Lil Miss LeiLani

I have clipped his claws in the past, but the last time I did it he yelped so i think i went down a tiny little bit too far (even though i was cliipping the clear part) - then that freaked me out. There was no blood or anything though, I think he's smarter than we give him credit for!! lol We know he's smart as in intelligent but he knows how to play us too ! I have started telling him to "settle" when he gets hypo to try and calm him down, so will stick with that and see how it goes. The nail clipping is included in the hydro bath price, normally we wash him in the shower and do it on our own, but my sisters cats' nail clipper has opened up a shop about 10mins away and is doing discount bath & clipping ($10) so we are taking him there tomorrow.

will try that too Reddii. Once he sits & is settled, we can then pat him. We were sitting watching tv last night, and for the first time since we got him (that i can remember), he actually slept out our feet ! It was sooo sweet !!! Do you growl "NO" or "Down" or "Sit " at him ??

Thanks Spotted devil ! Will try that method and see how we go ! I did buy a clicker before we brought him home, but haven't used it yet as the breeder said you've got to be careful when using that to train, so we havent tried. It doesn't help that his claws are sharp atm, getting clipped tomorrow which will be a big help !!

Thats amazing ! Ours isn't really gentle which is a shame !! Still very cute though so i hate yelling/growling at him - but I know it needs to be done!! :-) How old is the little miss Xena ? Zorro likes jumping up a fair bit so we push him down gently, and I have now started turning my back to him. I also read somewhere about putting your knee up to stop them ???

Thanks Arcana !! Will try bio zet - do you just pour it over the spot and rub it in ? Like a paste ?? Your bc is beautiful by the way - and i just love the name Reddii - i thought it might have been CK as in calv. klein ! Great name too! ours is Zorro cos of the black face, I initially was going to get a female Germ Shep & had the name Thora picked out - but as it turned out, we bought a male bc! So Zorro it was - was between that or Dante - and OH preferred Zorro so we went for that. Do your dogs bite your hands alot ?? We've tried and tried to stop him doing it, by yelping and walking away, to spraying our hands with lemon juice - but he still does it, and now with his adult teeth it hurts ! Where in Bris are you Arcana ?

hi Reddii ! We are taking Zorro to Oxley (Obedience club of Brisbane), he was so good last week. After classes had finished (advanced class was still going) we let Zorro off the lead and OH ran across the field with Zorro by his side, then OH stopped, I called Zorro and he came running to me. I swear I was about to start crying !!! Was such a great moment. Couldn't stop cuddling him !! Lovely little fella ! Thats good to hear about Ck (whats his name ?). I think zorro will learn too, we jsut have to give him some guidance (and treats!) I am having a bit of trouble with him around children (if you have seen my other post about agression towards children in behaviour - you will see the full story) - but i think thats cos the kids were throwing things over the fence, so when the kids came to meet him, he got very agressive & actually nipped the 8yo girl as she pat him on the head. Then afterwards when the kids came inside, we sat down with Zorro and he was quite scared and hiding behind us. Apart from that, he has been fine, still running off and playing at dog park etc, he did though for a day when we were at the dog park he just wanted to stay by us, and then after a while ran off with the other dogs. In what way is CK being timid ? Is he desexed ?

Thats such a lovely thing to say !!!! :-) Yes, we are taking Zorro to obedience classes (tonight actually!) I'm more excited about going now as he is no longer in the 'newbie' classes & is on the 2nd level (3 levels), and this new trainer is much better and we're learning more rather than just listening.

We brought him home at 3mths, and he was holding on all night then. Mind you, he was sleeping in his crate (borrowed from the Breeder) in our room, but now we've had to give the crate back & now he sleeps in the bathroom, so different surroundings. I think though this week has been a big week for him, with getting the fence now & staying inside the house alot more as we don't want the kids teasing him etc & him barking, so now his run space is more limited during the day & night, and with the rain, we've kept him inside alot where its nice and warm. So it is really partially/mostly our fault for not taking him out and staying with him. I'm sure we will get it right this time! He'll now be getting used to his new 'area' and the rain has stopped today so we'll see how things go !

