Hi Christy,
No pics from the night, but a few good tales to tell.
The car ride to the pet store went as well as can be expected. I think he's definitely picking up on what "Sit" means since I push his butt down every time I say it in the car. I don't understand why he prefers to stand since it just makes him less stable.
I was worried about him marking inside the store (I went to C & C on Hollywood Way rather than a giant PetCo where I have to assume plenty of dogs have already marked). He peed right before we went inside on the grass median and then once inside he didn't mark at all! He was a complete gentleman, not taking down the snack aisle or ripping toys off shelves. I'm quite proud of him.
A guy that was checking out when I was commented how beautiful he is, and guessed the breed immediately: "chocolate lab/pit bull?" he asked. This was the first person Mickey wagged his tail at when meeting. All other people (all women previously) he only sniffed and carried on without an opinion. Later in the evening he met my neighbor and wagged for him as well. I suspected at first that he just liked guys (and might be useful to me in meeting a guy :) ), but I remembered the guy at the pet store was buying a cat toy and my neighbor owns a cat as well. So now I'm theorizing that he wags at the smell of cats, not men.
We still haven't seen any cats on the street yet. I actually am very curious why. The cats in my 'hood are pretty vicious. The last time I fostered a pit bull I was concerned for her safety as they literally stalked us down the sidewalk and she just stood there staring. I thought for certain she was going to get her face ripped off.
As for dogs, Mickey's totally friendly. We've run into a few (all little dogs), and he's friendly and tail wagging all the way. They look more hesitant than he. He only raised a paw to the first one we met, I think in an attempt to play, but the little one didn't go for the play. Each time we walk away from meeting one of them, he lets out a little whine, wanting a bit more time to spend with them.
There are two mean little yappy dogs at the corner house down the street from me. They've been there forever, and I don't think I have ever seen the old chihuahua not barking. Yesterday was the first time they were out when we were and Mickey picked up the pace to greet him through the fence (the cocker mix wasn't there, just the old chihuahua). I was surprised because the old dog actually walked toward Mickey, not barking at all. They sniffed each other pleasantly through the chain link fence. My joy didn't last long though. I noticed Mickey turn sideways against the fence and I knew just what he was about to do right before his back paw left the ground. I sternly stated, "Mickey, no, don't pee on him!" and gave a little tug on the leash. Immediately the little dog started barking, called in the reinforcements, and we had to walk away as the two barked at us all the way around the corner.
This morning the little one was out again, and again, he was silent and let Mickey approach him. He barked for a bit, let us turn the corner and then approached again. They sniffed politely in silence and this time Mickey moved down to the corner post a foot away from the dog and peed. The little dog walked over, read whatever Mickey wrote, stepped back, then lifted his leg in Mickey's direction and responded. Mickey sniffed the new correspondence and added an addendum on it. I was quite impressed with the negotiations, and thought it would end in a peace treaty, but after Mickey's final plea, the little dog barked us away from his land.
I do think Mickey gets along with dogs, but last night I saw the side of him that probably his fosters saw: the Mickey on Crack. It was short lived, but it was like he finally felt comfortable enough with me to let his hair down. He pounced after a ball, ungracefully ran to me in the small living room, bouncing about in puppy like manner. I can see how it's fun with the right dog, but it could be annoying to some dogs who don't want to be so exuberant all the time.
He's gaining confidence; in fact I had to pause mid-paragraph as he let out his first bark at a passerby he saw through the window. I'm not sure what the stopping to jump on me while we go on walks is. It's not a rambunctious invite to play. It's like an expounding on his original just turn and look at me while walking. Now he turns, looks, and rises up to place his front paws on my hips and wag his tail. I'm trying to discern if this is the equivalent of a body-bump in dog language, a little play invite or something of the sort.
His beginning to play is encouraging. He's testing his boundaries. I have pointed out what are toys in the apartment and he's shown little to no interested beyond a five second notice. I went to take a shower this morning but before I fully closed the door I heard a thump from the living room, I walked in, and found him standing in the middle of the room with one of my hiking books in his mouth. I took it back, told him no, and showed him the other objects he had to choose from. He didn't pick them up again.
He is very smart and I have no doubt that with the right trainer he will learn very quickly whatever you wish him to do. He's totally getting Sit, although in the beginning he thought the command was "Sit" along with the motion of me putting my hand on his head. He wouldn't sit without the hand movement. Today he's getting better. The hand movement was totally my fault. To try to get him to not eat so fast I've been trying to get him to sit and calm down before I set the bowl down. Once I get the bowl full, he's bouncing around me on his hind legs, his center of gravity gone, and quite frankly I'm amazed he hasn't tumbled into a wall or hurt himself he gets himself into such a frenzy. Because of this state of bonkers, when I said Sit, I couldn't reach around to push his butt down, nor had the magic motion I see trainers do with a treat ever work. Instead I reached for the only thing I could during his dancing--his head. A friend of mine
can calm her dog simply by placing her hand on his head so the motion was two-fold. Over just a few times, he got it. He still eats way to fast, but we're working on it.
I've introduced him to the Kong. He doesn't seem big on peanut butter, but utilizing the Kong for his food is working. He figured it out pretty quickly, but it at least forces him to take a little more time when eating.
I'm not sure what it is I'm feeding him (possibly the treats) or if it's the antibiotics, but last night he displayed military grade silent but deadly gas attacks. No sound is associated with this; it's bio-terrorism at its worst, just a clear cloud of noxious gas that rises up from him and hits you without warning. I hope to never experience that again.
Good news also: there have been no accidents (or "on purposes") to report. I think he understands that it's inappropriate to do so inside and he is holding it longer. I still don't fully trust him, but I give him kudos for his progress.
I think I'd like to take you up on your offer to babysit for him for a brief time tomorrow if you can. My orthodontist appointment is at 5:20 in Glendale (Glenoaks and Brand), so I'm wondering if perhaps you could meet me there at 5:15 and just take him for a walk while I'm inside for twenty minutes or so. Tomorrow morning I need to look at a house, and I'm going to take him with me and see how he is sitting in the car alone for fifteen minutes. In that instance, I'll park in the driveway, which I'm still a little worried about doing, but I'll give it a whirl. i definitely don't want to leave him in the car in a parking lot by himself for even five minutes.
Let me know if you think that's possible. I'll try to get some more pics this afternoon when we go out.
-stephanie.
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