dee lee

Thanks for all your kind thoughts. Its been a month now and we are slowly finding the absence of Evie more normal, though not a day goes by that we dont talk about her or forget she isnt there. The pain has lessened somewhat though and my manic grief and guilt has subsided, thank god. We miss her, but I know that we did the right thing. You have all been so wonderful, I dont know how I would have coped without DOL Dee x

I dont know anything about Tollers, except that they are stunning , what are they like in general? I see that they are mostly used as working dogs (gun dogs?)- so what are their temperament and exercise requirements? Do they need lots of mental stimulation? Are they similar to Aussies?

Oh no, that is heartbreaking! I'm so sorry, Dee

Juice, Im so sorry. Lots of hugs to you.

Sharon, Thats good news! Of course you will be sad, but there is so much hope for Digi, he will be happy and unstressed in a new home. And your son will be able to feel safe again. Hugs to you, Dee x

Im so glad I have my DOL family here for me. My poor little daughter was scared of Evie- but still loved her and even though she is sad, when she sees me tearing up she comes and gives me a hug. Im trying to stay strong for them, so its good to be able to come here and be sad. Thank you everyone. Today Im concentrating on staying busy- we are planting some Gardenia bushes in honour of Evie. They were her favourite. They might be able to grow this time- how bittersweet. And Rommimum- Im sorry to make you cry again, but i'll have a virtual Chokky cake and cry with you instead ok?

I miss my doggie.

The house is so empty... Thanks for all your kind thoughts, it helps.

Im so sorry for your pain and loss.

Oh Persephone... All the time you were being so kind to me and you had your own problems. Im sorry you had to go through this. RIP beautiful Pat.

Thanks everyone. I knew it would hurt but this is unbearable... I havent been home yet, that will be even harder. Ridgeback-lover, I am so sorry about Bella, at least i had some time to say goodbyes and prepare, losing her like that... my heart breaks for you.

You were trouble with a capital T, we struggled hard with you for 2 years but still I loved you so very much. Evie I am so sorry... my heart is breaking even though i know I did the best thing for you. We will miss you so very much...

Hi Sharon, You havent failed Digi- this is just something that happened, you could never have guessed it would and you are doing the best you can. Its a shame it didnt work out with the people on the weekend but Im sure it wont take long for you to find him a new home. Dee x

Im so sorry Sharon, I know how you feel. :p Its a horrible and hard thing to do. Big hugs to you Dee x

I would be seeing if the Breeder could take your dog back. My personal view, as a parent, is that any aggression towards a human would not be tolerated. Even if you were able to retrain your dog not to do that, could you ever trust it? It only takes one accidental time the dog is alone with your child... My situation is not the same as yours (my dog's issue is dog aggression) but when I saw that my children were suffering and afraid in their own home- where they should grow up feeling safe- I felt it was time to make some hard decisions. Its sad but your child should come first.

To further cloud the waters- what makes a qualified behaviourist? Im not talking about a vet behaviourist.

What do you do when a dog couldnt give a crap about that correction? If my dog has had a brain snap it makes little difference and the only thing I can do is pull her away. Its one of the reasons I dont use a prong (I do not enjoy stringing my reactive dog up by one when the correction has not deterred her), and with a check or martingale I can be yanking that lead til the cows come home if she is in the zone... Usually my only hope is a pre-emptive "NO" which is only about 90% successful. Im interested in the abandonment theory, but doubt I would ever have the opportunity to try it. Too risky.

No human biting or mouthing. We have 2 small kids and even play biting is not on. Zero tolerance here. Chewing her toys is fine but I dont play tug as my dog has exhibited some challenging behaviour and the last thing I need is for her to feel "giving" a toy is optional as part of a game.

Well, the issue is that if you just stick a PP collar on your dog and don't know what you're doing, then: a) you could hurt the dog, or (perhaps more likely), b) it might not work at all and your dog might learn to just pull through the PP collar. Those issues aren't unique to the PP collar, of course, they're shared by any correction collar or headcollar if you don't know how to use them properly. Even though I do personally prefer the PP collar to the checkchain or headcollar, if you have someone local who can teach you how to use a headcollar or checkchain correctly, I'd suggest you go get a lesson with them rather than experiment with a PP collar by yourself. I think K9Force has a distance learning program you can do about loose leash walking if there are genuinely no good trainers near you, and you just can't travel. Additionally, the prong is not for everyone- myself for example. I have used one in the past following the help of a trainer and found I didnt have the stomach for it- my dog is DA and I just could not manage to correct her properly in a reactive situation which in turn made the issue worse. Its unfortunate because I did find it to be an amazing tool, worked wonderfully at keeping her on a loose lead (and she was a pulling beast without it). Instead I reverted back to a martingale which has taken a lot longer (over a year) to get her to looselead walk but we got there eventually.

Erny that's a really great tip! I'm always reluctant to "test" my dog in a situation in case she doesn't respond and Ive weakened the command- but she knows how to shake so I'll do that next time. Thanks!

We have been ignoring our dog when cominge home for about 2 years now and she still will try it on. I know what to do, she knows what is acceptable, but she just cant control herself! She is a tart and gets excited about anyone, not just the family. Mind you she is getting better as she gets older (she is 2 and a half) and will quickly run to her bed almost immediately now when she remembers its not on.

Yep, Ive had this happen too when I was using a prong. From then on I used a check chain as well. I had been warned by my trainer about it too.

I have this one and its the best I have used (Ive tried a few things ). Its a limited slip collar (a martingale is the same just with a triangle chain) and works like a check chain except that it cant "check" further than the leather part of the collar. It gives a lot of control when you need it and doesnt slide much when you dont. I love mine. Sorry, Evie's.

Im another martingale lover here. My dog is a stubborn bugger and still will pull if given the chance despite a looooong time training her. I dont give her the chance and I also need the added control of her as she is DA. The martingale is good because, unlike a checkchain, I dont have to keep adjusting it. Also it doesnt rub the fur off my dog's neck. Personally I wont use a halti because when my dog was a pup she was a suprise lunger and I was concerned that she would snap her neck. Mind you, if she was an easily trained dog then I would hope that I would only need a flat collar.

Oh Ruth, Thats awful. Poor you and Chopper. God, I can only imagine how upset you were when you got home to that blood! I absolutely understand what you mean about the "no-fun" thing. I hope Chopper works it out soon. Big hugs.