corvus

I haven't found it to be common. But we rarely go to fenced dog parks. We go to unfenced dog parks most days. We have tried several different ones and go to several different dog beaches quite regularly. IME, uncommonly a dog (small or large, but usually small) will come into the park that is uncertain and will suddenly turn around and bolt. Dogs that are normally great at the dog park and don't cause any trouble will chase them. The faster they chase, the less likely they are to respond to a recall, even if they normally have excellent recalls. Invariably, they catch up and sooner or later the dog turns around and then the other dogs pull up and the spell is broken. Occasionally I've seen it a bit more serious and the dog gets bowled once or twice. I've never seen a dog injured. My dogs both went to dog parks as puppies and they stayed on a short leash until I was confident they weren't going to bolt. In my view, we have a responsibility both to keep our dogs under control and to avoid putting other dogs in situations where voice control is extremely difficult if we can. Not that we always can. Not saying that the behaviour of the owners and dogs in the original post is remotely acceptable or dismissable. Sometimes we get people like that visiting with their dogs. We hear about them because everybody warns everyone else. They never last long. You hear about them once or twice but never see them. No one ever knows who they are. They never come with puppies. They come with unruly dogs and soon realise they are not appreciated and get tired of screaming at their dogs all the time.

Do you like a persistent dog with a typically long extinction curve, or a behaviourally flexible dog with a short extinction curve? Or something in between?

There are a few things I can think of that it would be good to have a quick reference for. In addition to bedazzled's suggestions, maybe heat stroke, common poisons, maybe signs of kidney stress and just general things to look for that should be considered warning bells. Chocolate toxicity comes up a lot as well, and may or may warrant a trip to the vets depending on how much and what kind was eaten. We ended up hunting around on the internet for information on how to help a choking dog because of Erik's propensity to try to swallow huge chunks of bone whole. The information is not easy to come by. Eventually I came across a link to someone showing how to do it on YouTube. OH has seen it, too, and I feel better knowing we have at least a vague idea what to do if that ever happens.

I get the "I want to talk about it" thing. I don't get the "what should I do" thing. E vets cost an arm and a leg, but my dogs cost a great big piece of my heart. Bloat is terrifyingly dangerous to me, as is dogs ingesting things that are known to be very toxic to them. I've had scary moments where I have been very close to rushing one of the boys to the vet. In the end, though, me and OH are the ones in the best position to make that decision. Doesn't mean we don't want reassurance, but we have each other. I get it. Do people or don't people want a sticky "emergency situations and things to look for" post to help them make the decision? By all means talk about it as well, but maybe for reference?

Maybe there should be a sticky telling people what is a potential emergency that needs immediate veterinary attention? That way they can get the instant information they need to make a quick decision.

It's not just dog-hating horses! My corgi ended up with a lifelong phobia of everything equine after some friendly, dog-loving donkeys took one look and came galloping over to play. They were quite pushy about it and she was only a puppy. Even when I picked her up they were following us and trying to nibble on her in my arms. I take it the dogs next door and the donkeys had a somewhat boisterous relationship.

It isn't my dog, my friend rang me because she wasn't sure what was wrong with him, she didn't ask me to ask here, that was my choice. As I've already said, I thought it sounded like it might be bloat but I had NEVER heard of a whippet getting bloat before, also since I couldn't actually see the dog I wasn't sure of the symptoms. As it happened she did take him to the vet pretty quickly. Yes, I know, I read it. I don't want to be a critical, judgemental grump and this isn't aimed particularly at you. I really do wonder, though, why people (not you in particular) bother asking online. What do they expect? If it's a potential emergency, all anyone can say is "best go to the vet".

Why do people ask on forums if a dog should go to the vet? If you don't know, just go. That's what everyone online is going to say anyway.

I don't know, I'm not the dog wearing it. Is it more uncomfortable than coughing and choking because a collar is pressing into your trachea? Because I've known a few dogs perfectly happy to keep inflicting that on themselves, yet don't pull on a head collar. Does that mean head collars must be more aversive than throat irritation? I've seen dogs try to pull in a head collar and they just physically can't get any strength behind it. Seems to me they pull and find themselves facing the wrong direction. Then again, people on this forum are often saying dogs pull on head collars anyway. I know one that will if it can get its head down and push forward with its shoulders. So are they ineffective or aversive? No doubt, depends on how they are used. How do we know that there is necessarily discomfort to the point where it changes behaviour involved every time? There must be with a prong, or a flat collar or martingale would work just as well. There is no head collar comparison except perhaps if we want to bring horses into it. Incidentally, some head collars are designed to pull the dog's head forward, thus engaging their opposition reflex and encouraging them to pull up. I suspect where the leash is held, the length of the leash, the fit and model of the head collar, and whether collars/harnesses are used as well as the head collar all have an impact on how aversive the head collar may be. I'm not willing to make blanket statements about them (and this isn't one, in case anyone was going "But, but!").

Well, I think that falls under the heading of "improper use". If I can get a dog that hates his head being restrained to come running for his eye drops every 3 hours, I think most dogs can be taught to like a head collar. Really? I can think of a way a head collar might work without discomfort strong enough to change behaviour. I don't think it's a forgone conclusion that they work because they create discomfort. Not saying that doesn't ever factor into it.

No. I was not making a comparison of the aversiveness of the tools. I was noting why head collars are preferred by many professionals.

Plus, even responsible breeders can breed the odd aberration. I don't think they need feel ashamed about that. Genetics and behaviour are both complicated and there are big unknowns about heritability of behavioural tendencies. They do their best, but they are only human. Problems will crop up from time to time.

