Markus Zusak training methods

[Mairead]

Just heard this Australian author, who has published a memoir about his dogs "Three Wild Dogs and the Truth". The first sentence is (he said) "There's nothing like having a punch-up with your dog on a crowded Sydney street". He said people were [glaring but didn't say anything].

The dog ( which had been returned to the pound a few times before they got him) was " a friendly dog" but had started attacking them when walked. He said people would ask them was he a rescue "Yes", had he been abused? " No, we think he was the abuser.

So many issues here!

It was on ABC Radio National this morning - the Art Show. It is the first item after the introduction. Strangely, the host (not the usual host) says he is interested in lots of things [so describes himself as] "a real truffle hound".

Edited October 2 by Mairead
Clarification after listening to the programme again.

[tdierikx]

17 hours ago, Mairead said:

The dog ( which had been returned to the pound a few times before they got him) was " a friendly dog" but had started attacking them when walked. He said people would ask them was he a rescue "Yes", had he been abused? " No, we think he was the abuser.

 

Sounds like the dog was redirecting it's anxiety at being leashed when it probably wanted to get away from something. While taking a dog for a walk can mostly be good for stimulating their senses and getting some exercise, not all dogs actually enjoy the experience. Should we be forcing them to do things that stress them to the point of attacking their handlers?

 

So many people who adopt rescue dogs that then display adverse behaviours seem to want to think that the dog had been abused in some way, and that somehow justifies the bad behaviours... but in a lot of cases, dogs from poor breeding matches can have mental instabilities such as anxiety, or the dog hasn't had the proper socialisation interactions at certain stages of their emotional development. Dogs who are emotionally unstable may not see a walk as a fun thing to do, and then they act out in ways that we don't like. Maybe rather than taking the dog for a walk that it doesn't want to do, other means of activity in a more familiar environment could be more beneficial - playing fetch in the yard or doing simple agility or obedience exercises at home for example. Spend the time you would have spent on a walk doing other fun things with your dog at home.

 

T.

[Little Gifts]

Our previous pei girl used to hate leaving our house. She'd refuse to move and stress poop the whole way. If going by car to a walking spot she'd chew through the leash in the car or vomit. We had a behaviouralist working with her on a larger range of issues. Part of the solution was no longer making her do things she didn't want to do that were causing anxiety. Instead she got nearly all her meals in puzzles and we formalised play time at the house and included a training component. The puzzles really tired her out the most and  overall she was much happier.

 

Our current boy is terrified of other dogs but loves a walk because he just wants to inhale the world! If by some disaster a loose dog comes up to him he becomes defeated and refuses to continue on. He can also find it hard to regulate himself around people (especially kids). So we carefully manage where we walk him (we even know of an actual dog park that is usually empty) so his outings are positive and he has new things to sniff (not about distance for him). He is a very active boy with daily zoomies, playing in the frog ponds, playing soccer and other ball games and walks in our large yard too. He is not good with food puzzles because with his chubby face he can't get into the nooks and crannies of them and he can resource guard and not let go of something if he is not finished. We don't want to encourage that.

 

Do people not pay attention to their dogs and what they like and dislike? There is no one size fits all approach to socialising, entertaining and exercising. Following you to a busy cafe and sitting under it while you have breakfast is for you, not your dog.

[tdierikx]

I bought a flirt pole for Alice... think the pole with the dangling toy used for cats, but make it bigger and tougher for dogs... and she loves it! We can play with her chasing that for a good 10 minutes and then she's exhausted and well exercised for the day. Some days we play fetch with a tennis ball, and her indication that she's done is by biting down and splitting the ball in half... lucky I have a bazillion tennis balls... lol! I use the term "fetch" lightly, as it's more of a "I have it, you chase me for it" scenario... exercise for the both of us... haha! When I do the poo patrol, I tell Alice to "find the poo" and her job is to lead me to where it might be... she's gotten really good at it too...

 

Alice's fave treat is a piece of carrot, so when she bugs me for a treat I say "where is your carrot?" and she leads me to the fridge and sits in front of it waiting for her bit of carrot, which she then takes off to my bed to eat... lucky she leaves no mess. She also has a range of hard wearing chew toys that she knows she can chew at any time to satisfy that urge. She doesn't chew anything she's not supposed to.

