Enough Already

If you see me and want to be friends then please do not ask what kind of dog we have. And if you feel you need to ask make sure your reaction comes with a smile.

I am serious.

So as you know from a post a while back Denver was pre-judged because of his breed. The simple mention of this would send people into a face screwing advice giving frenzy - all of which was completely un-necessary.

We have been attending puppy classes now for 4 weeks and he is slowly getting better, although I feel this is linked to the work I do at home with him. The classes are good but as Denver needs a little more work and attention I find us spending most of our time stood on the sidelines.

Denver can sit, lie down and even roll over on command. He can walk on the lead perfectly and can 'fetch' and drop. He is compassionate, gentle and just wants cuddles most of the time.

He is 98% perfect.

The 2% problem is his play biting. He is very mouthy and likes to chew (as all puppies do) but his main problem is that he is confused by what he should be chewing. This can range from our clothes to the furniture, then if he isn't happy with that he can move to your hands. At the minute it's not too bad as he has little teeth - but of course this needs addressing before he gets bigger!

So far we have had some major conflicting and confusing advice, with one trainer at our school saying one thing and then another one rubbishing their advice and saying something different.

4 different methods have been used so far: pinning down until calm, spraying with water, swapping his choice of chew 'toy' and finally distraction with rewards - non of which have worked. And some we have been informed should have never been used in the first place. I have even had some amazing advice from my friend Caroline who lives all the way in Dubai which has made more sense than I have had here!

I took Denver to the vets the other day and he had his last jab, I asked the Vet about it and although she said it was normal for a puppy his age, if we were worried she recommended calling one of the most respected and professional trainers in Wellington. So I did.

I called Karen Sadler who has a business called Agrade Animals and explained the problem, how old he was, and how amazing he is. She then asked what kind of dog he was and where we got him from. When I said a Bullmastiff cross and the SPCA in the same sentence she made this horrible noise, and along came the her words of wisdom. Are you ready for them??

"TAKE HIM BACK".

Yes she said that! She said we were 'asking for trouble' with a dog like that. That the SPCA would have lied about his cross breed and he is more likely mixed with a Pit Bull and so very dangerous and he could never be trained!!!

I stumbled in pure confusion and madness at what I had just heard. I was utterly speechless - well apart from the bit where I told her that was the most pathetic and unhelpful advice I had ever heard, concluding with 'are you sure you are a professional trainer'??!

After that I called the SPCA to tell them what this lady had said and they were just as shocked as I was. They re-home hundreds of dogs a year and have not once had a problem with any that could not be trained and have been taken back!

Like my friend Sarah said when I told her about how flabbergasted I was: 'oh my child isn't behaving how I want them to, better push it back in'.

Today I went to the hairdressers and was again greeted with wrinkled faces and 'advice' that these types of dogs have a certain mentality. This has happened at least 5 times this week already and normally from strangers. Seems then that 'these types of dogs' also have something in common with these humans too!!

We were given a number of a lady called Julia Maiden and I have just had a wonderful inspirational uplifting chat. Julia is a professional trainer who not only has her own business but works beside the SPCA and at Paws In The City. Being able to talk to someone positive about Denver was amazing, we both agreed that if I had mentioned Denver was a Poodle we wouldn't have had all this silly negativeness!

At the end of the day the real problem is us. Denver is doing what he should do and we are the ones flaring around without a clue needing some guidance. However it seems we may have finally found someone who understands our concerns, knows of our feeling of abandonment and can see our pure love and 110% devotion for our new dog.

To be continued....