zero

I feed mostly raw but use dry food as a back up. Eagle Pack hoilistic range is great - I recently ordered the new duck & oatmeal & my dogs love it! I always go through a supplier who delivers free of charge too - so convienient & they have the best prices. Sometimes I get Nutrience for a change - but it doesn't seem quiet as good. Premium dry food is expensive, I'm sure it's cheaper to buy raw chicken bits & meat bones - I've never sat down & worked it out exactly but if I only feed dry my dogs go through it so quickly. Plus I think any processed food must lose nutrients & putting them back in artificially isn't the same as getting them out of the food in the first place.

I have had many emails from this guy & I haven't replied once, if he is that good why is he bombarding people with emails??? also he writes silly stuff in his emails about Amstaffs (SOMEHOW HE KNOWS i HAVE AN AMSTAFF & HE KNOWS HER NAME IS mALLEE - HE NEVER MENTIONS MY OTHER XBREED DOG - DOES HE GET DETAILS OF THE REGISTER???- sorry, not yelling I just accidently hit Caps Lock!!) He says thaings about Amstaffs being hard to train & he has the 'secret' to unlocking Mallee's obedience - oooooooooh pleeeease!!!! He refers to the difficulties I must have toilet training Mallee, however Mallee is an inside dog & we have never had a problem toilet training her - so I decided then he had nothing to offer me.

I would love to come with my 2, is it ok if they are not experienced? Mallee had a go at Nillumbik Pet Expo, they had a lure course circuit, it was sooooo funny. Tank has never tried, but he would have to go on his own. I'm thinking it will be a really fun day though, so count us in!!!

oh Pampa...I just read this...how terrible for you My Amstaff girl ate some mice bait on Saturday night, but luckily I saw her & got her to throw up pretty quickly - then she only had 2 little pellets in her vomit - but I was beside myself with worry for her, especially when I wanted her to vomit & she was so confused as to what I was doing to her & giving me those terrible sad eyes! I did smile though at your description of your girls' play!!! My girl loves grabbing hocks more than anything!!! I often think of that lovely photo of your 4 dogs watching you eat & I think how lucky these 'tough' dogs are to have such a loving owner. Really wishing your girl quick recovery, it sounds promising that she feels like playing - thinking of you both.

I think fearful dogs bark more when they are confined or restrained because they feel trapped & therefore more threatened. My boy is fearful & barks at strangers that he sees outside our house too, but if he is running free outside he tends not to bark at them. I guess he can approach them as he feels comfortable. He also reacts to hats & glasses - maybe because it is harder to recognise who is underneath them. But Iv'e noticed that dogs don't easily recognise people visually so speaking is a good way to communicate friendliness to them. My boy barks at children more than adults and men more than women. I guess it's all about perceived threat. I have heard that it is a good idea to alllow a dog to bark a couple of times then distract the dog & reward them for being quiet, Erny/Haven would you agree with this? I don't mind my dog barking a warning but what frustrates me is sometimes he won't stop & it is very embarassing & can be disturbing for the visitor. Especially as he tends to bark more at nervous type people. :rolleyes:

Please update us on how you go with his barking. My male staffyx barks at people when I am walking him or if he sees people walking past our house- also if he is in the car. I think with my dog it is to do with fear as he is very insecure. It is so embarassing sometimes & he is very stubborn about it. He also stops barking if someone with confidence & friendliness approaches him but the more reserved or nervous a person is the more he barks at them (which only escalates the whole problem). Sometimes when I am trying to have a conversation with someone I hold his mouth but he still woofs under his breath! In the house he barks & then runs to me looking guilty for barking & crouches low, sometimes he continues to bark under his breath but generally if he stops looking at the person he stops barking. If he is off lead he generally doesn't bark & is more receptive to people. I am trying to praise him when he sits quietly but sometimes he just won't stop barking. My amstaff girl never barks at people & only barks if she isn't getting her own way, like if my boy has a toy or a bone that she wants she barks & then he moves away from it.

