aussielover

Yes, my labrador puppy had the exact same thing, to the extent where she would crap herself from the stress. My suggestion would be the same as Diva- travel in the footwell of the car. It worked wonders with my girl, who was previously travelling in a crate also. She can now travel in any part of the car very happily- including the previously hated crate I would also recommend doing lots of work while the car is on, but still stationary and gradually build up from there. You may also like to consider a sedative if she has severe anxiety. I've also heard ginger is good for travel sickness.

Kateshep, what is your experience exactly with police dogs? I was also under the impression that an off leash police dog sent into a situation was there for one purspose- to disable (and that would most likely involve biting) any person in that area. I think the dogs temperament was perfectly suitable for its line of work.

so its not bad for their hips? Thank goodness!

Well I think a safe, secure backyard is often the best place to leave a pup if you are going out or a few hours or it can't be directly supervised for a few hours? I don't see how that is a problem. I think there is much more for the pup to do in a backyard than a crate. Obvoiusly being left out all day and night is not on, but lots of puppies are left in the yard during working hours.

what is a troll ;)

Well to be fair... (and this will make me sound like an idiot... which i guess i was for thinking it!) I thought I would be able to toilet train my puppy within a week or two...... when in reality she hasn't been reliable until recently (so 3 months later ;)) and i still don't think she is totally trustworthy in this regard. And I have had dogs all my life....

Well I've had two other dogs before Mindy, and I had TOTALLY forgotton what it was like to have a puppy again!!! When you are used to having an older, fully trained dog it is really, really, hard to remeber what "puppy stage" is like. It is really quite a shock to the system. And Ive been told my puppy is a reasonably well behaved, calm puppy, they can actually be much worse (hard for me to imagine LOL) !!!!

OK, this is getting a bit ridiculous. Firstly, I think the OP is just venting their frustration, better on here than at the pup hey? The pup does not need to be rehomed. I think many first time puppy owners are overwhelmed in the first week. The OP has stated she did not want to give the pup up, it is just harder than she expected. And the breeder has not acted in an ethical manner, which does not make it easy either. I mean selling a wormy pup that comes fully "toilet trained"... The OP has had a pretty hard time imo and people should try to support others and give useful advice not tell them they are basically too stupid/lazy/whatever to handle the pup and to rehome it. The OP has received some good advice from some experienced and helpful people and people who have had the same sort of issues. I hope the OP will consider getting in a private trainer to help out and give some tips. They sound fairly responsible to me- crate training, intneding to go to puppy school etc Even the food managament had the right INTENTION, however I hope the OP can now see that there are much safer, more effective ways of preventing food aggression (great post from persephone and a few others). Staffygirl- I hope you will stick around, you can leanrn a lot here, I know people here REALLY helped me out with my puppy, when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and down about her -toilet training -biting my legs -mouthing - barking at night etc....

I REALLY think dogs should be left alone while eating. I mean, how would you like it if someone kept taking your meal away or sticking their hands into your plate, or stroking/touching you while you ate? You may have a different opinion though if they kept adding, say chocolate, or something yummy though. You might then be quite willing to have them reach into your bowl then ;) Or if you had a carrot and they gave you an ice cream or something? Then you might be pretty willing to give up your food to them anytime, as you know you will always receive soemthing yummier (though i quite like carrots!)

Taking her food away and giving it back and putting your hands in her food WILL NOT prevent food aggression, also known as resource guarding. In fact, by making mealtimes stressful for pup, you may actually be increasing the likelihood of her becoming aggressive around food. If you are going to interefere with her meals (and personally i see no need), it is best to ADD extra, better food into the bowl, so she associates hands with more/better food. Also giving her a chew like a schmacko or pig ear, and then exchanging the food for an equal or better item can help with resource guarding.

