Wobbly

I don't have any behavioural advice to offer. But physical separation could work - I'm not sure of your set up, but if that and your finances permit perhaps an enclosure for the visitor akin to the type that is required for dangerous dogs? Large, made of a chain link gauge strong enough to keep the CAO out, with a chain link roof if the CAO climbs and a concrete floor or similar to stop the her digging in. Ensure that the enclosure is not visible, and far enough away from the CAO's yard that she doesn't continually smell or hear the visitor. Other than that, a rehome might be best.

At a guess she's 12 months now - give or take a few months - I don't really know - the pound said 12 months when I got her in Feb (but they chipped her as 2 yrs old lol), everyone else including me thought 8-9 months or so. We still have some serious issues to address - she's awful with other dogs. The main thing though is whoever had her first really loved her, no manners or training at all, but she's confident, happy and friendly to all people. I wish I could have had her in puppyhood though. Got millions of pics :rolleyes: I've been meaning to put up a thread in the photos forum so I'll get to it, and send you a link. I really am a novice, pretty much everything I've learnt has been through sifting through DOL - figuring out that ignoring was the best tactic for us took some trial and error, probably why it took so long to fix the jumping and nipping. Different dogs have different motivators though, the ignoring tactic might not work so well for a more independent breed like a husky, but it's good for Bully breeds because most live for human attention and company. Good luck with your boy, some pics of him would be awesome. That Triangle of Temptation is phenomenal, it took me a few reads to really understand all the nuances and aims, so I messed it up at first, but luckily the mistake was easy to fix. I'd say do it, then read it again to compare how you went with the writen technique for a few nights just so you're sure you've got it all right, it's pinned to the top of the training forum so it's easy to find. I've found this site awesome reading too : http://www.k9events.com/training1.htm If you look at the menu up the top, it has links to behavioural, puppies, training etc, I've spent lots of nights readin stuff here - all the sections have lots of different articles by different people on different issues, many different perspectives, so you can find what works best for you - every dog is an individual and so is every owner, so what works for someone else mighn't necessarily be best for you, it pays to look around, but I've found the articles here all well worth a read.

Just a flat collar - I have never used a harness, I found I didn't need the lead for very long, might have only been a week - she got the hang of sit and stay until released very quickly. :rolleyes: She was older than your boy though - so he might not get it as quickly as she did. Make sure you get the eye contact though, I missed out on that to start with, but luckily it was easily remedied once I realised it, I just waited till she looked me in the eye before she was released - only took about 3-4 meals to fix Dogs learn quickly when food or play is the motivator.

Another bit: When you're at the table you obviously don't want to get up and move into another room. The solution is removing him. Let him in the dining room when you start eating, then as soon he barks, a stern NO (to mark the behaviour as wrong), no other acknowledgement, grab his collar and march him to the laundry while you finish your meal. You need the NO in this case because there may be a slight delay between him barking and being put in the laundry. Dogs are fantastic at cause and effect, but the effect has to overlap the cause for them to get it. You need to comunicate that the cause is barking the effect is timeout from human company. If you left out the NO in this case and he's stopped barking by the time he gets grabbed and marched into timeout he may not make the association, your stern NO happening at the time he is barking communicates that it is the barking behaviour that caused you to react by putting him in timeout. In the standing eating snack and walking away, closing door scenario the punishment (active ignoring) overlaps the barking already ie he barks = you turn and walk away, and close the door. Cause overlaps effect so its clear to him why you're ignoring him. If you do both those things you are teaching him from 2 angles: In the first scenario - barking = you turn around and walk away into another room, he is completely ignored, which is a fate worse than death. In the second scenario - barking = your stern NO indicates the barking causes you to react by putting him into time out from humans. Dogs operate totally on cause and effect. You just need him to understand that barking causes ignoring and loss of company. If you put him in timeout before he barks, he has no idea that he's put there because he barks, he can't make that logic leap, so you're not addressing the problem, just avoiding it. Leash corrections work too, but for my dog ignoring and timeout is a worse punishment. Once you teach him to sit before he eats, he will learn that for the effect to be being given food he must sit. When I'm eating snacks around the house my girl SITS! if I don't respond she'll stand up and sit more emphatically as if to say "look look, I'm sitting please give me some " She's learnt the best way to get food is to sit quietly. When we're at the dinner table, she knows she doesn't get any, never has, never will so she doesn't even bother trying any more, she sits a few metres away an the rug, doesn't even watch us, she's given up all hope of ever eating at the dining table. Once our meal is over and I go into the kitchen with the plates after we've finished dinner, she'll race to the kitchen with me, coz she knows that's the signal for getting something off the plate. This also means every time I go to the kitchen she comes with me and sits, just in case there's food going, but that's a behaviour I don't really mind, it's handy when I spill food on the floor, she does a preliminary clean up. Sorry for the ramble, I really empathise with the bully breed attention seeking. LOL It can be brutal, just be thankful you've only got barking, I had a 9 month old who had learnt that jumping and nipping was the key to success in getting attention, at first when she was ignored she jumped higher and nipped harder. It was awful, correction verbal or collar, she took as a "win" coming from the pound I guess negative attention was better than none to her. I tried rolling her on her back and holding her mouth closed on the advice of a trainer, she thought this was fantastic too - a game of wrestling! :rolleyes: In the end, the only thing that really upset her enough to qualify as punishing enough to work was being ignored and put out of my sight. ETA Also that triangle of temptation that Persephone linked you to is the best thing ever, ever, ever. Do it, it's fantastic, my dog has the best food manners in the world, entirely due to that program, it should be mandatory for all dogs. Here's the link again, read it a few times so you absolutely understand it, do it, the results are phenomenal. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=64101

