Hello from me & my 2 rescues, Belle a mongrel collie x (age 11-ish) and Coco a German Shepherd x Labrador (age nearly 2). Coco was so boisterous when we got him last September, but with consistent and varied training he is becoming much more manageable
Hello to you both! Jackie looks lovely and what a lucky dog to have found his way to you.He must be feeling pretty confused ,he's old enough to to have become attached to his previous life and sounds like he has had a fair bit of upheaval poor chap x He may settle down to his food in a little while when he feels more settled and permanent with you,a vet check is a very good idea though and will give you an opportunity to discuss your concerns with your vet .Enjoy getting to know each other Best Wishes x
Update: the more settled Jackie gets, the better behaved. He has some trouble defecating while on a lead, I think because he was what my sister calls a "yard dog", so he's had a couple of accidents. He's managed it twice, and I praised him for it, so I have some hope. He wont take treats while on a walk, so I couldn't reward for it. I've switched him completely over on a BARF diet, similar to what Godzilla the Bassett gets. He's very enthusiastic about it, and will take ham treats almost all the time. Just not on a walk. He's clearly never seen chickens before coming here. He keeps trying to hunt them, even though their run is protected by an electric fense. I wasn't fast enough to stop him today and he got shocked while doing recall training on longline. I feel terrible about it. He'd been ignoring them so well, then a rooster crowed and he zipped off before I could step on the line. His training from his former owner is a mystery. He knows some commands, that's pretty clear. He tries so hard, it's very endearing. He's even managed to motivate couch-potato Godzilla, which is an unexpected plus. So far, he is turning out to be a fantastic dog.
Update after the Vet visit: Jackie got a clean bill of health, a vaccine, and an ID-chip. The Vet obliged me and checked Jackie twice whether he was already chipped, just in case. They also thought it was a good precaution, as they had seen 2 cases of stolen dogs brought for chipping this year. Jackie was not previously chipped, (what a nightmare that would have been). The vet also point-blank refused to believe that Jackie is any kind of pure breed labrador, because of his large jaws. He insisted that Jackie probably has some 'fighting dog' blood in him to have such huge jaws. I don't personally find Jackie's jaws that big, he just looks like a Lab to me. The vet also agreed that Jackie is very well-behaved and kindly, as he didn't react to either needle and didn't mind the Vet groping him during the general exam. He was deemed the perfect size for his age, not too fat not too slim, and otherwise in good health. While we were in town, I also got Jackie a new harness and his own tags for his collar. We visited my sister and her American cocker spaniel as well and walked around a 'dog' area. We were in town for about 4 hours. He was pretty tired when we got home. I don't know, does Jackie look like a mix to you guys?
Well, I cannot see what your vet sees! My younger Lab has a tiny bit of a 'staffy face' but he is definitely all Lab. You can see his photo on the left.
Welcome from me and my boy Pongo! Jackie looks beautiful, and all labrador as far as I can see. Looking forward to hearing all about him!
