Lucy's mama

Bundy came to me to teach me that love for an animal really can be as powerfull as love for another human being. Lucy came to us to teach us that cuddles cure everything, and nothing is worth getting in a flap over. I'm not sure why Banjo has come to us. I'm hoping it's to teach that perserverance and patience and hard work pays off in the end. He has definately taught me not to buy a pup I haven't met.

I'm not a breeder or exhibitor, but to me the breeder paying for health testing and getting free use of the dog sounds fair.

Lucy was only ever a bit smelly if she needed a brush. I'm not a big fan of regularly bathing dogs (maybe once or twice a year) but brushing regularly keeps them non smelly and clean. Goldies shed year round and shed a lot. I've never met a more tolerant dog than my Lucy was. Or a more gentle self aware dog. She could be restrained by my daughter when they were both just three. I don't expect that would be every Golden though.

I will be waiting anxiously for an answer to sparky Tansy's question. Banjo can spot and react to something before I have time to even notice anything.

This is how I understand the word and how it applies to Banjo.

I find Banjo predictably unpredictable. I do find it quite stressfull.

I have stayed at the coolangatta one and LOVED it. The fact that we had our own very secure yard to leave the dogs in while we went out made the trip much easier and less stressful than say, camping with the dogs where they can not be left for more than 10 minutes at a time. The owners were really really super friendly and helpful too, although I think it has changed hands now?

The little ass did a major naughty last night. My sister came to visit with her very small 6 yr old. Banjo never bothered to alert me that we had visitors. He did however repeatedly jump on her head getting all four feet off the ground while she screamed in terror! I will be hunting for a big bell to put on the front gate now and making up a 'No Entry - Please Ring The Bell' sign. I grabbed Banjo and whacked him in his crate while we settled the poor girl then brought him out on lead and showed her how to get him to sit, drop, roll over and be gentle for treats. Her confidence improved quite quickly with him and I don't think she is any more scared of dogs than she was when she arrived. I kept him on a lead or crated the rest of the evening. The older girl is 14 and very confident with dogs. She taught him a new trick - crawl.

I must have missed this earlier - across the street is no where near far enough for him not to lunge. If it were only that simple I would definatly still be walking him in my own neighbourhood rather than driving to a park to walk him. I can be across the street and 50 meters down the road from a dog that is carrying on and he will lunge.

Thanks Lyndsay, it is nice to hear from an Aussie person. Perhaps I would not find Banjo so difficult if I was a more knowledgable trainer - he is very smart and eager when in 'training mode'. Argh yes! My other half has often grumbled 'Why can't he use his brains for good instead of evil'

I must be confused on clasically conditioning then. I thought it was to condition a reaction to a specific thing. Like condition him to look at me when we are passing other barking, fence running dogs? Yes, and I am still 100% happy with her. I simply have not had the money or the energy to go on with further consultation untill now (thankfully tax time is kind to us). When I was asked what was the most pressing of our problems I said it was to do with his lack of respect for the kids and that has improved. Perhaps if I was a better communicator and better handler with better timing I would have got more covered while I was seeing her.

Thank you everyone for your positive input. I really wasn't sure I should post thismorning for fear of being shredded, but I am very glad now that I did. Steve, I think you are really spot on in your assesment and this is the first time I have felt that the person I'm talking to has really 'got' what I am talking about. I will pop over to your website to take a look at your distance programs. Thank you!

I have read your socialisation and neutralisation thread. Yep, makes a lot of sense. So how to deal with the initial problem? By satisfying it? Taking him herding or lure coursing? Or will that just reinforce the chase and make him want to do it more?

He will react by playing with them. To be more clear, it is preagility 1 he is enrolled in. Preagility 1 and 2 are about gaining control off lead, learning training techniques and what works for your dog and building the skills he will need to start begginers agility.

Yes yes yes, That is exactly what he is like! The rest of your post I am having trouble interpreting sorry. Aren you saying his value on dogs is the cause, and how do I go about changing that? Also, are you keeping in mind other dogs are the main trigger for his behaviour but he is also very aroused by other things too - anything he thinks he might be able to chase (Typical working dog) I did 100% expect to have to do a fair bit of work to ensure he didn't herd kids or bikes, but I obviously haven't done enough or the right things. He still chases the kids when they are moving very fast but very rarely collides with them, or jumps on them anymore. This being focusing on the undesirable behaviour?

At the moment only obedience. We start agility the first week of august. If you mean do I train him in drive etc. then I'm not sure. Baisically I show him something he wants (food, tug, ball) and he gets it when he displays the behaviour I want. I start by luring the behaviour, use ýes' as a marker then fade the lure when he's got it, but keep the reward available but give it less often.