We definately did a big shop for each of our dogs before they arrived & it was so hard to not buy the whole pet shop out! I actually go to our closest Pet Network Warehouse for a big shop because I can get online prices but actually see & touch before I buy. I bought inside & outside beds, collars, leads, bowls, soft toys/squeaky toys (not anymore!), rope toys, kong, balls, frisbee, treat ball....& probably a few Iv'e forgotten. When I go to the local petshop or supermarket I usually but teats for training, biscuits for snacks/training, pigs ears, raw hide bones & anything that looks healthy & entertaining. I have an area in the pantry dedicated to the dogs & I always keep it stocked for those days when I might need an extra chew to keep them amused. My two are strong chewers so I've given up on most toys, they have squeaky toys for dog school training but otherwise they only have ropes, kong type toys & thick rawhide chews....& a nylabone type chew. When my girl was a puppy I bought her the most gorgeous soft squeaky toys but I don't get around to patching them anymore & they only last 5 seconds before the stuffing is all over the place anyway!!!

Hi Steve Can I ask the details of the open workshop that you are doing in November in Victoria?

Thanks Haven I think because I haven't been handling Tank at training I have missed out on learning how to manage him. Sean was away on the weekend so I took Tank to training & it was really good experience. Unfortunately there wasn't anyone available for one-on-one (I did ask), there never seems to be enough staff which is a bit frustrating! However they had a guy (sorry I'm bad at remembering names) & he took a separate socialisation class for 'excitable & aggressive' dogs. This was excellent as it really focussed on dogs reacting to other dogs. Tank was a perfect student the whole time & remained quiet focussed. He seems to get a bit desensitised at classes, i.e. he is worse away from the class environment, but I was still really encouraged by his behaviour & I feel more confident about controlling him. The instructor told me not to avoid other dogs on our walks (which I have been doing) but to keep a distance where I can maintain Tank's focus (which I also wasn't doing). I tried this yesterday by crossing the road & getting both Tank & Mallee to sit & 'look' and Tank remained really calm. Tank does respect our leadership most of the time, I think my lack of confidence dealing with his aggression has been a big part of the problem. I also think I have just been wishing it would go away rather than wanting to learn how to deal with it. I don't know if you have much say at ADT Heidelberg but the instructor said there should be socialisation classes for aggressive & excitable dogs every week, however we have been taking Mallee since January & I have never been aware of this type of class. Could you have a word to management about including this class regularly? I will ask about it too. It was tjust he best for Tank & it would also be really good for Mallee as she is excitable & I notice that is a problem for a lot of young dogs. But thanks to everyone who replied -I actually enjoyed taking them both for a walk on Sunday & I think I will swap with Sean so we take in turns with both dogs at classes from now on. Bye for now Kylie

We got Mallee at 8 weeks & started classes with her about 10 weeks I think so she had been training for over 7 months. We also took her everywhere as a puppy so she is really confident & expects the best out of every situation & so far she has always submitted to other dogs. Tank we have only had for 6 weeks, we took him to ADT the day after we adopted him from the shelter, so he has been training for 6 weeks. He is really responsive to obedience training & is generally quicker to obey than Mallee, who is a bit of a stubborn girl! However, he is not progressing in the socialisation area & because he is on an orange lead & must stay away from other dogs I don't see how he is ever going to improve. He accepted Mallee right away - but he does dominate her & she doesn't complain. When he is on lead with us he has a go at any other dog we come across, even really old dogs or puppies. He also barks at men (not women) initially although he is quick to lick their hands & be friends. Once someone is in our house he is their best friend & very gentle. He was desexed & microchipped by his orginal owner but did not appear to have been trained or socialised at all. He is generally a very happy dog but he seems easily stressed. When there was a dog on TV the other night he started barking & pacing around the lounge room. He barks when he hears the neighbours in their backyards & just seems to be a bit tense & reactive to unfamilar situations. Mallee is as cool as a cucmber & she loves other dogs so it is a bit of a difference having Tank! He is gradually a bit more relaxed at home & he is pulling on the lead less, but he still goes crazy if he sees another dog & then he is really difficult to control. I am going to start trying to get him to sit when other dogs are around but at the moment he just loses it & then he wont listen to commands at all - not even with delicious liver treats & he loves his food!!! I will have alook at the trainers on the website you mentioned but yes I think I will push ADT a bit more first to see if we can get some more specific help with Tank. Thanks again

