RuralPug

Good online friend of mine, a Canadian trainer, had a guest article published in Canine Nation. As usual, she says it beautifully - those of us trying to rehab dogs with behavioural problems can take some comfort that we are not the only ones progressing three steps forward, two steps back. Online link is here. Text is as follows: The Project Dog June 22, 2015 By Blanche Axton If you've owned dogs for any period of time, you have probably had a project dog. A Project Dog is the dog that presents you with significant behavioural problems. Maybe the dog came to you with issues, maybe you created the issues, or maybe the dog developed them over time. Regardless of how it happened, now you have a Project Dog. It is a dog that brings out both the best and the worst in you. A dog that requires more of you than you had bargained for, tests your skills, and shows the chinks in your training and rehabilitation armour. The dog that makes you feel alone and lonely because sometimes you just don't like the dog and there isn't a soul to whom you can say that without fear of being tagged as a hideous human being. How They Come to Be I've had a few project dogs. I have one now. I've given a lot of thought to these dogs over the years. They come to us in a few different ways, in my experience. They came with issues. I've had a few dogs that I've adopted or purchased that came to me with issues. Sometimes I knew about the issues, sometimes I didn't, and sometimes the person from whom I got the dog either downplayed the seriousness of the issues or they simply didn't know enough to see how serious the issues were. Sometimes the issues simply didn't show up until the dog had settled into my home and had enough invested in life with us to let those issues to show up. My current Project Dog is one of those "late bloomers." I fostered him so I knew he had some glitches, but the full force of the glitches—in this case "isolation distress" and, I suspect, some neurological deficits—didn't show up until he'd been with us for several months. They came with issues. I've had a few dogs that I've adopted or purchased that came to me with issues. Sometimes I knew about the issues, sometimes I didn't, and sometimes the person from whom I got the dog either downplayed the seriousness of the issues or they simply didn't know enough to see how serious the issues were. Sometimes the issues simply didn't show up until the dog had settled into my home and had enough invested in life with us to let those issues to show up. My current Project Dog is one of those "late bloomers." I fostered him so I knew he had some glitches, but the full force of the glitches—in this case "isolation distress" and, I suspect, some neurological deficits—didn't show up until he'd been with us for several months. You created the issues. Sadly, I've done this in the past. I had border collies many years ago and I created a suspicious dog who was inclined to lash out first because of my own ham handed use of compulsion. In those days I was solidly in the camp that believed dogs MUST obey every command (and I'm using the word 'command' deliberately) given, obey instantly and if they didn't, you must MAKE them by any means necessary. There certainly was no use of food reinforcers or even much play as a reward. It was "I say – You do" training. I had been lucky to have had a couple of dogs that just rolled with it and did not resist. But my one bitch was not a "go with the flow" dog. She and I locked horns early on and in my misguided and overly forceful efforts to get compliance, I created a Project Dog. She lost trust in me, and approached most of our further interactions with wariness and a willingness to defend herself vigorously if needed. She may have turned out differently in the hands of a more skilled, less punishing owner. But I also think that she was somewhat hard wired to be less flexible and more deeply impacted by punishment than my previous dogs had been. I don't know. But I definitely carry the weight of the issues that dog developed. I am confident I created them. They developed them over time. This group of Project Dogs are probably the most disheartening. The dogs that develop issues and become Project Dogs for no discernible reason. They just do. I do believe these dogs exist, as I've worked with them. Some seem to be genetically more easily frightened, more inclined to anxiety, less resilient, less able to cope with the life that they live. They drew the short straw in the genetics lottery. Who knows why, but I have seen dogs that have come from solid breeders, had skilled and knowledgeable owners, and yet still developed significant behavioural issues. