I’ve had several requests to give an update on our dog, Sam.
For those of you not aware of what happened, Sam came to us about a month ago. He was badly beaten up and starving.
Now, I don’t know much about dog fighting, but his wounds indicated just that. My guess is that Sam was what is called, the bait dog – thrown into the ring to teach the bigger badder dog how to better attack.
Brian and I didn’t want to add a dog to our menagerie, so we struggled with whether we should feed him, thus encouraging him to stay. I thought he might die, so decided to do what I could to make his last days comfortable.
After a visit to the vet, we decided to bath him and bring him into the house. Our three cats, Grace, Tink and Tess were a bit leery of him, but in general, everyone got along pretty well.
I forgot to mention that Sam likes to chew on chair legs, too!
I read up on Pit Bulls, since the vet said that is partly what he is. Pit Bull Terriers are amazing creatures. They love people, are incredibly loyal, good natured, affectionate, almost always obedient and eager to please their masters. Yes, all true! Pits get their bad reputation because of how they are raised. These dogs must have masters that teach with a firm hand. Cesar Millan, author of the Dog Whisperer, offers great advice for teaching you how to raise and care for your dog. You must provide training, exercise and social skills. You must teach the dog respect for humans by not allowing it to jump up on people and not allowing it to enter doorways first. Humans must make the dog heel beside them or behind them while walking. The objective in training is to achieve “pack leader status.” Since it is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in the pack, he must be taught that humans are higher up in the order than the dog, yada, yada.
All of these techniques worked very well the first two weeks! But, of course, that was mostly due to the fact that he was very sick, almost lethargic. Since last Saturday, he feels so much better and we are discovering that he likes to chew. The house is as puppy proofed as we can make it, yet he still finds shoes, books, carpets and paper! He now has the energy of a normal puppy and wants to jump, run and play! He has discovered his bark! After a night of quiet sleep, he likes to jump on the bed and lick our faces so we will wake up and play with him at 4 a.m.!
Puppy love
Sam is smart. He knows the basic commands – Stop, Come, Sit, Heel. And, he listens about 70 percent of the time. So, what was pretty easy at first, has now become a bit harder. But, we’re committed to it. He is our dog, Sam!
Cindy, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but…You ARE now Sam’s mother in every sense of the word. You provide his food, shelter and whatever else he needs, take pride in his accomplishments and give him your love. Sounds like a mom to me!
Daneen, Yes, although, I did hate finding about 10 sudoku puzzle books all tore up and scattered throughout the house when I got home today. I’m hoping a good morning workout will help tone down his frustrations! Now, let’s see, how much earlier than 5 a.m. do I need to get up? Fifteen minutes should do it (I hope)! 🙂
Riiiight……
Thanks for the update, Cindy! It sounds like you’re committed, so hopefully, you’ll be up to the work it’s going to take. It sounds to me like he’s going to need a lot more exercise to use up that energy he’s currently directing towards chewing.
Don’t be tempted to play “tug o’ war” with that rope. Teaches bad habits, that can be dangerous in a powerful dog.
Some dog-trainers are skeptical of Cesar Milan’s methods. I think they are very logical, hooking into natural pack mentality – dogs are pack animals.
Graham, And, thank you for your comments! Yes, the exercise is very important! He gets quite a bit in the afternoons when we get home, but, we are lacking in the morning, when he really needs it after a quiet night. I plan on adjusting my morning schedule to get a good workout for him before I leave for work! Shheees! Yes, this is work, but a good work. We are commited!
You must have also taught him to pose because he takes great pictures!
Sam is very photogenic! He loves to pose for me! OMG, I sound like his mother!
Been hoping for an update on Sam. He looks great and is obviously a smart pup. I know these can be challenging times, but the rewards are so worth it! We can’t even imagine life without our fur kids. Thanks for giving Sam the wonderful forever home he deserves.
Sam is so smart! OMG, I sound like his mother!
He’s a beautiful dog, Cindy.
Mari, he is the most beautiful dog I’ve ever seen! And, so, well behaved! OMG, I sound like his mother!