Nekhbet

pity you're so far I do it in Geelong ETA the ground disturbance or sporting method is nice and easy to get dogs to start tracking and keep their heads down. You can quickly add scent discrimination once the dog gets it. I've had oodles do scent detection in one session searching cars it all basically comes down to can you switch the dogs nose and brain on to look for a way to get rewarded. Then you can go whichever direction you like.

Fidos flea free rinse in a spray bottle and add omega oils/garlic to the food ;) The rinse can be sprayed on, 1ml per 100ml water, then brushed through and kills the fleas instantly. You can also spray your carpets with it

I would never totally discount it BUT it's extremely hard to do properly and not possibly have some bad side effects if the situation is not totally set up correctly. It depends too if it's true SA or if its an anxious reaction which are two very different things. A truly panicking dog should not have it used, I have seen it done on a dog that had manic episodes when put in a run and owner walked off, so owner decided to get an e collar ... well dog ended up rolling on the ground screaming with a stim and dog kept getting worst oddly enough ... When I got the dog, it screamed just being put into a partially built enclosure (ie posts and one side fenced) because the fear was now that bad. Most tools are for when dogs can be put into or already in learning mode otherwise they just frighten the system because the brain is not in the right mode to comprehend what's going on. It's similar concept to when you're already really afraid and someone comes up behind you and grabs you, it doesnt stop you, in fact you would heighten and probably snot them one in a thrashing fit because you're in fright/flight mode NOT rational mode. If it's just barking then you have to look at what is causing the barking. Breed and gender can be a big issue and usually there are other factors. I had a client ask me the same thing today, she said her dog may have the beginnings of SA because when she takes the other dog out for a walk her large recently desexed possessive male has a howl for a bit. Mmmmm probably more it's 'oi get back here woman' from the dog :laugh:

Hey considering those crates she actually didnt try that hard. Now smear something horrible tasting on that spot to stop her chewing it again. Trigger's done worst just scraping the crate like a lunatic for his dinner, I showed you how we cable tied it together because he can instantly implode the black ones tdierikx another dog won't do a thing for Roo when left alone, she doesnt show signs of transferring her 'safe' feeling to another creature if you know what I mean. I don't really think she needs a mental crutch at all, she just needs to reshape the way she thinks and acts which is mostly just habit. We tried for her to make friends with Trigger, she didn't like Trigger. Poor doofy stood there staring at her like 'be my fwiend' she just showed her teeth and walked off he seems to have that affect on quite a few dogs, bless him, but he's as gentle as a lamb I don't believe this, but there are a lot of people who do because they don't want to do any processes that seem 'mean' or 'forceful' in any way, so just medicate the hell out of the animal, when that doesnt work just put it to sleep because it's kinder - supposedly. OH also came up with a theory, that the medicated animals behave in a way that causes them more pain because they do not understand the now lack of 'feeling' they do have on the medications. He used to do youth work and see highly medicated 'trouble' kids run themselves into walls and doors, cut themselves, injure themselves just to feel something through the meds Now this is a thinking, rational human, imagine a dog. Pain means bad, pain means STOP. Sometimes we have to let them feel those things and fears in order to understand the world 100% and prevent overreactions. It's just reality.

I can live with that Hey nothing wrong with listening to other people, even if they are very very wrong. You say good day, have a nice life and move on with your own. It's like when a 'trainer' gave me a dressing down in a vet clinic about how a dog I took on should be euthanised, is a lost cause, unpredictable, dangerous blah blah blah and who do I think I am to take it on, what qualifications did I have to think I knew better... in front of clinic clients ... so I told her politely what I have done, it took a little while and said thank you for your time :) Oh yeah, best bit was when she vipered at me 'oh you're one of those trainers who uses a choke chain ... we don't believe in using force or choking dogs' No but killing it was high on your agenda instead awesome logic

She just turned 6 months old ... what a life. When a dog has to toss up eating a treat or breathing you know it's cruelty.

