laeral

My GSD wont eat them unless they are mashed I dont give her many though, maybe once a week with her vegie slops.

BP Im not sure on how often other people feed there dogs. I feed mine twice a day because I was having trouble keeping weight on her. I am now thinking of cutting back to once a day as she is not eating as much. Not sure how to balance between her RMB and vegies though if its just once a day. Something I will have to think about. I would recommend you read Ian Billinghurst's Give Your Dog a Bone or Tom Lonsdale's book. Or do a search on here and you will come up with heaps.

Sardines in a tin will keep for some, check the date on the label. The ones I have in my cupboard say best before 2011. The ones in oil are fine, but use springwater if you prefer Yes you will need to purchase a blender or juicer. A juicer will do a more thorough job, but I use a blender and it works OK. Just make sure you blend it quite well, as the vegetable matter needs to be broken down for the dogs to digest properly. I include silverbeet, celery, capsicum, tomato, zuchini, bok choy, spinach and a little bit of carrot and pumpkin plus some banana and apple. Sometimes she gets broccoli or cauliflower as well. I found when I switched to raw that Mica loved her vegie slops and ate them up fast. Didnt matter with the ingredients. You can chop and change the ingredients to suit what you have available etc. Just be sure to include lots of green leafy stuff like spinach etc. ETA some people dont feed vegies at all - something to consider :wink:

Yeah, as I typed it all down it occured to me that she may have just stopped growing as she is at that age. Plus it has been a bit warmer. She looks fine and is VERY energetic, I wont worry to much yet

Ok Im gonna jump in and ask a stupid question. I have been feeding my GSD raw for 5 months now. She gets RMB's in the morning, usualy when I leave for work - keeps her occupied! Then in the evening she gets a combination of vegie slops, offal, sardines/fish, and mince (not all at once, alternate days) I have been feeding her twice a day because she was always hungry and very lean, so it works for her. I have never had a problem with her eating her food, in fact she eats so fast its a little alarming, and would eat twice what I put out for her given the chance, and it was a little difficult keeping weight on her. The last 10 days or so she has gone off her food. Both meals, bones and vegies alike. I have cut down her portions but she is till not really interested. For instance this morning I gave her a lamb shank. It is still sitting in her bowl! She is now going through a third of what she was eating before. I was worried that she was unwell, but she still has her usual energy and seems quite happy. Her coat is good and she isnt losing any weight, in fact she doesnt look skinny for once. She will be 2 at the end of Jan. Is this a normal thing to go through? or something to worry about. If it wasnt so sudden I guess I wouldnt worry but... Thoughts?

YAY Thats the one! It is so cute, makes me laugh everytime. He seems like such a character. Such good news you can bring him home. Well done little Radar

Oh Im so sorry to hear about Radar. I hope he makes a full recovery. I may not post on here very often but that picture of Radar 'smiling' with all his teeth is one of my favourites and has alwys stuck in my mind. I think hes such a gorgeous little guy. Hugs to you Radar and aus_k9gsd

Grass seed? My husky got a grass seed caught in her toes a few years ago, it burrowed right in. I couldnt see it, but she kept bothering the area so took her to the vet. It had to be surgicaly removed. ETA Oh jus re read you said FEET. Not likely to be grass seed if shes licking both feet. Sorry

Wow thats interesing to know. Wonder why they lifted the restriction on importing but adding more restrictions to use within the country. ETA: If Id waited a few months I wouldnt of had to fork out $700 on one But seriously Im glad I did get mine here and happy with who I got it from as the assistance I have had with its use has been vital. Mine is a remote trainer though so a bit different to and anti bark collar.

I would like to ask a really stoopid question here. Is HD only hereditory or can it occur in dogs from well scored parents, which I think is the case? If so is it MORE prevelent in dogs that come from unscored dogs? Does this make sense Just interested as I havent heard of any stats before.

