Two Best Dogs! Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Nothing of note going on with us although she flipped our 101 box onto herself last night and had a bit of a skitter panic. I made sure to just act like nothing of note happened and she returned to beating the box up after a shake. This was posted in my obedience classes group today and this paragraph really ringed with me? https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/good-dogs-wear-muzzles-too/ Safety of others: if your dog has a history of snapping or biting at people or other dogs, the muzzle can serve as a part of a comprehensive management plan to improve community safety. Even if your dog doesn’t have this history, if the stakes are high (for example, introducing two dogs of very different sizes or introducing a newly adopted dog with an unknown history to children for the first time), a muzzle should be considered. A visual “keep back” signal: along those same lines, a muzzle can also deter unwanted interaction. Layla walked in a comfortable basket muzzle for a couple years, not because I felt that she was likely to bite someone, but rather because the appearance of the muzzle served to keep unfamiliar people from approaching to pet her, which made her uncomfortable. It also served as a great visual signal for people walking their dogs that Layla may not appreciate being rushed by their “friendly” but unmannered pet. She loved the space her muzzle created for her! Owner comfort level: muzzles can also help the opposite end of the leash. If you tend to get tense or worried in social situations with your dog, muzzling your pet may help you relax. Remember that dogs are highly empathetic, and tense owners are one of the best ways to create tense dogs. This can become a horrible spiral – the owner tenses up when their dog approaches someone, the dog becomes stressed due to the owner’s behavior, the dog snarks, and the owner’s worst fears are confirmed, setting them up to become even more stressed during the next interaction. While a muzzle should never be used as an excuse to put a dog in a situation you know the dog can’t handle, knowing that your dog can’t cause damage may help you to remain calm in situations that your dog would otherwise rock. I'm still training her not to hate it but figure it is good for those more challenging events where we are both stressed like busy vet and someone letting their dog all over the place. Edited September 30, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Muzzles can certainly work well with making other dog owners more wary about letting their dog approach yours and can help you relax because you're not as worried about the consquences if a dog should rush yours. I personally wouldn't use one with Justice because I'm not overly concerned about him inflicting damage on another dog, given that he didn't hurt either of the dogs that attacked him and even after those attacks when he pinned to the ground the arsehole dog who rushed him and tried to push him around earlier this year, he didn't leave a mark on any of them. I'm more worried about him not being able to defend himself if yet another dog tries to attack him at some stage and I think I'd be much more stressed and anxious if he had a muzzle on. That's just me though and they can be a great option for some dogs and owners. Justice and I have been continuing to work on counter conditioning outside of the dog park since the last video I posted and he's been doing great with staying nice and calm, although there's still a mild level of stress present a lot of the time but that's to be expected since I increase what I'm asking of him as soon as that stress disappears. Today he really surprised me with how readily he relaxed once the barky dogs left the park. Justice never ever voluntarily lies down when he's even remotely stressed about the proximity of another dog but today he did it several times and super close to the dog park. The aim now is to get him to be able to relax like that when the dogs are moving around right near the fence line. I'm so very proud of him!! oh wow!! He looks like he's doing really well! Is it a park you go to often? I find that while if it's our obedience class park or our best friends store, she'll go into a chilling-drop but if it's a park we don't go to very often (like the diamond creek park) she's less likely to be that relaxed? I haven't been going as much lately because I think it stresses her out too much, but it might be the sheer amount of dogs. You have a couple and ours has a disturbing amount of 15+ at a time. But he looks so chill there! Except for his little worried eyebrows which are adorable. You must be so proud, I'm so happy and envious of you guys :D it really does sound like he's drawing on his old experience/memories. With our dog attack I think she did try to defend herself, there was 2 seconds of it being an even scuffle but then the other one managed to grab hold and after that it was just Thistle screaming and trying to get away But my thinking here is, since her reflex when being surprised by a dog is to nip at it/the air (getting better though!) - I never know which "friendly dog" will take offence to that and go from "over enthusiastic friendly" to something like our previous experience :c which I imagine most dogs won't be as serious as the previous one, so