New from Iowa!

[wahinelf]

I like Saga's "Princess farty pants" nickname. And Nigel is cuuuuuute!

[Hillside]

Sadly, for a couple different reasons, Nigel did not work out in our household. Looks like it's back to the drawing board.

[Lauren]

Oh, I am sorry. What happened?

[vneerland]

Welcome Corrie, and the continuing Saga. I am sorry that it did not work out. Can you tell us what went wrong?
Humming 'We're only making plans for Nigel" in my head now.

[Hillside]

I live in a college neighborhood and he had been raised in a more rural setting. It was obvious that he hadn't been exposed to jack squat before I took him home. He had only been in the car to go to the vet, so no fun trips to the store or the park. He was extremely fear aggressive and reactive to every single thing in my busy neighborhood, people (up to a block away) other dogs and even cars. Everything was a threat that needed to be eliminated. He was SO stressed by the situation that he only went potty a couple times because he was so overwhelmed. And yes, I realize that it can take time for a dog to settle into a new home, but he just kept escalating the more comfortable with me that he got. His previous owner misrepresented his temperament and I think too, his age. I asked the guy 3 times to provide me with his birthdate and he never complied. Considering his son was the one who bred the litter, that information should have been easy to obtain. Nigel's teeth looked far more mature than a 6-7 month old's should have been. Also, I think his mix was also misrepresented, as well, which wouldn't have been a big deal were it not for the other issues. If he were really JUST a Malinois/Dutch mix, his body type and head were way off. His face had an almost Akita like shape to it. I know that a shepherd isn't supposed to be everybody's best friend, nor would I expect one to be, but I need a dog that I can at least take for walks and that can deal with seeing people. With my living situation, there is no way I could have gradually eased him into "city" life. This was supposed to be my "activity" dog. The dog that I would go hiking with, do dog sports with, etc. Even with a hot dog waved under his nose, I couldn't sway his focus away from the "threat", even though we had been doing focus/name work with the clicker in the house and he had been doing beautifully.
I will also add that when I brought my Doberman home, she too had some re-activity issues, but I was able to at least distract her (and she is the least food/praise/play motivated dog I have ever met.) Nigel just seemed overall unstable. Maybe, given time, I could have got him to the point where he could at least tolerate seeing people, but it wouldn't have been fair to either of us for me to keep him in this situation. Also, and this may be another nitpicky thing, but any 6-7 month old pup that I have met will generally show some interest in another dog that is trying to solicit play. Saga is a shameless flirt and he totally ignored her and didn't show any interest. It's another reason I think his age was misrepresented. Saga doesn't have an in your face play style and whenever he looked at her sideways, she would try to flirt and offer play and or comforting signals.

The guy I got him from went from being impressed that I actually knew what the breed was and was about to telling me that I didn't have a clue and a "guard breed like this" can't possibly be expected to be able to deal with really much of anything. That it was pretty much unreasonable of me to want to be able to take my dog for a walk without him trying to eat everyone. I may have got a LITTLE snarky with him at that statement...I reminded him that I have been around Dobermans who were developed to do NOTHING BUY be personal bodyguards, not multipurpose sheepdogs/guards for years and reminded him that I had taught obedience classes for several years and had a broad selection of breeds and types in my classes. I may LOOK young, but I AM in my 30s and have a decent amount of dog experience under my belt.

[vneerland]

Sorry for you and also sorry for Nigel. I hope he finds his way and place in life.

[Jan]

It's just to bad it didn't work out but I'm convinced you did your best Corrie. Strange that the breeders son couldn't tell you the age of Nigel. Wishing him a fine new home soon.

[Lauren]

You have to follow your heart on these things. This is a family member after all. It sounds like he would have been miserable in the city and made you that way as well. You never really know till you try it out!

I hope you find your hiking buddy soon!

[leih merigian]

So sorry it didn't work out. Please keep us informed as your search continues!

[Raven]

Man, am I gonna love reading your posts! Welcome to you and your very fine-looking beasts! (Keep that humor up; you'll need it.)

[Marjolein]

I'm sorry it didn't work out

[CaroleBoaz]

Sorry, it didn't work out. Are you looking for another DS?

[kchristy]

Sorry it didn't work out. You are right though, a dog that isn't socialized could cause so much stress for you living in the city. Hopefully you will be able to find a friend soon.

[Christie M]

I'm sorry that he wasn't a fit for you, but congrats on making a good decision for your needs. I hope that the jerk finds a good place for him before he ends up in a shelter, but it sounds like he has already failed the dog.

[Hillside]

Again, thanks to you all as a whole for your support. I know that often on forums, since people don't know you in person, they tend to wear their judge-y pants, especially when you are brand new to a forum. I'm definitely not getting that vibe here. On Sunday, the day that I decided to bring Nigel back, there were definitely some tears shed. In the house with me, he was an amazing dog and I could totally see what he could have been, had he had a better start. It was sad bringing him back, but the prevailing feeling I had when I got in my car to leave was one of total relief. I know I will miss him and think often about whatever happened to him, but he really wasn't the right dog for me. Which is all that really matters when it boils down to it. I do feel that a Dutch Shepherd or a Malinois do definitely fit me though. I would definitely like a DS to be my next dog, though I can see myself with something else if it happens to be the right dog. Ideally though, future dog is going to be of the striped variety.