Since our last report Zeus has grown incredibly, he has lost his puppy softness and has developed a deepening redish/ginger coat. He is tall, sleek, (I think skinny) very alert and can run like the wind. Along with this growth spurt, his personality has come to the fore. He has now come to understand that he is not the "top dog" and has settled into a (mostly) obedient and well behaved member of our family.
Our regular weekly dog training night at the Wollondilly All Dog Training Club and monthly training at Merigal is paying off. He is responding well to the lessons (or maybe it is us learning how to get him to do what we want) but as I have heard from many others, and Zeus is no different, he walks, sits, stands and stays really well when we're at home or alone, but when we have him out of his regular environment, all of the training all seems to be forgotten!
Zeus has really become a people lover liking most people and gladly accepts the attention he receives. We are still stopped nearly every day when we go on our regular walk through Picton and people still want to know, "what sort of dog, will he bite, is he friendly?" etc., etc.
There are very few people that he will not take to if he is approached at his level, that is by not approaching him standing up. If approached bending over or crouched down Zeus appears not to be threatened and will most often respond accordingly. In the eight months of living with Zeus we have kept a daily diary and although the days tend to meld into each other, the following are a few extracts:
Dusty, a young female Dingo from Merigal came to stay for the weekend. After a bit of tail sniffing and initial "I'm the boss here" sorting out Dusty and Zeus seemed to play reasonably well, although Zeus was a bit rough and we had to keep an eye on them to keep Dusty from becoming frightened. Once understanding that she was in no danger from Zeus she settled down.
A puppy overnight was a shock to us. It brought back the horror of getting up in the middle of the night for toilet training and comforting but we all seemed to survive without lasting scars and by Sunday young Dusty was enjoying being well and truly spoilt.
Not allowed inside because it was raining and he was wet. To show his frustration he pulled clothes off the line, dug holes in the grass and generally was a pain in the neck. Any readers with children will know just how he was. Just like a naughty child when they don't get their own way!
When finally allowed in for a bath he settled down a bit but had a very restless night.
Today was his first major kill!
One of our neighbours homing pigeons made the mistake (soon to be fatal) of landing on our back grass. It was very quietly stalked by Zeus and captured.
There were feathers and bits of pigeon everywhere. He was very pleased with himself and just like a cat brought his prize to the back door to parade it to us. By the evening there was none of the bird left.
He now watches the pigeons flying overhead and waits with anticipation for the next one to land in his territory.
Another bird today - but we're not so keen on this kill!
We had to go out in the evening and left Zeus outside with our other dogs. Obviously he didn't like being locked out and found that he could get in by jumping up onto our son's window sill and pushing the fly screen in and getting in through the open window. When we arrived home we were greeted at the front door by Zeus and found that our family room was full of pale blue budgie feathers - but no budgie! The family budgie obviously went the same was as the neighbours' pigeon.
As mentioned before, in addition to the monthly training session at Merigal, we have been taking Zeus to training one night every week to increase his socialising with other people and dogs. The evening training nights are always eventful. For the first ten or fifteen minutes all of the dogs are restless and want to play and Zeus is no different.
Unfortunately he has become very friendly with a young great dane and while they are approximately the same age, their size difference puts Zeus at a disadvantage. In some ways it quietens him down quickly as he has no way of exerting dominance over a dog which stands twice as tall as he is.
Once the formal training starts he is mostly well behaved and seems to enjoy the training while doing the exercises. He does become a bit restless if the training is not fast moving and he has to sit and wait between different activities. The nightly training lasts for about 2 hours and when we arrive back at home he sleeps very well. It really tires him out!
It is also very noticeable that our regular trips to Merigal are always eagerly anticipated by Zeus. He knows when we head down Arina Road where he is going and his level of activity in the car rises as we get closer. Once there, there is no stopping his eagerness to play with his brother Mandawuy and sister Lasca along with 'Magic the cattle dog pup. After the usual period of trying to be dominant over each other they run very well together.
You may remember in our last article that we mentioned two minor difficulties we had in living with Zeus; (1) he does not travel very well in the car and (2) he had difficulties in understanding the complexities of toilet training.
Well - we're progressing reasonably well. (1) Car travel has not changed much, he tends to become very vocal and makes his displeasure known by howling.
The one thing that he does like is to have his head out of the car window with his mouth open in the wind. This usually keeps him quiet but it's not much fun if it's raining!
Whilst (2) the penny finally dropped (pardon the pun), toilet training is now complete and the difficulties of the past are well behind us. No more mistakes, no more accidents and Zeus will let us know if he wants to go out or if we're out for the day he will wait until we get home before rushing down to his favourite spot on the grass at home. Sometimes I wonder how he can hang on for so long!
Vale Zeus ...
Sadly, this will be last episode in the life of Zeus. A few weeks ago, despite the fortifications, Zeus managed to lever up a window and get off the property through the house. He was hit by a car. The injuries were very severe and it is likely loss of conciousness was immediate, so he did not suffer any pain.
Zeus is very much missed by the Reid family and all here at the Dingo Sanctuary ...
The Editors
Conservation Through Education