Behavior Report and Revelation

Weimbyassociatin · Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 2:27 pm Post subject: Behavior Report and Revelation

I date the owner of Cloudybear. Cloud was very much the bachelor dog--as in rough and tumble kind of dog. Since we started dating, Cloud had to learn that it was not okay to jump on me. For the most part, after two months, he has finally learned not to do that. Every once in a while he will slip up--because he is excited or because I do a stretching movement which is similar to the movement that Part does to get Cloud to jump on him.

He has learned to sit without me having to say a word. I just give him a signal. Of course, it involves a treat--which usually is an ice cube.

Lately, he has returned back to his attention grabbing of biting my lower body, ie butt and whatever he can grab of my tummy. He wants to be the first one I greet.

He is a fair walker when he walks with me. I make him sit whenever he starts pulling me too hard (thank god for the choke collar). If he walks with Part...he gets free range. But being that I'm within the "pulling me off my feet to meet concrete personally" weight, I don't allow it.

Cloud is very prey driven. I have pet rats...he is obsessing over them constantly. He finally relaxed enough to eat normally and hang out with us instead of pacing. He is ok with my chug (pug chihuahua mix) but that's with him leashed. He is not ok with cats (sadly).

But last night proved a revelation. Neither of us thought about babies or toddlers. Cloud has never met one! He has played with a little boy of 8 or 9--and that child is used to a big dog, so it was ok. But baby...Cloud didn't know what to do. Maybe it was the traffic (we were in the parking lot of a drug store, near a busy intersection) and the sounds from that freaked him out and the toddler walking up. He was kind of low to the ground, as if to pounce? He looked like he was readying for attack mode, but I don't know exactly.

Scary to think of what could happen in the wrong situations.