Nekhbet

what do you want to ultimately do with this pup? I wouldnt want to bother too much. In the first couple of weeks I would look more at bonding with the pup then 10 training sessions a day. just do basic obedience when he needs it (like food times etc) and the rest have fun. If mine nipped I grabbed the pup by the scruff and growled NO at it. Got the idea quickly and the habit was broken, Time Out is good for when the dog is in a hyper spaz mood.

If the buckeye isnt that big either trim it right back and fence it off or remove it if you can. Its the sprouts, fruit, seeds etc thats toxic you might as well just get rid of it.

"grabbing the collar region of the neck and holding down" so whats the holding down part all about. And in preventing physical interactions between your dogs you said to push in the chest. I'm not saying its physical abuse, its simply getting one up on a weaker dog. Simply doesnt make you a leader and like Poodlefan said open you up to get bitten.

I never suggested it. You wrote in your post thats how you were taught. Antiquated old method that was thrown out because it causes more problems then it could ever solve. Its only difficult to establish on older dogs because if you try and physically dominate you run the risk of terrorising, scaring or being bitten. I have taught older dogs quickly - I show them the good behaviour, if they continue to act up or try dominance on me then no dinner and a time out. A hungry dog learns faster then one grabbed by the collar.

calliech I would never reccomend to people to pin their dogs down by the scruff or to push a gutsy dog away. Jeezus put the bowl down and let the bloody thing eat. My two were separated at first and slowly, when they learned manners around foob bowls, I could start having them together in the same yard. But I still have the mastiff in the pen because I cant always be there to supervise. I can take anything out of my dogs mouths too they know but it didnt involve me having to physically punish them. One is 55kg how the heck you gonna pin that down? Hand feeding doesn teach teh dogs to respect the others boundries it means they learn to sit for food. I would keep feeding separately. When you have more obedience over your dogs then you can bring them closer together and as soon as they finish they sit and you take the bowls away. Some dogs will never eat out of the same food bowl, whereas some dogs are happy to share with 5 others from the same.

dont look too much into rebelling and dominance its too young to actually have anything to worry about. Maybe he doesnt understand the come command properly yet. Dont push too much obedience down the pups throat, just have fun. Let the pup play, sounds like its having too much regimentation and not enough kiddy fun time. Its desperate to play hence it has super spaz time!

firstly dont ever 'tap' your puppy on the nose. Has no effect at all and is just rediculous really. Its tapping a todler on the face because its crying for its mother. Completely ignore it, make sure it has everything it needs and grab some ear plugs. Nothing except time will make the whining stop, dont keep going in and out either or giving the pup attention or it will keep doing it.

Working line Malinois come in all different colours. Some are more GSD, there is some with a slight brindle look and some are coming in nearly pure black. If you look at the dogs front legs there is some tan in there, good old Malinois high flying :D

dont let the dog greet people at the door - its too exciting and starts the ball rolling get the visitors to settle then bring the dog in on a lead. If she starts jumping about take her out again. Carrying on gets no attention at all. Your dog should know sit, get her to sit near them. They can look at her but keep her sitting. Only a couple of pats then she goes out of the room for the rest of the time. If you know people are coming over reserve her a special food treat. Let he be introduced and if she stays calm, be on lead with you around the guests on her bed in that room. If its too exciting, walk her out quietly - dont grumble at her - and put her away with a meaty bone or her dinner. slowly but surely she will learn that guests are really nothing to get excited about. Although being of two people orientated breeds you will have a little handfull.

yup all puppies, even adult dogs, get the crazies just leave him out there, ignore him completely and go inside then go back out and play when he settles down. He's just playing and the growling and nipping is his way of going 'come on what are you waiting for!!" Teach him to play gently as well. Dont play tug of war because you teach him to nip and pull, plus puppy teeth can be ripped out or damaged. Never chase the pup, throw things for him to retrieve - rattly balls, kongs, even food out in the lawn for him to search for. If he starts nipping you turn around and go in the house. Dont say no just walk off. Conversely you can try a spray bottle of water, he can loon around but running up and biting gets a spritz in the face. I dont see how letting him roam around the garden without a leash is too much freedom. He needs to be able to explore and run about, give him more time out there, even some alone time with a big meaty bone or toys, make sure there is fresh water and shelter available. Teach him some independance.

