Zug Zug

Pooch party?

Canine catch-up? Dog owners Catching up with each other And also catching up on looking after their dog's health and grooming...?

My standard poodle puppy was a bit bitey at that age - he is now 8 months and has stopped thank goodness. He was nick-named the alligator for a little while. Like your dog he was playing and didn't know any better. We had to make it very, very clear to him. We did the things you've described (stop moving was the most effective of these) - he was doing it in play and all the fun stopped and I stood still with my arms crossed. If we were in the backyard and he kept trying to play, I would just walk inside and leave him there. I was also doing these things: - I kept my arms close to me while walking around when he was excited - no swinging arms while he was learning how to behave - if he did grab my arm (which he did a couple of times, although he didn't bite down hard it was very unwelcome from my perspective) I would hold his head and push my arm deeper into his mouth (not hard enough to hurt him, but I kept it there longer than he wanted and he would have been uncomfortable, which was the idea) and not release until he has stopped protesting - if I saw him opening his mouth near me I would say 'ah-ah' and when he closed his mouth it was 'good boy' and a nice treat - I carried tug toys that he could mouth on all he wanted, and he was invited to do this frequently (not too close to my hand) - I taught him to fetch - which is a game he loves and gives him a good outlet - and perhaps it's obvious but just in case - absolutely NO tolerating him mouthing in play or as part of a game. None at all. Ever. I would suggest you keep him on lead around guests - you can't expect them to know what sets him off and you don't want him biting someone. He did bite me on the bum a few times (!) - generally when I was bending over to pick something up. When this happened he got a very big piece of my mind. On one occasion, he just rolled onto his back in apology. Not cool. (Mind you the rest of my family found this pretty hilarious, but it wasn't their bum getting bit...!) Anyway hang in there. Do take it seriously but also you can expect to change this behaviour if you stand your ground. You just need to be more stubborn than your dog. Which can be hard but needs to be done, if you know what I mean. Good on you for posting and getting hold of all the ideas you can. Now is the time to sort it out. You don't want him doing this too long or (as Haredown Whippets has pointed out) it starts to become an entrenched habit.

I use the dremel - I find it easier and less scary (for me and the dog) Doubt it is much cheaper though. And with 5 dogs be aware it does take longer. If I had ever had the hang of clippers I would prefer that I think. But I clipped the quick more times than I care to recall, so can't be trusted unfortunately.

Cavaliers are probably a bit softer as a general rule, cockers can be more stubborn. Depends on the dog though, and the training of course. Don't know any tibbies but others will know

I think the way most people use crates is great - dog sleeps in crate and may sleep in it during the day for a hour or so in some circumstances. In my house, those circumstances may include when small kids come over, when we are having a BBQ and there are lots of people coming and going, or at other times when I don't want to put the dogs outside but can't watch them. Usually bad weather. Used in this way, a crate is very good for the dog, and helps with its training and safety. I am a big fan. But lots of apartment dwellers use the crate in the way the article describes, to protect their things and because there is no garden. In those circumstances there may well be some ill effects.

Thoughts are with you:(

What a beautiful tribute. She sounds wonderful and that last photo is stunning. PME you will adjust in time. It is such a loss, and to cry is normal. When you are ready to focus on your happy memories, you will. RIP Emma

Please do - promising start.

They are such a beautiful breed, but I too have spoken with a former breeder who ended up walking away from the breed because she said it was so hard to avoid all the health issues, and she didn't want to be responsible for breeding unhealthy puppies. She is someone who would apply a very high standard of expectations I think, but at the same time it was a decision that had obviously saddened her. It is a question of degree I suppose, and of how much risk you are willing to accept. I have a standard poodle. As a breed, there are some issues. But it is the breed I love so I checked around as much as I could, and got my puppy from a reputable breeder. There is always a level of risk involved. Picking the breed that suits you is also very important.

And yes they are stunning aren't they? And very sweet-natured. Arya (my daughter's Borzoi) has turned me into a massive fan. Alyosha breeding :) Just about everyone comments on how stunning she is. But I am going off topic because there is no need to correct them.

So true! Or you get 'I have a labradoodle/groodle/whatever oodle so he doesn't have the smooth face' - again because they think poodles don't grow hair on their faces.

