ChristineX

Hi Bedazzeledx2 - I'll look out for you at the ReactiveRover classes! (I think we may be there for years - Duke has decided that bi-colour female dogs are definately monsters! ) ChristineX

Hi Chazey - sorry to hear about your issues - endorse the recommendation to talk to a behaviouralist. Yes, some questions do spark off a lot of not quite on topic answers - but they can be very interesting to work through. I usually learn a lot from them. If you talk to the lady in the link someone gave you - she's good, and upfront, and helpful. In the meantime, maybe limit the opportunities your dog has to guard his family would be the way to go? And let us know how you go, please. All of us are hoping for a good ending for everyone! ChristineX

Lets see, Kate is intolerant to meat protiens, which affects skin and hair growth plus immune system. Food to treat intolerance causes incontinence. Quin (RIP) three prolapsed disks, intolerance to rimadyl Duke - lack of socialisation/coping skills/doggy communication syndrome. Pretty healthy, really. Christinex

I've been going thru the Breeds section (for other reasons), how about looking at springer spaniels - english and the smaller welsh? Possibley tollers or brittany's? Although the last two could be a bit too energetic? How about some of the other spaniels? The Clumber keeps sounding like a nice dog to me. Not recommending my own breed (irish terriers) - they don't retrieve! ChristineX

Hi Fuzzy Dragonfly First, we definately need a picture of her!! Secondly, she sounds more reactive than agressive. (coming from someone who attends classes for their reactive dog). However, the muzzle may well have an additional benefit, others keep their dogs clear of you, including the type who say 's/he's just saying hi!! while their dog aggressively eyeballs you. Thirdly, please do get in touch with K9Pro - they know what they are doing, and will be able to tell you if it is aggression, reactivity or otherwise, and help with managing/handling and settling the problem down. You can improve matters. If it helps, when I got Duke, he got aggressively bailed up 4 times by different maltese crosses. He tried to play, but of course its 'your dogs aggressive, it needs a muzzle' etc etc etc, given that his play style was to hold on to the other dog. What he needed was people obeying the law and keeping their dogs on leads in the street! This led to Duke being extremely reactive to all other dogs (he also has a few other problems that fed in). Because of this, it took us 2 years of work to be able to join the obedience class (our club is extremely supportive), and the first time we got a recall through a parrallel line of dogs we got a standing ovation (pretty much). And remember, we are always here if you need some support. ChristineX

Be thankful - the last time that happened around my street, the old lady across the road (quiet dog - scared of men) was woken up at 2 am by the intruder standing next to her bed....... Turns out all the dogs were warning off the prowler/burglar. Her dog didn't. She was very lucky all he did was take her handbag! ChristineX

Okay, checked thread title, Piney Lakes on Sunday - about 10ish????? And number of birthdays being celebrated?????\ Please????? ChristineX

Darn - caught out! Yup, I think I will come and bring Kate. Duke will definately stay behind - he is currently going MONSTER!!!!! at strange dogs again (we got sent to home base early, a couple of reactive rover classes ago........ the absolute definition of total doggy hysteria) I keep hoping he will get his fears under control, and that I can bring him along. Where Kate ignores dogs, I think Duke will be a social butterfly, one day. Once this prolonged caterpillar stage is over. So: where, Sat or Sun, what time, and how many birthdays are we celebrating? (so I know how many 'prezzies' to bring!!) ChristineX

Umm, Kathy Kopellis Mcleod is really really good, (she sees Duke on a regular basis), but she is based in WA. Your info says you are in Queensland? Just checking - because I think a behaviourist in your area is always a good idea. I do second what everyone else has said - and by the way, I don't think bootcamp will 'take the aggression' out of either of your dogs. This seems to be more about having two strong female dogs who are probably not going to back down if there is a dispute over anything. It is almost certainly going to come down to management of your dogs to minimise the opportunities for differences of opinions. ChristineX

Hi Davidovitch - thank you for considering the world's best dog breed - okay, a little biased. Two and a half years ago, around $1000 - best to find breeders either local, or who have dogs you really like. There are different lines with different temperments, as per usual, so you still need to do your homework, and pricewise, remember these are a rare breed and don't wince at the price. According to the vet, I have one Water and one Fire - yes, lucky me one at either extremes of temperment! Whatever the price, these guys are worth every single cent. And keep in mind, its not about the price, its about getting a best mate that fits into your household and your life as though he/she was always there. And that is beyond price. ChristineX

