persephone

:D great news!

*nods* has Shadow an outdoor enclosure where she can be totally dog-free?

Why not put a litter tray on the floor at night, and see what she does? Is she only doing the inappropriate urinating at night? Does she poo in the tray ?

she is a lucky old girl!

Your pup needs YOU to teach it NOT to chase the cat being a pug- if the cat does one day retaliate- a puggy pop eye could be badly injured I do not believe the cat is purposely swishing her tail to tease the dog... cats swish their tails when angry/anxious/ undecided.... I also don't really believe everything is about 'dominance' our cats and dogs play chasey... jump on each other , bite each other gently.... they are all adult , and have been doing this for years! The urinating.... the cat 'may' be marking... she may be urinating where th epup has been, and there is still a smell... she may be urinating on the floor because pup is in her way when she does try & get to her tray.... Put up some baby gates. so cat and dog can have some space. Spend more time training the pup, perhaps, so she has something else to think about? Does she concentrate well when you do her obedience routines ? How is she with her on lead walking training? Does she still look for the cat then?

Actually , when training Guide Dogs- I used a rolled up newspaper on quite a few occasions! Some youngsters would NOT focus ... they were just 'walking' - not 'working'... but get them carrying a rolled up newspaper ,and it made all the difference ! All of a sudden, they were 'working'! The difference in their carriage/concentration was instant...Rolled up newspaper= a very handy thing!

Dogs do vocalise- they have to!

This could be the best option for the dog...back to familiar routines , and I hope your friend can soon find a puppy to help her heal

Oh poor girl did try & get out before she had to poo .... she must have been frantic! Luckily the cat bed was there for her afterwards

whislt it may be helping your friend - I honestly think that is being unfair to this dog From what you have written she sounds most unsettled /unhappy ...The dog doesn't know she is 'on loan' ... all she knows is that she is stressed . A dog who paces,drools and actively 'escapes' from the presence of the male ? poor ,poor dog. Why put her through it?

When you say he shakes his head-- is it the shake with ears flapping..a side-to side shake. or is it that his head sort of bobs up & down- a bit like he is trying to nod "yes" ?

I am not talking about those who are in the public eye- rather people from all walks of life who do have the skills

Indeed! I believe that there are many who try & cash in.... while the ones with the gift/talent may not ever be seen publicly

jed has said it all in one sentence ! I hate people who can be so succinct

No, they don't some get fearful, some get confused, and some show little change, thank goodness!

Agreed- unless you are planning on going for long walks in the rain - your dog should not need a coat he will be quite woolly enough - and may even get too hot being indoors with heating on!

Glad she got rid of it! Scary for you though Dogs are NOT 'stupid'- especially puppies . She is doing what she is wired to do- to dig, explore and chew. If rocks are the most exciting things available to her smell/texture wise- then rocks it will be. She is 10 mths old? What does she do to occupy her day? I am guessing you are away for most of the day ? You may be better off just putting up a run for her.. with a solid/safe flooring like pavers or deep clean sand over reinforcing mesh .That way she will eventually get bored and sleep ... and you won't have to worry about the rock digs! I think it will be impossible otherwise for you to remove every rock from the soil in your yard! :D A run would be my choice.. can be transportable and simple.... provide a sand pit for digging- some chew toys and water ... and make sure she has two walks a day , with her obedience sessions ..and hopefully she will not be as tempted to ingest stones !

Hmm... I cannot think of a way to explain it ...but, think of it a bit like a working sheepdog. There is a litter of pups born.. as they age, they are tested on sheep. Some immediately start 'setting' the sheep..and if a sheep moves, their little legs automatically carry them in the direction needed to stop the sheep escaping... Thse pups react immediately to the sheep's movement/bodylanguage. they have not seen sheep before- they are too young to have had training. They just KNOW. Another pup walks around, makes a half-hearted attempt to go up to the sheep..then sits & watches ... this pup may well be a useful dog , with lots more exposure, with 'set up' opportunities to practise/discover skills and strategies..but may never be a dog on which you can rely- as it does NOT have that innate quality of understanding and instinctively reacting correctly! This dog will need to be commanded- to be guided into doing what is needed. Now- To me, a simplistic view from someone who has not read dog psych books/watched training videos or attended classes ..... the above kind of does express what I think- that the TRUE 'whisperers' (most of whom are never in the public eye ) are just born that way. Their brains are configured in whichever way as to enable them to be hyper sensitive to the behaviours/and thoughts of their given animal...and then to respond in a way the animal instinctively understands, whilst staying relaxed and open....

Sorry it's happened, but ,as it HAS happened more than once, I would suggest some of the management strategies posted- restricted access, vet check, crate, etc.

A good description

Too late at night for me to think coherently, dammit- this is most interesting stuff - thanks, Corvus. will check in tomorrow.

from the site Hetzer mentioned.... Hmmmmm..... MY BOLD

On that site she calls herself a PET MEDIUM Yes, intuition is important ,IMO ..BUT the absolute, confident second-nature reading of an animal's boy language is the most important step .this only comes from constant exposure- and a mind able to absorb and work with it....

IMO- dog/horse whispering in regard to 'training', is the ability/experience to think like the animal concerned- to view the world as they do , and to communicate with them on this level where possible..it is the ART of completely understanding the body language ..and to react instinctively to the nuances... I am in awe of those who can do this. The two obvious are Monty Roberts, and Cesar Millan... but I am sure there are many many others.