#jackpandadog

Jack vs. The World

Jack is now about 2.5 years old. He's been with me for about 2 years. Somewhere along the way, he's started to develop some bad social habits. He doesn't play too well with certain dogs in the neighborhood and he makes it a point to tell them (with his snarls and growls). He specifically doesn't like bulldogs and a specific boxer. The other social problem is that he's not too fond of other humans. He doesn't seem to respond well to high-pitched squealing that so many women tend to do and if you're not sure about petting him - then he surely isn't sure about you petting him. And as with bulldogs and that boxer, he will bite you if you try to touch him. 

Because he's got some problems with his hips and knees that requires him to not over-exert his hind parts, I've started taking him on longer brisk walks. We walk around the park, about .25m. Then we go to the dog park. He sits and calms down before entering. Over the last two weeks, I've watched him go from being totally nervous and aloof to starting to be curious about other dogs and even initiating play. More amazingly I've seen other people pet him. Just small quick moments of other hands touching him. In the dog park, I try to keep to myself and keep out of his way. I try not to talk to him and pretend I'm very busy looking out of the park. 

Jack, seen here after a nice long walk to the n6th pier. 

I'm still having issues with Jack's anxiety. He gets very nervous around new people and will bite them if they come too close. Since the last update, Jack's bitten my co-worker, snapped and threaten to bite a friend, and in a moment of chaos, bit me. I don't think this is okay and I am not trying to make excuses for him - but it's all because he's afraid. 

A lot of his usual walks consist of walking around the parks near us. I've been trying to build his confidence and help him confront his unfounded fears of the world by taking him on longer walks down blocks he's never been before. His tail would drop and his eyes would grow wide, at every unexpected sound, he would try to dash away, only to be yanked back by the leash. I hope that with more practice he will be less afraid. 

Last night, we went for a long walk with our neighbor and her dog. Cupcake (another dog from the shelter) is quite nervous herself. During the walk, I tried letting him go through his motions and not interfere too much. As a result, I noticed his tail was up about 80% of the time. He seemed to have done better with a dog-friend.