The Necessity of Naughty

[Donald McCaig]

http://cynography.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-necessity-of-naughty.html#comment-form

[GentleLake]

I have always said when a puppy of mine is being naughty or someone complains of their naughty puppy that it's a good thing and that I'd be worried about them if they weren't naughty! It's a healthy and normal part of development.

 

And I've always rejoiced when a shut down or timidly reserved foster or adoptee does something naughty. It's a good sign they're on the road to recovery.

[D'Elle]

I really liked that blog post, and am glad to be introduced to that blog.

 

I remember when I had Kelso, whom many of you remember, and he did his first playful-naughty things like rushing the cat, and how overjoyed I was. These days, I hear, he is frequently playful in slightly naughty ways, like grabbing his person's plastic file folder and carrying if off. Playful-naughty is good, even in a well trained adult. Keeps things spicy and fun, just as human humor does for people. I personally believe that dogs and other animals can have a sense of humor, although some people will debate that. But those people don't live with my cat.

 

I am always in the market for great blogs to follow especially if they include dogs.

[urge to herd]

Thanks for sharing this, Donald. It sums up the experiences I had with Shoshone, my beautiful sociopath-in-a-dog suit. She did eventually start to be naughty in a playful way, would even wrestle with me for a minute at a time.

 

Will be subscribing to this blog, wonderful stuff!

 

Ruth and Gibbs

[gcv-border]

Another thanks for sharing this essay. What a great realist, and with a sense of humor.

 

I fostered a shut-down, unsocialized puppy mill dog and this essay could have been about her.

 

I like naughty dogs too.

[Jexa]

I love this. Cheekiness springs from confidence and happiness. I frequently tell Rudder he could do with a little less confidence and happiness...little bastard thinks it's his job to stir the pot, and he's veeeeery good at it, the goofball.

 

Her foster Barry White sounds exactly like our latest foster girl, Lark. She huddled silently in the back of my car for several hours when I picked her up, and shuts down quickly in response to almost any stimulus. We also have a strict "no fosters on the furniture" for the same reasons she does, but when Lark jumped up on the couch I was thrilled, and encouraged it. She's a very anxious, shy dog and likes to circle the couch obsessively whenever something upsets her, which is often. Usually I can interrupt her by calling her to me, but she wants to take off again immediately. When I called her and she jumped up on the couch, however, she settled and now seems to consider it her safe place. Couldn't be happier. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come. Be naughty, Lark.

[geonni banner]

Thanks for posting this!

 

I am reminded of when I got Sugarfoot. She was afraid of everything. She quickly bonded with me, but was very easily spooked. She had her phase of automaton-like compliance, and then she gradually became bumptious. But pressure or new/loud things would quickly send her back into "it's gonna eat me!"

 

People kept saying, "When are you going to train her to quit doing XYZ?"

 

I would answer, "Not yet."

 

I got her at 7 mos. When she was 4 she settled. She is now 9. For nearly 5 years she has been a well-adjusted, well-trained dog. Her health is good, and I hope she will be around for another 5 years.

 

They're all different.

[urge to herd]

Shoshone was terrified when she came to live with us. She'd spent at least a year, maybe more with only a half sibling for companionship. She saw a human maybe 1x/week, if that.

 

She didn't ever become 'normal', but she got to the point that she'd take a treat from a stranger with no problems. I've told the story on the boards of the first time she wagged her tail at our informal dog park. Most of the humans knew the other humans and all the dogs pretty well. Somebody said, 'Look, Shonie's wagging her tail!' and there was a big, but quiet,

"Awwww" from the humans.

 

It's always a joy to see an animal learn to trust after it's been neglected or abused.

[Sue R]

Our daughter, Lisa, had a dog in foster with her a short while and I was visiting her during part of that time. The dog, named Holden (at the time), was apparently terrified of making a "wrong move". He was a beautiful black and white male Border Collie, and all he did was try to blend into the mat by the door to the house, hoping no one would notice him.

 

Of course, we noticed him! One or the other of us would sit on the floor and just talk gently to him. If it was time for him to be pottied, you could just walk up and clip on a leash, and he would go with you. The moment he was back inside and unclipped, he'd flee to the safety of the door mat once again.

 

He had the sweetest face and his tail would barely thump when you spoke to him more than a few words. Each day, we'd try to convince him that it was okay, desirable even, to come off his mat for a pet or a treat. It was hard going. After I'd been there most of a week, while Lisa was otherwise occupied, I managed to entice him to follow me halfway up her hallway. It was a great accomplishment on his part to take a few steps, lie down as flat on his chest as he could get, thump his tail gently once or twice, and then repeat, until he was venturing into absolutely new territory that he couldn't see from his door mat.

 

Why the rush on our part? Because when I was leaving at the end of the week, he was going with me, back to WV with two other rescue dogs, and then on to meet the rest of his transport staff after a few days. He went to Mid-Atlantic BCR (Lisa's pipelined a few nice deserving dogs their way) and on to a new home with a couple who already had a rescue female.

 

Laurie and husband renamed him "Finn" and have given him the kind, loving, gentle life he deserves (don't they all?) so that he has blossomed into a very happy dog. He "sings" for his supper. He loves his canine companion, Kate. He goes out and socializes all over town. He might still be a little reserved out of the house around strangers but he's confident and happy. He even went on a road trip with his Dad last year, way out West. And all that from a dog that was so shut down with fear that he couldn't bring himself to get off the door mat...

 

Has he ever been naughty since finding his place in the world. I'm sure, but likely in a very gentlemanly way because I can hardly picture him otherwise!

 

Here's to all the good folks who rescue, transport, and rehome the dogs that just need a chance! And to those who take whatever dog they have and love, and help that dog to be the happiest dog he/she can be - even at the vet office!

[alligande]

Thanks for sharing this Mr McCaig, I love watching foster dogs come out of their shells, and learn to be feisty. We had a young border collie who was maybe a year old, when he came to us he was unable to walk on a leash, would not accept pate from my husband, he was just a typical shut down young border collie. Within a month he was a monster, leaping of the furniture, trying to sit on my husbands head, all round good fun. He already had a home waiting for him Germany (lots of dogs get adopted in to Germany form all over Spain but they have to wait for someone to escort them on the flight as it is really cheap to fly them as luggage but very expensive as cargo) if he had not I knew it was time that we could start training and learning about house manners and being a good pet. I was concerned that the flight would set him back, but he got of the plane full of confidence and has never looked back. It just took a month of being very patient and allowing him all the space he needed.