jaybeece

Actually I did have the same problem as you when I started out trying food with my dog's aggression. If there's a scale of how willing a dog is to work for food that looks like this: pet rock|----------------------------------------------|labrador My boy would be awfully close to pet rock However, he still likes food, he's just not all that motivated by it. The click/treat still works wonders though because he's still getting a good thing (food & praise) for staying cool around other dogs. I'm going to start fasting him once a week as well to try and make him a little more enthusiastic

And be prepared to look silly/crazy if needed I get funny looks with a squirty tomato sauce bottle filled with pureed cat/baby/dog food (great for speedy treating) in one hand and a clicker in the other. Extra cool points should also be given for my sauce bottle holster/treat bag from the $2 shop. If I had a dollar for every time I've explained "No, I'm not squirting tomato sauce at him, it's baby food...actually, that's not a whole lot better is it?" I'd have...well, more money Plus I do miss his mouth sometimes so I end up with splattered food on my shoes and often on my jeans.

Most of the time for my dog it's either the dog's size or eye contact. If they come tearing up to him it definately doesn't help either as he becomes defensive a lot quicker. I'm in the same position as you, but instead of trying to figure out which dogs he won't like I work on the assumption that he won't like any of them. I think it's better to be consistent across all rather than picking specific dogs as sometimes what upsets your dog won't be anything you'll see and it's not worth assuming everything is fine when it's not. In the case of the lab that ran up and got growly, I'd be getting my dog's focus or redirecting him away before it escalates to the point where your dog feels her fear is justified. If the other owner isn't there to grab their dog it's also a good time to explain to them their role at the park does not end when they let their dog off. If they can't stop their dog from being aggressive, it's time to call the council as you shouldn't have to deal with that kind of behaviour when you're working so hard with your dog. This article has a heap of good info about desensetising to other dogs: http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2...sensitizing.htm It's very similar to what I'm doing and I've had a lot of success with it- in just 3 weeks I've got him sharing the street with other dogs and redirecting by voice alone when needed. The clicker has also been immensly useful. EDIT: I second this. It's very confronting for a fearful dog to approach head on. I'm beginning to introduce my dog to the idea of approaching head on now, but I'm ensuring he's not out in front eyeballing them when he does. I walk/jog backwards towards the other dog calling my boy (kinda like you do when you start teaching recalls) and click/treat all the way. This way he is still walking towards the dog, but he's focusing more on me and it's also fun for him.

Wow, looks like she does a brilliant job with the cows It's always great to see dogs out working and loving it.

I agree Right now you guys should be demonstrating strong, positive leadership to make sure the pup grows up to be trusting and confident. I don't think a dog should ever be smacked, especially not when he's so young and probably doesn't understand why he's being smacked. I doubt that the dog looks up you your boyfriend in a positive way at all, he's probably just too scared to step out of line. There's ways of making a dog listen that don't involve intimidation and violence. For a start check out the Triangle of Temptation: http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?showtopic=64101 and also Nothing In Life Is Free: http://www.k9deb.com/nilif.htm So if, for example, the dog is doing something he shouldn't be while he's on the bed then don't allow him up there for now until he understands that being allowed on the bed is a privilege and he must behave up there. Also, it does sound a bit like the dog won't listen to you? I'd be finding a good obedience school where they can teach you how to use tone and consistent training methods to really make him understand what you want from him. As for the question: "But what are some of the best ways to correct a dog other than saying "No" or "yes" or good boy ?".....one of the most effective punishments I've ever found is just to walk away and ignore the dog. At 5 months everything is a game, so the more attention you pay to him the more he thinks that the behaviour is acceptable.

I would have thought that a $5k GSD would have a stronger nerve than that, it's a bad reflection on the breeding, not the training methods. I mean, they're police dogs, the last thing the police need is for the dog to go to pieces if a shot is fired. Makes perfect sense to test them in this manner. I think e-collars are allowed in NSW only under cetain conditions- ie. if recommended by a vet or behaviouralist.

I've used Clomicalm with my dog for when he started overgrooming as a reaction to stress and also to help take the edge off his fear triggered anxiety. It does help a tiny amount, but it's certainly not 100% of a solution- maybe 5% at most and, as other people have mentioned, there are more effective drugs available. My dog still has problems, but I don't see enough benefit to continue using it. Also, bear in mind that if you do end up resorting to medication, it is vital that you pair it up with a ton of positive training. I'd also be very careful about pushing him too much while he goes through this as you could run the risk of this behaviour becoming permanent.

How rude! I can't believe anyone would think comments like that are appropriate when you're doing the right thing and making great progress Maltese can be lovely dogs and those comments are completely out of place. They should be impressed that you own a small dog and are willing to dedicate the time to train her when so many people just let the little ones behave as badly as they like. Good luck with her and don't let these rude buggers get you down

Because I'm not all that sure about the giving out personal contact details protocol on the big bad internet :rolleyes: If anyone wants her details, feel free to PM away.

