Nekhbet

you need to stop unwanted behaviors when they start. This is not a precursor to aggression at all that is a completely separate thing. if he bites you grab him by the scruff and tell him off loudly 'grrr NO' then walk off and ignore him. If he does it again grab his muzzle and give it a little squeeze until he squeals or gives in. Nipping is important to stop and he's simply doing it because he thinks he's allowed to

I had a needle go through the dogs skin and straight into the fleshy part of my thumb I didnt feel it, they are that sharp. I did have to pull the microchip out though vet was mortified she had stabbed me with it!

if you put the check chain high up behind the ears it is NOT there to be checked hard. You are constantly checking because they are not hard enough and you are not keeping her attention. Walk where you want, let her go off then give her ONE good correction. And I mean a good one wherever the collar naturally falls, then walk off and say 'come on!' happily. Corrections only come from the collar, guidance and encouragement come from your voice. the reason check chains DONT work is that people keep the dog on such a short, tight leash. Loose lead, as soon as there is pressure relax and *click* check the chain. A dog cannot learn positions before it understands what the collar and leash are all about and few people teach it. Just let the dog walk on a long loose lead and make the dog follow you with your voice and some incentive, change directions, change pace and let the dog follow. If it bolts off then check. constant pressure means a correction chain doesnt work. Its an all or nothing impliment. Mercedes for that high a position I use Dominant Dog collare (also known as Ezy Dog lead extensions ) not commonly used here in Aus but I get good control and use them for aggression also as little strength is needed to make a correction AND without damaging the sensitive bones in the dogs throat.

some puppy schools are rubbish but some like one a friend of mine, a very experienced trainer ans breeder, is worth its weight in pure gold. go see one in action and see, do they know what they are talking about, can they handle questions, are they training the pups or just a free for all?

the trick is to show that the dog ONLY gets attention when the dog behaves. So teach the pup to sit the praise!!! sit, PRAISE!!! and only praise when the dog is quiet. If she is excited, walk the other way. Dont tell her off, she doesnt need it, she needs to learn get too excited = the good thing goes away. Sit nicely and you will get attention. If the dog pulls what I do is little sharp tugs on the collar and walk in the opposite direction calling the dog loudly and excitedly to follow, when it does REWARD AND PRAISE! YOU have to make yourself more exciting then the outside world. Remember - her exposure to the world is severely limited and of course she gets excited! Praise every time the dog looks at you and walks nicely. I dont like chastising dogs verbally when teaching a walk because thats what you have a collar and lead for - as an extension of your hand and control mechanism. No dog can ignore little sharp tugs on the lead as they dont allow an opposition response pulling and its like someone poking you ... it gets to your brain pretty quickly! You dont want to do big corrections or pull the dog, but little sharp tugs do not harm and in fact can work well to help the dog understand the leash, collar and idea of how to behave. I'm sure it has been explained to you brittanys are boucy gundogs so dont expect miracles too fast Are you considering doing a sport with her? She will need mental stimulation and activity throughout her life!

really? I havnt tried it because of grain allergies in my doggies (ugh NOT a road I want to trawl down again .. one is stinky the other baldy ) I meant other cheaper foods that tend to be predominantly fillers instead of protein especially in a growing dog

I was about to say!

a cheaper food will not help with building the pup as its a higher percentage filler. More mince and lamb flaps can help as well as giving a bigger meal in the evening as well so the dog doesnt work off all the calories during the day. If ProPlan is not working try a different food like RC large breed puppy

since when is Katrina Warren an animal behaviorist with aggression experience?

for a boxer I would avoid anything with too much grain especially wheat. I have tried Coprice dog food but I found without supplementation the coat dried out. Heard good things about Bonnie puppy too but I would supplement still with fresh food every day have you tried bulking it out with cheap pet mince/bones?

artimus'mama try the food technique I listed above. having such a short leash can make it worst especially if the dog feels some pressure. Corrections work on the theory of differences - first there is no sensation then there is one that makes a difference to the exhibited behavior. A bit of pressure and then a small correction is not enough of a 'difference' to the dog to say 'hey dont do that' and you find they continue the behavior. I do consults in Melb if you need a hand with anything just email me or PM through here. By 5 months you should have loose lead walking.