Go the Leerburg, there's also Michael Ellis and Bart Bellon on youtube :)

You need to watch changing your life around a dogs behavior ... that can be a slippery slope for some circumstances

You need to give the dog a chance. Personally an excited dog, unless it's totally gone mad, is capable of listening. So take that moment, you come home, go out, sit, pat/treat. Oh and hold your treats nice and low so the dog can smell/lick them but cannot take them ;) little trick. For the kids they can throw the treats or toys for her to fetch and get that excitement in the opposite direction, then when she comes back ask her to sit. If she absolutely will not listen just go inside then, but you gave her a chance to interact and win attention! I don't believe in hard and fast rules, the waiting before going out to see the dog is a bit old fashioned (saying that I am in some ways :laugh:) but you get a dog to love and interact with it, and they can learn faster from guidence then you waiting for them to work it out or reward them at that fleeting moment of capture.

This is actually the last thing a dog so heavily into habits needs, and Roo has those habits. That and Roo is panicking before you leave :laugh: yeah people's advice ... yeaaaah ... please don't go following a million different things, we will make Roo better just don't worry and be patient. I told you your behaviorist will not like me and my ideas, not because they don't work it's because of idealistic rivalries that tend to exist in dog training. It's your dog, your money, your life, if you're not happy don't feel guilty or pressured to do something you dont like or doesnt work. If she chews the crate give her something to chew on in there then. Put her squeaker in there remember in the car she started squeaking away to placate herself? A couple of toys or a sacrificial one you dont mind chewed to bits will help redirect her onto that instead. My 10 year old bitch still needs something to chew on in the car so I gave her sacrificial toys, no more whinging and carnage :laugh: If she hasn't burst out of that crate she's doing fine, actually the fact she's chewing and pawing means she's trying to find a productive way to release her anxiety. So, nothing else to do in there, chew crate. Give her a toy to redirect that on like a huge cheap rope smeared with peanut butter to get her started etc. And you can keep opinions like this to yourself. Jelly has given up her entire life for this dog so far, it's time she takes it back and the dog settles down into a nice, calm, state. If you want to speak like this direct it to me and see what reply you really get.

I watched two videos before I had to turn it off. That's cruelty. Plain and simple. she can barely walk and wheezes constantly trying to get air.

I'm sorry but just watching that animal try and get around is horrific. Yes keep it alive for as long as it can - heart barely works, it cant walk or breathe properly. Nawwwww gold star for keeping her alive! I'm sure they'll all feel so proud watching her suffer to death.

Well do you think it's not a bit of natural selection? The main diet sources of dogs in the civilised world are carb and grain rich foods, so only the ones that can tolerate the diet move on to produce pups who in turn stay on that same diet? I'm sure if we fed them chicken pellets for the next few decades you would find the shift towards them living well of them too.

yes and no when it comes to environment and genetics, I can tell you I didnt take away my rottweilers hip sockets. If they did not consult you about these problems, then some of the fault is on them. What does your contract of sale say?

And if this increases frustration in a dog? The minute I walk in the door I say hello and no one is going berzerk biting me because it's not allowed. Why not just catch the dog in that moment and ask it to do something productive for you instead since it's so intent on getting attention from you - use the dogs own excitement against it in a way :laugh: You need to redirect her attention to something productive, so maybe have her favourite toy or some treats with you and the minute she goes to mouth ask her to sit instead and reward it. There's no point saying no if you do not show the alternative required behavior and reward that heavily, all you get is a dog that tries harder. As for the peeing, that's not uncommon in weaker nerved or confused dogs. Try not to encourage her, if she gets wound up just cease direct contact and ask her to do something like sit instead, something she knows well. This way you can get around the anxiety pattern of excitement - work up - pee

Keep things out of his reach, if he goes to grab them off your feet squirt him with a squirt bottle in the face and say 'leave'. If the squirt doesnt work just scruff the little monster, hold him until he settles. Carpet same routine, say 'leave and call him away from it, if he doesnt leave it well at least he can't run away with all the carpet :laugh: time outs really don't do a lot for behavior like this, you need to just put a stop to it now firmly.

Loving is a subjective thing - you don't have to pass down handfulls of treats and be constantly lavishing your attention on the dog to show you 'love' it. You don't have to be horrible, just relax around the dog :) I come across as blunt I know, quite a few people tell me that but I still buy my old patrol dog a cupcake collar and bowl for xmas so I'm not a hearless cow after all!

