Red Fox

Thanks for all the suggestions. alanglen, I think you could be right with the game theory. Kei doesn't normally apply any pressure with his bites during normal play, but tends to push it a bit when it comes to this 'game' (although he has never broken the skin) dancinbcs, thank you I will do a search on the book and see what I can find. ILUVKELPIES, not sure if the bottle would work for him, he tends to get excited over everything but i will do a bit more research on Ceasar Milans training methods Pandii

Thanks Nekhbet, it really is like a teenage tantrum.. I can see that look in his face that says 'what you gonna do about it?' I feel that it's not aggressive, just defiant. Last nights tantrum was over me wiping his butt (he had a bit of poop stuck) and him not wanting me to :rolleyes: He tried to grab the tissue, I said no... well you get the idea. Will keep up the tongue method then, it seemed to work. He definetly needs some form of consequense for bad behaviour it just hard knowing what to do without wanting to throttle him! I'll have to work on identifying and stopping the tantrum before it starts if I can. Yep, we use a half check chain (Martingale). Works well and if he has a tantrum on a walk (has happened twice) I am able to control him with the collar and march him home. Very tempted on taking you up on the rottie offer... how bout I swap you my 9 year old son instead.. he could use a bit of 'training' :p

Lablover- Yes, he knows all his obedience commands and we attend obedience classes weekly (and he did puppy classes too) Normally he is quite receptive and I can get him to sit when his behaviour is inappropriate ie rushing to the door to greet people, chasing the cat etc. He doesn't jump at any other time. However when he goes into this tantrum/biting mode he is so worked up that it is almost impossible to get through to him this way, unless I happen to have a very desirable food reward on hand -which I normally dont unless we're training...

Recently I have been having a problem with my 6 month old Ridgie boy with biting/tantrums. Basically, the situation goes something like this- - Trigger (I think), Kei doesn't get his own way with something, I stand my ground. - He will then start jumping up at me and grabbing my arm with his mouth - The more I stand my ground and say NO, the more hyped he becomes to the point that he will run a circle and leap towards me grabbing my arm. - Eventually he will calm down and then back to normal There is absolutely no growling or bearing his teeth, he only goes for my arm and only does this to me. Kei has been taught bite inhabition continuously since the age of around 4 weeks, first by his breeder and then by us, using the method described by Ian Dunbar (yelp and ignore). He doesn't bite at any other time. As these episodes seem to be a response to not getting his own way I am reluctant to turn my back and ignore (also would be very difficult when he is bahaving this way) I have tried growling at him which makes things worse. Last night he had a tantrum,I stood my ground and every time he bit I shoved my hand in his mouth and pressed down firmly under his tongue with my thumb. Enough to be uncomfortable for him but not enough to cause pain. I stood my ground until he stopped jumping and then left him outside on his own for 5-10 mins to calm down. When I let him in again I had him sit and drop before opening the door, he came in and was back to his normal calm self. Before anyone asks- Yes, I need to to hire a behaviourist to check him out. Having a bit of trouble finding one in a rural area but worse case scenario we will get some distance training and advice. I am also using the TOT with him. Does anyone have any suggestions as to why this is happening and what i can do about it now? Thank you

I mix up kibble with yogurt then I turn the Kong up-side down in a cup, drop a small treat in (like a piece of sausage) fill up with the kibble/yogurt mix, top with either another piece of sausage or some cream cheese spread and freeze. Being frozen they last for ages (well at least 20mins anyway) ;) and it's convenient for me because I will make up 4-5 at a time once every few days and then just take them out when I need them. You can really put anything in there though. If you go to the Kong website they have some good recipes on there too.

Kei got a big chicken neck stuck in his throat at 10 weeks old. Reason being that he had never had bones before and tried to swallow it whole as I was supervising him closely I just grabbed it and pulled it out before he could panick. After that incident I started breaking up the necks before I gave them to him and slowly he learned to chew. I also gave a lot of frozen bones ie. chicken wings and thighs, so that he had to work on chewing them before while they defrosted. Now I find he enjoys the chewing/crunching action as much as the actual eating part Im not sure how much it cost me a week to feed him I buy mostly in bulk. If mince meat goes on special I will buy a few kg, divide and freeze. I also buy whatever is marked down at the supermarket when I go shopping. Offal is normally cheap, sometimes lamb shanks and flaps will go out for $1 each at the end of the week, occasionally I can get whole chickens really cheap on special for like $3 each and woolies often marks down thighs to $2.50kg at the deli counter. I buy 1kg chicken wings and 6 frames from the buthcher once per fortnight or so for about $10. I probably spend about $30 per month on meat/bones/offal if I average it out, maybe less? I make up my vegie slops every 4-6 weeks and freeze, that costs no more than $10-$15. I spend about $6 per week on yogurt (but I eat it too) and $3 on sardines or mackeral. I also buy flaxseed oil every 6 weeks or so, plus fish oil capsules, kelp powder and brewers yeast. None of these are very expensive and they last for ages anyway. I dont buy pet mince, though I occasionally get my butcher to mince up some wings and frames for me for the cat, and I always check to make sure all meat is preservative free

