poodlefan

When I started working from home I thought it would be nice to have a dog in the house with me. So I popped a bed in my study and went and got Brock. Normally the dogs stay in the kitchen when inside. No way in hell would he come into my study, which is off the kitchen. I had to put a lead on him in the end. After 30 mins of him laying there stressed and panting I let him back out. The girls don't mind being inside and one of them prefers to sleep in. Don't forget that a dog's preferences are shaped by early life experiences. If he wasn't allowed inside as a pup, he'd be unlikely to be comfortable straight away as an adult. He'd have to be conditioned to relax there. On the other hand, if you bought a puppy home and gave it the option of being inside or out, I wonder what most would choose - my guess is a combination of both.

I believe this incident happened in Nimbin, have any of you been to Nimbin? I do have some very normal friends that lives there but the place is full of very feral people. The kids run around dirty with no shoes and very little supervision. (parents are too stoned) The animals are even worse so I cant see any dog training going on or teaching kids to respect animals. I would be very surprised if it was a pure breed Labrador :D I do hope the little girl is ok I'm not going anywhere near your gross generalisation of Nimbin. Re the bolded part. One question. Why? Purebred labs bite too ............had a call from a guy wanting to surrender a 3 year old bitch this morning for biting his child . What was the trigger for the bite? Food ! It often is. ;) Shite some people are slow learners. The myth that some breeds of dogs are 'dangerous' and others are 'safe' has seen a lot of kids bitten over the years.

I believe this incident happened in Nimbin, have any of you been to Nimbin? I do have some very normal friends that lives there but the place is full of very feral people. The kids run around dirty with no shoes and very little supervision. (parents are too stoned) The animals are even worse so I cant see any dog training going on or teaching kids to respect animals. I would be very surprised if it was a pure breed Labrador :D I do hope the little girl is ok I'm not going anywhere near your gross generalisation of Nimbin. Re the bolded part. One question. Why? Purebred labs bite too ............had a call from a guy wanting to surrender a 3 year old bitch this morning for biting his child . What was the trigger for the bite?

Was it a DOLer who said that on their family property, the old working dogs graduate to being "verandah" dogs.. allowed on the big verandahs of the family home. Given how much time folk spend out on the verandah, that sounds like a nice retirement.

I lack the patience to wait..

Don't forget that clicker training is a method of marking desired behaviour, not a training method per se. It can be used with lured behaviours as well as free shaped ones. My personal belief is that unless the behaviour is one the dog would perform relatively naturally, luring the desired response then marking and rewarding will produce faster results that are less frustrating for the dog. If the dog won't offer behaviours then lure them then click and reward. That may encourage him to offer up more ... seems to work with most dogs. The "shake" can often be lured or taught by closing a treat in your hand. Some dogs will paw the hand for the treat.. otherwise the hand can be moved to touch the paw and mark and reward. Most dogs get the idea quickly. I figure dogs ain't mind readers.. if you want a specific behaviour, show them what you want.

If there is one thing I hope this thread brings home to people, it's that with resource guarding, pack order does not matter. I honestly don't think everyone is grasping that Aidan.

Not looking very animated there

I think its a crying shame that more breeders won't sell a Main Register pup to a newbie show home. Bo Bengston (legendary US Whippet breeder and judge) was interviewed a while back. Amongst other comments he said this: That's 45 folk who showed dogs to title and no doubt more than a few of them went on to become breeders. THAT IMO is one hell of a legacy to a breed - a whole new generation of exhibitor/breeders and an example that would be matched by very few people in this country. Bo is not a large scale breeder by the way. All very well for folk to bang on about breeding only for the betterment of the breed but if the only dogs that ever go on to reproduce are the handful you keep in your name, you're really not bettering the breed greatly. Bring on more chances being given to people to exhibit and become the next generation of breeders. Keeping everything on Limited Register that leaves your kennel, selling only your rejected dogs as "show prospects", refusing to allow your dogs to be used at external stud and refusing to sell to show homes isn't bettering the breed much at all. Sure, you might get burned but hey, someone took a chance on you once. Lets see a few more chances given.

This is referring to extremes. The "resident" dog in the photo is obviously neglected, underfed, chained and probably has little if any contact with people. Of course it is going to have issues due to the way it is kept. Unfortunately that photo is what alot of people seem to think outdoor dogs are. Some outside only dogs are like that. A quick review of serious dog attacks in this country suggests that 'resident dogs' do exist here (well fed or not) and my opinion is that people may not realise that's what they've created in the pup they bought home. How you expect a dog that gets less than an hour's attention a day to view you as part of its pack is debateable. The point to be made is that if you keep your dog physically isolated from you most of the time, the work you have to do to form and maintain a social bond is higher. I'd not expect any member here with outside dogs to confront this issue. The fact that you're on a dog forum suggests that you don't view your dog as animated garden furniture. I think a hell of a lot of people do.

Another dimension to the issue is the discussion on whether a dog is a "family" dog or a "resident" dog. Those classifications are important in understanding dog aggression towards people. Linky for those interested. Personally I don't think its as simple as "family dogs are inside" and "resident dogs are outside" but I think people can end up with a "resident" dog with no idea of the significance for their family. A dog with no social bond to your family members can present a significant risk.

