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Interesting trip with Grim

1K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Jag 
#1 ·
I took Grim with me to go pick up my daughter from college for the winter break. I try to take him with me whenever I can. He now rides really well (in his kennel which is strapped down) in the truck. It was a long ride both ways. We got to the school before it was dark. I took him out of the truck to potty... and he was SOOOO full of energy!! Like a kid hopped up on soda and chocolate, LOL! :D He was running all over (on lead) going in circles, grabbing the lead and barking on and off. Not at anyone.... just to the wind I guess because he was so excited! I kept on telling him to go potty, but he had to get some of his energy out first. A guy walked by, and Grim started barking at him. Not his serious bark, though. I told him to stop expecting everyone to pet him! Well, the guy turned around to look and he looked at me like "Is your dog barking at ME?" and I told the guy that I'd really appreciate it if he'd pet my pup. He wasn't barking to be mean, he just wanted attention. The guy came back and gave Grim some pets. Grim was a happy, happy boy! :D I FINALLY got him to potty, and he was still barking at the air and being stupid excited. So we walked down by the buildings, and a couple young guys came out of one of them. Grim started barking and jumping around like a fool. They looked at him, and started to walk (quickly) away. So I called out "Hey! Would you guys please pet my pup?" and they stopped and looked at us and then each other. Kind of like "you do it!" I told them that he was only barking and jumping around like an idiot because he wanted their attention. I explained that I was wanting to socialize him with strangers, and that he wouldn't bite them. So they came back and started petting him. Again, Grim was a happy, happy boy! We talked a little, and the guys admitted they thought he wanted to eat them. I explained that I knew his 'danger' bark, and this was his "I want your attention" bark. He was so happy to not only be out of the truck for a bit, but to get attention! He's totally shameless!! :rolleyes: He's also making me act like a freak asking people to please pet him, LOL! He was great again on the trip back. He's happy to see my daughter again, too. I usually don't talk to strangers at all. However, I want Grim to know what is normal behavior in strangers so he can tell what isn't. I know that very soon he will become aloof to strangers, so I'm trying to enjoy him wanting their attention! So I guess me acting like a fool now will pay off later! :D
 
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#2 ·
LOL! Ollie's starting to get excited like that when meeting new dogs, when we were at the beach a lady with a little toy dog stopped to talked to us about our dogs... LITERALLY we cannot go anywhere without being stopped, a fluffy shepherd puppy and a fluffy goldendoodle together gets a lot of attention! Anyways he really wanted to go meet this little dog and that dog did not want anything to do with him so Ollie started doing that excited bark... first time he's ever done that.

I guess a lot of the problem is this trail we frequent has tons of other people and dogs using it and well see above, we get stopped a lot and Ollie's been able to meet and greet with a lot of dogs so that's having a negative side of effect when he doesn't get to meet a dog. So I guess I need to practice more just walking by other dogs without stopping, will probably be easier when he's bigger, lol!

I can't believe people are already scared of Grim! I guess that's the problem with having a long coat GSD, nobody is intimidated by my little fluffball. :rofl: Kudos to you for asking them to come pet him anyways, it would be hard for me too because I have anxiety issues and am super shy.

Too bad we don't live closer, I bet Grim and Ollie would have an absolute blast playing together. Ollie can settle really well in the house but when it's time to go I'm noticing more lately that he can go and go and go and go! And he loves playing ruff. :D
 
#3 ·
Poor Grim, all he wants is someone to pet him and everyone runs for the hills. Like Carriesue when you have LC puppy everyone wants to pet them, just wait until they are about 8-9 months old and people want to know if your dog is a wolf and they purposely cross the street, lol!
Kudos to you that you asked people to pet Grim, it's great that you want him to be socialized to different things.
 
#4 ·
OH yes, I remember those days ... A 2 block walk took an hour, and it wasn't the puppy's fault!!!

