poodlefan

Have you got a portable crate? Take it next time and see if it helps her relax.

Just don't expect miracles Keisha - she's had a major trauma and may never fully recover.

Standard - lets eliminate them. BIG dogs and they take time to mature. Mini or Toy would suit - she'd probably be best off discussing what she wanted with a breeder and going for a less full on pup than selecting by breed. The mini being the larger of the two would do better mixing with bigger dogs. They love to be with you and are very affectionate. I love the Toys too but they aren't as robust. From the sound of your Aunt, I'd direct her towards a mini. She could handle a pup of either breed and puppies are just so A good brush once or twice a week and regular grooming would be fine. The great thing about poodles is they are welcome a lot of places other dogs aren't. I have the best of luck - I have poodles AND a Whippet

Nasty wounds.

Keep her out of dog parks when there are large dogs you dont' know are there. You just found out the hard way why so many small dog owners (including me) won't use them. All it takes is the wrong dog on the wrong day. : As for the rehabilitation, seek professional help. What you've got to remember though is that she has every reason to be scared now. Keep her away from large dogs she doesn't know. I'm sorry this happened. Take her to the vet for a professional check up and some antibiotics. Bite wounds need to be checked. Never expose her to the same risk again. If I'd been in the park and those dogs had turned up, I'd have put my dog on lead and left.

x 2 Now you know why nearly every damn post I make ends up edited.

Just saw this: A Miniature Poodle would be another excellent choice. Other than sighthounds, they are about the only other ectomorphic breed. This home sounds like poodle heaven.

What you want to ask folk is is that all they feed. My guess is not in many cases and probably not with in whelp bitches in particular. Some volunteered this information and yes, that is all some feed. And surprisingly well known kennels and some top winning dogs. Surprising is the word. Mind you, seeing the steaming piles of stuff that emerge from some dogs at shows, clearly some are feeding these brands. And they always seem to be the people that insisit on scooping, not bagging the boo and tossing it into the bins.

I think this guy will be hard pressed to find a professional trainer to help him. He's talking about very skillss and that kind of experience is unlikely to be found easily. The first 12 months of any guide dog's life is just social skills and obedience - there will be plenty of folk who can help with that.

Yep, you're weighing the possible against the inevitable. I'd only drop the leash at the very last second.

What you want to ask folk is is that all they feed. My guess is not in many cases and probably not with in whelp bitches in particular.

I fail to see how letting your dog off lead will help! what if he/she takes fright and runs? then you are really in trouble, especially as this will potnentially escalate the situation and excite the other dog which may then chase your dog. Holding the leash removes any chance your dog has of defending itself or fleeing - I'd rather my dog have a chance to run (and the incumbent risks) than doing the equivalent of holding it still for the other dog to attack. I've had my dog do laps around me and successfully avoid a large dog this way - it bought time. Another person's dog ran under a parked car.. sure beats ending up on the dangerous end of a dog 10 times its size with intent to do harm.

No. They arent' the easiest of agilty prospects but there are a few competing. Physically a well bred Whippet is very sound and extremely athletic. They do get injured by hitting things at very high speed and skin tears aren't uncommon from fences. However the aim in agility is to run over things, not into them.

In which case I'd suggest same breed opposite sex.

Yep, its a small dog. This is the thing siks - you've got to tailor advice to the person asking it, not dispense what you might do with your dog. As has just been proven in the aggressive GSD thread, making assumptions about dogs OR handlers is bloody dangerous. I have yet to see anyone suggest that one person can break up a dog fight using the "grab the back legs" method. All one person will do is make the dog they are grabbing a target if the other dog continues to aggress. Y Pet dog handers usually don't have the skill to do it anyway. What professional dog handlers or 'working dog" folk do is of no use if a pet dog owner can't replicate it. Please bear that in mind. cool. One thing that might work that i have used in the past. That might help a person with a little dog would be a small fire extinguisher. You can get one small enough to put into a small bag and carry with you. It is very effective at scaring away a dog. So are personal alarms. Personally I use avoidance and if that fails the old "block and boot".

I'd suggest a mature Whippet. The pups can be a bit full on. They're smaller than the other sighthounds mentioned. If her friend already has a Whippet that solves the offlead running issue too.

Yep, its a small dog. This is the thing siks - you've got to tailor advice to the person asking it, not dispense what you might do with your dog. As has just been proven in the aggressive GSD thread, making assumptions about dogs OR handlers is bloody dangerous. I have yet to see anyone suggest that one person can break up a dog fight using the "grab the back legs" method. All one person will do is make the dog they are grabbing a target if the other dog continues to aggress. Y Pet dog handers usually don't have the skill to do it anyway. What professional dog handlers or 'working dog" folk do is of no use if a pet dog owner can't replicate it. Please bear that in mind.

What utter rubbish. Yet another "K9" handler dispensing dangerous advice the OP can never follow. Take it to a 'working dog' forum and leave the pet dog owners to get advice from someone who might actually be able to help them. You clearly don't know anything about the OP's dog.. its a small dog. How the hell is OP is supposed to single handedly grab the attacking dog by the back legs and pull it off hers, especially if her dog is in its mouth. Get real. This sort of advice is a utter joke. Giraffez, block the dog with your body. You want to avoid any contact at all costs. If you have to boot the other dog to stop it sniffing yours then do it. If it wont' back off and if you can find a high place like a car roof, put your dog up there. If it all goes wrong drop your lead (giving your dog a chance to fight or flee), scream "FIRE" and try to grab the attacking dog. No 1 priority is to stop that dog shaking yours if you can - that's what kills the small dogs - it breaks spines and ruptures organs.

