Facebook page.Just a brief intro from myself and Joseph J. Dog (a/k/a JoJo, Handsome Joe, Boss Dawg, etc., etc.). I recently adopted JoJo from a large adoption event in March. He was apparently a stray picked up by animal control and was at the pound for 3 weeks before being brought to the event for adoption. All pound dogs are a bit of a crap shoot, but he was so calm, cool and collected while in a huge coliseum filled with dogs for adoption that I thought he would be a good choice. He fit my size requirements (I like to hike and jog and wanted a dog that would enjoy those activities). They told he me was a 1.5 year old Dutch Shepherd mix.
The honeymoon period was our first two weeks together. He was the calmest, quietest dog I'd ever seen. Quiet everywhere. House, car, etc. Very mellow. Once the honeymoon was over, all bets were off. Three weeks in he went batshit crazy (pardon the expletive). Running around the place like he had a rocket lodged up his posterior, reallllllly "chompie," but luckily once I started reading about the breed, I understood why. So the immediate goal was house training him, crate training him, and getting him to walk on a leash and respond to some basic commands. And learn what stairs were (I live on the 3rd floor), and that the toilet wasn't a monster that was going to swallow him whole. I quickly learned that the more structure the better with The Joe. Some days I felt like a drill sergeant, but he responds well to it, so I kept at it. And he has learned. Quickly (which I love).
He's an 800% happier dog and I am an 800% happier owner, after we've come to a few important understandings as dog an owner, and gotten house training and most of the basics under our belts. We have a long way to go, but he's decided to adopt me, as well, so we're in it for the long haul.
Suffice it to say I am here to learn, since this ain't your average dog and we still have a lot of work to do. With that in mind, thanks for your patience!
Sherri
