Duke

This is in response to your letter asking how Duke was doing. I don’t think it is newsletter material. Maybe later.

It took a couple of months for Duke to overcome his separation anxiety. It probably would have taken less time if we didn’t have a 3 week vacation 3 weeks after we adopted him. He was a very mellow fellow at first and didn’t interact with us much except when he was hungry or had leash in hand for a walk or trip. As he got more comfortable he has become less passive, and interacts with us and our other pets (a cat and a Papillion mix) just fine, making sure he gets his share of attention. We take both dogs on walks in the morning, and I brush them afterwards. My wife and I enjoy the walks ourselves and enjoy the companionship the dogs give us.

The only medical issue was that our vet (Craig Animal Hospital) found a damaged tooth when he examined him when we took him in after we got him. That wasn’t indicated on the medical records from Sun City Animal Hospital. We also got medication to treat the separation anxiety. He gets anxious and barks when there is thunder or firecrackers, so we give him the same medication then as well. I haven’t been able to train him not to pull on the leash – a trait that was noted in the evaluation you sent us. I don’t think he was trained by his previous owners. He may not have been socialized either, since he doesn’t seem to know how to play with our other pets. He was curious about the cat at first, and the cat would run and Duke would take chase, but that ended when the cat decided he didn’t need to run and they are buddies now. Duke doesn’t seem to mind it when the cat reaches up and bats his ear. He still doesn’t have much interest in playing fetch or chasing tennis balls. He does have his favorite toy, a snake, like the one his foster family got him, but is willing to share the other toys with the other dog.

Duke is a good boy and wants to please us. Our other rescue, a Papillion, is another story. We adopted her in February. She is jealous of Duke and occasionally is overly protective of items she wants to keep or whomever she is with (me or my wife), and growls, snarls, and snaps at other people. She has bitten my wife and I, so we decided to get help with behavior modification. Our daughter, Daedre Schagh, recommended “Sit Means Sit Dog Training”. I guess she knows them by reputation or perhaps because they have worked with Golden Retriever Rescue. We met with Dave Heck this morning and will start training on Monday. We decided to train both dogs. I think that will be more fun and effective.

Attached are a couple of pictures – one of both dogs trying to convince my wife they should go on a ride with her and a second one of Duke while my wife and I were on vacation and he was staying at Daedre’s house.

Bob Zimm