And yet Fiona, based on your advice in this thread, that's precisely what would have happened if the OP had followed it.You wouldn't do it but taken literally, YOU DID SUGGEST IT to the OP. I call that an epic fail that could have led to disaster. You said to have the dog on lead and to apply the correction. This dog is walked on a Gentle Leader. At no stage have you metioned collars at all. Silly silly mistake but it wouldn't have been you that paid the price. This handler is also not physically capable of applying the correction you said she should use. Had you met her, you'd have known that too. Even clicker using, positive reinforcing, poodle owning volunteer pet trainer weenies like me know better than offer advice in these circumstances. We actually check gear and the professional K9 trainers and handlers I know do the same. Indeed, they use THEIR gear when trainng other people's aggressive dogs. They also look at the dog in front of them and assume nothing based on breed. Earlier in the thread I said: You plunged on blindly and made a basic and very dangerous training error. Your credibllity as a trainer just jumped the shark as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for putting it beyond any doubt that the OP should take no notice of what you're saying. This situation would be laughable if it wasn't so potentially dangerous.

So you're happy with this dog being strung up on a gentle leader then. In addition to almost guaranteeing that the damn thing will come off, it wrenches the dog's head around to the point of potential spinal injury and places the handlers arm right next to the dog's jaw. Houston we have a potential for injury to the dog/redirected aggression and/or a loose dog. Oops. Sadly, she's getting a lot less than that from you.

That's right, no "check".. a full stringing up. Of course all of this is crystal clear from the practical demonstration you provided NOT. That would take more than a bit of good timing to be effective don't you think??? And more than a little knowledge of dog body language. All of which you've assumed the OP has, based on your experience in the breed. It also requires another person with the small dog to act as guinea pig OR for the handler to create this situations with hapless members of the public and their dogs. And all without any professional supervison, gear checks or a muzzle. Wonderful. :D Based on your GSD knowledge you also know that THIS handler is phyically capable of this manoevre AND that the dog is routinely walked on a suitable collar. For all you ACTUALLY know Malsrock, this dog could be walked on a halti (/ETA: and golly gee Mals, it IS) and the handler might be under 5 feet tall with chronic back pain. Actually I have. Fortunately for me, I had a hell of a lot more common sense than to take the advice on someone with no verifiable credentials holding forth on an internet forum without ever having met me me OR my dog. I sought professional help for a dog aggressive adolescent and I got what I needed. What worries me is that some poor individual is going to take you at your word and lose half their face as a result. Like the handler of the dog I mentioned earlier in the thread who snatched his GSD's leash from me when I had the dog on its hind legs and got a very nasty bite as result. Transferred aggression is a bitch. You just have to get into a pissing contest with anyone who disagrees with you. I have absolutely no doubt that you have more experience with dog aggressive dogs, given that you state you have 20 years experience with this breed and you appear to regard such behaviour as perfectly normal. God help the GSD if that's true I train pet dogs and owners (not professionally). What becomes apparent pretty quickly is that confidence and handling skills vary widely. I also know that handlers for the most part don't give a toss what I can do with their dogs or indeed what I can do with mine. They want me to teach them how to handle their dogs themselves. Don't make a total fool of yourself by suggesting that any aggression issue can be successfully resolved without factoring the HANDLER'S capability and understanding into the resolution process. I'll say it again. When people come here asking for advice on aggression, they don't need to know what you can do or what I can do. They need to know where to get help from someone who can show THEM what to do safely. What you can or cannot do with a dog and how well you can train them won't matter a damn if someone follows your advice and gets hurt. When you analyse a dog and provide advice blind, that's a real possiblity. So again I say. Please don't give this kind of advice. You're shooting blind down an alley and you have no bloody idea of who is standing in it.

PF Just to clarify - I don't doubt for a moment that there is a time and a place for correcting some forms of aggression. But to airily recommend "stringing up" and "airblocking" a dog without assessing the dog, the owner and the reasons for the aggression AND explaining and demonstrating is downright irresponsible IMO. This is serious behaviour that calls for a personal consult and practical instruction how to manage it. What it doesn't need is a pissingcontest about how much experience a forum poster may or may not have with the breed in question and how THEY might or might not handle the dog. I'm sure there are GSDs out there who will transfer aggression onto the handler in the right circumstances. They're dogs after all.

As people have learned the hard way, there there is no safe place for an unrestrained dog near a moving car other than in it. You really don't want to go through the heartache of having her run over in your own yard. Find a way of making a permanent barrier between her and the driveway/parkng area and she'll be a hell of a lot safer for the rest of her life. All she has to do is fall asleep behind a wheel or run to greet the car and you'll have a disaster on your hands.

Last time I checked, a puppy "learning to be tough" and a "hardened aggressor" bite remarkably similarly. In recent weeks there have been one of two people dispensing "correct 'em hard' advice about dealing with aggresson on this forum with apparent disregard to the potential danger that may place a handler in. Please stop it. No professional worth their salt would do it. A dog's behavior cannot be explained by breed alone and in my opinion what you are doing is downright dangerous. Aggression is NOT breed specific behaviour. If it was, then breed specific legislation might actually be worthwhile. As I posted, I have seen a GSD turn on its handler when checked off a dog. Not every dog will tolerate being jerked around and your advice could get someone seriously hurt.