Zug Zug

Just remember that you will ultimately be responsible for the dog. It might be 'hers', but really that means it's yours and she is taking the front line of day to day care - and you pick up the slack if/when she doesn't step up. Teenage years are not known for bringing out the 'responsible side' of most kids. But so long as you're aware of and prepared for all of that, I think giving a child a close connection to a dog and having them committed to its care is a really good and positive thing. My daughters are 17 and one wants a dog now. I've had to remind her that by the time the dog is old she'll be 30. So much happens in the intervening years...

Wrong. Most people who have been in an attack would use that word. I would have. It's based on fear.

Wow - OP if you're still reading after some of the harsh comments you have received then I take my hat off to you. In one of my earlier posts I described the day when I was attacked by a boxer - a very long time ago. With that behind me now, I just want to remind you that YOU have been through a traumatic experience too - it's not just your puppy that will possibly have some emotional triggers over the coming months or years. Your reactions to the dogs you come across while walking your dog now are likely to be sharper than they otherwise would be. Your heart might race. You might feel a bit like 'fight or flight' - and in most cases that means fight. You have since described a run-in you've since had with a walker of some pretty small dogs. It makes me wonder if you are possibly experiencing some strong emotional reactions of your own. It's possible (I don't know) that you might over-react in some situations because of what has happened. I'm not criticising AT ALL. I'm only saying this because that's what I did for quite a while after I was attacked. I would cross the street to avoid dogs that were probably perfectly normal friendly dogs. I just 'knew' (wrongly) that they would hurt me. Even when logically I knew that was unlikely. It took me a while to feel confident again. Several years, actually. And I'm a tragic dog-lover and have had dogs (including some big dogs) my whole life! Go easy on yourself and think about ways to stay calm when you see other dogs. Remember too that you might be communicating your fear to your puppy, unintentionally. Find some dogs you trust to socialise with. And be aware of your own heart rate - try to slow it down if you can.

Oh wow no wonder you are so shaken up. I know what you mean about the owners being hopeless. Relying on education alone does seem unlikely to succeed. But reading your post it seems clear to me that it is definitely the owner's management at fault, as much as the dog. I am reminded of the old saying 'you can't legislate for common sense'. Edit: I was attacked badly by a large male boxer once. Same thing - no response at all to me trying to hit him and defend myself. And he was all muscle too. But they are a lovely breed generally. I think it's partly the mental state they get into when they charge.

You can do that? I've never seen anyone do that! I want video - that would be great to watch.

I have a poodle cross too. She's a lovely ex-pound dog - and no-one has shot me on DOL yet! I would suggest using a good detangling grooming spray while you brush. Makes it a lot easier and smoother and you pull less on the hair so more comfortable for the dog. I also use a good slicker followed by a steel pin comb. And have finally got the hang of line brushing - using one hand to hold the hair away from you so there is a part in the hair that forms a line. You brush the hair that sits below the line, then move the line progressively away from you along the dog so that you release a little bit of unbrushed hair at a time, brush that then release a bit more. Makes it easier and you don't miss bits that way.

Yep I think we're making progress. Have had some great advice from some very accomplished DOLers! She did great at training tonight. My instructor was very happy with her DOR (instant drop, perfect recall) and her two retrieves, both of which were also perfect with some nice close presents. Heeling wasn't bad, but a bit distracted tonight. We would have passed though. Distance control was good too. SFE she moved 1 foot. Our stays are coming along nicely but not quite there yet - still building up and doing 2 + 1.5 mins sit stay, and not practising the drop stay much because she likes it too much. Working on building time in both out of sight stays. Overall I'm happy she seems to be enjoying it and coming along well. Mock trial in a week and a half. I'll let you know how it goes.

