Becoming a Dog Parent
After having Buddy for a week, I have learned that there are a number of things that you will learn about having a dog.
Different Chip Manufacturers
In my previous post about the dog, I mentioned that Buddy did not have a chip according to a vet that I had took him too. Well, we went to another vet and come to find out, he does have a chip. The second vet has a universal chip reader and thus was able to pick it up. It is assumed that the first vet did not have a universal chip reader. After doing some reserach, the micro chip manufacturers do not use the same frequency for their chips. Thus if the reader that is used is not designed to read chips from multiple manufacters, then you will get a false negative.
Dogs Are Picky About Food
Buddy does not like dry dog food. He does like dry mixed with wet and dry with water added. From discussing with a neighbor who also has pets, his dogs are similar as they are picky about the food that they eat. Just based on the smell of the food, they will not eat it. This is similar to how humans that do not eat certain foods or only eat food that is cooked or prepared in a certain manner.
Responding To Commands
Buddy knew some of the commands that you would normally say to a dog. However, he still will ignore commands when distracted or scared (like during severe weather). I have noticed that there are some commands that he will respond to better than others.
Sit vs Heel
I would say "sit" and sometimes buddy would respond. Then I tried saying "heel" and he immediately followed the command. To a human, these words are basically synonyms. To a dog, these commands are not even related until they have been learned. Reason being is that dogs do not comprehend the language, nor communicate the language the same way that humans do.
Watching Videos
I have subscribed to some YouTube channels that talk about how to train your dog to respond to commands. Since this is new territory to me, learning from others that do this for a living or done this in the past would be the best teachers.
Barking Triggers
Buddy rarely barks. It will whipmer and do certain motions when he wants something, but definitely does not bark.
Other Dog in Yard
One day, Buddy was looking out the window. Out of nowhere he started barking and growling like something serious. Buddy does not normally bark, so clearly he had been triggered. Come to find out, a neighbor's dog had came over into our yard and started marking his territory. Buddy was not feeling that at all. After the dog left, Buddy was still bark and had to command him to "relax" so that he would stop barking.
Squirrels
Buddy got to go outside for a bathroom break. He saw some squirrels on top of the fence and let out a couple of barks. Those barks sent the squirrels running at high speed. Now my neighbor had told me about the squirrels and how they tease his dogs. Because this was the first time that the squirrels had seen a dog on my side of the fence, I believed that they were freaked out and did not wnat to stay around and try to tease him.
Doorbells
Believe it or not, Buddy does not bark when the doorbell rings. His ears would will go up and sometimes he will run to the door when you go to the door, but that is it. This was surprising behavior because most of the dogs I have seen lose it when the doorbell rings. I believe that his previous owners had him trained to not bark when the doorbell rings or they did not have a doorbell.
No Toys
Buddy has several toys. He does not play with any of them. On the rare occasion, he will play with a toy but if he does play with it, it would be for a short duration. Based on this assessment, I think that he did not play with toys with his previous owner or that he is well beyond the biting phase that most dogs have. The toys that we have bought, we will keep. That way he does have some entertainment for when he does choose to be playful.
Conclusion
As times goes on, the more I will learn. I will continuue to share about the new found knowledge that I acquire from being a pet parent.