I've sent you a PM

I'll see how we go with the clicker training, he seems to be getting the hang of it really quickly so far. She said it's worth perservering with the head halter and keep up positive associations with it. If we don't have any luck then I'll take a look at the infin8 halter. Thanks for the suggestion

Well, we've had our session and it was great It wasn't revolutionary in that most of what she said was stuff I already knew after months of speaking to people and reading, but it was great to get a deeper understanding of why my dog behaves like he does and what I can do to stop aggressive behaviour. She more or less told me to keep doing what I'm doing which was actually nice to hear. She also mentioned clicker training as it's excellent for really pin-pointing desireable behaviour and it very keen on head halters as they give such good control and are a more gentle collar than something like a choker. At the same time, she was also very open about other training methods and collars and said that a pinch collar can still be considered as long as it's used correctly. So that's it! I'm feeling a lot better about things and it was nice to be told I'm doing a good job with the dog

I'm really excited! I've been wanting to book in a session with this behaviouralist since May and didn't think it'd ever happen. Will keep you posted

myszka - I understand your concerns, but I'm really not worried about the pulling. Honestly he's not that bad. My definition of pulling is vastly different to most other people. I see it as a bit of pressure on the lead, whereas pulling for other people would probably be hanging on the end of the lead choking. He never does this because I won't let him and never have. What I'm worried about is the aggression towards other dogs and towards one of my cats. If we could fix that 100% I wouldn't care if he pulled his little heart out every day for the rest of his life. The behaviouralist I've booked him in with has been highly recommended by a few different people who are all unrelated, so I think it's safe to assume she knows what she's doing

Thanks for the words of encouragement I've caved and booked an appointment with a behaviouralist next Tuesday. I really can't afford it, but something needs to change quick smart. He lunged at one of the cats this morning which has been an issue for a little while, but provided he's not around her and food everything has been ok. She always eyeballs him and he really doesn't handle it well which I think was the reason behind his lunge at her today since there was no food around. He's totally fine with the other cat, because the other cat knows better than to challenge a dog that's 50x bigger than him! Silly animals After this I definately won't have the money to fly to see Steve, let alone putting petrol in my car to drive anywhere

poodlefan: I know where you're coming from, but he really is quite good majority of the time! I don't tolerate pulling and he's actually very good at heeling wherever we are because I've made sure he understands that heel means heel regardless of the scenario. The times he does pull are when he's released from any commands and gets excited about something, whether it's another dog or something nice to sniff. Even then he's usually pretty ok. It's just last night he just seemed to be away with the pixies. I am relying on training first and foremost when working with him, a pinch collar sounds like it will make things a lot easier though. myszka: great video! Looks like he's doing really well I'd really like to see K9 next time he comes down to Melbourne anyway to see how he gets dogs working so nicely.

Thanks for the responses guys I'm feeling a little better today, just looking into those big sooky brown eyes reminds me how much of a sweet heart my boy can be. Shoemonster: I've tried getting him to work for treats and he really doesn't seem to care. He's not the most food motivated dog, hell if I'm coming past with a full water bowl, he'll move back from his dinner and let me pass. Very polite of him, but I wish he cared more about food! I've tried skipping his brekkie to make him more food motivated, but I think I'd need to starve him a week to get anything enthusiasm out of him. popsicle: I did start trying the flat collar and he's very good for the most part. I do feel like he needs a correction collar of some kind though because he can be incredibly pig headed at times! If he pulls I stop which makes him sit, then I tell him to heel and we don't continue until he's sitting nicely next to me. Works well apart from when he's having an off day Gillian: Congrats on sorting out your boy I'm in Melbourne and we've been attending obedience for some time now and have had some great results. He's been charging up classes and if it wasn't for his dog aggression he'd be kicking arse in offlead work right now. You're definately right about not letting them get away with poor behaviour, and it's not something I allow. It's just hard going when he wants to work against me for a whole walk! Ruffles: Thanks I'd dearly love to have a behaviouralist look at him, but at $200-$300 per session I just don't have the money right now. We are definately making progress and I can read him pretty well, but I think a behaviouralist could really help refine how I handle him and speed up the process. I know one day he'll be "fixed", but some days it's hard to be positive about it. Gamby: you're right, she is a picture of innocence ;)

I've got the same as you specifically because I hoped the chain sound would remind him of the choker. It did for about a block before he saw through my plans :D That's what he ended up on today because I got so sick of struggling with the martingale. I always carry a Halti with me as it's really great for situations where I need extra control over him (like at the vet's or in crowds). It's ultimately not so great for walking him because he's utterly miserable wearing it and doesn't enjoy himself at all. I'm working on building his confidence and having him relax more so keeping him happy is very important right now. The other thing that worries me is that if he was to lunge suddenly it could hurt his neck pretty badly.

I think this is going to be my solution as well, it's pretty much the only collar we haven't tried yet.