No tid bits form the table - unless you want a dog that thinks it is his right - if your OH has been doing it that's probably why he barks. He believes it's his right to eat your food, and objects when you deny him this right. You will have to perservere with ignoring him and if it's a habit, it will take some time, if you've weakened and fed him from the table again to shut him up, it will take even longer, random reinforcements ingrain a behaviour deeply. The barking will get worse for a little period - this is called an extinction burst. Here is an explanation of an extinction burst from here: http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm It will help you alot if you read the entire NILIF article in that link, and apply it so your dog knows he doesn't call the shots and that demanding stuff of you doesn't work. Expect it to get worse before it gets better, but he WILL stop if you ignore him. Use NILIF and have the patience and consistency to see it through. I would eat snacks on my feet a few times every day, don't give him any, eat it slowly enough that he will bark, when he does, actively ignore him - turn away immediately, no eye contact, no nothing, just walk away and close the door behind you so he can't follow. All a staffy wants in life is your attention and once he realises that barking results in you actively removing your attention, and worse even leaving his presence, he will stop. I've rid my girl of some horrible attention seeking ingrained habits (jumping and nipping - probably why her owners never picked her up from the pound - I was covered in bruises and cuts the first few weeks I had her - it has taken 3 months to finally extinguish the behaviour, it must have been randomly reinforced to be so strong and ingrained). Ignore him, actively ignore him by turning around walking away and closing the door on him, implement NILIF and wait out the extnction burst. Remember dogs do what works, and they learn from experience, barking was working so he got into the habit. Good luck. ETA - for most staffys their primary love is being with their humans and having human attention focussed on them. So walking away and closing the door is about the harshest punishment you could possibly apply, in their eyes, its far more upsetting than a leash correction.

She's only a baby, maybe her pads are a bit tender still? If you're walking on concrete it might hurt - check her pads out. She'll need some really big positive associations with walking. Maybe put a lead on in a really fun place like a beach or a big grassy park with lots of things to sniff, and let her take the iniative in what to sniff for a bit, and lead you around where she wants to go so she learns walking is full of fun interesting stuff.

ooo pizza for me too please

I just ordered the Balabanov vids - I'd read a lot about him through reading about training in drive and was already interested in his methods, but this vid of Brydees heeling fully convinced me the investment in the dvds was worthwhile. I ordered both dvds - "Obedience without conflict" and "the game". They're being shipped over from the US - very pricey! But from all I've read it'll be worth it I think I hope the training I've already done doesn't conflict with Balabanov's, don't wanna confuse my dawg. Hopefully we'll get our heeling work as good as Brydees very soon Thanks for the inspiration

I wondered if there was the CGC in Australia. Really happy to hear this can be done here. Canberra is too far for me, and my girl isn't ready yet, but would you have a link to any information on it so I can learn the requirements and arrange it once she's ready?