Good for you for stopping and asking people ... I find as we "age" we care less about what people think!

When I was socializing Kyleigh I would look for the "different" stuff and get her to check them out ... it was always fun to watch her reaction.

And yes, as they get older, they certainly lose their "cuteness!"

Sounds like he had a blast barking at the wind!!! And making new friends!
 
#5 ·
Yep, I wouldn't have dreamed of talking to people I don't know before. Now I don't care. Grim has needs, LOL! Since he came fully into his adult coat, I've noticed that the number of people who ooh and ahh over him has fallen dramatically. Most people now give him a look and either stiffen up or walk away. I think it's the super dark face. He's not the size of an adult yet, though. If you add in him barking and jumping around like a fool... I'm sure he does look a little intimidating. However, to me he's just the hyper pup wanting attention! :wub: I *know* he lost another tooth last night, too. My wife and I looked all over for it, but I can't find it. :(
 
#6 ·
Is it smart to give the dog what he wants when he's acting poorly? I've been adamant that no one is allowed to pet Gunnar until he stops barking. As i want him to be praised for being calm around strangers. And as you know there is no shortage of potential petters when the pups are all cute and acting well. But I really fear what I'm teaching him when he's standing up at the end of the leash and barking, trying to get people's attention.

What do the rest of you guys think about that?
 
#7 ·
Let me clear my situation up for you. Then you can make your own decision on what you'd do with your pup. My pup is young, high drive, extremely high energy. He'd just been in his kennel (and well behaved) for about 3 hours on the trip there. He was jumping around barking at the air long before anyone came around. I allowed this because I know his energy level and I know he'd been cooped up in the truck for hours. When he was getting his attention, he wasn't acting like a maniac. He didn't try to chew them or anything else. What you may see as 'behaving poorly' I see as normal pup behavior for a high drive, insanely high energy puppy. I saw no bad behavior. Now if he were an adult, I may expect a little more from him. However, I'd still expect him to need to 'blow off' some energy.

I've taken him to many places, and without the long car ride, I don't experience this wild, over-excited behavior. If I did, then I'd think this is something I need to address. However, when you really know your pup, and you know the conditions you've had them under and what you've asked of them... then you expect that they will act a certain way. I expected this outward burst of energy because he'd been such a champ on the long ride. I know how much energy he has. I also don't view socialization as a 'reward'. It's something that's needed. Especially since I plan to actually work this boy. I'm sure what he *really* wanted was to go take a long walk or run. Either way, his behavior was expected (by me) and I didn't consider that out of line at all for him. He did what I wanted him to do, and met people without mauling them....which I think showed a good deal of restraint given his pent up energy. I think sometimes we expect too much out of young pups without thought to 'who' they are. I think, too, we're too quick to jump to punishment for normal behaviors and loose the short time of puppy hood. JMO
 
#8 ·
I appreciate the feedback. I've got a high drive pup as well and I'm not always sure what to expect or what's right, that's why I posed the question. For example, I took Gunnar to the pet store with me the other day and he barked like a mad man at every person who came down "his" isle. I knew he wanted to go see them all, but I wasn't willing to let him act that way AND get what he wanted. But maybe I expect too much?

I too plan on training him for service work and I fear that if I let him act this way at 12 weeks, he'll be a terror in the mall at 12 months.

Thoughts?
 
#10 ·
I think you'd be better off to start your own thread to address your questions pertaining to your dog and your situation. However, my first thought is that a high drive dog may not be the best pick for a service animal. I also don't expect 12 week old pups to behave the same as an adult. You may still be in the bonding stage with the pup. Second thought is working on paying attention to you. Won't be easy or come quickly in a young pup in an exciting environment. Maybe doing a long walk or ball play before going to an exciting place to get some of that energy out. I haven't had this issue unless Grim's been in the truck for a long ride. However, I carry and dispense treats when we go to distracting places to keep at least some of his attention on me.
 
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