger, I'm going to yell, "No teeth!" Every time. If your dog has a behavioral issue and you keep doing the same technique, it isn't working. Your dog doesn't understand your expectations. It's not the dog's fault. It is yours. If you continue to do the same useless technique, roll up a newspaper and smack yourself in the head. LOL!
Working with our dogs is so rewarding. To see them reach their full potential is a beautiful thing. So to those struggling... you can to this! And to Natty Boh.... Goooood Boy! ❤