Yay it's getting closer! Your PM box was full AO, and I never got to answer the questions you asked, so I'm putting the answers here: -I am bringing my dog :rolleyes: -She's an amstaff (according to her microchip), medium sized, about 22kgs. -She is not DA when she meets other dogs, in the contrary, submissive and playful, however I can't allow her to play with other dogs because when she gets overstimulated (and she's VERY excitable) she will grab other dogs by the neck and bring them down, scary for the other dog, though she has never caused any harm. She's fine so long as she's doesn't play with other dogs off lead. Re car pooling I am coming from the central coast, I will be driving and I'm happy to bring people, or tow a trailer, but another dog only if it's in a trailer) if can pick them up within 40kms or so of Umina Beach. Thanks again (and again, and again) for organising this Looking forward to the day

Awesome work! And what a beautiful girl she is. You've inspired me to start teaching teach Jarrah to heel off lead

Sorry I didn't get to reply earlier, had a house full of Mr Wobbly's sisters visiting from Ireland, (Jarrah is in love with them). Well it's not mange or mites. Yay!!!!! The vet thinks its most likely an allergic reaction she has had (but not currently active) - it's possibly linked to an allergy that has caused her eyes to discharge (I took her to the vet for this when it blew up into conjunctivitis about 6 weeks ago). When I took her in for that, she also had a rash on her belly which I got some cream for then - the two issues, eyes and skin have appeared to be be concurrent twice now - she had a clear eye discharge about a month ago too, but her eyes have been clear the last fortnight, and the skin issue has not worsened in the last 2 or three weeks. Provided the skin issue isn't causing any bother, the vet is less worried about her skin and more her eyes - if the discharge from her eyes resumes at all I need to bring her in, he can check then if the conditions are linked then and we can narrow down causes. (interestingly the eye improvement has corresponded with no more walking in Strickland State Forest, which is full of weeds). Hopefully we're in the clear now, I just need to keep a good eye on her. Sas - I hope Dante is feeling OK this week, our breeds both have very short fur - they seem a lot more sensitive skinned than dogs with thicker coats. Perhaps there might be a change as the weather cools down and that might enable you to at least narrow down the field of causes? Give him a good belly rub from me - I really hope you find a solution to this issue ASAP.

Good on you for rescuing him :D He looks like a sweetie. I'm no expert but I'd say he'll pick up condition very quickly with the diet you've posted. Don't forget you'll probably be giving him lots of treats on top of that to help him understand what kind of behaviours you want from him. When I got Jarrah from the pound she was hopelessly hyperactive, but I'd give her treats and cuddles every time I saw her sitting quietly or acting how I wanted her to and she learnt very quickly what the most rewarding behaviours around this house were. Some chewy stuff (pigs ears or trotters maybe) might help him settle in and feel comfortable in his new home too.

Zayda - Jarrahs under a year old, and they said on the page link that prognosis for juveniles with dem is good, so not too worried about the dem in particular, but it gave me a shock because I've been so blase about this - it's been there for about 3 weeks and I've not seen a vet because I assumed it wasn't anything major b/c it hasn't been bothering her. But major problems can start as minor ones like this if they aren't treated, I should have got onto it ASAP - got a bit of a reality check there with that link. SAS did you ask your vet about anithistamines? I wish I could be more help to you and Dante, poor guy, itchy skin is maddening.

Oh god Zyda that page is terrifying. That poor shepard with the generalised form. I hope thats not our problem. Definitely going to the vet first thing tomorrow now I've seen that, I will mention demodectic to them to make sure they check for it. SAS - the pinetarsol might stain Dante a lovely yellowy shade, I love the smell of it, but other people dont - its very piney. I just mention it because its cheap and effective for symptomatic relief of itchiness (but wont treat the cause if its allergies), and it has also been recommended to me for use on Jarrah, apparently its as effective on dogs as people but i haven't tried it on her because she doesn't seem to be very itchy. If the vet says anything that might apply to helping Dante or any other dogs with skin issues I'll definitely post it here.

Oh SAS something that may help is washing in pinetarsol. I found it worked on my itchy skin a few summers ago - excellent symptomatic relief. Heres a link http://www.homepharmacy.com.au/products/pr...?ProductID=3711 It should be available at any local pharmacy.