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Life with a Project Dog is not all misery and grimly clenched teeth. There are good things about them—although you may not see it at the time. There are also aspects that aren't so great and some are downright awful. The Good: A Project Dog makes you look seriously at your skill level in your work with your dog. You have to review and evaluate how you work with this dog. A Project Dog should force you to research and read everything you can get your hands on about how to work with their specific issues. AND you will have to bring ALL your skills at analysing what is and isn't a solid strategy for dealing with this particular dog. A Project Dog forces you to break down your work into manageable pieces and to log observable progress if you hope to be at all effective. It forces you look at things objectively, to track what is working and what isn't. If you are smart, you keep logs so you can compare what you think you see happening with what you've actually observed and noted. This can do two important things. First, it can show you progress that's been made. Second, it can derail our tendency to project our desire to see progress that isn't really there. A Project Dog slaps you in the face with reality. It forces you to look at what you had dreamed of/hoped for/expected from this dog and then deal, realistically, with the dog that is in front of you. This is no easy task. I have a very fearful Japanese Chin. He was going to be my sports dog, my foray into all things competitive. Guess what? Not so much. It took me a long time to come to terms with what Meesh (my Japanese Chin) is as opposed to what I wanted him to be. He's a great dog, but the competitive dog sports circuit is not in our future. Now that I've readjusted my expectations and quietly washed my sports dreams away, we are both happier. Meesh has also highlighted some errors in my own thinking about working with a fearful dog. I thought I knew what baby steps were. I didn't. Scared Japanese Chin baby steps are not the same as Scared Pug baby steps. The other thing that having Meesh in my life has done is made me realize that an accurate understanding of breed characteristics is useful. Chins, generally, are inclined to timidity, suspiciousness and aloofness with strangers. I didn't take that particular description seriously enough. I love Meesh, but he has forced me to readjust my expectations and not dismiss breed characteristics out of hand. A Project Dog can show you what you can and cannot live with. This is a good thing, although the process of coming to that realization can be painful. As a trainer, having a Project Dog reminds me of what my clients feel and live. It gives me fresh perspective on why people get so frustrated, so overwhelmed, so hopeless, so willing to try anything. The Bad: Working and living with a Project Dog can be seriously isolating. People can view you as some kind of human monster when your dog fires off on leash or at the door. Or when they cower in fear as a well meaning stranger continues to encroach on your space even while you are body blocking them from your dog and asking them to "Please! Stop!" It is easy to feel like you are the only one with a dog like this and that if you had any skills at all, your dog would be happily frolicking at the dog park with all the other dogs. I'm putting this in the 'bad' category because it is such a struggle for many people and lots of judgement can get heaped on you as a result. You may not be able to "fix" this and you may need to use medications to even get the dog to a place where their brain can take in any rehabilitation strategies. Many folks struggle away for months and years with "nutriceuticals", homeopathics, etc when the dog needs serious pharmacological help. Just as many people have doubts and concerns with human psychiatric meds, many project that onto dogs needing medication assistance. Beware the "Love Network." My husband calls the well meaning but utterly clueless folks who think "Love and Time" can cure all ills of a dog as the "Love Network." Watch out for these folks. They will make you feel like a penny waiting for change. They don't mean to be soul destroyers, but they imply that if you only loved your dog more, had more patience, devoted more time to the dog, the issues would be fixed. Project Dogs can require life long, life altering management. My shih tzu mix has serious isolation distress. And by serious, I mean that I need to be sure that my life is structured to keep him safe and minimize his stress. He is quite capable of jumping onto my office chair, onto the second floor window sill and flinging himself through the screen in his efforts to get to me. I have to be super vigilant about a great many things now that I didn't have to be vigilant about before adopting him. The Ugly: You may at some point come up against a dog that you simply cannot live with for any one of a number of reasons. You are then in the unenviable position of deciding if this dog can or should be re-homed or if euthanasia is the most humane answer. Let me be clear, I take the decision about euthanasia very seriously and do not euthanize a dog because they are inconvenient. However, the ugly side of the Project Dog can be that re-homing is not only not possible, it's not humane, responsible, or in the best interests of the dog. Some Project Dogs CAN be