raineth

Hi Kiesha mamaging the environment is always the hardest aspect of this sort of training. maybe initially it might be good to set up some artificial situations. Maybe you could see if there are any DOLers near you that could help? Maybe you have neighbours or friends with dogs that could help you out? then you might be able to get enough improvement in the initial stages with these articirfial set ups, that you can then take a bit of the risk of heading out on the street. How about taking her to places (in the car) in which you know there will be dog present, but that also provide a good bit of distance from them. Also don't feel shy about calling out to people and asking them to give your dog some room. I do this occasionally when people with their dogs look like they won't be giving us personal space. for exercise, maybe you could take her really early in the morning for a walk, or play with her in the backyard? Is she really energetic?

Digby, my big mastiff x (60kgs) is a mouser! He is truly dedicated to the cause and will happily sit perfectly still for up to an hour waiting for a mouse to come out from behind something. He has caught about 3 or 4 now. He doesn't shake them though he just sits them in his mouth. He only managed to kill one that I think suffocated after he left it in his mouth for about five minutes. The others he has let go of and they have run off so he can chase them again. It is pretty hilarious watching such a big dog mousing My Great Dane will do it too, but only if she sees one actually running. She is not interested unless she sees movement. She catches and releases as well while their labrador friend just looks at them as if they're nuts! my old great Dane had a mouse run over the top of him one day and he squealed and jumped on the bed gotta love the mous plague that's happening here at them moment!

using the clicker in these sorts of ways (i.e. classical conditioning) changes the way the dog *feels* about something. So by this means you take away the reason for the dog behaving like that. You make it so that the dog has calm/happy feelings about whatever it is. Calm and happy feelings don't go with biting etc.

thanks :p quite possibly! I think his foster carer thought he was dane x mastiff ;)

I've heard about it also. I think if it does happen, it doesn't happen on a conscious level. I fostered an adorable lab x kelpie and he had no trouble finding a home, but he was extremely cute and only 10 weeks old. Here is my big and beautiful Black rescue dog:

:D

thanks I do take photos most days I might put some photos up for feedback. I think its composition I struggle with most :D

Pers they are amazing! I got my dslr for chrissy. And I enjoy it so much, love love taking photos with it! But I am really really crap at it my photos are really ordinary ;) I have been reading as much on the net (like digital photography school) and I can see some small improvements. but I figure it doesn't matter as long as I'm having fun with it and recording our family in images then that is good. Your photos are already really good so I don't think you should worry at all! I loved those ones you took!

See this is where I'm not getting it. As I said earlier, I'm a horror movie fan but I'm not the least bit interested in seeing a person murdered in real life. My bro has made a couple of horror genre movies - he's not a violent person. Tarentino is probably the dorkiest guy in the world but look at the films he makes and watches. My BIL used to test software for games and he's an Anglican Minister - you couldnt meet a bigger dork OK question for Aidan and Staranais - if a friend, boss, member of your family bought that app, would you think differently about them? Normal everyday person who just likes to play games on their android phone for a bit of escapism, has no intention of buying a dog to get into such a disgusting sport, just wants a bit of mindless time out. hi raz its just that it is like a piece of the puzzle in a bigger picture.

yes it was awful

I think that is a wise decision regarding which one to choose, think about exactly what you want in a dog. Then get the breeder to chose the one whose temperament most fits that. maybe you want a really confident extravert...maybe you want a dog with a sweeter nature.. one less active or more active... you get the idea good luck with it all

although I'm not anywhere near well versed in tis topic as Aidan, my understanding is the role that such video games/movies play is to normalise the behaviour. People can become desensitised to what they are seeing, especially when they watch/play it several times. and just as an interesting side note: Quite a few years ago my hubby and I went to a motorbike shop owned by a good friend of his. This guy was really nice guy, came across as a gentleman and in many ways he was, he did volunteer work and looked after his parents well and was just overall a nice guy. Anyway when we went to his shop he showed us his bull terriers, then another workman proceeded to get the two dogs (brother and sister) to fight each other. Our friend didn't mind him doing this to his dogs at all! I looked pretty horrified and the otherguy said its all right because if there gets to be too much blood they just pick them up by their tails and separate them for a while. Neither of them thought it was a big deal.

please do Jacqui your dog is Poochie right?

Thats the tone in the voice thats making the dog cringe. What you haven't addressed with presenting this video is when Jacqui walks into her house and her dog is displaying guilt right away, with nothing being said. Exactly the dog is responding to its owner's displeasure. remember that! don't you think if that scenario repeated itself several times the dog would learn to offer appeasment behaviours before the owner's angry voice began?

have a look at this video Jacqui835: http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2011/04/...mpse-at-guilty/

Well sure, point is though that you can find something a dog did several hours ago and punish it then and there and the dog knows exactly why it's being reprimanded. This isn't true when they're puppies, but you can see the transition as they age - by the time my dog was about 6 months old, if he'd peed in the house (usually because it was raining or something), he wouldn't come to greet me when I came home and I could tell how close I was getting to the scene of the crime by how far away from me my dog was keeping. And this was a dog who has never been beaten in his life, so I don't think he was worried that I'd hurt him, more he just seemed to fear my disapproval. However it wasn't until he'd been reprimanded that we could go back to being normal with each other again. If he'd done something naughty, he would act extra sheepy and sooky until I found it, told him off and then said, ok let's get on with life etc. but your logic is not perfect. All it means is that he knows that you + a puddle of wee = you cranky at him. I dare you to do an experiment. is there any bit of destruction he does relatively often while you're gone? such as raiding the garbage bin? Go out, get someone to knock over the garbage bin and spread it around, and see how he reacts when you come home.

I don't think dogs have a concept of 'wrong'. They have a concept of what is rewarding and what is punishing - that's for sure! 'right' and 'wrong' are human constructions.

I'm too far away so I just gave a donation.

:D I hear you. I was on the main street with my Great Dane boy who was 6 months old at the time, and we happened to be outside a pet shop and the pet shop owner ran out, thrust herself on him without even asking and then got really excited when she saw his nards and said "oh I'm so excited to have seen you because now we can use him to breed puppies for our shop - Great Danes would sell like hotcakes!" :D :)

That is so sad; I hope espacially your kids will be o.k.

well I don't have to deal with these problems as our designated dog park is so ridiculous that nobody - not one single dog and their human - uses it. it is really small, unfenced near a busy road, has no bin, it did have a tap but they removed the handle, but worst of all it is surrounded by houseyards full of dogs that go completely balistic when you are in there!

good panxer attack! Yeah walking with other dogs is so good i think because they can still be together and 'talk' to each other (via body language) but its not the same as just letting dogs play together. Your pappy is so cute. My daughter wants one so badly!

just have to really reiterate to not have the dog and kids in the same room for the time being. That he is not letting your 2 year old near you is a real warning sign.

thanks CWEW! :p oh my ososwift! You are so right, he was completely adorable! he was really snuggling into her chest and he ahd the most slinky body! Delta kept trying sneaky things to get closer to him she thought he was adorable too

thanks ososwift! Yes there is a bit of distance between us you've got a point there - maybe they do allow them I just remember being told flat collar, head collar or harness. I signed up to dog tree the other day and there are only four in my area and they haven't been to dog-tree for over a year - oh well. If anyone else joins up I'll be there waiting Anyway, I think I may have found a solution. Because last night on our walk a lady who I vaguely know came up and showed me her new whippet puppy. So once his vaccinations are all done, I might be able to have a walk with them. I think that's how I'm going to approach it. When i do see people walking there dogs I'm going to see if they're interested in walking together once a week