Hi guys! An enthusiastic (and slobbery) hello from Megan and Murray McGrath (McMurray to his friends). My husband and I got Murray, our 4-year-old black lab, about 4 months ago from the wonderful Labradors & Friends Rescue in San Diego, CA. At 88 lbs, he came to us about 10 lbs overweight. I'm pleased to report that our most recent vet check (more on that) weighed him in at a healthy, happy 74.9! Twice-daily walks and careful feeding are really paying off. Murray is a big lug who likes to sleep in the sun, follow my husband around the yard, and play with his bone. He is almost completely non-noise-reactive (at first I wondered if he was slightly deaf!) and is gentle, friendly and submissive with humans. He just wants an ear scratch, and if you happen to be holding a sandwich, cookie, kibble, rock, snail, piece of string . . . well, he wouldn't mind a bite of that, too! In other words, he's such an accomplished beggar it is easy to see how those big puppy eyes earned him 10 extra pounds to carry around!

Of course all fur-parents say this, but our boy is just sooooo smart! He came to us knowing only sit (and, thankfully, was house-trained). He has learned a much more reliable sit, stay, come, down, high-five, high-ten, say hello (shake), roll over (still working on this one) and the beginnings of a very proper heel. He is the first dog I have trained and he is so smart and amiable that I just know I'm completely spoiled for all future dogs!

However, he is is very independent, and this is where most of my questions come in. For a lab, he's hopeless at retrieving. He understands "get the ball" but he would prefer to run AWAY from me rather than return the ball and continue the games. Treats and "come" only make him drop the ball instantly (even if he is 15 feet away) and trot over to gobble up the treat. He's terrifying at dog parks and dog beaches - he trots off on his own and doesn't turn back! He seems completely overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and especially smells. Talk about a dog who is driven by his nose (followed closely by his stomach)! It is also clear that he has zero dog socialization. He tries to meet head-on and only gets away with it because he is otherwise entirely non-threatening. However, as soon as he has sniffed another dog, he immediately pulls (hard) away to go and mark as quickly as possible. He then ignores the other dog entirely. At dog parks, he will chase a ball with a pack and will politely give it up to a more assertive dog, but does not really seem to know how to engage in play, preferring to sniff/pace the perimeter by himself. My dream is to foster other dogs and maybe do a bit of training (I've loved working with dogs from my time as a 14-year-old volunteer at my hometown's local humane society - I wanted to be a vet until I discovered how bad I was at biology!). With better social skills, I believe Murray would be the perfect "bombproof" companion in this. I also think he would make an excellent therapy dog. Unfortunately, the majority of the dogs in my neighborhood are poorly behaved and charge at him on walks, so this does not give us a lot of opportunity to work on his skills. I'd love to get some suggestions for socializing my boy and helping him to enjoy future doggy companions.

Looking forward to browsing the forums!

High-ten!
Megan & Murray