11/3/14

Gunny is great.  He is a new dad.  My grandson is living with us and he recently purchased a German Short hair puppy.  Gunny became an instant dad to that puppy.  He is teaching him how to be a gentle and helping with his house breaking.   They play for hours and Gunny is amazingly gentle with him.  They play to the point of exhaustion then fall into a heap and sleep then they start over again.  

I have never seen a more patient gentle dog.  Young children can beat on him or pull things they shouldn't and he takes it all in stride.  Gunny is always happy and always has time for you.   He wants to please and is only headstrong about a a few things.   He is a little needy for attention but that is understandable considering he was a rescue. 

We bought a lot of toys for the puppy and they started disappearing.  We found Gunny was stealing them and burying them in the back yard.  The interesting thing is he did not steal any toy that he and the puppy could play with together.  He only steals the toys that caused the puppy to take time away from him.  They play for hours with a short piece of rope or some of the toys we made for them like a tennis ball inside of an old sock.

I guess the bottom line is Gunny is the best all around dog I ever had.   He is perfect for me at this stage of my life.  I never imagined he would work out this well.  I am still amazed no one grabbed him up before I got there.  You can look far and wide and would be hard pressed to find a more loving, gentle or obedient dog.

9/1/14

Gunny only gets better every day.  He is truly the perfect dog for me at this point in my life.  Of all the dogs I have known over the years Gunny is the most loving dog I have ever met.  The entire family loves him dearly.  I could write many wonderful things about gunny but will wait a few weeks until I can do justice to his story. 

No he hasn't learned to "go around" yet but I have not worked with him for several weeks.  He will learn it becase he wants to please,  His first option when he gets tangled is to chew through the leash.

Yes I do know the proper use of a choker.  I had to go to it because it amuses Gunny that he can get out of the halter in about two seconds.   To him it is a game.  A choker only works if you keep it loose and snap it to get his attention.

7/27/14

Gunny is a true joy.  He is everything I hoped he would be.  He is always happy and smiling and has a great disposition.  Very un-Akita like in his love for everyone.  He is a firm believer that everyone was put on earth to pet him.  He is totally worthless as a guard dog (and I'm OK with that).  When he hears a noise in the house he ignores it.  If someone comes into the house he doesn't go to check who it is.  He knows they will eventually come to pet him.  If they wait too long he will go track them down and force them to pet him but he usually doesn't need to wait very long.  He is the happiest most laid back dog I have ever owned.  He is a real joy to be around.  Don't get me wrong I am not complaining about anything.  I would rather see him on the friendly easy going side than the unfriendly uptight side.  I know when we get settled and he has had time to bond some of the pack protectiveness will develop.  I didn't really want a guard dog anyway.  I have a hearing problem and I want a dog that can hear and alert me if I need to check things out.  I think Gunny will do that over time.
 
Gunny is very smart.  He watches TV and every time a dog or cat comes on the screen he will look behind the TV to see if they are hiding there.  This is the only time he checks around the house for intruders.  He does not show any aggression toward other animals and that is a good thing.  I think he wants to play with the TV animals. 
 
The only "bad" habit I have discovered is he has learned how to pull and get out of the harness.  I switched to a choker chain to correct this and he is doing a little better.  I know many people do not agree with the use of a choker but I have used them for years and never hurt any of my dogs.  Since we are older I needed to make sure he would not pull while on the leash because our balance is not what it use to be.  Since he is an Akita he does have a stubborn streak.  He wants to obey as long as we do it his way.  He is doing well on not pulling hard on the leash but if he gets on the opposite side of a tree he will not try to go back around that tree (yet).  I could pull his head off of his body and he would dig in and fight going around.  A pulling contest is not the solution so I don't do that.  One of the commands I want to teach him is "go around" so he can figure out how to free himself when he gets tangled.  My other Akita acted the same way and she learned after a short training period. 
 
It's only been two weeks but I could probably write 4 more pages about Gunny.  He is looking like he will be one of the best dogs I ever owned.  He has a shot at being number 2 or 3.  The best dog I ever owned was my Chow.  I had her for 18 great years and she is still missed.  She will remain number one but Gunny has a shot at number two.  The current number 2 was my first Akita.  She was rescued and I can only assume she had been badly abused.  It took her over 4 years to bond completely.  She was a wonderful dog from day one but it took her a long time to develop the trust necessary to truly bond.  Gunny is different and I think the bond is forming rapidly but it will still take some time for him to accept that this is the family that will keep him forever.  Once he realizes that the bond will be complete.  Akitas are different than most dogs when it comes to bonding and most people do not understand that about them.  Rescue Akitas require more patience and understanding than most people are willing to commit.   Once we settle into the new house I may get another dog so they can keep each other company.  If I do it will hopefully be another Akita.  They are not for everyone.  They only work well with calm centered masters. 
 
Thank you for the work you do and thank you for saving Gunny for me.  He is a true joy to be around.