Oh I was in horses as a kid and I have a horse now, yup I know Parelli method :laugh: I have the same no nonsense approach with our horse, I don't want my head kicked in by a 17H TB :p Rome wasn't built in a day so don't feel too pressured. Do it at a pace your comfortable at, Roo will conform to it too, main thing is both you and Roo are on the up. Berating anyone doesn't work which is why I don't do it, you need the confidence too not just the dog. The advent of the internet I think has hindered progress in some ways, frightening people so much. Dogs are not rocket science, but start over thinking things and they soon become it! We need to go back to the old days, no puppy preschools, no puppy primary, it's dog school until your dog is trained up properly. You started the minute you got the dog, not do all this fluffy marketing shite until the dog turns into a total menace, then most owners are too broke to get proper help. I don't blame a lot of people who get to the point of tears or wanting to get rid of the dog, it must be horribly frustrating and confusing for the average owner to know what is right and wrong these days with your pets!

Really? Or have they just been convinced of that fact? ;) That's more where I'm getting at

Why not? It's apparently something he might think is just what you do when the door's shut. Behaviors like this don't always have root in severe emotional issues, a lot of the time they can be a learned behavior that has rolled on due to several factors - breed - genetic temperament and nerve - environment - owner interaction (or lack of) You would be surprised too how many dogs are owner mediated - well anyone who works in animal industry won't really be. Dog exhibits behavior for owner, owner goes dog is totally different. Roo I don't expect to quickly get better at home as quick as out of the home because of all those triggers she has at home to get her anxious - thats where the uphill part of changing it comes in. Dogs are masters of subtle triggers, they attach not only behavior but emotional state to those triggers. As I told Jelly, we rely on this concept when we train protection dogs - one quick command and the dog is at level 10 straight away because we have conditioned that particular word or sound to do that. Now have a good think what you do that immediately incites frenzy - usually the treats, fridge, leash, certain word etc. So why not the dog make up these things itself because you've been fulfilling it's expectations of how the pattern of behavior is to be completed? Shut door, have a woof, go eat treat toys, get bored now, woof some more. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It's not stopped, it's not changed, and dogs happily gripping to heavy routines will go with it. Try and change it confusion sets in ... if there is noone to guide the dog through the confusion dog pushes to go back to routine, or dog then makes up alternative behavior to deal with the confusion. If it works, they stick with that new one.

The trick is to try and go in with an open, blank slate mind - If you try and understand from your perspective why a dog does something we find ridiculous you will go certifiably insane. Instead, you look from the dogs perspective and remember their scale of reactions is not the same as ours either. A dog can find being very wound up a positive thing, then we reinforce it or do not change it as owners and wonder why we then have a spinning, screaming, thrashing animal on our hands. I come from a background of working, sport and protection dogs in particular, imagine a dog running and hitting a decoy, lifted off the ground, hit and thrown. How rewarding does it have to be for that dog to take all that and go in for more :) dog logic, as I tell everyone, don't understand it just roll with it :laugh: A dog will naturally experiment with things and see what happens - is the reaction positive or negative? Was it reinforced or corrected? It's why I also do not understand this idea floating around that corrections cannot be used with reactive or anxious dogs. You need to stop dogs somehow so they can learn, their brains need to be engaged back into learning mode. If they are not in a suitable frame of behavior to be rewarded what can you do? Nothing at all. So, dog ends up exhibiting behaviors without anything 'stopping' them, hence inadvertently reinforcing them in a lot of cases. Yes you need to know what you're doing but it's not that difficult a method that you can do long term harm (unless you're standing there screaming and throwing the dog around but we don't do that) Owners also add to behaviors by interacting with a dog when it's highly anxious. Trust me I have suffered anxiety attacks and when you're in that mode nothing rational comes through the panic filter. In fact forced interaction can ramp up a brain that is not thinking properly, ergo increase the reaction. Classic example is doing pulling and carrying on when it sees another dog, with owner yelling name and commands. Why? Dog's not listening, owner is more and more frustrated, dog is more excitable because owner is screaming something intelligable. Instead let the dog go out, get corrected on the collar and let it think, let it learn, let it go 'oh damn that was stupid wasn't it'. You need to balance the good with the odd bad, that's life. My theories are not new. They're actually decades of dog training and behavioral methods that have been forgotten or had people frightened off them because they don't fit in with modern dog training fashions and organisations. Dogs havn't changed in that time though, so all we can do is throw them out of balance. Stay in the middle lane, your dogs behavior will follow :) I'll send you all an invoice through PMs

