Brandiandwe Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Just wanted to share some information that I know will be of great interest to fellow dog enthusiasts. I found out over the past weekend that dogs are psychic. There is, in our street, a couple of particular dogs who are known throughout the neighbourhood for all the wrong reasons. One is a bully of some sort who was a rescue. He is extremely reactive, dog aggressive and strong. There is also a smaller Heinz girl who is very submissive. On Saturday morning, I was out with my pooches when I hear someone hail me from behind. It is the owner of these two dogs, who only has the Heinz dog with her. She keeps coming, telling me not to worry. I back off and move away, but get caught on a corner with traffic, so tell her it's not OK, that I have reactive dogs. She tells me again not to worry, and then looks surprised when my dogs react. Sigh. I settle them down and we (unfortunately) are walking in the same direction, so, given her dog is ok, I give mine some manners training and socialisation. Sure enough, everything is oK. And then she tells me I'm handling my dogs wrong. I should only correct using 'Shh!'. I ask her how to correct specific dogs when walking multiples using a noise which impacts them all. And then it came. She has paid $600 for a behaviouralist to come her to her for her other dog. Shhhh is the way to discipline. When the dogs are inside the house, they must be on their mats and not allowed to move. If they move, they are corrected. I asked about rewards for good behaviour. No, apparently what they are doing is correcting the wrong behaviour. I gently suggested further research about the benefits of positive reinforcement, particularly for the rather submissive girl she's currently walking. Then, I was told that she'd asked about why her dogs always reacted to the greyhounds. According to the behaviouralists, it might be because the greys give off 'anxiety'. Now, I know my dogs. Sometimes they are anxious. Usually because they can hear her dogs going nuts and then, apparently fighting each other because they can't reach my dogs. Sp I took a deep breath and suggested it might be because they can hear the tags of the greyhounds jingling. Nope. Because her dogs are inside, with doors and windows closed and no eyeline. So, clearly, they can't see or hear my dogs. I then asked if it wasn't possible that her dogs heard the terriers who live opposite and who live outside and race to the gate barking every time we walked past. She said that couldn't be it because the terriers didn't bark. We then rounded the corner, and the terriers started barking. She insisted that her dogs, directly over the road couldn't hear them. Then her other dog started up. Nope. Not related to the terriers. And there you have it, folks. Either my dogs are psychic and send out anxiety vibes that other dogs pick up but which are completely invisible to dogs and humans within eyesight. Or her dogs are psychic and can pick up other dogs' anxiety even when completely cut off from them. And to fix the problem of her dogs' reactivity, apparently I need to introduce my dogs to hers more often./ The one we met? Possible. The bully boy? Not a chance in hell. $600 for that? I'm in the wrong business! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Sounds like the behaviourist has been spending too much time watching Cesar Millan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 What hope is there for the general public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Poor dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Poor dogs. My immediate thought. They don't stand a chance with an owner with nothing between the ears. Just imagine the damage that "behaviourist" is doing every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Yup. She actually described her dogs sitting there motionless in the house and it broke my heart. It just sounded as if they'd totally shut down. That, combined with the ten minute walk they each get daily, is just building up a pressure cooker. I REALLY don't like Milan's work, but the two things I've taken away from him are the way dogs pick up on your calm as a leader (though the rest of his stuff is rubbish) AND his emphasis on exercise. I guess her behaviouralist didn't pick that bit up, but that bully could do with a couple of hours a day walking with a weight vest as well as obedience stuff. He's a young fit dog going crazy. This all happened before spending the weekend at an adoption event. DDD saw first hand some of the idiocy that goes on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 My greyhounds are psychic They always seem to know when steak is being eaten, even if they were sound asleep in another room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I think we have a combo of a behaviourist with 'interesting' methods and an owner who only retains part of the message. A little bit of knowledge in certain hands can be very dangerous. There is a noise I use to stop barking that a behaviourist taught me. Apparently it is a noise made by a mother dog to silence her puppies. It only works my on my sbt (the others must not speak dog). So imagine with that one little bit of info if I was dumb enough to think that was all that was needed to control every dog in every situation! And isn't it scientifically true that dogs have far better hearing than humans? So if she can hear the barking then of course her dogs can too! Easiest $600 that trainer ever made! Poor dogs.