WINSTON

Sat 8 May

After collecting Winston from the kennels he travelled home with no problems during the journey. Arrived home and took him for a walk, pulled strongly on a short lead but was fine on the flexi lead once away from the road. Introduced to the house and spent the next two hours just exploring. Very excited at mealtime, kept jumping up during preparation. Both dogs were fed at the same time in the same room in my presence and the dishes were picked up immediately after eating to forestall any problems. There were one or two small ructions caused by Dawson which came to nothing. He finally settled down in the evening. No problems with toileting as he performed on demand when put outside. Slept on the floor alongside the bed all night, waking at 7.30am.
Work needed on kitchen behaviour and giving personal space.

Sun 9 May

Breakfast at 8am the both dogs started to play, quietly but boisterously, with a few attempts to mount each other. Went shopping leaving dogs in car for approx 1 hour, Winston likes to climb into front seat, curl up and go to sleep. Taken into Pets at Home store where he had a few anxious moments but he soon worked things out, he likes meeting people and other dogs, but is not too happy in crowded places.   Got him a Halti which improved his close control walking by 75% although he doesn’t like the Halti close to his eyes.  Settled on his bed properly for the first time during the day and was prepared to share it with Dawson. Showing improvement with his kitchen rules and personal space rules although, when allowed, loves to rub his face against yours just like a cat.

Mon 10 May

I woke up at 6.30am for personal reasons; dogs were let out for toilet and settled again afterwards until 7.45am. Dogs were left at home whilst we went to town although not alone. On return from town they were given a pigs ear each which necessitated them being separated until both had finished eating.  Went for a walk with a different head collar, which stopped any pulling completely, he picked up a smell and got very excited but was still easy to control. Increased amount of food to 3 scoops (approx 9 oz) as discussed. First motion on home property, soft some shaped some not so mixed a raw egg with his evening meal. More settled around the house with less pacing also improvement with kitchen and personal space rules especially at mealtimes.

Tues 11 May

Went for first long walk under tight control all the way, very satisfactory for first time. With time and patience he should eventually walk on a slack lead, he showed interest in a cat but didn’t try to chase and no pulling, no problems alongside traffic.  Heard something outside whilst in back garden and went into defensive role with some barking, quietened down when reassured. He will chew soft toys and cloths if they are left lying around, he likes to play with a ball and will fetch and allow ball to taken from his mouth, caution is needed though as he gets very excited when waiting for the ball to be thrown. Shows very strong signs of separation anxiety and will claw at the door. Tends to come to a whistle rather than his name.

Wed 12 May

Still great excitement at meal times, lots of work still to do. He is very quick and agile even in enclosed spaces, I was a little slow in closing the car door behind me and he came from the back seat and out of my door very quickly, only a reactive rugby tackle saved the day, even so there was no bad reaction from him. Tried a tracking exercise by laying a trail of chicken smoothie, he tracked it successfully for about 150 yards, but he then started to stop and lick his finds gradually losing interest. His behaviour in the kitchen whilst preparing the smoothie was more curiosity than excitement, he lay at the kitchen door during the whole process, Motions are still soft but formed. Not as much kennel pacing unless the back door is open when he likes to be outside. Once the door is closed he settles indoors a lot more quickly.  Slept on his bed on the opposite side of the room last night with no problems.

Thurs 13 May

Showing signs of calming down at meal times, although still diving head, neck and shoulders into his dish.  He also bayed for breakfast (just once & not very loudly).  Took him for a walk round to the nearest shops, he was very well behaved for his first time considering all the smells and the number of people.  Allowed anyone to pet him except for one woman of whom he was terrified pulling backwards under a bench and slipping his head collar, luckily he didn’t run very far and was soon caught.  He stood by an open sack of food whilst I was preparing meals for both dogs for the week away and made no attempt to to get at the food until Barbara came into the kitchen when his behaviour went to pot.  He has started to get protective of the home, growling at strangers as they pass the window.

Fri 14 May

Started to bay for his breakfast again but apart from that seems to get calmer day by day.  Allowed me to trim his dew claws seeming more curious about the procedure than anything.  Likes an activity ball playing with it whenever he went into the garden but lost interest when the food ran out ( used part of his daily ration in the ball so no chance of over feeding).  Another close control walk today, he doesn’t like the head collar but his attempts to dislodge it grow fewer by the day.  Still learning how to play properly without it turning into a dominance contest.  Has started rolling onto his back both for us and for Dawson.  All in all a good day.

Sat 15 May

A long journey from Derby to Whitehaven cooped up into the back of the car, he travelled very well but need strict control whenever taken out of the car, he just wants to rush out regardless.  Went for a walk on the beach he was very well behaved with everyone and every dog he met.  On the way back he came face to face with an elderly grey haired lady and although he didn’t go into flight mode he was very skittish and didn’t want to go near her.  He likes walking through rock pools.  Whilst preparing meals turned my back for a few seconds and he ate half of Dawson’s meal.

