fuzzy_dragonfly

For those that followed my topic in the puppy problems section this is Sui after her workout today. She did surprisingly well . This is the face of Evil: ARGHH..... EVIL KILLER ATTACK BULL BREED I TELL YOU : OH NO....Watch out...She's teamed up with our evil killer attack kitty ..... now we're in a lot of trouble Sui had a mishap with a dog at the dog park 2 weeks ago. There was a fight between a grey fluffy and my boof-headed Sui. Both dogs were unharmed but it was a wakeup call to go ask for help specific for Sui's needs. She attends obedience which actually helped because a lot of the work we do there gives us a good starting point to help modify her behaviour. A little more practise and she'll be the perfect canine citizen.....but not yet.....she's still hypo when she's not tired from training.

Hi there, Just thought I'd give you an update on what's happened. I contacted Trudi and Julie of dog logic and just had a session with them. They brought along a setter and a sheltie to assess the extent of dog aggression. The good news: Basically there is none , she is not dog aggressive at all. Really good news, I didn't want to make that call before getting a second opinion. I have a staffy, not the kind of dog you want to underestimate, they're very strong dogs....their farts are strong too. They taught me some alternative methods in trying to modify her behaviour because she is a hyperactive dog. The source of her issues is with her hyperactivity, she likely frightened the other dog being over the top and it reacted which is turn made Sui react. Basically if I'm ever in a similar situation in the future the idea will be I can recall her. Within the one session I had her recalling from the other dogs even when she was in hyper-I-want-to-play mode....on lead of course. She's a quick learner . We also worked on methods of to correcting her jumping up on people. Yeah, so basically we will be practising our recalls as well as learning not to jump up on people and it should help with any luck. It was a bit hard to do one activity where the idea was that she was supposed walk a bit ahead of me to recall her, it didn't really work that well because she heeled . I'm sure there'll be opportunities to practise that when she's hyped up again. By then she'd gone into working mode and she's a completely different dog when she's working. Don't know if our stand for exam is going to get any better, but it should help if she knows not to jump up on people. Cheers for the help guys

Actually I honestly think part of the problem comes from poor dog ownership. I've never whelped a litter but provided books and resorces to two collegues at work who "accidentally" had an entire male and female dog together, one wasn't really an accident . Thankfully I convinced ONE collegue to desex both male and female....whoopie-do-dah. The unfortunate thing is in both cases my collegues chose to give the enitre pups away "free to a good home" .... Big accident waiting to happen....I kept in touch with one of the homes that adopted and found out their undesexed pup had "run away" ;) . I've since found another one also "ran away" . And no they weren't all that keen on finding their lost pups either . Simple maths: That equates to approx 12 crossbred pups, at least another 8-10 from the runnaways, goodness knows how many from the next generation if they fall into the wrong hands .... and the cycle continues. Nothing illegal, it's not deliberate BYBing either. Just two very ignorant dog owners doing very irresponsible things with their dogs. They aren't bad people ... stupid (putting it nicely) ... I agree. It's more than likely these "free to good home" pups are the type that would end up in pounds. . It's not their fault they were born. Maybe there should be more focus on the responsibilities and consequences of owning a dog. No matter where you buy it from, if you aren't registered as a breeder yourself. Desex it, vaccinate it ... love it. A dog is a dog, wheather they are a show dog or a mongrel they all deserve the same level of care!

Hey there * waves* the joys of pet ownership hey! I've rung around, you need to e-mail k9pro! I spoke to a lovely lady from doglogic it sounds like the right kind of program for me and bonus... She owns a staffy too! I'll let you know how it goes. They're implimenring behaviour modifIcation. Wouldn't it be nice to have a dog that doesn't go red in the face from excitement! Excuse the spelling I'm on my iPod.'

