belindat

Sam&Saki - I will have a look. GreatBigPuppy - I agree to let her settle. Now a couple of weeks in we have noticed changes in her - she seems relaxed and comfortable. Julieanna - I agree with you. She is never unsupervised with my children. I have taken a bit of a step back and am watching her settle in, watching her relate to the kids and get to know us. So far I have seen really positive reactions from her - patience, approaching the kids for a pat, letting her brush them (well the 5 year old), happily laying down with the kids while watching the tv. But you are absolutely correct that she is an adult with an unknown past - I will be vigilant. The training side of things will happen when we all trust each other and we are taking it slowing and not rushing it. We have been working on "sit" with success. Crate training seems ideal (i've been reading up on it) In the meantime, she has been given a bed that is her place that the kids aren't allowed to touch her on and she quite likes under the dining room table.

TerraNik - thankfully she only has done in on that one night. My sleeps are particularly precious at the moment because I'm up every 4-6 hours with the baby. But if she does it again I'm definately going to ignore it.

The good - I suppose any dog will sit for a chicken neck The bad - scratching and snorting at the door to come upstairs last night when I was trying to go to sleep. Never done that before Each day brings something new.....

Always happy to show pics of pretty tammy. Cosmolo, will be in contact. Thanks, B

bump to see if anyone knows a good dog trainer in outer eastern suburbs melbourne?? Cheers, B

Hi Cosmolo. Thanks for your reply. I am in outer eastern suburbs Melbourne, near Lilydale if anyone can recommend a trainer nearby. Thanks.

So far, we are very happy with her. She's been really good with the kids, seems to be a gentle soul - got a bit frisky this morning with her feet on the wet grass!!! She's been really good with a good wash - lots of brushing and loving!! Seems to crave affection. Monelite - you're so correct, I can't assume she has any prior knowlege and then expect too much of her. Tony - yes, I think you've hit the nail on the head. I would benefit from the trainer as much as Tammy and then have more confidence in how I approach things with her.

Hi everyone, I just have some questions for the animal behaviorists out there. Tammy has been home with us for 4 days, which I know is early times for sure. There has been some behavior that was present from the beginning and some that has become known in the past couple of days. Tammy is a 4 yo Japanese Spitz that we've adopted. I was wondering if I ran it by you DOL'ers, you could please tell me what you think. Firstly, she shows quite submissive behaviour - rolls on her back the minute you approach her. She does this to me, husband and kids (5yo and 3yo). When she first got here she was lowering her head as well when you approached but I haven't noticed this lately. She freezes when you put a lead on her and won't move. I have a retractable lead on the harness. Someone suggested we use a soft lead and let her drag it for a while to get used to the weight (for starters) Some behavior though seems to be quite stubborn and I was wondering if it's trying to establish some dominance. I don't believe she's had any training - doesnt' respond to sit, stay, down. 1. She flops down right on top of the games the kids are playing on the floor. 2. When I change my toddlers nappy (on a mat on the floor) she can't get close enough, pushes her body right up beside DS so i have difficultly with getting the nappy on. 3. When i feed baby on the chair she sniffs baby's legs and tries to nuzzle me for a pat. Sometimes I do pat her but then she puts her foot up on me or actually on the baby's legs. 4. When I say "down" she doesn't respond or move at all. If i try to move her, she goes all floppy and won't move easily. these are some things that I've noticed over the past few days. I've never really trained a dog before, so basically I'm wondering if 1. I need to start training her from the beginning as if she was a puppy. Sit, reward etc. 2. Should i start her at a formal dog obediance class 2. Or should I seek a dog behavourist straight away for more individual attention. Sorry for the ramble, but as I've received great advice and knowledge from DOL I reasoned I'd put my thoughts to the forum. Regards, Belinda