GoldenGirl85

I bathed Lexi today and noticed these sores on her, she has 4 in total, one on each ear, one on her rump just next to her tail, and one in her armpit, I just want to know if they are hotspots and can they be treated with curash? or should I take her to the vet about them tonight? Ear Other ear Rump/tail Armpit They dont seem to be bothering her at all, I did notice that her ears were itchy last night but I couldnt see anything there Anyway im off to the supermarket to get some curash, Ive been meaning to get some to keep on hand, hopefully when I get back Ill have some responses WOW, hope these pics reduce in size for everyone like they do for me lol...wish stupid fb was working

I used to do what Rileys mum did but with tent pegs, squash the end a bit so a PVC pipe will fit on it, or if you were interested in those fold out ones I mentioned earlier I can see if the lady has some and organise a set for you

Huskies do clean themselves like cats (or at least mine does) but I think most Spitz breeds do to some extent. But yeah, definitely not a first time dog owner breed (unless they know what they're getting themselves into, of course). Ahh, good to hear that he wasnt totally full of shit lol, unfortunately I did a poor job of convincing him that Huskys arent a first time dog and are very difficult to train etc if you arent experienced with dogs...so hopefully he sticks with cats

Oh dear lol

I once had a non dog person tell me that the only breed of dog they would consider getting would be a Husky, because they are the only breed of dog with a cat like characteristic...apparently they clean themselves the same as cats do...no surprise this person was a cat person lol I havnt actually bothered to find out if this piece of trivia is true or not, lol, but it did give me a laugh, especially when I told the person that there is no way a first time dog owner should get a breed like a Husky

I had a very similar conversation recently... :p

You might be better off posting this in the breeding section, they will be able to give you the right advice. Good luck :p

I misread you lol, so you mean to put the tug down, and send her to it right? We had a bit more success tonight, I started TOT, tied her up and brought the food out, teased her a little and walked out infront and put it down, now she was totally focused on me the whole time I was walking back and when I stood next to her, after a couple of seconds she did glance back at the food but only for a brief second, then her focus was back on me, so I marked it and then let her off with a release command (Ive decided to use 'go get it' for anything food related) and she went straight for it

Im starting to think she is playing dumb now lol So in the situation I had last night, she was 'working' for dinner, but she surrendered, so should I have packed it up and gone inside and waited before she had her dinner? (I was getting eaten alive by mozzies...insect repellant tonight I think lol) thanks, ill keep all this in mind

How hesitant? If the word itself really is a big problem to her, then I might change it, if it were me. But if it is just hesitation and then goes to the food, I'd stick with the word. Just release to the food and then leave her rather than standing there to watch her. Also - if she'll play with toys, teach her 'tug' and use "break" as her release word. This should be quite an active game yet a short one. Is something that she might engage in without hesitating and can also help build confidence. ETA: Sorry - just read MRB's post and see that she's already mentioned playing tug. When I release her she will move her weight forward, look back at me, I say it again (I know Im not supposed to) she will inch towards the food, sometimes I have to tell her about 4 times before she will go for it...should I just leave her to it once Ive said it the first time? Ive been teaching her 'give' as a release from tug, but we dont have any words for the action of tugging as yet, she doesnt seem to catch on when I say "tug tug tug" when we are actually tugging lol My girl is speshal

All I'd suggest you concern yourself and your dog with at the moment is the initial phase of TOT. Keep it really basic. IE Your dog must wait (so tie out if you must) and must make eye contact with you. At the very second of eye contact say "yes" and "free" (or whatever your release command is) and in that very instance release her to let her have her meal. Just use some patience until she catches on. Wait next to her. Give her a minute to think it out. Some dogs will make the eye contact just because they are wondering what the heck you are doing (or why you are not doing anything ...... they are so used to us being impatient, lol). But if she doesn't offer the eye contact you can help her out by making a noise (click your tongue or something) to encourage her to look up. If she's not a dog that will easily make eye contact, then you can reward ("yes" and "free" .... and let her have her meal) if she turns her head in your general direction; or glances in your general direction. And then bit by bit making it so that she will actually make the eye contact. I already do that already, and its when I release her that she will be hesitant about taking it, do you think I should use a different word other than break?

