Leelaa17

my older GSD male Max is extremely stubborn - if I ask him to sit before I give him a pat on the head or before he can come inside he looks at me in a 'I don't think I need to sit right now, I'll sit when I want' look. He is EXTREMELY smart though. He learns things extremely quickly and ALWAYS gives people eye contact (which I think is cute). One thing he does that I love (we're still in training but hes very good with stay) is I ask him to stay at the back door when its open and I will go away and do something - when I eventually come back he is still waiting there. hes such a good boy and jenna - shes unbelievable. She learnt 'drop' after one go of showing her what to do - I couldnt believe it. Now she will do it all the time - shes extremely quick at learning but, again, also EXTREMELY stubborn - when we ask her to get out of the kitchen she goes out and then walks straight back in again - she doesnt seem to get the point. lol

thats fantastic news!

I think that's really exciting!!

lol. I agree with all of you. It is interesting though because there are some 'smart dogs' that are really dumb and some 'dumb' dogs that are really smart. For example, my MIL's maltese is EXTREMELY smart. We used to play hide and seek with her (my partner and I) and we would hide somewhere around our very small house and one of us would take her upstairs and then we'd howl (to let the other person and Mia know we were hiding and ready) and she would find us within seconds no matter where we were - of course she used smell and hearing, but the interesting thing was that every time she came down she would quickly scout the previous spots to make sure we werent hiding in the same place. She does other things as well such as sit befopre being fed - if she doesnt get told 'eat' then she would sit there for hours waiting - shes actually extremely intelligent.

I have been to a TON of websites and all of them say the same thing, yet only about a year ago the top 10 was VERY different. I want to know what people think of this list? 1. Border Collie 2. Poodle 3. German Shepherd 4. Golden Retriever 5. Doberman Pinscher 6. Shetland Sheepdog 7. Labrador Retriever 8. The Papillion 9. Rottweiler 10. Australian Cattle Dog

Do you mean Shih Tzu? Definitely agree with any dog you get, you must socialise the dog. Any dog you get, no matter how awesome the breed is, will have issues if you don't. wow im really not going well today am i??? LOL its a monday leave me alone!!!!

There is no such thing as a Maltese terrier... the breed is Maltese and they aren't a terrier but rather a spaniel closely related to the Bichon Frise. It's my pet peeve to hear the Maltese referred to as a terrier Sorry All dogs of any size need socialization to become good pets. Mostly dogs have "attitude problems" because of their upbringing not their breed. I wanted to mention that my Maltese is very quiet and only barks if there is something strange going on i.e. person in front yard or stranger outside. She never barks at visitors inside as some dogs do. I also wanted to mention that if a Maltese is kept in a "puppy cut" (short) then you don't have to brush them as often - a weekly brush would be sufficient. My Maltese is currently in a longer cut (about 8 cm long on body and legs with face and tail about 12 cm long) and I only have to brush her every other day to keep her tangle free. It depends on the coat and activity of the dog. A correct silky coat is actually very easy to care for - it's the woolly or cotton incorrect coat that is harder to care for (this is what most pet shop Maltese have). REALLY?? I had no idea! I retract my statement! lol sorry about that. it would annoy me too if people called my particular breed by the wrong name! lol And I wasnt trying to say all maltese are like the one I described - the one I described is my MIL's dog - who we failed to socialise as a pup and who has a problem with every sog it comes into contact with. Not all maltese are like this of course - I have met some very plesant maltese dogs and I absolutely adore them as a breed!!!

