I make no bones about the fact that I love my dog Jack. He came to us as a rescue when he was 16months old and we were his 4th home.
The couple who originally bought him from the breeder spilt up and neither one was prepared to take him on. He should have been returned to the breeder intact as it were. He’s a handsome boy! Nuff said.
However his next stay was of a more feral nature and I suspect this is where he learned to fight for his food/ run away and show a slightly more aggressive side as is normal in a pack of dogs.
When I met Jack he was with a charming couple – both in their late 70s. She was really quite infirm and He had had a hip replacement. How they thought they could manage him is beyond me.
Don’t get me wrong Jack is a complete gentleman in the home but was a nightmare off the lead. 3 1/2 years later and his behaviour just gets better and better. We have worked closely with our dog walker to ensure a consistent approach to his training and it is paying dividends.
However it has to be stated that I don’t love all dogs unconditionally just because I love mine.
I don’t think there is any place for a dog on or near the dining area and certainly will never condone a dog being given ‘treats’ such as food from a plate or crisps, sweets etc. I wonder if these same people would ‘force feed’ a child in this way?
Apparently dogs have no or little sense of taste but they have a super sense of smell and an inherent need to belong to the pack. No wonder then that a dog will ‘beg’ when there is food available.
Every single time before I feed Jack I wil either pretend to eat or have a drink or snack. I make sure he is watching me and he will bow his head in deference to me as ‘top dog’ – eating first.
Jack is desperate to belong – and we do that for him. We are his pack and he is rewarded with love, cuddles, good walks and food fit for a dog.
Dogs – a poem
Great Dane languidly ambling
Patterdale Terrier scuttlingly skittish
Cockerpoo, Labradoodle guaranteed designer
Jack my black Labrador one of the gang
Comments