I got some news early this morning from the folks fostering Frankie that they can no longer do so. It seems he’s been a bad influence on their dog, and because they both work full time, they feel bad for crating him all day. Completely understandable, but admittedly had me a bit bummed. But instead of spiraling and focusing on the negative, I’m being proactive and not reactive.
I’ve decided to bite the bullet and just work on Frankie to be the best dog he can be. If that means putting him in training classes, so be it. A lot of places are pretty expensive but I’ll do my best to find a good program that is somewhat affordable. The timing, as usual, sucks because I begin making payments for school in a few days. $329.17/month for a balance of $1,975.
I’m really hoping the process for the Sheriff’s Department goes fairly quickly. What I thought was my background interview was actually an appointment to turn in my materials. I’m just waiting for my background investigator to give me a call, and hopefully the next steps will be soon to follow, which includes a polygraph test and (hopefully) the academy. I’m now thinking instead of just going for Custody Assistant, I should probably go for Deputy Trainee. The CA academy is 8 weeks but the Deputy academy is 19 weeks! Fitness is very important; I’m not too worried on the classroom portion.
In the meantime, I’m going to have to pick up more freelance work. I drastically reduced my freelance writing in order to focus on myself and my family, but I’ll just have to juggle and make things work. Balancing time between school, getting in shape, giving Frankie the love and attention he needs, keeping my marriage strong despite being in two different households, and doing work to put some money in my pocket (then right out to paying bills). Welcome to adulthood, eh?
My ultimate hope is to get Frankie so well trained, he can ultimately because a AKC Canine Good Citizen. I’d love for him to be a therapy dog, because he has so much personality, he’s bound to put a smile on someone’s face. Especially going into psychology, I’ve been researching alternate therapy methods for emotional health and mood disorders. That’s down the line, but we’re both a work in progress.
How did you train your dog? How long did it take? Did reading up on the breed help any?
I adopted a German Shepherd Hound Mix around Thanksgiving and she is the sweetest puppy ever to people (3 yrs old). We were told she was an owner surrender and that the owners had her for 2-3 years but gave her up because she was being aggressive towards their other smaller dog. When we first got Cassy, she was sick with a fever and runny nose, so she was quiet and pretty somber. Once she got better, with the help of antibiotics, she came to life. She already came trained knowing, sit, shake and down. Our problem now is that she becomes aggressive towards other dogs (no matter the size) when we walk her. Our apt building is full of dog owners so this is an issue. When she is at teh dog park off leash, she is hesitant but comfortable and does great- it’s only when she’s on a leash. My suggestions, Cesar Milan DVDs help, we also take Cassy to a dog social group ran by a trainer and sponsored through our veterinarian- who allows the dogs to socialize with each other twice a week for an hour. It gives the owners an opportunity to understand canine communication and the dogs a chance to meet other dogs in a safe environment. This has been a huge help. It’s free through out vet so see if their is a similar service in your neighborhood. Also we tried three different leashes/harnesses. A regular pull harness, a gentle leader to stop pulling, a line harness (it started rubbing/chaffing under her legs so we stopped that one) and finally a Thermal Pet Harness which has helped a lot. When Casy pulls when she is running after a bicyclist, skate boarder or another dog, you feel it since she’s a little over 60 lbs.
One thing is, make sure Frankie is well trained as a puppy, because old habits die harder with puppies. Make sure he knows you are in charge.. I have hope he will come around.. Just give it some time, consistency with training and patience.
Briana, you are being so amazing as a pet owner. Personally, I did not get a dog until I was 25 and even then I was worried I would not be able to handle the responsibility. Frankie is an awesome dog, he just needs a lot of attention and training (which you are already well on your way and doing). He has such a fun personality, he totally kills me when you talk to him and he just decides to roll over and wait for you to pet him. He also likes to sneak attack and give kisses, as if he’s trying to sneak one over on a person. Pet fostering is a big responsibility and I wanted to take over for a few weeks for you but it was simply not the right time. But thanks for your understanding and most importantly your dedication to Frankie. He’s lucky to have a mama like you!
Proud of you! Go to the library and check out anything written by Cesar Milan. It really works if you apply it.
Just continue to believe it will work out and it will. You have the power to manifest your desires. My first dog was a black lab. Not sure reading up on the dog breed will help. They simply need attention and a lot of repetition.
glad you’re getting the dog back — he’ll be good, don’t worry, you just have to love him.
We trained out dog just by reading a couple of blog pages (we looked up specific problems). For the most part our dogs are good, but they still have a bit of a jumping problem.