Nekhbet

that is not separation anxiety, it's drive. The dog is excited because car trips = social times and he's simply built himself up to an absolute froth :p Dogs have high pitched screaming vocalisations when they're excited too.

I'm a bit sick of this excuse. I also think making the assumption that it's better to assume everyone is a numpty isnt favourable either. OK not everyone is capable but many are, and many want to learn. If the owner HAS a soft dog why would you recommend corrections any way? People with hugely problem dogs or low skills can go to a dog club (if any of them are willing to take on their dog which is why a friend of mine opened her own so we could give problem dogs a weekly outlet) Or is this becoming the age of hands off, less responsibility for our actions and if we dont use corrections we can't be blamed for causing a problem... if it all turns to poo blame the dog because our method has supposedly no side effect :p Again what do people think we that use corrections do to dogs? My theory that many of you do not understand corrections still seems to ring true when I read what is written over and over again. I have always used a correction when necessary, I see many many dogs receive a correction when necessary and no one has 'relationship' issues. In fact relationship GOES UP because now we are making life very black and white for the dog, which is especially important when we are trying to reshape problem behaviours or create new good ones. Correction coupled with reward - why would that be a problem if the dog learns faster? Did we all fail sometimes when we were growing up and wasnt the point to LEARN from it and use it to make better decisions in the future? So if I corrected a dog fod going ape at another and tugging on lead, then offered a reward for paying attention, would the dog not learn that if it happened again there is 2 options for it? Correction or reward? And let the dog chose what it will get. I dont force dogs, I give them choices. But each choice has a different consequence, one nice, one probably not so nice. Of course you have to reward behaviour - without it, consistency ceases to be. But just R+ alone with no consequence I cannot recommend to majority of situations I see. As for some stress ... life is hard. Sometimes dogs learn even better when under a little stress, it sticks. Not saying we push the point to exhaustion but we shouldn't say that a correction for disobeying something you have taught the dog because it is suddenly under a little pressure is unfair. Dogs have to learn to cope. Dogs also need to learn to be handled and to accept handling ... those that have never been made to do something or made to be held under someone elses terms throw the best tantrums. Even on my terms dogs get a reward for compliance. There has to be something in it for them. I would rather help the dog along and get some consistancy in the basics then keep plugging away at only R+ techniques if that is going to be the longer route. There are more interesting things to do with a dog then spend months trying to get half decent focus around distractions, and personally if distraction proofing is going to take that long I would rethink my methods. Dogs are also faster learners then I think we give them credit for, they do have the amazing ability to mould their behaviour and pick up new ideas within the space of hours, heck, minutes (I mean pick up not permanently learn)

so they disproved the pack theory with more pack theory? Or did they simply try and disprove that dogs can actually be dominant. As for 'alphas' never needing to get physical. Uh huh. See how some alpha dogs put others in their place especially dogs that are more closely matched. And alpha rolls? Stupidity because people do not know how to use them or the context they should be for. If you think you can take on a 30 odd kg muscle ball with massive teeth and that it is a great idea then you go do that ... tell me how the scars heal up. They do ocassionally have their uses, at least the scruff and pin does, but with expert knowledge and technique not for random people to go rolling thier dogs. Not all aggression is dominance based, some of it is. Some of it also comes down to genetic and environmental factors as well. Sounds like just another wishy washy article.

I've just had the facebook 'discussion' of the century. Apparently some people are allowed to make sweeping generalisations about pedigree dogs, then when I give them facts I'm the one who has problems, and I'm simply projecting all my previous frustrations and taking thengs out of context. Hmm because writing that all pedigree breeders simply inbreed so their animals faster over successive generations, and that why do pedigree breeders breed when there is an overpopulation? Don't drink the cool-aid.

good dogs know to hang back PF. And a good ferret knows when to give a rabbit a hard chomp on the arse to make it bolt properties that have low predation and if you go the right hours of the day the rabbits have no problems shooting out of the hole like a bat out of hell. And when they hit you in the leg it hurts ... A LOT

warrens are self contained units, even along a massive fenceline there will be separations between clusters of holes so they can't get too far. The ferrets are so driven by the smell of the rabbit they stay down the hole and keep running about until the smell subsides (ie their own scent and urine covers it, they scent mark as they run about) and then when it's over they womble out of the holes and snuffle around. They do get a prey reward, when they come when called I offer them a dead rabbit to latch onto. We do a lot of the recall work at home, you call them and when they come back you give them a big scrub-a-dub and some some raw food, same goes when you feed them, condition them to the noise. Pretty much the same as training a really high driven working line dog. Except when it's over they're happy to just shut down until the next scent patch gets them going. Plus the great thing .... ferrets eye sight is pretty bad, they're short sighted creatures so they want to follow their nose down the hole more then spotting something halfway across the paddock and bounding after it As long as you have some fresh food or at least some blood stain on your shoe you can lure them

mummy dog and daddy dog first share a water bowl then take a stroll on the beach together then share a marrow bone, nibbling either ends while staring at each other adoringly then the magical puppy fairy waves her wand and *poof* Xena appears

dunwarren if you would like me to clean you a couple for human consumption I sell them for $8 each. Nice big ones too, I'm doing females only for food as all the males are stinky lately. I can freeze it and when you have time pop down. Or I could come up there to ferret if you know a property I dont mind some travelling and I'll give you the bunnies gutted fresh on the haylzz if you know any properties with rabbits I'm happy to come up there and ferret. Provision is that no one has used pindone/1080 in the last 6 months otherwise I WONT be happy if one of my ferrets is poisoned. *some photos to tempt people* everyone say *nawwwwwwwwwwwwwww* ETA It's a part of life Moselle. I know Pandii and I wouldnt be grumping at her she's a great mother. I would have earlier Pandii but I have been swimming in uni work and had a bad back so I couldnt go running after Satans furry children