Sounds like a great idea - will bring along treats for kids to 'toss' in front of the dog. Yes - the girl did go straight in for the head (twice - even after I told her not to pat him there), so that freaked him out. We can pat him on the head with never any worries, but he was obviously unsure with this one. When we went to the markets last week, when a kid would go past and zorro was well behaved & not bothered by the children, I gave him a treat and praised his good behaviour. Its a shame I don't really know young children to socialise him with. I will have to do something so he can be around them (not in his face tho!). We are taking him to hydrobath in the morning, so possibly there could be some kids there, I will have to suss out his reactions & mood to see how he copes with kids there - ie: pulling on the leash, barking etc. I will bring treats along so they can throw to him and see how that goes.

That sounds wonderful ! I understand everything takes time - so we will moniter this alot more closely from now on. And with him peeing in the bathroom where he sleeps - perhaps he hasn't done his business when he has been let out at night before bed - I think we will have to go along with him and encourage him to do his thing and then he can come back in ! They're smart dogs so I'm sure he'll figure it out - with our help & lots of praise of course! I think my friend uses that stuff - is it in a black bottle ? About $20 from pet stores ?

I wish i didn't have this problem !! I need to round up some kids I know as you said, and get them to pat the dog and see his reaction. I know he is fine at the dog park etc, just on leash may be a different story. I know what you mean- better safe than sorry. But we are wanting to have kids in a few years and i don't want to have any problems with the dog & our kids etc, so I wanna try and nip this problem in the bud if there is chance of a problem. I did give the kids next door treats to give him which did seem to help - until the 8yo went in for a pat anyways which scared him ! Also...what is ETA ???

I'm not sure if OH went out with him - i was thinking that too, that we have to stand next to him and wait until he has gone wee-wees, and then praise. I actually heard him weeing from next to the window where I was sitting yesterday, after he ate his dinner & talked to him thru the window & lots of "good zorro's" after his completed the task! I said to OH that he was going in the same spot cos he could smell the area, so I said we should clean the area really well, we also used carpet deodoriser on it last night, and suggested we push the couch back to cover up that particular area. Thanks for the suggestions Spotted Devil !

Thanks guys ! I think i may have not worded myself correctly in asking about kids wanting to pat the dog - i didn't mean the kids from next door (as I will tell them what you both said - that because of their behavior and teasing the dog etc that they aren't allowed to see/pat him) - i actually meant just random kids while we are out. eg: Going to the pet expo at redcliffe on sunday - what if kids come up wanting to pat him ?

Zorro has always been very good in the house, only had one or two accidents. In the last few days he has been weeing in the lounge room in the same spot. I think it must have something to do with it raining outside, and him being inside a lot more these past few days. Weds arvo, OH brought him in, dried his paws and the dog weed behind the house. OH took him out, after about 20mins or so Zorro was let in, & went and wee-d in exactly the same spot in the middle of our lounge room (behind the couch - visible back, not up against a wall) - this happened another 2 times that afternoon. Again yesterday, he wee-d and left a number 2 on the carpet (we weren't in the room for a couple of mins). Then last night he did a #2 in the bathroom (where he sleeps). I personally think now that its because of the rain, he has been inside a lot more, and Monday night we made a fence to block him in to the covered outdoor area (have also left him a few metres of grassed area for him to use) as he was barking at the birds, so I don't know if this may have affected the situation also. Maybe we need to take him outside more in the evenings. Whenever he goes to the door, we always let him out, and he's not inside for more than an hour without being let out (except when sleeping). Any ideas ??

I got home from work last night, and found OH at the window holding his mobile phone - I asked what was going on and he said he caught the oldest son (the only one who didn't come over to see the dog those times) on the fence, throwing things over in to our yard. So, straight away we went and told the mother and sorted it out. Of course the boy denied everything, but the mother made him come over and get everything out that he threw over. So at least now she is aware of whats happening, I also told her that I had spoken to a few breeders (as well as Zorros breeder) who said obviously the dog had been scared by the kids and thats the reason for his behaviour. I also asked her how the dog was in the mornings now and told her we built a fence so he couldn't get out in the mornings. She said he was much better, and seemed happy that we had done something about it. So, we'll see what happens now ! My only concern is - what happens if we meet children out and about and they ask to pat him - what do we do ???