He is fantastic off lead with other dogs. Ignores me, but has a great play. If I let him say hello on lead he is kind of 'stiff' if you know what I mean? The looser the lead the better he is, but I try to avoid it and only let it happen if the other dog is insisting. For eg, at the beach a few days ago an off lead husky insisted on saying hello (owner was a hundred plus meters away) First sniff was relaxed, he got a bit stiff then the husky growled so I just let go of the leash, banjo relaxed and they bowed to each other then played chasey. Cosmolo - I just couldn't set up a situation where he could get it right.

The behaviourist reccomended classical conditioning but I failed miserably at it. It is when they are rushing the fences and barking that he reacts. If dogs are just there he is fine. He might want to say hello but a leash pop is all that is required to stop him. I have not been back to the behaviourist yet. I have concentrated on his obedience instead. Now I am ready to try tackle this one again.

Yes, I understand this which is why I have chosen it over the 'big stick' method or a pinch collar. I will have a look for that topic. Thanks. He is not at all 'whacko' around the house. He doesn't chew things up or dig or run tracks through the grass. He mostly lays around, interspersed with a bit of big stick carrying and a few zoomies here and there. He does bark a bit at other dogs he can hear barking and the plovers though.

I have posted before about my 10 month old Aussie Shepherd who is just plain hard work. I am frustrated that I can pour time, effort, and love into him and only get minimal results. The money spent is not so much an issue to me, but my other half is really very very very unhappy (more angry actually) at the extra expense I am going to with him for training, behaviourists, training tools, and bordem busting toys. All his training goes out the window the minute he is aroused - and he can go from zero to out of control in the blink of an eye. Yesterday he walked nicely with me and the two kids 2.5kms to an off lead area, did some off leash obedience work (I did lose him once but mostly all was good) I stopped at the first lagoon on the way back to give him a drink. One minute he is standing partially in the water drinking, the next second I have been dragged in. My son had thrown a mud ball, banjo heard or saw it splash and that was it. Then he wouldn't settle and tried several more times to take me swimming till I could drag him up the hill and away from the water. I had to walk all the way back freezing cold and dripping wet. He knows perfectly well how to walk on a loose leash. He is doing very well at obedience class yet I still can't walk him down the street because he just will not stop lunging at other dogs. Martingale is useless. The correction just winds him up more, the harder the corection, the more wound up he gets. I've tried getting slowly closer to the dogs that wind him up while treating him for not reacting. but if we are far enough away that he is not reactive then the dogs in the yard aren't out at the front fences barking and running which is what winds him up. Walking past calm dogs is fine. It's all the dogs fence running and barking that he has problems with. I try to look on the bright side at the headway we have made - he knows how to walk on a loose leash, his obedience is coming along really really well. He listens to commands around the house more, he has been better with the kids, I can recall him from things he finds intertesting enough to bark at at home. He is scared of things easily so I am wary of using harsher corrections. The last contact I had with his breeder she suggested I wack his rump with a big stick when he glares at the cat. I really can't see that ending well especially with his temperament. Even touching him sets him off lunging at the cat once he has his focus on him (The other cat he is friends with) My other half would love to give the big stick idea a go but I refuse. She also asked that I take him to a chiropractor just to make sure every thing is o.k in that respect which I will do. It is hard to explain but his personality is great and his temperament sucks. It is like he has a gorgeous, happy, loving personality, but a reactive temperament, sometimes very confident and sometimes very timid if that makes any sense? I have worked and worked and socialized and socialized to try and make him grow into the best dog he can be, but I swear to god, sometimes people meet him and think he has zero training and probably hasn't left the yard before, doesn't get any exercise or attention. It's very possible he does need more exercise, but without being able to walk him down the street that's not going to happen. I already have my 4 year old walking 5km a day with us - and he jogs half of it so that I can keep a good pace - he can't be expected to walk any further than that on a daily basis. Other times people see me training him and are complimenting me on how well he is going. He is the Jekyl and Hyde of dogs. So now I have ordered an e collar (more money) and will be employing the help of a behaviourist (again) to teach me how to use it most appropriatly. I am concerned though that if he reacts badly to being corrected with the martingale he very well may be the same with the e collar. In all honesty, the only thing keeping me trying is the fact that I love this dog. I keep telling myself things will improve as he matures - I'm not sure I believe myself though. So, here is the question part after my vent - Are dogs like this likely to improve A LOT with age if the training is kept up, or is it very likely that this is it - this is him and the next 12 odd years is just going to be about constant management? Am I just experiencing the normal Aussie temperament? (I didn't expect reactive tbh) I really need some encouragement here.

Would a whippet fit the bill? I don't know much about them, just asking.

Banjo gets crated around 8.30 till I get up at around 6.30. If he needs a toilet break he cries to be let out.

We take the crate and a pen, a cover for the crate, his bed, and lots of treat toys and meaty bones - everlasting treat ball, maze ball, roo tails etc. It's the same set up he has in the living room at home and gets set up under a big tarp. He doesn't fret if we leave him at the camp site for short periods.

He is not coming up on the pound site anymore. I hope he was adopted.

He looks very Aussie to me too.