Cheers, From a finantial perspective I'd love to try playing training games to help settle her at home. I tried training her using books and puppy training DVDs, all with very good advice but you struggle if you don't have someone there to help you. There are various other games I've tried from here in the past, I've had little sucess after trialing them for 2 weeks. Yes it probably is a situation where aggression was triggered, she's not typically aggressive, protective or fearful. She's the type of dog that would be more likely to bowl you over and lick your face off. Still I'd rather play it safe and not make excuses for what happened. A dog only needs to attack or kill a small animal once to be labeled a dangerous dog. Think of how bad the situation might have been if nobody was there to seperate the two! I've got a few suggestions now, I'm going to try ringing around. Thanks for the help

Yes, I'm from deerbush. I agree that some of the advice is conflicting. There's no way Sui can understand what I'm saying when some of the training techniques are inconsistent. Some are great trainers but need to work on people skills. I'll ring around this week to get quotes from k9 pro and other places I've been recommended. I might need to save up a bit for the program that's right for us. I can't just pluck $600 from the air but I can budget for what I need.

I doubt Sui's a pure staffy although she was given to me as a pure staffy .... the breeder wanted me to breed from her .... IDIOT! The other dog was a mongrel fluffy malteesy looking thing probably one of those *oodle - schmoodle dogs .... I don't know, people have crossed them so badly even the best couldn't tell what breed they are any more. It's was about the size of a toy poodle, bigger than a chihuahua. I know the fact we weren't bitten by either dog is a good sign too. I believe is really bad dog fights it's never wise to step in a seperate them because you could put yourself in harms way. My OH has two chihuahua (x) dogs and they always growl at Sui to show her who's boss but she never attacks, she does sometimes get a but boisterous but the chihuahua's usually put her back in her place: She's never hurt our cats or small animals ... that could be because she sees them as part of her pack. Yes I was looking at K9Pro, I hadn't realised they'd changed from K9Force. I did get a suggestion of anothe place to so I'll be looking into all the suggestions to see which one would suit us best. Cheers.

You must have the same brand of keyboard I do LOL. I think the real issue is her being hyperactive. I was frightened that it may have esculated to aggression. If it was getting worse rather than better I was concerned the situation was now beyond what I could do to help her. She's always had an issue of jumping up on visitors or people that try to pet her. I'd love her to be perminantly indoors but it gets overwhelming to have a dog that runs on energizer batteries. At training we've only done the stand for examination twice sucessfully. The 99 other times she jumped up and started licking the trainer trying to examine her. It is quite possible the other dog was being defensive, it was near it's owner. I did consider this because it wasn't typical behaviour from my dog. She usually is submissive to large dogs but can be a bit dominant to smaller dogs, never aggressive. The owner did grab their dog and Sui did not bite the other owner when he did this. I didn't get bitten when I pulled Sui off the other dog either. We literally seperated them about 5 seconds into the dispute. The issue was between the two dogs. Yes I know my dog is quite capable of delivering a fatal injury to a small dog in that time, or even mistakingly bitten one of us seperating the dog fight. But the fact the dispute started at all has me concerned. I don't ever want to give her the chance to accidentally bite. Nevertheless it's something I can't afford happening again. It's not an issue I have the knowledge or experience to deal with on my own. I want to be confident that I can trust her without a muzzle. Yes the dog park is out of bounds unless we are the only ones there, I've already come to that conclusion. It's a shame so many people were there today, she loves using the agility style equipment. I really do feel I need help. If anybody can recommend someone who can help with a hypo staffy ... PLEASE! I need her to be calmer around other strange dogs and people. It's not always apparent because she does walk on lead well, she has a pretty impressive list of tricks she can do, she's even pretty good at training, she picks up new activities fast and remembers activities she hasn't done in a while. She's a smart dog, but in certain situations she gets really excited and it's difficult to have any controll, that's where I need help the most.

Yes it's the Kra Mar quick fit mesh one. BTW: I will be asking for advice at the dog club too. The basket one isn't going to suit training as it would be difficult to give her a treat reward. The KraMar one will have do to for the moment.

I'm near Campbelltown. I bought a Kra Mar muzzle. It is a mesh one.

