Two Best Dogs! Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Hi Chloe! Welcome to the thread! I think sometimes, even with all the preperation to help prevent, you can still have some challenges. But you've set up a lot of basics to get success! I think some guidance from your trainers is helpful if you're able to get it, just because getting that second pair of eyes who can see in person and let you know what's up can be incredibly reassuring. Even just one session to warm you up and get you started. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 How did your day go snook? I'm sorry to hear you're surrounded by so many loud and inconsiderate people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Have you looked into Tellington Touch at all Snook? Just thought about it when you mentioned rear end work etc. This is the Australian site - http://www.ttouchaustralia.com.au/companion_animals_2.html I've done a bit of it with horses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 (edited) Thistle greeted a poodle (not sure the type, medium sized? smaller than her of course but not tiny) today. The first time just some nice calm sniffs, a bit reluctant to return to heel when I called her but she did. The second greeting I wasn't ready for as I was packing the mats away and the other lady told her dog to say goodbye (we are packing up in class) ...they sniffed...then Thistle squashed/jumped on her - I think rude play? She immediately got off the dog at my "OI!" and other dog seemed really confused/a bit stunned but not upset. I apologised of course, trainer and owner both said it was all alright. But I am still mortified! That now makes it 3 times she has done a squash/tackle on smaller dogs (and there's been times where she has tried but I've stopped it before contact). This one was the squashiest of them all! Poodle pancake! I think it is play behaviour (and not hunting behaviour), but it is really rude play behaviour! Am not sure how to stop this? Usually for greetings I have her sit first and I try to avoid greetings when she is excited or too many repeat greetings where she is "intense" (like how BC gets? She gets like that). Do you think for next lesson I should have us near the dog Thistle squashed and reinforce her for looking at it calmly? And perhaps dial it back to the 3 second sniff and only one sniff with that dog? I want to reinforce the good behaviour or guide her to not being a rude rugby player. Hypocrite of a dog. Doesn't like it when it's done to her, loves doing it to others. I am reminding myself of how polite she was with the mini poodle at the vet and to the bichon x at the market so I don't get all down again. She didn't squash those ones at least. It's just so rude! And can easily look bad or escalate from either dog I would think D: Edited March 20, 2016 by Thistle the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Well, I guess I should come out of lurkdom too. ;) We saw a vet behaviourist on Monday and our sweet little Chihuahua x Terrier, Malcolm, was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder and the dog version of OCD. He is starting on Prozac which I am rather scared about, but hopefully it will make him feel better. It has been a long time coming I suppose. I have done a heck of a lot of desensitisation and counter conditioning since I rescued him seven years ago, but as soon as one issue is extinguished another pops up... and his fixation with light reflections has been worsening (which is what prompted the VB consultation). I look back to when I first got him and think wow little one, we have come so very, very far and yet nowhere at the same time. Anyway, I just want to say that I love the supportive atmosphere of this thread. There are so many judgemental people out there who just don't understand, but you guys are so good to each other. I look forward to getting to know you and your dogs better. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 This thread is the whole reason I keep coming back, everyone is so helpful and supportive and give many types of advice to try! Malcolm sounds very lucky with all the work you have done with him, fingers crossed the prozac helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) I think it is play behaviour (and not hunting behaviour), but it is really rude play behaviour! Am not sure how to stop this? Usually for greetings I have her sit first and I try to avoid greetings when she is excited or too many repeat greetings where she is "intense" (like how BC gets? She gets like that). Do you think for next lesson I should have us near the dog Thistle squashed and reinforce her for looking at it calmly? And perhaps dial it back to the 3 second sniff and only one sniff with that dog? I want to reinforce the good behaviour or guide her to not being a rude rugby player. I think that's a great idea. Ultimately, it would seem that Thistle needs to learn how to remain calm (or be calmer) around different sorts of small dogs and in different contexts. She's shown that she can be polite around some small dogs in other contexts, so now the behaviour just needs to be generalised. The training ground is probably a more stressful or exciting environment for Thistle, so it may be harder for her to hold it all in especially at the end of a session. Edited to add: Thanks Thistle the dog! Thistle is very lucky to have you