It definitely felt like I aged 10 years in a few minutes this am. I must have looked like a complete crazy person. My neighbors don't know me because I moved up here mid-winter, and only recently has it warmed up enough for chance encounters with neighbors outside. I went running outside at 10:30 am with 2 leashes, 1 dog, a sample bag of cat food, wearing Christmas themed pj pants, a bright yellow Georgia Tech hoodie sweatshirt, no glasses so i can't see, randomly shouting "HAVE YOU SEEN A LITTLE DOG RUNNING AROUND!" at my neighbors.
Both of my girls are microchipped. I know there is a lot of debate about collars. I fear, especially with the martingale style, that mine will strangle themselves if they get caught on something when I'm not around. In this case, I'm glad Callie didn't have a collar on because the rungs on the porch are so close together, she may have caught the collar without realizing it & jumped & hung herself. I do worry that they will get out & somebody will find them but not know to check for a microchip, but even dogs with collars can lose them while running around loose. So I don't think there is a right or wrong answer for when to collar them. Mine don't usually dart out of doors, so I don't worry about it too often.
As for the porch; that will not be accessible to them if I can not supervise them from now on. Fortunately I will only be here for a couple more weeks, so I won't worry about adding chicken wire or anything. I'm already saving up for a basenji proof fence for the new house though. Callie is quite the escape artist when she has motivation (clearly!)
Pit Bull Attack
-
I hate the term "guard dog" from most people. 9 times out of 10 it means they have a poorly socialized, inadequately trained BIG dog.
And you are so right: Like with Basenjis, only way moreso because of the sheer power of the breed, training must be constant and consistent.
-
Guard dog is exactly what the name implies. A highly trained, socialized, temperment tested dog that obeys every command the owner gives the first time, every time. I cringe when I see the cops on TV with their poorly trained dogs. In the private sector that we train, if a dog doesn't obey the first command in a consistent manner he goes back to basic obedience before moving forward. Yes, I understand sometimes 2nd commands happen-but they should be few and very far between. If I say return to a guard dog, I mean return and let it go. Again training doesn't happen overnight and any idiot can train a dog to bite someone-scary isn't it!