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Wow Brandiandwe, how lucky are you! She paid $600 dollars for that fantastic advice and you got it for free Seriously though, it sounds like you did a good job of keeping it together :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajirin Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Guess acute sense of smell doesn't come into it...mine can smell things inside that's coming from outside when fast asleep. Blows in under the doors [or through window gaps]. The other week Scout woke up to the smell of an echidna that was at least 20 meters away from the house. Took me a while to find it, but just followed where his nose led him and he stood looking. $600 for that training??!! More money that sense - but there are always the gullible I suppose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Oh dear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Ok..while I do believe dogs do have some ability NOT accounted for by the normal senses - the information seems to have been imparted or interpreted incorrectly in this situation poor Dogs indeed. It will be interesting to see what else the lady was taught. speaking of nose power :) *smile* I still miss my Kieran boy , who used to always tell us if there was rain coming .he'd be outside, nosing into the wind , and taking huge whuffs of air - he used to act as if it was one of the best scents ever! We used to take him out & say "Kiery, is there Rain?" & he'd sniff away - but very briefly if there was no rain :) and dear Hammie with the nose he got from his Cocker sire ..he would quarter an area naturally ,and could track ferals so well .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Some people are so stupid I am amazed that they even manage to keep themselves alive let alone their dogs. This person sounds like one of them. Can only say I think you are a very patient person, you must have wanted to decapitate her to see if there was any brain inside the head :laugh: her poor dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I do sympathise a bit with her. I thought I knew something about animals but then I got Jake. I was so at sea and I paid a few behaviourists for some interesting advice. When you're desperate you'll try anything. Unfortunately for the wrong reasons some of these things do work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Ok..while I do believe dogs do have some ability NOT accounted for by the normal senses - the information seems to have been imparted or interpreted incorrectly in this situation poor Dogs indeed. It will be interesting to see what else the lady was taught. speaking of nose power :) *smile* I still miss my Kieran boy , who used to always tell us if there was rain coming .he'd be outside, nosing into the wind , and taking huge whuffs of air - he used to act as if it was one of the best scents ever! We used to take him out & say "Kiery, is there Rain?" & he'd sniff away - but very briefly if there was no rain :) and dear Hammie with the nose he got from his Cocker sire ..he would quarter an area naturally ,and could track ferals so well .. Pers, my pet kangaroo Basil (Western Grey) could also scent rain (or he was psychic) Not a cloud, nothing, but Bas would be banging on the back door to come inside - he hated being rained on - and sure enough, within a couple of hours, down it would pour!! It's always bothered me that a native animal would so hate rain, but as he also loved riding in the car, drinking sweet milky tea and eating biscuits whilst sitting on the couch watching TV, I finally decided he was a Queens Counsel in disguise. Probably on the lam from the Mafia!! And he could knock on the door to come in. If he was outside and no one was home to let him in and it rained, he would cringe under the tank stand during the rain, and go "kkkkkeeeekkk keeekkkkk" at me when I came home to indicate his distress that his grey suit and waistcoat was getting wet. As required by law, I set him free when he was old enough, and he rushed back inside saying he wasn't going out there, the joint was full of flamin' kangaroos and echidnas and stuff, and the prickles would ruin his suit. So, finally, he was free to go, but he chose to stay. As for the woman with the dogs. It would be so totally laughable if it wasn't so sad. Sorry to derail the post. Pers made me do it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 There are so many people saying they are dog behaviourists these days, it is hard for the general public to know which of them, really are good at what they do. Some might think, spending more money, might get the best results because they must be good, if they charge that much.. There is one very young lady on a local FB page offering walking and training advice and she has absolutely no credentials at all. A few people asked her what training she had and she admitted to having none, but loved animals and they responded her.. People are still booking her, even after knowing she has no credentials other than her own opinion of herself.. Zig was reactive to other dogs, friendly reactive.. Actually overly friendly and he would go nuts at the mere sight of another dog across the park. I was told, taking him to obedience training would make it worse, when in fact, it has turned us both around. He still loves other dogs but isn't that pain of a dog, that annoys other dogs anymore. We had some training issues and went to see K9 Pro and received some awesome advice, that helped to resolve our problems.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Ok..while I do believe dogs do have some ability NOT accounted for by the normal senses - the information seems to have been imparted or interpreted incorrectly in this situation poor Dogs indeed. It will be interesting to see what else the lady was taught. speaking of nose power :) *smile* I still miss my Kieran boy , who used to always tell us if there was rain coming .he'd be outside, nosing into the wind , and taking huge whuffs of air - he used to act as if it was one of the best scents ever! We used to take him out & say "Kiery, is there Rain?" & he'd sniff away - but very briefly if there was no rain :) and dear Hammie with the nose he got from his Cocker sire ..he would quarter an area naturally ,and could track ferals so well .. Pers, my pet kangaroo Basil (Western Grey) could also scent rain (or he was psychic) Not a cloud, nothing, but Bas would be banging on the back door to come inside - he hated being rained on - and sure enough, within a couple of hours, down it would pour!! It's always bothered me that a