haven

My GSD is extremely anxious but it is not in one specific situation but more of a general anxiety. I tried Clomicalm with him and found that while it did seem to take the edge of things for him, it was of little benefit (and most definately costly!). I had much more dramatic success with DAP and a change in diet to raw foods as reccommended by Dr Robert Holmes. Since then I have also tried nutritional supplementation, Bach flower remedies (made specific to my dogs needs, not rescue remedy) and most recently a product called Nervatona (calm) with good results. This was all in addition to socialisation, obedience training and counter conditioning. My dog still suffers with his anxiety and most likely always will for a number of reasons, but as your case is situation specific, your dog is young and you are starting treatment right away I am sure you will have much better success. Dr Robert Holmes is without peer if you're talking anxiety and dogs, I would trust in his advise 110%

I always laugh when I hear comments about certain breeds being incapable of learning certain skills or training to a high level. In my advanced classes I have had all sorts, from maltese to cavaliers, pugs, pomeranians, beagles and the list goes on. I always politely let people know that the only limitations in training are those of the handler

I think you need to consider that the situation with the dog is a symptom of a bigger problem. It sounds to me like your friend needs immediate attention just as much as the dog does. I'm not posting this to be rude in any way, but the denial, the isolation and the hints that she would kill herself etc suggests to me that your friend has some problems that need to be addressed by a professional.

Agree with Staff'n'Toller, if your dog growls when you approach her food and you go ahead and take it away you confirm in her mind that you had a sinister motive and she should work harder next time to protect her food. Teach her that being approached while eating means that she is going to get something even better by giving her something of low value to eat (like grated carrot etc) and approching to drop something of high value while she is eating (like a small chunk of raw meat). Because you already have an established problem you may have to start from a distance and gradually get closer over time and ensure that you only give the higher value food when she alows you to approach without warning you away. Teaching her to recall away from her food is a great technique, as is the TOT. As Kristie said the NILIF program is important and should be adopted by all dog owners regardless of whether you have behavioural problems. Forums like this are great for sharing information, but always be aware that you should seek the advice of a qualified and experienced professional about serious issues such as aggression.

I feed my dogs whole raw fish on occasion but I always scale, gut and cut the fins off first. If your feeding fish you of someone else have caught always, always gut them and throughly inspect the gills and mouth to ensure there are no old hooks still attached!! Kristie, it sounds like your butcher is fantastic but the concern I would have is by feeding everything mixed as a meatloaf (which I assume is minced) your dogs will miss out on the benefits of crunching up the bones themselves. Also there are many BARF authorities and enthusiasts who emphasise the importance of achieving dietary ballance over time rather than in every meal. just a little, hope you don't mind...Does anyone know of someone able to supply raw turkey?

I don't know heaps about flank sucking in Dobes but since someone mentioned wind sucking in horses, I do recall reading info on that back when I was working with horses that indicated it could be inherited (genetically speaking) and possibly nutritional. I do know if some people who had succes treating windsucking and crib biting in horse by supplementing, particularly with copper. Don't know if it is relevant or useful

Agree with S'n'T, Stud Park Vet is great. That said, if I were happy with my current Vet I would continue to go there if possible, I've been through too many crappy vets not to. FTG isn't too far from Narre Warren, 45 mins max (I make the trip at least once a week to take my pups swimming) :D

In fairness tho Staff'n'toller, the example you gave has everything to do with the competency of the trainer (or lack thereof) than the piece of the equipment itself. I see as many (if not more) problems created or excacerbated by inadvertant or inapprpriate use of a reinforcer as I do a punisher. If a trainer is taught to be competent in the use of either then neither is a problem.

Actually you get a Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services and if you were to mislead students to believe otherwise you would be in breach of the AQTF standards.

No flaming here Corrine, but i would like to point out that no-one has knocked Delta, they have merely expressed an opinion for a more balanced education. To the OP and anyone else interested in doing either course, I would also suggest a forum search as this topic has come up many times. I'd weigh myself in on the side of the NDTF as I always have, but in fairness I should point out that I am now working for the NDTF and that no, I have not done the Delta course although I wouldn't mind if I felt the cost was equal to what i stood to gain now that i have done the NDTF and various other courses/seminars.

Erny, My way with words fails me somewhat now, especially since I'm havinmg trouble seeing the keyboard. It's bittersweet knowing she is now pain free, but no longer with you in the flesh. Never doubt that she will always be with you in spirit and I bet she looks beautiful with those wings. We all have a bond with our pets but when two come together, as in the case with you and Kal and make such an impact on eachothers lives, it is indeed a very special blessing. RIP Kal I'm here for you anytime you need me.

