It is interesting to read these introductions
Gives you a good feel about people...
Me, Im a former Swedish gal that moved to USA. I have right now three dogs, one rottweiler shar pei mix almost 8 years old that came with me from Sweden. She has perfect obediance, and is an amazing dog, not that she heels perfectly but she always listens. She is my pride and joy, barely used a lead on her during her entire life, I mostly put it on when I notice people not being comfortable for respectfullness.
Missy, is a little pitmix, I found her last November on the street of Richmond, VA where I spent my summer (I donated a kidney to a friend from another dogforum down there), she was emaciated, covered with fleas, and scabs after bitewounds, she also had a couple of big scars, the vet said she was about 6 months old, I would guess closer to four due to her behavior and size. She is scared of dogs and does some lunging but with a lot of slow socialization and basic training around other dogs she is now halfway to full recovery. she is good with them once introduced under safe curcomstances and have no resource guarding what so ever, she is just scared at first which is not a surprise. She was either used as a bait dog or they tried to make her into a fighting dog. Animal control told me if I surrendered her she would be put to sleep cause they didn't adopt out any pits or pit mixes no more due to their rep. Missy on top of that was nippy, jumpy, barking, lunging and she could bite holes in me just during panicky wild play that was out of control. The odds on her getting a home was cero.. My old lady usually don't like pits (I have had several aggressive ones that has been under rehab that sorry to say have attacked her) but she accepted Missy and Missy treated Tasha with a whole lot of respect. So Missy even gets away with sitting on Tasha.. so I kept her..
In April this year, I found a posting on craigslist, 4 year old rottweiler, free to good home, first person come and get him, be warned he is aggressive... I knew directly being in NY what kind of people who would usually respond to such an add, so I ran there brought my dogs, he was good with them, not good with the owners however and took the dog. His name is Midnight and he was emaciated, stinky, and very fearful. If you touched him he growled, if he got up on the couch you couldn't push him off he growled, close to his bones, food, growled, putting the collar on him, growl, and he peed everywhere, pooed, stealing food, having no bounderies, humping my friends (he is about 6 feet tall when standing on his hind legs), lungin on cars, peoples, bikes, when through a door, fence or on the lead.. When I took him to the vet we used tranqs, double muzzles and was three people holding him while the fourth took all the tests neccessary to rule out diseases to his weight.
Now, he still do some lunging, but it happens more rarely, his average contact with me on lead and basic obedience is getting better, he can now walk up to people on lead and say hi normally, I can take his food, and have my hand in his bowl when he's eating. He is good with people who come in, and behaves somewhat normal with me all and all he is a good guy, just fearful and if he don't get to check it out he feels offense is the best defense and lunge. However he can not be adopted out, if anyone else has the lead, he reverts to bascially cero and also starts biting and now he is about 120-130 lbs. So I am right now saving money to send him to a sanctuary but that is 3000 so it will be a while more. I took him in only as a foster to save his life, the owner was just about to dump him in a kill shelter when I called cause it was two days left til she moved.
And I also have a little bearded dragon by the name Hercules
More about me is, Im 28, obsessive on dogs and behaviors, I live and breathe dogs, been dealing with rehabing and foster parent for the last 9 years. I started in the end of dominance, alpha rolling etc when I was 19, when I was about 21 I learned about positive reinforcement and I saw the change I got in dogs and it never changed eversince. That is why I am so against the hard core dominance I know how dogs are prior and after and how the different methods works.
I fish, hike, read, knitt, play some videogames when it allows.
Mostly I go up, I take my dogs out, play some with them, give them food, eat breakfast, shower, go to work, come home, take them for a good 1,5 hour walk, do some basic obedience training, feed them, feed me, clean, laundry, go to bed and over again... the life of being a grown up..
Nice to meeting you all!
Hi, my name is Lori from Pennsylvanina, USA.