Behaviouralist In Inner West Sydney

[MissMaddy]

My aunty and her partner have been having issues at feeding time with their 2 fox terriers.

She's had some recommendations from the vet about what to do, but I did suggest a behaviouralist to assess their behaviour at other times and feeding time to see if it's something that might just be escalating in the presence of food.

She's pretty open to this suggestion, but wants to use someone recommended, so they get some really good, useful suggestions about how to handle the situation.

They're in Inner West Sydney.

Suggestions please?

[~*Shell*~]

Steve at K9force! He's located out at Kurrajong heights but he worked miracles with Zero and I. Well worth making the trip up to see him.

Website here: http://www.k9force.net/ - and he's a DOLer too!

Edited May 9, 2009 by ~*Shell*~

[MissMaddy]

Thanks Shell, I have done the e-collar training with Steve and met him when he came down to do the workshop here and think he's fantastic!

I actually thought about him, but didn't know where he was in relation to my Aunty as I don't know Sydney at all!! I'm pretty sure they would want him to come to their house, though, as they want someone to see what the dogs are like at home and when their food and bowls come out.

[~*Shell*~]

Hmmm - Kurrajong heights is out past windsor (think blue mountains) but it's not to far a drive for anyone in sydney I wouldn't think. The distance is pretty big, but you don't usually have to deal with traffic unless there's an accident so it's not a hard drive and it doesn't take long.

Maybe shoot an email off to Steve and ask him about it. I'm sure he'd be able to tell you what they have to do. As far as behaviourists go, Steve was the only one that was recommended to me in Sydney (lots of people saying they're behaviourists when they're just trainers and a lot of the time, not very good ones!) and after the success we've had, I'd recommend him to anyone!

[JulesP]

Joanna Righetti is a vet/behaviorist in Sydney. If you google her name, her website should come up.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I was going to recommend the All Natural Vet at Russell Lea and Joanne Righetti is actually based there.

They are excellent there and have made all the difference to my dogs' health in certain circumstances. They are on Lyons Road at Russell Lea which isn't a very big strip of shops. Don't think they are open on Sunday but you could check. Saturdays are popular so if (like me) that is your chosen day, you may have to wait a week or so.

I work for Doggie Rescue and I deal with some behavioural problems if it is fairly obvious what the problem is.

Yesterday, I was forwarded an email from someone who had adopted from us 3 weeks and was saying they'd have to return the dog because she was fighting with their existing dog.

I rang last night to see if I could help. Turned out that it seems to be mainly over the food. These people were leaving food out all day plus giving them their dinner together and feeding them bones. One would bury the bone and then come after the other's bone which of course, turned into a fight. Food aggression is extremely common.

What I have suggested to them (and this is what I do myself to prevent my dogs scrapping) is to feed the dogs separately, don't allow them to come together until both have finished and/or you've removed the bowls and all traces of food ie stray biscuits.

Don't ever leave food bowls down during the day, don't ever leave bones (or toys) lying around.

Re the burying of the bone and coming back for the other's bone, my suggestion was to put the one that eats the bone outside, keep the one that licks the bone then buries it inside. Let the dog lick the bone for a while but when they lose interest, take the bone away. Don't let the dogs get together until the other dog has finished their bone.

Dogs can be 6ft away from their food resource but still be guarding it, this behaviour is not necessarily understood by dog owners. I recommended a fantastic website for behavioural issues - www.canineconcepts.co.uk - then click on the upper tab "Behaviour" and then perhaps on "Guarding", all the problems are listed there. It is a really good website!

If it is a simple problem, there may be a simple solution without spending $100s of dollars but there really are times where you need the professional help.

[Tonymc]

Maddy,firstly I would check with Steve, if he cannot arrange something he will point you in the right direction. Tony

[MissMaddy]

Thanks everyone, I'll have a chat to Steve and see what he recommends, and also have a chat to them on what they can do in the meantime.

They don't have any food issues with bones, and their cat will steal the dog's bones without any issues. Usually the female is dominant over other stuff like toys, play, etc, and the boy had an obstruction last year, and has become food possessive since then, but will still let the cat stick his head in their bowls, it's just the other dog. I did tell her to just completely separate them so that feeding becomes a non-issue, but they also have the problem of when they're away and the dogs are in kennels, they are penned and fed together, so they'd rather see if they can sort it out before that happens.

She's also worried that their play might be getting a bit out of control, which might be part of the food issue. She's had quite a few dogs, and is pretty sensible, so I think she has a pretty good idea of what's normal, and what's over the top. She was saying that after they eat they go stupid and run with each other and bark/growl, but their hackles go up, and they're pretty intense until they go to the toilet, so I think feeding time is becoming a pretty pressured time at the moment.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Well surely a professional kennels, if instructed, would separate two food aggressive dogs at feeding time? I kennel my dogs as well and have to give the same instructions, it has not been a problem and if it was, I'd find a new kennel.