posted January 30, 2010 11:58 PM         

I adopted an abused dog on Halloween.

He belonged to my FIL, who is a hunter. He bought the dog from some people where he lives in KY. Anyway, this dog is a full-bred AKC registered Brittany, which is a "bird dog" = hunting dog.

Anyway, when My FIL took him out on a few practice hunts before his big hunting trip in Iowa, he noticed that the dog was scared to death of birds, and loud noises. He tried a few more times, with no luck.

I guess he did a little investigative work and found out that the former owners were abusive to him. In fact, the poor guy has a visible scar across his nose, and my FIL was told they hit him with a belt.

So, he didn't want a pet, he wanted a hunting dog, and basically guilted me into taking him by saying, if I didn't he was taking him to the pound.

The first nights were rough, he cowered and basically slithered on the floor. He wouldn't eat unless I fed him by hand. I have another dog, and clearly the first dog is top dog, and the new dog, Jackyl, was intimidated to eat near my other dog.

So, now they get along fine, and they play, and it's all good there.

Thing is, Jackyl must of been so attention starved or something, he feels he must have it 24/7. If I am hugging my children, or my other dog, he either cries, or physically gets between us.

Also, he's grown so attached to me, that when visitors come around me that he doesn't know, he acts viscious, baring his teeth and growling really low.

I'm concerned because my daughter will be having a baby that I will be watching periodically. She's due in a month. When Jackyl sees me holding the baby, I worry he will jump up on him, or maybe snap at him.

He's never been housetrained, but he took to it rather well, since my other male showed him the ropes, but every now and then, he gets the urge to mark something.
If you leave, say, a suitcase on the floor, he may sniff it and mark it.

This is difficult, because, I don't know how to correctly discipline him without him thinking he's being abused.
He is so sensitive that when you crinkle like a potato chip bag, the noise sends him running for cover. Vacuuming the floors makes him literally disappear.

And one last thing on this lengthy post. I haven't neutered him because I thought of studding him out. Would this tempramental type of dog even, uhhh, perform with a female I wonder? I've never, ever, seen him get "excited" if you know what I mean, and find that odd, because my other dog does even when I come home from being out.

I feel awful that he is so damaged. OH, and since we are on LL, his birthday is Sept. 30, 2008, in Monticello, Ky.

posted January 31, 2010 05:57 PM         

basically, dogs get not our words but our tone, to praise call him stupid but in a nice tone call him beautiful loudly and a bit threatening he just recognize our tone

posted February 02, 2010 10:18 PM         

Well, Dee, it sounds like your dog came around with time, so that is a good omen.

Pire, yes, I understand what you said about tone. He doesn't like men at all, I think because their voices are deeper and gruffer and also because it was a man that abused him.

But, you will see when you get yours, that dogs DO learn words, they really do!

My other dog, the shih-tzu, is so very smart, we have to spell certain words, because if he hears them, he knows what they mean.
He also knows I'm going out about an hour before I really go, and he starts pacing and crying.