hankdog

I'd go the harness. I think two completely separate systems is a good idea. Even the best collar can break and in the wrong place that could be a disaster. Very proud of my dog. We have had a disaster off leash encounters week culminating in a dog turning up to attack my chooks yesterday. I called Tubby and he ran to me with the stray chasing him. I copped a small puncture grabbing the dog but after losing a chook to a dog last week I was pretty ropable.

I have little experience with BC's but have raised two kids whilst owning a large dog. My advice would be to try take that walk everyday to see if it is do able. You are about to get very busy with two kids starting primary school. You will taxi drive to sports and social occasions. I chose my dog from the SPCA on the advice of the staff. He was a calm, slightly aloof dog. He tolerated but did not approach strangers. He spent hours on the side of football fields, swimming pools and tennis courts. His aloof but bombproof nature meant he never annoyed people, never snatched a passing sausage sandwich and paid no attention to annoying lunging kids. He was my jogging buddy and ran 50km a week but if life meant he didn't get a walk he was ok with that. I would definitely be looking at getting an adult dog whose temperament is known. Getting it wrong in the very busy stage of life you are about to enter into could be very difficult.

So she never actually went home? Isn't she a lucky girl to have you for a neighbour. It leaves you in nowhere land with registration though doesn't it.

I have a waist bag that I've removed the plastic snaps from and tie in a knot. Since I carry enough treats to solve half of Africa's food crisis I need it anyway. Jakes harness is connected to the this and then his martingale collar is connected to the leash in my hands. I think it's important to have two points of connection just in case something breaks. I feel confident that he can't get away from me if I die on our walks although the ambulance people may have a problem. He did once drag me a few meters when I slipped once, tough little dog. It's great that Stella recalled although losing the plot for a second was a bit naughty.

A bulldog is supposed to "convey a sense of determination....." Yep, never seen one that did not look stubborn.

What I know is human based so may not apply to dogs. Arousal is an internal state and surprisingly Mawson proposed that ADHD sufferers have a low internal arousal and are constantly and compulsively paying attention to external stimuli to increase their internal arousal level. Its counter to what you expect for ADHD. Persons with a high internal arousal often seek to exclude stimuli.

Haha DD you were the first person I thought of when I saw that first pic. I think you posted similar of your guys a while back. I'm not a believer in religion but I am a believer in respecting others religious beliefs and I don't find her erotic angel with crucifix picture very respectful.

I've no experience with terriers but I have heard they are smart and challenging to train. Jake has many problems so I am always bossing him around. In the middle of doing washing sorting I'll just tell him to roll over, give him a treat and keep going. It helps tell them all the time there is the pissibilty of training so keep an eye on the great treat dispenser. I Woukd definitely try getting a trainer, if you say where you are people will recommend a good one. Brenda Aloff has a good training guide and I think one of her dogs was a terrier. What I liked about her book was it is very structured and you can follow it week by week, once you've got through one set of skills you move on to the next. She's all about focus and it's a very practical book.

That's excellent, I think some publicity about the damage roaming dogs can cause is maybe some good that can come out of this. I would really like to see council held responsible for the decisions they make. They happily take our rates money, write a bunch of rules down but seem to make token efforts to enforce them.

Controversial but actually your vet can start her on meds for her anxiety. You may want to wait until after your visit with Steve. Hang in there, maybe just wrap her in cotton wool for a while.

I always have a few oldies, a few recent tricks and inly one that's really new or shaky. Keep sessions short, we do an outside afternoon session mostly out on the road nowadays but used to be in the garden that I do a bit of a walk, a few stays, some focused heelwork and maybe just a few tricks. We have winding up tricks that sort of amp him up, barking, round in circles, jumping up. Then we have calming tricks, go to sleep, dying, and I throw these in so he learns to go up and down in arousal. You can use your tricks to get your dogs to greet people appropriately, to self soothe and generally get them to focus on you. Everytime you boil the kettle you can do three or four tricks. That's enough.

