poodlefan

Vickie took this one of Darcy on the weekend.

So sorry to hear this news Poodlemum. Run free Niki - another poodle has grown wings.

It's a franchise, that IMO tends to have a higher standard of trainer than Bark Busters. Our local Dogtech guy is very good and one of the best instructors I've ever seen has a Dogtech franchise in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. Where is your Aunt??

It all comes down to capacity to pay and the future quality of life for the dog. Hip replacements don't guarantee a pain free life, especially in a dog that size.

Frank: How old are your children Frank?

Frank, thank your lucky stars this pup has good bite inhibition and call the breeder. If you are not prepared to commit to a program of behaviour modification, I'd be returning the pup. Don't kid yourself another breed will be different. Any pup, not given boundaries about what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't could turn out like this. You might be better off with an adult dog. I'd still be wanting to know more about your son's interactions with the pup. What prompted the bite this time? How did your son manage to get his face so close to the pup?

Have you talked these issues over with his breeder? Sounds to me like you'd both benefit from attending a good dog training school. He sounds like he may need some confidence boosting (I suspect that his reluctance to leave your home stems from lack of confidence) and you'll get some great training tools to help prevent jumping up etc. At dinner time, he needs to learn that he doesn't get his food until his bum is firmly in the sit position - have you taught him 'sit' yet? Have you wormed him? I'd expect a Lab pup to be very enthusiastic about food (that usually lasts for life :D ) but he may need to learn some "table manners". At 4 months, he might still benefit from 3 meals a day, rather than two.

Same here While heeling or stationary when first taught? Stationary. We teach tolerance for handling as a separate exercise.. first with the handler handling the dog and working up to a 'stranger'.

Lure from sit and stand. Both club and I use that method.

Where did the puppy come from? Pups raised outside or kept confined (eg. in a pet shop) have no idea about toilet training. Starting with a 9 week old pup, you can have quite a few weeks of "I pee anywhere I when I need to go" learning to undo.

None of my dogs are "professionally trained" either Frank... just trained by me at the local community dog club. Through that club I learned how to get my dog's focus, to control him so that he would be well mannered in all kinds of situations and to build a bond based on respect. None of that has made my dog (or the ones that followed him) a member of a "master race" - just a well mannered pet that can be relied on not to act inappropriately around people or dogs. I've yet to see a dog "grow out of" a behavioural problem any more than children do. It requires learning and teaching appropriate behaviour.

I would find another vet but for entirely pragmatic reasons. I would just about guarantee that any issues your dog develops would be put down by this vet to what you feed. If he/she can't get past that, you're going to find it difficult to develop the kind of relationship you need with your vet. You don't necessarily need to find a vet that advocates raw feeding but you do need to find one who understands the principles and is prepared to work with you. Staying with this vet is just going to cause on going conflict about what's best for your dog's health. Your vet should be your partner in your dog's care, not an antagonist.

Vive la difference CavnRott. No dog of mine would put teeth on a child and be left with any impression other than that it was totally unacceptable. But as you suggest, it would know that at 8 weeks, not 10 months. Giving a dog a time out lowers arousal levels but does not teach that mouthing is unacceptable. Redirection may not either. I wonder what has been occuring between Frank's son and the pup when Frank's not around - perhaps this kind of "play" has a history to it.

Nope, he was isolated from you and expressing his displeasure. Try to avoid interpreting his behaviour in human terms Frank. And his level of arousal was lower so he didn't chase and bite. Frank an ounce of prevention is really the way to go here. Chasing screaming kids who are running around is going to escalate this youngster through the roof in terms of excitement - and he targets the youngest member of your family for seriously rough play. Don't let this happen. Tieing him up will only raise both his excitement levels and his frustration at not being able to get at the action. Take him to some formal training and give him more appropriate outlets for his energy.. ball chasing etc. Discipline him HARD (I'd have done my block at him) and give him a time out but it's better to prevent this than to "cure" it. There's nothing "wrong" 'with him Frank.. you are simply getting the dog you've raised/trained - as do we all.

Oh yeah! Darcy over a broad jump Coming out of a tunnel Lily over a jump

And many find their way to the pound.. .way too much dog for most families. A dog that like that requires serious effort to train.. or it's going to be a handful.

It doesn't have to be bad. Both of the dogs I know returned to dog sports and are going fine, with no ongoing treatment. I'd recommend you seek specialist advice if the diagnosis is IMHA.

The only two dogs I know that contracted IMHA survived it.. both had very committed owners and very big vet's bills.

If you own a dog and try to modify its behaviour TH, in my view that makes you a trainer. It doesn't make you a professional one. I'm sorry if you inferred you said it was shit.. .but it's a bad example of the application of a sound principle. As I was saying earlier in this thread, the way to judge a method is to see it used successfully. Shovelling food down a dog to placate it is no more a good example of "positive motivational training" than kicking the shite out of one or stringing it up is a good example of the appropriate application of an aversive. IMHO, we spend far too much time looking at the extremes or ineffective uses of dog training methods when there is actually a middle ground between them. Do I think I could learn from Michael Tucker.. hell yeah. I'd like to think he'd still be able to learn from others too.

TH: And I'll give you an example. Sue Hogben. She uses positive methods, a lot of food to train and can pull off brilliant obedience scores with highly motivated dogs.. and not a piece of food in sight. Shit trainers use all kinds of methods but it doesn't automatically follow that the methods are also shit.

Kelpiechick: I know of others who share your frustration. However I also know people who've done precisely what people are saying.. and it hasn't been a happy ending for dog or handler.

Ah, but I bet your poodle is much more agile (and probably way, way, smarter) than my little black brick! Probably.. and she ain't 290cm.. (I fixed that).. that would be a MONSTER poodle!! We have an OC Staffy at our club.. great little worker

You mean a solid red BC that happens to be in Group 3: Same build as a BC Ness... so it "looks" right. Luxury.. try a 29 cm Toy Poodle when you're 175 cm high.

Amhailite: There are plenty of smart and biddable breeds. They simply don't happen to be medium sized and as lithe. Try doing obedience with a dog below knee height and see how hard it is to get good scores. You get penalised for "exaggerated signals" because you want to deliver them in front of your dog's face (like handlers of larger dogs do) so you have to bend. One inch out of position in the heel is far more noticeable on a smaller dog.. as are crooked fronts. Or you get told "your dog heels wide".. .really? You mean it holds a position so it can see my face like the larger dogs are doing?? Or try with a larger breed that doesn't drop like a rock or corner as easily... BCs or GRs get the good scores for two reasons.. they ARE good and they LOOK LIKE what the judge expects a good dog looks like. They don't have to translate it into "SWF" or "huge dog" good heeling or recalling or whatever.

Never ceases to amaze me how the obedience rules preclude the use of "training aids" in the ring but allow check chains.. wait until you've seen a handler rattle the chain to get the dog's attention. Some dogs I reckon you could train using any method and some more prominant handlers really haven't hit a "challenging" dog (or if they have they've rehomed it). The true test of a training method is how it works with "hard to train" dogs IMHO and no one method will solve those kinds of challenges.