We went from this (this was my JRTs bed by the way) and within a couple of weeks we were like this Just to show how much of a lady my girl is

Thanks Erny, Ive never really read that thread much, but mostly because I have trouble keeping track when Im reading massive posts like that, Ive just printed it off Steves website so I can read through it properly

Yes, she inhales her food, Ive taken to watering her chicken mince down so its like soup, and her kibble gets scattered on the lawn, which is when we play the 'break' game

Even before I reached this post, I was already wondering if Lexi has worked out that surrendering IS the way to winning (her perception of "win" anyway). Try some "agility" work. This doesn't need to be elaborate - even something like a sturdy, strong wooden or plastic storage box will do it to begin with. Tell her "hup!" and when she's up, offer the food reward and praise. If she doesn't want the food, don't worry about it. Just keep smiling and tell her how very clever she is. Puff out your chest to show how proud you are of her talent. Then indicate to get down and tell her "off". Repeat with the praise but no food. Repeat "hup" and offer food and praise. Continue with two or three of these repeats. Hmm maybe, what do you suggest I do if Im faced with the situation like last night, she was surrendering at the puzzle, this was before dinner, so should I have fasted her and waited it out? or just put it away and fed her like I ended up doing? Ill have a go at some basic agility stuff with her

Sounds like she is not sure what the break command means anymore - sounds like she thinks that she might get in trouble for eating the food even after the "break" command is given? Is there any food she really likes to eat, that she has good drive for and will eat around you? Roast chicken, roast meat, smelly cheese, perhaps after skipping a meal? Can you maybe reteach the meaning of the break command using that? Just showing her the food in your closed hand, saying "break!" and opening your hand so she can get the food should do it to get her interested in earning the food again & understanding that "break" means it's OK to take. That would be my first port of call probably, anyway. Hmm, fair point, I might have to have a go at this

I used to do a lot of sit/drop, put some food down and release her to it, but even lately she wont drive to the food like she used to, its more like this (release word being break) "BREAK" (Lexi will move forwards, maybe move a front foot or two) "Lexi, break" (Lexi will slowly idle over, unsure if she is supposed to be eating the food) This is a game we have been playing since the beginning, I also had her targetting her feet on a board a few months ago, but now...she wont do anything except cower and roll on her back

she wont work for food at all, Ive tried hiding food under a bowl, she basically just gives up if its not handed to her on a platter...almost as if she thinks its too hard I just want to stimulate her mind a bit lol, she is living up to her hair colour atm

Lexi has always been a shy, but confident pup, but Ive noticed in recent weeks/months that has changed drastically Last night I got their puzzle out and put some raw beef inside, Tess had her go and worked it out instantly, put Tess away and set it up for Lexi...she knew there was beef inside, but seemed to be scared to try and work it out, she would just lay on her back and surrender, even though I was encouraging her with a "yes" marker every time she looked like getting it, so I went and got my clicker, which got me a bit further, but still no win for either of us Im not sure what sparked this, I have a feeling it could have been my last housemate (not my house so I have no say in who lives here) but anyway, this guy came up to me one day and said that Lexi cowers at his feet all the time now, and then went on to say that he caught her with a spray bottle and he took it off her and just "popped" her on the head...it took all my effort not to loose it with the guy, but I explained to him that Lexi doesnt need that sort of reinforcement, she is a very sensitive dog and all you really need to do is lower your voice at her Anyway I dont know what to do with her now, she seems to have lost any confidence she did have in herself, training has been a bit impossible lately because of the rain (I dont think training in the rain will help) and I honestly thought that being a food driven Goldie, she would eventually work that puzzle out, but no, she doesnt even seem to have any drive for food these days, of course she will eat whats on offer, but she doesnt seem to want to work for the food like she used to

No advice sorry, but until you do get this sorted out Id be muzzling him in public...its not worth the risk of it happening again

I wonder if Millie might benefit a bit by having you racing her to the end to get the toy, that way she might pick up a bit more drive and she will learn the toy is at the end she doesnt have to look back for it, there was one go where you did run to the end with her and she looked a lot better After watching the video back myself and all the tips from here, my next session I am going to try to incorporate a few of these great suggestions Ill have to try and get a video of my girls training...if the rain stops...Ive got opposite problems with both of them Tess has the issue I mentioned above, and Lexi, while she has a lot of prey drive, Im having trouble transferring that drive onto a toy, she gets that the poles mean something, but thats it, she wont run through them, rather she will put her front feet through and stand there looking at me

Would you be able to touch her if you were wearing gloves?

I wonder if Millie might benefit a bit by having you racing her to the end to get the toy, that way she might pick up a bit more drive and she will learn the toy is at the end she doesnt have to look back for it, there was one go where you did run to the end with her and she looked a lot better

Sorry guys Im not going to make this one, Im heading up the coast for the weekend

Wow RS your girls look good! My main problem with Tess is that she is very toy driven...a little too toy driven, Ive taken her right back to the beginning, she is on one set of poles and so far Ive only got her either on fully open or on 2 and 8 o'clock, problem is that she knows Im going to throw the toy, and she will just race forward anticipating the toss, sometimes she gets through the poles and she gets the toy, other times she goes outside the poles and she gets nothing, but I dont think she is actually realising the poles are the solution to the equation, do you think I need to spend more time building value with the poles? She is already a weaving dog but has no drive and her entries are really bad, which is why we are going back to basics