Kelpie-i

jaybeece are you serious, would you really want to try this out?? Anyone else out there willing? As a behavioural trainer, I feel an initial screening of the dogs would need to be done. Are there any trainers out there interested??

Would need to look at and address the following: Leadership (first and foremost) Re-socialisting and/or desensitising Training program to suit to help promote focus, compliance and alternative behaviours in your dog Training program to teach YOU what to do Anger and coping management strategies and skills (for you) No drugs, just guidance!

Bertie B, we are in Keilor Park (definitely not far from Tullamarine). We handle these sorts of cases all the time, in fact we have 6 on the go at the moment. Please click on the link below and contact me so that we can discuss various options.

Bertie B, what area are you from as we may be able to assist you and/or direct you into the right direction. If your dog has not had proper socialisation as a young pup, then this could be one of the reasons for the attacks. However, instinct almost always kicks in with dogs and the "weeding" out of the weak and sick may be in play here. Although I hesitate to confirm this as your mother's dog is not part of your dog's immediate pack. I don't know if prozac will be your answer here either. BTW, what is your dog like around other dogs?

It looks like a mixture of the Ian Dunbar "Growl Class" technique and Cesar Milan's "Power of the Pack" theory. Two worlds come together! If you read the comments below, he does state "no guarantees", so it may not work for all..but the same can be said for many other techniques. I would love to try something like this out but would need to check with my Insurance company first

Pennyw74, this is very dangerous advice to be giving to people. I see dogs who are 6 and 7 years old who are still jumping uncontrollably, some who have knocked over young children in the process. Dogs do NOT grow out of bad behaviour, it ony becomes more in grained. Monkeymoose, completely stop the "party time" antics whenever you come home, same goes for your guests. Say and do nothing and wait for your dog to calm down, then call him over ask him to sit and reward/say hello. The more you do this, the quicker the dog calms down and the quicker you are able to say hello. A little bit of hard work and persistence will pay off. No need for leads, commands and painful knees to the chest, this is very natural training and teaches the dog to think for itself. I have 4 dogs at home...can you imagine what it would be like if my dogs jumped on me or my guests each time. No thanks!

Oh okay...sorry I wasn't aware. I still think you should keep it as simple as possible and only teach one thing at a time, ensuring your signals don't look too similar.

Luke W, as Kavik suggested, you don't need all those hand signals. I even doubt you will remember them all yourself. I'm surprised your trainer hasn't given you a set of generic signals to work with so that you don't create confusion for both you and your dog. What sort of techniques are you using to teach the dog? Some methods ie. luring, creates the hand signals automatically. My recommendation is to start with 4 simple ones to begin with: Sit Drop Recall (come) Stand Teaching these one at a time. This will give you a good grounding for the initial commands/signals and you can add others later on. Remember that your dog must also learn to listen to a verbal cue as well as a hand signal

Interesting point you make Corvus and I think it can actually go either way, depending on the situation and reason for the behaviour. I work with dogs in kennels on a regular basis and I find that if I throw food to those who are always rushing up the kennels and barking each time I walk past, by the end of the day, those dogs are then rushing up to the front of the kennels with their noses to the ground looking for the food, rather than barking. Rather than reward the barking behaviour, it actually created a different behaviour in the dogs. This is a good Ian Dunbar method that works quite well. For a dog that's barking through fear, you're best to work with the dog when it is in a calmer state of mind and critical distance should be well estabslished by the handler.

4Paws, I haven't seen the Leerburg one you mention so I cannot comment. The Joanne Plumb videos are based on Schutzund training so the heeling is sharp, precise and with full focus. The techniques are mainly inducement based so it gives a different scope on things. If you can afford it, get both and use various techniques from both. Kavik, I hope it's nothing too serious!! Is he still limping?