Erny is right. You definitely cant import an e-collar through customs. I probably wouldnt try it. Shame really cos it is cheaper than buying here. But at least if you buy here you can buy from someone that can give you some help on how to use it and what sort of training to implement

I would have done that if I was close enough! The biggest problem we've had is getting good contact with the probes, resulting in her initially having a high "working" level over 20. Yeah I had a big problem with that to start with, but Steve helped me sort it out. It was very frustrating at the time though, one day good contact the next couldnt get anything. Im sure it was operator error Ive been thinking of the distance course as Im a little stuck over adding distractions and thought it would be handy to get some more guidance. Maybe help me identify a progression of distractions and work out a program that I can work on from here. Even just to get some validation that we are on the right track (if I am) would be good. Mica seems to go from no distraction to major distraction in a split second, got to find a middle ground to work from

I understand how you feel. Mica thinks other dogs are the best play things in the world! I need to work more on her SAAD as she always runs a few steps towards me whenever I say her name or give her a stim, takes her a few seconds to work out what I want. I am slowly adding distractions with her too but the issue Im having is at this stage all distractions seem to hold a very high value and I lose her focus quite quickly. But repetition and perserverance (sp?) shes already come a long way so Im very happy. Hope it continues to go well for you MM Zali's sort of over the playing with other dogs so much now (she will but gets rough very quickly), but is obsessed with chasing dogs. It's a pain, and very intimidating for the other dog (exactly why she's not allowed off lead yet). I have a similar problem to you with distractions, they are either very low, or quite high, but I've managed to work out a couple in between with Steve. My girls working level is 4!! I was amazed at how low it is, but it's definitely it. Zali's SAAD is probably her best exercise, she sits instantly, and then sits there looking all proud! Can't wait to get out of the house and into the "real world"! Yep, uni placement with work on top is what's delayed us in progressing as fast as bp. Wow 4 - is it a Dogtra collar? Micas level is 16. I wish Mica would sit instantly, even at puppy school and when doing obedience it takes her a few seconds to sit. She moves in slow motion. Her drop on the other hand is fast and literaly a 'drop' I took her over to my brothers the other day to do some training with his dog as a distraction. Mica is obsessed wtih Rupert (brothers dog). She was soooo good, came every time I called her. She would break off play and come to me immediately. Didnt try SAAD, will be focusing on it more in the future. I was so pleased, I guess we are making progress. A question for Midol as well, are you both doing the distance training through k9 Force? If so would you reccomend it?

I understand how you feel. Mica thinks other dogs are the best play things in the world! I need to work more on her SAAD as she always runs a few steps towards me whenever I say her name or give her a stim, takes her a few seconds to work out what I want. I am slowly adding distractions with her too but the issue Im having is at this stage all distractions seem to hold a very high value and I lose her focus quite quickly. But repetition and perserverance (sp?) shes already come a long way so Im very happy. Hope it continues to go well for you MM

OK Ive jumped the gun here a bit, Ive only read the first 8 pages and will get though the rest but thought Id ask a question now. Sorry if its already been covered. When my GSD pup was little, I took her to puppy school etc and took her to meet other dogs, people and different situations in the naive belief that she needed to be socialised. I know better now. It has created ALL kinds of issue with her that I am trying to deal with, namely she sees other things as higher value than me. My particualr problem is with other dogs. She cant leave them alone, just wants to play all the time, it can be extremely hard for her to even acknowledge that I am there some times. Sooo to get to the point, how do you deal with this situation and desensitize a dog so that other dogs hold a neutral value? Can it be done, or is it to late and I should just give up? (kidding) God i wish I had her as a pup again, how different her training would be!!!

There is a bit on this in the manual (if your talking about the one from K9force). I had mine on my dog for a few weeks and then started teaching her some basics like sit, SAAD and recall over a three day period. After this time she wore the collar again for a week with no stim before we repeated the process. I think I did this for a few weeks before we started full on training. I took my time with it as my goal is for her to be able to go without the collar eventualy. I think it is working, I forgot to put her collar on the other day and took her out the front of my place but she still responded the same. Shes a smart dog though Im just praying she doesnt get collar smart

Thats good to know. Thanks for the info. Its been great reading of your success with your dogs, gives me hope for my terror :rolleyes: We will keep up with our training, but already im so impressed with what we have managed to achieve. I tried lots of things to work on her recall, toys, food, long line, obedience school, TOT but the little bugger isnt interested in anything else if it means an unauthorised romp next door with some roos or geese Just have to remember to continue training the sits and SAAD as well to reinforce that compliance is what turns the stim off Will keep you posted as we progress, hopefully all continues to go well