she may try to fight back and I reckon it'd be easier to break it up if only one can fight back. She's big enough I reckon she could get away with minimal injuries in most cases unlike if she was a SWF or something (god owners with SWF are so brave). But mostly I appreciate that people (hypothetically, I'm not 'socially confident' yet to wear it outside of the vet...which also hasn't been necessary yet but I don't want to take chances we have an emergency on a crowded day) will see the muzzle from afar and call their dog. Although I'm sure there's exceptions as usual...just like those people who ignore her very visible yellow jacket in a dog obedience class that has an entire rule and info sheet dedicated to "yellow" dogs -_- But I think mostly...it is me...I am the one who gets stressed that she may nip that surprise offlead dog and that dog may take offence and she'll get in trouble cause she's big or it was "just being friendly" or whatever (( IDK I think I'm having one of those "worried over my dog and comparing her to other dogs who have never been attacked and therefore are not scared of other dogs" days I'll try to take inspiration from Justice's progress before and current progress! It's a long weekend this week, I'm thinking on saturday while everyone is at the beach/AFL we're gonna go up to Yan Yean Reservoir and if no-one is around I'll pop her on that long lead and we'll play some games and probably roll in something dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Aww thanks Snook :D You raise my hopes She was so scared during it she pooped and peed i am having an odd night if i keep thinking about it...better go practice our concentrated heels instead. Redirect my thoughts ;) re: muzzle: so mostly I want to prevent her reacting and escalating another dog into something similar by nipping at those fast incoming dogs. Thank god with the slower ones she just watches worriedly and might give a sniff at while I do our "good sniff lets go NOW" recall XD <- no actual name, good sniff is just what I say when we practice our 1-2 second dog greetings at classes then turn around and walk away. Although this class doesn't do that much, I think that's only the basic class. Which I'm kind of sad we're missing out on BUT if we finally pass the next class will have her sitting in nose-to-head drops with other dogs so a different kind of socialising. (although I just got home and I said the "BAD DOG" word and she pees everywhere because I caught her at mid pillow killing. There's pillow-innards everywhere. I think she pulled down the cardboard I had taped up to stop her looking out the window and I think she must have gotten over excited and redirected. I'm now down two kitchen chair pillows. She's lucky I think she's cute AND I actually hate this table setting.) *idly looks around at other indoor toys that are not food based, thinking more $2 salvo plushies* Edited September 30, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taliecat Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 I'm back! I spent the last day or so catching up on the thread and I'm so happy to see so much progress with Justice!! He's such an amazing boy! I'm also starting to lean towards a muzzle myself thistle.. I'm almost convinced that half the issue with Dozer and his leash reactivity is how OH handles him on walks and the human stressing when OH spots a dog. Because he behaves very differently when it's me in control.. I curse my stupid back issues so much since it limits the walks I can do alone to pretty much zero just in case something does go wrong and I've got 35kg of reactive dog with a 5kg lifting limit.. Might see if we can do a trip to the quieter pet shop next week to get him fitted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 I would definitely muzzle if I could. Unfortunately bulldog muzzles are like aquanaut helmets and then I couldn't lavish so much peanut butter on him. I was rushing a walk on the weekend and not focussed and he lunged out and my waistbelt nearly snapped my spine. I then had to get home and finish catering the party for 45 footballers. I love my dog but he owes me, very lucky he's so cute and if I lie on my stomach he lies on my back and makes a great heat pack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Talie yeah we ended up trying on different muzzles before settling on the largest baskerville (sp?) because her muzzle is actually quite wide/blocky. I didn't like any of the fabric ones be cause I want her to be able to drink and eat treats and not get too hot. But I feel better just owning it with the knowledge that if an army of off lead yappers are between us and our escape route I can pop a muzzle on and steam walk around them. Would help your OH too if he over thinks like I do? Oh no hank hope your back is alright. They are lucky they're so cute ;) Edited September 30, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taliecat Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Our holiday was great, apart from a few bouts of sickness. Our entire groups resolve in not patting the dogs was tested when the cutest puppy was right in front of us at one of the most beautiful temples. He looked a bit like a corgi cross and was playing with a mint lolly across our path.. If our housemate's lady friend was there she would have run away with the pup, luckily she arrived the day after that visit. One of the spa's I visited had a house cat, who was very well looked after and very cute and begging for a scritch.. We also saw a lot of pugs! Can't tell that I'm a dog person at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Hahaha, love that holiday report! "yeah yeah, sights, relaxing, but there were puppieeees!