re-homed and can be happier in a different environment than yours, but this is not the case in every situation. I'll use my shih tzu mix, Ty, as an example. Re-homing him would be one of the worst things I could do. He is already somewhere between 10 and 12, has likely been re-homed prior to coming to me and dogs with isolation distress and separation anxiety really suffer serious consequences from being re-homed, especially multiple times. And in all honestly, I would not wish on anyone what I've had to do to keep him safe and try to reduce his distress. I spend a fortune on dog sitters so he is not alone. I've had to turn down work because I either could not bring him with me, couldn't get a dog sitter, or was going to be gone FAR too long for him to be without a human in the house. I have to be very vigilant about all the possible cues I give that set him up for anxiety well before I leave the house. He is quite capable of seriously injuring or killing himself in his distress when alone. He's on medication that, while not outrageously expensive, isn't cheap. He's clearly had some previous bad experience with people leaving him alone and has some generalized anxiety about a number of things. He's a boat load of work, worry, and expense. And while money isn't the most important thing in the world, I'd be lying if I acted like it isn't a factor in what people with Project Dogs have to deal with. Judgement and guilt. People are very quick to condemn the person who realizes that they cannot deal with or live with the issues of their dogs. I'm not talking about the person who is just not willing to put in even minimal effort. I'm talking about the owner who has seriously evaluated the dog, themselves, the quality of life for both the dog and the humans and the ability of both to cope with what they are facing over the long term. Re-homing a dog is not necessarily a wrong decision and is not de facto evidence that the human is a lazy, insensitive, and careless clod. Euthanizing a dog is also not necessarily a wrong decision. It can be the most humane thing we can offer a dog, not that I expect everyone to agree with me on that. What's ugly in this scenario is the judgement from people outside of the situation. The nasty comments. And the guilt that it puts on an owner who has really gone the extra mile (or miles in some cases) in their efforts to help their dog. The Guaranteed Fix. Those of us with Project Dogs can become so obsessed with finding the cure, the fix, or the answer to our dog's problem that we can go where angels fear to tread. We can be easy targets for the snake oil salesmen. The newest protocol. The latest "quick" way for dealing with reactivity, dog aggression, separation anxiety. This can lead us to see methods we would never consider as viable alternatives. To see behavioural suppression as progress. To use flooding rather careful counter conditioning and desensitization. We can place ourselves, and more importantly, our dogs onto a slippery slope where the welfare of the dog is sacrificed for anything that looks like progress. We need to check our own thoughts about what the dog needs. Does your dog really NEED to be able to play with other dogs? Is that a necessary condition for thatdog to be happy? Says who? Generally, when I see someone talking about guaranteed and 'quick' fixes to canine behavioural issues, my intuitive senses start tingling. Few serious behavioural issues are quickly fixed, if they can be said to be fixed at all. I can't even guarantee my own behaviour over the long term so I sure won't make any guarantees about the dogs. Be careful when you read about the newest, fastest, guaranteed fix for a canine behavioural issue….here there be dragons. Why I am writing this Because it's five in the morning on a Sunday when I had hoped to sleep in. But I have to work later in the morning and my shih tzu mix is having an anxiety day. I had to abandon sleep for some extra time to try and get his stress reduced before I leave the house. He won't be alone, my husband will be home, but he's stressing NOW so I have to deal with that. These can be the dark moments of the soul. The times when I close my eyes and think "I wish I hadn't adopted him" and then feel massive, overwhelming guilt for even having that thought. But I do have that thought. Not often. And I wouldn't change what I did. I did adopt him. I will work on his issues. We will get through this. But some days are easier than others and I need to learn that it's not a crime to feel some negativity from time to time. I need to be able to think those thoughts. Sometimes I need to be able to say them out loud to someone. Anyone. I have been fortunate to know a very few people that I can say those kind of things to and not be cast into the lowest circles of Hell. And on the days where I can't say those things out loud to anyone, I write them. I add them to the behavioural log I keep about Ty. And at some point, I will hopefully look back and think "Wow. We've made such progress. I've made such progress".