Mine has a habit of sleeping under the table while we eat. Sometimes he can be nosey and gets his paws up on the table for a look or drapes himself across one of the chairs so he can 'sit' at the table with the family If he becomes a pain I just put him in his pen which is right next to the table anyway

Hmm.... I am inclined to think that it's attention seeking too. No, I dont let him out while he is wimpering. We have a policy that no doors get opened (whether it's the crate, pen, back door etc.) unless Kei is sitting quietly. This has worked well for us as it means he will sit automatically when I approach rather than jumping up and down Yesterday I quietly shut him in the run while he was playing with his biscuit ball, left him there and went inside. After about 10 mins he realised he was alone and paced a little then layed down on his bed. After about 5 minutes of laying down quietly I went outside and rewarded him with a Kong and then closed the door again and left for another 1/2 hour. This seemed to work well and Kei was a lot quieter. Hopefully it's all just a phase while he gets used to being in there. We have neighbours that will complain about everything so I want to be sure that any wimpering doesn't develop into full on barking.

If left alone in the yard (with the door to the run open) he tends to play in the run with his toys otherwise he will lay on the grass or on his mat by the door. Doesn't seem to be too bothered by it either. The wimpering will only start if the run door is closed and I go inside. If I'm outside, and he can see me, he is more than happy to be in the run. Although we have a fully fenced yard, there have been two purebreed puppies stolen recently in our area and there were also several cases of dogs being poisoned last year. For these two reasons I will only leave Kei either in his run or inside (in the puppy pen) when I leave the house. When I'm home he has free access to the house, yard and run the majority of the time. I should also add that Kei has been whimpering a lot lately eg. when the cat wont play with him, when he wakes up and wants to be let out of his crate, when I am taking my time preparing his food etc. so I wonder if it's also an attention seeking behaviour??

Very true We drove 3 hours to meet the first breeder and she absolutely grilled us, watched every move we made and how we interacted with the dogs. I was so nervous! But after about 10 mins of questions she softened up and turned out to be lovely. I cried my eyes out when the ultrasound showed that her girl wasn't pregnant. But she was so helpful in finding us another fantastic breeder and answering all our questions, and still an endless source of advice when needed I think I'd be very wary of any breeder who was willing to ship out a puppy after a 5 minute conversation or internet application. And you're right, it's amazing how peoples attitudes can change when you mention your dogs prefix

Last week our new run arrived. Kei, our 5 and a half month old ridgie, loves the run and will choose to lay in there during the day and play with his toys or roll around in the grass and sleep in the sun. However, if I shut the door and pretend to leave the house he will alternate between pacing, wimpering and howling with the occasional bark. Today I put Kei in the run with a filled Kong and pretended to leave the house so that I could observe his behaviour. The plan was to watch and see if he would settle down or whether the barking/howling/wimpering would escalate. Kei sat at the gate and wimpered, sat in his clam pool and wimpered, searched around for another way out, howled, barked, paced etc. While he didn't appear to be overly distressed he didn't settle either. Ignored the Kong and toys too. This went on for the entire hour (with me peeking through the window ) Is it separation anxiety? and how do I approach this situation Should I just leave him in there for short periods until he gets used to it? I should also add that the run is very safe and secure, sheltered etc. so that's not an issue, but I dont want him barking the neighbourhood down every time I leave the house Does any-one have any advice?

Really? I got the third degree from 2 breeders before I could even be considered for the waiting list (yes, I passed) :rolleyes: Have to agree though, there's definetly more good than bad out there.

How many registered breeders do you know personally? And I mean, how much knowledge do you have of their breeding programs and ethics? Honestly, I only know a few personally, I dont know all there is to know, and I dont breed dogs so I'm definetly no expert on breeding programs. I am only going by my own experiences and oppinion. But i've never come accross a registered breeder who would put money from the sale of a litter above the health and well-being of their dogs or breed just for the hell of it. You cant say the same for BYB's and definetly not for puppy farmers. I find it so upsetting when I hear someone say that they got a 'bargain' pup from a BYB, or that by going through a registered breeder that you are getting ripped off. There is so much more to consider when adding a dog to your family than the 'price'

IMO you will have a hard time finding a registered breeder who does the wrong thing. However go looking for a puppy farmer or a backyard breeder and you can GUARANTEE that those dogs wont be bred with proper consideration for their health and wellbeing. Registered breeders put the time and research into their breeding programs. They breed 'occasionally' and only to improve the breed. The only purpose of breeding for a BYB/Puppy farmer is to make money. Okay, I agree that there may be a few dodgy ones out there and just because they have a registered prefix it's no guarantee, but really- all it takes is a few phone calls and a visit to work this out and they are few and far between. To me there is no comparison. If you are looking for a dog you go to a registered breeder.