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 It's the little things tonight! Was practicing our heel and doing some look at me's at the best friends while puppy classes are on. She's never sure if she's scared (oh no a "big scary" biker dude) or curious (and his tiny 3 month old boston terrier) so we generally get pretty chill. But I think the moment was when a lady told her dog "why can't you be like that one!" after I noticed them smiling at us and had said "never too old to start school!". Oh lady you have no idea But I'm amused. Nah she was pretty good and chill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taliecat Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Hahaha, love that holiday report! "yeah yeah, sights, relaxing, but there were puppieeees!" Yep. That's pretty much my outlook on life.. I was really excited when our guide invited us over to his house because he used to have dogs and I knew they were vaccinated for rabies and when we got there he had lots of beautiful birds and some cute bantams but no dogs! You should have seen me every time I saw a cute puppy sleeping in the footwell of a moving scooter or an aussie expat with a dog I was allowed to pat... Eta: going to get my housemate to send me the picture of the puppy at Tanah Lot so I can show you all why we all melted.. It was a matter of escaping before our self control wavered!! Edited October 1, 2015 by Taliecat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 (edited) I'm loving this new public holiday thing, carefully timed our outing for when everyone is either enjoying the AFL or at the beach (also it is like 30 degrees). Went down to the waterbird sanctuary because I rarely see other dogs there. Too many wallabies, rabbits, birds, snakes and cyclists. She chased butterflies and food. Practiced recall with some maccas hamburgers ;P and some commands-from-a-distance I like this park because there are no recreation facilities like seats or bbq's so most people are generally in transit and not hanging around. There's ovals about 1km north that most dogs tend to be at and dogs are usually on lead so you do not lose them to the rabbits. Edited October 3, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Oh that is so good to hear Snook! How amazing that he's come so far again so quickly. Like you were saying I'm sure all the previous knowledge was still in there so he's feeling like he knows what's happening and can get his confidence up more quickly now. Thistle sounds like she's doing great too, and she's soo gorgeous :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 That is just lovely to read with Justice, he's really bounding along to recovery. He's going to be the chill master at this rate! Go justice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Decided to spice up this weeks (people) desensitisation and took her to a RSPCA Pets Palace. She's been once before, for vaccinations, and it was so busy she basically shut down so it was a very quick very accommodated visit. This time round went much better. She had one freeze and cower moment (a man walking in our general direction) but the rest of the time she was at least moving, if crawling, but after 10 minutes she started to relax and move into looking around/less hyper alert. I thought it was really useful that they're selling collars, leads, harnesses and limited slip collars with various warning signs! I appreciated the lady who stopped her 5yo for running over and explained to the kid why :) Overall, the trip made me feel better. I've been incredibly disheartened this week due to the shitty weather and me being the reason we failed to graduate. I hope our classes go better tomorrow, damn apathy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) Awww well done Justice! Going through in leaps and bounds! Nose touches :D how long do you let them go for? I'm a little envious Our class went alright, she was pretty well behaved although at the start there were 2 new dogs in class. One where *I* quickly decided I don't like the owner because she did NOT give us a space - she cut right across within 1m of me and let her dog run right up into Thistle's face.(Thistle remained in a worried sit with anxious side glances and I gave her praise while asking "more space PLEASE" - later dismayed to discover this person is in our class Bigger incentive to advance). I swear, are they trying to set my dog off or show off that their dog isn't reactive? *fuming* That makes 3 people who attend classes who just lackadaisicaly disregard our space and forever criss-cross right up to us with their dogs. Other new dog was a JRT, so Thistle was all intent (still don't know what type of intent but don't intend to find out). One Leave It while LLW and she was good to ignore the very sweet JRT. She did AMAZING on the heel :D She did a stellar job of ignoring a big bouncy doberman right next to her, he was excited and all over the place but she'd seen him before like this so I reckon she knows he's not