We had the same issue at first. Loved the 2 food game, but struggled to translate it into a recall situation. She is generally lightning fast on recall. So we then moved from the 2 food game to short recalls (to control her speed a bit) with a drop and throwing the food reward behind her to collect it so she's thinking about moving back not forward. Also did a bit of practice at dropping at a distance, by putting her on a table in the backyard to do it. I think this helped also. I was still having issues with her moving forward to get closer to me before dropping, so introduced a stick on the ground to mark the point beyond which she would not be rewarded. If she dropped before the stick, she got the reward, if she moved past the stick I immediately said 'nup' and we set the exercise up again from the start. It was partly for her sake, and partly to give me clear criteria so I didn't go soft on her. She gave that stick one very long sniff after failing to drop soon enough a few times in training, then looked at me and that was her lightbulb moment. Following a bit more practice with the stick, she is now dropping smartly in a formal recall without the stick. I am still rewarding by throwing the treat over her head so she has to move backwards to get it. And I still withold reinforcement unless she drops quickly. We now have a new issue - anticipation. And she has lost some speed and has started to occasionally drop at my feet in the last bit of the recall. So still a work in progress but there has definitely been some progress and I think we're getting there.

She's not a dog person so much - just a friend that lives and works in Hobart. Good excuse for a visit but I'm a bit like you - might happen might not we'll need to wait and see. Want an open pass under my belt here first.

Hmm. I don't agree that SA is always created by the owners. I have 2 dogs - only one of them suffers from SA. It is generally manageable because her main trouble is when she is separated from our other dog. But when the other dog is out (with me, or at the vet or whatever) she either needs to be with one of us, or she is utterly distraught. Cries and cries and cries and doesn't stop. It's not payback - she is genuinely riddled with anxiety. We are dreading the day when our other dog dies - not just because we'll lose him but also because of what it could do to her. It's not us. We're not fuss-pot owners. She's just wired up that way.

My Zamba was insane as a youngster - a very difficult pet and way too much dog for me in the early days. There was never any doubt how she ended up in the pound, but she is a great obedience dog (unfortunately I'm an L plate handler).

Yep - they say the best obedience dogs are the toughest pets!!!

Sorry I have zero experience here also but have been talking to a breeder lately about my (hopefully) next puppy (one day) and she listed some of the things she looks for in a dog for obedience and tracking: - conformation (inc. good angulation etc. so they can handle the physical stuff) - being confident and 'forward' (i.e. engaged, active, switched on, keen) - being interested in chasing things (i.e. a small ball or whatever) and in food - being interested in picking things up with its mouth - being people focused - definitely not being nervous or fearful So all of the above add up (in my mind) to a playful dog that is likely to engage in lots of games. She did make the comment that the best show dogs are often also the best obedience dogs, because they also look for some of the above things in show dogs. But a pet owner with a quiet home would have a very different list of traits to look for. But that is just what I remember of what she said. No doubt she said it better and there would be other things she looks for also. She said she doesn't use temp testing in a formal sense - but she observes her pups a lot. I will be very interested to hear from others with some real life experience.

Rivsky well done and great videos. River is such a great dog and his tail never stops wagging! Congrats to Xena98 also - wish I'd been there to see it, but unfortunately I was stuck working today. Does anyone know who won Novice at the State Champs? And how did my former instructor with his Welsh Springer go today? I think he was in it...

Sounds like you're getting pretty close. Do you have a trial date in mind to head into the Open ring? I have a close friend in Hobart and have been thinking about popping down to see her and doing a trial while we're down there. Would have to be June or later though.

Haven't logged onto that one but I did the same thing with Crufts a few weeks back. They had loads of stuff to watch including loads of agility and the group and BIS judging etc. It cost me $10 to buy the online 'ticket' and I can watch all the recorded video etc thru April. I used up three quarters of our monthly downloads in the space of 4 days.

Can't help wondering if this is achievable. Lots of these dogs are cross-bred anyway. So how do we educate people on what their cross-bred dog is likely to do? What kind of dog education could be offered that isn't already on offer? How do you get people who think they don't need to be educated to take up the education that is on offer? Education is largely in the hands of the people being educated, and in these cases they largely don't want to know. I have serious doubts about education of dog owners. Yes we need to educate the community broadly about responsible dog ownership, but I don't think education alone has the potential to significantly reduce dog attacks.