I mean used to the sensation of pressure on the collar = dont pull or move here etc the movement and restricting pressure comes from the head collar not the neck collar itself hence me saying you retrain the dog to understand when you give a little pull on the flat collar it means go no further or dont pull.

can you put her in her own space (crate or pen) when you go out with her food? This can limit the window behavior you should call a behaviorist to see her if she's so clingy, it could be separation anxiety or it could be simply a dominating type behavior where the dog is anxious about the fact you left without their permission

why are the dogs responding to them in the first place? thats why I dont use them, its easier to wean down to another collar then from head collar to a whole new sensation. I say put them on a collar with the head collar still on (for the mental reminder) and work from there. or use a martingale/check chain in the learning phase if they are that bad a puller

no wackers, hope it works out for you!

and there's your sign ... she knows if she tries hard enough she gets what she wants its part and parcel of being a hound they were bred with a tolerance and tenacity that made them be able to work all day long through the fields and they have a high pain threshold as well. the sniffing is OK but to a point. You want her to pay attention to you but you are letting her scent hard which in hound mind means 'ignore everything else'. dont feed her at all until you go for a walk ... force her to pay attention to you. Work on a long (average not long line) leash, go out to the footpath with her and call her, make her come to you and follow. give her the kibble/food as tiny treats and BEFORE she looses the interest take her back inside and make an insane fuss over her. Dont expect a perfect heel, work on attention and her WANTING to follow then wrangle her closer into a heel. it may take longer but it will work. Sometimes to get through to dogs like this you have to find what pushes their buttons. If she eats twice a day that is two small meals she has to work for out on the street ... errr I mean walk nicely on a leash kind of way O_o

such a varied diet over a few weeks the pups are not knowing a proper routine. find a good food, stick to it. Put it down a 3 times a day then remove it. Let them know that if they dont eat out of their bowls then there is nothing else or you will create very picky fussy animals. unless they are starting to border on the emaciated dont panic.

i would do a full blood test and see how his organs are going, then see how his hormones are. Its very stressful physiologically for an animal to be over-hormoned and pining for mating all the time as well! The implants are a chemical castration but needs doing on a regular basis. If you are uncomfortable with surgery then it is something else to discuss with your vet

he's not too old at all, especially with his carrying on I wouldnt see a problem getting him desexed as well as a vet check

I have an entire bitch and dog and he doest dance around her trying to mount all the time if he does she has a go, or I tell him off for his behavior. I think it comes to how much he can get away with. If he starts, put him outside until he settles down I wouldnt tolerate any of it. Your other pup is still young, if you older male keeps exhibiting mating behaviors and the pup reaches maturity and tries to knock him off the perch you will have trouble. have you considered desexing him or giving him the implant to settle his hormones?

dogs dont come on heat once a month so are you sure there isnt a bitch/s on heat in your area stirring him up? does she put up with it? does she act like a bitch would? Sometimes if they are in heat or close to heat the vets can leave a little piece of ovary in which produces heat like symptoms in a bitch. I think the little one is simply copying I wouldnt let him keep doing it or there will be a dog fight. She will only tolerate so much harrasment.

you definately need a behaviorist to come and see whats going on. She sounds anxious, fearful and explosively reactive. if she is showing her tail between her legs do NOT introduce her to other dogs. SHe is telling you very loudly she is not comfortable and being on leash has no chance but to explode instead of run away. Sounds like you need an allover lifestyle makeover with the dog.

I think Skye is more reacting to now her routine has been changed and she's a little confused. Give her a routine, you be the only one to feed her even treat her and get your friend to ignore her a little more. She will get used to it she just needs some time to adjust

you never let dogs sort it out unless you want a huge vet bill and more behavioral problems. her dog is SPOILED. He think he's the boss and wants to keep asserting it. The owner needs to take control and take him down a few pegs before he attacks your dog or she fights back. Crates - no sharing of items, no pushing, no growling etc. They eat separately and everyone lives under the same rules. That is what the problem is. Dogs do not really show human jealousy its more 'I want everything on MY terms NOW!' more spoiled brat logic

look at renal hypoplasia on google http://www.vetprof.com/clientinfo/juvenilerenal.html very low protein and low phosphorous diets can help keep the dog comfortable and prevent build up of toxins in the blood stream