Haha Jake does the "nah how bout this trick" too. It doesn't matter how cute it is, it isn't what you asked for. Stay still, look at him and wait. When he quits doing what he wants and finally gives up and looks at you, you ask for the trick (the one you want) again. If he out waits you and goes to sleep (normally faked) just so "ok no training" treats back in the fridge and walk off. He will come find you. If the only way to the good stuff is by doing what you ask they soon get it. Be consistent, be patient. You don't have to learn that trick right now, what you have to do is establish who is setting the rules. I've heard terriers are very good at training their owners! Remember "all the goodies are yours. The only way to get them is to play by your rules." It feels mean and rude but if you don't be the meanie goodies hoarder then you get norty dogs.

Jakes a massive overachiever in this department. Dogs three neighborhoods away know he just relieved himself.

Bulldogs are best photographed upside down ! Also a head shake shot is worth a go. He's lovely looking.

Shadrack sounds like you've made a good start. Can you separate them whilst training. The things I was doing wrong was luring more than giving a command and then treating. So before I gave a command I would reach into my treat bag, if I didn't all I got was a sullen stare. So in a low distraction quiet environment, command - wait and then gentle leash hint. If you're asking for a down you can just step on the leash, sit - just slightly step back so the dogs head goes up and that will tend to lower the rear. Reduce your treat rate, slow or half hearted responses get a "nice try", no food. Make them work for it and you'll get a sharper response. I would stick to simple commands and getting a sharp response so they realise "we got to be snappy to get a treat." Build up to a good stay, just one step away for ten seconds at first. Also don't give them food in a bowl, kibble is amazing stuff when you got to work for it. All the stuff you don't want them to do, really hard and hopefully some trainers will give you advice. There's a thread here about training out unwanted behaviours so that might give you an idea.

BC no way has Stella reached her full potential. She's young and smart and you want her to improve. Training will make a difference. I think a lot of times when dogs are written off the trainer is working on the assumption you're only going to be prepared to put in average effort. She may never be a happy camper "normal" dog but she can improve. The kennels I train at do offer group classes for reactive dogs which might be a more cost effective option. Dural might be too far for you but there might be something similar near you. Don't worry Mr Norty isn't ready for class.... Yet. Big Hug to Justice, I nominate him for super dog of 2014.

Also the australian bulldog, the line striving for registration is called "Bosdogs" I think. You get some great crossbreed mutts and some rubbish ones, same as with pure breeds. You can try manage what you select from but at the end of the day it's still a random pick from what's available. People will always pay high prices for fancy stuff in a shop window, one born every minute. If you somehow made it impossible to have crossbreeds those shop windows would still have puppies, people would still impulse buy and neglect their dogs once the cute factor wears off. That's human nature. Last centuries bulldog to fit in a hat is today's frenchie, Boston's are a comparatively recent addition. None if the Aussie's, terriers, shepherds, or cattle dogs were around in the ark. To me the issue of cruelty is not distinct from the practices of byb and just because someone is a registered breeder doesn't mean their practices are sound. Dogs should be kept a certain way, whether you're breeding or not.

Brilliant!!

Nice letter Marie, these things are hard to put correctly aren't they. I always try going straight to owners although that can backfire. My now moved neighbours had a cattle dog with a a big, loud repetitive bark. If I went in my yard or worked late in the back room she would stand at the fence repeatedly going "woof, woof, woof,......" Right through the night. I would go out and yell at her and she would go back inside. Wait ten minutes and start again. One day another neighbour came down the drive to my house thinking it was my dog, he was then incredulous that the dog had been going over two hours whilst the owners were sitting in the front yard with guest having a BBQ. Their reply to him was not to worry sooner or later I would go shut her up because she didn't listen to them!!!

Mines only used for the car and I sometimes use it as a station in our obstacle course. I like knowing if I needed to do something drastic like ship the chooks and dog out in the same mini in a fire I could ( chooks have their own they're comfortable in). I don't think they should be for the owners convenience, if you don't live a lifestyle that suits having a dog around then don't get a dog and put it in a box. I do think they're a useful tool as people have mentioned to separate for feeding etc. Another good tool that can be misused.

