megan_

I agree your friend doesn't sound like they have recourse - after all, their dog might have attacked the other two and they were defending themselves. If someone can let dogs out of a gate then the dog isn't securely contained.

Agree with JulesP. Some of the cats that were fed Orijen refused to eat it, but, given it was touted as a premium food, their owners just kept giving it to them so the cat eventually ate it out of hunger. They paid a big price for that.

You have to be kidding......We the registered Pure Bred Breeders are so over regulated with rules and regulations and codes of ethics we can hardly move. We the pure bred breeders are the ones that are locatable by being registered. Go and see if you can find a list of puppy farmers. so you are exempt from the law? I'm not saying we need more regulation. In Victoria, the policing of the laws for registered breeders and they haven't done a particularly good job. I'm saying that the laws apply to everyone. That applies to all laws and all people. No kidding.

Why shouldn't registered breeders follow the same laws as other breeders?

Badly written laws do more harm than good though. Do you know that laws were introduced in Vic which means if a bitch is a breeding bitch she can't live in your house? She needs to live in a pen with a concrete floor. These laws were well intentioned and were aimed at making sure that dogs used for breeding lived in sanitary conditions, but in reality it means that breeders who have their dogs living as part of their family are breaking the law. That is not justice. I also feel sorry for poor little Oscar - he is dragged to many huge gatherings all the time. Wee mite would be overwhelmed. ETA: I don't mind Deborah breaking the law sometimes. Often it is the only way that action is taken. Still don't support bad laws though.

My girl hates puppies too, so she never meets puppies. There is an appropriate way for dogs to tell puppies off, but you need to be careful that things don't escalate and a pup gets hurt. Also, if your dog has other reactivity issues (don't know if she does) then I wouldn't be encouraging any reaction as it just re-enforces "go on the offensive = dogs leave you alone". My dog is not a training tool for norty puppies - her needs come before them. Having her so harrassed that she needs to lash out isn't good for her. If your dog is hiding behind your legs she is giving you very clear signals that she is not coping. By stepping away you are telling her she has to deal with this herself and that you can't be relied upon to help her. This is not a message I would want to give a reactive dog. The message I want to give is "I take care of trouble, so you can relax". This means stepping in and being a downright b*tch sometimes :). Tools like "Look at That" and BAT can help here and no doubt you can ask Steve about these things. Personally, I believe you need to step in long before things get to this and physically stop puppies (or other dogs) harrassing your dog. If I had a small dog that was being harrassed by a pup. picking them up would be an option (I don't normally pick up as it encourages other dogs to jump for your dog, but pups are smaller).

the mutt mats are very thin. I got mine from cleanrun.com when they had free shipping on them.

The theory with nose touches is you get a nice line for their spine. Dogs that don't nose touch tend to look up and their spine is curved in an unnatural way, especially on the aframe. Whether I run on or stop depends on the dog. For some dogs, repeating is very demotivational and the contact becomes a punishment.

How on earth can you conclude that?

RL was quoting rossetta, who assumed that the info was true. Just because someone doesn't believe everything posted on FB, or believes that some people in the RSPCA do good work doesn't make them apologists for the whole organization.

Why is that silly? Get the facts first and then have a discussion. No one can diagnose HD simply by looking at a dog...

People think muzzle = no fighting. The other dog doesn't know that they can't be bitten and body language heads to fight too. The issue isn't really muzzle vs no muzzle, but that a clearly reactive dog shouldn't be at an off leash park. PS if I was the dog owner I could very well have hit or kicked the whippet - it is my job to protect my dogs.

I agree with PAX. your dog might be pairing the release word + your movement = release, not just the word itself. I'd teach the word separately and make sure you move after the word has been said. My dogs understand their release word but at agility the other day she was on the table, I realeased her but was standing still indicating the next jump. She wouldn't leave the table because she has obviously paired word + me running = release. Try to be relaxed about it and treat breaks as not such a big deal for a little while so he feels comfortable releasing.

What CU game is that? Dogs ate the index of my book so it is hard to look them up :-)

Are they protecting their owners or being fear aggressive (in an appropriate way in the case of intruders) though? I think we often read things into our dog's behaviour that isn't there. Lucy will stand up to someone entering the house when I'm there, but not when I'm out. I don't for one second believe that she is protecting me. Rather, she is still fearful but has more confidence to stand up to the "intruder" because I am there to back her up.

OT but have you tried "look at that" ruthless?

The Nina o stiff is good but it isn't designed to be left at home alone with them. The trixie range at Amazon is even better IMO. Try the Nina o site for the best deals. The buster cube is a great one that is safe to leave with them - it requires them to really work to get the food out. I also give them a shoe box with the lid on tight and food inside - they live this. Fir non food boredo Busters some boxes that they can rip up go down well.

Just make sure the mixed nuts don't contain macadamias - they are deadly to dogs.

We're like rigimal - drop straight with the article between the paws

A lot of people make their own jumps with PVC and connectors. I got the "stick in the ground" poles from cleanrun.com when they had free shipping. I then bought jump cups from then and I can convert my weaves into jumps. I have a topbuy.com.au tunnel but I never use it as it is so flimsy it encourages the dogs to run slowly (which you don't want). A lot of people buy tunnels from the ducted heating companies (as the ducts can convert to tunnels). They then secure them down with bags of sand (free from the beach!).

If I was home, Lucy would not let a stranger just waltz in - they wouldn't even get to the front gate without her alerting me. If I'm not home then they would be scared but not put up a fight. 99% sure they would run into the bedroom. I was robbed twice in my old house and the neighbours didn't hear anything. The thieves also left the laptop which was in plain sight in the bedroom (hence I think the dogs ran into the bedroom).

If the dog wants to get out though they learn to just work through the pain - staffords have a high pain threshold.

And bred - genetics influences behaviour

Cleanrun has free shipping on self heating crate pads

As DC said, it could be him finally snapping and saying "give me space". Also, there tend to be a lot of herding breeds in agility and if they stare this can really set some dogs off (as it can be taken as a predatory stare). Agility is our time and I don't let other dogs say hello to mine when we play agility. Why? Because I want my dogs to see agility as a fun time with me (and we have lots of fun), not a time to run off and play with other dogs. As others have said, perfectly happy dogs can become very aroused and reactive when around the equipment. It is my job to ensure my dogs have plenty of space and other dogs don't get in their face. If this means that some people think I'm a bitch for not letting their dog jump on my dog then so be it. If the reactivity isn't just a once off, then I'd suggest a *proper* behaviourist visit is in order. You could also try something like "Look at That" (aka LAT) which will help him remain calm around exciting things. If you search this forum you'll find plenty of info on it. Re: your comments about socialisation, it is often a misunderstood term. In dog terms, it doesn't mean meeting and greeting every dog they meet (as if the other dog is rude it can provoke a reaction in your dog). Rather, it is about learning to behave appropriately around other dogs. For my dogs, this means ignoring other dogs when we're training. Because I use motivational methods with them and they value working with me highly, this is easy to do. If Spud was my dog I'd do more me = fun work and give him less unrestricted "everything else is more fun than me" play time with other dogs. I'm not suggesting that he never plays with other dogs, but rather that he learns there is a time and place for that. I'd also teach him LAT because it is a great tool to help your dog remain calm around something that excites him. He'd be given some space at class and I wouldn't let other dogs stare at him (I'd just get his attention or turn around). ETA: Re motivation, have you tried him with a tug? The terriorists often love to "kill" something. Also, how do you deliver your treats? Are you standing still with a dull "good boy", or is it an exciting event?