Cosmolo

Greytmate- i have had a number of clients that i believed could have taken action of some kind. But people opt not to- they either return the dog and be done with it OR they feel an obligation to persist, even in situations where the dogs pose a real and serious threat. And there is never any accountability for those that rehomed the dog. Some rehome the dog again once it's been returned for aggression issues as well. There is a difference between the excited mouthy dog (which is still an issue) and the dog that mouths then attempts to bite as a means to get someone not to touch them. I was hoping you would post Megan and i agree with what it takes to rehab a fearful dog. When an unexpected issue crops up- i have NO issue when a person or group can demonstrate that they took every reasonable step to assess and responsibly rehome the dog. Sometimes, the unexpected happens. BUT i can count those situations on one hand. I have lost track of the number of situations where there was no or extremely poor assessment and everyone suffers as a result.

Just to add- most dogs will regress somewhat when moving from a more experienced home to one that is less so. But if that regression involves lesser manners, some jumping up, pulling on lead etc- it's okay. The new owner can then 'catch themselves up' by taking the dog to training etc. But when there is a dog with known aggression or anxiety issues (that improves with experienced care) regresses when rehomed- it becomes a dangerous and devastating situation.

Your foster sounds lovely KTB. And some issues do manifest in particular homes and not others. But i am sorry to say- people DO rehome dogs with serious issues, that they know about or that they didn't assess properly. And it happens regularly. I am not talking about the dogs who, over time develop a completely new behavioural problem within an inexperienced home. I am talking about both a lack of proper issue identification AND what is done with the information once issues ARE identified.

I think fence jumping is workable IF a solution is found prior to adoption that can be passed on AND there are no other behaviour problems that crop up when the fence jumping ceases. Rehoming fence jumpers with ANY aggression issues- even to cats- is a very serious proposition. Serious separation anxiety is one of the most difficult, stressful behaviour problems- for dog and owner to deal with. Mild separation anxiety may be workable in the right home but as Greytmate suggests, many homes that are experienced enough to know what's required would not knowingly choose to own a dog with issues. I very much appreciate the contribution from those who have adopted dogs with issues. I would like to contribute stories but cannot so i hope your personal experiences also help to provide a 'face' to the issue.

Dog Aggression, Human Aggression, Separation Anxiety, Fence Jumping, Extreme Resource Guarding and Extreme Destructive Behaviour.

I have toyed for a very long time with whether or not to put a post like this here. This is not at all about any specific situation but rather a number of observations and experiences over a number of years and i am hoping that by starting this when there is no situation to discuss- we can get an informative and engaging thread happening. If you rehome any dog with behavioural issues- please give thought to what happens after that dog is rehomed, not just to the dog but to the people who are involved with the dog and the community as a whole. Have you re-examined your assessment procedures recently? How often do you communicate with foster carers or staff/ volunteers about a dog's behaviour? Do you/ they know what you're looking for? Do you know the difference between behaviour problems that can be resolved in theory and those that can be resolved in practice? Do you know that behaviour problems that have been improved while the dog is in care will often regress to some degree when the dog is rehomed? Do you know how much it costs for someone to get ongoing professional help to rehab a dog? Please don't underestimate the emotion that involves itself once a problem dog is rehomed. Many new owners love their new dogs rapidly- and decisions about the dogs future when that dog is dangerous or impacts their life in such a negative way can be both difficult and devastating. Please add your thoughts or questions.

That's true too Aidan- if there is one thing i have learned from dogs it's to be prepared for the unexpected. Things don't always go to plan.

I used to say often 'when used correctly XYZ equipment does blah blah'. And then i realised it's actually not at all about what happens when equipment is used correctly. It's about the fallout that occurs when it's used incorrectly AND the probability of the equipment being used incorrectly. If i use positive R incorrectly or ineffectively or use a front attach harness incorrectly or ineffectively, the fallout will be very different to that of an e collar used incorrectly. And you know what.. most people use things incorrectly, aren't consistent etc. I'd rather minimise fallout within that reality. Sorry Megan didnt answer your question- i do not believe that e collars should be freely available but i don't mind the restricted use policy we have here in VIC where collars have to be used under the direction of a qualified trainer and the dog has to undergo veterinary examination prior to use.

That will teach me to do a short reply. I did not mean to suggest that an e collar does not cause discomfort. It is something the dog does not like. What I meant to explain was why an e collar works better than other tools that also cause discomfort. Which is where timing and adjustable levels come into play. Megan- most people do not have the required skills. Which is why I very rarely ever recommend them. And like aidan, most things that I once would have considered an e collar for, I can now get with better knowledge and application of positive r.

I am about to go out so don't have heaps of time to reply properly BUT- E collars have the potential for exceptional timing- better than any other piece of training equipment in the hands of a skilled user. This is one reason why i think they can get such quick, accurate results- things can be made very clear IF the user is skilled. E collars use a sensation that the dog has likely never felt before and therefore has not been desensitised to, and the level of stimulation can be adjusted extremely finely- again better than any other piece of equipment IF the user knows what they are doing. I like training with e collars when appropriate but rarely recommend them to others now.

Did you train on the weekend Staffyluv?