I see it a lot. As soon as dogs exhibit a stress reaction it must be real - which I find more and more a lot of reactions are not based on a realistic panic or fear but just a learned behavior that the dog pulls when it feels a bit stressed. Now no difference you say - big difference I say and this is why I tend to be unpopular and poo pood, because I don't pander to every reaction a dog pulls (and of course the other hideous, cruel and nasty things I do :laugh:) Remember when confronted a dog will pull a reaction to see what works, even if it is something that eventually progresses to detriment for the animal and causes it immense pain/stress, the dog will make that experimentation long term reality. And dogs like Roo you can test. If a dog is truly SA, me closing it up in a crate then my van and remove its owner would have been inflammatory. Telling a dog to focus when holding it and it's owner goes and hides, I would expect anxiety increase, not decrease. More importantly owner looking at dog immediately induces some subtle signs, softening of the face, the doe eyes, and some lip licking. Remove owner, remove reaction. Mmmm, not really that SA are we Roo roo :laugh: Once again we are coming down to forgetting dogs are dogs. We are treating them the way we are treating ourselves, every reaction is a condition, have some more medication and a pat on the head. All you get is a long life of confusion and rattling full of pills. Too many dogs doped up for my liking because most people do not know how to treat dogs reactions and frankly, this whole modern notion of avoid stress when training and don't use corrections is failing us and our dogs. I don't find too many behaviors shocking any more and I don't believe in avoiding them either in most circumstances. Dogs do some really painful, ridiculous and stupid things which in their own heads seems like the right thing to do. The best thing you can do is let the dog exhibit a reaction, let out that rubbish that's bottled and you see a dog eventually sitting there with a bashful look when the penny drops. This is why I opened my school and I have strict rules in place. Reactive and special case dogs deserve to learn, deserve to be out in public and are allowed to throw a fit if they like without having to feel embarrassed.

This is where a correction chain is handy. You need to show the dog that acting like a lunatic toward the other dog is not that nice, being right there next to mum is. So put correction chain on dog, have a nice loose leash. When the dog goes to run towards the other dog give it a sharp pop but do NOT vocally reprimand the dog. As soon as the pop works, call the dog back to you and reward. You give the dog a choice - come here for a reward or go over there and it's pretty average. The collar works independantly to you, the reason you do not verbally reprimand the dog is we want it to gravitate to you. Now being gruff or yelling will mean a dog that ignores you even more because it sees no reason to return to you. This way you're always the awesome person in the situation no matter what happens and the dog will more and more want your attention - because any direct interaction you give is rewarding. A thinking dog also has long term retention because life is black and white. When you want your dog to go say hello to another, put a command on it like "say hello' which is quite socially acceptable. The dog can wander over calmly and have a sniff, then should easily return to you when you say something like 'come on' and a pat when it returns to you. You remove the expectation of the dog thinking 'carry on hard enough I'll get what I want'. You now have set parameters where the dog may be able to go meet another dog. If it doesnt, it doesnt matter because it's ultimate rewarder - you - are right there. Your dogs are old enough to learn consequence to bad and unacceptable behavior. When a dog sees something as being more rewarding then you, you can either spend a long time being a social leper because you have to keep a long distance where your dog doesnt react and hope you're rewarding enough, or you can proof your dogs behavior by showing it consequence to unacceptable actions then reward the hell out of it for doing the right thing. Your choice. I can tell you what all my clients prefer and I have not traumatised one dog yet.

There's Nail Maurer in Lal Lal, on the way to Geelong from Ballarat 65 Halls Road South (03) 5341 7592 He's $12.50 a visit or there abouts and has saved many of my dogs before, and many people I know.

Hey it's a positive step. Roo needs to learn, she'll stress a bit in the process but she needs to learn it's not the end of the world and to stop pulling faces when she sees you too to get more attention (oh yes, not all of her SA is real) I think if you've managed to leave her alone at home today she's on the up. Between a diet change, more exercise and just plain old putting your foot down to a change of routine her brains finally going, yup sink or swim, stop acting like a dipstick. I don't think Roo is as prescious as previous professionals have made her out to be :laugh: