corvus

Oh my goodness, people. Aggression towards humans is certainly very serious, but this is a dog's life you are deciding OVER THE INTERNET without even laying eyes on it is somehow forfeit purely because he dares to tell his humans he wants none of it. I kind of hoped we are a little more enlightened these days than "dog bites human = dog dead". Just for the record, one of my dogs bit me once. 7 years ago. I did not put him to sleep because he told me something with his teeth. I bloody listened to him. He didn't bite me again. The trigger for that bite occurs frequently and no longer triggers him to bite. These things can be turned around, but you have the best chances of doing so if you get PROFESSIONAL help EARLY. The biggest issue I find with people having dogs that may injure other people or dogs is managing these dogs so that everyone is safe. It is not easy sometimes, but if it can be done, we have a good argument for attempting to change the dog's behaviour long-term. We do that by understanding what the dog is trying to achieve with their aggression. Aggression is functional after all. They aggress because it is working for them in some way. Believe me when I tell you, it is extremely rare for the function of aggression to be asserting dominance. Much more likely that the dog is buying space, trying to prevent something he doesn't like occurring, or trying to control stimuli he is nervous about. It is highly irresponsible to advise someone on how to treat an aggressive dog without qualifications and experience to support that advice. You could genuinely make it worse, and if they felt like suing you as a result, and you have no insurance, you could be in a world of trouble.

I was told that they should be good for 2 hours at least. I can vouch for that. They are annoyingly difficult to detach from a roll, but I can live with it. I got sent some samples when I asked about them. The first sample never showed up, and I was going to leave it at that given one of my flyball team mates had been using them and assured me they were perfectly practical, but Bruce followed up by e-mail and sent me another sample. Can't fault his customer service.

We use the Oh Crap PVA ones. Seems a lot better to me than "biodegradable" bags that actually break down into plastic soup. Tried some other brand, which I think may have been corn-based, and they biodegraded right in my hand. Thanks, but no thanks.

Best not take him back to the dog park unless you can find a time where you know the dogs that will come and know Fudge gets on well with them. Dog parks teach dogs like this to get quite defensive with other dogs. Every time another dog frightens him, he will learn to be more wary around them and rely more on snapping first and asking questions later.

My first dog at age 13 was a corgi. Worked out fantastic. She was a great dog. I think shelties are not all that active in the scheme of things. I would tend to avoid a heavy coat. It's easy for it to get ugly if you don't stay on top of it pretty religiously. If she wants to stick with a full coat, I'd suggest start with a smaller dog. A large, fluffy dog is significantly more work than a small fluffy dog. If you want to go for an adult dog and/or a rescue, I'd pay for a behaviourist to assess the dog before you commit. They can't foresee everything, but they might see more than you do.

You are probably right that it is a stage she is going through. I also go and check for them. They are alerting after all, so it seems fair to honour them. But, if barking continues after I checked, I go out and warn ("enough of that or you'll have to come inside" - probably means hardly anything to them), if I have to come out a third time, they go inside. They do get a treat for coming inside sometimes, so I'm not left chasing them around the pool. They are smart. It's not exactly meant to be a penalty, but it may be sometimes. It's also worthwhile to sit outside with the dog for a while with some treats on hand. When there's a noise, call them in before they start barking and give them a treat. I have also had success with calling them in after one bark volley, reward, then get them to lie down on a bed, reward again. You can easily deal with them learning to bark to get called in by not paying them twice for the same thing. And then pay them periodically for staying on their bed. They learn the bed is more reinforcing.

