With my new deeper to heart belief that he is a broken dog, and not a normal dog that just wasn’t trained right or socialized enough, I am adjusting expectations for him some more. Seiji is a special needs dog.
Someone who knows nothing about dogs would consider Sage’s reactive behavior and say- Lock him up at home or get rid of him.
Someone who knows something about dogs would say he needs to be trained and you need to lead better.
Someone who knows a lot about dogs would say I should try counter conditioning and socialization, and there are kind ways to do that.
Dognoscenti will say he needs to be managed to limit stress and given training that he can succeed at, That he does not need to be shoved through a round hole, if I can carve a new hole.
In the dog yard and in my car and in our home we have made a Sage-shaped space. He is happy and calm and safe. He is not a nut or aggressive here. he is enriched, and is the best dog he can be, I think.
Sage cools off in his Crater in the Dog Beach.
