The rehabilitation of Antonello is going really well. He has no issues whatsoever with big buddy Alfie anymore. The reason is mom and dad reevaluated the situation and could see that Alfie was doing a pretty good job of giving Anton a place in the pack. Anton wanted to climb to the top, a position he’s been allowed in before, but does a pretty crappy job with. One day he challenged Alfie, and since mom’s hand was injured she couldn’t do her usual dive-in and resolve the situation for them. This turned out to be a lucky throw, and mom was happy to see that Alfie wasn’t interested in fighting, he just wanted Antonello to become balanced. We’re proud to say that Alfie handled himself perfectly. He pressed down Anton to the floor and held him there until he gave up and peed out of submission. How do you like that!! Ever since then they’re great pals!
I wish I was more like Alfie in a way. When faced with a challenge I don’t back down either, but that’s rarely cuz I don’t want to fight. Cesar says Bulldogs are gladiators, but sometimes I wish I was more of a peace-maker, like Alfie. It all started one afternoon when we had finished eating. Mom did the dishes so she didn’t see that Anton and I were both scouting the floor for leftovers. At one point we bumped into each other, which resulted in a fight. Let’s just say I didn’t stand a chance…
Since then it’s a bit of a pickle getting us to let it go. I’d say I’m more willing to than Anton, but then again, I don’t share his past experiences. Anton is used to releasing his frustration through fighting, and it’s something he’s had to do to get by. If I had a chance to set him straight it wouldn’t be quite as difficult, but I don’t, and I’m not really the right man for the job either… Going for a long walk, just him and I, would’ve helped a lot. It might even be the entire solution; to let us spend more time together. The thing is I can’t go for long walks, I barely live through short ones, so that is out of the question. Spending more time together is what we’re doing now, which means we get to know each other while our folks are presented with the possibility of adjusting the scenario and correcting the mistakes we all make. Through all of this it’s important to remember that Anton is great with 8 out of 9 dogs in the pack, and the mistakes he makes are just a fraction of all the good he brings and does.
Some old neighbors of ours have adopted Archie, one of the dogs coming to Sweden soon. The woman was on the phone with mom, and then mom told her about Antonello. Archie and Anton used to be pals in Spain, and this couple was actually looking to get another dog soon, so guess what they did! They decided to take both of them!! Mom and dad visited them a week ago, and that’s when it was all decided, since they really liked Anton and he seemed very comfortable with them. Now we’re awaiting Archie to come home first, settle down in his new home, and see where we’re at with Anton. He will be moving there, but not until we’re done with him!
Anton has made some super progress during the 3 weeks he’s been with us. He acts like a perfect gentleman at mealtime, laying down and looks away until they say it’s okay to eat. He then eats calmly. He no longer gets overly excited when it’s time for a walk, and he’s very well-behaved outside and on the lead. He’s okay to leave alone at home, too! He doesn’t care when they leave, and he’s quiet when they’re gone, but sometimes he starts barking a little when they’re about to open the door to come back in. This will go away with time and some more work, which is easy for the new owners to do. It can be a good thing to let the new owners “finish” the last 10% of the rehab, if they are up for it and are properly educated on how it’s done. It gives them an opportunity to close the circle, finish the process, and accomplish balance, which in itself is good for the process of establishing leadership over a new dog. As long as they are properly equipped for the challenge!
Mom and dad have pondered the question if Anton would have fought with someone else if I hadn’t been here, or if it’s a matter of us two not getting it together for several reasons. Well, they think that considering where he was at when he arrived, he probably would have fought anyone, to begin with. I mean, he did try it with Alfie. It wasn’t until several days later that we had our first fight, up until then he barely even knew I was alive! Why we stick to it, though, are for other reasons, cuz Anton is no longer in the same place he used to be. One is that we never get a chance to finish it, because our folks keep breaking it up. It’s either that or I’m out, but it doesn’t matter cuz they don’t allow fighting. Another reason is that Anton still isn’t fully balanced, of course. If he had been, he wouldn’t pick fights at all. He needs more time, he needs more practice. He needs more opportunities to succeed. After all, 3 weeks isn’t a long time considering what we had to work with!
What’s happening is that Anton wears a muzzle inside, because there’s no way our folks can keep an eye on him all the time. That’s not even a good idea, cuz it wouldn’t make a very relaxed environment. Instead there will be times that he tries something stupid, which gives them a chance to correct it, and no one gets hurt. He gets better and better every day. Today is also the first day I’ve actually growled at him for looking at me the wrong way, instead of choosing to fight. This alerted mom so she could break it off before it had even started. That’s more like it!
In spite of it all, we’re thankful for this issue. It is Anton’s way of telling us he’s still not ready to go, and he still needs our help. Although I’m sure he could move tomorrow and the new owners wouldn’t know there’s something wrong, it wouldn’t be right, because it still means there’s more work to do. We’re happy when Anton doesn’t resort to fighting anymore, when it’s been washed out of his system, when he’s been shown there’s another way. That’s when we can truly see it as a successful rehabilitation.
And we’re getting there.
Bulldog Diary 