I have been using the ecollar on my GSD for a while now, though only serious training for the past few weeks due to work commitments. The reason i got mine was cos my dog developed a serious love of chasing anything that moved, and particularly loved the geese next door So far the results have been fantastic. I can have her outside on my property when Im doing things. She doesnt even look to run off now looking for kangaroos or anything. the other day I took her camping and was astounded. She did not try to run off once. She was an angel, or like the other 'normal' dogs there. This ecollar has changed our lives -I Love my ecollar We are still working at the lowest distraction stages though. Apparently all moving distractions have the same value for her - VERY HIGH - and she finds it hard to focus, so Im trying to slowly add distractions in that she handle. Not an easy task. Today we had a disaster day though. I have been sick the last 2 days and she didnt get a walk today. So a little while ago I thought i was feeling well enough to take her out. We had been out 5 mins when she got the look in her eye that something had caught her attention, I tried to call her to me with a stim- nothing. Before i knew it she was off behind a bush. By the time I got there she was gone, no noise nothing. Knowing her love of my neighbours dam I headed that way. Nothing, then a black head appeared behind my neighbours house. I called her again with a stim, again she ignored it, so I slowly turned it up a bit, eventualy she listened and came back. This was a bit dissapointing cos we had been making such progress. This is what she used to do before we started ecollar training but has not happened since. Does anyone think that a dog can become used to the stim of the ecollar so much that it no longer works on them? Or is that a dumb questiona and Im just reading to much into it?

IMO first step is to teach the dog there is another way - IOW, teach a behaviour the dog can come to learn as a default coping behaviour. That is not wisely done by merely correcting the aggression and is not something I would recommend. I won't suggest to people over the internet on what to do with their dogs in matters of aggression - unwise because whatever I suggest may not be suitable for the individual dog, or the handler may not be able to handle it properly (or by the mere fact that she can't be shown how to do it so may do it all wrong with wrong timing etc). I have corrected some dogs for the exhibition of aggression but that has been somewhat further down the track in the behaviour modification program and not every dog - and even then, as I said, it is not something I easily or readily recommend. I would recommend your friend consults with a private trainer/behaviourist who is knowledgeable/experienced in dog behaviour, esp. aggression. How did the trainer you mention come to the conclusion that "this behaviour will get better with time [but] never go away"? Thanks for the reply Ernie. What you say makes a lot of sense. I agree that suggestions over the internet for a dog you havent seen arent the best thing, I just really wanted to know if she was going down the right track with what she was doing which youve answered so thanks. And no offense to my friend but she really needs some help on how to handle/train the dog as well so she really needs to see someone. Just got to talk her into going to see a private trainer when this other trainer is telling her something different and its a behviour not to worry about To answer your question about this other trainer - I took my dog along to this training with her to see what he was like. At the end of the session he asked me if I thought Kaisers (dog in question) behaviour (aggression) would go away. I said I dont know, probably not without the right training and handling (Im certainly no expert!). His answer was that training has nothing to do with it and that his aggression will always be a part of who he is but his owner can be taught how to deal with it and it will get better in time. But as I said it will always be a part of him under the surface if you know what I mean. He then went on to tell my friend that it was certainly nothing to worry about. Dont know about him but i was certainly worried when Kaiser attacked my girl last week, he was definitly getting serious about it just lucky she was placid and didnt really react. Im making this trainer sound like a dick but he honestly wasnt that bad I just get the sense he may be a little inexperinced particularly with this issue. He was good at helping me learn how to manage my girls excitiment so that was good. BTW sorry to butt in on this thread

Your understanding is correct IMO. This is certainly not the way I'd be dealing with the issue but I'll leave it to the experts from here. Yeah I thought so, would be a shame to not do the right thing by the little fellow cos hes such a nice dog in every other way. Thats for your opinion

Sorry to interrrupt but I have a question. I have posted a thread about my friends GSD pup who is showng quite a bit of dog agression when i noticed this thread. My friend has been taking her pup to puppy obedience classes and the trainer there has told her that this behaviour is nothing to overly stress about and that it will get better with time (never go away) and she will learn how to manage him. What this trainer suggests is that every time he goes near another dog and starts growling she is to tell him to LEAVE IT, give him a correction with the lead and take him off in another direction. Then try again and repeat the process if he growls again. By doing this (correcting when he growls) is this telling the dog the unwanted behaviour is the growling and not the aggression? Can this lead to him learning not to show warning signs before aggression? Sorry if this is a stupid question just trying to get and understanding.