Absolutely !! He is my #1 concern (no offence t the kids next door - but he is my baby & he comes first!!) I would prefer to have a happy & settled dog, rather than have the kids come over and frighen my pup. I only ever let the kids come to pat him cos I thought it would be good for Zorro to meet some young kids - honestly, I'm happy with the way things were before we started getting visits from the kids. Plus, its better for Zorro too! We know he is safe though now with the fence up as he can't get to anything the kids throw over - like chocolate which could kill him ! Poor little man !!

Thanks Faolmor. The breeder did say that is was not a good idea to have him on the lead, and i did some reading about fear agression and it says that he shouldn't be on the lead - exactly what you have said. When we are at the dog park, he is not on the lead - yet each time we've had the kids over, he has been on the lead. Thats why we were hoping to see how he is with the kids whilst free in the backyard - but opportunity hasn't come yet - and i'm a bit worried about giving him mixed signals incase the kids are teasing him, its not fair to Zorro. Will have to remember for the future though to control the situation so nothign can happen, i personally think its something to do with these particular kids, or it could be territorial. I have had another kid (nephew in law) come over to stay and zorro was on the leash when we would enter & exit the property, and there were no problems. Dogs have good memories though & they don't forget !

Thanks Choles dad ! There is definately something going on there - whether he thinks the kids are teasing him cos they play with the ball and he can't - or cos they throw things over the fence for him or at him - thats the only options. Hes as good as gold apart from that. I'm glad the girl doesn't jump the fence anymore to your place - must be nice to not have to worry, & that they now come to the front door !! Nothing else has happened since the other day - as it has been raining so the kids haven't been out playing. Plus, we have now put up a fence which means Zorro cant get out to run & play along the fence, or to pick up unwanted items in the garden that the kids throw over. So, all is okay at our camp touch wood !!! He did though pee in the same spot on the carpet 4 times yesterday. Each time when OH caught him doing it, he picked him up and took hiim outside. Then after a little while, cleaned his paws (cos of the rain) let him back in, same spot and same thing happened again - 4 times in total. So then OH took hiim outside & left him there on his bed for an hour or so. Later on after dinner we let him in, and no worries. They must smell their scent and want to go on that same spot. We've never had a problem with him deliberately peeing in the house before (he has only had about 3 or 4 accidents since we've got him). How do we fix this ?

Thats a really good point poodlefan ! Keep him away from them. Its hard cos we live next door, but my dog is more important to me than those kids so I'm sure we will try our best to keep the situation controlled. Its up to the kids' parents to control them, we can't do that obviously but we just want to protect Zorro. Might even look at putting up some bamboo or something along the fence - its a shame that their property is higher meaning they can peer down or pop their heads over the fence. Maybe we can make it electrical, the kids would stay away then wouldn't they !!

hi Poodle, Yes, our breeder is registered and the dog is on the main register under her name - until we decide if we are going to breed him or not. We're not overly fussed either way, but the breeder was wanting to breed him. I have told her about these recent probs with the kids and she said if we need to, we can desex him. She doesn't think though that having him not desexed should be causing these problems. He has been trying to hump us a bit more lately - maybe he is a little frustrated. Is 6mths too early to be worrying about that side of life ??

Thanks for all your advice ! Hubby2Be wants to try and set up a video camera to see whats going on when we are not there. The kids' parents seem the type not to do anything about any issues etc, even after we told the kids to stop throwing things over, something still happened on Monday. I agree Vickie that things could be made worse by forcing the dog to socialise with the kids. These kids are the main problem - there are kids on the other side but the house is set a little bit lower down so theres not too much contact there. The kids he has the problem with are in the house opposite our outdoor area (where he is during the day) and the kids are up a bit higher, and climb over the bins etc in their yard, so he can really get a good view from where we are. We were planning on getting him desexed, but the breeder wants to breed him most probably. Does alot change when they get desexed ?? personality wise ? What should I say to the parents ?? We have never spoken until this incident happened on Saturday.

