Buinicorn the 1964 Skylark wagon sleeper

[SuperBuickGuy]

Getting the DT's over here......a whole week with no Buinicorn action....

I have a cot in the shop, you can come work on it

[STINEY]

And take Buicks bed? Oh no sir, I doubt he would be pleased. I try not to offend large pooches on their own territory.

[DanStokes]

And take Buicks bed? Oh no sir, I doubt he would be pleased. I try not to offend large pooches on their own territory.

Looks to me like Buick might lick your face right off!

Dan

[Deaf Bob]

And take Buicks bed? Oh no sir, I doubt he would be pleased. I try not to offend large pooches on their own territory.

It's FALL! That is wheelin weather around here!

[SuperBuickGuy]

Looks to me like Buick might lick your face right off!

Dan

he's not as friendly as he looks... which is kind of unfortunate - I'm not much into mean dogs. He is very timid and that causes more trouble then I can detail - his normal response is growl at those who approach. He's never bit anyone, but he tried once on one of my best friends (which, after he tried he knew he screwed up and for the first and only time jumped into the Hummer without help). That said, Mastiffs have a timidity issue - which means they are your attachment not an accessory, but who they are attached to.... you know how kings have a person who grants access? I have a dog for this duty (which, again, I didn't want or need) and he makes certain only those whom he feels are entitled may approach.... that includes my wife (thankfully she bought the dog for me so I have that).

That said, if I had kids (especially girls), I would have nothing but Mastiffs - because no one will be approaching them while the Mastiff is around.... they are so attached and so loving to their people

and back to timidity.... how do you teach courage? how to you reason with a timid animal? I love him to pieces but I'm stumped on how to get him past this issue - so no, you'd be safe, his normal reaction is run away.... of course, you corner him and you own the result.... but it won't be because you weren't fully warned by him. Of course, you wouldn't be leaving the shop until he said so..... but he also sleeps at my bed (yep, get to step over him - remember access control?)

[DanStokes]

Actually, I'd sit on the ground (not as easy as that used to be!) and wait for him to get used to me then curious. Just takes time and they'll come to you. This is not a process one can hurry.

EDIT: Not sure what to do with shy ones. Our little one (now the only one since King has gone) shows signs of having been abused. He's absolutely sweet and safe but still flinches when I reach down to pet his little noggin and we've NEVER even disciplined him as he's never needed any. So anyhow, we keep being consistent and he keeps getting even more loving but I don't know how to get him past his fear. Oh, and he's also terrified of flyswatters - poor lil' guy. Harder to kill a bug around here these days.

I bet Buick's a big ol' lug under all that dog. Rub an ear for me!

Dan

[Deaf Bob]

Lucy, our youngster (4) can jump for balls 4-6 ft high easily,
If I stumble, she s tge heck out of the way FAST.
Never swatted her. But if I raise my arm she will cower and run or stand her ground..
Maddie the oldster at 11 just looks and maybe blinks if you act like you are going to swat her..
Had another that was supposed to go with me everywhere was scared of everything. Including me. Smart yet dumb.

[SuperBuickGuy]

my mom had german shepherds that progressively were worse then the one before - of all the breeds, I think those can have the largest problems if they weren't raised correctly....

[STINEY]

Personally I will take any large dog over a smaller one, given even type behavior disorders. I believe small dogs heads are too small for their brains to function correctly.

And my abandoned Shepard and I agree with you on the Shepard thing. That much work drive needs Extra understanding and guidance.

[silver_bullet]

A lot of people would agree with that statement... We stay away from "Toy" breeds.... Our Scottish terriers and Australian shepherds have been great for us! It has a lot to do with raising them all from approximately 8 weeks of age....

[65RHDEER]

I had never heard of an Australian Shepherd and I live in Australia. So I googled, turns out they their origin is the western United States!

[SuperBuickGuy]

I had never heard of an Australian Shepherd and I live in Australia. So I googled, turns out they their origin is the western United States!

they're far too cuddly to actually be from Australia....

[silver_bullet]

That fluff protects them from livestock bites!

[milner351]

Our Lucy who's a bit over 2 years old now and our first Brittany sounds allot like your Mastiff as far as being timid. We've had her since she was about 10 weeks old, we met the family that bred her, they had both her parents and a pup from a previous litter.... all dogs were well behaved and did not show signs of anything out of the ordinary.
Lucy doesn't trust anyone outside our family and it's difficult even for friends that come over often to get close enough to pet her.
We know she's the runt of the litter, but have no explanation for her lack of trust of people. She's very attached to Rhonda who was home most of the time when she was a pup, so that makes sense. I wish we could read their minds that's for sure! It's a real challenge to find someone that can watch her when we are out of town.

Sorry for the Derail, Back to the Buick!

[SuperBuickGuy]

socialization is so important - I'm going to try this at some point, but his socialization was from going to Home Depot. He sees a person in an orange vest and he thinks 'friend'.... I'm going to see if I can get kids together to wear orange vests and treats.... perhaps I can get him over it (even at this late date)