Euthanise??? That may be a little extreme. Your dog killed the chickens because chickens are seen as prey objects to your dog, same with cats, rats and any animal that makes squeeky type noises and moves. You have a working dog.....are you currently giving him some work? Pent up instinct and drive will need an outlet somewhere, especially a dog who is used to working or sport and then suddenly stops. I think your children will be fine but if you don't feel you can give him enough stimulation, then best to rehome to someone who can.

Hey nice work Kavik!! Re losing focus, if you can get your hands on the Joanne Plumb videos they will help you tighten that with certain techniques. Looks good!

Ask your vet if he handled him a little rough? He (or she) may not tell you but this could be a case of fear due to a bad experience, ie. avoidance motivated aggression. This happened to a very good friend/trainer with her dog. She ended up finding out that the vet handled her dog with a noose which caused the dog to have some severe reactions to male humans. However, please do not automatically think that something like this may have happened to your dog. Merely a possibility, given the aggression started just after desexing. It is almost difficult to give a true diagnosis of the problem without actually seeing the dog and/or doing further investigation. Best you get onto a reputable behaviourist soon.

Joanne Plumb...very lure based techniques, but no clickers unfortunately.

Thanks GayleK. I feel that the lead supresses the young dog's instinct, especially in a pup who is learning. Young pups should only ever be put into small yards with 3 or so very "dogged" sheep. We've never had a problem and I've never seen a problem with this. Same goes with older dogs who have never been with sheep before. We run regular herding workshops and have never used lines with any of the dogs who've come and had a go. In fact, they've all come away having worked the sheep to the best of their abilities on the day. No leads, no lines, just skillful handling and guiding. Don't the lines get all tangled up around the sheep/dog??

I don't understand how you teach a dog the art of herding with a long line?? Anyway, whichever you go, have fun....but warning....herding is addictive!

Hello All Just to let you know that Information Packs have now been sent to those who have requested one. If you haven't received yours, please PM me with your email details and I will send this through. For anyone interested in receiving an Info Pack, please PM me with your email details. Thanks

This was sent to me by a friend and it blew me away. Just reminds us that there is never any excuse!! Excellent "handling"!

I agree with Poodlefan. For the purpose of correct timing of praise/reward, handling, control and consistency, it is best that the adult do the initial teaching and the children can simply work with the dog once he has been trained. I've seen young children try to "teach" puppies and it just doesn't work!

Erny, so far over 60 people have shown interest in the Melbourne leg of the tour and we are still to advertise in the APDT newsletter as well as Vic Dogs and approx 50 mail outs. Fingers crossed we get the numbers we need!!

......bump....... :D

If any of you are interested in finding out more, please PM with your email addresses and I will send you an info pack, alternatively you can send an email to either of the addresses listed in the first post. The Info Pack contains Brenda's biography as well as list of topics for the seminar, general info etc. Please note that the Info Pack is just that....an Info Pack, and does not mean you have registered for the seminar. Just in case some of you may be worried about this.

BRENDA ALOFF "GET CONNECTED" AUSTRALIAN TOUR Melbourne: Hosted by Kepala Conference Centre 20th, 21st and 22nd February 2009 For expressions of interest contact: Trish Harris on [email protected] or call 0424 221 899 Sydney: 28th February and 1st March 2009 For expressions of interest contact: Judy Turley on [email protected] or call 02 4384 2688 Don't miss this exclusive tour by one of America's foremost dog aggression experts who will be discussing and demonstrating the fundamentals of training, including an indepth view of canine body language and dog aggression. An Information Pack including all details about the tour will be sent out to those who register

rainy, glad to hear. Good luck!

Here is my opinion: Don't take the behaviour too seriously, nor too lightly either. See what happens over the coming few months whilst continuing the normal toileting regime. We need to give the pup the benefit of the doubt in this instance, but watch him like a hawk. 4 months is still very young. Relegating him to life outdoors is not only a useless approach, it will not provide you with the necessary clues/answers if he is doing this due to rank. ETA, dogs are never "naughty". This is a human trait and calling him such is termed as anthropomorphism. Dogs will only do things they believe to be necessary to their existence...nothing more, nothing less.