The "Rescue" Dog

As a little background to this post:  My parents and I share a purebred Rhodesian Ridgeback.  He's 8 years old, now, but he's not exactly....old...in any way, shape, and/or form.  He's partially tame, gets over excited about things that are to his benefit, gets belligerent if its not, and is just now gradually coming around to the idea that when I tell him to do something, he needs to do it.  I've long recognized the parallel between my role as my dog's primary parent and that of real parents, who leave their children in the care of their parents, only to collect said children in a worse behavioral state than when they left them.  *hangs head* (insert long sigh).  No 8 year old dog should not respond to his name nor require a spiked choke chain to walk on a leash outside of his yard.

Anyway, since I've been home more consistently, I've been working with him on responding to commands more appropriately (i.e. not lying down when I tell him to sit), his overall visual-dynamic coordination (he can now catch something in the air from various positions), BUT he's still in transition from using the choke chain while on walks outside of our yard.  The added quality time that I've had with him I've come to predict his behavior and thus deduce ways to improve his obedience.

My dog has the amazing ability to get himself worked up while going to the vet.  So, I tested out my theories on him today and here's the box score for the end game:  Walking up hills prior to going, good idea. Letting him watch me get my truck ready for his transportation, good idea.  Including his stuffed pheasant in the cargo bay, useless idea. Cheese, good idea. Other dogs in the same room as the scale, not so good idea. Alone in the room with the scale, good idea.  Having a culturally specific name that has a high incidence of mispronunciation, neutral idea.  Leaving him alone with your parents for 8 years, not a good idea. Using a firm but calm voice, best idea.

In the end, he walks out of the vet's office all happy and calm, not pulling on his leash.  Stark contrast to  when we first got there, when he was a ball of hemorrhaging catecholamines.  He was so bad, one lady who was walking past earnestly asked if he was a "rescue" dog.  =)  No... no no no.  This is just the way he is.