Hi SAS She doesn't play with any other dogs - her social skills leave a bit to be desired - some amstaffs types are a bit like that. She's pretty clumsy, so she does fall over every so often but the way this is on the same part of both back legs looks more a systemic allergy kind of thing than an external type scrape. I've just been reading that Dalmatian bronzing link from Janba - its got some good points about allergens - I didn't think of wind borne allergens, apparently thats common, I don't know whats in my neighbours gardens. I'm going to add a fish oil capsule to her food tonight (fatty acids as suggested by them), her condition doesn't sound like bronzing, but the fatty acids can't hurt and they may just help if it's an allergy. Its really weird, hasn't got worse or better (that I can see) just hair loss on her back legs, and a little bit on the front leg. Doesn't seem to worry her, but it worries me because its not clearing up. Yesterday it looked a bit flaky - dandruff or dermatitis looking maybe? Its also a bit bumpy where the hair is missing - maybe swollen follicle like? But it's not scabby or raw or red at all. I haven't seen a vet yet because it doesn't seem to bother her, but staffys can be a bit skin sensitive so I'd like to get a handle on it asap, better safe than sorry, I will take her tommorrow to see what they think. I really hope you find out the cause & the remedy for your boy ASAP, all good luck healing vibes to you guys.

I was just about to start a thread on a similar issue. Jarrah has had some kind of skin problem on her legs for the past few weeks, I've seen her nibble at it once or twice, but it doesn't seem to bother her too much. I would like to know what it is so I can stop it early before it does really bother her. Here's all the info I think might be relevant: -She eats prey model, with a bit of vege left over from our dinners. I don't think defiency is the problem not sure though? -I took beef out of her diet last week, she hasn't eaten any beef since (too early to say if this has helped yet I think) -It hasn't been scabby or raw, just bumps with fur loss. Some itching but she doesn't scratch it too much. -We use advantix every fortnight (tick application rate b/c we are in a tick area). -It began about 3 weeks ago, it got bad about 2 weeks ago (see photo) and hasn't gotten any worse or any better since. -I don't think there is any allergenic plants in my backyard apart from the grass (hope it's not a grass allergy) -Its only on her back legs and a tiny bit on one front leg, the rest of her coat looks very healthy and glossy Some pics I was leaning toward a flea allergy, but I have book marked this thread and will give it a more thorough read to examine ideas here I might be able to use to clear it up. If I find a solution I will report back in this thread. Not sure if we are all dealing with the same skin conditions, but a lot of the remedies suggested here (malaseb, salt water etc and of course vet checks) sound like they could help skin probs from different causes. I hope everyone dogs with skin conds gets better asap.

My friend's dog Popsy, an ACD, broke her leg badly when she was 3mths old, so they kept her very quiet. As an adult she is very much a couch potato, my friend believes her accident and months of enforced calm caused her lack of drive now.

I wish the time would go faster. I know I said I'd be in the car pooling in PMs AO, but I'm thinking it would not be the best idea, Jarrah has been overly dominant with other dogs, and although she has been very friendly in controlled on leash meetings over the last fe weeks, I'm not sure how she'd go confined in a car with another dog for the duration of the drive. Myself and Mr Wobbly are also thinking we might make a weekend of it, though and staying in Kurrajong the night if you are still organising that Luke.

Please post the link Tyler - my girl is a rescue so was desexed at 7 - 10 months, don't really know how old she is - definitly not mature though - she looks to be an amstaff type x. I hope it won't adversely affect her health.

Angels coat looks amazing there - you do really get a sense of just how soft and velvety it is from those pics

I would love to. I definitely need all the training I can get ETA - about 10 minutes before finding this thread I was racking my brain trying to figure out new ways to channel Jarrah's tug obsession, she even brings bones she's just dug up (muddy gobbets of meat hanging off them and all - right into my lap lol) and offers them to me for a game of tug. Drive training sounds perfect for her - prey drive, play drive, food drive, affection drive - she's got it all going on in a serious way - I need help learning to channel it all in a way thats fun and useful for us.

Hum... Very strange. If the vet said rice is an adequate long term diet I would be finding a new vet. Rice is a great supplement - but dogs are carnivorous, they need more protein than rice alone could possibly provide. If the vet meant plain rice in the very short term, she may be thinking the dog has a tummy upset or bug and needs to lay of the rich food for a few days and eat very plain meals to give his tummy a chance to settle down.