I finally have some time to post an update on our special house guest, Mr. Rocky Balboa. My husband's stepfather, who is in his 60's, had a stroke two days after I picked Rocky up from his previous owners in Dunkirk, so with dealing with that, I've had to prioritize what can and can't be done. Unfortunately, typing up an update has been on the back burner until tonight. Now, on to Rocky...
Out of the dozen or so dogs Sam and our families have owned over the course of our lives, Rocky is one of the smartest, if not the smartest dog either of us have ever spent a lot of time with. We are including the three dobies and one shepherd my husband grew up with and the Belgian Malinois mix that I grew up with in this equation. Rocky is a genius of a dog. He learns VERY quickly and is highly motivated by food, as you may have surmised from his more than pleasantly plump figure in his pictures! He has learned to sit, stay, go to bed, and leave it so far, and is currently working on "down."
He loves to play catch and is a super-responsive and loveable little dude.
He is completely housebroken, and only marked twice in the house during the first two days he was here. Considering, that Lulu, our former puppymill mama, marks in at least one doorway daily, I was very impressed that Rocky resisted the urge! Rocky is also micro-chipped, UTD until September on his vaccinations, neutered, and has no known health problems.
When he went to the vet, he was found to be healthy but a little chubby. Dr. Inkley and his tech both commented on what a nice dog he was and everyone in the waiting room loved him! I am so proud of the little dude!
Alright, now for the challenges with Rocky. As I said, he is VERY smart. Unfortunately, as is often the case with very smart dogs, he also has a dominant personality. It is really obvious that up until he lived with us, he was never given consistent boundaries and consistent reinforcement and correction as needed. Rocky has a tendency to be possessive of everything: food, toys, places in the house, specific people, attention, etc. We have been working with him on this since day one. He is very attentive to people and responds very well to praise and scratches, as well as food. He has a bed next to his crate in the bathroom that we gave to him on the first day, he likes this area and will go to it when he is feeling overwhelmed. If he doesn't recognize that he is getting to his breaking point, we say, "Go to bed." and he goes, with no problem. I think this is something that his forever home will find beneficial to continue.
When Rocky first came to us, he would snap at our other animals if they approached while he was getting attention or a treat. We have addressed that by giving a verbal correction (just a "no", or "rocky, no"), and then paying attention to the other animal for a moment while monitoring Rocky, once he is being appropriate (sitting calmly), we pay attention to him, sometimes giving a treat and then paying attention to both animals. The same is true of dinner time. Sam and I have been hand feeding Rocky all of his meals, requiring him to complete a short obedience task before each bite of food. He really seems to enjoy this and has become much less grabby with food. Same thing with toys.
He also has a tendency to try to passively guard things, so that's another thing that needs immediate correction when it's noticed. Usually, just a "no Rocky." or re-directing him to another area of the house.
Overall, Rocky really is a nice dog, and he will make the right people a wonderful pet, but he's never going to be an "easy" dog. He needs people who have a lot of experience with dominant dogs, and who don't just think they know what they're doing. He is going to need to be actively worked with by all members of the family on a daily basis, and consistent boundaries will have to be set and stuck to. He needs this to forge a positive relationship with all members of the household and to feel secure about his place in the world. For a family that is willing to do that, he will be a great dog.
-Renee Posey Randolph, NY
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