I was introduced to Sam, an 8 month old border collie. I performed my usual routine with him and introduced him to the wait command. I then asked Ena to place some food down in the yard and asked Sam to wait (i.e. don't walk over and start eating the food). Everything went OK.
I was then introduced to Oscar. Oscar is a stunning 10 month old border collie who was abandoned outside the kennels. Ena found him tied to a post with a note and some food. His owner probably done him the biggest favour in the world because you'd have to be really stupid to give up an animal of this caliber and Oscar needs an owner with some brains about them.
I introduced Oscar to the clicker and within 2 clicks he was turning and waiting. This dog is amongst the most intelligent I have ever seen. He is an absolute star and I'd love to do more work with him.It's easy to see why collies are the breed of choice for the obedience people .When you meet something like this, it makes you wonder just how far he could go with good handling and the proper motovation.
Anyway I then introduced Sam to Oscar and a few squabbles and tiffs later, the two were just about tolerating one another. I must admit Sam is the dominant dog and is used to being in charge of everyone.
It's easy to see why collies are the breed of choice for the obedience people.
The situation is not resolved but hopefully with a bit of work we can cure Sam of his dominant tendencies.
At one time I sat on a bench with the 2 dogs by my side. This was just after I had pulled Sam off Oscar. Sam snuggled into me and offered me a paw in submission. This is a sure sign that this wee fella can be sorted. This was a communication of "I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you , I just don't understand how to communicate with other dogs yet".
Some people would view Sam's dominance as aggression but I compare it to putting some teenagers together who have not developed their communication skills. Initially there will be very little communication and a lot of uncertainty and even acts of bravado and dominance but within a short period of time they'll all start communicating and getting along famously. This is purely a lack of communication skills that need to be taught and enhanced. Some dogs are born with great communication skills whereas others need time and patience to develop them. Sam belongs to the later category.
As far as Oscar goes, I'd love to train him and really hope this guy goes to a home that will stimulate him both physically and mentally. It would be a grave disservice to give this dog to a home where he would have a mundane existence. Some dogs have a lasting impression on me and I'm struggling to get this fella out of my head at the moment. I'd probably need to get a new sleeping partner if I brought another Oscar into this house.
I'd like to mention a few things about Second Chance kennels. This is a small charity kennel with limited facilities and is run by Ena, Frank, Mhairi plus a few dedicated volunteers. The kennels have a good sized exercise area where the dogs can run and socialise with each other. The great thing about this is that the dogs get a chance to sort out their own hierarchy.
Dogs usually sort things out themselves and its not until humans get involved that jealousy and aggression set in.The obvious thing is that they all have great fun romping around playing with balls and toys. They also get a chance to "be dogs".
I also noticed how every potential owner was scrutinised by Ena and it was obvious to me that some candidates were going to be disappointed.
I agree with Ena on this one. There are some people who are just not worthy of owning dogs. The dogs are too good for them.
I really enjoyed my day at second chance. I loved all the dogs there. All the dogs have their own characters and it's great to see them all having fun and being happy. It's not easy to run this type of kennel and it's good to see the dogs being made as comfortable and as happy as possible. The more I do this job, the more I see the character behind the fur.The physical shape and size of the dog begins to fade into insignificance. I'll always have my preferred breeds and I openly admit that I like dogs that "do things" but when I see some of the characters at second chance I realise I just love them all irrespective of breed. Every day's a school day. I just keep on learning.
I must admit that I would like to talk to new owners and introduce them to my way of communicating with dogs - maybe we can take this further - who knows.....
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