Well tonight was a crappy walk day. I'm sure you've all had at least a few before where everything goes wrong so you'll understand. We started out trying a martingale collar because I'm scared of what kind of damage the choker is doing to my dog's neck. It's not that he's allowed to hang on the end of it or that I've giving overly rough corrections, it's that when he lunges at other dogs I can't help but think he's really damaging his throat. Anyway, the martingale is an official failure. Not only does he not give a crap about it's presence, but I also have to yank hard on the damn thing to get any kind of correction out if it. Kind of defeats the purpose of a more throat friendly collar. Added to which he had a go at a dog he's usually 100% fine with because the other dog was holding a stick in his mouth. Possessiveness was something I thought we had ironed out months ago, turns out that ain't the case. Then as I'm trying to have him calm down another dog started harassing him who's owner has probably never heard of the phrase "effective verbal control" which made things 10x harder. Oh yeah, and he pulled like a bastard the whole walk, partly due to lack of choker and partly because I think he was just in a pullin' mood. 40kg of pulling dog vs 60kg of me makes for a difficult walk. Now I've been sitting at home feeling miserable because my dog is broken and I can't take him any of the fun places I want to (ie. the beach, markets, friend's homes) and I just felt the need to vent :D What do you guys do when you feel like this? I'm trying to focus on the fact that he's improved overall, but it's not really helping

What a rotten thing to say One of my instructors ended up telling me my dog was the problem at training, not me That was a little different though...he'd spent 2 months telling me it was my fault and that the dog was in charge, etc, etc before finally admitting that it was just an age thing and I'd have to be patient until he grew up a little bit Made me feel a lot better because I was losing confidence in my own abilities to deal with my stubborn, pig headed 8 month old pup. I think his decision was based on my dog flatly refusing to drop. He'd either stay sitting or jump up and smack me in the face with his tongue. One day my instructor had had enough and marched over to tell the dog himself only to be greeted by a very large tongue right in the mouth 10 months later, it still makes me giggle.

you there K9? Are you able to answer the above question?

Now this is an interesting point which makes a lot of sense. Do you have any suggestions on how to change the reaction he turns to while in defense drive? I've just accepted that the aggression will always be lurking around in his skull somewhere so I've focused mostly on building his trust in me to help him stop feeling the need to become defensive so frequently. If his aggressive reaction can be replaced with something more positive though I'm all ears

K9- sorry, sometimes my wording of things ain't the best. Yes, my dog is definately fear aggressive, in fact it's easy to pick it as he's very expressive. Whether or not my dog sees himself as the leader...well, I don't think he's 100% certain of me as his alpha which is part of his problem, but in general he does look to me. Having him sit when confronted by things that would make him nervous is working very well, but I will not make him sit if he is showing signs of actual fear. It's tricky to describe exactly what we do without demonstrating it, but I assure you if he starts to shake or look distressed we walk away. The reason why I mentioned standing being a more "dominant" position is because he also has trouble with male dogs, still fear related, but he appears to feel more challenged by them and is far quicker to react badly. Sitting just seems to make him far more at ease and relaxed than standing. While I do understand what you mean when you say "this is a mistake, your showing him that you will make him stay in the face of danger..." , what I'm trying to show him is that the danger isn't really there and making these experiences positive ones. I'm trying to eradicate the memory of any bad associations with these perceived challenges in order to wipe the slate clean and help him relearn more appropriate ways of handling his feelings. If these things hadn't caused a massive improvement in him recently I wouldn't have mentioned them at all, but they certainly have. To say we've been through a lot of trial and error is an understatement! He's been aggressive towards other dogs/people in the street for as long as I've had him (close on a year), but in only a month I've got him sitting confidently on the nature strip while other dogs and people pass. No signs of shaking, licking lips, arousal or even a fearful look in his eyes. He's becoming significantly more relaxed. The other (and my favourite) reason I know it's working? For the first time, he's started to wag his tail while walking down the street His overall body language is so much more relaxed too. In fact, he watched a bird yesterday on our walk, fluttering around overhead, with absolute fascination...doesn't sound like a big deal really, but it meant he had to take his eyes off the road in front of him. It meant that he had to drop his guard for a few seconds which previously would never have happened. I also don't see NILIF or TOT as a complete solution, they definately aren't. The only reason I mentioned them is they are often suggested as almost a "cure-all" for any of these kind of problems. I do agree that while they can help, they certainly aren't going to fix everything.

Good: 1. the people are very friendly and accepting 2. open minded training 3. accepting of all breeds and all temperaments 4. willing to go the extra mile to help anyone who needs it 5. truely care about all the people dogs, endless patience and perserverance 6. can train for agility, lots of equipment available 7. there's a licensed bar in the club house Bad: 1. huge differences in knowledge & opinions between the instructors 2. class sizes can be very big (although they can usually produce extra instructors if it's excessive) What the? 1. 8:30am Sunday training sessions? Someone has a sick sense of humour All in all I love my club. They're obviously not perfect, but they don't claim to be and always to their best.