I know they greyhounds do. Isn't that a regulation of some sort, not because they are typically aggressive or dangerous? It does tend to send the wrong message to the community about certain breeds of dogs. I know for mine it's necessary till I can address the problem. She's not typically aggressive, there is obviously something I'm overlooking as to what's triggering her bevaviour problems. Not only this case but her hyperactivity which I think is possibly linked to this incodent. I will have a talk with the vet and see what they can recommend.

The incodent didn't happen that long ago so I'm still pretty shaken about it myself. My eyes are still red, I can hardly see what I'm typing. I just got her muzzle, I've never needed one before. I just don't know what else to do. I really don't want to be walking her around with a muzzle on for the rest of her life.

Hi, I have a pet staffy she is nearly 2 years of age. She is my first dog but I've tried my hardest by doing everything right by her. I started training her in obedience at 8 months of age and have progressed to intermendiate on lead. She does occasionally lunge at dogs playfully if eye contact is made, I correct her. However the issue does seem to be ongoing. It won't happen often, maybe 1 or 2 times every 2 weeks, usually when we are doing dog passing dog or figure of eightes. She is desexed, vaccinated etc.... She lives with 3 cats and my OH's chihuahua (x). Apart from hyperactivity she has lived harmoniously with the other animals. Her hyperactive behaviour has prevented her from becoming an indoor dog full time however she does frequently get let in if we are home to supervise. There was in incodent at the dog park today. I had my dog on lead and walked her around for approx 10 minutes, she seemed keen to go play with the other dogs. I didn't see a smaller dog near a bench and not even 10 seconds after letting her off lead she lunged at the small dog and started attacking. It happened in the blink of an eye, all I could hear was a lot of growling and yelping. I grabbed my dog by the collar, thankfully the other dog was unharmed. It was shaken by the event but we throughly checked it and there were no injuries. I am devistated by the event and don't require a lecture on how I could have prevented it. I came home in tears because I knew this sort of problem is beyond my abilities or the ability of the training club to correct. This is the first sign of aggression my dog has ever shown, I've done everything possible to try and correct her hyperactivity and overexitement. I've made the desicion to have her muzzled from now on at training and during walks, I can't afford another accident. I love my dog, but I need to do what's right by the community. Can anybody suggest a professional trainer that might be able to help?

I've become increasingly aware that in the small animal fancy people will purchase animals from a pet shop and call them "rescues". I'm really fustrated at this attutude because they are in reality creating a demand and generating a profit for pet stores. There was a brilliant story about a pet store puppies that was written from the stores perspective. I'm trying to find the link to it can anybody give me a hand?

BUMP...any chance I can get details on where to buy Control Unleashed?

Thanks Corvus I'll give the "Look at that" game a go. It's worth a shot! I walked with my friend this afternoon, she did really well. I also let me friend take the lead for some of the walk to see how she'd react. To my surprise she actually did really well! I was still using a halti but it was really good, she didn't jump up. Maybe it's just me that's still a bit anxious in these situations . We walked past a property where a very vocal and excitable bull arab lives. I used a squeeky toy to keep her attention on me. That wasn't too bad, she did express interest in playing with tha dog as we passed and pulled a little, but she didn't lunge. I'm just trying a few new things now. I was even trying T-touch at one stage but I think I might have been doing it wrong, it's a bit hard to do it unless you get shown. I think that's why it didn't work for me. Yes please luvsdogs, I'd love to get a copy. LOL one more to add to my pile of training books, never mind, you can never have too many books!