Sun 16 May

More settled after yesterday’s journey.  Walked around Whitehaven, well behaved and friendly with everyone he met.  Enjoys his walks on the beach but seems to prefer walking on the shingle rather than the sand.  Noticed that the journey yesterday seemed to affect his digestion as his motions were very loose, but they are back to normal today.  Perhaps after the first attempt at rehoming he thinks a long journey means being dumped again who knows?  Still not keen on the head harness but as a result not pulling as much when on a normal lead.  Small steps but good ones.

Mon 17 May

Went into Kendal today.  The only parking was a multi storey car park and the only space at the top.  Used the lift to get to ground level as Dawson doesn’t handle stairs well, no problems in the lift, another tick in the box!  Walked through the town centre getting lots of attention which he handles very well.  Was invited into one shop and behaved impeccably. (Unfortunately no offers yet)

Tues 18 May

Another day under close control in a town centre, lots of notice , comments and petting which he handled with aplomb also shared a bowl of water with Dawson both drinking at the same time, another first.  Showed some aversion to the local traffic warden but he was rather loud although good natured.  Warm afternoon and he enjoyed an ice cream to such an extent he even tried eating the tub!

One thing that has been noticed, whilst at the caravan he hasn’t tried to open the door when someone has gone outside.  The door has a full length pane of frosted glass and although he can’t see clearly through it he can make out shapes and movement which may be the reason.

Wed 19 May

A Quiet day today.   Met friends in Windermere together with their dog, all three walked together and shared smells, again shared a water bowl.  Another test today was to see if he would let me nibble his top lip, apart from an increase in tail wagging there was absolutely no reaction.  Not pulling as much on a normal lead, easier to control. On the last walk of the day 1130pm heard voices and gave tongue.  When the people appeared gave tongue again but wasn’t prepared to approach and kept trotting round in circles.

Thurs 20 May

Went to the local beach café for refreshments.  Dogs were left outside secured.  Initially showed signs of separation anxiety however, once inside we sat in a seat by the window where we could see the dogs and after attracting his attention and he knew where we were he appeared to calm down and just waited .

Fri 21 May

Went for our usual walk and returned to caravan, I then went to pick up after Dawson and on returning was distracted for a split second Winston was out and gone.  I went to check the area that he had run towards but with no luck, however, on returning to the caravan he came running up to me.  A bit of a minus and a bit of a plus.  Repeated the visit to the beach café, there was a complete reversal of behaviour with Winston jumping up and trying  to claw at the window until he realised nothing was going to happen after which he stayed there quite happily wagging his tail at everyone.

 Sat 22 May

Travelled back home overnight to avoid what was predicted to be a very hot day on the Saturday.  The roads weren’t as busy and it was more comfortable for the dogs.  Neither dog was fed before travelling and seemed to travel better.  Winston showed first evidence of being a scavenger, he spotted something in the parking area of a service  station that I hadn’t seen and pounced on it, very difficult to pull away.  Settled back in the house with no problem, however when left at home with Barbara because of the heat  whilst I did a bit of shopping he refused to settle and kept pacing and misbehaving until I returned.

Mon 25 May

Due to the heat we had to leave the dogs at home.  He didn’t like being muzzled but allowed the muzzle to be put on; however, it didn’t stop him trying to claw through the door when left in the house.

Winston Summary

At first glance Winston appears to be a big, brash, full in your face dog who seems to know what he wants but doesn’t know how to go about things because he has never been taught the right way to do things.  Underneath I found him to be quite a timid dog and, at times, quite nervous.  If he thinks he is in trouble he is liable to go to ground and roll on his back.  He constantly looks behind him when walking under close control whether in a crowd or not.  He also suffers from separation anxiety.  If the person he considers to be the pack leader leaves the room he will automatically get up to follow.  If the person leaves the house he will claw at the door and try to open it and will not settle until that person returns.  He will attempt to remove any barrier put in his way.  Whilst holidaying in a caravan which had a frosted glass panel door however, because he could see through the glass none of the above happened.   

Ideally if left on his own he needs to be muzzled or left in a room with access to the outside.  He doesn’t like being muzzled and will try to get it off but will tolerate having it put on.   When walking near roads he needs to be kept under close control using both an adjustable head collar and neck chain (he can slip a head collar alone).  He doesn’t like the head collar being put on but until he learns to walk with a slack lead it is necessary to stop him pulling.

He will accept other dogs in the family but it is strongly suggested that he be an only dog unless the other dog is very placid and/or elderly as he has a constant need for reassurance.

On the two occasions he managed to escape he didn’t wander far and eventually returned to the immediate area of his “home” where he was easily caught, however, I don’t think this would happen until he forms a proper bond with his owner.  Again, whilst holidaying, he was able to see through full length windows and showed signs of protectiveness when people walked past.

Winston loves to be with his family at all times, however, like Labradors he is very quick to pick up bad habits such as climbing on the furniture or beds and once learned NEVER forgotten, be warned if you don’t want this to happen!

In the three weeks we have been looking after Winston he has shown signs of improvement on a daily basis and has the potential to be a superb boy given time and patience.

In conclusion, Winston needs a calm loving home with mature or no children as he feeds into any excitement, any child having access to him must be strictly controlled because of this.  He needs a strong willed, fit owner who likes to walk or access to a fairly large secure area where he can run off his energy.  If not “hound people” or have only ever had hounds from pups they must also be prepared to ask for advice.