Cosmolo

You could contact Kathy Koppellis McLeod- while she is a behaviour specialist she will be able to give you names of suitable trainers. Alternately we're coming to Perth to run workshops etc in May :)

I don't think anybody agrees with medication being used as a band aid solution with no behavioural modification. But when medication can assist in the behaviour modification process it should be used. I prefer to get the same results with natural supplementation where possible but have no issue with medication either. Sounds like you are progressing well Jelly- she is a lucky dog.

While we offer dog minding to some clients dogs, we're nowhere near Geelong. Do you have a dog trainer that you could ask for recommendations in your area?

Control Unleased and Really Reliable Recalls :)

For the first time, i'm going 'home' to run a weekend of seminars and workshops. These sessions are suitable for anyone involved with dogs- from dog owners to foster carers to dog trainers and it promises to be a fantastic weekend at a great venue. Please find flyer below with further information. Underdog Training in Perth 2013.docx

That was lovely to watch. :)

I can't explain it. I would have thought it impossible until that day- i was extremely stressed, my horse was having emergency surgery and i thought he was going to die and there was an extremely quiet, still dog in the back- completely out of view. I'm sure my memory would have been triggered by not seeing her inside where she always is- but i guess i understand that if you didn't have something to trigger the memory and you HAD actually forgotten (therefore not a choice) it could happen. It's unacceptable. It's horrible. I don't think being sacked is over the top as a consequence. But i also don't think the person (or people based on this thread- not just one person)is evil, nasty, disgusting etc. A person that made a terrible mistake is still a person.

Fair enough donatella. I would have said the same thing before i momentarily forgot about my dog.

The thing is though- if you've forgotten they're there it's not as though you're choosing to take the shopping in before getting teh dog out- you have forgotten, it doesn't enter your mind. I'm not in any way suggesting it's okay- but i understand how it can happen.

I arrived home one day and had my quietest, most well behaved dog in the car. I brought a whole lot of stuff inside and then just as i went to shut the front door, OH asked where she was. I had forgotten about her. She was in the car for an extra minute or so as a result but it made me realise how it can happen. I hope i would have remembered on my own when i saw the other dogs inside but who knows. Ever since then i am overly paranoid- probaby a good way to be.

The Sensible harnesses are the best ones. Black dog balance harnesses are okay. Don't get a gentle leader fromt attach harness.

You have not failed. You will succeed- the path is just yet to be determined. Repeat this to yourself 100 times. Seriously. I do think when you're ready to walk him again you should try a front attaching harness- it will give you alot more leverage than a martingale. I am hoping to do some sessions in Sydney and Canberra in the next few months. Hopefully you could make it to one if you're still struggling.

That bought tears to my eyes. Poor babies

Changing the attitudes of upper level management in major organisations is another issue though? I do understand what posters are saying- we don't want any tools that can be used/ manipulated/ interpreted in a way that makes it easier for those pounds/ shelters etc to euthanase animals that don't fit into 'the box'. I agree. BUT- these places are already using terrible assessments as exactly that- justifications for euthanasia- look at the RSPCA NSW test that was released a few months ago- dreadful. It's harder to do that with a quality test that has better criteria than "the dog showed prey drive with a guinea pig". And i have worked with pounds and shelters that match dogs to adopters. They aren't common unfortunately- but they do exist. Pressure needs to be applied to compel sheters and pounds to use QUALITY behavioural assessments as a matching tool in conjunction with a bunch of other procedures to ensure good matches are made. A well researched test would aid in doing this. I have fought very hard to try and save dogs lives because someone somewhere in a pound or shelter didn't like the way they 'looked at that thing' or how 'poorly they behaved in a vet clinic'. In most cases i lost these battles BECAUSE the people with the opinions were not using any kind of standard test or procedure- it was because of someone's opinion. In the most recent case i lost the battle despite offering to take the dog.. Things need to change in shelters and pounds as much as dog owners need to take responsibliity- it's not one or the other and research like this should not be taken as just 'dealing with the wrong end of the problem'. BOTH ends of the problem need to be addressed.

I hope the trainer has some answers. If they don't i'd be seriously thinking about going to see someone who can help you so that you don't have to continue on such a downard spiral. What are you currently walking him on? Flat collar/ halti etc?

That's a bit harsh isn't it WnH? Personally i don't think it's about predictive value. It's a snapshot of that dog at that time to give you a baseline to allow you to make the most appropriate matches. We want the best possible snapshot.

EXACTLY Megan.

We utilise our front yard for the dogs when we are home but bolt it so that it can't be opened from the outside. Simple to do, worth thinking about.

Fair enough Staffyluv- just remember that much of the conditioning or the work for food work can be done at home- even when sitting on the couch or behind the computer. It's great that you have found some treats that he likes- i tend to think he would become less fussy with what he will accept the more his free food is restricted so that you could then give him 'better' or more skin friendly treats. Not sure if you have mentioned it before- have you tried the Happy Paws treats? I found them quite good for one of my sensitive dogs.

Staffyluv, can i ask why only 1/3? You are likely to get a quicker, better response by making him work for every scrap of food he receives- nothing for free.

Don't assume that everyone conducting assessments has poor breed knowledge and does not take into consideration what is typical behvaiour for various breeds. It doesn't have to be about fitting every dog into a box.

There is little to be gained by putting a dog in a more distracting scenario when you have nothing to counter or help you help the dog deal with the distractions. All that will happen is that the dog will practice their bad behaviour and of course the associated emotions and this will all be reinforced. Introducing the distractions is important- but you have to be careful about going over threshold or really going anywhere near threshold when you don't have a working coping strategy and consistent motivator in place. Does that make sense? Some people say practice makes perfect- but you have to be practicing the right things.

He turns his nose up at the food because he doesn't need it and isn't used to working for it- he is getting it for free later. You need to commit to not providing free food for at least 2 weeks to see a change. I have only had 2 clients dogs where i would not recommend this- these dogs were already too lean, EXTREMELY fussy and food deprivation would not have been in their best interest. Their is little that can be achieved putting him in a distracting environment if you have nothing that he wants. (I am not meaning to sound blunt at all- just in a hurry)

Definitely DON'T get a young puppy to trial her with. By all means try a steady older dog to see whether this makes a difference.

Happy Birthday Gussy xx