If a situation like this arose between mine I put them BOTH in time out. One for having a go and the other for approaching the wrong food bowl. They both stuffed up IMO. My mastiff is of the idea that what is in the Belgians bowl must taste better so he goes in the pen and she eats near the back door or he bumps her off. Hey, he has a 30kg weight advantage As for fresh meat, I give them both bones but the one that eats faster gets a bigger one (again the mastiff) so he is busier longer and doesnt want what the belgian has. She toddles off out of his eye shot and is happy. It takes a little bit of juggling and control from you but dogs will be dogs. SUbordinate dogs in the pack are the ones that will scrap until they work out their pecking order. Be really consistant because once they reach adolescence, anything you havnt controlled will escalate. Just the way dogs are.

As far as I know there are various 'Animal Liberation' groups around the country and world. A few are not directly PETA but associate themselves and share ideas about animals and ownership. This iams thing is pretty old. The PETA 'spy' was actually hired by the company to construct and implement a system to keep the dogs exercised and mentally stimulated. Instead she lied about her credentials and did nothing but take video tapes of things happening that IAMS was already trying to stamp out. Anything remotely to do with PETA should be taken with a grain of salt, and then RUN AWAY. The loony whackjobs they are, they should be castrated and shipped away to a remote island surrounded by sharks so they can leave the rest of the world alone.

could have been gastro, instestinal infection or the pup could have eaten something toxic that inflamed its bowel and the idiots didnt treat it. Gee money for mobile phones, relatives that can go overseas yet handball an animal that needs veterinary care because they may have to make a few sacrifices. Should have thought about the responsability involved before taking the animals.

You wont be charged with cruelty unless your OH used unreasonable force towards the animal (eg grabbing a stick and belting it to unconciousness, causing internal bleeding or something horrific like that) Call the ranger and council NOW. This dog should be reported, if it wasnt your pup then your child could have gotten bitten in the mess. The owners should have full control of their dog or if it is extremely aggressive have it PTS. You have every right to walk without fear. Your dog reacted this way because of the situation - it was with its pack, it was challenged and was unable to run away. As for your pup, yes it will get over it. But you have to calm down first. If you start walking the pup while you are on edge the dog will pick up on that and start becoming nervous itself. This was a once off. Pick a nice safe area, go have some fun with your puppy. Take it to obedience classes or a friend with a well behaved dog and keep him on lead (please do not go to off lead parks!) and introduce him slowly. Keep other dogs at a distance he is comfotable with and slowly walk towards them praising him for being good. But being part retriever he'll probably want to act like a complete goofball and bounce about with them!

sometimes if they lose teeth or tear out a baby one it will bleed. Yup my belgian ripped one out and she looked like she had been punched in the mouth, blood everywhere but it soon stopped. She's also bitten her tongue a few times too so be wary of that, those injuries can sometimes warrant vet visits. That'll teach him to be naughty

unfortunately I have seen a lot of head colalrs break, snap or plain fall off when misused. Any equiptment that causes injury is being used wrong. You can damage a dogs throat by yanking hard with a flat leather collar. Hence why this dog would be better with obedience and good old fashioned work. Its a large dog with respect issues and no equiptment will automatically fix that.

buy yourself a horse lunge lead from a saddlery, they're strong and cheap! Attach it to a FLAT COLLAR never to a check chain or martingale and let him roam around on that. If there is trouble or he ignores you you can reel him in. you can play light fetch, dont make him tear around like a lunatic (easier said then donw I know) but start teaching him tricks too. The dog doesnt have to run around to get stimulation his brain needs the exercise! Teach him to roll over, shake hands, bark on command, weave inbetween your legs etc etc. Border Collies need a lot of mental stimulation.

how many dogs do you have and what breed? It may pay to give them separate areas and sleeping wuarters until they get used to each other again. Are they desexed?