I have a rabbit you can use but I'm not going with him :p grumpy bastard. Was a rescue that was smacked a bit so now HATES people. You can get him friendly to a degree but he'd rather grump at you or bite you

the big rawhide knot bones are great for indoors

it would be nice to find a property that allowed dogs. A friend has a pharoah but her property was rabbit free unfortunately!

no I wont be expecting anyone to kill the rabbits, unless you have done it before. You will be expected to dive on the ones that run into the nets at least

it does come down to primal instincts to hide food. Problem is our dogs and their environment are modified so you end up with a modified version of the behaviour. My dog was on the street for a while so his primal food guarding and hiding instincts are VERY strong compared to most dogs. He buries stuff all over the yard even if he's starving, then will try and guard the spot at times. At least his compulsive digging/burying is pretty much under control now. I used to have a 3 legged cat that would bury his poo in the litter tray with the missing leg, he did the action just wondered why poo never ended up buried :p. He was born without it so had the shoulder blade. Also used to try and swat the dogs with missing leg, they just walked off confused

Just putting it out there, not this coming week but the week after I am going ferreting mon-wednesday if anyone is in the mood to join me and have an action packed (or stand about smoking with a take away coffee) type morning PM me and I'll give you a ride from my place. I can only fit 2 people in the car with me so I'm limited. Also dogs are STRICTLY NOT ALLOWED I will be on other peoples property and around some VERY vaulable livestock. You also have to not be averse to seeing a bunny or two dying :p You can keep a few for your dogs too if you like.

you are not allowed to raise pest species, a wildlife carer especially should know that

- have you looked into her diet - why dont you crate her at night so she cannot run about at odd hours, giver her a toy or bone in there to keep her entertained - what kind of training have you been doing with her to modify her behaviour?

*puts hand up for a Xolo* I'm willing to sacrifice my time for a xolo puppy

It is but it will soon stink your house up my rottie still does it at 3. I have him a rawhide chew and to hide it from the others he pushed it under the TV unit and pushed the "dirt" over the gap with his nose ... ie he kept scraping the carpet until he was satisfied

who mentioned a prong collar? How about the dog is disobeying a direct obedience command. The dog is asked to focus on the handler and is ignoring them. This forum seems to be attacking anyone that mentions a correction lately, I dont think enough of you understand what they are and hence come raining down with hellfire and sarcasm when someone mentions them. Plus how many of you are actually obedience instructors or professional dog trainers that work with many dogs apart from your own? I am seeing a lot of 'oh I would never use it on MY dog/s". Corrections dont have to be hard or painful. They can be enough to simply tell the dog, no we dont do that. You have a leash attached to a collar on your dog for a reason - it is a valuable tool in helping the dog understand what you want from it. The dog in this case would not be forced to watch, it would be corrected for ignoring its owner. I have no issues with non aggressive dogs watching others, but if they start totally ignoring the owner then it's a problem. neither myself or spec training only said to correct. Rewards are a massive part of fixing this problem and the corrections would only be minimal, enough to simply help the dog understand what we dont want instead of waiting for them to take their focus off another dog - I dont wait for a dog to finish a bad behaviour. Personally if this was my dog I would NEVER simply wait for him to finish his focussing or try and drag him off. What are we teaching the dog? That the owner is simply a treat dispenser at the end of the lead and when doggy gets too distracted they'll wait until dog is interested enough in what they have to offer. Sometimes you CANNOT compete with what the dog is interested in - stock chasers, aggressive dogs, no boundry dogs etc. If they want their target, you have no chance of being good enough compared to it. So a correction shows the dog, no you cannot have your target interest. So what do you have ... me, or nothing. So invariably the dog will calm down, and happily listen to what you have to say.

another option is to start small, deck out your garage like a salon if your council allows business from your home

appear like and are, are two different things. If you are concerned ask for a fine needle aspirate to see what it is exactly and make a decision from there. Fast growing lumps with little other outward appearance of something else are a bit of a concern though 8 years is not too old to be under anaesthetic just ask for blood work to be done previously and a thorough health check. If you do decide to have them removed ask for specialist pathology to be done to see exactly what they are. I had a lump on my dogue de bordeaux and although I did have a fine needle aspirate done I chose to have it removed and sent of for pathology due to mast cell tumours being prevalent in his lines. $1000 later turns out he didnt have it but for my own piece of mind it was a good decision.

he's not that much of a baby anymore. At that age his attention span can be increased by putting parameters on his behaviour. I do agree with SpecTraining that now he has to realise that not paying attention to you when you ask, as you have trained him to pay attention, has a consequence. I would agree starting at a further distance as not to overload the dog and simply be yanking away at his leash, that is not fair. But if he's a reasonably distance away and still ignoring you introduce a quick pop of the leash, say nothing when you do it, then reward him for focussing on you. I prefer to reward focus when the dog naturally does it as well, makes for a better result. I agree with post 9 as well. It is not setting the dog up to fail if he knows the obedience commands you are asking of him.

Royal Canin has their kibble size on the website

the product statement I got from shoo tag itself said that the refund was on only one of the shoo tags your purchased not all. So if you buy 5 of them and they all fail you end up out of pocket still? I work for a large store and I do not have this problem. If they do complain about the product they usually have used it incorrectly or are using the wrong product for their situation. Your own website also quotes : So in your own words, if people complain the spot ons are not working then a shoo tag will not either. They also will not work on animals with reduced energy fields - so how do we fix those and where is the scientific studies on these 'fields' link to the studies and results please?

I only bother with Royal Canin