Adopted an EBT

Kalorain17

Hello,

My wife and I adopted a beautiful EBT boy. The situation we got him from is very very unclear. The lady said she got him from a friend of a friend just to help re-home him. Supposedly she didn’t know his name or even his age. When we took him to the vet to get a general checkup and to get him neutered and she stated that she estimated he is under 2. The main issue we are having with him is his inability to calm down around my other dog. He tried to mount and dominate, he doesn’t seem to try to bite or show teeth but he is way way way to hyper for my small 15 pound jack Russel chihuahua mix. The other issue we are having is that when he gets excited he wants to play with us instead of his toys. He grabs at my pants and sleeves and when he does grab my hands it’s very gentle but still not something I feel he should be allowed to do. I’m looking for advice on how to break him of these habits. He is not very food driven right now (probably because of feeling a little unwell due to the surgery) but it seems impossible sometimes to get him to listen, even with treats. I’m wondering what the best way to bond with these dogs is. All the research I’ve done says there are stubborn toddlers, but the excited biting and dominating need to go. I’m hoping that with time he will learn his place, and learn to respect my wife and I as pack leaders. He does not sleep in our bed and is kennel trained as well. We hand feed him and he doesn’t seem to be food aggressive whatsoever, it’s only play aggressive. As soon as he heals we will resume our long walks twice a day, and I’m sure that will help with the crazy energy problem. Any other tips and tricks?

BulliesofNC

He's hyper because it's likely the first time he's been provided attention and in an environment where he run amuck. He is likely under 2 based on his energy and craziness which left untrained and disciplined can be like watching a energetic Tasmanian devil running wild. It's going to take a lot of "NO's!" and constant reminders when he's out of line in order for him to learn what is and what isn't acceptable behavior. An electric training collar would prove very helpful in your pursuit to train him out of bad habits. He probably has not been socialized with other dogs and likely never been around people for long periods of time. His excitement right now with being afforded the opportunity to run around the house without being confined to an outside kennel is probably causing him to react in a way that is over the top crazy and the poor guy doesn't realize what he's doing is wrong. I'd be trying to bump up his exercise regime by throwing a ball outside for him to chase and wearing him out so when he's inside the house he'd be more prone to settle down and be on better behavior. As he matures he will settle down significantly and through training and discipline this process will come much sooner.

kbryan

Staying calm while disciplining him is a must. If you become anxious while disciplining him, he s going to feed off of your anxious energy and make him more excited. Telling him “no” in a firm voice when he s misbehaving and then dont show him any attention (ie..petting, talking to him, etc) because this is rewarding bad behavior. He ll figure out that nipping and grabbing your clothes doesnt get him any attention. Im a firm believer in Cesar Milan , he s wonderful with problem dogs. ( its usually something the owner is doing ) You should check out his website. Theres always something to be learned from him. Good luck and dont give up!!

Kalorain17

I binge watched all seasons of cesar Milan’s shows. He is a genius, and the training is going tremendously well now! I have both dogs relaxing calmly together next to me on the couch as I type this up. He hasn’t nipped at my wife or I at all the past three days, and he’s getting the hang of walking much smoother! Still can’t get him interested in playing with balls or dog toys but I did find some natural hemp and wood sticks that he loves to chew on. We took him for a nice long hike two days ago and have not seen the crazy energy from him since. I think his daily walks and a nice long hike once or twice a week will do him well. Poor guy has definitely never had exercise like he needs, my 14 year old 15 pound, Jack-chi out walks and hikes him every time. Thank you guys for your input, Richard is an amazing dog, and he is settling in great.

Kalorain17

Tried to upload some photos but it keeps giving me a status code failure 500. If anyone is interested in seeing him check my instagram kalorain17

Billie_Tina

Congratulations on your new boy Richard and im glad to hear he's adapting and settling in. They are smart dogs and with consistency, love and patience, they will be wonderful companions! Keep us updated and welcome to the forum!