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Hi all.
I’m Per, Lorraine’s boyfriend. Sagan, formerly known as Flynn and named after the famous astronomer Carl Sagan, came to us yesterday.
Sagan was a bit wired in the car on the way from the kennels, but he did behave himself for the most part in the car on the way in to Dublin. He will need to be restrained in the car on future trips, so a harness or a car crate is a requirement to keep him safe.
We have been on three walks so far, and Sagan is very strong on the lead. He doesn’t try to run away, but he’s very determined to lead the way. We’ll be working on this so he’ll be more inclined to walk without having the lead taut at all times.
He is not dog aggressive at all, even when meeting a couple of very aggressive JRTs that wanted to get in a scrap. He stared them down for a little bit, but left them alone and continued walking with just a gentle tug on the lead to move along. When meeting other friendly dogs he’s been very polite and no trouble at all.He has no apparent food aggression at all. On a walk last night he found a pig snout that he really wanted to eat. To be on the safe side we tried to take the snout away from him as we wasn’t sure if it was safe to eat or not. He resisted a bit, but there was no signs of aggression or anger, and once we got it away from him and out of sight he seemingly lost all interest in it and we could continue walking without incident.
Sagan is very good in the house. No accidents overnight and beyond a couple of huffs he hasn’t made a peep. He is very excited when meeting new people and likes to jump on them as a greeting. We’ll be working on this as well to see if we can persuade him to be more gentle with new people. He can also be a little bit nippy when he gets excited.
He knows how to sit and we’re pretty sure he knows stay, drop and stay, but we need to spend more time with him to make him more comfortable with us and to make him realize we’re in charge.
It’s obvious that Sagan is a really bright and intelligent dog, and he is just amazingly gorgeous. More updates will follow.
Sagan1.jpgSagan2.jpgThis fella is a ridiculous sweetheart and a shameless flirt, he loves people and he wants to be friends with all the other dogs. Luckily people love him too! He gets loads of attention and smiles wherever we go. We’ve been talking to more people around here since he started walking with Sagan than we have since we moved in…
We had a busy weekend so Sagan has been all over the shop with us and he’s been perfectly well behaved everywhere he’s gone. Yesterday he was in Dublin city centre running some errands with us and today we hit the beach and the dog park. He’s very eager to chat to other dogs and he’d love to be off lead on the beach but he’s so well behaved that apart from a bit of wistful staring at the other dogs running around he is happy to continue on his way. We just keep reminding him that once he’s learned who he is and that he has to come back every time he’s called he can play on the beach off leash too! He was great in the off leash dog park, a little unsure of how to behave with the other dogs but he played loads and ran around loads.
Sagan has loads of energy and is bouncy like a big puppy. He’s pretty strong on the lead, he wouldn’t pull you over (cos he’s way too much of a gentleman to do that) but he needs a firm hand and he needs loads of walks. He’s conked on the carpet at the minute but he’ll be wide awake later this evening and he’ll be looking for Walkies – Round II. When he’s ready for a walk he gets very pace-y.
He has a few things he’s a bit afraid of, he doesn’t love getting in the car (but absolutely fine once he’s in) and he is sometimes a bit wary of strange men who want to pat him, especially if they smell a little boozy and are smoking (ahhh, Patrick’s weekend in Dublin) but in general he loves everyone and everything.
He’s been around a few kids in the park and doesn’t take a huge interest in them, apart from if they have an ice cream he’d like to eat, but he doesn’t seem scared of them. Just a little disinterested.
He’s still not entirely settled in here but he likes to be around ‘his’ people and he likes to know where you are and what you’re doing, the longer he’s here and the more sure he is that we’re not going to disappear when we go outside the more relaxed & happy he’s getting.
He’s as smart too. Bit of selective deafness when you’re out and about and there’s loads of interesting things going on but he sits, gives paw and seems to know a few other commands, even if he’d like to pretend otherwise at times… We think he’s a pure dote, 5 stars for doggy awesomeness.
Sagan has had a big couple of days. Yesterday we went to the dog park in St Anne’s again, but left sooner than we’d liked, as there was a husky there that led the rest of the big dogs into more or less ganging up on Sagan. However, it proved that he really hasn’t got a lick of dog aggression in him, and he was back to his usual happy self within seconds of leaving the section for the big dogs. We spent a little while longer in the small dog section where he was having a nice playtime with two female boxer puppies.
After that we went up to the IKC St. Patrick’s Day show at the National Show Centre, and again Sagan was a perfect gentleman the whole time with other dogs, even a tiny little dog that really was about the size of a plump rat. We also met his fan club there, a couple that recognized him from these boards and even took his picture. Please do share them if you’re reading this.
Today it was time for Sagan to lose his testicles. Brought him to the vet at 09:00 and picked him up in the early afternoon. He’s still feeling a little loopy and is really not a fan of wearing a cone, but he’s trying to lick his wound, so the cone will have to stay on for the time being, even though he’s miserable wearing it. On the plus side, he’s had a meal and some water after coming home, so I’m sure he’ll be back to his old self again in a few short days.
