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Likes: Raw marrow bones, walks, my grandmother.
Pet-Peeves: Other dogs getting aggressive, not being allowed to greet a new dog, when I leave him home.
Favorite Toy: Chews, such as bones, hard rubber chews, etc.
Favorite Food: Raw elk.
Favorite Walk: Dog park.
Best Tricks: Wave, Left side, Bang.
Arrival Story: In early 2008, I started working in a doggy daycare and groom shop. I worked the daycare side and basically manned it myself. I fell for a lot of the dogs there, in particular, two. Both were named Buddy, both were male and both were terrier mix breeds. The first was the first to bond with me. I'd never truly owned my own dog before. When I started my first day there, I was told that his barking was because he came from an abused past and didn't trust strangers. In the two years he'd been going there, he hadn't even so much as let my boss pick him up or pet him.
Buddy, however, jumped into my arms as soon as I got there. His little, Bichon-mix body was launched over the gate and into my arms where he cuddled and kissed me. From there on out, Buddy was a favorite and I was always eager to see him. My boss and my coworker saw his barking as a nuisance and saw him as a disliked dog. I, however, saw who he was was the result of a past he had had and that he was struggling to change and adjust to his current home. He was still learning.
The second was another terrier mix. I do not know what his background was like. Most of the dogs that came in were rescues. This Buddy was much larger, with scruffy fur and an adorable face. He was aggressive to strangers. Protective, territorial, aggressive to strange men and didn't like anybody approaching me if I felt uncomfortable. Buddy was the one who would pull endlessly on his leash and would lunge at total strangers. His behavior calmed down as he got to know me more and I continued walking him. He loved to see me and he made me feel safe walking in such a dangerous neighborhood.
One day, one of our regular daycare dogs owners brought in three dogs, rather then her regular two. Sophie, her labradoodle, Hershy, her chocolate, short-haired Cocker Spaniel and a dog I'd never seen before. A small Beagle by the name of Charlie. She asked us to tell her if anybody was interested in Charlie, because her cousin could no longer keep him and she couldn't house him anymore either. Hershy was jealous of Charlie. Charlie was only eight months old. But I discovered he had four homes previously and was so neglected, he had barley any training. His training consisted of his name and sit.
I went home and begged my grandmother to let me keep him. She finally agreed that I needed a furry little friend and I brought him home the next day to meet her. Instead of investigating the house, he went straight to my grandmother, mother and brother, wiggled his entire body like a worm, jumped into their arms and kissed them until they couldn't take it anymore. When he was done saying hello and making new friends, he decided to investigate.
After some discussion with the daycare regular who currently had him, he was mine and I brought him home two weeks later. He came with everything except the training. I had barely any experience, but I'd learned a lot through research. He put me to the test and I put him to the test. He was so neglected for attention, he would jump on the kitchen table and watch, waiting to get scolded for the behavior. When we left, his separation anxiety drove him to destroy things such as garbages and stuffed animals.
With time, love, attention, walks, coaxing and training, he soon turned into the dog that couldn't be without me or away from my side. He now loves my entire family(grandmother especially), plays hide and seek with the kids in the family and knows 19 tricks alongside all his basic obedience. He is the epitome of a great dog.
I take him out all the time and get complimented on how well behaved he is for a Beagle. I get people staring, because I can have my dog off leash and not worry about him disappearing. I can't help but be proud of how far he has come and of how far I have come. He's taught me a lot and he's the one constant that is always there for me when I need a hug.
Bio: Charlie has had a total of five homes. I am his last and his fifth. He came to me with absolutely no training at eight months old, and now knows 19 tricks, including his basic obedience: Sit, Down, Stay, Off, Heel, 1 2 3 Run!, Shake a Paw, Other paw, Bang(play dead), Wave, Sit Up(show me your paws, sit pretty, etc), Give me five, Give me ten, Out(leave the room), Get up there(jump onto something), Over(jump over something), Move(out of the way), Left side(go behind me to my left side), Stand, Get it, Drop it, Leave it, Fetch, Dig it. His girlfriend is a seven year old Rottweiler and he's learning at-home-Agility while I try to find courses for him to get into Tracking.
Forums Motto: BSL: Educate, don't discriminate.
The Groups I'm In: For the Love of Beagles, Formerly Abused or Neglected Dogs
The Last Forum I Posted In: Is kibble really that bad?
Quote:: "If your dog is overweight, you're not getting enough exercise." - Unknown
If you've read his Bio and a little bit about his tricks, you'll know that he knew 19 tricks.
Today, in an hour, I taught him four more tricks in total. Our goal is to have thirty tricks by New Years. From there, we'll set a new goal.
The first to teach him was "Back it up". He did great. I'm slowly weaning him off me walking towards him. He likes to take ONE step back though, if I say "Back up more." because he knows what I'm asking, but he's eager for his treat.
After we got that down, I tossed a bunch of chunks of cheese on the floor while 'ignoring' him. At first, I had to give him trouble with a firm "Leave it!". After that, I was tossing more treats down. He didn't touch any of them and thus, learned the "Watch me." command with his eager puppy eyes. Anytime he stared me in the eyes, I gave him a firm "Watch me." It only took him a few minutes to learn this one.
THEN, I taught him two more. I taught him the difference between taking just ONE treat in a pile of a bunch, versus taking TWO. I'd say "Okay, take ONE." And at first, he was a little nervous. Unsure of what I was asking. But he started to ease towards it(this will be a great time to teach him 'Ease up on it') and I'd give a big "GOOD BOY" and he'd take just the one. He'd eye the others and he wasn't keen about having to take the exact one I was pointing at, but he got it pretty quick. So then, we moved on to letting him take just two in a bunch. "Okay, take TWO." and again, unsure, he'd ease up on it. I'd point in a general area this time and he ran for the two treats as eager as a puppy to a best friend.
So all in all, I've boosted Charlie up to approximately 23 tricks if I've counted right! Haha! We're almost at that thirty! Thirty by New Years, HERE WE COME.
I only, ONLY treat train for TRICKS. All of his obedience has been solely without treats. Such as his leave it, drop it, sit, stay, heel, out, etc. While some could be considered tricks, not all of his 'tricks' are in fact treat trained. I'm now out of small chunks of cheese and he's tuckered out for a nap! Lol. I'm so proud of him.
His other tricks:
1 2 3 Run!, Shake a Paw, Other paw,
Bang(play dead), Wave, Sit Up(show me your paws, sit pretty, etc), Give
me five, Give me ten, Out(leave the room), Get up there(jump onto
something), Over(jump over something), Move(out of the way), Left
side(go behind me to my left side), Stand, Get it, Drop it, Leave it,
Fetch, Dig it.
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