[gunslingerspride]

Hi this is shawna. I dont know if you all remember me but I am the one who had the 14 year old shepard that I was struggling with whether to put down or not. Well he took that decision away from us thank god he went in his sleep. Well what I need help with is about 3 months after I lost him my husband got me another dog to try to take away some of the devastation and I know nothing about this breed. He is a St. Bernard, lab mix. What I have noticed so far is he is very protective and can be very aggressive. He listens well except for when there is someone in the house even if we have told him it is okay. He is still a puppy about a year and a half. He is very loving, Ive lost my grandpa a little while back and when I am down or crying he wont leave my side. He gets along fine with the little dogs. When we got him from the pound he was only 65lbs. Now he is probably more like 90 or 100. Basically I am asking about this kind of breed and any info you can give me on it and how to get more weight on him. I have pictures of both of them attached if you want to see

[BetterDog4U]

Properly socialized the SB is a great dog and is very friendly. The same with the lab.

Dont worry to much about putting on the weight. As long as you dont see the hip bones, spine or ribs he will be just fine. Active "younger" dogs burn tons of calories.

Without "seeing" the dog in action, I can only guess. It could very well be a confidence issue. If you dont allow the dog to spend time meeting new ppl and new dogs on a regular basis, they can become anti-social or even defensive.

Basic training and trick training are both very efective ways of building confidence.

Here are a few links that you might find useful ...

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/saintbernard.htm

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/labrador.htm

[gunslingerspride]

I dont know that it isnt that he wasnt socialized right. We got him from the pound and before he went there he was in a foster home and then went there. He went after our neighbor the first night that we got him home. He is the most protective dog I have ever seen

[BetterDog4U]

I'm only guessing here ... I just read your post in the "memorial" section and something came to mind.

When I lost Chip I was very depressed for a few months. During that time i got Neka. She was very "stand-offish" with me for the first month or so and didnt really warm up to me or other ppl and dogs.

After I "came to grips with the grief" and let go, we began to bond. I honestly believe that she senced that I was mentally weak and she didnt fully trust me because of it. I began to spend lots of time with her, training, walking and just hanging out with her. After building the bond of trust, she warmed up to me and everyone we came in contact with. Our bond has made all of the difference and she is a completely different dog.

[ann_hawes]

I know that when I bring a dog home from the shelter, I either expect to see the very best they can be or the very worst within the first day or two. They don't know what's expected of them and just sort of try too hard. Either way, I always start building a bond with them and showing them what I want from them. Years ago, I adopted a Rottie that had not been off a 4 foot chain since he was 6 weeks old, and he was about 2 when I got him. I don't have chains here. When he would hear a car or someone walking down the street while he was in the yard, he would literally throw himself into the fence over and over, snarling and throwing slobber in every direction and sometimes even injuring himself. It took time and consistancy but within 2 years, he was a therapy dog. I think that one needed to know that someone else was in charge and that the household was safe.

[Momto3]

It just takes extra effort with rescues. Some are so easygoing they just fit right in and you'd never believe they've had so much upset in their lives. Others take time and a lot of patience/training before they understand this is their forever home and this is what is expected of them. I've never had a Saint but OMG I think the first thing that "lapdog" would be learning is "no furniture"! He is a beautiful boy and congratulations!

[Furbilator]

I agree that he is probably just trying to 'find his place' in the home but without a complete history it is unknown as to what his triggers are. You will have to watch, learn and patiently retrain him to the rules of your household. The bonding between you and him will come along with the training and attention. Just think that if it was you who had come from that scary pound into another unknown situation you would probably be a little fearful, maybe defensive and not on your best footing emotionally. Takes time.

[gunslingerspride]

I don't want you guys to get the wrong idea. Actually he fit in perfectly from the very start. It only took once to get him not to mark and he learned from that. He fit in great. We are in the country and we got him for a watch dog and believe me that is exactly what he is. He bonded to me a little when he got here. After a week he went from sleeping at the bottom of the bed to beside me at the top. And the one who said he is a lapdog is right, that is exactly what he thinks he is. For being so young he is very well mannered just very protective. He gets in between me and my husband even but not in an aggressive way. When Im blue or crying he never leaves my side and I have never had a baby like that. He is very sure of himself and will go after anything that isnt supposed to be here. Does anyone know what the laws are about a dog biting someone on your own property if you have beware of dog signs up? He is a very good baby and as my husband says I am definetly Boomer's (I call him Boo). He seems very very smart. Im just not real familiar with the breed. My little dog jumps up and grabs his tail and he does nothing. He loves the little dogs. The only problem is he can drag me on a leash if he so chooses lol. I love him in a different way. It sounds crazy but he seems to be a mix of all the good dogs Ive lost. It seems I can see a little of them in him every once in a while. Any more advice I would be happy to hear it.

[Momto3]

Originally Posted by gunslingerspride

The only problem is he can drag me on a leash if he so chooses lol. I love him in a different way. It sounds crazy but he seems to be a mix of all the good dogs Ive lost. It seems I can see a little of them in him every once in a while. Any more advice I would be happy to hear it.

Then you need to train. Merlin tried that dragging me on a leash and I just turned him in a circle a couple times and that was the end of that. Wish I could say the same about Mozart. Mozie needs some basic obedience classes for sure.

I sure understand about the "a mix of all the dogs you've lost". When Maxwell passed he took a HUGE part of my heart with him. He was a chocolate cocker with a LOY of health problems. I swore to myself I would have another one day but NEVER one who looked like him. I never want to look at one dog and think of the lost dog. It took more than a year of not really looking to find Merlin - a chocolate parti even tinier than Maxwell. I found him at a rescue expo I was working and he barely left my arms that day. Took him home a week later. He's got the same tone of chocolate that Max had but he's parti. He's got the same delicate features but he's about 10 lbs lighter. Verrrry small boned little guy. Can't help but compare Merlin to Maxwell sometimes and I even call him Max on occasion but they have/had very different personalities. I'm running outta cocker spaniel colors!

[BetterDog4U]

Originally Posted by gunslingerspride

I love him in a different way. It sounds crazy but he seems to be a mix of all the good dogs Ive lost. It seems I can see a little of them in him every once in a while. Any more advice I would be happy to hear it.

That sounds like your connection from the past to the present. Celibrate it!!!

In my situation, both Neka and Patchs do things to remind me of Chip. Patchs even does a few things from time to time that makes me think Chip is actually in there somewere ... When it happens, I say, "Hi Chip, I see you!!!" (we used to play "peek-a-boo")