Glad it makes sense! You know it's something i never considered in my early training years but it is just so incredibly important that it's one of the first things i think about now.

While i don't have children, i have dealt with many expectant parents and among those were many who said prior to the birth of their children that the dogs routine wouldn't change etc, but once the children were born things changed. Some dealt with terrible guilt as a result which made things worse. You can't possibly anticipate the effect of hormones, lack of sleep, stress etc and it's something that i always consider when dealing with expectant and new parents. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst- the use of dog walkers, dog daycare if appropriate can be very helpful.

One of the problems in these situations is the lack of reward history in context. ie- We take the dog to a distracting situation and the level of distraction being so high is then made 100 x worse by the fact that there is such infrequent reward for the dog. Consider your training at home- dog is compliant= pleny of reward. Training in distracting environment= no reward. Now from our people point of view we say- the dog won't take food, i can't reward the dog because he/ she is behaving so badly. This makes sense to us. But not to the dog. The dog comes to learn that in distracting environments, there is no opportunity for reward from the handler. (But plenty of fun can be had bouncing, pulling, leaping, whining etc) So what do we do about this. Firstly- short periods of time only. The more occasions where you have the dog there not getting rewards from you (remember the reason why doesn't really matter- we know it's because he's behaving poorly or won't take rewards but it's irrelevant to him) and getting excited and frustrated, the worse the problem will get. Secondly- i would get him out of the car and either drop a handful of food on the ground or if his focus at that point is okay- feed him from hand immediately. If he looks for more, feed him. If he doesn't, feed him. If you get to a point where he won't take food- either in time elapased or distance from the distractions, you have gone too far. I call it the bank account of reward history- and you need to start increasing the balance- dramatically. Teach him that this environment is about rewards from you- as soon as there is some reward history then start the LAT game. Build value for the LAT game by doing 100's of repetitions when you don't need to- at home, on regular walks etc. Use anything as the LAT distraction, not just other dogs. If you do enough reps like this, the effect of classical conditioning will then allow you to have more success when other dogs ARE present. MANY dogs are labelled as unmotivated when the problem is actually a lack of reward history which in turn leads to no expectation of reward. If the dog does not expect it, they can't anticipate it. If they don't anticipate it- all their energy has to go somewhere, and it's going to go away from the handler.

Just to add- i have never had a dog (large or small) get out of a front attaching harness. They are good for geting control WHILE you employ other techniques to fix the problem.

I don't agree with the statement that free play with other dogs compromises obedience. I think it's more complex than that. Reward history, level of training, maintenance of training, level of motivation etc all come into play. This is where people go wrong- it's not just the free play element that does it. My dogs have alot of interaction with other dogs- but they'd all sell their souls to work with me instead. What Megan said :)

I don't know the company in question but there ARE many businesses who do only walk one dog or two dogs with owner's permission. While i do think their insurance would cover it, they may be reluctant to claim as their premium would go up significantly. While waivers can be challenged, i believe you would need to prove that there was negligence. Accidents can happen- it wouldn't take much to accidentally step on a pup and cause injury. I hope your pup heals well.

Given the number of people i see every day who believe that- - the legislation only applies to dangerous dogs - the legislation only applies to dogs that ARE pit bulls Or the people who say "what legislation"? I think ignorance is an issue- maybe not an excuse- but it is an issue that needs to be addressed. People DON'T realise that any dog that looks a certain way can be deemed restricted. They are not told at point of sale, they are not told when they register their dogs- and the last time i heard anything on TV or radio was ages ago. Then when there is publicity on TV and radio- there is so much scaremongering that again, people believe it's about 'those nasty pit bulls' or 'dogs taht bite people'. And what for those people who bought dogs before this legislation came in truly believing their dogs were of XYZ non restricted cross breed?

Pugluvr- it is not just pit bulls or pit bull crosses though. It is ANY dog who meets the criteria set down by the DPI. Meaning that a dog could be a Staffy x Labrador (so neither breeder nor owner would think twice about the legislation- it's just for pit bulls they think) and still meet the criteria.

Looking forward to meeting everyone. With less than 2 weeks to go- don't delay if you haven't made your booking yet. There are a couple of places left in each session at this stage.

m-sass- when you say dogs of pit bull appearance- what exactly do you mean? I adopted one dog 4 1/2 years ago and another 6 years ago that i did not believe were pit bulls however, according to the Victorian standard- they could be in trouble. This is the problem with going after dogs of certain types and not certain behaviours.

Am happy to have a look at him when i am up in a few weeks if it's needed.

The Behavioural assessment package gives you the materials required to use the Underdog Behavioural Assessment beyond the workshop.

Bump- please don't leave it until the last minute to confirm your bookings as it helps us with planning to have a good understanding of numbers attending well in advance!

Certificates are provided for the Behavioural assessment workshop and an attendance certificate could certainly be provided for the other sessions. Hope you can make it. Att: Perth residents! We need some assistance sourcing a suitable venue for our planned October event. If you know of an area that would allow dogs to be present as well as have indoor or covered seating for 20-30 people- please let us know! Northern suburbs preferred but will consider any reasonably central location. The canine association grounds are not available for the weekend requird and none of the dog clubs contacted have been able to help.