on her side too. :) Edited March 23, 2016 by Papillon Kisses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Well, I guess I should come out of lurkdom too. ;) We saw a vet behaviourist on Monday and our sweet little Chihuahua x Terrier, Malcolm, was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder and the dog version of OCD. He is starting on Prozac which I am rather scared about, but hopefully it will make him feel better. It has been a long time coming I suppose. I have done a heck of a lot of desensitisation and counter conditioning since I rescued him seven years ago, but as soon as one issue is extinguished another pops up... and his fixation with light reflections has been worsening (which is what prompted the VB consultation). I look back to when I first got him and think wow little one, we have come so very, very far and yet nowhere at the same time. Anyway, I just want to say that I love the supportive atmosphere of this thread. There are so many judgemental people out there who just don't understand, but you guys are so good to each other. I look forward to getting to know you and your dogs better. :) I taught a little Chi X that was well a basket case. The owner tried so hard and kept coming to class every week. She ended up putting the pup on Prozac too and the difference was amazing! Was very interesting to see. So hope it works for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Thank you Jules. I just got Malcolm's pre-medication blood/urinalysis results from our GP vet and all were "excellent" and his Addison's Disease is well controlled, so that's good to hear. :) Apparently being less anxious might have an effect on how his Addison's is managed due to having less circulating cortisol. I'm hoping it will be for the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Snook, I know that this may sound stupid, but can you put Justice's favourite treats at the top of the running treadmill and let him interact with it that way. Make it so that it is a giant treat dispenser, and reward for any paws on the belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I need to come and cut his toe nails while he's on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Lol.. Well, he does seem to be capable of doing things in your presence that he wouldn't otherwise do! yep, gonna find a spot to attach a Groomers Helper, flash those nail trimmers at him and we'll be off and running, in a good way lol, not a running for my life kind of way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I need to come and cut his toe nails while he's on it! Just did Dee and Zeph's nails and it cost me 3 beef sausages. I was not prepared to part with the chicken ones, much to their disgust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I may have to visit you blinkblink to get some tips, or just drop the dogs off and go to Hanhdorf for chocolate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Thistle the dog, I'm not sure how you'd teach a dog that that kind of play isn't acceptable, other than not letting her do it, which isn't always easy to predict and hard to do when you get surprised by a dog that you didn't have time to prepare for. I think rewarding her for looking calmly and doing the three second sniff and moving away on the third second is a good idea, as that tends to be long enough to greet but short enough that arousal levels don't get too high. Thistle does so much great stuff and has made such a lot of progress and I'm glad you're able to remind yourself of the good moments when something like this happens. How's she been doing since your post? We had a Didi date for easter and...well, they had a blast... https://scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com/t50.2886-16/12876488_1678355645750751_318065666_n.mp4 I got completely flattened like that poodle pancake :laugh: I've still got a bruise all up my leg It was lovely though :) We walked past lots of people and she was a good girl. Next obedience class I am attending the pets market afterwards! I go towards the end of the day when everyone is packing up and not as many around. She goes back to her very quiet worried self during this so am not as concerned about her squashing dogs, lots of opportunities to reward slow sniffs. I think the smooth collie will be there again, that dog really got her to loosen up and show some curiosity. The bichon x too, who is probably going to be our main "friend" to practice being gentle with little dogs. We got a treadmill too! She's been using it for about 1-3 minutes now but sounds like yours is electric? I got a self powereded one so it can go pretty slowly and she chooses the speed (and only one long enough that didn't cost $3k...this one was $15 on gumtree). There's no way to make an electric manual is it? Where it only goes when they pull? Another thought, is it cause he can see the ground moving, so if you get him to raise his head and "not look" - perhaps he'll be a bit more confident? I find her stride is better if she doesn't look down and realise she's going to "run out of space to run" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Hey Snook, I was thinking about Justice the other day as I was walking home from the train lol... Bear in mind, these are just thoughts I had, not actual advice and may not be appropriate, I'd certainly discuss with your VB, Corvus, maybe the other