Rescue Dog Wouldn't Jump Into Truck Until His Dad Showed Him How

Weston Mackey adopted Dudeson from Paw Works in California about two weeks ago, and the pair are already best friends. So far, Dudeson is a pretty relaxed dog, and not much about his new life seems to faze him. 

“He is a very happy boy, loving and already loyal with eagerness to learn,” Mackey told The Dodo. “His demeanor is very calm and relaxed, not much bothers him really.”

The only thing that seemed to be a problem was Mackey’s truck, which Dudeson definitely wasn’t a fan of. 

“He hated getting into my truck, he would [say] nope and stiff those front legs when I got him near the truck door,” Mackey said. “I think he was just unsure at the time.” 

Since Mackey planned to take his new pup on lots of adventures, he knew he needed to find a way to get him comfortable with jumping into the truck on his own. As he tried to help Dudeson adjust to his new life, Mackey showed him how to use the stairs — and realized he actually might be able to do that with his truck, too. 

“I showed him how to properly go down my stairs on all fours, that was more of a workout than I thought but he was a pro shortly after,” Mackey said. “Which is how I figured out he’s a visual learner.” 

Determined, Mackey sat Dudeson down near his truck for a demonstration. He crouched down and then showed Dudeson how to jump up into the truck. He repeated his demonstration twice as Dudeson watched intently, then called him over to see if he was ready to give it a try. 

Dudeson was a little hesitant at first, but with his dad’s instructions in mind, he managed to hop up into the truck on his own — and his dad was absolutely thrilled. 

“I was shocked and completely stoked,” Mackey said. 

Now, Dudeson has no problem getting into his dad’s truck. Mackey is always standing nearby to supervise, just in case, but the rescue dog is definitely getting more and more confident every day. He’s learning to trust his dad more too, and there will probably be many more demonstrations for Dudeson as time goes on. 

“He’s still growing and a bit clumsy so I stand there to assist him but he’s not at all afraid of getting in the truck, which makes me happy,” Mackey said.