Pastimes
Tibetans are eminently trainable --they love tricks. But they have minds of their own, and that includes what other dogs they will tolerate. Unfortunately, we live in a city, and we encounter literally hundreds of dogs over the course of a month. We have an older dog and a puppy come up on one year. The puppy is friends with everyone but the older dog is standoffish, and sometimes aggressive. Mostly he ignores other dogs or allows a sniff, but there are some that drive him bananas -- for no apparent reason. Walking him, therefore, is a challenge. Have worked with a lot of trainers on this. No luck.
Now the puppy is picking up the older dog's bad habits re other dogs. Frankly, I'm at my wit's end. The two Tibetans also fight over resources -- treats, visitors, meals. We are scrupulously careful about keeping them separate when we think they may be tempted to fight, but we make mistakes, and they go crazy. No damage done yet, but it looks like it could get serious. We are working with a good trainer and hope for the best.
Tibetans are the cutest puppies in the world and people constantly ask what kind of dogs ours are, because they're so adorable. I would ask breeders to please be totally honest about how hard Tibetans can be to train, and how uncomfortable they may be in a busy urban environment. Also we should never have introduced a male puppy into our household, but the breeder (a very good one) assured us it was the best way to get a second dog. I was looking for an adult female rescue but couldn't find one. When I saw her adorable male puppy, I lost all my good sense and took him. It was not the right decision.
Both dogs get tons of exercise (at least five miles total walks per day) and we work at home so they have lots of company. We have had other dogs over the years but the Tibetans are by far the most challenging.
3 years, 2 months ago