Rusty, our MONSTER of a rescue! This is the story of Rusty, our adopted Golden Retriever/Irish Setter Mix (oops, excuse me, HYBRID, err, um, MUTT) and my adventures to help save more dogs in need of homes like Rusty.
When Rusty comes home from doggie daycare, it's lights out for a few hours. He might or might not get up when you open the back door... But his poor paws... they must be so sore from running around all day! Um. Yeah. I think he needs a nail trim. Ok, so notice where his back leg is. IT'S ON MY PILLOW. MY PILLOW. Ahhh... Rusty... I wish I could sleep all day sometimes! What a bed hog....
Last night I was trying to open a jar of pickles unsuccessfully and so Bimmer Man had to open it for me. Meanwhile, we're trying to work on Rusty's fear of pots and pans so we have him sit near us whenever we're in the kitchen.
As one of us is practicing focus on obedience with Rusty, the other one gently makes the pots and pans swing together, or wash dishes loudly, clank glasses together, etc... We are trying to slowly get him used to the scary (but not really) sounds of the kitchen. This is total desensitization to a dog that has never been inside before. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to e-mail me and I can go into further detail about his fear reactions and his fears. So we use treats, praise, toys, whatever we possibly can to make the kitchen and its utensils a fun place to be. Jerky works well, so does boiled chicken. And um, if you're out of treats, pepperoni works too.
So I hand over the jar of pickles and Rusty stands up (he likes his butt rubbed... I know... get your mind out of the gutter!).
Bimmer Man tries to open the pickles. Doesn't work the first time.
So he totally tilts the jar to get a better grip and it pops open, spilling pickle juice all over Rusty's butt.
And so Rusty had the lovely scent of pickly juice on him last night.
How many times does Rusty lay on the couch when he's supposed to be on his bed?
Umm... we're not good owners there because he does it every day. But he chews on his toys and gets his Kong on his bed. We've made his dog bed a good place. New toys = only on the dog bed.
So when visitors come over, do we want Rusty to go to his bed and stay there until we say it's ok? Yes, we definitely do. What if it's the UPS guy with a package - like new shoes! I don't want Rusty running out the door, barking or being a general MONSTER. Instead, I'd like him calm, relaxed and in his "safe spot" in the living room.
So to teach On Your Bed you'll need:
1. Dog bed 2. High value treats 3. The Dog 4. Clicker (if you use the clicker)
Step 1. Start off with lots of room around you. Place the dog bed in between you and the dog.
Step 2. With a treat, lead Rusty onto the dog bed and say "On your bed!"
Step 3. Lead him into laying down.
Step 4. Once his body is laying down, click and treat.
Step 5. Repeat several times.
Remember - dogs do get bored easily, so once they learn it, you're going to have to switch it up a little bit. Bring the bed into the kitchen, the bedroom and outside. Dogs don't generalize, so if you want to make sure that Rusty knows how to do this in several different places, make him do "On Your Bed" with different beds and in different places. Just make sure that you let Rusty know which bed is his to begin with (what if there's more than one dog? You want them to have their own spots, so in that case, always use the same dog bed).
Here's a short video that explains it a little more - just make sure that your dog is in the laying down position, they'll have an easier time when you put them in a stay.
It's interesting - one step in the direction of calling mutts dogs. Hmmm... Agility would be good for Rusty - he'd gain more confidence and in turn, most likely wouldn't be afraid of garbage cans on the street anymore.
Unfortunately it looks like "mixed breeds" are still stand alone classes, not really incorporated into the purebred classes.
Oh, well. I think most mixed breed dog owners are just happy to have their dogs! If I run across anymore articles, I'll post the links.
Rusty loves his interactive toys, especially his Tug-a-Jug which I have to refill at least once a week (I put two cups of kibble in it - he can use the extra food!) and now this new toy.It's called an Orka chew toy. Two ends are hollow and go through the entire toy - meaning you can fill it with treats. If you fill it with softer treats but that are larger, Rusty has a hard time getting them out but it keeps him entertained. There are two other ends which don't go all the way through, but you can fill with peanut butter and it lasts a little bit - but definitely not as long as a frozen Kong.
Total time lasted: 21 minutes
I haven't really used this as a throw toy - because it is hard so it would break a window, the Wii, a vase, the TV, whatever. I'll take it outside later this week and see how it does at the park, but it does float which is sort of why I bought it in the first place. When Rusty moves to Minnesota, he's going to need something to chase in the lake.
How cute are these? Totally eco-friendly and made from recycled materials, these plush and comfy dog matts are super cute.
I have to think twice about ordering one for Rusty - simply because of the price - $110 for an extra large bed. I'm all for eco-friendly and what not, but man, does eco-friendly cost more than I wanna spend! I guess that's the drawback to having a large, 77 pound dog. It's size. And big beds cost more. And so do the big treat toys too. Go figure!
There's free shipping on orders over $75 so don't be shy about ordering from Muttropolis. They have a variety of toys, collars and leashes (take a look at the hemp stuff!) and they even have a cat section too!
(Plus, if you sign up for their newsletter, you get 10% off your first order!)
When Rusty comes home from doggie daycare, it's lights out for a few hours. He might or might not get up when you open the back door...
But his poor paws... they must be so sore from running around all day!
Um. Yeah. I think he needs a nail trim.
Ok, so notice where his back leg is. IT'S ON MY PILLOW. MY PILLOW.
Ahhh... Rusty... I wish I could sleep all day sometimes! What a bed hog....
which I have to refill at least once a week (I put two cups of kibble in it - he can use the extra food!) and now this new toy.
It's called an Orka
chew toy. Two ends are hollow and go through the entire toy - meaning you can fill it with treats. If you fill it with softer treats but that are larger, Rusty has a hard time getting them out but it keeps him entertained. There are two other ends which don't go all the way through, but you can fill with peanut butter and it lasts a little bit - but definitely not as long as a frozen Kong.
How cute are these? Totally eco-friendly and made from recycled materials, these plush and comfy dog matts are super cute.