I agree abouth seeing someone, dont know that she will as this trainer is telling her that he can deel with it -I hope he can, he does seem to know some stuff about training and dog behaviour. Hes actualy really good in the group lessons now as he knows all the dogs there and gets on well with them, if anything he gets too relaxed and lazy I suppose if a new dog joins in then yes there could be a problem I get the sense (and I am no animal behaviourist here) that his aggression seems a little feer based as he growls, snarls and backs away but if the dog stands its ground he will go to bite. Im wondering if its a leadership thing if he doesnt feel secure and feels the need to defend himself from some percieved threat?

Hi, A friend of mine has a 5 month old male GSD. He is the nicest little fellow, very friendly and relaxed, LOVES people and to play with the other dogs at his home. The problem is that lately hes exhibited quite a bit of fear and aggression towards other dogs. He is totaly fine with dogs he already knows and is happy to play with them but coming into contact with new dogs is very stressful for him. When he met my dog last week he barged straight up to her growled bared his teeth and immeditalety went to bite, if he was older and bigger and knew what do with his teeth it might have been a bad outcome. we were a bit surprised as he had met her just over a month ago but obviously forgot. He was like this the whole hour we were at her place (obviously they werent together but he could see her in the other yard and each time she made eye contact off he went again barking with teeth bared) He does this to other dogs he meets for the first time too and according to his owner is getting worse. I have never had a dog with aggression issues so dont know how to approach this. I have suggested to her she should see a behaviourist and soon as obviously its not a behaviour that can be allowed to continue and as hes such a young dog it would be good to begin addressing this now. She was open to this idea HOWEVER she takes him to a trainer (group class) every week. This trainer has told her that this behaviour is nothing to overly stress about and that it will get better with time (never go away) and she will learn how to manage him. What this trainer suggests is that every time he goes near another dog and starts growling she is to tell him to LEAVE IT, give him a correction with the lead and take him off in another direction. Then try again and repeat the process if he growls again. Does this sound right? What do other people suggest would a be a good course of action here? I should add that apparently about a month ago he met another dog while out being walked who bit Kaiser on the nose quite hard and with little warning. Could his fear stem from this or is this something that may have come up anyway? Thanks

Oh yes i understand and agree completely Until I taught her to chase kangaroos. Don't ask me what was going through my head when I started doing that, but teaching her to chase roos was a lot easier than teaching her NOT to chase roos. Corvus I do appreciate your feedback re the E collar, it is good to get various opinions and discussion. However I must say that i was a little alarmed that you trained your dog to chase kangaroos. While it is a corgi and not likely to catch a roo it can be a very dangerous past time for any dog to be engaged in. When my girl was 8 months old she was out with me collecting wood on my property. up until this point she had half hartedly chased a roo or two but it wasnt serious. She saw a big roo in the paddock next door and took off after it, she went through the neighbours and my paddock, across a major road and into another paddock with a dam. This is where the roo stopped. By the time I had caught up to them my silly girl went in for a sniff of the roo which promptly pounced on her and held her underwater. This is a common defence strategy of roos and has happened to a friends dog and didnt end so well. I was lucky as the roo got distracted as I charged at it screaming and brandishing a large stick, NOT smart as it was taller than me! As it was distracted Mica managed to struggle out from underneath it and get out of the dam unharmed. Admitadly i am a bit of an alarmist when it comes to roos due to this exprience, but for me it is VITAL to teach my dog not to chase roos for her own survival.

Thanks Tony, I will be getting on to Steve before i try fitting the collar again.