Nekhbet

your hand is too far away hold it in front of his face and release the food when his bum is on the ground THEN gradually move your hand away from him. He's still learning Try it without food as well but at the puppy stage its one of the few things that holds attention well You only ever do one exercise at a time, dont link them together. If you want to teach the stand or drop dont be shy to get your other hand involved to guide him as well as a bit of luring. Dont forget that you can introduce a release command down the track. At the moment he could think sit is more an advanced bum bump This way he knows he has to park his bum until the free word comes.

that is not starving - I dont like cutting back meals dramatically or moving to one meal a day. Your dog still needs some energy and to keep her tummy full so she's not simply focussed on food. 2 meals will also help her keep her mind of being hungry. wings, necks, drumsticks etc are not too fatty, she still needs a little in her diet in order to help her body maintain a good coat. Slim her down until you can feel her ribs easily and you can feel a waist. I would rather you do that method then focus on numbers, as with happens with people, we end up obsessing. If she gets more active she will get more muscle mass which weighs more then fat so a numerical plateau may not truely reflect what is happening with the dog. muscle - waist - ribs is what you want on a dog

without seeing the body language the dog was probably feeling confronted and scared being pushed from pillar to post growling isnt all its made up to be - what breed is it? My rottie growls most of the time, none of it to do with being 'aggressive' or 'dangerous'

one chicken carcass a day or a cup of minced carcasses/pet mince boiled rice with veges like carrot, brocolli and stem, cauli and stem, zuchinni etc or I just buy a bag of cheap mixed veg from the supermarket. I also add some flax seed oil, whatever sprouts are cheap and add a little vegemite to the cooking water to get her interested. weight drops off all my dogs in no time at all. I would also be feeding her twice a day on this mix - make it 60/40 rice to mince

spoiled puppy syndrome .... the swf's are great at this I would recommend a trainer come and see the pup in the home and correct the problems as this can be quite serious. What area are you in we can recommend someone, or I do Geelong/Ballarat/Melbourne and surrounds Meantime look up Nothing In Life Is Free and as for food guarding - start hand feeding only. Little bits, if she growls at you just 'ARGHHH NO' and walk away with the rest of it for half an hour ignoring her.

depends what you want from the dog - guarding wise labs wont fit the bill but then I would be erring towards a working line shep more then a show line. If you want nothing more then a companion, remember both of these dogs need training, mental stimulation, exercise and high socialisation to not be destructive, loud, fat and unhealthy. Shepherds can be screamers, howlers and barkers so watch the lines you get them from as well. A dog will cope with anything if you give it enough of what it needs at other times. I've had a single dog when I worked 40+ hours a week and she coped fine alone, she had rotated treat toys, went for walks and training sessions when i was home so was happy to doze the day away.

pretty much - i'm still in awe how many people are suprised when their dog behaves like a 'dog'. Humanising too creates an attitude now that we can 'reason' with our dogs to sort out problems. Dogs need leadership and clear training not a therapist *sigh* I too see medication being dished out willy nilly to cure 'behavioral problems' ... some stemming from shitty breeding others from people not accepting their dog is a *gasp* canid with primal needs that require fulfillment that is more then a couple of cheap toys and the odd walk around the block. MOST dogs are not for joe public. Big pushy breeds are not something that should have been spread far and wide but now the attitude is that a dog must fit into society or its a bad dog - not the fact the owner was a moron in the first place for getting a breed not suitable ... how many kelpies, cattle dogs, GSDs, rotties, staffies, beagles, labs etc are in the pound for expressing their genetics? I cringe when I see a working dog penned up in a backyard doing nothing and the owners not seeing that its blatantly not suitable for suburbia. My family is from Europe and you had the little toys for pets, everything else had a job or some sort of working home - herding, guarding, hunting etc. My Aunt had 30+ dogs of varying breeds and the workers were trained to work (GSDs etc) while the rest were mostly danes/newfys - all went on a run at the side of a bicycle at least once a day. Training methodology - as I said horses for courses. Different methods work for different dogs. But people on both side of the fences can have unrealistic and downright dangerous attitudes. I've seen PP trainers with a better grip on reality then some more 'old fashioned' trainers and vice versa. Because life is not 100% predictable. If you glue a dog into a routine and something happens what then? They have to be flexible to a point. My dogs know what I mean explicitly and if I have to go off for a day or three leaving them in the hands of my partner they know that whoever is caretaker is to be listened too. Begrudgedly but listened too You're lucky if you find non confrontational dogs that are not pushy. I guess I'm too used to hard headed working dogs that will push everything and everyone around them - pet dogs are easy peasy hehehehehe.