OK establish leadership. Go back to obedience training him in the backyard and regaining control. Its not safe for you OR the dog to walk him and have him lunge, if he pulls you in front of a car or fights you will never have control. Dont bother with head collars, training equiptment is not meant to be a problem solver its just a tool. Think of it this way. You want to build a shed. You have timber, nails and a hammer. OK You have everything but the shed wont build itself will it? You need someone to help you lift the timber, show you where to hammer the nails, etc. Just because you have all the tools doesnt mean you will automatically get the end result. But putting a head collar on this dog would be like using a brick to hammer the nails. Might work in a round about sort of way. Or you might have a disaster on your hands. Try reading http://www.leerburg.com/groundwork.htm Take from the website what you need. Get the general idea about how you need to treat the dog to establish in his mind you are the boss without being loud, violent, corrective and harsh. I walk a 55kg mastiff on a flat leather collar now because he respects my AUTHORITAH (well most of the time cheeky sod :wink:) Press the restart button with this dog. Anyone can control a large dog but the harder you try and the more he wins the worst off it is for everyone. Your dog DOES need obedience but you need to speak to your instructor about what you can do outside of classes and how to regain respect. Dont expect dogs to just improve with age, you can never just sweep issues under the carpet. They dont go away they snowball unfortunately! Lack of leadership creates problems like lunging. He doesnt fully understand what to do in the situation so he makes it up. If he was truely dog aggressive he wouldnt back down but you still dont need a dog that initiates aggression from others. I dont see this as being a major issue, just do some groundwork and you should see improvements. But remember - always be CONSISTANT and PERSISTANT. Lay down the rules with the dog and stick to them! If you give in or give him slack he wont respect you at all.

i would be wary as a lunging dog can snap its neck or the halter. Have you dog the dog in obedience? If not it may pay to start a desensitisation program around other dogs. Maybe a pinch collar would do you some good too but you need a professional to help you first.

whoah 2 hourlong walks a day is too much exercise for a puppy that young. Half an hour at a time at the absolute max! You sound like you are giving him enough time and toys. He has found that digging is a very self satisfying and rewarding past time. Where do you lock him up? If there are sections of garden that you really value then fence them with chicken wire and star pickets, bend the bottom of the fence 90 degrees out toward where he will be and bury it with bricks on top. He can try and dig but will hit wire. Leave him with no option but to play with what he has. Also have you tried treat balls? Things like Kongs and leaving him beg meaty bones but cutting down his breakfast so he spends more time picking food from the toys.

Gee that 'breeder' is full of it. Yeah why do you think she wanted them gone in time for Xmas ... CHA CHING. What a scumbag. She has no clue at all obviously and is now covering her arse. Go ask her for your vet bills back or tell her you will report her actions to teh RSPCA. I would be reluctant to let the pup hang around the other 3 dogs. If it has only had one vaccination it is still susceptable to Parvo, distemper etc. I wouldnt take it out and about yet either, you have to treat it like a good breeder would and make sure its immune system is up to it.

bugger the dogs send it to me!

what breed are we talking about. I have a Dogue and a Malinois. You would think they keep each other amused but she still goes off on a tangent and woof a lot. But Miranda has a point - when they play you will be getting more noise. As for whining, if you cannot provide adequate attention to your dog, no matter what age, it will whine. Pups get over having to physically be with its littermates anywhere from a day to a week, but a lot of tough love is involved. My dogs were both fine and quiet.

epsom salts are at the supermarkets or the chemists, even priceline or beauty shops will have them.