Today is Friday, July 5, and we have had Indy since Sunday, June 30, so I’m going to back track and catch us up to where we are today.
Sunday, June 30, Day 1: Drove to St. George, SC to meet Linda, his current foster, and pick up Indy. She told me about his resource guarding and other things about him, like his tendency to pull very hard on the leash (she used a gentle leader for him), how he wants attention (until he doesn’t), and that he doesn’t like to sleep in the bed with her. He was panting, despite being in an air conditioned car, and Linda said he’d done that for the whole 1.5 hour drive. I took him home in a crate because that is how Linda had been transporting him, and he panted the entire trip back to Hilton Head.
The trip home to Hilton Head.
Once we were home and settled, Indy and I made a trip to PetSmart for a comfy bed and a few other things, including a leader, because this boy DID pull very strongly. He did not travel in the crate for this short excursion as it is out preference to not have to use a crate in the car. He did well in the car and was very well behaved all evening. The panting did not subside for several hours and I attributed it to anxiety. When I gave him his dinner I made him sit and stay until he was told it was okay and he did as asked. We tried baby carrots as a treat and they were a hit. Before he gets a treat he is told “Nice” and handed the treat- he took the treat nicely each time. He spent the evening exploring his surroundings and he showed me how fast he can go up and down the stairs.
Off to PetSmart.
Monday, July 1, Day 2: Indy meet two other dogs at our community dog park through the fence, taking a good sniff of each and walking away as if to say “meh”. The leader made a huge difference in his behavior on the leash, virtually no pulling. We walked by some neighborhood cats and he wasn’t interested, He continues to be good with food and treats, only a few times being too excited and a stern “No” seems to work. He will let me pick him up and put him on the bed and accepts as much cuddling and belly rubbing as I’ll give, but once the attention stops he hops off the bed. He is showing the potential to be a “stalker dog” like our last corgi, Shelby, following me everywhere and not getting to far away.
Meh!
Tuesday, July 2, Day 3: We have established our morning routine and he is a quick learner. On our long morning walk he still ignored the cats, but discovered that he is frightened by the equipment used by the crew for lawn maintenance and would have bolted if he had not been leashed. We made a quick trip home, with him pulling me the whole way, despite the leader. Once he was inside he calmed quickly.
Couch Time
Wednesday, July 3, Day 4: Routines continuing. Today as the first day I actually left Indy, leaving him with our 19 year old son Chris to go out with friends for dinner. Returning home I got one of the best greetings ever, he seemed so happy to see me again. The Boy (what we call Chris) reported that he was very well behaved. Later this evening he showed interest in his toys for the first time (we had tried), inviting the Boy to play with him. He played actively for maybe 10 minutes, but was then done, just like that.
Guarding the Steps
Thursday, July 4, Day 5: Indy continues to be a good boy and seems very fond of his new human brother,woofing at him if he doesn’t give him attention quickly enough. Indy discovered that if he sits on the steps he can see out the front door, leaving no passerby safe from a “Woof”.
The Perfect Step to See Out the Front Door
I had lifted Indy up on the bed a few times but he always got down when the active attention stopped. This morning we both dozed off. When I got up to shower and do “upstairs stuff” as I call it, he stayed in bed and watched me, not getting up until I went downstairs. The bed didn’t get made until that evening, lol
What? You wanna make the bed? But I’m not done with it.
On what is a stressful day for most dogs, Indy was pretty chill. There were thunderstorms in the afternoon, and we were even outside during a loud clap of thunder. Not bothered at all. We were inside, but could hear the big firework show very clearly. He was calm all evening, only panting a little by the end, and they did seem to go on forever.
Friday, July 5, Day 5: Routines continuing well. Indy met two dogs on his walk this morning. I held the leash very close and let them approach carefully. He sniffed both dogs and then turned his attention to the people holding the leashes. I’d sum up his reaction as indifference to the dogs, although both were smaller than him. Lawn equipment was being used again this morning, and although we were not particularly close, he started panting. We changed our route to bypass the equipment and he calmed. Last evening I had petted him while he ate his dinner and have been giving pets and praise with treats and he has been very good. I am anxious to get the trainer’s notes so I can read the evaluation as I am not seeing the resource guarding.
Keeping Close to this New Mom Person
This afternoon Indy met another dog through the fence at the dog park, but this time he gave a low growl and I took him away from the fence. This dog was considerably larger. Dinner and treats were good. e tried to get a long evening walk in before another storm rolled through, but we didn’t make it too far before turning back. Multiple rolls of thunder and he seemed fine.
I’m sure I have missed some things I should note, but now that I am caught up it will be easier.