Hey Staffygirl, Sorry to hear you are having a hard time with your pup It can be pretty overwhelming at first. I don't think any pup comes "toilet trained", in my experience even adult dogs may have an accident or two while they are settling in to a new home. My puppy also came to me with a preference for toileting on concrete/tiles, rather than grass. This was overcome in a week or two by keeping her on the leash while toileting and taking her to the same spot everytime. They need to go out at least every hour in the first few weeks. I really think crating a new pup for 3-4 hrs during the day is just too long, personally I would start with having them settled in there for 10 mins or so and gradually work up to long periods. Dogs will sometimes poo when they are stressed, so perhaps its just too much, too soon. Can you safely leave her outside or in a small room with access to outside, whilst you are away? Regarding overnight- Honestly, part of having a puppy is getting up in the night to let them out. It may not be the most enjoyable part though ;) For instance last night I had to get up 3 times 1am, 3am and then 5.30 am to let my puppy out as she had the runs (from eating god knows what crap). Honestly, I was just happy she wasn't going in my room (where she sleeps) and is finally at the stage of being asked to be let out. If I were you, I would be setting my alarm and getting up every 3-4 hrs to let pup out to toilet as it seems she can't hold on. In my opinion it is better to wake up a few times at night to let pup out for 5 mins, than to wake up to a smelly house and messy dog bed! I think the breeder has mislead you, but there is really no point in dwelling on that, all you can do is notify them of your probs and they will either help or not. In this case it looks like not I would recommend getting a private trainer come out and give you a few tips, or at least take the pup to obedience or puppy school. Good luck, it really does get better but you need to put in the time and effort- and it does make it worth it! There is nothing better than watching your puppy coming bounding up to you for hugs and kisses in the morning or snuggling up to you at night, or watching them master a new command or trick

well obviously, like any dog..... You can't determine the type and cause of the aggression just based on breed alone though. You kept talking about "working" and police handlers so I thought that you were under the impression the dog was working line? Though I realise that the dog may have potential for that sort of thing? is that what you were getting at?

I actually joined a month ago and popped in today for a read, this thread I found interesting and I decided to make a post for two reasons. 1. I thought it was good advice for people to express concern that Fiona had advised an inexperienced owner of a blocking technique that has the potential to go wrong if carried out incorrectly which is my advice also on a pet dog forum. 2. There is a difference between flaming someone for what she did as I mentioned above, but to flame the method she advised is what prompted me to post. Air blocking in the training of working dogs is common practice and for a person with years of working dog experience the method is not outrageous to them as the pet owners and trainers invisage. However, people do as the OP has along with many others choose working dogs for pets which often come with behavioural challenges that the average pet owner lacking experience with these dogs can't handle. Ultimately yes, a trainer needs to see the dog to make an accurate assessment of behaviour and some posted outrage how Fiona must be off the planet to make an assessment without seeing the dog. The behaviour of the OP's dog is common for a young GSD that has working potential and they often behave in exactly that manner and worse when not conditioned to avoid this escalation from a pup. This dog could be just as well at home on the end of a police officers leash as it is on the OP's couch, it is a GSD, a working dog after all. How a pet dog trainer and a working dog trainer may view a situation in the same dog and behaviour can be miles apart and at different ends of the spectrum is all that I wanted to point out. There is no cavalry involved at all, I agree that the method of correction was not the place here to recommend it, but from a working dog mentality I understand where the suggestion is coming from Pretty much every person who "flamed" Fiona, stated they did not have problem with the methodology itself, but rather the fact that she would recommend it: 1. on a dog she hasn't seen and assessed 2. to an insufficiently experienced person What is the point of putting such ideas into a persons head, who is clearly not a working dog handler or expereinced dog trainer? What is even worse, was that she didn't even bother to get all the details (eg the dog being walked on a halti, not a collar) and had the OP actually tried the suggested method, injury to handler and / or dog may have occured. Thankfully the OP was sensible enough not to take on board this particular piece of advice. Regarding your comments about GSDs, I don't think the OP ever said the dog was working line? The GSD is an all rounder and should make a perfectly suitable family pet. I rather think the issue is with the dog being attacked/annoyed by the other dog (spongey) rather than a breed specific thing.

The water spray is only bad if he actually *sees* you with the water bottle. The idea of it is to startle the pup- but they don't really know where it comes from- they think it is just coming out of nowhere! Stopping play was enough for my puppy to learn, but others are a bit more persistant. do you have a time out area (eg the laundary or a small room?) My puppy found outside very exciting so putting her out there didn;t really work!

yes, kills both types of fleas (well it should anyway). Cat products are the same ingredient but in a lower concentration.

I hope mia continues to do well and get better. Will be thinking of you guys tonight and sending positive healing thoughts to Mia.