Hmm that's given me a lot to think about Corvus. You could be right, it's possible I'm correcting her a bit late. We do dog passing dog really well, I power walk so she doesn't get the chance to make eye contact. She also watches very well as other dogs are passing us, only the occasional hiccup these days. Usually by the time I've realised she's made eye contact with another dog I've already lost an arm. It happens so quickly, it doesn't always give me the chance to correct her while she's thinking about it. That could be part of my problem. It's more common on walks and around the clubhouse. Hmmmm.....it's pretty hard to get her attention off the other dog once she's started lunging, I usually correct her and try to walk the other way. Ideally I want her to be able to break eye contact and focus on me. I've tried recalling her on a few occasions with little success. Does anybody have any ideas about how I could handle this problem? Meeting new people or even guests is the most challenging one for me. I've tried correcting her and it doesn't help when people pat her without me saying it's OK! This problem has me completely stumped, beyond keeping her on halti I don't know what to do? On the rare occasion she doesn't jump I give her lots of praise but even then it doesn't seem to sink in. BTW I know what you mean Laeral, I've seen some brilliant shepherds and some that just want to play all the time. It's a bit discouraging when people start judging your capabilities as a handler when you have a challenging dog. I must admit though, challenging dogs do make things a bit more interesting. It's a bit sad when you see that the owners of the REALLY challenging dogs don't stay, some have real nasty problems like aggression. My problems are a spit in the ocean compared to the hurdles some owners face. Unfortunalety, it doesn't make it any less fustrating .

Thanks for the advice...bear in mind this is my first dog. Don't forget there's a person on the other end of the lead who needs as much guidance and "positive reinforcement" as the dog in these matters! There have been countless members of our club who have quit within a week or two, I'm still hanging in there.....give me SOME credit! You do tend to get a lot of conflicting advice, this doesn't help in my dilemma. It's extrodinarily fustrating when I'm acting on someones advice and the next person tells you it's wrong and they've been training for X years (excuse the sarcasm but .... whoopee) so was the person that gave me that advice!!! - who am I going to believe? Even more fustrating when I have acted on experienced trainer's advice and here I am getting told improvement should be made in weeks, not months. Nekhbet your more than welcome to come meet my cheeky bum and see if there is something I'm missing. Or if you know someone who can help me out I'd appreciate it. Specifically what I'd like to see improvement on is: 1) Not lunging at other dogs when eye contact is made. 2) Calming down around new people. She gets very hypo and tends to jump up in anticpation of meeting a new friend. LOL Tilly, I put her in a stand stay for the photo and a watch for the other. She's not a stupid dog, I'm not a stupid owner, we just need help to understand each other.

Hey there . BTW Tuesday is dog training night for me (I don't exactly live local either), but I'll see if I can squeeze it in. Cheers.

OOPS, NSW Forgot to mention LOL.

Sui my staffy (X) is only 1.5 years old. She's the type of dog that is super hypo and easily excited....not unlike many other staffy's I've met. We're still working on trying to stop her from jumping up or lunging at other dogs when eye contact is made. She's never been aggressive but she can at times play a bit rough. She's OK with my OH's chihuahua's who have made it quite clear they will not tolerate her jumping LOL. She IS improving slowly, I might be expecting a bit much from a pup who's only had 10 months of training, it can at times be extreemly fustrating! Her stand for exam was heaps better than it had been previously. Her heeling is excellent, it's like I have a different dog. 10 months ago I would have lost an arm from her pulling LOL. Her stays could use a little improving but for a change we weren't in the naughty corner last week :D, it was someone elses turn to play up. This is my dog on our regular bushwalk. Any helpful tips on helping me calm my dog? I've been working on my tone of voice in correcting her. I keep her on a halti if I'm around people or other dogs. Should I percevere with what I'm doing, progress is slow but it's definately there. Do you think it could be because she's still very young?

Yeah OK you probably have this written somewhere....but I'm working off a 4 year old extrodinarily slow laptop so I'd appreciate a hand. In approx 5 years, I'm looking to buy a dog for show and obedience or agility. In 5 years I'll be 30 years old so it's a bit of a birthday present to myself :D . I would appreciate if someone could tell me where to find show dates and locations so I can start sussing out the breeds I like. I want to be sure my final selection is the 'perfect' choice for me. I'm also searching for a breeder that will be able to give me support in the first few years. Last year I was invited to see a puli in the show ring, I feel terrible that I couldn't make it. This year I want to make up for it. I've also had offers to handle people's dogs in the show ring so hopefully I get that opportunity this year.