I've seen dogs pull like a freight train on a sporn harness what have you tried so far with her? PM me before you go buy more stuff

and neutering doesnt really work in all cases - it can prevent sexual behaviors but will not defeat true dominant behaviors. The study was 'debunking dominance' not about investigating neuters. Even then you need an entire dog control group. I mentioned nothing about positive training at all. I mentioned about overall attitudes towards dog not training methods. I have used non corrective techniques for dominance and aggression as well so that has nothing to do with what I posted before. Thats all well and good but that is again breed dependant and some people mistake 'not crushing spirit' with allowing their animals to get away with blue murder. If your dog is so soft that one little raised voice from you 'crushes their spirit' then we should be looking at poor genetics and breeding creating weak nerved dogs. Yes training is horses for courses and you have dogs that are not physically challenging as they are not bred to be guarding breeds... But some breeds bred to push even people around will try you. Fact of life. I would never push a sight hound around they are not wired like that but a big male mastiff that plants himself in front of you teeth bared and ready to take a big bite - no treat or toy will fix that. again my post was nothing about training methods or positive vs corrective if that is how you read it. It was about people attitudes towards dogs as a whole. Maybe we're getting too used to watered down dogs.

if you tell them he's still a terror they'll probably hand him over hehehehe

how old? sounds like canine acne ... which can be foliculitis or otherwise. More betadine or change the diet from grains. Eagle pack cured my DDB

OK I will put my hand up ... I am a terrible person ... I put a hot pink studded leather collar on my Malinois for the Uta Bindels seminar ... I think the RSPCA cruelty hotline was running hot that weekend

they are dogs .. they get over it when they realise there is nothing else available Mine love their dry and wont get sick of it if its a good one, primarily because they know I wont feed them anything else. But the ones that they really hate I can see they dont like so I took them off the coprice.

thats where the crating/penning unless working comes in. I dont like it, its not the life for an average dog. Huski you look at yourself before you look at the dog. People focus on changing the dog when it could be handler mediated. Why is your dog not paying enough attention to you - are you boring, do you give low value treats, do you treat too often, are you too forgiving/stretchy and are the dogs able to get around your wishes etc. I socialised all my dogs everywhere, they live together and yet time with me is more important them with each other. Why? Cos i have cool toys, I have the food, I tell them what to do. The other dog is there as something to do when I'm out. Didnt have to deprive them for that, in fact I did the opposite - socialised the hell out of them. But during I did everything i could to show I was the boss from the moment they arrived and its stuck.

differentiate between lack of control and high value. Why is it high value to the dog - because you show it no different. A dog can have time and place, even a command when it can play with others. Huski you are now going into what a trained dog would do. What happens is dependant on what the handler says so. I dont let my dogs chase things, I have a command to shut them down if something peaks their interest and they darn well listen to it. What you do will be dependant on the temperament of your dog. I see nothing wrong with making things exciting if you have a dog low in confidence, you want to encourage them and then you can work on reigning that back in later when the dog is more confident with being in that situation etc

so having a set of testicles now denotes whether a dog is capable of dominance ... meet my rottweiler. A dominant sh*t with other male dogs that challenge him especially entire ones. Someone forgot to mention to him it doesnt exist in neuters and he was done before 12 months of age. A dog is a dog - there are entire dogs that have no dominant behavior and there are neutered ones that are pushy, difficult and just have that 'try me' attitude and do anything to control their environment. Some of Diesels behavior is learned - his rescuer allowed him to get away with blue murder as a pup, bully adult dogs etc. But he also has the stability, nerves and drive to back up his attitude which is not a learned behavior at all, its an intrinsic part of him as a dog. 19 dogs is not a good enough sample size. Considering how many breeds there are its definately not good enough. Looking at the website what is available at the rescue centre looks soft or old - how big a dominant behavior do you think will be exhibited between dogs like these? We're forgetting what they are - dogs. Big pointy teeth, the capability to send you flying or scrabbling for your life if they so desire. We're humanising them more and more, forgetting they are a prey animal, a hunting animal that sees us as a companion - probably. A source of food, shelter and attention - definately. Now we want to create little experiments to move away from the wolf and towards the cuddly wuddly best friend. I've seen what being 'best friends' and 'feel bad for his previous life' to a dog does - these people treated him like a charity case, couldnt control him physically and he shredded them. His dog brain told him to take over this group of people that could not control and put them in their place. Posession of a family member was when it got dangerous. I dont advocate being cruel to dogs but I'm becoming worried at this trend of losing grip on reality and what a dog actually is. We will see dog bites increase, I see excuses for behavior left right and centre as not to hurt 'dogs feelings' and people are scared of chastising their animals for behavior or simply taking control - the old 'crushing spirit' boloney is back again *sigh*. Nope. Prove to me that EVERY dog will be well behaved, balanced, sane, and bombproof through love alone and I'll believe it. We cant even do it with people for heavens sake how can we do it to a predator?