Hi Shelley, Thanks for your advice. I suggested to the kids that one day they should meet us down at the dog park where its on neutral ground. I also think its a good idea to talk to the parents too, as I said, I am keeping the bag of stuff we found in the yard & will show the mother. Even if she denies it in front of us, she may very well tell her kids off for it. Just spoke to my fiance who just got in - everything is fine with the pup - fence is still up & no sign of any destruction. Good little man !

I thought it could be a territory thing also. The breeder & I thought that perhaps the kid could come over one day when we are playing with him, so he is in a happy frame of mind, then the child can play ball a bit with him. I know that he could have bitten alot harder if he had of wanted too. Its hard to know what the kids do when we are not home. I have told the kids that they are never allowed to jump in the yard as we don't know how he would react, especially when we aren't home, we can't control him. At any rate, they shouldn't be coming in to our yard anyway. What do you mean about the mixed messages? Do you think it could have anything to do with him not being de-sexed ?

Hi Everyone ! I have a 6mth old border collie male (entire) - and we have never had a problem with him being aggressive or scared of any one or any dog he meets. We have never had any reason to worry...until Saturday afternoon. The kids next door came over & asked to pat the dog. Of course, we didnt see a problem with it and took him out the front on the leash for the kids to pat him. The kids are 6, 8, and 10. The 8yo went to pat him, and Zorro started barking aggressivley and nipped her hand. She then ran off crying back home. We were in such a state of shock and thought that the council would come and take our little man away. I ran over to make sure she was okay, and everything was fine, she was still crying though. I suggested to her mum that it would be a good idea for the kids to socialise with the puppy so he gets to know them (apart from hearing them over the fence - he runs up and down with them when they play up the side of their house). So we brought the kids inside the house, still kept pup on the leash so he wouldn't attack. He still barked aggressively at them, then after a while settled down, but he was still not himself. He also seemed to be hiding by my fiance a fair bit. We thought that perhaps as he hasn't really been around a lot of children, that he might just be unaware of them. So we wanted to test this out to rule out if it was all children, or just these kids from next door. We took Zorro to the dog park that afternoon, there were a few kids there and he was completely himself around the kids, adults & the dogs. We then thought that as the kids might be teasing him or somethign during the day. We have found sticks and drink bottles and food in our yard, all of which were not our own, so we think they are feeding the dog or throwing things over the fence. On Sunday morning, we thought to take Zorro to our local markets up at Forest Lake to see his reaction to lots of kids, all ages, as well as people & different sounds etc. Again, not a problem & he was very well behaved. That afternoon, the kids came over about 3 times wanting to play with him, so we brought him out & all sat down on our driveway. He still wasn't 100% at first, but again, settled down. I gave the kids a treat to feed him and send to just give him the treat, not to pat him as he is unsure. The 8yo though didn't listen and as soon as she gave him the treat, she pat him on the head, and again he went to bite her and started barking. We told the kids not to pop their heads over the fence or talk to him, or throw food etc over as it is making him uncomfortable. They agreed. When we got home from work last night, I found in his bed (where he puts all his collections of toys, rocks, sticks etc) a stick & a zip lock bag with something like a choc cake all mushed up and melted in there. We know that it is not ours, so I collected it and put them in a plastic bag as proof to take next door. We have now put up a fence barrier so he just gets to stay under our large outdoor covered area, and have extended it out a bit so he has a grass area to run up & play and do his business. This not only protects the kids next door if they jump in to the yard but moreso protects Zorro if the kids do that, or continue throwing things over the fence. Its his first day at home with these new arrangements today so I'm dying to see how my little man is coping. I spoke to the breeder and she thinks it sounds like fear aggression - that obviously he remembers something that these kids have done to him & now he is scared. Does that sound right ?? Help ! How can I control this ?