 

Alice loves all humans above anything else. She just doesn't deal well with the proximity of other dogs. She gets very vocal but doesn't show any actual aggression, just screams at them (not barking, actual screaming like staffies do). She is a vocal girl generally when she's not sure about anything, like when we were driving to our training session with a professional trainer yesterday, she "talked" the whole way there...

 

That said, I don't think she would react well to an off-lead dog running up to her and challenging her... and I'm not inclined to find out.

 

She is getting better at home when she hears dogs barking on the TV or when one of the neighbours' dogs starts barking, she tends to ignore those now, where she used to get quite upset about it when I first got her. She will watch dogs on the TV intently now, but not get upset about it. She gets lots of praise for staying calm too. If she's on my bed and looking out the window and someone walks their dog past, she will generally come to me and let me know that there is another dog outside, and I tell her that it's ok and give her a cuddle, and she's happy with that.

 

Generally, leaving the comfort and safety of the house/yard is stressful for Alice, and I don't think that she'll ever truly get past that. We are trying all methods to get her a bit more comfortable with leaving her safe place, but I don't really see a time where she will be running happily in an off leash dog park with other dogs, it's just not in her make-up IMHO. If we can get her to a point where she's relatively calm when visiting the vet clinic, I reckon that will be a huge step forward. She's fine with the vets and nurses doing anything with her, so that's not the issue, just a point where she's not screaming at other dogs in the waiting room would be nice.

 

T.

[persephone]

Poor Alice - BUT as you say, she has improved   She is enjoying life  , and she sounds a smart cookie

[Mairead]

T, my greyhound vets (alas not around any more) had two waiting rooms (greyhounds and others). I used the greyhound one which had a walk-in scale. Greyhound owners didn't mind sighthounds, usually had some questions to ask me. In the other waiting room you could almost guarantee owners not supervising their dogs, even not bothered when they dropped the leash. Sometimes cats would be brought in carried in the owner's arms "oh, why did she scratch me!".

[tdierikx]

18 hours ago, Mairead said:

In the other waiting room you could almost guarantee owners not supervising their dogs, even not bothered when they dropped the leash.

 

Most vet waiting rooms have at least one person that will allow their dog(s) to run up to other dogs without a care... which is annoying to say the least, and even moreso when you have a reactive dog. The first time I had to take Alice to the vet was when she had an upset tummy just a few days after I got her, vomiting and generally not a happy girl - we had to go to a vet clinic out of area as it was a Sunday afternoon, but they were really good once it became apparent that Alice wasn't comfortable around the other dogs there. We were ushered into a spare consult room to wait so that she didn't get any more stressed than she already was.

 

My last personal dog was Harper, who was not dog or stranger friendly at all - fear based, but would want to fight other dogs, and we'd muzzle her for the checkup by the vet just in case. When I made vet appointments for her, we'd generally make them for a time that no other dogs would be there (usually just before the middle of the day surgeries), and we'd wait in the car until it was our turn to go in. Most vets will accommodate you if you are clear and upfront about your dog's issues when making an appointment.

 

The hardest part of having a foster dog with anxiety issues is finding the right home for them. Dogs like Alice will possibly never get over their stress issues about other dogs, and should never be complacently put in situations where they can act on their stresses. Most people wanting to adopt a rescue dog are looking for a companion that they can take out for walks or to public places, or even have friends dogs come visit... and that kind of home will definitely not be a suitable home for a dog like Alice who just prefers the company of humans. I reckon her best option is someone who is a bit of a home body, or who works from home, and will be perfectly happy just having a little tank of a lovebug dog hanging out with them. Alice has so much love to give, and is a great little dog in every respect bar the anxiety about other dogs issue... you really couldn't meet a friendlier and more sweet natured girl.

 

T.

[sandgrubber]

23 hours ago, Mairead said:

T, my greyhound vets (alas not around any more) had two waiting rooms (greyhounds and others). I used the greyhound one which had a walk-in scale. Greyhound owners didn't mind sighthounds, usually had some questions to ask me. In the other waiting room you could almost guarantee owners not supervising their dogs, even not bothered when they dropped the leash. Sometimes cats would be brought in carried in the owner's arms "oh, why did she scratch me!".

Waiting room. No problem.  I just tell the woman at the desk that we're waiting outside in the car.  My dogs are a little too friendly but usually do fine.  They love being in the car with me, away from the scents of fear and pain that linger in vet praci.

Edited October 5 by sandgrubber