Post by Lannie on Jan 10, 2015 15:48:49 GMT -5
I thought I would update my saga with Jasper the Wild Child. For those of you that followed that painfully long "Getting Acquainted With Jasper" thread three years ago (has it been THAT long?), we had made a lot of progress, but he was still not "dog." He was "wild wolf in captivity" putting up with me.
Well, I didn't have time to go back through that entire thread to find the specific post, but I remember Bobbie told me back then that it took a full year for one of her dogs' "switch to flip," and become a regular dog, and I was so absolutely sure it wouldn't take that long for me. After all, I speak "dog." I know what to do, I know how to act, I know how to handle them, I've never NOT been able to rehab a dog... Blah, blah, and more blah. I had NO idea what I was up against.
However, I'm happy to announce that last week sometime, 3-1/2 years after bringing him home, Jasper's switch finally flipped. We'd just settled into a routine, he and I, and maybe it was because I stopped trying so hard to befriend him, but one day, he just decided he would be my dog. I've been practically holding my breath, wondering if it was a permanent change, or (LOL!) if he was SICK or something! But no, he seems to have FINALLY decided that I'm to be trusted, 100%.
It used to be, he'd come to me when I called, and he'd accept a cookie from me, and while I was holding said cookie in front of his nose, he'd let me pet him on the head and shoulders. If I tried to touch him too far back, or (God forbid!) touch his collar, he'd spook and move away. Not far, but away, nonetheless. And if he was lying down somewhere he'd get up and run if I approached and he saw me coming. If he DIDN'T see me until it was too late, he'd freeze, and I could lean down and pet him anywhere (even on the rump or the legs), but he was frozen in fear.
Now, lately, he romps up to me and tries to play, and will let me smack him on the butt as he's running circles around me, he'll walk up behind me as I'm walking and sniff my butt (even to TOUCHING me with his nose!), and if he happens to be lying down when it's time for his morning cookie, I just walk up and hold it out and he takes it. Just like that! Just like any other domestic dog in the world would do. He would NEVER do that before last week! He doesn't seem to mind at all now if I touch him on the butt, the belly, the legs, whatever. I'm not going to do it yet, because I don't want to set us back any just at this moment, but I think I could actually walk up and clip a lead onto his collar now. He might object, but I think I could do it without him freaking out and bloodying my arms with his claws like he did when we had to take him to the vet to get the thousand porcupine quills out of his nose. What a day THAT was.
Anyway, my heart is singing, because not only is he the BEST guardian dog in the entire universe, but now he's MY dog! I finally feel like we've made the connection. It makes it so much sweeter that it took such a long time, and I'd almost given up on him ever being "normal." And then his switch flipped.
So, Bobbie, you were right. It just took a lot longer than you thought!
~Lannie
Well, I didn't have time to go back through that entire thread to find the specific post, but I remember Bobbie told me back then that it took a full year for one of her dogs' "switch to flip," and become a regular dog, and I was so absolutely sure it wouldn't take that long for me. After all, I speak "dog." I know what to do, I know how to act, I know how to handle them, I've never NOT been able to rehab a dog... Blah, blah, and more blah. I had NO idea what I was up against.
However, I'm happy to announce that last week sometime, 3-1/2 years after bringing him home, Jasper's switch finally flipped. We'd just settled into a routine, he and I, and maybe it was because I stopped trying so hard to befriend him, but one day, he just decided he would be my dog. I've been practically holding my breath, wondering if it was a permanent change, or (LOL!) if he was SICK or something! But no, he seems to have FINALLY decided that I'm to be trusted, 100%.
It used to be, he'd come to me when I called, and he'd accept a cookie from me, and while I was holding said cookie in front of his nose, he'd let me pet him on the head and shoulders. If I tried to touch him too far back, or (God forbid!) touch his collar, he'd spook and move away. Not far, but away, nonetheless. And if he was lying down somewhere he'd get up and run if I approached and he saw me coming. If he DIDN'T see me until it was too late, he'd freeze, and I could lean down and pet him anywhere (even on the rump or the legs), but he was frozen in fear.
Now, lately, he romps up to me and tries to play, and will let me smack him on the butt as he's running circles around me, he'll walk up behind me as I'm walking and sniff my butt (even to TOUCHING me with his nose!), and if he happens to be lying down when it's time for his morning cookie, I just walk up and hold it out and he takes it. Just like that! Just like any other domestic dog in the world would do. He would NEVER do that before last week! He doesn't seem to mind at all now if I touch him on the butt, the belly, the legs, whatever. I'm not going to do it yet, because I don't want to set us back any just at this moment, but I think I could actually walk up and clip a lead onto his collar now. He might object, but I think I could do it without him freaking out and bloodying my arms with his claws like he did when we had to take him to the vet to get the thousand porcupine quills out of his nose. What a day THAT was.
Anyway, my heart is singing, because not only is he the BEST guardian dog in the entire universe, but now he's MY dog! I finally feel like we've made the connection. It makes it so much sweeter that it took such a long time, and I'd almost given up on him ever being "normal." And then his switch flipped.
So, Bobbie, you were right. It just took a lot longer than you thought!
~Lannie