K9Nev

This is what I did with Kivi and it worked like a charm. He had stopped lunging in a matter of about 3 or 4 trials over about a week. I didn't do any setups, just worked on our normal walks. It helped that he wasn't wildly aroused when he was lunging and he was already pretty excited about his marker. I didn't have to use distance particularly, but I did with Erik, who gets more aroused than Kivi. Ha, this is where I'm STILL at. Kivi will sit or he'll be okay on a loose leash until the very last moment when the owner is bringing the other dog to him and he is within range of greeting. Then he pulls and he gets rewarded EVERY time because the owner of the other dog keeps coming on. It's so annoying! It takes too long to try to tell a person nicely to please wait where they are and we'll come to them. I've changed tactics and am working on a really solid "come to heel" instead. If he's in heel he is quite good about staying there, but I never used to ask for him to come back to heel from a position ahead of me, so that's what I'm teaching him. Anyway, if I can get him in heel before the dog gets in range I've got his attention and he'll actually forget about the other dog until it noses him and then he's like "Oh! Other dog. Where did he come from?" Hi Corvus, I understand what's happening from your description of the circumstances which sounds like you have done a fairly good job with Kivi but he lacks that little polish to tidy him up. I would personally add a correction into that moment where he takes it upon himself to break away and greet the approaching dog. I don't see that commanding a heel as a diversion in that instance is actually fixing the problem and boils down to the conditioning of a double command to eliminate the behaviour..........sit, then heel to prevent him from taking the greeting break away. It's workable to implement a double command, but ultimately, sit does mean sit and the dog must obey until you as the handler commands a release. Purely from picturing the scenario provided, I would be inclined to give him a leash pop and an "aagghhh" the moment his bum leaves the ground then reward him when he remains in a sit under the distraction of the approaching dog until you release him. Personally I don't think the behaviour you are working at correcting is difficult to achieve, but I see an aversive necessary in that instance to help speed up the training process and teach him more firmly what is required from the sit command. Cheers Nev

Can't say that I see black market mongrel dogs as a lucrative sales potential in general terms. Banning of pet shop puppies would certainly reduce impulse buying as the availability on hand is no longer there. Anyone wanting a puppy other than from a registered breeder is more difficult to scource and takes effort that the impulse buyer I don't believe will take that initiative. Personally I think it should be illegal to breed and sell puppies period unless you hold a breeders licence/registration. Cheers Nev

You would be surprised where E collars are used regularly in SA Why is that Bedazzled.............I am interested in your views on that??? Cheers Nev No, I haven't competed in ANKC obedience yet Bedazzled. If your question to me is leading towards informing me that E Collars are not permitted in competition, I do understand that, as they are not permitted in any competition that I am aware of, but regardless of the competition criteria, the training for any obedience routine can be conducted anywhere using any tools one may desire to condition the required behaviour outside of the competition/trialling ring is were E Collars can be used with great success. Cheers Nev

Very nice post Greytmate The information provided I think is an excellent overview especially for the novice potential dog owner to understand prior to obtaining their new addition to the family. Cheers Nev

I agree, from my experience, people who own DD's seem to be the snobbiest. Just the other day I was talking to a lady as I was buying some toys for our puppy. She asked me what I had and I said a golden retriever puppy. She then went "Oh, well I have a beagalier!" The way she said it was like "you only have a crappy GR, my dog is so much fancier" ;) I just turned and walked away before I said anything that I would regret... I agree with this also which seems to be a common pattern with DD owners. I have also known these people to claim their DD dogs are "papered"............can't imagine what the "papers" they are referring to I have seen a few Golden Retriever x Standard Poodle's which are popular in our area, but noticebly how different each dog looks. As a standard of reproduction these GR x Poodles I know of in appearance and size are all over the place. Cheers Nev

I have a black GSD that people often argue has "Kelpie in it".........Proper GSD's are black and tan this person argues like the one over there............pointing to a Belgian Malinios Cheers Nev