native animal would so hate rain, but as he also loved riding in the car, drinking sweet milky tea and eating biscuits whilst sitting on the couch watching TV, I finally decided he was a Queens Counsel in disguise. Probably on the lam from the Mafia!! And he could knock on the door to come in. If he was outside and no one was home to let him in and it rained, he would cringe under the tank stand during the rain, and go "kkkkkeeeekkk keeekkkkk" at me when I came home to indicate his distress that his grey suit and waistcoat was getting wet. As required by law, I set him free when he was old enough, and he rushed back inside saying he wasn't going out there, the joint was full of flamin' kangaroos and echidnas and stuff, and the prickles would ruin his suit. So, finally, he was free to go, but he chose to stay. As for the woman with the dogs. It would be so totally laughable if it wasn't so sad. Sorry to derail the post. Pers made me do it!! LOL a good derail ..and a lovely bit of writing :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Agreed. I love those stories! We walked past her house today. The terriers didn't bark and neither did her dogs. So I guess the anxiety vibes were switched off? I think what bewilders me is that people don't do any research of their own. I think my vet hates me because I research first, then ask questions, then research, then ask more questions. I cannot fathom handing over that much money without having researched aggression, reactivity etc etc by myself and having thought about different schools of thought and known where the current thinking and science is at. I could charge her $500 and offer her an alternative. Or $250 for a list of awesome resources easily found online? The really sad thing is that that wasn't the worst I heard on the weekend. Leaving aside the idiots who seem to like telling me stories of appalling animal cruelty (and it's the obvious relish which really turns the stomach) or who tell us that greys are no good as pets and shoukd be shot and bulldozed and that's how they handle it (don't get me started), because we get them at every adoption event, the award for Most Clueless goes to the young gentleman who really really wanted a dog. I established he lives alone in an apartment and works full time. He wanted a dog who could manage that. I then asked a couple of questions about whether he had owned a dog before (no), what his lifestyle was (busy social life, I'm no loser, lots of friends etc etc). Then I asked whether he'd be getting up early every morning to exercise his dog, come home straight after work to let the dog out and exercise it again, then be home for three or four hours to give the dog some company and love and stimulation? (ummmmm....). Because that's what the dog would need and deserve. No spontaneous after work drinks. No extending your day out by dinner and then watching the footy and the pub. No easy weekend trips away. Every day, home to your dog. Apparently his sister had told him the same thing (thankfully) but he hadn't believed her because how hard could it be? He is on the Do Not Adopt list. Keep in mind I would, and the group has, adopted to young, singles in apartments who work full time. But they did their research, did doggy day care, gavel lower their social life to revolve around their dog.... That guy really just wanted a living thing to be there when convenient and to vanish when it wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Agreed. I love those stories! We walked past her house today. The terriers didn't bark and neither did her dogs. So I guess the anxiety vibes were switched off? I think what bewilders me is that people don't do any research of their own. I think my vet hates me because I research first, then ask questions, then research, then ask more questions. I cannot fathom handing over that much money without having researched aggression, reactivity etc etc by myself and having thought about different schools of thought and known where the current thinking and science is at. I could charge her $500 and offer her an alternative. Or $250 for a list of awesome resources easily found online? The really sad thing is that that wasn't the worst I heard on the weekend. Leaving aside the idiots who seem to like telling me stories of appalling animal cruelty (and it's the obvious relish which really turns the stomach) or who tell us that greys are no good as pets and shoukd be shot and bulldozed and that's how they handle it (don't get me started), because we get them at every adoption event, the award for Most Clueless goes to the young gentleman who really really wanted a dog. I established he lives alone in an apartment and works full time. He wanted a dog who could manage that. I then asked a couple of questions about whether he had owned a dog before (no), what his lifestyle was (busy social life, I'm no loser, lots of friends etc etc). Then I asked whether he'd be getting up early every morning to exercise his dog, come home straight after work to let the dog out and exercise it again, then be home for three or four hours to give the dog some company and love and stimulation? (ummmmm....). Because that's what the dog would need and deserve. No spontaneous after work drinks. No extending your day out by dinner and then watching the footy and the pub. No easy weekend trips away. Every day, home to your dog. Apparently his sister had told him the same thing (thankfully) but he hadn't believed her because how hard could it be? He is on the Do Not Adopt list. Keep in mind I would, and the group has, adopted to young, singles in apartments who work full time. But they did their research, did doggy day care, gavel lower their social life to revolve around their dog.... That guy really just wanted a living thing to be there when convenient and to vanish when it wasn't. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zF2RI0f_PhE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Perfect!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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