I've had my rescue for just about a year now. That went by fast!
He's so great. I still dont know how old he is. They said they THOUGHT he was 4 when I adopted him. So I guess he's 5 now.
There's a couple things he does I'm just wondering if you would consider them behaviors that need fixing or if you would just chalk it up to personality..
1. -Whenever I take him on walks, anywhere, if i stop moving, he whines. Like he just cant stand still or he might miss something. Its annoying, but its not excessive so I mostly just ignore it.
When it gets excessive is in the truck. When i load him up and when we arrive where we're going, he whines and paces like crazy. Not during the trip. During the trip he just hangs his head out the window and gets drool slopped all over the cars behind me.
But when the truck is stopped, nothing stops him from being all whiny and pacing. I'm assuming he's just exited to do something and cant hold in his excitement.. I'm not sure how to address that issue. Lately I throw the ball until he's tired BEFORE I go anywhere. I get him all panting and then put him in the truck, which helps A LOT, but he's still not nearly calm.
Any suggestions?
2. Slightly related to the first issue, he cannot stop moving inside the house. I dont mind that he follows me around. Its endearing and sweet, but when I sit down on the couch, he keeps moving all over. Pushes his face on my lap, slobbers all over me, circles the rooms a few times then does it again. This is all at the end of the day after he goes on walks and chases the ball. I have to tie him up inside to get him to relax. When he's tied, he actually will lay down and sleep. Its like he needs a physical stopping mechanism to make his brain stop moving his legs. I'll give him a kong and it'll keep him busy for a few mintues. I just would love if I could leave him off a leash in the house, but he gets me all stressed out with his constant moving! lol
3. Back to the ball. I think he's addicted. Like if I were to look at his face and compare it to a meth addict who is about to shoot up, I would pretty much assume his ball is a dime bag. I've taken to hiding his ball in the bushes and trees and under dirt and mulch and telling him to "go get your ball" "go get it" "find it" and he tirelessly jogs the property and he finds it 90% of the time. Then i throw it until his legs look like they're about to fall off. Then he cools down, drinks some water and he's ready to do it all again forever and ever until the END OF TIME.
4. When I hike off leash with him, he always stays about 50' in front of me. He'll come to me if I stop walking, but if I'm moving he's 50' ahead and looks back every 30 seconds to see if I'm coming.
My other dogs dont do this. They stay much closer. I was told they are "forward herders", and that's normal. Does that sound right? Should I be teaching him heel or is this an ok way to be off leash also?
He's so great. I still dont know how old he is. They said they THOUGHT he was 4 when I adopted him. So I guess he's 5 now.
There's a couple things he does I'm just wondering if you would consider them behaviors that need fixing or if you would just chalk it up to personality..
1. -Whenever I take him on walks, anywhere, if i stop moving, he whines. Like he just cant stand still or he might miss something. Its annoying, but its not excessive so I mostly just ignore it.
When it gets excessive is in the truck. When i load him up and when we arrive where we're going, he whines and paces like crazy. Not during the trip. During the trip he just hangs his head out the window and gets drool slopped all over the cars behind me.
But when the truck is stopped, nothing stops him from being all whiny and pacing. I'm assuming he's just exited to do something and cant hold in his excitement.. I'm not sure how to address that issue. Lately I throw the ball until he's tired BEFORE I go anywhere. I get him all panting and then put him in the truck, which helps A LOT, but he's still not nearly calm.
Any suggestions?
2. Slightly related to the first issue, he cannot stop moving inside the house. I dont mind that he follows me around. Its endearing and sweet, but when I sit down on the couch, he keeps moving all over. Pushes his face on my lap, slobbers all over me, circles the rooms a few times then does it again. This is all at the end of the day after he goes on walks and chases the ball. I have to tie him up inside to get him to relax. When he's tied, he actually will lay down and sleep. Its like he needs a physical stopping mechanism to make his brain stop moving his legs. I'll give him a kong and it'll keep him busy for a few mintues. I just would love if I could leave him off a leash in the house, but he gets me all stressed out with his constant moving! lol
3. Back to the ball. I think he's addicted. Like if I were to look at his face and compare it to a meth addict who is about to shoot up, I would pretty much assume his ball is a dime bag. I've taken to hiding his ball in the bushes and trees and under dirt and mulch and telling him to "go get your ball" "go get it" "find it" and he tirelessly jogs the property and he finds it 90% of the time. Then i throw it until his legs look like they're about to fall off. Then he cools down, drinks some water and he's ready to do it all again forever and ever until the END OF TIME.
4. When I hike off leash with him, he always stays about 50' in front of me. He'll come to me if I stop walking, but if I'm moving he's 50' ahead and looks back every 30 seconds to see if I'm coming.
My other dogs dont do this. They stay much closer. I was told they are "forward herders", and that's normal. Does that sound right? Should I be teaching him heel or is this an ok way to be off leash also?