trainer you were considering consulting if you were inclined to try them. First I was thinking about his shutting down even in the car at the park when he sees another dog, I wonder what would happen if you just waited him out? Along the lines of flooding really but in what is actually a very safe environment (the car) even though he doesn't perceive it as that. So if you pull up at a quiet time but when there are dogs around, park at a distance where the car is unlikely to be approached but where he can see the other dogs, then just sit and read a book or something in the car with him. So rather than trying to keep him under threshold and counter-condition but finding he is too stressed, let him experience the stress and (hopefully) get through it. My thought being there is only so long an animal can physically sustain a state of immense stress, and his body may (MAY) end up forcing itself to relax again when nothing bad actually happens. Then if he can get to that point in the car again you might be able to get the counter-conditioning going again. Then I started thinking about playing soothing music in the car to try and calm him, and how you were talking about trying to train a "calm" type cue on the Volatile dogs page. I wonder if you could classically condition a calm response to a particular piece of music? So something like whenever he starts to wind down/relax/fall asleep at home you play the same piece of soothing music so he builds an association with that music and being relaxed, then play the music when he is starting to get stressed to calm him down again. Obviously it would have to be strongly conditioned at the beginning in order to overcome his stress, but I have read stuff about using music to calm stressed dogs eg for separation anxiety when home alone, and I would think a piece of music might get through to his stressed brain more than a word cue or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 (edited) Something I read said that dogs respond well to classical or "smooth jazz" (something like that) music. Definitely something instrumental, fairly slow, but still happy and calm I guess? I wonder if we have any musicians on DOL who could suggest some options. It's funny because what got me thinking about was that when I was younger and going through a tough time emotionally I used to play videos of back to back Simpsons episodes when I went to bed to distract me from thinking and keeping myself awake, and I accidentally conditioned myself to fall asleep to it, so I'd fall asleep literally whenever it come on, even if it was the middle of the day and I wasn't tired :laugh: I was thinking you could have the music on your phone to use whenever you needed it and I was even thinking about a Bondi Vet episode I think it was where they put head phones on a dog and played skate boards sounds to it to counter condition reacting to them. That may be going a step to far, but it's a thought :laugh: Edited April 5, 2016 by Simply Grand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Oh I was also going to say, Quinn has a Kong Quest toy that I put half a handful of full size Goodos/fake Woolies brand version into and it takes her aaaages to get them all out, she mainly lies still and licks/mouths/paws at it to get at them and seems to tire put her brain a bit, it's definitely the food toy that takes her the longest to finish. Could be helpful for Justice when he can't exercise. http://www.google.com.au/search?q=kong+quest+wishbone&client=safari&hl=en&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj80630qvfLAhVoJ6YKHccWBSEQ_AUIBigB#mhpiv=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I recently bought a CD compilation for Malcolm called "Through a Dog's Ear: Music to Calm your Canine Companion." http://throughadogsear.com I've also found a digital radio station called Ambient Medidation Music which makes me feel like I'm at a day spa :laugh: I do think the dog CD works better though. He was snoozing on his side through the witching hour/s (dogs passing by on their evening walks and dinner prep). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I got mine off eBay rather than their online store, and it's also on iTunes. Thinking of Justice today. Malcolm's coming along with the medication. We've already seen a lot of positive things: he's more responsive including when under stress, learning faster, less easily startled, and recovering quicker. On the starting (half) dose we didn't see any side effects, but he's been sleepier since moving up to the full dose. I'm hoping it's temporary while he adjusts because it's definitely helping, but I feel like he's suddenly become an old man. Oh, if you're looking for some mental enrichment, our VB put us onto this site: http://www.petsneedalifetoo.com.au It's run by a vet nurse and if you tell her about your dog, what issues you're having and your dog's play style etc she'll make some recommendations. Items are more expensive than elsewhere but I figure you're paying for the advice. Either way, there's the usual suspects but also some items that I haven't seen elsewhere. I picked up a Kyjen slo-bowl and a busy buddy barnacle. I'm also thinking about making a snuffle mat: http://www.allpetseducationandtraining.com.au/snuffle-mat-mayhem.html and Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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