Rufus usually just gets another dog's ball and then takes off with it. I have been collecting (buying) balls of every type to keep in my pouch so that if I can not get the ball away from him we can give a brand new ball to the other dog. Rufus thinks that it is not a very nice thing for me to do, because he really wants the new ball too.
When we arrive at the park. I usually make the dogs wait in the car until I know that I have a good hold on them before they get out. I have had both of the dogs go bolting out of the car and into the park just barking at all the other dogs there and totally ignoring me. So in that instance, when I can get a hold of both of them., Dexter is usually the better of the 2 and will come back almost right away, we all go back to the car. I make them jump in to the back and I close the door. We wait another 2 or 3 minutes and try again. If they try to jump out right away, then we wait for another few minutes. I do have patience when it comes to both of them behaving at the park entrance.
There is a lady that walks her dogs sometimes at the same time as we do. Rufus does not like one of her dogs. They are both usually very good except when they see Rufus. Of course Rufus is the same, he sees them and all of a sudden he is a different "bad" dog.
Right now at the park the grass is so high that sometimes we don't see people until we are almost on top of them. So herein lays the problem. Rufus will take off after the other dogs, mostly to say "hello", until of course he smells who they are. Then it can go just about anywhere. I do know that Rufus has nipped the owner of the dogs at least once. I am not pleased to know that he would do that. WE always try to go the other way when we see each other from a distance. I try to grab the short leash on Rufus and lead him away. I would like to say that I am successful, but not always. If Rufus is in a very playful mood he does not obey as much as I would like him to. If he does not come right back and walk then once I catch him, we come home for a while. Sometimes it is just an hour or sometimes it is for the rest of the day. Depending on how badly he is misbehaving.
If Rufus has really misbehaved then when we get home is is told to sit until I tell him he can move. He comes into the house and hangs his head and just looks at me as if to say "I'm sorry" But depending on the extent of the misbehavior, he will still have to sit for about 5 minutes.
There was a time when I went and changed my clothes and washed up and then I came back down stairs to just check on him. He did not move a muscle. I think he still had the same expression on his face too.
Every time I looked at him he just hung his head lower and lower. Once I finally let him move about a little bit more he just really made sure that he did not step out of line.
For the next few days he is the best behaved dog at the park. He is never more than about 100 feet from me and he always looking over his shoulder at me as if to ask permission.
He is a work in progress. He seems to feel comfortable again and someone or something will get him going again.
Rufus seems to know when I have deemed his behaviour "bad" and depending on the day will either come to within a foot of me and take off or he will come right back. On the days he is avoiding me we come home as I catch him and
Other days especially when we are camping, he goes into the dog run.
Both Dexter and Rufus like to make people passing by that I am a terrible "mom". They have the saddest expressions on their faces and look at everyone like I have just condemned them to "life"
We have even had to wait and go out first thing in the morning. And that is where we are heading today as soon as this is posted.
Have a good day everyone!!
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