I've got two of the heavier enclosures (bottom row of that page I think) and they are good, but very heavy and awkward for one person to deal with. I purchased two of the wire compost bins from Bunnings for a mere fraction of the price (albeit not quite as cheaply as the mainland sells them - probably due to freight costs I guess) and they're a lot easier for me to manoeuvre around my yard. I use cable ties too with dog lead clips to reinforce the corners. We have one of the same set up in our family room. Great pens, really solid and I love how easy it is to change the configuration. I got ours from eBay for $110 No Bunnings here but those compost bins sound like great value.

I also just finished this book and found that bit confusing too. Every other book I've read (inc the sheet I was given at puppy class) says that saltanas/raisins etc are toxic to dogs. Maybe this is only in large amounts I just avoid them anyway, there are plenty of other fruits you can use instead.

IMO dogs don't get jealous Your vet should have suggested you see a qualified behaviourist, this was probably something that could have been resolved with the right training. Agreed, a behaviourist could have more than likely solved the problem but IMO it's NORMAL for puppies to bite and it's our job to teach them bite inhabition from the moment they come home. On a brighter note my BRAND NEW LEATHER LEAD just arrived cant wait to try it out on our next walk

Yeah... me too! ;)

Rish, people aren't picking on you exactly but this is a public forum with lots of different opinions so you have to expect that people will tell you exactly what they think. It's not like having a chat with a friend who will avoid saying something that may hurt your feelings.. like it or not, you will find that most people here will tell it like it is. This is not necessarily a bad thing though and it means that you will get some pretty raw and honest advice I hope your pup is ok and I agree with the others - you definetly need a new vet asap!

:rolleyes: OT but someone gave my son these red jelly cups when he was about 2 and his poop came out fluro pink. Black poop is not a big problem unless it ongoing or there are other signs that something is wrong. My dog does them when he eats too much red meat and offal.

We bought out crate from a labrador breeder and she uses the 36" size for all her dogs. I'd say that he would grow out of a 24" fairly quickly and you would probably get better value by buying a bigger one with a divider so that the crate can grow with him. The advice I got when looking for crates was the soft crates are great for older dogs and puppies who are toilet trained but metal crates are easier to clean. Remember that there will be times when your puppy will dirty his crate and the trays in hard crates are easy to remove and disinfect if need be. A soft crate will need to be wiped and/or hosed out. I should add that the crate we bought is not big enough for our dog as an adult and we will be needing to buy a 48" very soon. The reason we got the smaller size to begin with was because it a very good quality 2nd hand crate and we got it for next to nothing. So if you could source a cheap 2nd hand one for the time being thats a good option too.

Quick update: I reluctantly took Kei to his 3rd obedience class last night and gave hubby strict instructions to video any bad behaviour (pulling on the lead/tantrums) so that I could send it off to K9 for an assesment and get him on a new training program. Well.. by some miracle the little bugger decided that this week he would behave! Heeled well throughout the whole hour, only pulled when he got too close to the dog in front, and even then I was able to correct him without a struggle. I even got him to do his stands on command and a perfect sit stay! Not sure whether the boiled roo sausage bits I brought for training treats had anyhing to do with it though... Here what I think made a difference this week: The instructor made the circle much bigger this week so all the dogs had more space. (I think this made a big difference for ALL the dogs) I made sure that Kei was able to socialise with all of the dogs in his group *before* training started. (oh, and I didn't get hassled about him not wearing the halti this week either ) So here's the plan- -Get a new good quality lead ASAP (we're gonna get the premium leather one from K9 ) -Keep up the training, ignore any tantrums (I very much hope that the other nights episode was a one off) -Start using the triangle of temptation program -If the tantrums continue and/or he doesn't keep up his improvements at obedience we will pull him out of the club for a few weeks and get him on the K9 Force Loose Leash Walking Program.

I have three of K9's leather leashes and they are the best!! I can't use anything else now, nothing is as nice and soft Thanks Huski, you have me convinced.. now I just have to talk hubby into letting me buy *another* thing for the dog Did you get the standard or the premium??

Just for future reference, you may have been better off taking a qualified dog trainer's advice on this issue rather than a vet's advice. It sounds like a training issue, not a medical issue. edited to add: sorry to the OP, didnt mean to hijack the thread or anything . I too had issues with tantrums from my 6 year old dog when she was a pup - sounds like you have already had some great advice - good luck with it No worries. It's good to hear that I'm not the only one who's ever had issue with these tantrums We will work through it and get there eventually! And I have to add -completely off topic- but Zeus in your sig. is absolutely ADORABLE

Thanks for the info K9. I checked out the website and am seriously considering some distance training. I will try and use the triangle of temptation program too, I do a similar thing now by having Kei sit and wait for his food, he is not allowed to have it until he looks at me instead of the bowl. However I will change to your technique instead and see what the impact is. Just reading up on your leashes now too. I think this could be a good investment for us as I would not want for Kei to break his leash during a tantrum. I will PM you soon for some info on the distance program