I have too many dogs. I know that. I'll probably have them all for the rest of their lives. I won't have the freedom to travel until I'm down to four dogs, and by then any remaining dogs will be old and arthritic. I will cope with them until then.
I enjoyed working with the dogs over my winter break, but getting at least three of them back in the back yard gets theatrical. Gretel, Sahne and Hansel willingly went into the backyard last Sunday and Monday evening. but Fritzie refused, probably because he remembers the months he longed to be with me in the front. He'd sleep outside and in view of the RV while the other dogs were in the house. He looked so sad sitting by the shed looking at me. I knew I had to focus on him over the break for two reasons: he's very reactive to other dogs, and he shows aggression toward people, especially men.
Fritzie's not much of a barker, but he is very anxious and suffers from separation anxiety when away from me. He doesn't like getting out of the truck except to eat and drink with Gretchen and Sweetie. He only likes going into the front yard if that means being near me overnight. This is why I went on long off-leash walks with him, Sahne and Hansel. German Shepherd Dogs need plenty of exercise.
So what to do? On Wednesday I took him with me to school. It was only in the mid 50s and comfortable in the truck. Wednesdays we get out early, so he was in the truck napping from 8:30am to 2:15pm. Then we went on an urban trail in town before meeting up with SteveT at the local taphouse. This trail followed a drainage for a half-mile, then continued for another mile through State Trust Land south of the police station. He didn't bark at any of the people, but dogs did get him roused up.
Yesterday after school I took him to the city dog park for a training walk around the course. This is the only way he is exposed to other many dogs during the day. He did well until we got near the small dog park. The yappy Chihuahuas triggered his fight mode. I had to hold him down tightly and speak firmly.
Fritzie is learning fast to relax. He didn't bark at any people yesterday. He only barked at the small dogs when we got near the fenced-in dog park. An off-leash German Shepherd playing frisbee with his German owner nearby(the accent was unmistakable) made him uncomfortable, but my constant consoling him got him through his anxiety. He did not bark at a nearby former student of mine walking the par-course.
"He's in training!" I told Joseph apologetically, the older teen walking slowly along the path. He must live nearby, as he's still a high school senior.
"I understand!"he replied, and then got off the path to stop for a par-course work-out. He was not upset or nervous with Fritzie.
I have to be consistent with the training. He pulls like Hansel, but when I say "Stop pulling!" he immediately lets go, only to pull hard a few steps later. As long as I have him in the truck during school hours, I will take him down to the dog park and practice with him. He does very well with praise because he wants to please. I know that this will only last as long as the days are no warmer than the 60s. I will have to come up with other plans come March.
Last night was a warm winter night in the 40s. Fritz slept in the RV with Gretchen and me. Even Sweetie enjoyed sleeping outside in her dog house and never barked. I had a big soup pot with water warming over two candles in a 5-gallon bucket during the night and then washed my hair in the warm water at 5am. I wish all winter mornings were this mild and calm.
When it was time for my morning walk at 5am, I had all three dogs with me. Sweetie was offleash (she walks herself and knows the route) but Gretchen wiggled out of her collar and took off, and so did Fritz because his leash was connected to hers. They ran a few laps up and down Linda Vista Drive before calming down.
This scenario can take an hour to resolve because Gretchen loves to run and does not come back on recall. But with Fritz with her this morning, she followed him. After several laps of free running, he came back to me and so did she. We finished the loop around the 'hood leashed and without incident. I'm glad those two dogs get along. Wolfie would be running with her as well but also comes back to me, albeit after a bit more coaxing.
I still have plenty to do with Fritz, but I know he has great potential. The past two weeks helped him; he can only get better.
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