Sorry Guys we are still here I didn't get a chance to log on yesterday. Thanks for all your advice, Tank is enrolled at ADT & although he has been noted as a 'project dog' we have not yet had any one-on-one assistance with his behaviour. My OH handles Tank at the weekly classes while I take Mallee & I don't think he has been pushy enough about getting some assistance. As I spend more time with our dogs & take them for walks on my own it is probably more obvious to me what a problem Tank's aggression, is as I am a nervous wreck walking both of them. Mallee pulls like crazy to get near other dogs anyway as she is very excitable & then Tank pulls too, looking as if he would like to take a piece out of them. It is very embarrassing & stressful for me & I don't walk them very far for fear of an incident. Luckily we have a fenced baseball field close by & I usually take them there for a run off-lead. They rush at the fence if another dog comes by but at least they are contained. Yesterday he rushed at a dog & ran into the fence-durrr! I really appreciate the point about getting help ASAP before Tank's behaviour becomes more entrenched. I will speak to ADT myself & also look at the option of getting some further assistance from an experienced trainer/behaviourist. Funny but I don't know if he showed any aggression at the shelter. I took Mallee to meet him & although he growled at her a little through the fence he was fine with her in the exercise yard & he didn't seem to react to another male dog on in the adjoining exercise yard or when he walked past the other confined dogs. I just assumed they would have tried him with a mixture of male & female dogs to see how he behaved but I don't think this was done. When I said he had been showing aggression they seemed really surprised & said a male dog once jumped the fence into the same exercise yard as Tank & he was fine about it (however I don't think 1 dog is a fair indication). Also he seemed more subdued at the shelter, I don't know if this is a common thing for a dog to not show their true temperment in a shelter? As for fence jumping they said they weren't really meant to re-home him & gave us a hard time about extending the height of our fences - fair enough & we were happy to do it. The shelter is Australian Animal Protection Society in Keysborough. They seem to have a lot of volunteers that perhaps are not that knowledgable about dog temperaments, very lovely people all the same. Could anybody recommended a behavourist/trainer in Melbourne (North-Eastern suburbs preferred)? I will let you know how we progress, thanks again for all your advice & concern. Tank is a really great boy & when people meet him they think he is the most loving, sweetest dog ever. He just completely changes when he sees another dog & this glazed look comes into his eyes & he gets really agitated. Training is helping him to be more responsive & easier to contol but it is still awful to see him like that. He overeacts to noises (barking, pacing) & is a bit highly strung in general. I really hope he can mellow out a bit! Kylie (Zero is my horses name!)

Hi I rescued a StaffyX male 'Tank' (12 months old) from a shelter 6 weeks ago. He was supposed to be ok with other dogs - his problem was fence jumping. He gets along really well with my 10 month old amstaff female 'Mallee' (desexed), however she is a really good sport & doesn't mind his dominant behaviour. Tank is very submissive to humans but he has been showing aggressive behaviour towards other dogs, especially male. We have enrolled Tank in weekly obedience & socialisation classes & his obedience is progressing really well but his aggressive behaviour remains about the same. He lunges, barks, snaps & gets very aggitated at the mere sight of another dog, even if they are some distance away :D . I love him very much & he is great as part of our family but I am wondering if there is any hope of him becoming more dog friendly. I am worried that he is going to hurt another dog & possibly teach my amstaff to be aggressive (we got her as a puppy from a breeder & socialised her from the start so she is really good, but she is submissive to him). I am confused as to how this behaviour wasn't picked up on at the shelter as he was there for a month. :p Does anyone have any advice as to how we could help Tank to overcome this aggression? Do you think at his age he will remain aggressive? How do you know whether a dog is likely to really hurt another dog? (I don't know if he is bluffing or serious & I am too scared to let him off lead with other dogs to see). Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am now the owner of just the type of dog I have always tried to avoid! :rolleyes: