Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
So, so very well done! You have proved that miracles are possible . Congratulations on a job very well done indeed!
Shamas the rescue....journey of a pound dog
- Thread starter Shamas mom
- Start date
Lisa
Moderator
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
Amazing! That was a lot of hard work I am sure. Good for you for being willing to invest the time to make a better life for Shamas! 
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Oh this is so lovely to read. In fact, I can't quite find the right words, I'm in awe of what your patient and consistent approach has achieved.
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
I've actually got tears welling, so happy has this made me. Well done Shamas and @Shamas mom 
- Location
- Canada
I want to thank all of you for your support over the last few years. I wouldn't have wished these issues on anyone as a first dog. Shamas came with a royal boatload of emotional baggage! But, I couldn't send him back either, and I know that it's common enough that difficult dogs go back.
Shamas is in line my fourth rescue, but the first one that required so much work. The other three are cats. Cats, you give them time, patience, love and understanding...eventually they come around. And while you wait, you provide a cozy hidey hole. It's not so interactive.
I'm grateful that Shamas is a Lab- my research indicates that Labs bounce back fairly quickly from trainers' mistakes(of which I'm sure I made many on him, my first dog)
My real turnaround came I think when I let my instincts kick in. Train less, lead more. Because I wasn't always worried about timing, etc, I relaxed, and so did he. when we came across a dog, instead of trying to distract him with treats, knowing he was already at/over threshold. I realized that I have 2 seconds to interrupt him before he crosses threshold and "goes off" so I shortened him to a 2-4foot lead. When we saw a dog I simply took the short end of the leash and moved away. He had little choice but to come with. No tug, yank, etc. Just mom walking away. Now he's got a little mental switch when he starts to lunge, and hits the end of the lead, but I keep walking..he stops and comes back to my side. No point in that, can't rear up anyway, not enough lead.
Shamas is in line my fourth rescue, but the first one that required so much work. The other three are cats. Cats, you give them time, patience, love and understanding...eventually they come around. And while you wait, you provide a cozy hidey hole. It's not so interactive.
I'm grateful that Shamas is a Lab- my research indicates that Labs bounce back fairly quickly from trainers' mistakes(of which I'm sure I made many on him, my first dog)
My real turnaround came I think when I let my instincts kick in. Train less, lead more. Because I wasn't always worried about timing, etc, I relaxed, and so did he. when we came across a dog, instead of trying to distract him with treats, knowing he was already at/over threshold. I realized that I have 2 seconds to interrupt him before he crosses threshold and "goes off" so I shortened him to a 2-4foot lead. When we saw a dog I simply took the short end of the leash and moved away. He had little choice but to come with. No tug, yank, etc. Just mom walking away. Now he's got a little mental switch when he starts to lunge, and hits the end of the lead, but I keep walking..he stops and comes back to my side. No point in that, can't rear up anyway, not enough lead.
- Location
- The Hague, The Netherlands
Completey in awe of your hard work and persistence.
Well done to you both
X
Well done to you both
X
Yes, you‘ve done really well @Shamas mom ! How are all the cats now?
- Location
- Close to Devon/Somerset border
@Shamas mom , you deserve an award. You've stuck with him through thick and thin and now have the pleasure of a dog who isn't scared s******s of everything, thanks to what you have done for him 
- Location
- Isle of Man
I really admire the way you have taken, no, gone along with Shamas on his journey. You have come such a long way together. Be proud.
- Location
- Canada
Well, Matt didn't need much help- he's a big, confident boy. He's currently 10 and on a weight loss journey from 24.8 to 12.5 lbs. ( he roams the house eating everyone else's food)We have him at 22 currently and are using the Hills T/D food. We'd prefer to use the canned, but Covid is causing supply issues so we're using kibble instead and also giving Fancy Feast. He recently had his teeth done, one was pulled and two were saved. Those will probably come out this coming year. He still doesn't feel the last 6 inches of his tail. We think it was frostbitten or otherwise damaged at some point while he was on the streets. He gets along pretty well with Shamas
Midnight, the half-starved feral born baby, is now 8 years old, and 13lbs. He's just this year starting to settle down. He's still VERY skittish- his mother taught him to run from Everything. Only myself and my eldest daughter who is his mommy can get close enough to pet him. But recently he's been sneaking into the room of my youngest (14) at night to have a look-see and visit Matt.
Helen-claws still lives up to her name. She was rescued from a hoarding situation, and when we got her, if you got close, she'd swipe and bite. We moved her into a closet, and let her bide her time. Even now, 7 years later, she lives in one room-my son's- and only comes out in the night when we're in bed. When we need to vet her, he brings her in the carrier. Helen has decided that she prefers the company of no cats or only Matt. She doesn't tolerate Midnight- he wants to play, but she beats him up instead. She will not share her resources because in this house she does not have to. For where she came from, Helen has settled down nicely considering her start in life. The way she carries a sock around in the middle of the night, bawling at the top of her lungs, we wondered if she'd bred young and lost the kits. She likes me, but I think that's because I feed her and change her litter lol.