It gave me- anatolan shepard, doberman, german pinscher, mastiff, neopolitan mastiff. I have Irish Terriers - they came out at No35! This was fun - must look for some more to do.... ChristineX

I've lost a dog to this drug too. I was warned about the possibility of gastric ulcers, and told to get him checked out if he seemed off colour or stopped eating. Quinn was an irish terrier - he didn't show pain. He just collapsed. It killed both kidneys, eroded the entire lining of the stomach. Putting him down was really the only choice, but it still haunts me. He had 3 prolapsed discs. My vets now don't like giving Irish Terriers this drug, and actually went and looked for an alternative for me. Nasty drug. ChristineX

Hey Lindsay, I'm pretty sure its Coolaney Crime Fighter. That would go nice with Shanawonna Larrikin Lad, (Duke). He could use a crime fighter to keep him under control!!! Christine.

No - my mind is mush when it comes to remembering names. But boy, he was nice!! Neridah does breed the nicest Irish Terriers - one of my bus drivers has one of her 4 year olds (Molly), and his son just got a puppy from Neridah - predictably turning both households into chaos! You know, I think I might have a look at Liz's website to see if I can see him... Bye ChristineX

my wood heater to catch the idea of lighting from a match - or find a cache of forgotten firelighters! And - that lovely Irish Terrier boy Liz Walmsley was showing in April! He's a major smoocher! Next Sat's lotto would just round everything out! ChristineX

Hi Micky Moo. When you say trainer - dog trainer or animal behaviouralist ?(often called in my house 'dog shrink). The shrink type may be of more value, in this case as it sounds like a head issue rather than a training issue. Having a second hand dog myself, when they come with problems it is not easy. Duke used to go into extreme hysterics every time he went outside the house - after 2 years with the dog shrink, we can go for walks, but he is still happier if we dont. And every so often, a new dog in the Reactive Rover group the dog shrink runs is considered to be a monster - not the bullmastiff cross great dane, of course, but the fine built medium sized red and white! Go figure. We see Kathy Kopellis - if you would like her contact details, just let me know. ChristineX

yes - my old neighbour was fine with Kate, but as allergic as hell with Kate's Dad Quinn. ChristineX

Hi Bret, I can't give any advice, but I can tell you it could be worse. Duke does that too, particularly in the car when he sees another dog, or we are heading to training. And as annoying as it is, 2 years ago it used to be a fullblooded scream right next to my left ear! (Yes, some hearing has been lost). I'm happy to put up with the whine/whinge! ChristineX

There is some American lady who has come up with all sorts of games - I know that she is holding a workshop in Adelaide next week. Ones we have played: - open the door with dog on leash, get dog to sit calmly next to you while you give pizza 'boy' money, get change, and get (empty) pizza box, close door. - sitting in chair with dog next to you, 'buying drinks', again, giving money and getting change from 'waiter' - heel out a word - everyone else gets to guess what the word is - two team heeling round a course (poles in ground) carrying a glass of water. Winner was the team with the most water left. Of course, when we did the first one, some local cat decided to camp about 2 metres away and watch the fun! Hope that gets you started. Christine.

Hi Minet, 1. Don't be embarrassed. If it helps, Duke spent 2 years barking, screaming (think school siren) and lunging before he coped well enough to join the class. We spent the first year mostly 30 m from all the other dogs, working down to about 5 metres by the end of the second year. 2. Talk to the instructors about your dog - most of them are only too pleased to help. I know I felt so relieved the day the head instructor came up to me and said "we've been discussing Duke this week, and we'd like you to try....." 3. I am a member of Kathy's class, and yes it is a class with a number of dogs. I would contact her, because if she can't help, she will be able to refer you to someone who can. 4. Lots of dog clubs in Perth, how far do you want to travel? I go to the one in Victoria Park - small numbers, supportive people (instructors and members alike). And keep working at it. It takes time because you are retraining your dogs brain. And you might like to try a harness - I use the gentle leader one that clips the lead on at the front. It works for him because for some reason, it reduces his stress levels. Saves your shoulder/fingers/hands and his/her neck. Christine.

