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Proud of my Harley!!!

748 views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Nikko_Peeko 
#1 ·
Yesterday, me and my bf took Harley for a walk in the park.  Now, I don't think I've ever introduced Harley but here it goes: Harley was my mom's dog as she got two from one litter.  With her recent heart attack and her osteoperosis (sp?) I decided to take one of these lively critters off of her hands and Harley is now living with my boyfriend at his new house in the country (I live in a bachelor in the city but we might as well live together).  Harley turned a year in December and until a week ago was never separated from his sister Davie.  Davie was the dominant one and he constantly looked to her for reassurance.  He was cowardly, and scared of everything! His house manners were okay but he'd panic if Davie was gone and completely lose his focus on you.

Well, the separation is going good.  Harley and Davie weren't taken out for walks on a daily basis but allowed to play in our huge fenced in back yard.  Harley never had to learn to be his own dog and would just follow Davie's lead.  Now, we take him everywhere we go and he's now a part of the family.  I expected for him to panic walking in busy down town but he loved it and showed so much interest to all of the new things.  He has been listening so much better too and just wants so much to please us! Yesterday, while out for a walk in the park we were coming up to a couple who had two yappy-like dogs.  I asked Harley to sit until they went by as he's never been introduced to a random dog other than the dogs he's seen at the vet's office.  He sat down ever so politely as these two tiny-yappers pulled at their leads to come and see him and barked their heads off! The owner's even said "Someone has been to school!".  The best part of it is he hasn't!!! My boyfriend and I have just been brushing up on his basic obedience and working with him a lot! My mom had taught him to sit and has been working with him to walk nicely but he had come a long way from the fearful weiner he once was! He now walks so proudly and even struts.  He gets walked about 3 times a day or more and we are constantly asking him to sit when we stop or do the stay and recall.  It really keeps him focused on us and he looks up at us every minute or so.  And when he gets ahead of me (or Kyle) a little bit he'll look up, stop, and wait for us to catch up to him! He's such a wonderful dog I'm thinking he'll never end up going back to my mother! The original plan was for him to stay with us until we got our puppy so that we could work with him and give my mom a chance to concentrate and train the other one (Davie).  Now, we are talking about keeping him with us because he's turning into such a fabulous dog!

Oh and before his car manners were horrible! He'd fight with you to get in the front seat and would sit on you while you were driving if you'd let him! Then once he'd learn he wasn't getting into the front he'd stand up and fall all over the place.  Literally a lot of sweat and frustration went into teaching him car manners.  Now, he gets in and immediately lies down in the backseat and even will stay in his seat if we were to leave the car.  Maybe, this doesn't sound so exciting to anyone else but I'm just proud and happy with him!


Our next major feat.......agility training!
 
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#6 ·
Thank you....so much for dog sitting eh?

Majorsdad:

Getting him to stay in the back was seriously the hardest thing I think ever had to train a dog to do and I once fostered a deaf Am. Staff for a year! We'd start by putting him in through the back door and never letting him enter the car through the the front.
 
#10 ·
Way to go Harley!!!!  :D And way to go you for all your hard work, its def paying off caus HArley sounds like  a dream :D  :D
 
#11 ·
Thank you everyone! I'm very proud of his advances in the past week except this was supposed to be a temporary "visit"! They sure have a way at stealing your hearts and showing you the perfect dog they could be! He certainly is a dream!
 
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