oh dear. oh dear.
well. i adopted a chowchow. and he's adorable. a gentleman. who rode home in the car like a champ.
it was immediately to the groomers for him, as he smelled not quite pleasant and had some serious matted fur going on. in the reception area, he was again, quite the gentleman. on the grooming table, he endured the brushing with the same calm.
i left to buy dog food and a bed. when i returned, he was muzzled.
"he's a bit bossy," the groomer said. "he's not biting me, but he's warning me."
she said she thought the brushing wasn't going to do the trick, that we should just shave him. he'd be more comfortable and his hair could grow back un-matted, plus if we washed him as is, there'd be no way to get a brush through it. and he couldn't just stay filthy. i reluctantly agreed.
whoa.
the next hour and a half where one of the scariest things i've ever witnessed. Bruno hated it. hated it. and when it was finally all done, and the groomer took off his muzzle, she too soon went to pet him and he bit her. cue the blood. the groomer running into the back room, yelling, "ow! ow!" cue me horrified. near tears.
what. had. i. done.
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| yes, there's a big grey box in this pic, but today i'm too exhausted to care. |
the groomer was okay. she still insisted on giving him a bath. which he didn't like anymore than the shaving. long story short, i got him home and when he was near his toy and i was five feet away showing him his bed, he growled at me. i spoke calmly to him and ignored the behavior.
my sister came over. we sat with him, loving him for a few hours. he was calm and sweet and went between both of us, soaking in the affection. then before i went to sleep last night, i was bending down petting him and he growled at me again.
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| Bruno's first time out front in the daylight, he ate all my plants. |
i don't really know what to do. i mean, i do. i'm going to give it a few days. i called the shelter and they said, "ooh, that's not good. we could see if he was growling at other people, but he shouldn't be growling at you. maybe you should bring him back." everyone, EVERYONE, has said, welcome to owning a chow. today on our walk, he growled at a couple of kids that were (aways away) running towards us on the street.
doesn't sound good, right?
needless to say, this wasn't quite the homecoming i was expecting for my little senior Bruno. yes, he woke up this morning and begged for and soaked in lots of loving. and now he's passed out on my living room floor, tuckered out from a 30 minute walk. but the calm in his eyes that seemed so wonderful and regal when i met him the first two times, now is quite frankly, disconcerting. i don't want to be afraid of my dog. i don't want to be afraid of having my dog around other people.
i guess maybe i'm still not sure what to do.
and all i can think is: ta-dah. corrie got a doggie.
Oh no! I hope it's just because he's getting used to his new environment. Hopefully he simmers down. He's super cute. Would love to meet him!
ReplyDeleteI adopted a 1 year old dog, and I can tell you that for the first month we had her, she was NOT AT ALL the dog we have today. She was shy, quiet, moved slowly, hung out under the table. She was basically an anxious mess, and we totally thought we were going to have to take her back (especially when she barked every single time we left the apartment). But once she felt confident that this was her home, she because a totally different dog.
ReplyDeleteIt may just be that he feels under siege right now and just needs to get confident. If he's biting, that's bad ... but if he's growling, that may pass once he's comfortable.
Definitely read up on dog training and start right away. Carry around training treats in your pocket (I recommend Charlie Bears ... cheap, and they're not sticky and won't smell up your fingers or your pockets!), and whenever he has a pleasant interaction with anyone or anything, reward him. That's how we got Lucy to stop enthusiastically charging dogs and small children when she'd encounter them on the street!
He sure is a cutie, though! Even with a naked butt!
Thanks, Lauren. That's good (great, actually) to hear. The more I read, it just seems that, yeah, maybe I have an alpha dog. Or he's a doggie that's trying to figure out if he's alpha in this new household. So it's up to me to show him he isn't. Seen as a problem in behavior and training (not that he's vicious) i feel like i can deal with it. He is a sweetie, I just can't help being more tentative, which feels weird and not great. and I don't want to be like, no no, it'll go away and then he badly bites someone. But he deserves more than a day to settle in. If the growling continues we'll have to see. But thanks for the encouragement and advice. xo
ReplyDeleteand ghenet, you'll definitely have to meet him! seems like my little man will benefit from all the socialization he can get.