I'm in southern Sydney, or you can catch up with me at USyd in Camperdown on occasion. I have had some Japanese Spitz clients, actually. All different. I think while you're deciding on a behaviourist, try to stay calm if you miss getting him on leash in time and he snaps. Get him in hand as quickly as possible, apologise to the puppy's owner, move him away from the puppy, block the puppy if it keeps trying to come back. Once the puppy is gone, take a few moments to take some deep breaths yourself and give your dog a rub to help him calm down. It's already too late for him to learn much about how he should handle these situations, so you may as well concentrate on reconnecting with him and ensuring you are both calm enough to continue your walk. The inconsistency in his responses suggests that maybe he is not exactly sure of himself. I usually treat this kind of thing by teaching them a coping behaviour or three they can fall back on when they have suddenly decided they don't want to engage. The trick is to get them to tell you when they are not in the mood. The Look At That game from Leslie McDevitt is my favourite, but others can be useful as well. My anxious dude comes and walks between my ankles when he's not keen on interacting with another dog. He can be quite fickle and some days he is friendly and some days he just wants to avoid it all. So, if he pops himself between my ankles, I know he'd probably rather not engage, and I can help him achieve that without him snapping.

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I think you should get some savvy eyes on this dog. Sometimes dogs pick on easy targets because they can. It doesn't mean that they are being brats or that they're mean or lacking respect or any other of the labels we tend to put on them through our own lens of human values. Most of the time they are uncomfortable around many dogs, and they only show it overtly where it is "safe" for them to. It's not an uncommon pattern in my experience. Usually it's smaller and/or younger dogs that are targeted, but the dog often shows subtle signs of anxiety and conflict around bigger or older dogs as well. Dog owners miss them because they are very small signals. My first suspicion would be that this dog possibly doesn't love other dogs except for puppies. Another possibility is that he does at the moment, but what puppies do that trigger some dogs, older dogs sometimes do as well. If a puppy is triggering it at this age, it is probably going to spread to other dogs, even if you keep him away from puppies. So, get someone to check it out and figure out why he is doing this. There's a good chance you will be able to manage him safely and minimise the expression of this behaviour in future if you know what the function of it is.

I think it's totally normal for an alert working dog of that age. If it's any reassurance, my podengo only really started to move away from this same unpredictable business at about 14 months old. From about 7-14 months, it was just train the dog you have in front of you now. She was inconsistent and extremely emotionally reactive sometimes, and I was never really sure what dog I was going to be walking when I left the house. We have been doing flyball for most of that time, and when I was asked how she was doing and where she was at, most of the time I was like "Eh, who knows what she's doing and where she's at. Let's find out and go from there." It's wearing at times, but you've got to get your zen on and wait for them to grow a grown-up brain. She is nearly 2, now, and we still have bumpy ones, just fewer of them. She still fires up at dogs if they surprise her sometimes, but other times she handles it. She's just learning. She is a super alert, proactive little girl, and she has a lot to learn about what is okay and what is truly worrying and what she can do about it. The big switch at about 14 months was a relief. Suddenly she could do a bunch of stuff I'd been trying for months to get her doing. There was a very noticeable change in her ability to think through arousal. One day she just couldn't and seemingly the next day she could.

My theory is they are eager to interact because they have so much to learn. They know the basics from early life, but lots of dogs have all different kinds of preferred signals and interaction styles. They kind of have to do it to learn it, because interactions are dynamic and they need to have a good understanding of how their behaviour affects outcomes. Aiming for moderate arousal is a good idea, because it enables them to be more aware of the smaller signals dogs might be giving them. Lots of dogs that habitually have only high-arousal interactions with other dogs end up proactively defensive, because they trigger disciplinary action but don't know when or why because they were too excited to see the warning signs. If they can't predict when they will get in trouble, they become anxious and tend to strike out before the other dog can get offended. I see this A LOT, and the pattern looks like a dog that is interested in other dogs and may even be eager to greet, but about 3 seconds into the greeting, they tense up and snap at the other dog. Owners are bewildered. Why does the dog try to greet and then snap? Probably because they are anticipating trouble but don't understand how to avert it. I would stick to the 3-second greetings, but let her return to the dog if the opportunity is there. Chances are, she's not really done after 3-seconds. Leaving her in a state where she barely got started all the time may lead to frustration and feed the arousal issue. My youngster gets pretty conflicted about other dogs, but likes to greet. I let her greet if she is not barking and pulling, and if we have the luxury, I encourage her to come back to me, cuddles and treats, then let her return to the dog for another go, then call her back again, more cuddles, back to the dog... Until she is happy to move on and is not looking over her shoulder or trying to walk backwards.