Just as a side note, looked up RSPCA education in schools. Page has been removed, novelty wore off I guess. Plently of info on how to adopt a pet and how to care for your pet in the kids section, not a thing about safety. Hmmmm interesting....... It's a shame dogs don't come with a warning label, like booster seats and high chairs LOL.

Most of the drowning have been toddler related too. This is despite mandatory fencing and info out there about teaching toddlers to swim. Surprisingly noone has suggested banning pools as they have banning dog breeds!!! - even though pools have unquestionably claimed more lives. Despite this fact I firmly believe that teaching children to swim has prevented a furthur increase in these statistics. I'll be honest I am yet to see a unit on dog safety implimented into the NSW syllabus or syllabus support document as a unit (I am unaware of what other states are doing as I have only worked from the NSW syllabus). I am currently not teaching but am a qualified primary school teacher. Many dog attacks occour with school aged children too. I have seen a few good units available on the net but as it is not mandatory to teach in an already overcrowded curriculum those topics usually go overlooked. In addition, some online units cannot be used if they are not DET approved. I think it is appropriate to question the DET on what is being done to teach personal safety around dogs? Only dog related thing I've seen in a school is on an assessment of possible risks during a school excursion. Surely if it's worthy of recognition as a risk then it's worth teaching safety around dogs? Info on selecting an approprate dog, training children how to behave around dogs, identifying when a dog is likely to bite (subtle body language like the dog going rigid and standing it's ground not just when a dog as snarling or barking) . Swimming and owning a dog can be fun and benificial for children given the correct environment, supervision and education is provided. Maybe, educating children/ the public, breaking the cycle of dog attacks and lowering the number of attacks in the first place with responsible parenting in addition to responsible dog ownership can reduce the number of attacks. As a result lessen the number of breed bashings which occur in the media? Just a thought? Maybe writing an article in a womans magazine or local newspaper might be a start, I believe the RSPCA started a program a few years back (has anyone looked into it?). Just getting awareness out there might be more effective than venting your fustrations at the media in a forum.

It is with great hesitation and the the risk of being labeled a misinformed idiot again that I reply to this post. (appologies to those that are unaware of past unpleasantness.) However as a long term poultry hobbyist and keeper of 20 years I can definately say that an attack by a defensive goose or rooster is no laughing matter. As humerous as you think it may seem there is a certain level of skill required in handling some larger breeds of poultry so as not to cause harm to yourself or the animal. It also doesn't mention what kind of poultry, I can confidently say that in my experience guinea fowl have proven more difficult to handle than roosers and geese. So lets not be so quick to label tham as the culprits. Also I would like to add that most damage caused in fighting birds has resulted from a blade which is attached to the spur rather than the spur itself. My staffy which is not particularly well bred but nevertheless pure has been misidentified on several occassions, yes it is possible that those in the study may have been misidentified too. Heck, my ferret which I also walk on harness has been called a squirrel, possum, skunk, fox, badger, polecat (which is not entirely correct either), I'd hesitate to think what they'd label him if he ever bit anybody. However I am not about to open a can of worms of wheather the dog was indeed the breed listed... A common factor I have found in many recently publisised attacks is that the attacks occoured with multiple dogs present and children that had been left alone with dogs. Wheather or not the dog has had obedience training, is registered, is desexed etc is nearly always conviniently omitted. So wheather or not these are also factors in attacks is questionable. However, it seems that the dogs breed is nearly always listed, except in one case as I recall which was just a big black dog attack!?! Maybe because it didn't look like a bull breed it was not worthy of mention? Perhapse a suitable course of action would be to include dog safety as part of the school curriculim to educate children of appropriate behaviour around dogs? Similar to the concept of teaching children to swim. A child should never be unsupervised around a pool either but educating them to swim equips them with the skill to survive if the worst should happen, this is why most schools have a swimming program. Concidering nearly half of all children grow up with a dog and 99% of the rest will have contact with a dog at some point it seems like common sense. So maybe it's time pressure was put on the education system to include dog safety awareness?