aussielover

I think danielle just started this thread asking for advice which was given- PTS or behavioural assessment. It has escalated and gotten a bit out of hand as many of these threads do. She may have exaggerated the problems of the pup when speaking with Danielle and the pup may be fine to rehome (I hopse this is the case). However, in light of the gumtree ad I think its fair to say she is possibly not the most responsible person.

How is she going to give it to someone else, if she can't even handle it? How is someone going to come and get her if shes trying to bite their face off? I think we haven't all the facts and haven't been told the full truth here.

she has 4 other dogs?

How much do you exercise him per day? I'd be doing some leash walking to focus him and also regular obedience training to mentally stimulate him. in my opinion he should be getting at least 20 mintues of exercise a day outside the home (eg dog park, leash walk, playdate with a friend) Start playing fun games with him in the yard such as catching a ball or playing chaseys or tug or something so he associated being outside with having fun. I would start feeding him in is crate only, so he learns to like it. You can also play some games etc in the crate. Situate the crate where he can still see you.

I have the additional problem that Mindy must walk ahead of me and cannot have her attention focussed on me all the time. At the moment she can focus on me if there is a distraction but hopfully she should ignore distractions more frequently. She has been really good walking on a loose leash but apparently she needs to be more ahead of me and pulling on the leash a bit more lol! I walk on leash her for around 15 minutes to half an hour per day. although 30 mins sounds like a long time, we don't actually get as far as you would when you walk at normal pace.

Personally I would leave a heavy ceramic bowl or something similar that he won't be able to knock over and play with. Many trainers recommend withholding water overnight for toilet training reasons but I don't actually agree with this, I think my puppy got a UTI whe we tried this

I would really work on his name recognition. Call his name and treat him when he looks at you. Initially, I was told to basically "force feed" them ie. don't give them any chance to look away and they will associate their name with food. Now Mindy is pretty good with her name, and if she gets distracted, I just call her name and she (usually) focuses on me. Actually using a clicker or a marker word is more effective than this for me. She will focus 100% if I say "yes" But then you have to treat right away so I;m not sure if it would be a good idea to use this all the time. I usually only do it in an "emergency" like when we a trying to pass other dogs or high value items. I hope this helps you

Haha, actually sadly my animal behaviour and welfare lecturer told us this.... hmmmm he has some "interesting" views imo. Thanks for all your answers! I am sure it is much harder than it sounds! But would love to get into it even if just for fun.

erm wasn't it only recently that people were bagging a person with a 4 month old labrador puppy for not being dedicated enough with their puppy that they considered to be aggressive? (well maybe not recently, but I definitely remember reading aboutthis issue in a post here) The person thought it may be genetic or something and said if they couldn't correct the probs without going to a professional they would get rid of it or send it back to the breeder. I recall many people saying it was impossible for a 4 month old pup to show true aggression. I don't think anyone suggested being PTS. The OP also hasn't said anything about whether the dog has actually drawn blood or caused actual injury when it has "bitten", perhaps the OP could clarify that? I don't know, i've been following this thread for a while and it is quite sad. Obviously not ideal for all involved in the situation. Could a working dog rescue or something come and assess it or something? Something needs to be done ASAP for the child's sake, unfortunately this may be to the detriment of the pup No offence to the OP but they don't exactly sound responsible (with dogs) and unless a miracle occurs I am thinking the green dream is looking more and more likely.

In regard to the smelliness I think any breed of dog can become smelly, its more about the grooming and care they receive. I have met smelly poodles before when many people say these dogs don't smell at all (a lie) I've met heaps of smelly labs but I also have a lab and she is not smelly at all (or maybe i just can't smell it myself ) as I do regular grooming with her and she is mainly an inside dog.