A lot of young dogs have a fierce need to interact with other dogs. It usually settles down when they hit social maturity, but I have met some dogs for whom it did not, and usually the reason why is unusual levels of frustration, either from deprivation (the dog has not had their social needs met as a youngster and has come to be crazy frustrated about always missing out) or from an expectation of crazy full-on fun (e.g. dog park regulars). For frustrated greeters, I usually concentrate on reducing the frustration of not getting to greet by having the handler provide plenty of engagement and reinforcers so the dog learns that missing out on greeting is not horrific.

She says the bush is her natural habitat. She is incredibly light on her feet. The rougher the terrain, the more of her dust we all get to eat. I got her to be my trail running pal, and she LOVES trail running. She seems to think 6-7km/hr is the ideal speed to explore at.

Just the usual bush and beach weekly adventures, here. ;)

On the plus side, a big bone for a little dog is a whole body workout.

It's a cow shin bone. Butchers want to cut them for us, but I always say no. If they want marrow, they will have to work for it like nature intended. Kestrel can make a dent in these bones, but it takes her a long time. The bigger dogs have more jaw strength and make faster progress. Kestrel's favourite are pig trotters. We have to get them cut in half for her, but she can get through it. She also gets lamb breast, bits of chicken marylands, and parts of duck necks. And the odd lamb shank. She can handle anything the big dogs can, just takes her longer.

Kestrel gets whatever the big dogs get. She just usually gets smaller portions. Except for recreation bones. If she wants a giant bone half the size of herself, that's okay.

Oh, the trackers are designed to be attached to a backpack, but they are tiny. About the size of a small pedometer. You could attach one to even a very small dog's collar if they can wear a collar on the job.

Some folks in our lab put GPS trackers on working stock dogs and got records of over 70km some days. Kinda puts things in perspective. We have a bunch of quite cheap data trackers designed for wearing on a backpack during travels to keep track of where you go. They are small and easy to attach, and you don't need to subscribe to anything. Someone gave us a Fitbark I tried out for a while, but you have to calibrate them to get distance.

If we're sharing videos... :D You can kinda see how hunds differ from a primitive flushing hound, but most of the video I have of Kestrel is on the trail because you can't see her otherwise. She doesn't go far, but she has a lot of stuff to do. She is like my friend's tekel (working mini dachshund). Gets down to business bouncing around to see what they can find. We find she doesn't follow through particularly. If she flushes a bird and it flies over her head, she runs after it, but seems more interested in running back to where it came from to see if she can flush more.

As I mentioned, I don't have breeds that are known to be handler sensitive, and that's because I tend to be loudly expressive sometimes. I like a lot about some of the traditional herding breeds, but the intensity and pressure sensitivity are a turnoff for me because I know it clashes with my personality. I would have to work on myself as well as the dog. Easier to work on just one! Most sighthounds I meet are not in the habit of creating opportunities. They are plenty smart, but not terribly active or motivated, which makes them pretty easy to live with. If you can motivate them, they learn easily, but they are not as easily motivated as other breeds. What we often love about working breeds is that it is very easy to motivate them. They will work for all kinds of things, and throw themselves into it, and they do tend to look for opportunities. I guess the thing is it's hard to turn on or off parts of a dog's nature. So, if they are difficult to motivate, they might be easy to live with, but hard to train. If they are easy to motivate, they might be easy to train, but not so easy when they are not training, because they don't turn it off just because you're not harnessing it anymore. Dogs with anxiety disorders are hard to place anywhere. They don't act in ways that necessarily make a lot of sense in the first place. You can really see the difference when you work with dogs that have problems they have learned and that's it, and dogs that have problems that are related to all kinds of bigger problems with their emotional lives. The former are a pretty smooth ride and respond quickly and usually predictably. The latter are nearly always complicated and take a long time and suffer sudden and inexplicable setbacks and just when you think you are getting somewhere, they stall completely or a whole new problem appears.

