BigBen

Can I suggest you give her this link ( http://www.dogstardaily.com/ ) to read, or may just print out some of the relevant articles for her..

Because it's easier and faster to ban the breeds than it is to ban stupid humans from having these dogs... and you can't tell the difference between stupid people and us.. :thumbsup:

Yes, Ben was desexed recently, but I haven't seen any difference in his behaviour, except for what training has helped with. Of course, being a Great Dane X, he won't mature until about 18 months.. I'm glad the spray bottle works... I use it occasionally on Ben, when he's being an absolute BRAT..

I took Ben for a walk this morning, and since I have the day of work, I thought we'd go again this afternoon... He wasn't interested! He normally comes up to sit in front and I put his lead on... This afternoon he layed down and rolled onto his back... "But, I'd love a scratch!" I was a bit disappointed, but we did some training inside instead... and 'pick it up' training in the back yard... ;)

"Another tactic is to focus his attention to a toy, but obviously this only works once I get to the toy and in the meantime he's biting me at the back of the legs." Here you have just rewarded his biting! This tactic only works if you give him the toy before he starts biting. Ben is the same age, and he does mouth a lot, he doesn't bite down... I use a sharp, loud 'AH! AH!', and he stops... His mouthing is getting less by the day, in fact it's almost non-existent by now.

When I got a dog, when I first married, my father suggested in prong collar... My dog never needed one - they were legal in Denmark in the 70's - He wanted to train him for me, but seeing what he tried to do to him, I said NO, THANK YOU! He was a great dog, but unfortunately had to be put down, because I didn't recognise the fact, that dogs don't generalise.; Ben is doing great on his modified martingale collar.. I do NOT allow him to pull any more than my hand can hold.. or two...

Ohhh, yes, that'd make more sense. From the way you worded your posts it sounded as though you were doing the "It's not a correction unless I correct him" thing that some positive trainers do. btw, self correcting causes dogs to get collar smart. You'd really be better off using a prong or e-collar. Prongs are like power steering and e-collars you need a thumb I believe prong collars are illegal here in Queensland, but if I need additional help with Ben, I'll get it... At the moment, he's doing great...

I would think it would be difficult for dogs to distinguish the sounds between 'pray' and 'stay'... I think they only recognise part of the word...

I think you need to teach your dogs recall... If your not the best thing that ever happened to them, they're not going to come back... especially not if you 'shock' them... They need to be taught recall before you use the device... Well... I think..

Obviously... I didn't say I didn't correct him, just that I don't yank on the lead, due to my shoulder problems.

I was just mentioning how I train MY dog - and he's BIG and strong at 40kg - I couldn't use any harsh treatment on him, because he responds so well to positive training... Of course as he gets older this might change. The modified martingale collar probably works, because I'm consistent, and Ben is clever enough to know the reason we stop.

:rolleyes: Too Funny...

Last year I rescued a Curly Coated Retriever... Unfortunately he had huge aggression issues, and had to be put down for the safety of people around him... He was a barker.. He would bark all day long, none stop... I bought him a bark collar, and he learned to count to 3... He had to be quiet for 3 seconds and it would return to the lowest setting... So, then he went bark, bark, bark - 1...., 2....,3...., bark bark bark... :rolleyes:

Are you in the room, when he jumps up on the bench? If not, you can use a motion sensor alarm... Stick it on the bench with some bluetack, set the alarm on the highest pitch it has... I have used this method in the past, when I wanted to keep my dog off my couch... This alarm has an off switch, so you can leave it there, turned off, when you are in the kitchen.

I use a Black Dog modified Martingale Collar... I never yank on the lead... I just hold it firmly in my right hand at belt level, and if Ben pulls I stop.. Sometimes I need the other hand to keep the right one close to by body.. When I stop Ben turns around to see what I'm doing, that slackens the lead, and we're off again. Ben is now a pleasure to walk, except for when 2 dogs down the street races across the road towards us...

I work shift work, and cannot get my dog into training classes, because I can't make a firm commitment. I also have injuries to both my shoulders, and therefore choose to train my Great Dane in a way which doesn't hurt me or the dog....

This site http://www.dogstardaily.com/ can teach you to teach your dog to walk on a loose lead - amongst a whole lot of other things. I would never use a choke chain on my dog... it's absolutely unnecessary and also dangerous. Your dog sounds delightful...

Positive training around small dogs and cats.. If it's Kyra, she's really still only very young, and you need to take the lead, and show her it's not acceptable.

It sounds like he's been encouraged to growl and bite... If that's the case, I would turn away and ignore the behaviour. How old is he? Does he play with toys? Puppies are not normally aggressive, but no doubt they can easily and quickly be trained to act this way. Some people find it quite cute to see a tiny puppy growl.. Use a short, sharp 'Ah!Ah!' and be very calm around this puppy.

If you have problems with him sneaking away, while he's inside, you can tether him to you.. I did that with Ben, and he's now great... It also helped training him on leash. I just used a walkbelt, and attached a leash to it (I had a normal leash shortened and clips put on both ends - it cost me $5). Attaching the leash to your belt might work with such a small dog. ETA.. Ben was nearly 5 months old, before I could fully trust him...

Thanks

When you buy from Canine Country and have it delivered you need to buy min 50kg? I was wondering if the meat is fresh, so you can pack it in daily portions?

Some silversides are tough meat, injected with the salt solution... It also has colour in it, so it appears red... I would salt it myself... At least then you know what's in your meat.

If he sits, drops etc... just give him those commands when near the kids... Don't ever let a dog and kids be alone unsupervised.

I would not interfere with you Rotty's discipline of the puppy..