No mine is not friendly with other dogs. No seriously she is not friendly - she needs some space. No honestly I know she's cute but she really doesn't want your dog to... Well I did warn you. (This is my poodle x. She looks friendly. When it comes to other dogs, she is not. They just never, ever believe me.)

I think you made up a fabulous list for her. Well done! Yes you could add the havanese to that list (so cute too!). Very similar to the bichon in many ways, just with straighter hair and a few different colours. In terms of price, she may need to raise her upper limit to around $1500. In that range she shouldn't have much trouble. She may be able to find pups lower, just depends. Also she may be able to get by a bit cheaper if she looks at boy puppies rather than girl puppies, because for some reason girl puppies are more in demand (so I've been told by breeders). I have no idea why, because I really think the boys make beautiful loving pets. They fall a little bit in love with you. That's my theory anyway. My bichon was a boy - the perfect dog - and I was just as much in love with him for his whole 13 years of life. He would have been the perfect dog for the situation you are describing with your sister. I always said he was the perfect 'sick bed' dog. He just hopped up onto the bed and slept next to you happily until you wanted to get up. Then he came with you to the couch. Then out into the garden, then back to bed. Perfectly happy doing all of that. I loved him to bits. ETA I agree with the post above - the price for a well-bred oodle will be similar. I think the ethical issues with buying from a pet shop should override any perceived benefit of a cheaper price. Also couple that with the fact that many of these puppies are not what the staff tell you they are - often just backyard bred puppies of various mixes. You just don't know what you're getting. In the end, the price you pay for the puppy is a trivial issue. You spend more on feeding the thing in its first year. And vet bills. People focus so much on purchase price, but I don't think it is very important really. The more important thing is to get the right dog, and in particular a healthy happy dog.

So pleased to hear this has happened. Please keep us posted. We are all keen to hear how his assessment goes, and whether it is possible to find him another home.

Fair point. They were both off lead the other night in the session i described above. But yes 1 new thing at a time - same way we approach stays. Makes sense. The off lead session was something I could do with my own dogs, but not yet with other dogs. I was picking up on the suggestion to work with him along with a dog that recalls well. That's how he learnt to fetch too - by watching her do it. I am keeping him on the long line when there is a possibility of another dog joining us. Which is most of the time when we are out and about. And rewarding with metwurst. He's responding well - I will just keep doing this for a while.

I agree - the key message needs to be that while the parents are (I hope) sound, no dog comes out of a box being good with kids. The kids need to be taught how to behave. The dog needs to be taught how to behave. The adults need to get involved and supervise. The other point is to actively socialise the dog with nice children while it is young. So it learns that children are not to be feared. And never to leave the pup with unsafe kids, for the same reason.

Thanks everyone Dasha thanks for that. Yes he is a pleasure to train and very smart. I was looking for some ideas to get this issue back on track. Have applied a number of these suggestions since my first post, and he is responding enthusiastically. Have also decided that his morning play sessions with other dogs can go on hold for a bit while we work on this a bit more. I don't want him practising the wrong behaviour. Took him to the park with my older dog the other evening. No other dogs around at all, which is critical because she struggles with fear aggression so i need to be careful. But in this case safely fenced, and just the two of them so all goid. Both derfect - as soon as I called they literally raced each other to get to me first. Inevitably she beats him, but her quick moves have certainly motivated him to hop to it! That was a suggestion from here, and has worked a treat. Thanks everyone! I needed some fresh ideas and I really appreciate your help!

Just in relation to some earlier comments about why doesn't the pound get him out, why do more temperament testing...? I took a dog home from a local pound just before xmas. He had some minor issues crop up in their initial temperament testing, but they believed he would be safe. He wasn't. He tore my dog's face to shreds. It was awful. He had to go back to the pound, and she needed multiple surgeries. They had seemed ok together in the pound. She was nervous and has always been anxious. He showed no signs initially that he would hurt her in any way. But when he launched a few days later, it was awful. They had noticed some food guarding issues in their temp. testing, but that was all they had seen at that point. There were bigger issues lurking. No doubt the reason he landed in the pound to begin with. So obviously I am all for pounds double-checking. I will probably never get a dog from a pound again. Yet I have had 4 pound dogs in my life, all good dogs. My current old girl (the one who was so badly injured) is 13 yo now and came from the same pound when she was 1 yo. But this experience has put me off, possibly permanently. They really do need to be careful.

