dee lee

That is very true. *sigh* I frequently question my ability to train my dog. ETA: I didnt want attempt to do this. I really think Cosmolo's approach would suit me though.

Thanks for the thoughts Jules, Mostly I just wish I could make it better. I do enjoy being at home with her, she is a sweetie there. Yes, its nice when I go walking with Ruth!

I wont flame you, That sounds great Cosmolo, I particularly like that you as a trainer use the remotes first. VERY sensible. I did have the opportunity to use an e-collar, but after much though decided against it. My dog's aggression was made worse by me using new correction tools- first a harness and then a prong, entirely my fault- I crumbled when she started to growl at another dog and could not implement a proper correction. I felt that after that experience it was probably better for me to accept that I could possibly do more damage if I used an E-collar. ETA: Kavik- yes, that would be my concern with Evie.

Oh Rysup- thats so sad! I thank my lucky stars my dog only has a problem with dogs- it must be a horrible burden to have to deal with a people aggressive dog, especially when you love them. Hugs to you. Thanks for your wishes.

Thats good to know- I would LOVE another dog, and, despite her behaviour, I am sure Evie would too (and not just to eat! ). Not so sure if the OH would consent though.

Thats ok then, I dont feel like such a huge nincompoop!! (just a small one ) I understand about how much she has taught you- when i get my Finnish Lapphund (research says apparently the easiest trained dog ) training will be a breeze! Of course i will have to wait a long time for Evie to pass before that happens.

Cripes, you have 3 dogs, one with DA AND a baby- how do you do it? My brain hurts just reading advice! Thanks for the tips Kavik- they make good sense.

Thanks guys, When I say desensitising I am not actually letting her meet other dogs (now!), I have been taking her to parks where there are dogs and walking on the path away from them and being sure to let her know I dont care they are there. She has been pretty good with this- more excited than aggressive and no snarling. Its just the occasional dog that she may see when walking on the street that she will carry-on about. Kavik, your suggestion sounds very good, I think even I may be able to manage that (I SUCK at training)- Ruthless, I would LOVE to borrow that, Ive still not bought a clicker yet but will now. Also as Ruthless has mentioned (thats OK love) she is a bit of a get in before they get me kind of dog, but then calms down after a while. She has walked calmly with all Ruthless' dogs and been fine for a meet afterwards. Same with another friend's dog. To be honest this aggression only started about 6 months ago- just before Evie jumped Angel, and I was in no way expecting it at all. I am VERY aware now and go out of my way to keep distance from other dogs, even if I know them. Monelite, I agree i think I am in for the long haul. I dont expect that I can fix her so she can play with other dogs but I would like to be able to walk her without her losing it. She is managable but its really unpleasant and means I cant walk my kids at the same time.

For those who dont know, I have a 2 yo fear aggressive staffy x. She has been a difficult dog for me to train and I have had help from trainers and a lot of help from DOL but I am still struggling with her DA. I am at the point now where I am now in control of her (I was initially frightened of her outbursts which didnt help), but I want to do more than just manage her issues. Last week JenIsAwesome perfectly summarised my situation: My question is, how do I help my dog stop reacting like this? Currently I am trying to desensitise her by taking her near other dogs, but there is always a dog somewhere on our walk that she will lunge and snarl at- I cant seem to stop this behaviour, corrections dont work at all.

Kelpie-i, Corvus has fixated on the word dominance- I think arguing about whether it is the right word or not is pointless and I have said so. Basically we have been trying to discuss whether strong discipline is needed when walking dogs- I for one feel the need to because I refuse to "let" my dog pull. I dont really care whether she is pulling from dominance or from drive- its not acceptable.

Corvus, I think you have drawn some frustrated responses here purely because you theorise without any practical solution and your experience with your dogs you mention frequently, Im afraid you should expect someone to call you on it. Why are you focusing so much on the word "dominant"? In not listening to its owner, whether on leash or not, the dog is in control not the human- which is why I mentioned the word dominant, perhaps it can be argued that this is not the right word but thats semantics and not the point. The point is that the dog is not obeying your commands and therefore is challenging your authority. I call that dominance- you dont have to, whatever, its not a good situation. Additionally, being overpowered by their drive is just not acceptable in a dog that is "difficult"- and you cannot allow a DA dog free reign, it is HUGELY irresponsible. Discounting DA, I have a dog who unless she is kept at heel WILL pull. This is despite a lot of training (using your exact method and others) and due to reasons my dog is not revealing to me. I assume, that this would be why Caesar insists on strong discipline with his difficult dogs.