Surprised council would like two attacks before something is done. Wouldn't that make them liable or negligent when the next attack happens. Plus there probably has been another attack just not reported?

Jake update no. 1768....went to training for the first time since coming home. We had cake and coffee before going to training and he was a little stressed but we had a quiet wander around the gardens and he settled. He had no problems with getting out the car at training, a bit of a bark at the big dogs barking at him from behind the fences. Said hello to the little ones, had a bit of one on one with Zoei for whom he behaves like the most obedient dog on the planet. Wandered over to say hello to a barky puppy that he behaved really well with. I really keep expecting the other shoe to drop but No, he seems to be behaving like a normal dog. Not sure I can cope with that!

I saw the lovely Ruby out walking who was nearly in trouble a few weeks ago. A lovely friendly dog and one block down had to run the gamut of our local irresponsible dog owners aggressive kelpie. Everyone in the neighborhood has complained, I've appealed directly to the owners because she hunts ducklings on my property only to be told they don't bother putting fences up because she would just jump over. Why is it not law that if you own a dog you must have fences? It's okay to keep an aggressive dog next to a bush reserve with no fences but not okay to own a friendly dog who happens to possibly look a certain way. Glad my taxes are going to such good use.

I was thinking of you whilst walking this morning. I too question my ability to be Jakes human, the bottom line is there is no right human, there is just you. When I got Jake I was feeling a bit good about myself, I had saved the dog that no one wanted, yea he had a bad temperament test but he seemed nice enough to me, I 've had animals of all sorts and I was pretty sure I could turn him around. And then I realised I was leashed to 26kg of bat Cr@p crazy that I had no idea how to handle. I was completely overwhelmed and the first two behaviourists I saw took one look and said PTS. There are still many bad days and I would not take on an anxious dog again but you will adjust and many of your simple achievements will be very joyous. As I'm typing this in the garden my neighbours dog has just started barking and between keystrokes I'm dishing out peanut butter, you adjust. The following things would be what has worked for me. Read the great dane website section on dealing with separation anxiety, it gives you great insight into how to live with an anxious dog ( good for people too). Particularly important for me was to go check what he's barking at and thank him for telling me but now as the leader I have decided that we are ok with that thing and we are leaving. Thank your dog and be responsive to their often incorrect but honest attempts to communicate. Try 101 things to do with a box. you buy a clicker for about $5 and get a free cardboard box and hey presto you get hours of fun. This was a huge confidence and communication boost for Jake. He opened up and started offering behaviours. On days I couldn't face going out this was a fun training session. you can later use your clicker out and about and darn if I'd only known about it when I had kids they would be trained this way too. I also set up an obstacle course in my garden, cheap tunnel from spotlight, cones to weave between, free ramps from the side of the road and some pot plants and a stick for a jump. Fun and confidence building. Read all you can about dog training, realise much of it seems contradictory but that's because different things work with different dogs at different times. If you know lots of bits of stuff you can always come up with something to try. If you have face book friend "creature teacher" and "in line K9" are great resources. Karen Overall has a free online training program you do inside over a month mostly doing stays etc. We took about two months but that's ok. It gave us something to do and we took it out and about. Yes I am the crazy lady dancing and clapping around her crazy dog. Do positive things with your dog, I joined the photo forum and took a picture every week, it was something he could do well. When everything had turned to rubbish I still got a good photo. Try set her up for something she can do successfully and you can be proud of. Once you have a good trainer then stick like glue. I recently had an emergency trip away and it was such a relief knowing I had the backup of a good kennel and great trainer that knew him. Mostly don't panic, as said above its a slow process and one that can't be rushed. You take lots of little steps and then one day you realise its working but often in very little increments. You will learn a lot not just about your dog but about yourself.

Sounds like your pack had a blast. Working from home meant my daily trip to the park was my social time and I do miss it.