I was attacked by a very large entire male boxer about 15 years ago. All my bite injuries were on my arms and hands - because I was using these to defend my face and neck which are what the dog was attacking and aiming at. He was dragged off me with chains but wasn't put down. He belonged to my aunt and would have loved to finish the job. Even years later when I helped her move some furniture he was chained up but was lunging and frothing at the mouth wanting to get at me. I ended up never visiting my aunt until after he died (of cancer). He had attacked several others over the years - mine was one of the worst but I wasn't the only one sent to hospital by that dog. He was very dominant by nature, raised very badly, and got even worse with age. In the case of my attack he gave no warning whatsoever. The back door of my aunt's house was opened (by my aunt), he charged inside and went straight for my neck. My partner was next door and he said it sounded like 2 dogs fighting - but the other dog wasn't even involved. I had no way of defending myself. In this case, I would be pretty sure that her arms were injured because she used her arms to protect her face and neck for as long as she could. The dog intended to kill her. It is very good that this dog was put down. Yes there is a long list of breeds capable of killing and seriously injuring people. I really like boxers - most of them are lovely - and I can be quite relaxed around one these days (mind you, that took a few years' work on my part). But owning a big dog is a big responsibility and owning a big dog with a tendency to be aggressive is an awesome responsibility and beyond most people's abilities.

Based on last night's effort at club - pretty awful! I kept finding myself wanting to say 'she does it fine at home' but that just means we have more work to do. We need to get out and about more with our training and of course it's all new territory. She just wasn't in the mood last night. Worst training session we've had in ages. ;) Good luck on Saturday night! I won't be there unfortunately but hope to join you all again in a few months...

In defense of halti - users, I guess I am one of those with a 'halti mentality'. I have used haltis with my poodle x for many years and it has given us many peaceful and relaxing walks together. She was an awful 'pull till you choke' kind of dog when I first picked her up from the pound. Haltis have their legitimate uses. But I do agree that carrying thongs is not one of them.

Good point - no reason just handler error

Today's practice session on youtube here: (Edited to fix the link)

Latest update: Heel free - ok - we need to polish it up before we get into the open ring but in general we're doing ok SFE - haven't practiced this one for a while (better do that again soon) DOR - making rapid progress at the moment following a PM from a DOLer with some excellent training tips. The penny has dropped I think and she is now starting to drop quickly at a reasonable distance from me DURING a REAL recall Dumbbell on Flat - good - starting to come in a bit closer with her fronts which is good Dumbbell over jump - as above only faster Distance Control - practising from a distance using backyard table has made a HUGE difference after only a couple of tries - she's doing it pretty reliably all of a sudden 3 min sit stay - she's doing it - at the moment I visit her to reward every minute - the whining has stopped 5 min down stay - she's doing it - I visit her to reward every 2 - 3 mins - no whining here either I'm getting excited about her progress this week. Last week we were hopeless, this week we're starting to get somewhere. Thanks DOLers - your advice is really making a difference to our training. I'll post a video this weekend to show you how it's going.

Pizza sounds good to me too.

I crate trained both of my dogs when they were around 9 years old. I thought it would be hard but they took to it very easily. They love it now - I don't know why I waited so long! What worked for us was: 1 - crating them together (my 2 are like the odd couple - a weird match in many ways but they are their own little pack) 2 - initially giving them each something nice to chew (but not nice enough to fight over) when they went into their crate, just after shutting the door 3 - sitting nearby while they were in their crate initially, then building up to leaving the room etc 4 - only putting them in there for short periods initially, and then at night 5 - never ever using the crate as a punishment My 2 love their crate, and both of them will put themselves in their crate when they are tired or want some space. I have found it a great way to keep them comfortable overnight, and also an invaluable way to keep them safe and secure during BBQs or parties or when friends bring their young children over. Don't worry too much - just give it a try and remember don't ask for too much too early, just build it up in baby steps. It sounds to me like your dog may really like the whole crate thing and it might be easier than you imagine.