Dog-Gone It

We completed all of the finishing touches on our fence this weekend which, for my husband, meant that he could finally bring his baby home. Enter: Angus.


For the most part, I think Angus tries really hard to be a good horse dog. He is just so BIG and strong and that can be a little overwhelming. Sean’s mom gave him the bulldog as a gift when Sean was considering moving out of his parents’ house; he’s been in a small mud pit of a yard with two to three other dogs ever since. First, Sean popped the question to me and didn’t move out for another year or so. After that, we moved into a house that didn’t have an adequate yard for an 80+ pound beast that can jump a standard chain link fence like he’s an Olympic high jumper. He’s been attacked by a Rottweiler who didn’t appreciate Angus’ playful advances, and now his scars make him look like a seriously vicious animal. In reality, he just wants to play all.the.time.

The ASPCA has some good videos on how to train your dog. I’ve never had to train a dog; my dogs have either just been really well behaved or they had plenty of room to run and play and keep themselves occupied. We found OP like he is, and he was trained enough for me. We’ve worked really hard with Angus since we brought him home on not jumping. He so craves the attention but doesn’t realize his brute strength. That tactic still requires a lot of work, but he’s getting better at it.

The problem we can’t seem to tackle: the whining. He whines when you go inside. He whines when you leave the light on. He whines when he can hear us talking inside. And the worst: my phone fell off the bed last night while I was sleeping and he instantly started whining. I don’t know what to do! Everything I’ve read says to not give him attention when he whines and praise him when he quits but he whines all the time. Others say he is not getting enough attention; I can guarantee this is not the case. It has only been two nights, though. Hopefully this will be remedied soon. Otherwise, Sean's just going to have to go out and sleep with him to keep him company.