going for her and is just...a very big teenager. Have not had an opportunity to practice actual dog socialising/greetings. Seems these classes don't really do that and most dogs we run across are in daily life are all bouncy all over the place types. But just being around them is good I think but I am sad I've not seen that lovely CKCS again. I've been trying to catch the owner to organise a walk or something but don't remember which of 1 of 2 employees it was Edited October 11, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Hey ThistletD don't feel bad about not passing a class level! I've had to repeat levels a number of times between my three dogs and even tho it feels a bit frustrating looking bak it was actually good because I learned more each time we went through a level. Especially if you have different instructors each time but even if not, you can pick up on different bits and pieces and ways of doing things. And it's still beneficial for Thistle to repeat the exercises. She looks gorgeous sitting there in the shop smiling :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Thanks very much for your kind words I am being very unfair to compare Thistle to Justice (and every other dog I see, bad me) I certainly do not want you to stop posting about Justice! I love hearing how he is going, both for you and him and it gives me hope! Please do not stop just because I'm some kind of mopey/uncertain/discouraged/envious mood. I love his updates and look forward to them, it's incredibly reassuring to know I'm not alone and very inspiring to see you both move forward. I love them! They put a smile on my face, not a kick and I can steal rehab ideas and get advice ;) Please don't stop. and thanks SG. Second time we haven't advanced but one of the fellas who advanced last week told me it's much like the current class but everything is "longer". Classes will be changing again as the regular trainer is going in for surgery so I'm not sure who our replacement will be :/ I'm probably a bit stressed to go with the disheartening, work is busy but I've got next week off because my mother + kid sister are coming to stay over. Hoping Thistle will be alright (taking the week off so she's not left alone with them but there's 3 days in there just for me and Thistle). I will try to kick this mopeyness away, I don't want it to affect Thistle or the posts here. Please don't stop posting Snook I didn't mean to make you feel like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 It's really hard when you want to try greetings and can't find suitable dogs. Maybe you could ask in General if there are any DOLers with dogs who are calm and polite with other dogs who would be willing to meet up with you and Thistle? What about asking at the store where the CKCS was if they know who owns the dog and could put you in touch with them? I know I've offered a bit offhandedly before that Didi and I would be down to help you out but seriously Thistle if you need a calm dog and understanding human to help you work with we'd both be happy to help! Didi is very soft and calm with dogs, especially if she thinks they're scared or unsure, so if you have any ideas about an arrangement you think would be good for Thistle then I'm sure we could organise something... if you want that is Also Snook definitely don't stop posting! I only lurk in this thread nowadays, mainly because there's not much to report but I love checking in and seeing how much better Justice is doing :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) Thanks guys :) I'm about to go cuddle with that 4 legged life changer then go sleep, so many thanks for support and encouragement Edit. Didn't see your post Terri! I think I might have been under the wrong assumption that Didi was also a worried pup. I will get back to you. Edited October 11, 2015 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) Thistle it took me three tries to pass one of the levels with Saxon and even then we got lucky with being able to retry a group stay when poor old Saxon eventually broke after all the other dogs had :laugh: I was so frustrated I went and begged to the instructor we'd had in that class to be allowed to retry. It was entirely my fault it took that many tries too, it took that long for me to figure out I wasn't giving Saxon some of the cues in ways he understood properly, and the only way we can learn that is trial, error and practice. It's no reflection on you or Thistle if it takes a while, Saxon is pretty bomb proof and super trainable (and of course I'm a naturally brilliant trainer *wink* ), and we still had trouble, it just takes time for everything to click sometimes. It's also taken four odd years of work (although not as intense as what you guys are doing) to get my Riley's sometimes-dog reactivity and Quinn's way over excitement with humans under a reasonable level of control and that's with me having a reasonable amount of training and behavior knowledge and having worked as an RSPCA trainer so don't feel that you are doing any less of a great job with Thistle than anyone else does! I really think you are doing well and once you get to that break through point you'll see how all your efforts have paid off Edited October 11, 2015 by Simply Grand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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