I'm pretty sure they don't mean this. DogTech area franchise and I believe this is one of their stock standard measures. Personally, I'd never go to a franchise that people have bought into without doing something like the NDTF course. Leelaa - If I haven't confused you with someone else, I believe you're waiting to see Steve from ProK9? If I was in your position, I'd wait until I saw him before I tried something. Trying lots of different things can often lead to a very confused dog. Dogs also tend to pick up when we aren't convinced of what we're doing - they can be manipulative little sh*ts! So, I'd do some trick training and games at home, some on lead walks, no dog parks etc until I saw someone that I could trust and I'd follow their advice 100%. If I felt uncomfortable with it I'd ask them for reasons etc. FWIW, I do agree that it is important not to humanise a dog. Dogs don't need lots of cuddles and "aaww,,,snooky pookies". They need exercise and rules. And then some affection. The ignore method worked very well for me, but I had a dog that had come straight from being bred at a puppy farm. She was terrified of all people and ignoring her helped take the pressure off. ETA: If Erny is reading this, I realise the irony of me saying that dogs don't need lots of "awww....snooky pookies" ;) I havent finished reading all your comments yet but I want to thank everyone for their advice. You have all been so helpful. Over the weekend my dad tied max and Jen up for about 10 minutes (at separate times) - Jenna whined because thats just what she does but we ignored her (we normally do anyway) and max just sort of sat there and waited for us to come back. it didnt seem to stress them out at all. I have also been showing them less affection (absolutely no affection if they havent done anything for me) a- so when I ask them to sit or I asked them to do something then I pat them on the head. When they come up and try to nuzzle me or give me kisses I completely ignore them and then when they walk away I call them back and give them a pat (because its on my terms?). to Erny: Older dogs are 16yo and 14yo they are in REASONABLY good health... I mean they arent dying but they are very old - one has dementia. (the 16yo) and when I say hassle I mean jenna will chase them when they walk somewhere, she will paw them and try to (even though she DOES do it very gently) play with them. to megan: yes I do still want to see steve. I am waiting because I want the dogs to get trained a little more before I get Jennas behaviour OUTSIDE of them home assessed. Thank you all again. you have been so very helpful.!!!!!

Also - just FYI - I used to get worried when they panted too much as well - but if you compare it to us when we sweat - we dont worry about ourselves or our health if we are dripping with sweat - its same for dogs - when they pant A LOT its the same as we'd just run a marathon in 40degree heat - its just like them sweating heaps

I rarely... if EVER... cry from laughter..... and I am crying right now. This is actually EXTREMELY funny. I am at work and trying to be quiet but its very hard. I love the 2minute mark where the one of the right is try to stop him from eating - its like hes got a split personality. effing hilarious!!!!!!! ;) ;) ;)

I would want free give-aways - such as treat bags and branded toys etc. (I love free stuff) - I think it would also be important to have an expert of some sort at a stall talking about different breeds of dogs and all things dogs - I have met DR Harry and interviewed him for a uni assignment and he was very helpful when I asked him things about my dogs. (this was last yr at the Easter Show). I would love to see Dog tricks and agility stuff (I've never actually been to a dog show so please bear with me - I know pretty much NOTHING about dog shows etc - and I get upset when I see a dog lose... I actually cry - I know I am a d**khead... I just get so upset because they all are fantastic.... hahaha oh deaR) I am actually going to my first dog championship over the easter weekend - Its the GSD Championship at Erskine Pk in NSW... I was wondering (a bit OT) if anyone could tell me what I would expect as well? I would also love to see dogs at a dog expo! All different kinds - And I would love it if the dogs could come along too of course!

Huh? It's on at Rosehill Racecourse every year. But yep.. lots of stalls... and show bags at stalls Everyone LOVES getting showbags full of crap lol! lol I was just about to say that? I went last year and plan on going this year - absolutely love theeee *singing* Sydney Pet and Animal Expo, Pets and Animals of Ev-er-y Kind!" ;)

me too - I almost had a heart attack when the first one slipped.

I also vote Cavalier King Charles. They are great small dogs (my very old one is a cav x chinese crested - but they have hair ). And they dont have attitude problem. But I do believe that attitude problems comes from poor socialisation - especially with maltese terriers - they are FANTASTIC dogs - funny and very cute (and shitzus) BUT.... BUT BUT BUT... if you get one - SOCIALISE IT. Because they develop 'little dog syndrome' and become nasty to all bigger dogs. lol

Max and Jen do the same thing. Except when I try to dry them (both of them but at separate times) they roll themselves up in the towel and try to steal the towel away from me. very cute!

good to hear your dog is ok now!!!