I think many of those who keep their dogs outside are neither aware of those arguments nor of the responsiblity they have to ensure that their dog's needs are met. I've said either can be done well but the onus on spending time with an outside only dog is higher.. and frequently not acknowledged. I think many dog owners don't even consider the issue. Dogs are outside because "that's where dogs belong". Asking them to explain why reveals those cultural perceptions I posted out earlier. Point out that physically isolating a social, pack animal is not natural for the dog and they look at you like you're crazy. I've got two of these kinds of owners as close neighbours. And I get to listen to their dogs.. a lot. Most of these type of people get a dog because they were cute puppies....... Or "for the kids".. many of whom lose interest damn quickly especially when everytime they go outside the dog goes beserk with excitement. Gee I'd love to know how many dumped dogs never made it inside. I know at least one bunch of trainers i(Monks of New Skete - very old school) dentified that the overwhelming majority of dogs they saw with significant behavioural issues slept isolated from their human pack. Want to keep your dog outside and you work and have a busy family life.. fill your boots.. but consider getting a second one. That way at least your dog has company.

I think many of those who keep their dogs outside are neither aware of those arguments nor of the responsiblity they have to ensure that their dog's needs are met. I've said either can be done well but the onus on spending time with an outside only dog is higher.. and frequently not acknowledged. I think many dog owners don't even consider the issue. Dogs are outside because "that's where dogs belong". Asking them to explain why reveals those cultural perceptions I posted out earlier. Point out that physically isolating a social, pack animal is not natural for the dog and they look at you like you're crazy. I've got two of these kinds of owners as close neighbours. And I get to listen to their dogs.. a lot.

My personal belief is that for some folk, the underlying reason they want pet dogs outside is because they think they are "dirty" or that bringing dogs inside "spoils" them. That's the cultural perception that engenders the practice IMO and I think it stems strongly from our rural roots. I can't find an equivalent for the practice outside of Oz. Given that worming programs and decent husbandry can deal with any health risks associated with dogs, much of the "dogs are unhealthy" thinking of 50+ years ago can be put to bed. Allowing a dog inside and giving it free reign to do whatever it likes are not one and the same thing. I know dogs that never make it to bedrooms, off hard flooring or out of crates but I think a key thing to note is that these dogs are not left alone for most of their lives - and that's the reality for thousands of dogs from working families that keep them outside. I know plenty of inside dogs whose manners are far superior to their outside cousins. Factor in that the size of the average Australian house block hasn't been 1/4 acre for decades, that the number one source of conflict for neighbours is barking dogs and that many of the most popular breeds in this country were bred for companionship and/or lack the physical traits that enable them to cope well outside in all weather and I find the reasons for keeping dogs outside (barring the convenience of the owners) less and less understandable. Frankly I'm surprised that more Australian dogs, kept socially isolated and probably lucky to get one hour of attention in 24 aren't insane. Whether you keep a dog outside or not is up to you. However, IF you do, the onus on you to provide for all of your dogs physical and social needs skyrockets if you want to do it responsibly. If a zoo kept a dog socially isolated and gave it no enrichment, no change of scenery and no company, they'd have animal welfare groups all over them. Tens of thousands of Australians do that in their backyards without a second thought. Ah yes Australia.. the country that brought you the expression "it's just a dog".

I think I'm almost at the point where choice of breeder would probably be as influential on selecting a breed as the dogs themselves. The right breeder makes such a difference. If I was tossing up between a few breeds, my guess is that the right breeder would be a deciding factor.

A small breed pup may be too fragile to be left unsupervised with a BC. If subjected to unwanted attention or rough play by the BC it could end up with defensive aggression issues or injury. I know of a large breed pup that got OCD when (against breeder recommedation) it was left to play for hours every day with the BC in the home. If the primary purpose for buying the dog is for it to be a companion to the existing one I'd be looking at an adolescent rescue of working breed origins and the opposite sex to yours. You won't lack for choice. Most small breeds have neither the coat nor the body mass to cope with living outside 24/7. No way would a bracchy breed like a CKCS cope living outside in SA heat.

Put her on lead when the family arrive. You may not be able to control their behaviour but you should have a shot at controlling hers.

I doubt she'll grow more confident unless you help her. She needs to get out and about, to puppy school and to be accustomed to spending time on her own. You will need to teach her to walk on the lead.

Not from what I've seen. The GSD is a far more popular dog in terms of numbers whelped but I'd only recommend the same careful vetting be applied to either dog in terms of finding sound dogs of good temperament. There are nervy GSDs too. Breeder selection is crucial (but you can argue that for any breed I suppose)

I WILL own one of these one day, when I don't require a full on Gundog like my beautiful Labs Received my free Eukanuba puppy book tody with voucher and the first page I flick to has an English Setter puppy They are just beautiful dogs and I must own one in my lifetime I have to say I'm a huge ES fan.. maybe one day.. Mind you I picture one after a romp in long grass or mud and thank Heaven for the Whippet!

x 2 You've not got a lot of choice with roaming dogs or dingos on farm land.

No stairs, lots of hard floors and a massive laundry (for grooming, bathing etc) would be good. Oh, and you have to have an indoor race track..

I would never recommend a stretchy lead. Better to fit a corrective harness than to tolerate pulling.

Option B is that it may not be gait/walking related. My Toy poodle has done this by pawing at sunlight in an outside waterbowl at a friend's place.

Easy - lower your expectations. The dog has only been with you three weeks - she's still settling in. Focus is a skill that needs to be learned. Give it time.