I don't think any one trait equals easy on its own. I am finding the podengo pretty challenging. She is reasonably biddable, but that doesn't equal easy, either. It's the combination of traits that is the killer. Any one on its own is manageable, but all together and I have my hands well and truly full. I don't have dogs that react poorly to my emotional state, thankfully. That is by design! I do have dogs that notice EVERYTHING and have an opinion about it. That is hard work. The podengo reacts very strongly to stuff. It has taken a good while for her to settle down and mature enough to work without spinning off into frenetic activity. You can't fault her enthusiasm, but wow, trying to harness it is not easy.

Some traits and combinations thereof are certainly more challenging than others. And yes, smart dogs... you had better know what you are doing! They will get ahead of you and suddenly they are running the show if you don't take careful control of their learning. Super smart dogs will learn things dogs are not meant to learn. I have two of them. They make connections that other dogs do not, particularly to get attention, and it ends up being a problem I have to train around. They are crazy fun and addictive, though, and I don't know how I could ever live without a super smart dog, now. Impulsivity can also be very hard to deal with if you are not sure of yourself. Some dogs do need to be actively taught impulse control, and you can expect to fight their nature to be grabby and demanding unless you know how to manage it. Or maybe you will fight it even if you do know how to manage it... Proactive coping styles are also very difficult to overcome and can produce some real challenging behaviour. I have two of those as well. When something bothers them, they tend to rush towards it and try to actively engage it. OMG, it can be so problematic and takes a lot of consistency and being able to pre-empt them to get on top of it. My youngest is proactive as hell, extremely alert, AND independent. Cue charging off into the distance. It has taken so much work and management to put a lid on this natural urge and get some thinking happening. Persistence is the other one that can be tough if you're not prepared. Great if you like to do lots of training, but persistent dogs can and will outlast you and just keep at it trying to get what they want until you give in. You have to learn to pick your battles and manage the environment to work in your favour. And recognise when you're going to lose and act fast. The absolute most challenging dogs I have worked with have been outrageously smart, impulsive, optimistic, persistent, and crazy switched on to everything going on around them. They find ways to get what they want. They work out all the times you are not very attentive to them and exploit it. I once had a client whose dog had worked out if he chewed on the wall, he would get attention. What do you do? He's wrecking the house. You have to stop him. I have been in a similar situation with one of my dogs, who found out if he chased kids, I would call him. He likes being called. Ergo, he started chasing kids. Likewise, he learned if he scrapes his paw across a power board, someone will instantly react to him. Takes some creative management sometimes to sort it out. Easy dogs are the not super bright ones that tend to be low arousal, and a little bit risk averse, and not at all emotionally reactive. They are socially very tolerant, tend to have a soft mouth, and don't need a lot of exercise or mental stimulation to be happy. I keep saying that the next time I pick a dog, it WILL be the slightly timid, left-pawed, pessimistic, kind of boring dog in the litter that hardly seems to notice life going on around them. I seem to get sucked in by spunky little tigers with huge opinions every time.

One of my dogs has been on behavioural medication for generalised anxiety disorder for about 4 years, now. He's a troubled soul, but between medication, management and training, he is a happy troubled soul. He still stresses about a lot of stuff that other dogs don't worry much about, and he finds it hard to calm himself and adapt to new situations. But, he is so much happier on the medication. It helps him control his arousal and he is better able to relax and sleep normally. Just being able to sleep instead of constantly up and down checking on things and barking at things makes a huge difference to his wellbeing.

Like, genuinely don't enjoy walking? I get prefer to be doing something else, but I've met a lot of dogs for whom walking on leash can be quite frustrating and/or anxiety inducing that still give every indication of wanting to go for a walk. The only dogs I've ever worked with that genuinely did not enjoy going for walks were dogs with chronic anxiety disorders. I have seen plenty of dogs kind of rolling their eyes because on leash walks are so tedious and slow, but if you asked them if they would choose a slow and tedious walk or no walk, I'm guessing they would choose slow and tedious. It's not just about the exercise or the nature of the activity. It's also about going somewhere with the humans. They tend to be pretty optimistic about how that is going to turn out.