I have the same situation with Max and Jen (not so much Jenna) but Max has this way about him that makes people want to leave him alone - I don't know why because he is an EXTREMELYYYY loving dog... not so great with people though - he would NEVER hurt another human or dog for that matter but he does like to bark at people... which normally makes people back off. lol easy peasy

I was always taught 1. not to pat strange dogs - actually, not to go NEAR strange dogs lol and 2. to NEVER put my face near a dogs face...

I did say I was uncomfortable using the tying up thing and I asked if there were any other exercises and she actually got really defensive and didnt give me any other options? I just dont want to tie them up until I know whether or not it is the right approach.

what is NILIF? She said 'a good calming exercise was to tie the dog up for about 5 mins a day and then work your way up to an hour a day.' She also said things like reward them for good behaviour such as a pat on the head or a treat. Dad got her in to work out how we could make them a little more obedient around the house and to not hassle the other two dogs we have (they are very very old) and to make it so they respect us a bit more (because, yes, I am a push over and I DO know that I need to make them realise I am the pack leader - because they dont think so not ). She said things like 'take away their food after 10-15mins and if they havent finished etc then they will learn eventually to eat when they are fed.

Hi guys, Just had a lady come over (from DogTech) that my dad organised as a training thing... She said a lot of valid stuff but one thing I am trying to get my head around is that she said a 'great calming exercise' is tying the dog up. Start at 5 mins then work your way up to an hour. I can see how it can be beneficial both to the dogs AND me but I just cant get the thought out of my head that it is bad for them. Can everyone tell me what they think about tying their dogs up and how it has worked/not worked for you?? I also am really struggling... as in bawling my eyes out struggling... with the fact that I have been told to give them no affection for the next couple of weeks - to raise the discipline (training). I am really having a hard time dealing with this because I couldn't imagine not hugging them and kissing them before I go to bed and when I get up and when I leave to go somewhere. Please help me.

I just liked it. Come on guys

Freudhund - do you mind if I ask what state you live in? Corvus - I am sorry to hear that you are worried to walk your dogs at all - that is not a nice feeling to have!! I was wondering though - has something specifically happened to your or your babies when walking? Like have you or them actually been attacked or is it just that you live in an area where there are dogs out the front that charge towards the fence? I am just curious thats all because (and I am sure you have done this) - but have you tried walking a different route? If that is at all possible? And remember, your dogs would feel what you are feeling - Took a deep breath, stood on the curb waiting for the car to pass, ................ talked the dogs down from bouncing at the end of the leash to standing next to me and barking, then got them across the road -(I couldnt work out how to quote it ) I honestly believe the dogs stopped barking and calmed down becaause YOU did. I was at dog training the other night and my GSD girl was going absolutely INSANE because these two dogs kept looking her straight in the eyes. I started getting so frustrated and my blood was boiling... I realised that this probably wasnt helping Jenna and I took a huge deep breath and just stood there for a few seconds to calm myself down - believe it or not (I couldnt believe it myself at the time) but she immediately calmed down and started paying attention to me when I calmed down. Next time you try going for a walk - or even the dog park, try to stay calm (as much as you possibly can) and try not to get too anxious. because your dogs AND other dogs will feel that energy.

Hey there. Do you have the lady who saved this pups contact details? I work for the newspapers so I might be able to write a story for the local Tamworth paper "Central" - I cant make any promises but I can atleast try. if you give me this womans details I might be able to find out why she doesnt want this guy named (she could actually fear for her life - depending on the type of man this guy is) so she might not be willing to talk. PM me.

I think this has been suggested but you can actually fill up a ice cream container (probably a small one at this stage but once he gets bigger it can be one of the 1kg tubs) and fill it with water. Put bits of cheese and other food he might like in with the water and put it in the freezer. next day you can tip it out as a frozen block and hopefully you're puppy will just sit there and lick it. Plus - the food will most likely float on the very top or sit on the very bottom which means in almost no time at all he will start tasting the flavours of the food you put in which will keep him licking!