Clean immediately after meals and chew bones. Use white chalk on dry beard, massage in then brush out. You will probably also need to shampoo beard and feet about once a week with brightenting whitening horse shampoo or dog shampoo as well.

Doing everything right! These pups will be a credit to you!

Knowing the breeds, I think it probably safest if they are separated when unsupervised. You can discuss this further with their respective breeders, they may have some pertinent advice. Meanwhile, I feel the need to take you to task (again): WHERE ARE THE PICS??? Photos of gorgeous puppies are mandatory!!!! WE understand how exhausting rearing two puppies together is, but get your priorities right and snaqp some pics!!!! Pretty pretty pretty please?

Large breed pups would suffer less than small breed...there would have been MORE surgery to remove the drugs...sometimes I hate news media. I really really hope that this does not lead to copycat crimes. And I also hope that karma visits that vet in full and swiftly.

This article quotes an ideal dog shampoo pH level of about 7. Having said that, very few dog shampoos/soaps will have the pH level on the label. Soapless dog and horse shampoos are generally good alternatives for sensitive canine skin I find. :)

Yep, sure is! Lots of treats for puppies, so they associate all the new experiences with good times. :) .Bummer about the car sickness, sometimes a gingernut biscuit will help that if you don't have travel sickness meds.

Agree with everyone else - get out there with one pup at a time and spend 15 minutes to a half hour sitting outside a busy place where they will smell and see and hear lots of things that they won't see at home. Take each pup out at least twice a week until they are fully immunised. It is really worth the effort. A towel or mat for pup to sit on, just to be on the safe side. Some people will approach and ask for a pat, some will not. It's not impossible that you may even meet people that might become friends. It can happen when you least expect it. I would avoid parks and places where people usually bring their dogs, you don't want some random idiot dog giving your pup wrong impressions, especially with a terrier. The exception to that is a decent puppy school or show training class. Of course, you either take only one pup (at a time) or ask in one of your circles of aquaintances if anyone would like to handle a puppy at puppy school with you. (You might just make some dog lover's day!) It is not essential for them to have interactions with safe strange dogs at this time, more important for them to safely experience a lot of different things so that when they are fully immunised and can meet new dogs they have a flexible set of experiences behind them. But if you can give them safe dog meeting/playing time it is icing on the cake.

Any chance of an x-pen or similar type of puppy pen in the back yard? Then you can pop one pup in the pen outside while toileting the other and if the one in the outside puppy pen does a wee or poo while you are tolieting the other it is a win! There are still a few sets of bunnings composting panels around in stores....

Welcome to adolescence, Blaze!

Victoria Park Is an off leash area. You need to find the right time of day. There are regular morons at certain times with no idea about controlling their off leash dogs. But I believe there are some regular walkers with on leash and/or well controlled dogs at other times who sort of stick together and discourage the morons. Here is a list off official off leash areas in Ballarat. Dog Off Leash Parks Makes it easy to avoid them if that's what you prefer!

I would be organising a safely fenced area before you start looking for a dog. Just fence an area immediately behind or adjacent to the house where a dog can be kept when it is not indoors or being directly supervised by you. Make sure that there is some adequate shelter in that area ( a sturdy kennel will do.) I have a friend who breeds both Tenterfields and show poultry. With training these little dogs can be taught to ignore birds - it just takes a bit of supervision when they are young. The same applies to most of the small working terriers - most can be trained to ignore birds but the prey drive for small furred animals is a bit stronger. You are unlikely to have much trouble with barking if the dog is spending most of its time with you, as you will be able to keep on top of it and not let it become a habit. May I suggest that you have a look at Australian Terriers? A great little dog and fairly bombproof for a first time dog owner. Very robust and sturdy and will happily keep up with you on a 5 km run when adult. Great little characters!

Don't panic about identifying breed traits for help with training styles. With the genetic lottery of a mix, the ancestors they may resemble physically are not necessarily the same ancestors whose temperament potential they have inherited. Even within breeds, there is variety - I have known many cases where one littermate was "soft" and would quiver at a loud voice when the other practically needed to be dragged away from their naughtiness LOL. You will be training each other as you go along. Be consistent, make your rules clear and easy to understand and watch for evidence of boredom in the adolescent phase. Good luck with your new puppy!

