He looks happy and comfortable, it’s amazing a year has already passed, also with mine … 
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Good looking pup George.
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@George
that’s one handsome dog you have there. he gets to roam freely?
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Thanks, he was an animal ruin when I (second hand) bought him, just a big head and bones:
We daily walk 4 miles, all the estuary border down our village is his territory, goes unleashed as he is friendly with all the people in the village and even those who only come on holidays one year after another. The rest of the dogs in the village are chained and crazy, never walk freely, hate him, and they were not lucky with their masters … 
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That is absolutely stunning George! You have one lucky dog! 
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One of these turtles is Violet, our red ear slider, set free three years ago at ‘turtle pond’ in Hatteras. We go see her at least twice a year still. Super fun pets for the kids. She was surprisingly fast, too lol
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I’m a bit behind on the week 5 update but it’s the holidaze, so better late then never.
Overall he’s been a good doggo and has continued to settle in to the point where I can start training him a bit more actively. My family came to visit for the holidays/celebrate my Mom’s bday and he was perfectly behaved and adorable. We haven’t had any issues with the leash and have been slowly increasing the distance he travels. The second training session today was mostly about how to gently start exerting more control without triggering him through structured play and correcting negative behaviour without triggering his fearful response. Not that’s he’s been acting up, I took him to meet Santa at the local pet shop to practice socializing and he did really well, better then expected as he got up on the bench for a pic with minimal coaxing
Although sadly we broke his 25 day chomp free streak as I stupidly triggered him while rushing to work to cover a shift for someone. He really wanted to go out with me as he enjoyed our earlier walks in the rain, so he was competing to go out. Instead of diffusing the situation by using a treat to get him to move, I slipped and simply tried to push him out of the way with my foot. Causing him to snap and bite my ankle, which was his best chomp yet as it was bleeding for a solid 24 hours and I could barely stand after the shift slinging legal dope. I was a bit worried he had damaged the achilles tendon as I could barely stand the next day, we got through 3 short walks though; it was sweet how gentle he was with me that day (not pulling on the leash, walking slowly as I shambled along, licking around the flesh wound) and after a bit of rest I’m limping like a pro so I’m sure it’ll heal up quickly. Apparently it convinced the little Maki Man that I was safe to cuddle with as he curled up on my lap for the first time the next morning, confirming my suspicion that he’s secretly a cuddle bug under his tough dog exterior. So no my daily goal is to scratch him into submission and cuddles lol.
He very proudly killed my toilet plunger after a day of resting/recovering, apparently 3 walks (shorter though), playing indoors and scratches weren’t enough stimulation that day. The toy he picked out to chew on didn’t last too long, I’ve repaired it twice already but he’s desctructo mode will definitely win. So we picked up a couple Kong toys (the original medium sized and Kong extreme ball) but I’m still convincing him they’re fun to chew on. The other morning I woke up to a half chewed rosin puck that he apparently stole off the pressing table. I hope he caught a good buzz, didn’t seem any different the next day and hasn’t touched them since so it’s not a chronic issue lol.
Overall it’s been a good week and the fact I have to consciously remember to keep in mind he’s a reactive dog shows how far he’s come, especially with me when we’re alone as he’s often sitting laying at my side and is even coming for scratches/cuddles while outside or in high stress situations.
Next week I’ll make some Maki rolls for Makizuishi (aka Maki man or the doggo formerly known as Sushi) and myself to celebrate xmas, cooked salmon in his obviously. I’ll try to snap some pics to share as he’s adorable, lately I’ve been too caught up playing or scratching him to take many though.
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Maki sounds like these guys.
They came from abuse and were overly aggressive.
Love my wife but took me nearly a year to win them over and now we’re homies.
Turned out to be worth the bites.
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He felt bad for trying to use your ankle as a chew toy.
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After biting me a few times and not getting a beating ours seemed to get it.
I still talk calmly while correcting aggressive behavior as a raised or even angry voice is instant triggering.
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Nice work man! Way to stay at it! I like the regular kongs. I stuff the inside with kibble, plug the end with some soft food, and then freeze it. Takes him a bit to lick out the frozen end, and then he gets the kibble at the end. I think they really helped keep him off the stuff I didn’t want him to chew. 
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Such adorable doggos, rescues are definitely a lot more work but I don’t question for an instant that it’s worth it. It’s becoming more and more apparent that while his original owners clearly loved him, they didn’t give him the structure or boundaries needed for him to learn good behaviour. It’s incredible how well he’s responding with a stable routine. Well that and someone who doesn’t mind being an occasional chew toy
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So far the scorecards are:
He’s got both hands, my right arm, both legs and my left foot (technically ankle but we’ll give him the point); he just needs my right foot and left arm and he’s got all the limbs.
I’ve got points for: not having my face eaten for 37 consecutive days, 33 chomp free days with 25 in a row as the current streak to beat, progressed from food/treat giver to DBS (designated butt scratcher) and unlocking lap dog achievement as well as belly rub mode.
So I’m not sure who’s winning overall lol
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That’s been my experience, as much as it sucks being bitten (especially when the wee rage gremlin partially cripples me) but each time it happens and I don’t react but calmly tell him “no, go to bed” and de-escalate the situation and then ignore him until he’s calm; the more he learns he doesn’t need to react to be safe and the more baggage he unpack’s lol.
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The bad habits are learned not ingrained.
You got this you will succeed!
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We put peanut butter in our Kongs as a treat.
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Hard to see a Hundred pound Hound Dog in this Puppy.
Here is Lurch at 6-7 months old
RIP buddy
(Ha, he had my nose and my Ex’s knees)
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