It's Sian. But don't try pronouncing it! Actually, it's pronounced Shaarn. I'm from Wales, and it's a very common name at home. No, I don't have a muzzle. The visiting vet has them but he's not coming up here for another two and a half weeks. Not too keen to get one anyway, as it's been suggested to me this morning (and I've read the same many times) that muzzling him at the moment may actually exasperate the situation by increasing his frustration. I'm not against it, just want to be careful not to put him in a worse state. Now before you all start, yes I know that attacking a dog WILL put him in a worse state - as in possibly death row. I'm considering that. The other night when Rocky wanted to get to my friend's Shih-Tzu across the street from the chip shop, he was on a flat collar (because we'd been in the car and I hadn't intended getting him out) and it was hard to keep him with me when he lunged. Now, whenever we leave the house for whatever reason, I take the Gentle Leader and a short, strong, "Bungee" lead whith a flat handle. Much more control incase he sees another dog. Which we try to avoid anyway. We don't go for 'walks' as such, I drive him to, say, the beach, the other beach, the oval, the tennis courts, up river in the bush etc, and let him off leash there to run around or we have long games of fetch (practicing come, sit, stay, look, give, etc). So there's another question for you guys to chew on - What do people think about whether I should muzzle Rocky for now or not? Given his age and recent history, is it wise to muzzle him and risk making things worse? I'm leaning against it, going on proffessional advice, but just interested to hear what others think. I'm not sure whether muzzling will make Rocky worse. However, if you are going to take him to public places where there is even the slightest chance that he could come across and attack another dog, I think it is only fair to other dog owners to muzzle him. Because, some people have no control over their dogs and will let their smallies run up to him and some people just don't belive you if you tell them he may attack. do keep in mind that if he attacks a dog of his own size, he may be seriously injured while wearing a muzzle, if the other dog retaliates. Personally, i think it might be best if you can try to keep him away from other dogs as much as possible.

Yep, you can. But in the example I posted you'd be weighing up being bitten against being dragged across a busy road and/or you dog mauling another. I know which option I'd pick in that scenario. Or lets change the situation and suggest that your large dog lunges (unexpectantly and aggressively) at a child. Do you choose to A. get a handle on that dog and quickly, possibly get bitten in the process, or B. Let the dog attack the child?? *eta, wrong wording here, I dont met let as such, more not being able to control the dog due to its size and/or aggression. In emergency situations we need to make quick decisions. JMO I'm pretty sure most people suggested to muzzle the dog and restrict its access to other dogs until it can be assessed by a professional? As far as i can tell from the previous posts, the dog is not totally out of control dragging the owner across streets or anything. Obviously if it was, don't take the dog out until you can have it assessed.

It is important to note that well respected trainers, with PROVEN experience in dealing with aggressive dogs (successfully) have said even they would not give the sort of advice Malsrock (Fiona) has given over the internet. Furthermore, they have even gone so far as to say those methods, while suitable in a small percentage of dogs, would not be the first choice for every aggressive dog. I don't think there is any flaming going on, just pointing out that what Malsrock has said is potentially very dangerous and not suitbale advice to dispense on an online forum.

Try comfortis. It should be effective against all life stages. Also, flea bomb and spray your yard. do you actually have pet cats? I personally find advantix better than FL with fleas but advantix is toxic to cats. The FL spray on is better than the spot on.

12 week old Berner Puppy About the cutest thing I have EVER seen. Also had a 12 week old "white" GR sister.

any news on how Mia is doing?

I know people over 65 who are puppy raisers for guide dogs!!! I don't think you get much more full on than lab puppies haha I can barely cope and i'm only in my twenties and i have a relatively calm puppy. And they do it every year all over again Possibly wouldn't get a second dog until you're basically 100% happy with your current dogs training and behaviour. There is also the possibility that your dog won't like living with another, or they may initially get on, but then start fighting later... If you want another dog, it has to be for YOU and not for your dog.

Yep its happened to me. I called my dog away from a "field spaniel" the lady said no, its fine, she is friendly. About 2 minutes later my dog started walking up to this dog, got within about a meter and the dog went for her It actually cut her eyelid, it was lucky it wasn't the eye! The lady then said she was just putting her in her place. Bulls***!!!!

:D Puppies and dogs are never suitable as surprise gifts. People can fawn over your dog or over other puppies/dogs but this doesn't mean they actually want one of their own. Lots of people actually say "I wish i had a puppy/dog" ect but not REALLY mean it. The best thing would be for them to decide on their own whether they want a dog, let them do the research and then you can pay for the dog if you wish to give it as a "gift"