That's true - from what I know, most jobs that give you hands on experience with dogs don't pay terribly well. Vet would be about the only exception I can think of. I'm currently studying vet science, and can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing. Like they say "do a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life!" On the other hand, it is hard, hard work, it takes ages, you have to do some rather nasty things along the way, and you generally end up seriously in debt by the end of the degree. So, definitely not everyone's cup of tea. I'd say to the OP, if you think you might be interested in doing vet or vet nursing, volunteer at a clinic for a few weeks to see if you like it. Vet clinics are generally used to having vet students or vet nurse students there seeing practice, so most clinics will take you on for a week or two if you say you're interested in getting into vet school or becoming a vet nurse. I'm sorry, but haven't you been told yet thats vets don't get paid well at all! Except if you are a practice owner (of a very successful practice) or work for a drug company or something. Even specialists don't end up getting that much when you consider how much study they have to do. The average starting salary in australia is only $38 000 a year. We got told all this in our first year in professional practuce. Probably to weed out the ones only in for money lol! I notice you are from overseas though, perhaps the pay is a bit better there. But we don't do it for the money

with absolute respect and not trying to be rude (things can come across as such on a forum-and i really don't want to be misunderstood ), i think that is pretty naive aussielover. resuce orgs will not take on a HA dog, but more importantly by keeping this dog with a child you can be not only endangering the child physically but also mentally scarring it for life. i live with a phobia and wouldn't wish it on anyone. it doesn't take much to give children serious fears and phobias and the longer this pup lives with a child the more likely it is that some damage will be done. "it is only fair" to get this poor pup, who is probably scared out of its mind and freaking out, humanely euth'ed. after all, professionals on this forum don't need to know a whole lot more about the pup that the behaviour described-if they were trying to rehab it, of course they would need mounds more info, but to make an assesment on the best option for the dog and the family? that one is easy, take it to the vet and put it down. it is in the best interests of the dog, the parents and the child. i feel really sorry for the people who took this dog on, yes they were silly, but someone palmed off a sad situation onto them and now they have to do the hard thing. jeeze, people can really suck sometimes, can't they? I know you're not trying to be rude But my point is, we are making recommendations to PTS based on second hand information, obviously i'm not saying the OP is lying but the owner could certainly be exaggerating or even misinterpreting the situations. Very few here are qualified behaviourists and I doubt that a qualified behaviourist or great dog trainer would assess such a situation based on online, second hand info. Again, not trying to be rude, but I think you're quite wrong about professionals not needing to know more than what has been said here on the forum. In my opinion the responsible thing to do was get the dog assessed ASAP. I'm not saying its wrong to PTS. Also, in light of the new info regarding the lump on the head- a trip to the vet is required! Howver, I also accept the fact the the decision is up to the owner, I am disappointed to hear they will not get the puppy professionally assessed. Hopefully the person they manage to pass it on to will be able to help the poor thing more

I've been working really hard with my puppy 's loose leash walking and she has really come along way, only to be told yesterday by guide dogs that she should work on pulling on the leash a bit more

So can they touch it at all? This is a very sad situation The poor pup obviously has not had a good start to what will probably be a very short life I don't believe these sort or problems can be diagnosed or solved over the internet. No one here has seen the pups actual behaviour and although PTS may well be the best option, wouldn't it be best to get the opinion of a professional who can see the pup in person and see how it interacts etc I believe they should get a behaviourist or experienced trainer to assess the pup and make a decision based on this. It is only fair to the pup to at least give it one last chance.

What age can a dog or puppy starting doing actual obedience trials? I was on the DOGS NSW website and they CD level looks quite basic, I would assume a puppy (<12 months) could do most if not all of these exercises. Novice (C.D.) Obedience trialling at the Novice level consists of the performance of a number of exercises in a formal ring situation. These exercises are: * Heel Free * Stand Free for Examination * Recall Retrieve on the Flat or Change of Position * 1 minute Sit Stay * 1 minute Down Stay Three passes of a minimum of 170 points out of a possible 200 under at least two different judges will qualify the dog for the award Companion Dog, which follows after the dog's name and is normally abbreviated to C.D. What is a change of position? Also, I've heard many top obedience trainers get their puppy at 6 weeks of age and all the dogs are kept outside in runs, so as to maximise the trainers "status" to the dog. I would love to get into obedience with my next dog, but I also want it to be able to get on the couch with me, sleep on my bed, live inside? Is it possible to achieve the higher levels if you have more "relaxed" house rules? I know my current puppy would be good, she can do most of the above exercises (we don't do a conventional heel though) but she is a guide dog so no competitions for her