It's about who's in charge. The leader determines where you go. If you get to pull your handler whereever you want to go, who do you think is in charge? To some dogs a human is simply a brake that slows their travels. I see dogs like that progress round my suburb every day. Corvus I really think you need to meet more dogs. I'm sure as a zoologist you'd never make conclusions about species behaviour based on one or two individuals would you? The fact that you have a dog that clearly doesn't challenge you daily doesn't give you a wide enough range of experience to make generalised comments IMO. Some of your "observations" about dogs unlike your own can border on offensive to people who face considerable issues with their dogs every day. Go and walk some pound dogs. Once you've dealt with half a dozen or so 20-30 kg dogs who are prepared to hunker down and mush to haul their handlers where ever they feel like exploring, you'll have more basis to discuss how such dogs view the human at the end of the lead. To many such dogs, the human is at best irrelevant or a hindrance to their goals. They don't care about the other end of the lead because they've never been given motivation to or their drives overpower them. :rolleyes:

I'm sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about. My dog is "on alert" as soon as we walk out the house. If left to her own devices she will pull like a freight train in the direction SHE wants to go, and has absolutely zilch regard for where I might be. I have scars from a rope burn and a past broken finger from this. SHE tries to be the leader not me despite very hard work at maintaining pack leadership at home (she is fine there). I assume this is due to something in the past prior to me adopting her and I have had little success in altering this. Working with a trainer I have adopted a "management" strategy to cope and this involves keeping her close to me and forcing her to acknowledge where I am. As for other dogs, her DA behaviour is not dependant on meeting the other dog- I have had her lungeing and gnashing her teeth at a dog across the road and some way away. If another dog is about to pass me in the street if she is next to me I am able to control her. How would you suggest I proceed?

I have found I NEED to keep my (psycho and DA) dog in heel for 90% of our walk in order to stop her taking charge. I recently decided to teach her to "free walk" and allow her a limited distance around me where she can do whatever she likes as long as she doesnt pull and keeps walking. I did this to reduce her stress around other dogs as I am trying to desensitise her. It has worked to a point but I found her dominance on walks has increased by doing this and she has become a pain to walk so I have reverted back to heeling. Really I think it would depend on the dog, your dogs have no need for as much discipline as mine- believe me its not by choice, I'd much rather your situation.

He he he. At least your dog is only stealing the cushions. I've just remembered one of my first posts on DOL- Something along the lines of "Help, my dog just ate the COUCH!!" :D Bloody little pain in the butt she was (IS!). Ah yes- we do need a "how to train the OH" discussion board on here...

My staffyx went through a phase of stealing and chewing when she was a pup. With our 2 kids she had plenty of good chewy toys to choose from! Even when we were home she would sneak into the kids room (if accidentally left open) and look for a toy to kill. We did lots of NO's , "ah ah"ing and making sure she was outside with a bone/kong if we couldnt keep an eye on her for even 5 minutes. She eventually got over it and now never steals things when we are at home- even if she gets excited. However she is NEVER allowed inside when we aren't home- I thought she had grown out of chewing completely, trusted her and came home to a chewed aerial cable. Nice secure kennel and yard outside for when she is alone. Not so pretty out there now though. Just stay on him, he will improve if you stick to the advice on here.

Dont listen to them! I have a staffy x with a fairly similar story to yours. After a couple of altercations at the dog park I stopped going and exercised her at another park where there were fewer dogs. She reacted well with a staffy I met there and the owner told me I was overreacting and "that's how staffys play". Because I, like you, felt sad that my dog couldnt run free anymore I made the mistake of listening and went back to the first park. The second return visit she started a fight. That was a year ago and I have not let her off lead since and she gets walked onlead on the streets instead. I still feel bad, but I think thats more my issue than the dog's. My dog has gone up and down in her DA but I would always hesitate to let her offlead around even a dog she knew and liked, I could not live with myself if she "turned" on it suddenly.

Wow! They would be perfect for Evie! She acts scary but hasn't hurt another dog. I suspect she is just doing a lot of warning. Does anyone else know of any growl classes in Sydney?

If your dog is intent on not being near you how do you do this?

Nathan is great!!

Grrrr, I hate fleas... My poor dog was infested for the last year, I was using Revolution and it just wasnt working at all so I had to supplement it with Capstar and various flea sprays/powders. It was a real struggle to keep them at bay. But a couple of months ago I switched to Advocate and I havent seen a flea yet! Right in full flea season! Its been such a relief. It seems some products work on some dogs and others on others. I hadn't switched earlier as the products are all so damn expensive and I didnt want to choose the wrong one. A very costly trial and error.

You have to be good for Santa to bring you things If only I hadnt been so naughty...

Still, Im jealous. and its great to hear progress on your tricky gal. I didnt realise she is a velcro dog- wish Evie was. She does seem very bonded to you, so I shouldve guessed.

You had Trixie offleash?!! Bloody hell!! You are a champion!!

Excellent Ruth!! She was SO well behaved on our walk and I was amazed that she was so good about Evie having a sniff of her! She is such a gorgeous thing- wouldnt it be lovely if you "fixed" her one day? Yay for the E-collar! Yay for Trixie!! (Wish Santa was bringing me one... )