Cesar was right! Give a dog plenty of exercise (and socialization) and his behavioral issues go away!
(To be fair, any dog trainer will tell you this; I don’t mean to single out Cesar specifically.)
Here he is, sitting by a curb. It’s one of the rules we give him. When we stop at an intersection and need to wait for a walk signal, we make him sit first. When we allow him through a doorway, we make him sit first. When we play fetch with him, we make him sit first. It’s good doggie discipline.
I took Mocha for a nice hour-long walk today. Sometimes he’ll bark at bicyclists and skateboarders. Other times, he’ll growl at pedestrians and other dogs. Occasionally, he’ll lunge at someone he probably perceives is threatening, perhaps because of his protectiveness.
But during this walk, he was totally fine. Hurray for exercise and doggie discipline!
I had the leash high up on his neck and kept him by my side the entire time. This is what I do whenever I walk him for bathroom breaks and exercise. Thankfully, I’m beginning to see a change. The protective behavior is subsiding.
What does this mean? We need to walk him more often. Like every day. Our jobs don’t always allow us this free time, but we try our best. We take him on long hikes once a week and 3-mile runs about two-to-three times a week.
For some dogs, that’s probably enough. For a Jack Russell Terrier mix like Mocha, it’s not quite. And ironically, the more we exercise him, the more fit he becomes, and the more exercise he needs. On the plus side, we’re also getting more fit too. (Need to lose weight? Get a Terrier!)
Now that it’s getting nicer outside, perhaps I’ll start working in a downtown cafe and take Mocha with me. It’s a nice 1.5 mile walk away, which ought to give him the exercise and socialization he needs. And, of course, the exercise I need.
This past weekend, we took Mocha up to San Francisco and went for a nice run in Golden Gate Park. The little boy loved it. Especially the off-leash area, though the sounds of the city put him on alert a few times.
I guess Mocha’s a country boy at heart; the noisy city just ain’t for him!
Mocha’s loving these hikes. And I gotta give him props, despite being off-leash and running all over the place, he always comes running when called with a great big smile on his face.
There’s nothing like a happy dog running to you, lemme tell ya.
Here is a magnificent specimen of mixed breeding. A true masterpiece of Labrador Retriever and Jack Russell Terrier intermingling. Exercised, athletic, and well-toned. He stands tall on the hills of California, poised to leap at a moment’s notice. He is loyal. He is playful. He is Mocha. Majestic Mocha.
Mocha loved this. We took him for an off-leash hike today on a secluded dog-friendly trail. Initially, he remained within view, enjoying the freedom to sniff whatever he wanted.
Eventually, he got his courage up enough to wander further and further away. But not too far. He still stopped and looked back at us every once in a while, to check in on his pack leaders, I assume.
Our hike was along a straight path, so we had to double-back. For the return leg, Mocha’s bravery was at an all-time high. Maybe it was his familiarity with the trail, or maybe it was his newfound courage. Whatever it was, he frequently darted out of view, usually go to off and explore the hillsides. We called out to him a few times so he wouldn’t wander too far. Then we checked him for lice (no lice, whew).
I should have taken a picture of the big smile on his face after the trip. He was one happy doggy, lemme tell ya. Mocha sure loves these off-leash hikes.
Mocha has been a bit of a difficult dog ever since we left him in a kennel. We’re not entirely sure if it’s the kennel’s fault – they have a good reputation amongst other dog owners in the area and I doubt they mistreated Mocha in any way – though the act of leaving Mocha alone for a while may have triggered his anxieties. Since we rescued him from an animal shelter, it’s possible he was abandoned by his previous owners and started to worry when he felt we were abandoning him too.
However, Mia and I are both busy working professionals with busy schedules. At least once a month, we have to travel or leave Mocha alone for most of the day. We hate doing it, but it’s not always possible to bring Mocha along with us, especially when we’re staying with friends who are not comfortable with dogs either.
So for long trips, we leave him with Melvin & Cabbie’s parents, who take great care of him. Every time I watch them wrestle, I see a great big smile on Mocha. It’s so obvious that he loves being with other dogs.
Which leads us to conclude that his recent behavioral problems may be solvable by getting a second dog. Another solution would be more exercise and activity, which we’ve been trying. A second dog, however, could play with Mocha and give him the social interaction that he craves. Also, we’re not always able to give Mocha the exercise and activity he needs because of our aforementioned schedule. Perhaps a second dog could.
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. A second dog presents its own challenges, such as increased costs, time to find the right companion, additional training needs, etc. We also know of a few more long trips we’ll need to take. We can’t expect Melvin & Cabbie’s parents to take care of four dogs. Placing two dogs in a kennel for weeks would be damn expensive too. And we couldn’t bring our dogs along on a trip to another country either.
So what do we do? Sigh. We don’t know yet. We’re hoping more exercise, training, patience, and love can help the little guy. Hopefully that will be enough.
Mocha’s playing with the big dogs today at the big dog park. And over there, they have some basic agility training exercises, like this tube.
Took Mocha a bit to get comfortable with the tube. But once he was, he’d zoom right through there, provided there was a good reward at the end – like a yummy tennis ball. So chewy and fun and delicious.