I work as a vet nurse at the moment casually, the best way to get into that specific career is to volunteer at a vet for a while. Some of our other nurses also work for a pet sitting/minding company where they will look after people's pets while they are away. This involves walking dogs, giving medictaion (sometimes), feeding etc all the general stuff. It might be a good starting point as most "companies" are usually looking for people to do this sort of work (I've had 3 people contact me wokring for them). Then you can say you've had experience working with animals should you wish do something more. I don't think dog trainers really make that much money, I heard guide dog trainers get around $40,000 average which is the same (a bit more) than for a new graduate vet. A number of organisations offer cadetships. It would be really fulfilling and awesome though! Assistance dogs usually recruits already experienced trainers.

What happens if you just ignore ther? will she toilet in the laundary? I would get up as soon as she scratches at the door let her toilet and then put her back in the laundary and go back to bed. Also, don't let her sleep AT ALL one to two hrs before bed. You could play with her or do some training or maybe take her for a walk or something. Hopefully she will be more tired this way. It is very frustrating when they do this- I know how you feel I had the same sort of issues with my puppy! Mine were solved by moving the crate into my bedroom though.

No offence to goldie people, but I have found many of them to be smelly (the dogs, not the people ;)). They also are very heavy shedders- don't wear anything black! I'm sure regular bathing and grooming can help to minimize this. Is she specifically after a large dog?

I htought dog were allowed at cafes as long as they are outside and aren't being given any food? I often take my dog to cafe's near my place on the way back from a walk.

all dogs must be reactive to some degree unless sleeping or dead lol Most "normal" (not aggressive or fearful) dogs get excited or happy seeing another person or a new dog. So does reactive mean this behaviour becomes out of control or unmanagable? My old dog would react "aggressively" if dogs jumped on her or ran up in her face. However I personally consider this normal behaviour for an older dog. The noise was quite bad, but she never actually injured another dog or broke the skin. She was also fine with young puppies as i suppose they still had their "puppy licence" I did feel uncomfortable though as some owners could not see that their dogs behaviour was inappropriate. So I suppose she was predictably reactive? My new puppy is one of those puppies that would run and jump on an older dop if allowed lol!

So you would not muzzle a dog that has caused serious injury to a member of public? I'm not saying don't take it out at all but I personally think it is irresponsible NOT to muzzle a dog that has a history of causing serious injury. Especially seeing as we don't know all the facts.

I am glad the Rottie is not being PTS, but i believe the owner should seek the help of a professional behaviourist/trainer, to ensure the dog does not do this again. I'm sorry, but the girl did not step into the dogs territory (yes she stepped into his personal space), it was a public place (different story if in the dogs own home). I believe a person should be able to give a dog a treat without having their face ripped off. I don't know what actions the girl took to provoke the dog into doing this, perhaps bending over it or something, but surely a well socialised, well adpated dog that has been taught bite inhibition would AT MOST give a warning nip or growl- not rip her lip off. I don't think this dog is safe to take out in public places, sure it might be fine around it's owbers or knowledgeable dog people but the majority of people don't know much about dog behaviour. I personally expect my dogs to cope with most social situations, including people bending over them to give a treat or pats. I hope the girl recovers and they owner takes some responsibility for the actions of his dog and ensures it does not happen again.

Totally agree with the first statement! I think people like to have the dogs sleep outside (even if they are inside during the day) so they don't have to get up to toilet the dog/pup if required.

Congrats on getting your pup! Pictures please... Regarding the toilet training, why don't you block off the deck area and put his kennel and sleeping basket/whatever on the grass? This way he can't make mistakes. I'm sure he is peferctly fine outside, many dogs prefer to sleep outside anyway but perhaps it would be a good idea to crate train him and sleep him in laundary for a few weeks especially while it is cold. Believe me, crate training really speeds up the toilet training process, my puppy only ever soiled her crate overnight twice and is now sleeping in my room with no probelms or accidents overnight (and she is only 4 months old).

while it is tragic that the little dog was attacked and badly injured, surely people realise any large size dog could inflict the same amount of damage if they wanted to. So should we ban all medium/large size dogs because they are potentially "loaded guns"?