Re: Need home in Sacramento CA for Missy

On Tue, 25 Nov 2003 10:19:41 -0000, "Lone Hansen"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>>>
>> Not too soft at all.  The problem dogs that are a challenge to deal
>> with usually turn out to be the best, as you well know.  And it sounds
>> as if Sonny is indeed a challenge.  Do he and Ezra get along and play
>> at all, or is there always conflict?  That can't be easy to live with.
>> Some years ago we had two bitches that fought frequently, but it was
>> real fighting, with vet trips required.  I swore I'd never go through
>> that again.  It sounded very familiar that Morten was supposed to
>> train him and hasn't...been there done that, etc....but at least if
>> you're the one working with him, he'll bond more strongly with you
>> which is a good thing if you're spending the most time with him.  Is
>> he pretty biddable (I mean Sonny now not Morten <g>), as most GSDs
>> are?  Any trainers around in your area, or are you pretty much on your
>> own?
>>
>> Sally Hennessey
>>
>
>    - They don't play at all. Sonny gets very angry if Ezra invites him for
>play. Sonny isn't much for play at all, he doesn't want to chew, fetch or
>anything else with toys. He looses interest in things very fast. Thankfully
>their spats haven't amounted to any wounds yet. If they had, he wouldn't be
>here. Sonny is a it strange. He looks like a softy, and behaves like a
>softy, but if there is something he doesn't want to do, there is no way I
>can make him do it. He is very stubborn when it all comes down. And he isn't
>too bright... yes he is a bit stupid, in fact he is a bit slow... well it
>seems like that anyway as there are some things that he just doesn't get,
>like that he isn't allowed to take food from the table and things like
>that.....
>    I only know of one trainer here in town, and she is supposed to be a
>very strict trainer and can be a bit hard on the dogs (the vet didn't
>recommend her, as he thought that Ezra and her wouldn't get along at all),
>other than that I don't know of any. Our vet didn't know of any trainers in
>this town apart from the strict one and  I haven't been able to find any
>other.

I'm sure you posted this when you first got him, but I have a mind
like a sieve some days...do you know anything about Sonny's
background?  I'm wondering if he was taken from his litter before 8
weeks or so; that might account for his snarkiness with Ezra, and
perhaps for his reluctance to play.  Or maybe he just doesn't know how
to play, but will learn in time.  That's strange that he gets angry
when Ezra invites him to play.  It does sound like maybe he left his
litter too young, so that he isn't very good at reading dog body
language.  I hope this improves with time.  And short attention
span...perhaps he needs medication for ADD.  <G>

Well, you don't necessarily need a professional trainer to work with
your own dog, especially if you've gone to classes before.  It can be
helpful, though, to have a "pro" around to just take a look at what's
going on and get someone else's ideas.  However better to go it on
your own than to use the wrong trainer, and it sounds like the trainer
in your town would be the wrong trainer for both your dogs.  We're in
a similar position trainer-wise; a disadvantage of not living in a
city, I suppose.  It sounds as if you're making progress with Sonny,
at least in some things.  Sending good thoughts that he keeps
progressing and gets a clue about the joys of playing with other dogs.

Sally