@NYwoman wrote:
Your dog does have unusual habits. He must have been so isolated, looking at the world go by. But he seems invested in your husband.
I was referring to work type tricks like bringing him an object or carrying something. And have you tried a dog park? Maybe he needs comraderie. I would still suggest agility work.
When I adopted my dog she would NEVER play with a toy, just didn't know what to do with them. I found that only hand puppets worked, for her. I guess being around an 80 yr old woman did not involve playing. She loved people and children. She was walked by a playground daily. I used to take her on trips to the library and stores to see and interact with people. She also loved car rides.
We did look into a dog park. Collie Rescue has a picnic every year. And all collies that have been adopted through Collie Rescue are invited. We have gone every year since we got him (3). And every year at least one of his relatives from the breeder are there. He will sniff the dog and walk away. He shows no interest in hanging out with the dog or catching up on news with the other dog.
In fact at the picnic he is only interested in going home. He is not interested in any of the dogs. He just follows my husbands every move.
He has some stuffed toys. They are still in pristine condition, we got them when we got him. He has no interest in the stuffed animals.
One of the Vets thought he was kept in a cage. His nose has a big scar across the top of the nose. She thought it was from him trying to get out of the cage. His jaw also is worn away in two spots, from trying to get out of the cage. And judging from the jaw, he was chewing on the cage for quite awhile.
So we are not sure how much he interacted with the other dogs at the breeder. But he doesn't seem to care for their company. My brother had a collie, that he brought for visits. My brothers dog was VERY SOCIAL. And they got along but my brothers dog would always go up to everyone and say Hi. And my dog just stood back and watched. It was fun for my brother's dog, not mine.
Last night was rough. The Eagles won a big game. So there were fireworks and noise outside. My dog spent his time under the dining room table. And then slept next to me much of the night. Noises upset him.
He was never in a car. And now he loves car rides. And we take him to Pet Fairs and different events. But he prefers to just go back into the car. Even in walks in the park. He will walk but he will make a beeline back to the car.
We try and let him set his comfort level. We try and enlarge his scope but he doesn't seem to care to go very far. And he can be stubborn so he lets you know if he reached his limit.
PS - He would not eat his breakfast yesterday or his dinner. I had to handfeed him both meals. Go figure.
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