It's not a one way road. You need to train your dog to focus - is it slightly more difficult - maybe. But I would rather a dog that sees others positively then one that doesnt and work from there. You can also change associations and values placed on objects for a dog.

menacebear dont be too hard on yourself ... what a life to be medicated, penned up or in pain. sometimes freedom comes like this, I have done this with my own dogs. Yes it hurts but you have done what is right for Jamaica and your family fly free boy you were obviously adored by all

a dog is a dog irrespective of the size. Decide what you want, an indoor/outdoor dog or soley outdoor and stick to it now. if you never want him in the house then dont let him wander inside to 'explore'. The worst thing you can try is different things, chop and change. Give him a routine/pattern and stick to it. The more you change the more confused and anxious he will be so preferably you decide before bringing the dog home what you will do. It doesnt matter about old habits etc a dog willl conform to what you want if you stick to the rules about it ;) His crying is simply an adjustment, wear him out before bed time and he'll sleep no worries. Make sure he is nice and warm though and has everything he needs. He may need a jacket this time of year it can be freezing for a baby.

dont treat your dogs like a human baby - reserve that for your own. a dog will accept what you teach it to accept. Do not feel guilt, sadness etc towards the new pup or maddie may grow to see it as something that causes you problems. It's also not fair on Merlin that you make a conscious effort not to bond with him - one dog is your child the other is just an existing entity? dogs do not feel betrayal, you are over-projecting onto your dogs. There is a period of adjustment but what happens and how long that lasts is mostly up to you.

table scraps are depends - if its fridge emptying day then the veges get chucked into the stewpot with some rice and meat scraps. If i'm carving meat they get everything raw. Cooked food, well that depends if its dog friendly in the first place wether they get it or not. I dont cook specifically for them. My grandmother is the best, once we visit there they get leftovers like tomato soup, roasted meats, mash potatos, potato salad, boiled eggs, salad etc but my lot would eat the dirt off your shoes if you let them its occasional. I think you're better off with raw meaty bones, but there is nothing wrong with the odd treat. Cook for yourself first, dog can have it before its time for the bin if you dont want to eat whats left

told you I was hormonal ... poor RACV bloke scuttled off in a hurry scientific studies should never be set out with the conclusion in mind - thats putting the cart before the horse and then you start seeing what you want to see in the results. The group itself is not a viable scientific study to debunk anything at all. 19 dogs? Desexed? *bin* thats manipulating the experiment to get what you want frankly.

sounds like they will be quick to forget ... poor pups ...

I would worry about the diets only because dogs and humans are different in their digestion and nutritional needs. Also salt content, spices and I am a big believer that dogs need raw meaty bones not cooked up food. potato pancakes and tortillas are not dog food, thats human food 100%. I'd rather stick to a good dry food, some table scraps if they are dog friendly and then raw meaty bones to keep the teeth healthy and the guts moving. this does worry me - and this review

wow 19 desexed male dogs debunks the dominance theory *palm - forehead - faint* Honestly. Dominance is a word TOO thrown about these days after it became fashionable to blame ones lack of skill in managing their pet on 'dominance' .. everything was because the dog was too dominant. It pees on the carpet from dominance, it pulls on the lead from dominance etc etc Now we're swinging the other way and suddenly its all fairy wings, daisy fields and sunny days frolicking with out furry kin, our equals ... eeeeep no. Give dogs something to fight over and see dominance rear its ugly head. Also what breeds were these dogs? Were 19 CKCS put in together? Or was it something like 19 big entire molosser breeds? No the blanket assumption is that a dog will do what it can in order to get what it wants - this it learns from a pup what that reaction is. That can be through training the owner with cute little tricks or staring, or it could be through more controlling mechanisms. A dog that learns to scream, roll over and piss all over itself can be doing what it thinks is the easiest way to get what it wants (left alone) or a dog can growl, bare its teeth and have the hackles up to make you go away too... You can have dominant reactions, you can have overall dominant dogs that try and control you. To say all dogs do it? No. TO say some are difficult arses of dogs that are dominant - Yup. Honestly I think we are treading into complete over-analysis of dogs and turning them into something that they are not. It seems ALL this research is doing nothing more then confusing and confounding and really, dogs are not that hard to work out but we seem to want to make them that way.