We have allowed the animals to break up the house into territories as they see fit. Each cat has its own bedroom with its personal bowls and litter boxes., and Shamas took the living room and dining room. The cats took the kitchen, as it is the way to the basement, and they like to play in the ductwork. Shamas sometimes goes downstairs, but it's been agreed that he's only allowed down there supervised- the cats told him so lol. On the other side, only Matt roams the whole house because he's the only one that tells Shamas "no" when he tries to herd.
We did TRY to make the animals live in harmony at the start...but the cats ceded to the dog, who had NO impulse control, and barked at them. Using baby gates, we taught Shamas to see and not touch or yell. and the cats came back out and claimed space. Matt never ceded anything, so he remains the big boss boy. The only time Shamas yells at Matt is over his food bowl. Matt even lays in his bed
Well done, @Shamas mom and Shamas! That’s huge progress. 
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
- Location
- Canada
Yes, the house seems pretty busy sometimes. I always have stories about things that happen as a result of so many in the house. The most recent aquisition is a hamster who was bought for a teenager during a relationship and became homeless when they broke up ( boyfriend kept it, and mom wouldn't let the girl take it home) After nearly a year of keeping Bit, I told the girl to decide what she was going to do about him. She decided to put him online. Knowing that snake owners sometimes buy "free" rodents online as dinner for their pets, I decided to keep him. Bit has been moved from an old aquarium to a Habitrail cage, and is learning how climbing tunnels work. He's hibernating now, as the outside cold is making it inside through old windows..but by the time he starts getting more active he should be able to run the tunnels and I can expand the cage and attach a second one.
- Location
- Canada
So we've now got Shamas on Collegen for his nails, and Herring oil for his joints.
I'm sure we'll add more as he gets older lol. I put the fish oil on a plate for Matt too, as he's ten and overweight.
I'm going to have the vet keep an eye on that knee and add pain management when it becomes necessary. He's limped intermittently in damp/cold weather since we got him, and we planned to do xrays last year, but his dental surgery ran longer than expected(slab fracture top right back canine)
and we didn't want to push for his cleaning and Xrays. Probably do them in a batch this year. We want dental cleaning and xrays of his leg still.
I'm sure we'll add more as he gets older lol. I put the fish oil on a plate for Matt too, as he's ten and overweight.
I'm going to have the vet keep an eye on that knee and add pain management when it becomes necessary. He's limped intermittently in damp/cold weather since we got him, and we planned to do xrays last year, but his dental surgery ran longer than expected(slab fracture top right back canine)
and we didn't want to push for his cleaning and Xrays. Probably do them in a batch this year. We want dental cleaning and xrays of his leg still.
- Location
- Canada
5 years in, Shamas has work with a couple of behaviorists, but we struggle to keep him focused in the face of distractions--he's just too concerned with the world around him, and potential threats. I've called a new behavioralist, who works more with physical reinforcement, and vocal(praise, and pets) like I do. Better yet, she's mobile, and can work with him in the very places he's having trouble.
His Xrays, when we did them, cleared him of arthritis...but he's got loose ligaments. We're using neoprene wraps to support his carpal and searching for hock wraps that will fit him. We want minimal support, so that he still uses his muscles and can hopefully develop some. This last year, he has had some atrophy, and weight gain due to a spike in his anxiety causing him to refuse to leave the property unless driven. I've gone so far as to take him places by Cab, and then cab him home just to get him out. .
My eldest got a puppy about 10m ago, and she's helped Shamas a LOT. She has shown him that the world is a place to explore. And she'll walk right up to new dogs and people, while Shamas stands off to the side and watches.
That hamster passed one day, of a stroke or something...he was happily running around, then he was sleeping...only he went cold so he wasn't sleeping. He lived to about 2years?.
We're down to one cat now. One moved out with my son, the other got cancer and was put down after a month's fighting. And we recently found one of the two gerbils deceased. SO the busy house is much less busy now.
Matt's 12years old now, and with no other cats in the house, he's finally losing weight. The surviving Gerbil is nearly 3. We're not sure if we'll try to pair her up again. She's outlived two partners now. . and is getting crotchety in her age. I dont know that she'd accept a third.
His Xrays, when we did them, cleared him of arthritis...but he's got loose ligaments. We're using neoprene wraps to support his carpal and searching for hock wraps that will fit him. We want minimal support, so that he still uses his muscles and can hopefully develop some. This last year, he has had some atrophy, and weight gain due to a spike in his anxiety causing him to refuse to leave the property unless driven. I've gone so far as to take him places by Cab, and then cab him home just to get him out. .
My eldest got a puppy about 10m ago, and she's helped Shamas a LOT. She has shown him that the world is a place to explore. And she'll walk right up to new dogs and people, while Shamas stands off to the side and watches.
That hamster passed one day, of a stroke or something...he was happily running around, then he was sleeping...only he went cold so he wasn't sleeping. He lived to about 2years?.
We're down to one cat now. One moved out with my son, the other got cancer and was put down after a month's fighting. And we recently found one of the two gerbils deceased. SO the busy house is much less busy now.
Matt's 12years old now, and with no other cats in the house, he's finally losing weight. The surviving Gerbil is nearly 3. We're not sure if we'll try to pair her up again. She's outlived two partners now. . and is getting crotchety in her age. I dont know that she'd accept a third.