I would never recommend that a family with young children adopt a dog directly from a pound or shelter. A responsible, knowledgeable foster carer from a rescue that does extensive temperament testing is the way to go. A child's safety needs to be guarded by obtaining as much information about a dog BEFORE it enters the family. That can only be done by adopting a dog that has been observed for some time in, and in a home environment if possible. So, you think a puppy adopted from a shelter is going to kill 3 boys? LOL I used shelter as where I come from, most "shelters" test the dogs before rehoming, as opposed to pounds who don't. Technically speaking, a shelter pup of unkown parentage will provide the largest range of uncertainties how the pup will turn out as an adult and would be the aquisition I would avoid the most in the OP's situation. Breeding dogs to result in specific traits is quite a science in it's own rights that even the highly experienced often get wrong. The likelyhood of a shelter pup although not impossible, to turn out a particular way as an adult is probably the most unreliable prediction that anyone could make IMHO. Cheers Nev

I would never recommend that a family with young children adopt a dog directly from a pound or shelter. A responsible, knowledgeable foster carer from a rescue that does extensive temperament testing is the way to go. A child's safety needs to be guarded by obtaining as much information about a dog BEFORE it enters the family. That can only be done by adopting a dog that has been observed for some time in, and in a home environment if possible. I agree with this post, very useful information Cheers Nev

You would be surprised where E collars are used regularly in SA Why is that Bedazzled.............I am interested in your views on that??? Cheers Nev

You would be surprised where E collars are used regularly in SA

I would agree with ChristineX on this one too and hire a behaviourist to assess the dog. There are several ways to address handler aggression or reactive snapping as such but difficult to offer forum advice how best to manage it without seeing how and when the dog reacts. It's a behaviour that needs to be addressed with a professional person sooner rather than later IMHO. Cheers Nev

I think a German Shepherd would be most suitable for 4 boy's. Someone mentioned being sexist on one of the posts and with that in mind seriously, boys don't really want a girly (as in small dainty) dog if they are animal lovers. Boys by nature all like the thought of having a better or bigger dog than the next kid, and a good GSD would fit the bill perfectly IMO. Starting off with a puppy though, not an adult Shepherd, and raising it with the boys would be one of the best playmates in a dog that 4 boys could have. The GSD has the stability, nerve and stamina to keep up with all the childhood games thrown at it plus the benefits of being intelligent and trainable. Kids and drivey dogs both supplement their own necessities in life and make a great combination I think Cheers Nev

The same situation experienced in a working dog...........I would add a correction into the format along with the Denta stick reward for the dog to learn the difference between getting the exercise right and wrong. The E collar as an aversive nowdays is far superior to the old long leash back tie and correction method for a broken stay. Personally I think any dog faulting in especially out of sight stays is a good candidate for E collar work to simplify the drawn out process in the positive only conditioning. Cheers Nev

Any dog providing it has the required nerve structure is capable of competition, and mostly insuffient nerve strength is IMHO what separates the average dogs from the good ones in most cases. Ultimately high drive, thick nerved dogs are easiest to train, but lacking in drive I think is easier to overcome with adequate training than building nerve strength into a dog that is genetically deficient. Most competition day distractions and poor performances that otherwise in training are solidly conditioned are generally nerve strength issues that suppresses the dog's working ability. There are definitely situations where handlers could harness their dog's potential having greater training knowledge in how to exctract it, but on the other hand I see many handlers battle with dogs that are really no good in the first place. I think to be successful in competition and enjoy a dog sport to a high level, you are best training a dog with the right temperament platform for the type of competition/work required of it. It's hard enough to train a great dog, but extremely frustrating and double the effort to train a mediocre one Cheers Nev

You have been fortunate I think Sandgrubber, but it also depends on the bitches temperaments too. My experience with working GSD's, two dominant bitches together is a dangerous unpedredicatable combination and as someone else mentioned, they don't back off in a tiff and fight hard until enough injury causes one to retreat. Male's appear to have a code of ethics in comparison and never have I seen a scruff up turn into the injury levels that two bitches fighting will inflict upon each other. Dominant bitches will also pick a fight with a dominant male with the same result. I have always used caution in a kennel situation placing dominant bitches only with known submissive temperament animals as a rule. Often pet owners are not experienced in determining the type of dominant behaviour that ends up in violence running two or more bitches together until it's too late. Cheers Nev

