Revealing Himself — Day 5

I would like to thank Lynn Hyndman – Dogs in Harmony for teaching me so much. I wouldn't have been able to help my dogs or our foster dogs without her wealth of experience and knowledge. Jade Hill has also been instrumental in helping me with my foster dogs.

I should know better by now. It takes at least two to three weeks for a dog to destress from moving into a new home. This is an excerpt from the website profile for him:

He really is just a good dog, one you don't ever have to worry about.

Such a handsome mountain dog.

Okay, so, this boy is not so perfect afterall. His imperfections are coming through as the days unfold. He lunges at people, as he did at Chrystal when his people brought him up from the basement for her to take. From what I can tell, he hasn't had a lot of exposure to people and is unsure of them.  What a lousy time of year for clicker training. I'll settle for getting his attention before he goes over the top.

What a slinky.

Mr. Jasper is proving to be quite the counter-surfer. He did it once while we were there, and I let him know this was not acceptable. As smart dogs do, now he only does it when we're not there. I hope he enjoyed that pound of butter. Silly humans leaving edibles on the counter. Who is training whom? Some pots and pans at the edge of the counter will solve this problem. He'll jump up and the pots will come clattering down, scaring him.

He will pee in the house. He gives a little cry and if you don't pay attention, he goes to another room to pee. He needs to be crated during the day to avoid this and walked at noon. He does not have a bladder infection. I'm pretty sure he was left in his basement and he had to pee down there (judging by his smell) in his former home. A little housetraining is in order although you just need to pay attention to his cry. When he does pee outside, praise him. It won't take long.

He is quite the athlete!

He was supposed to have been surrendered because he was strong on his leash but he is actually quite good on his leash. He does wander to and fro in front of me but that is something that is easily remedied with time.

He does howl when we leave the house (the howl comes from the Husky with whom he used to live). I will be leaving a frozen Kong full of goodies to keep him busy. It's all about him learning the routine of a new home. It's a lot to take on for any dog to be removed from a home of a number of years into a new one.

As for Zeetie, I am so proud of her. I've kept him out of the bedroom since she has warned him off on a few occasions. When I came out of the bathroom, and this is only on the morning of day 3, no Jasper to be seen. I walked to the bedroom and there he was, wandering around in there. No reaction from Zeetie who was in her place on the bed. I think she has put a 'No Threat' sign around his neck which certainly makes life easier for us.

Jasper meets Cassie.

If you are interested in the boy, please email rescue@great-pyrenees-club-of-southern-ontario.com for more information, or, just fill out an adoption application with the Great Pyrenees Club of Southern Ontario if you think you would be a good match for this boy.