This could be bad

At the end of yesterdays vet visit we were standing at the counter waiting for the vet tech to bring out Busters Rx (doing another round of Panacur next week) and ask the vet which Frontline to use on him...he's in between dosages and growing fast enough that he'll hit the next "size" up within a week most likely. A guy and his dog (Boston Terrier, I think) came out of an exam room and due to a blind corner and none of the humans paying close enough attention the dogs had a chance encounter. The Boston spooked (her whole body was the size of his head) and snapped at Buster, he yelped (Ive never heard that sound from him, even when he got his shots) and backed away quickly. No marks on him at all so Im not sure there was any physical contact between the dogs. After a couple minutes he was fine and trying his best to get her to come play...lots of play bowing & barking (he does the same moves with a friends ACD). I held him close to me, the other dogs owner kept her close to him...neither willing to risk a bite.

This afternoon has been a different story. During his potty walk a neighbor was out with her pup (not sure of the breed or even if its a pup vs a small breed), Buster bolted for the house at the first sight of the pup (leashed, as always, so he didnt get far).

Best bet is to find him some friendly little dogs, right? That will be one heck of a challenge, I know very few little dogs none that I'd trust to be puppy safe. His ACD buddy isnt allowed to play right now, she's in heat and more moody than normal (according to her owner).

 

He was probably spooked but he's got to learn how to socialize and interact with other dogs. if you see a tense moment between either, be the responsible one and walk the other direction. Yes finding him fun friends is a great idea! I'd stick with dogs closer to his size tho.

 

By the time I noticed the little dog coming around the corner I had very little time to react...we wont stand in that spot again! The only thing we (me and the other owner) could come up with is the little dog was spooked by Busters size so she snapped at him.

He has played well with every other dog he's met (including one that is normally very dog aggressive). If given a chance to react, Buster would not have been allowed to greet this dog. I normally avoid allowing him to greet any dog I dont know...not always easy, we have LOTS of dogs whos owners allow them to run loose. The situation yesterday is exactly why I usually avoid it. He's going to be far too big to be fearful or aggressive towards anything.

 

At least we didnt mess up his love of people Wednesday. Buster is a people magnet, all shapes, sizes, ages...pretty much anyone willing to show him some attention. He doesnt just wag his tail, he wags his entire body and turns into a wiggling mass of puppy fuzz.

He's getting more and more gentle...he's always had a really soft mouth. During his vet visit Wednesday the vet sat on the floor playing with him. Typical puppy, he got a little mouthy. I was watching for this (he does it with me when he gets really wound up) so told him "easy". Instantly he removed his mouth from the vets arm, glanced up at me and licked her like he was telling her "sorry" and plunked his big ol' butt on the floor. The vets mouth dropped open and she commented about how well he listens. Not bad for my 14 week old "monster"

 

I agree with sam...at this stage in the game find friends more his size...as he gets a little older and more into obedience and whatnot I'd have him exposed to the smaller dogs (well trained ones as well, who don't have a napolean complex). Once he's got social cues down with the dogs more his size it should translate... Wish I could have molded my Danes like you're working with your big guy... HAVE FUN!!! He'll grow up to be big but he's still just a pooch like the Chi down the road.

Sara

 

I found out what the pup that spooked Buster is...Mastiff/pit/wolf "and who knows what else". As tiny as he is (not sure how old), Im not sure about the Mastiff, wolf if any is a very low %, he looks more pit than anything...beautiful little brindle guy.

Buster has a few doggie friends, but plays mostly with a female ACD...not sure how often we'll be able to see her now that schools out. He adores the neighbors female Lab, she's an older girl and very gentle with him. Finding friendly little dogs is going to be a challenge. I know ONE, a little terrier mix, that doesnt want to eat Buster for lunch.

I have never lived with a dog as big as Buster will be. Since the idea of being drug down the street by 200 or so pounds of dog scares the heck out of me, we started training the night we brought him home. He learned "sit" that first weekend (he came home on a Friday) and has just kept progressing down the line of things he'll need to know. I figure the best way to teach him how to be a house dog is to have him in the house, around our daily activities, and just completely involved in every day life. Its working very well, he's an amazing not-so-little guy.

I absolutely love working with Buster. He's my constant companion and comes with me to every doggy friendly place possible, if I could take him grocery shopping with me I would! He's my buddy, my walking companion, my personal trainer, my "shrink", my anti-anxiety/depression meds...everything I could possibly want/need from a puppy, I have in Buster. I am in the process of losing 115lbs, diet changes have their place in this but I needed a bit more motivation. I hate walking alone, so I got a puppy....he never turns down a walk, last night he decided he wanted to go out and brought me my shoes!

Like Ive said many times, I am so blessed to have found Buster. I dont know what I did to deserve him, but Im so thankful I did it! Honestly any mistakes he makes are due to him being so young. Having a puppy is a lot like having a small child in the house, constant supervision, tons of patience and lots of love. He's a very "soft" dog which makes him very easy to work with, corrections are super easy with him, redirection works best.

 

The good news is Buster appears to be over his little dog fear! The bad news is someone in the area is a complete idiot and lets their little male doxy run the neighborhood.

We were grilling tonight. I was sitting on the grass, Buster was hanging out on his 20' training leash (he's never, ever out unleashed or unsupervised) just being a goofball puppy. Next thing we know here comes a little male doxy, unleashed, no owners in the area. Buster attempted to get him to play, the doxy was far too fearful of the humans hanging around..he wouldnt get within 10' of us and I wasnt about to let him near Buster (who knows what he's carrying, Buster has had enough illness in his short life).

I ended up calling the local PD after the doxy charged a guy riding his bike down the street and almost caused the guy to get hit by an oncoming car. Hopefully he got picked up and his owners will either be forced to pay to bail him out of doggy jail or he'll get a new home where (hopefully) he'll be contained properly.

Confirmed today that Buster is still fine with other dogs He had a visit with the groomer today, we needed a place for him to hang out for a couple hours and figured the socialization couldnt hurt him any. He was a very good boy, groomers were very impressed with him especially since it was his first time. They said he tried to kiss his way out of getting his nails done, but never offered to bite. After grooming and other errands, we walked around Petsmart for a while meeting LOTS of people and dogs. He only shied away from ONE dog the entire day, a very aggressive GSD that shouldnt have been there in the first place. He was great with all the little dogs, puppies, slimmed a few kids and loved all the attention from everyone.