Thanks to Amy, Merle has turned into a wonderful dog. At night he lies by our feet until it is bedtime - then his "Dad" takes him out to whiz and survey the property one last time. Afterwards he gets in his crate and sleeps all night. I am a little amazed that he is this calm considering where we were a couple of years ago. We seriously considered getting rid of him (call it what it is). The biggest difference has been Amy's training and the fence Amy recommended. Merle needs his space and often just wants to go outside into his back yard and do whatever dogs do (sun himself, chew on a stick, chase the squirrels, watch the neighborhood cats who taunt him). Amy taught us to speak "dog" so we know what his behavior means - a paw on top of us is not affection, it is dominance. We still have to work with him every day as he is naturally dominant (or a bit hard-headed). Yet, around other dogs he is very submissive. Sometimes he gets into a little trouble with other dogs because he is powerful and a bit goofy. I make a point of having him play with other dogs regularly. As I said, we have learned to speak "dog" but he has also learned a lot of English. He knows all his favorite people's names and will find them if they hide (he cheats though because he sniffs out the hiding places). He has also learned to get a beer from the refrigerator and bring it to us. He retrieves sticks and balls but his favorite toy is a log (yep, a log!) He knows the names of all his toys and will bring them to you if asked. Mostly these days we enjoy our time together. In the morning he chews his bone at my feet while I play on the computer. After my shower we always go for a ride in the car. When walking on a leash he is incredibly well behaved - other dogs barking or passing us do not phase him. In the afternoon, he is a great companion while I quilt. Don't get me wrong - we still have to closely supervise him with visitors because he is 85 lbs. and excitable (need to work on this). Sometimes he barks when people come to the door. Frankly, I suspect that bad behavior is just around the corner if we don't reinforce that we are the boss as Amy taught us. We love him very much and he is part of the family.
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