Since my last update he’s also starting to come out of his shell a bit more. He will now bark if the door bell goes off or if there’s a loud noise just on the street outside, but it’s just a short bark and not a full on "tantrum". We’ve been working a lot on his manners when walking too, and he’s a lot less strong on the lead and will listen to us unless there’s a scent nearby he really wants to get at. Still a ways to go, but the improvement is readily apparent from walk to walk.
More updates to follow. Now for the pictures:
IMAG0340[1].jpgIMAG0346[1].jpgIMAG0349[1].jpgWonderfully detailed updates.
He is a beaut
True what you say about how having a dog means you get to know so many more people around the area. They are great to bring on holidays too, help you socilaiseThe difference one day makes…
Sagan is flying after his operation. He’d like the cone off right now, please, but he’s dying to get out and run and is back to being an affectionate happy little chappie after a day of feeling pretty sorry for himself.
It’s been nearly 2 weeks since this nice dog came to stay and we have learned quite a few things about him…
He loves ‘his’ people and the best thing in the world for him is to be around all his people at once. If you leave the room he wants to come with you.
He wants to be everyone’s friend, he’s all about getting to know every single dog & person he meets.
He’s a bit of a lapdog and the more he gets to know you the more he wants to be right up as close to you as possible.
He’s all about tennis balls and tug of war.
He’s not a fighter, he’s a bit of a softie
Walks please, all the walks. And as much running as he can get in.
He’s so, so gentle. He takes things from your hand like they were made of porcelain, so careful not to hurt you.
He’s very clean & nondestructive in the house. No accidents, at all, and he can be left alone in a room and will not touch a thing that he shouldn’t. Unless you are silly and leave a piece of cake lying about in which case, all bets are off.
He’s quiet as a mouse. Very rarely barks and the only noise you regularly hear from him is a big huffy sigh when he lies down
Unfortunately (and I say ‘unfortunately’ because I can only imagine why he’s like this) he is horribly scared of drunk people and men wearing flat caps. He’s not very fond of passing by pubs with people drinking outside them. If he comes across someone who is drunk & shouting he will need his person to help him get away as quickly as possible because he is desperately afraid. We’re working with him to help him feel better about this stuff but I can’t emphasise enough how scared he is of people who are drunk and shouting.
He’s a little hoover when out and about and will eat any gross bit of floor food he can find, so you need to keep a bit of an eye on him.
He LOVES older women & 18/19 year old students. If he spots someone with a trolley and a nice white set curl he badly wants to be their friend.
He’s wonderful. A very special dog & a pleasure to be around.
Well Flynn go to the top of the class with that foster family report…..gold star…and anyway who does like drunk people.
Flynn looks and sounds like a fantastic dog , would he need someone who is at home all the time or would he be ok to be on his own for a few hours? Thanks
He is an absolutely fantastic dog
Because we’re in a position at the moment where one or the other of us is at home all the time he’s never spent a lot of time on his own, a max of 2 hours at the mo. Because we are nuts we keep an eye on him on a webcam and he’s upset a bit at the beginning and then he just sleeps. We plan on leaving him by himself for a longer spell on Friday and then again early next week, I’ll report back on how he gets on!I will say though, I don’t think he’d love spending a huge amount of time on his own.
Hi
Thanks we have submitted the adoption form to hopefully see Flynn soon. There is just two adults in our house and one of us is usually at home. Just one day where we might both be away for a few hours , so I just wanted to check. Is there anything else you think we should be aware of about Flynn? He seems perfect
Thanks
AmandaOne thing we are working on with him on and is probably important to know at the moment is that he’s nipping a bit when he gets excited. if you’re running with him he’ll try bite the leash or nip at your arm a bit & he’ll occasionally nip at your arm if you’re petting him, giving him a hug etc. It’s in no way aggressive and I’m saying ‘nip’ rather than bite because it’s like he’s a giant puppy who’s learning not to mouth you when he gets worked up. So, to that end I’d be pretty careful having him around kids who might accidentally get him excited, I wouldn’t leave him to play unattended with any small kids. Just anyone you couldn’t explain to that there’s certain ways they shouldn’t play with the dog.
Apart from that though, it’s just learning the things that worry him (we’re currently at drunks, men in high viz, men in flat caps and occasionally people on bikes) and helping him learn that all is a-ok or helping him avoid shouty drunks. We’re big fans of avoiding those ourselves so it all works out grand
The more he comes out of his shell the more of his slightly cheeky personality we’re seeing, it’s fab! We would have initially said he had a tiny appetite and was a bit timid. Haha, hahahahaha. He was just waiting to get used to us before he let his personality & his huge love of eating all the things, especially slightly gross things he finds on the ground, shine out.
If there’s anything you’d specifically like to know about him just let me know!
Oh, and one other thing. We’re working with him on this and he’s only every been off the lead in enclosed dog parks but his recall is a bit, well, bottom of the class. Not saying that he can’t be trained to come back when called but at the moment, if he’s having fun or is distracted by a new person/dog he’s in love with, he most surely is not coming back to you unless he can’t avoid it
He’s smart as though, so no reason he couldn’t learn!
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