A cheaper way to cover the lounger with tinfoil is to buy a space blanket ( at the most $5 try any camping store or firstt aid supplier, possibly even Kmart, Big W etc.) they are large enough to toss over the couch with one throw. make a horrible crinkly noise when stepped on and are not cosy! Maybe get her her very own couch? The toddlers flip out sofas are wonderful for that and fairly readily available.

Here is a website to start you off with the basics of terrier stripping, but it is not breed specific. You may also consider asking exhibitors of similar coated breeds for a demo of how to strip so that you can see the wrist movements etc. There may be Cairn Terrier groups on facebook where people could point you to resources also.

Wow! Snopes has an entry up within 24 hours of the facebook post! That is fast! thank you Boronia! I still would like to hear if any collie owners have successfully used this product. Pretty please.

There is a post doing the rounds on FB ATM re two dogs reacting badly to Bravecto, one dying rapidly and the other only just hanging on when last posted. Some posters are chiming in with some hearsay that their brother's mate mother-in-law's neighbour's nephew's dog has also had a swift and fatal reaction to this product. (FB being FB) The picture of the dog that died looks to be a Smithfield or Beardie cross, and although there is no ivermectin in this product, there has been some speculation that Collies and collie crosses might be fatally sensitive to the active ingredient. Because it is a relatively new active ingredient, there really isn't much of a history yet, good or bad. It would be interesting to hear from those who have used this product successfully whether or not they have any collie in their dog's ancestry.

Newfies as a rule have a sweet, loving and fairly bombproof temperament. On the minus side, they are a giant breed and therefore much more expensive to maintain than a large breed - especially with feeding, medications and any surgery. Being a giant breed, they are not fully grown until 3 or 4 years old and whilst growing, climbing, jumping, and running should be minimized. Giant breeds in general are not best for agility or most dog sports as their size already puts a strain on their heart. Swimming however is a favourite activity of the breed, although I'm not aware of any water based dog sports except dock diving, for which I don't think the breed is really suited. Edited to add: You would really need a dog trailer if you wanted to fit in a giant breed, two adults, three or more kids and all the paraphernalia that pre-schoolers need for an outing. Or two cars...

My advice for any family with pre-schoolers, especially those wanting a larger breed, is to first consider an adult dog with known temperament that has been reared or fostered successfully with young children. There are a heap of reasons why this is a less stressful choice on the family. Some of the major ones are: (1) busy families tend to have less time for actual puppy training - remember that training the kids to respect the dog is nearly as time consuming as training the dog (2) an adult has its full growth and usualy can be swiftly involved in all the family activities without worrying about strain on growing joints etc (3) final temperament, being 50% genetics and 50% environment, is a known quantitiy I have known too many families who insisted on a baby puppy with all the best intentions in the world to raise it as an indoor dog with their kids. After the second or third indoor poop/wee had been crawled through by toddlers the poor baby puppy is banished to the yard and ends up a frustrated garden ornament. Having said that, not all families are the same, and if Iknew that the family had already successfully raised indoor dogs and kids together, or if I knew they were willing to use indoor pens or crate training from the beginning and were the kind of family I thought would put in the effort, then I would say "Go right ahead, Choose a puppy from an ethical breeder." Re the breed choice, I would probably put Golden Retriever first, then Labrador and Rough Collie last, not because of any inherent fault in Colies, simply that because they are more sensitive that sometimes anxiety can arise from loud squalling children around them (won't apply to a pre-tested adult of course!).

