MUNGO EATS Latin America

My little boy is growing up!!  Not my biological  little boy, but my furry hound boy.  (I am sure the biological boy is growing too, he grows all the time, but today, he is not the topic of discussion!)

Mungo has been a challenge.  A worthy challenge, but a challenge just the same.  His “challenging” habits include jumping on visitors, running after dogs in off leash situations, barking when left in a vehicle or alone (except for at home or in his kennel), etc. 

He turned three last week, and I think that three may have been the magic age for this hound.  This week he did NOT do two of the three annoying habits listed above.  He did not jump on at least two visitors AND he sat and did not bark when left alone.  Let me explain.

In the past, if you left Mungo tied up somewhere, even if he could see you, even if you were only gone for a short time, there would be barking, and crying and general carrying on.  He also would chew at this leash in an effort to get loose, so that he could get to you.  He destroyed a few leashes this way, and at one time, I used to walk him with a metal leash, so that I  could tie him up without the possibility of him chewing through.  Now don’t start thinking that I am the meanest owner ever.  IF he was tied, it was seriously never for more than a minute or two.  I actually worked for weeks (months) on our walks (when he was younger), trying to tie him for short periods and disappearing around a fence or an alley, trying to extend the time he would be content with me out of his site.  Like so much of our training though, this never translated into “real life”.  He could easily sit for a few minutes on a walk, but panic if I tried to translate this into a minute outside the convenience store.  Frustrating. 

It may sound strange, but I actually kind of forgot about this issue when we were travelling.  He was never given the chance to be tied out without us, because we were always worried about what would happen to him if he was unattended. 

Yesterday was so beautiful outside.  I needed something from the grocery store for dinner (one key ingredient), but I also wanted to walk the hound.  I decided to combine the two tasks and walk up to the grocery store.  I would zip in, while Mungo waited and then we would complete our walk.  I never even thought of his “issue” as I tied him outside the store.  I told him to wait and in to the store I went.  I easily located my key item and went to the checkout to pay.  Wow…crazy…people everywhere!  I quickly chose the fastest looking line and that is when it hit me…Mungo hates being tied up.  So now I had a dilemma.  Should I forget my key ingredient, and hurry back to the hound?  Should I stay in line (which by the way was going NOWHERE fast)?  I couldn’t hear and barking and carrying on, but you never know.  As I sat in line, watching the world’s slowest cashier struggle to cash out the two people in front of me, the tension mounted.  Would I find my dog tied up when I got out?  Would he be freaked out?  Would he be gone?  Would I need to buy a new lead?

I finally paid for my one item and rushed out to see.  There he was.  Although he was happy to see me, he was not in a panicked state and the leash did not even have one tooth mark in it.  YEAH!!!  What a dog!

Day 65:  I am thankful for a relatively calm hound, on the end of his leash!