I worked with, trained and owned GSD's for many years and to me, no other breed has big enough feet to fill their shoes.........totally adore the GSD My last GSD passed on in 2005 at 15 years of age at the time a job opportunity came up for us to relocate to Australia and we made a decision, no more dogs as a dog days were over. About 3 weeks into the new job in early '06, someone mentioned a friend of theirs contemplating euthanasing a 2 year old GSD that was aggressive and out of control which the comment stuck in the back of my head. Within a couple of hours I couldn't help myself to ask my work collegue if I could have a look at that dog which I did that night. He was a bit nervy and the owners couldn't handle him and was tied up out the back, anyway, I phoned my wife telling her that I need to bring this GSD home that was facing being PTS........she agreed and home he came that night and our dog days began all over again. We have two GSD's now........can't live without Shepherd's in our lives Cheers Nev

He sounds like a nice pup with good nerve willing to investigate the unknown. The movement is what encourages him to chase and bite which is typical prey drive reaction, but the behaviour can become a nuisence if not channelled in the right direction. The barking is basically excitement to chase and play, nothing to worry about, but I would separate him from those activities so that he doesn't see them to prevent development of the behaviour which can become more intense if allowed to continue. Playing ball is a good alternative to satisfy a pup's desire to chase and capture Cheers Nev

That's a sad behaviour for a GSD........either he has had some nasty experiences in early life or is genetically imparied in temperament, none the less, a good behaviourist is what IMHO is required quite urgently to assess the dog. Establishing how he gets out and fixing that issue to prevent escape would be a priority for me too. Good luck with his rehabilitation Cheers Nev

I agree SecretKei, at 11 weeks old a fear reaction would be to run away and aggression at that age is also doubtful but more prey drive reaction in play. It's actually a trait that many working dog people would be thrilled to see that reaction in such a young pup Personally, I would crate him or keep him away from those activities for the time being. Cheers Nev

A very good post Nekhbet I totally agree. For anyone preferring even a visual deterrent in a dog, they need to be breeds well known for guardian instincts and protection roles, like a GSD or Rottweiler to begin with. From my own experience walking trained protection dogs and family pets of particular breeds in public places, people's reaction towards the breed is the same and most potential offenders are wary of those breeds being unkown to them what level of training the dog has achieved. It's easier to bluff someone that a GSD or Rotty will attack if necessary than threatening someone with the actions of a non guardian breed. You can train dogs in suspicion for them to bark at people and bounce around on the end of the leash, but the down fall is that the dog becomes extremely difficult to handle and bad mannered viewing everyone as a potential threat. Training in suspicion, agitation and rewarding such behaviour without the proper conditioning and obedience training of true protection dog IMHO, is a dangerous practice waiting to go wrong and is best avoided. Teaching a prey driven yap without defensive aggression is probably less effective to a potential offender than a dog standing silently aloof by your side. Unless a dog is protection trained properly and it's training is regularly maintained, I wouldn't personally rely on any dog for protection in the time of crisis. Cheers Nev

Hi Whippets, I have had similar experiences with bitches together and totally agree with your perception of things. I prefer males together also, even entire males providing there are no bitches in season present to compete for there is generally a line of respect amongst them. Cheers Nev

The breed could make a difference perhaps in some circumstances, but the worse fights I have seen in my breed GSD's have been two bitches that have got on well for a couple of years then one snaps and their relationship is on shakey grounds from then on. Dominant bitches will fight a male I have found also, but two males I have found the best. If they do hate each other which can happen, it's consistant hate and can't be together at all, but if two males bond and respect each other, they are generally fine for life other than the odd minor warning snap and the other backs off without any serious violence.

I think two females have the most potential to fight than male/female and male/male combinations with less predictability. Personally if already having a female, I would get a male as the second dog

The Ivan Balabanov CD's teach the training process of the Schutzhund heel which are very good and as Erny suggested is trained in drive

Good point, thanks