DLT thanks very much for loading the video and your article on the development of recalls. I found both very helpful. Your issues with Nemo sound almost exactly like Pasha's issues - friendly willing dog, bit on the boisterous side at times, recall in development. You even have the same leather lead we do by the looks of things!(Nemo is a lovely dog by the way - I love black dogs and he has a very sweet face) From reading your article, I think I could best describe Pasha's current level as: - Set up recalls - he is very reliable - calling away from minor distractions - he is very reliable - recall from play - is what we're working on now - recall while running away - actually he generally does this and I've had lots of lovely u-shaped recalls (if you know what I mean) at the park, but not if he's running towards another dog Your video is fantastic. I think the thing that struck me most is the time spent and the various stages he goes through during the video. At the start he looks very much like Pasha currently does when I have him at the park each morning. Very alert, keen to get into it. Then he relaxes more and I note you still have him on lead for much of this time while he meets other dogs. Then he is getting tired, and is more reliable and calm and at that point you've allowed him off lead with suitable dogs. Our morning jaunt at the park is 30 minutes or thereabouts, so he doesn't get really tired until just towards the end, and he is rarely exhausted even then. Our evening walk is a similar length - we walk around the streets on lead, with a small off-lead bit at a local oval along the way. Rarely any other dogs around at that time. But our weekends walks are longer, so perhaps that's when I will (when he's ready, calm and in the right circumstances) start practising with him a bit off lead.

We had a beagle (my sister's dog) as teenagers. I agree huski their motivation to be at your side needs much more work than the more traditional working breeds. She was nose-motivated, primarily. Whereas the kelpie I had back then was always running up and back to me and her recall was rock-solid with very little work. It just seemed natural for her. She was off lead almost all the time. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. This is exactly what I needed. Vickie I don't think your post is harsh at all. I think you are spot on actually. That was my thinking with the long line, but I had started to worry about using it. But I think I need to get over that, and just use it carefully. He has been exercising his choice, and choosing the wrong things, so he's obviously not yet ready for free play in these circumstances. He can still continue his socialising on lead. It also makes it possible for me to grab him when he doesn't respond, as others have suggested. As opposed to having to catch him, which has started to happen and is not good. We practised these things at the beach this morning, in the wild windy weather. He stayed on the long line, and was very cooperative. There was one time he ignored my call, and we reeled him in, no reward. He enjoyed shaved ham each time he recalled to me from another dog, then release. Piece of Schmacko when he checks in, as always. I have rewarded him for checking in since he was very young. He generally stays very focused on me, but other dogs had started to trump me of late, which is why I posted this thread. But without other dogs in the picture he's very reliable. I am yet to try recalling him from a live frisbee, but will do that during the week and see how he goes. And my slippers - something he has developed an unfortunate attraction to of late !! I haven't watched the vids yet but will do that now. Very much appreciated!

Recalling off a toy during a game of fetch is a fantastic idea. He loves to fetch things, but these are less overwhelming distractions for him than the presence of another dog. I will definitely give that a go during the week. I'll start with a static frisbee on the ground, and build from there. I think that will give us a few really good games to play. I know a few dogs with great recalls. Something to work up to definitely.

Thank you piper - that is a very clear description and much appreciated. I can certainly do that. And yes you're right I made just that mistake with him this morning - called him over, then when he finally let me grab him I took him away from all the fun. Such an obvious mistake! I will go out and buy some metwurst before tomorrow morning's walk I think. I have a friend with a lovely German Shepherd puppy and she is struggling a bit with the same issue (her pup is slightly older, not much). The two dogs get along well and both have had good basic training. She would be a good dog to have him practise with. Great idea - thanks!

Sorry to hear this sad news. You have done the right thing to give her a quiet dignified end. The final act of love and kindness. Rest in peace Bailey.

My original post is under 'puppy problems' here: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/239581-recalling-adolescent-dog-away-from-other-dogs/ I know there are so many great trainers in this thread, and I am keen to hear what you would advise for this issue.