FYI One of the reasons ADT recommend clients concentrate on verbal commands in the early stages of training is because most of them have trouble reliably getting their dogs attention. They come to training with puppies or adolescent dogs who got eyeballs for christmas and often the owner can't compete with all the other exciting things to look at at training, like the other dogs and owners. Focus is gradually taught and highly valued, but most clients want their dog to sit and sit now. Hand signals don't work if the dog isn't looking at you, so we teach voice control first. Having said that no-one is ever forced into doing things in that order, one of our mottos is "we train your dog to your requirements." Ravenmyst00, if you prefer using hand signals, you will find that you are more than welcome to use them. Lab and poodle I'm happy to flash my credentials if you are

I don't use human shampoo on my dogs, but I must admit that I use aloveen on them and it smells so yummy and makes them so soft and silky I've been tempted to use it on myself more than once

The only difference in giving your commands by hand signals or by voice is the difference YOU make in terms of delivery. Having had the benefit of seeing the gorgeous Xander in action, I would say he lacks motivation because there is no need for him to show it. It seems to me that you are too free with giving him treats and praise and let him off far too lightly in terms of what you should expect from a dog at his level of training. He is capable of doing a fast recall, a straight sit, giving a decent amount of focus etc. Why does he not do these things and do them with enthusiasm? Because you accept a mediocre effort on his part and reward him for it. You need to start upping the ante, if he gives you less than exceptional effort, withold the reward and expect more! Set a standard for each of his skills and start rewarding him only when he exceeds (or at least clearly attempts to) the standard. He may be a dog that is naturally harder to motivate than some, but most dogs will lose interest when they know that they will get a reward no matter how well they do, or if they don't see the pattern behind how they achieve a reward. When Xander realises he can control the delivery of the reinforcer to some degree only by putting in that extra effort, he will. Being an effective leader or alpha to your dog should not be detrimental to his motivation levels and performance in obedience, if anything it should improve it.

*puts hand up* Among the many mistakes I'm sure to have made and don't recall at this point in time, at training recently i corrected a dog for disobeying the drop and then discovered that this particular dogs command is drop....in polish I'm still kicking myself

When I first got Nova she had a tendancy to roll her hips in both the sit and drop so that it looked very untidy, a habit i suspect she picked up after injuring her cruciate ligament. Basically I drilled her through the sit and drop again and again and only rewarded her when she sat or dropped straight. I gave the command, if I wasn't happy with the position I would tell her to stand and recommand over and over until she did it straight and then she would get a huge release and reward. She learned very quickly how to get her reward

Yep, I think it would be worth a try. It comes in tablet form as well as a spray and i think a powder. I got the spray form and it is so easy to carry around and administer.

Just wanted to say I got some Nervatoner (calm) and have used it a few times on Loki (and a few on myself). It is a little too soon to draw conclusions, but it certainly seems to work very well. It is relatively cheap and doesn't have a yukky taste (I don't like the taste of rescue remedy), so I think it is well worth a try. Thanks for the tip Rottshowgirl

Where do you get that? Wouldn't mind test driving it myself...

Not Vitamin B12, all the B Vitamins are important for reducing stress/anxiety, particularly B2. A great way to administer this to your dog is a little Brewers yeast in food. Don't give Vitamins, particularly Bs on an empty stomach because it can cause nausea. In addition to those, Vitamin C is important as well as things like Vitamin E, Magnesium and Copper. I have personally had good success with Bach flower remedies and have heard of other people having success with things like bush flower essences. The main thing is to find what works for your dog. When using Bach flower remedies or something similar, it is important to tailor the mix to your dog and its specific issues rather than just buy a pre-mix like the rescue remedy, you will usually get better results. Other things you might like to try are DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) and things like T-Touch and massage. I recommend a natural or BARF diet for all dogs and have witnessed fantastic results on my own dog who suffers with extreme anxiety. Using nutrition and natural therapies is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety, however training and management techniques like desensitisation, counter conditioning, establishing effective leadership, crate training etc should never be overlooked and play an extremely valuable part in dealing with anxious dogs. Edited more than once because I can't shpell..

Well that's new to me LM, where did you get that information from. IMO= In my opinion, or LM's in this case.

Would someone be so kind as to PM me the do not feed the troll picture? I seem to have misplaced mine..... Ta muchly and back to the real discussion

I wouldnt do that if I were you... Do a forum search or run a poll on how many members here have had an altercation in an offleash park because of some dimwit owner who let their dog run riot before you think about taking a 14 week old puppy (during his critical period for socialisation) to an off leash park.

Lablover, I'm very sorry to hear about your Mum ;) If there is anything you need please let me know! Hugs to you and your family.

Lol I am such a dope, in my current state it didnt even occur to me that I would probably get to meet other DOL members. I was (and will be) there, my appologies to all if i seem a little less than together, I have been unwell recently Reading the posts and putting it together I seem to have missed on matching quite a few faces with names! Like Erny I tend to remember the dogs (visually) more than the people and they certainly were all a handsome bunch! Of course Nova thinks she is the princess of them all