Hi Woodbyne, Duke comes from a pretty similar background - except I don't think any other dogs were around. He has a sweet temperment,and lovely eyes which are probably why nobody (including me) strangled him. Its been very hard work - and in two years he has come a very long way, but we still have quite a way to go. Keep in mind, that the process is very time consuming - I pretty much ignored my other dog Kate for well over a year to concentrate on fixing his biggest problem - and there was quite a bit of bruises and pain in that too. (for me as well as for him) If you decide to, bring in a good animal behaviouralist as your top priority. They make an appreciable difference, and boy, do they help speed up the process. I took about 9 months (and really was referred as my dog club had reached the end of their ability to help) and made more progress the first month with the dog shrink than in the previous 9. I will say that I have learnt more about dogs dealing with Duke in the past two years than in all the years preceeding him. And continue to learn. And if I ever get another rescue dog - I will be camped on my dog shrink's front door the very next day! I could not imagine, however, dealing with 4 Dukes at once. I doubt I would have coped. It would depend on the temperment of the dalmations, and if you want to go down this path, maybe an assessment by a good dog shrink before you make up your mind? That would give you a really good idea of what you would be in for. I hope I have helped.

I've currently got irish terriers, and I guess terrier traits would be: - need interation from you - lots of training - compared to working dogs, a very short bordom span. A working dog can spend ages practising one move, my guys do it twice and "whats next?" - a pretty large component of 'whats in it for me'. - tenacity - the ability to not give up, regardless of your feelings and wishes in the matter - tendancy to high prey drive - neighbours don't always appreciate their deceased cat, nevermind that it should not have been in your backyard in the first place! - not always happy with strange dogs - protective of their place - what seems like a permanent link to an everlasting everready battery I guess terriers are more work than working dogs when it comes to training, (based on the clubs I've been to), and it is sometimes hard to find instructors that appreciate the difference in learning styles. Why I like terriers: - everything gets done with enthusiasm - become an integral part of your life - they will share everything, including fixing the car engine - ability to sort thru what they see as a problem and find a solution - fun to train - once you figure out what they see as a reward The pair of 6 month bedlingtons at my current dog club sum it up - they figured out in 10 minutes that rewards are supposed to come when they sit and look at their handler. If handler is listening to instructor, dog is jumping up and swatting the handlers hand "hey, I was good, REWARD ME".

You could also do this the other way around - make a very detailed list of what your perfect dog is (no look at or going by breeds). Once you have that, pick out those qualities it absolutely has to have, and those that would be nice to have. Then go look at your breeds and see which sound as though they meet most of your list - then go meet them and their breeders. If I'd gone by breed when deciding what I was going to get, I would never have wound up with an Irish Terrier. It turns out that they suit me down to the ground, and meet all my needs and requirements. When I found a breeder, she was happy for me to come meet her dogs to see if I liked them as much in real life, as they sounded on paper. ChristineX

I take my problem child Duke to Kathy Kopellis McLeod - email is [email protected] Improvement has been to the point that an older member of our dogclub who had not seen us for 18 months - said she never expected to see Duke calmly (almost - just a lot of squeaking) saying hello in a crowd of dogs and people. Last time she saw us, he was screaming the oval down - 30 - 15 metres from everyone else. Can't recommend her enough, actually. ChristineX

Hi Micky Moo, I got Duke at 17 months (also rescue, and had been kennelled there) and he was the same regarding voice. As far as he was concerned, if you were speaking it was attention and that was all he wanted. 12 months or so after, he began to take notice of what my voice was acutally saying. Totally agree with Aiden - keep rewarding the behaviour you want (okay, its not instant results but trust me, you get there), and use playing as rewards for doing what is asked (nothing in life is free, if Duke wants to play with the tug-jug, I get something from him first, ie sit, drop, stand - you get the idea) Also, try having lots of toys on hand, when he starts biting, say no and give him a toy to chew instead - may work. On the other hand, shutting the door on Kate when she was going thru her 'bite each finger one at a time' period was the only thing that worked! Also - join a dog club - if you can manage to keep going, they become a lot of fun - and you never know where you can go from there! At 8, Kate (terrier) is looking as though we may get good enough to go obedience trialling (which could be fun). If you let people know the rough area you live in, people here tend to be able to tell you the nice ones to look at. ChristineX