That's why a lot of people are using head collars in conjunction with reward-based behaviour modification. Maybe not so many people here, but I know behaviourists in Australia that recommend them and it is also recommended in the literature by practising vet behaviourists. They are considered a superior tool for control because you can control the head. Before everyone jumps on me about dogs lunging on head collars, it is usually a setup involving two leashes or a double-ended leash. Linda Tellington-Jones has a method of walking up the leash to the head when a dog is teetering on the edge of reacting. But if the dog is wearing a tool that delivers punishments automatically, don't you run the risk of that happening by accident? Control and punishment are not mutually exclusive any more that punishment and reward is. When a dog is in a fearful state they become very sensitive to negative stimuli. It's adaptive, so they can learn quickly the things they need to avoid in the future. Prongs are, as far as I can tell, quite a nicely designed tool for precision feedback, but personally, I'd rather have absolute control of both rewards and punishers if I can.

You can also hold some treats above the dog's nose. With their head tilted up it's usually easier to see when they are scenting the treats and you can mark that. It was harder to see in my small dog, but I got it by letting him go for the treat and then pulling it out of reach. He inhales as he opens his mouth to eat something. Wait for the mouth to close again to be sure you got an inhale and not both. I still use food as a cue, but I was thinking today it would be nice to be able to do it without food. More work.

Have you tried popping him in a pen or crate with a Kong for some quiet time? Maybe at the same time every day to condition his system to go into downtime automatically at a certain time?

Franklin? Still, I'm glad it's hard to own automatic and semi-automatic firearms in this country. ;)

I am sitting here with a supposedly purebred dog from a registered breeder that looks vaguely like the breed he is meant to be, acts like it sometimes, and is riddled with health problems that can not be tested for. You can get burnt no matter where you get a dog from and even if it is purebred and even if you do some research. There are some DD breeders who are driving towards predictable results and health testing. There are some purebred breeders who are not. I don't think it's fair to pick on one as if the other doesn't have the same problems. Most purebreds have been around a lot longer than whatever DD of choice we are talking about. I am sure that some breeders of DDs believe they are developing a new breed for whatever reason. That's their prerogative. Good luck to them.

Not sure exactly what you mean, but the last part of the clip was filmed during a training session that also had him working for food. There's an abridged version including the tug here: It's unlisted because I don't like sharing a work in progress except with people whose critique I trust (and have already sought in this case). I'm almost as bad as my artistic OH who frantically drags things over his tablet whenever I happen to get close enough to see what he's drawing before it's done. I avert my eyes and he still does it! Ah, but was it better because the tug wasn't being dragged, or was I dragging because he was not especially interested in the first place? He's definitely tugging longer and with more focus now than he ever has before. I like him to tug on anything. Makes rewardng with tug easier. At one stage I got a custom tug made for him. It's got braided fabric with some sheepskin around it and a bungee handle. He's pretty into that. He also likes the moo tug, but doesn't bite hard on it. He just likes mouthing it. Thanks. Life still seems very strange without him.

I'm loving take a breath on cue for helping my dog calm down again after he has fired up over something. Look for a flare of the nostrils or the mouth closing to signal inhalation, mark and treat. A good massage is also fantastically useful, but you may have to introduce massage at home where it's quiet before you try to take it on the road.

Awesome!

I disagree. Every owner of a DD I have asked has given me a reasonably considered answer as to why they chose one. They did not impulse buy. Most did not come from pet shops. Temperament considerations are invariably high on the agenda. I know someone with a pair of Labrador/Cocker Spaniel crosses, both from the same breeder. They liked the first one so much they decided to get another. Both have the most beautiful temperaments, never cause any trouble at the dog park. Just really nice dogs. Another dog park regular has a gorgeous young Lab/Poodle cross that is all wriggly cuteness and plays very well with my two and is lovely with people and very responsive. Owner flew the dog in from a breeder in QLD. I understood that this breeder was selected over local breeders for some particular reason.

Why should we only be civilised and avoid trouble when we perceive we are in the crosshairs? I have always sucked it up and been Pollyanna sacharine sweet because as you note, it's NOT HARD. Normal people do it all the time, and not just when someone inconveniences them or offends them with their behaviour towards dogs. I will never understand why parents bring kids that are scared of dogs to off leash dog areas. It's not like there aren't a myriad of other places they could take them that offer the same opportunities for fun and exercise. I've seen kids running laps of our dog park and giving whale eyes at every dog within 20m of them. The dogs know something funny is going on and they investigate, and the kid screams and the dogs get excited and the parent is like "Keep going! Ignore the dog!" It's a minor inconvenience for us to keep our dogs away from them, but it's horrible seeing these kids frightened and their parents are telling them to suck it up. They apologise to us for their kids getting upset and shout at the kids. I'm fine with sharing our space with kids, but I wish some parents would be more considerate of their kids. The same goes for adults that are scared of dogs. They have every right to be there, but it's kind of like me walking along the cycle track at the local sports fields and then screaming and running around erratically whenever a cyclist comes along. The cyclists don't mind sharing their tracks with us, but that's because we think it's polite to be considerate of them and make sure we don't get in their way or cause dangerous situations. End of rant.

My dogs are off the path in a sit when other people want to pass us. People especially appreciate it when they are in work clothes walking to the station of a morning. They often say thank you.

Isn't that quite dishonest? It would never get through at the club I go to. They vet every dog before training starts to make sure your equipment is on right and the dog appears healthy.