What Happened To My Sweet Dog

We Didn't See It Coming

We have had Ernie for about two and a half months now. He has adjusted well with us, but his behavior is disturbing. He is super protective of Gary and me. We are both retired so we spend a lot of time with him. Our grandson spent the night and met Ernie for the second time. He once went with us when he lived with his former owner. 

Monster Dog

It did not go well. Ernie ran at Ethan and was biting around his legs, barking and being aggressive. Now in his defense he has only been with Gary and me. My husband's family members have been to our house, but Ernie knows them, so he was fine with them. Ethan was the first stranger he has met since he has been with us. Ethan stayed with us for three days. Ernie was good at times, but he also was naughty. The only good thing is Ernie has no teeth so he cannot hurt anyone. But his behavior needs to be corrected. He cannot bull rush every person who comes to visit and bite at them. He is super protective. I am not sure how we could have avoided this; he has been neglected for years and now he is loved. 

Only at Home

He is not the same when we take him to the vet. He is good there. It is only at home he acts this way. Since I have grandkids who come and spend the night, something needs to be done. Ethan stayed with us for three days. He is an animal lover and understands why Ernie is the way he is. Elliot is eight years old, and I will not subject him to Ernie’s behavior. I do not want him traumatized or not wanting to stay with us.

A Trainer Seriously

I am not sure what direction to go. I will google and see what I can do, how I can fix this. If he needs to go to a trainer, then that is what I will do. His behavior cannot continue. He needs to settle and be a calm dog. He is being protective, which I understand. But he doesn’t need to be. He needs to realize not everyone is bad. His neglect was for his entire life up to this point, so I am not sure how easy or hard it would be to train him. There is the saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.) In this case I hope they are wrong.

Ernie loves other dogs, which is one of the things I love about him. He wants to play with them all. Not all of them are friendly. He doesn’t understand that. He just has a people issue that needs to be addressed. I am hoping there is a video I can watch so I can do it myself versus taking him to a trainer. I Wish I knew Cesar Millan personally so I could go to him. I’ve seen him fix the most vicious dogs. Ernie can sound menacing when he growls. He is such a small dog, weighing in at 13 pounds. But his growl makes him sound angry and ornery. He is twelve after all, so his entire life has been spent not receiving affection or love. He bonded with me first, my husband second. It took him quite a while to trust Gary. At least a month if not longer. Given his former owner was a male. It is not surprising.

What Is the Solution

All that being said he needs to be transformed into the dog who first came into our home. He was so sweet. Of course, he was hurting at the time and was not himself. He has come into his own, and not all of it is good. As of now the 13-year-old can have sleepovers but not the 8-year-old. That makes this grandma very sad. So, I need to find a solution to this problem.

Feeling bad for Ernie will not fix him. I did feel bad when Ethan came over, for both Ethan and Ernie. Ethan does not deserve that kind of treatment and Ernie I am sure was confused with Ethan being in the house. In addition, the fact that my attention was not on Ernie, and he isn’t used to that. Because for the past couple of months it has been all about Ernie. Taking in a neglected dog is a lot of work. Numerous vet visits combined with surgeries, and a bad grooming experience has left Ernie mistrustful of just about everyone. It is too bad but that is life, isn’t it? It’s not always a bowl full of cherries, and it certainly hasn’t been for poor Ernie.

Where Is Cesar Millan When You Need Him

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Feeling sorry for him does not help him, however. For now, I will google and see if I can correct the problem on my own. If that does not pan out, Ernie will need to go see a trainer. Hoping it does not come down to that. Cesar Millan if you are out there can you help me please?

I’ve been googling and they say correcting an abused dog is a long process. Start slowly, be repetitive with commands and daily activities. I work with him on walks. He had a tendency to lunge and bark at people and automobiles. He is showing improvement on our walks. Today he walked by two people without incident. I make sure to praise him and tell him good job. I wish there were people who would just randomly stop by our house so I could see his reaction daily. Can I see a show of hands? Anyone? It’s going to be a long journey for us all. Especially Ernie.

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Stay tuned for further updates on Ernie. It’s been a journey.

Sidenote: Read my post tomorrow it will explain everything. Ernie is not at fault here. Gary and I are. Stay Tuned!

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