If it were me, (and thank dog it is not LOL) I wouldn't let them share the playpen except when YOU choose to deem it play time. One sleeping in a pen, the other in a crate will work. Or two separate sleeping crates and a pen, whatever. When you are working/training/spending time with one, make sure the other has a yummy chew in the pen, or is galloping in a run or yard. Being a coward myself, I would just never leave them unattended together. When I put them together to play and wear exch other out, I would remove the collars and the rest of the time leave them on. Always give a treat when putting the collar on for the first week or so. Extra socialisation can be donw taking them out and about (mostly one at a time) in the car and any places that you deem safe. Car trips and then being carried past lots of different places and things happening exposes them to a lot of stimuli without worrying about vaccination status. Oh, and even though they are not littermates, being raised from babyhood in sight of each other, makes them siblings from the POV of training etc.

A Kerry Blue and a SCW!! Gunga Din has nothing on you for bravery LOL!! The next 24 months are going to be full on for sure - but when you get it right it is absolutely awesome! I went back to the first post to check that they were opposite sexes as both breeds are quite well known for not generally tolerating others of their own gender on their own territory. As baby puppies you won't have a problem but watch that switch just turn on all of a sudden when the hormones start flowing. As opposite sexes they will probably tolerate other reasonably well in adulthood. I'm sure that you know what you're getting into LOL but make crate training and recall your two utmost priorities! Sounds like you have it all sussed out, but I dips me lid to your courage!! Just want to nag one little bit - you' ve already had Bunny for five days SO WHERE ARE THE PICS?????

Compost cages, in the aisle with other composty stuff (usually hidden away on a bottom shelf). I use them to keep the dogs out of certain areas of the front yard when we're trying to regrow grass in the summer or keep the dogs out of the mud in winter. They're not terribly sturdy (I use cable ties as those spiral rings are annoying and useless) so they get used strictly for blocking things that aren't dangerous but I want the dogs away from. Maddy if you're using them on the lawn or in the garden, a couple of tent pegs driven in each side makes them fairly sturdy when set up in a square or octagon. To close off part of a garden while regrowing it I've even been known to wire them up to a few star pickets! lol

Actually this could either be resource guarding or simple dominance posturing (bitches aren't called bicthes for nothing!) or even a combination of the two. Given that your brother's dog is currently accepting the intimidation, it may not escalate to fights - but I agree with you that a plan should be put into place so that your mother's bossy boots learns that people set the rules in the household and their whims are law and intimidation/resource guarding is not approved. With the bed, if these two dogs are expected to sleep in separate beds, then it is up to the people in the household to reinforce this and make sure that each dog's bed is her own sacred place that the other is not to intrude upon. One gets in the wrong bed, immediate and firm removal to her own bed is required. It may help to move the beds occassionally so they understand that it is the bed and and not the spot that is their own. They may have more than one bed each, in separate rooms or whatever. I like your plan, except the part about a third party controlling the intimidation this will not teach anything. We need to reward any GOOD behaviour and send disdainful body language messages or "go to bed" commands for POOR behavior. So any second person should be about rewarding/responding rather than controlling if that makes sense. Another tip is to always include your brother's dog in activities that your mother's dog particularly likes (car rides/couch snuggles/games/treat training sessions ot whatever) so that she comes to associate the second dog with feeling good.

Given that you want to avoid double coated dogs, which takes labradors and goldens off the list, I would probably keep looking at the other gundogs - any of the pointers would do you I think. Look hard at the pointer itself, they tend to be a tad less boisterous than the GSPs etc. Any of the setters would be the right size, activity level and drive level you are looking for but biddability varies (not a concern given that you manage well with a Dane cross) and you would need to find a breeder who could pick the pup with the right temperament from a litter for you. The various water spaniels (Irish, Curly Coated, Maurray Rivers) all tend to be more aloof with strangers that the setters (and some of the setters are fairly aloof) so they would be less likely. Standard Schnauzers are a guarding breed and should come off your list . Although all the Danes and Dane crosses I know are very gentle when playing with smaller breeds I notice that they have the most fun themselves when they can romp with something closer to their own size, so for that reason only I would avoid the spaniels on your list. But I think that the Standard Poodle, Boxer, GSP and Pointer are all great possibilities.

I'm not sure that i would recommend this breed to a first time dog owner at all. There could be some mellow adults around though I suppose? I agree with OP that something out of the baby stage would be better.