Cosmolo

I would feed him absolutely nothing for free staffyluv- it might take a week or so to make a difference but it DOES make a difference- i have done it with multiple dogs. Food is the easiest reward to manipulate hence why i'd be trying this as a first port of call. If he is even slightly overweight- this needs to change. He doesn't 'need' you right now and it's not a bad thing for him to need you a little more! I also think that any play with other dogs at the moment is probably counter productive but i can't be certain because i don't know him.

Staffyluv what does he get fed for his regular meals?

While i agree with some of the sentiments here- what on earth do you expect people to say when they are either asked the question on a forum, in conversation or really anywhere except a behaviour consultation? Frequently i will be having a conversation with someone and they ask a question about their dog. I try to give a snippet of some info that might be helpful followed by- you really need a consult. Anything else will take forever and be guessing anyway because the dog is not there to see. Behavioural work is complex, multi faceted and almost never black and white- yet people want simple answers. Finding a balance between these realities is difficult. I'm not sure what you expect people to say in these contexts Corvus?

Thanks for all the suggestions- given we have had great suggestions both here and on our Facebook page, this series is going to have more then 5 information sheets. We have decided on the following and will commence writing them this week- So Your Dog- Overwhelms your visitors So Your Dog- Mouths People So Your Dog- Is Anxious when left Alone So Your Dog- Is Hyper Excitable with Other Dogs So Your Dog- Is Welcoming a New baby So Your Dog- Chases the cat So Your Dog- Is getting a Friend, becoming a multi dog household I will aim to have these finished by the end of February at the latest- better get cracking!

My inbox doesn't work- i have no idea why. Email [email protected] and i can send them through.

In that area i'd take him to Diggiddy Doggy Daycare. Their staff- dog ratios are really good and i have lots of happy clients who use them.

I have used some that expect payment on drop off.

The dog was a GSD x Rottweiler

It was on Animal Planet i think. They found a home for the pup- with 2 small children and yes the dog will need help to toilet every time for the rest of it's life.

Has anyone seen this show? I am watching it at the moment and they have a puppy who is 12 weeks old who has no use of her back legs. She lies in her own waste as a result and has sores on her legs from dragging her back legs around. The rescue organisation is getting a wheelchair made so she can 'walk'- eventually. What does everyone think about this? I can't help but think it's cruel to keep the puppy alive let alone finding a suitable adoptive home.

I'd have the eye removed. Good luck making the decision- we will have to make some decisions about one of our dogs soon so i really do sympathise.

Well done Snook! That is great!

Thanks for those. Much as i would like to write one re: losing weight, it is likely that we will stay away from anything health related, given these sheets will be given out by a number of vets who may all have their own ideas about obesity etc.

Barking is a good one. I will have to think of how to shorten some of these titles though :laugh:

Thanks for the suggestions so far- keep them coming. Some of them may be a little too complex, might be able to break them down a bit more though.

I am about to write a second "So Your Dog Series". For those not aware the first SYD series covered topics including So Your Dog Pulls on the lead So Your Dog is Destructive So Your Dog toilets in the house So Your Dog doesn't come when called So Your Dog Jumps Up We would like to encourage suggestions for topics for the second series. These information sheets are available at no cost to rescue groups, pet supply stores, veterinary clinics etc. Please post your suggestions here.

Cottage Kennels is excellent. We had a client board her very anxious GSD there and they sent through a whole lot of photos of her playing and she returned in exceptional health.

I find that teaching spatial awareness helps a great deal. Try a simple experiment- when your dog is calm and standing somewhere and you move into their space- do they easily yield to that spatial (not physical) pressure? Are they able to quickly and easily co-ordinate their body to move out of your way or do they bend/ twist/ jump up/ not move at all? If they can do it when they are really calm, can they do it when they are mildly excited? When you are playing with them? To get the maximum benefit from teaching spatial awareness you can also (a) add a 'move' command and (b) as the dog moves out of the way, throw some food in that direction. If you have great aim, it's ideal if you can throw it between their front legs (so it lands near their belly) as they move backwards as you'll get an extra backwards step as they move toward the reinforcement. Once they can do all of these things when they are calm- mildly excited it's just a matter of increasing the level of distraction. Gradually, and with a high rate of reinforcement. The important thing is to continue to move toward the dogs UNTIL they yield and move for you- ie, if you step toward them when they are excited and they don't move, don't abandon the exercise, continue to move toward the dog until. In addition, another exercise i like is to simply manipulate food and/ or toys depending on the dogs behaviour. Hold the food or toy out of reach, as soon as the dogs offer a sit, mark and reward. The closer the food/ toy to their head the harder the exercise and the longer you make them wait, the harder the exercise- do these things separately first. Then once they show some reasonable self control, increase the distraction- move, talk to them, set it up where you come through the door and do the exercise immediately. This is a silent exercise- no command, just a quick removal of the reward when they make a mistake and jump up. When this occurs, you them immediately repeat the exercise and reward when the dog makes the right choice. You should be able to get in 5 reps a minute at least to start with.

Wouldn't business insurance cover this sort of thing anyway? I got a payout AND made an example of them- i had 2 goals, one was to recoup my costs and the other was to ensure they were more careful so that this did not happen to another horse and owner. I achieved both. I hope the OP can do the same if that's what she chooses to do.

As the result of a business's negligence, my horse nearly died last year. I went after the business with a lawyer (as they refused to accept any liability) and though it took six months, i won and it was worth it. Talk to a lawyer- they can best advise you.

That is both outrageous and devastating. I would absolutely go after them.

While i wouldn't be reaching for the medication- please also remember that the way your puppy behaves now is likely to stay with him into adulthood without intervention so if the behaviour is inappropriate (i don't know- can't see the puppy) it does require immediate attention through a qualified and experienced professional- preferably one with appropriate 'teaching dogs' to be utilised in the process. It's not what i would recommend as i don't know anyone else who does it but one thing that does tend to help these types of pups at that age is to go and spend a week with a well balanced group of dogs under supervision- i have done it with a number of pups and young dogs that have been at 'make or break' point and it has worked very well.

How old is the dog?

Unfortunately, once they do it once they quickly learn that it works and can become very persistent. We always put our bin up out of reach - just in case.

Not usually.