huski

Kavik I know the feeling. I was told by so many people to just keep socialising Micha with other dogs and that would make his behaviour improve. Obviously it made it worse, and I so wish I knew then what I know now!

Mish is the same TB. He can be introduced to new dogs if we do it slowly and once he is used to them he is fine. It is so indicative of his fear aggression and that 'I have to get in before they get me!' process his brain goes through.

Hi DeeLee I didn't try to desensitize my dog by taking him near others as this just gave him more opportunity to be aggressive - you don't want to give her any opportunity to snap, growl, lunge etc at another dog because this will only reinforce in her mind that aggression is the way to go. There is also no point trying to correct her when she is already exhibiting aggression because by then it is too late, and she's pumped full of adrenalin and wouldn't feel the correction anyway. I also found that when he was close to other dogs he was so pumped full of adrenalin and hyped up and stressed that there was no way I could work with him or get his focus. I did work on the concept of time before distance before distraction and worked on getting his focus on me in a low distraction environment, slowly building this up to higher levels of distraction and slowly decreasing our distance from another dog. It took time but even now his threshold towards other dogs is hugely improved. Have you thought about having a session or two with a behaviourist? I know you said you've seen a trainer but it can help to have someone who is experienced in aggression and is able to show you how to read your dog and see the signs of when she is about to aggress etc. If you are in Sydney, have you thought about seeing K9 Force?

IMO dogs don't get jealous Your vet should have suggested you see a qualified behaviourist, this was probably something that could have been resolved with the right training.

Midol that has to be one of the most diplomatic and helpful posts I have ever seen you type

Make sure he has an area with lots of shade that he can easily access and I'm sure he will love it! We leave all three of our dogs outside when we aren't home

Absolutely it can be fixed! He's only a pup and once he learns the right behaviour I am sure he will turn into a wonderful family member I know someone in Brisbane who I will PM you the details of, not sure how far up the Sunny Coast she does but I am sure she can refer you to someone if she doesn't. There is no time that it is ok to slap or hit your dog. I agree you can change the behaviour fairly easily, but NOT with your recommended method - unless you want to make the dog's behaviour worse.

You can't be serious? I feel bad for your pup if that's how you handle them How absolutely disgusting

I'm sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about. My dog is "on alert" as soon as we walk out the house. If left to her own devices she will pull like a freight train in the direction SHE wants to go, and has absolutely zilch regard for where I might be. I have scars from a rope burn and a past broken finger from this. SHE tries to be the leader not me despite very hard work at maintaining pack leadership at home (she is fine there). I assume this is due to something in the past prior to me adopting her and I have had little success in altering this. Working with a trainer I have adopted a "management" strategy to cope and this involves keeping her close to me and forcing her to acknowledge where I am. I know what you mean, Deelee. I don't let my dogs pull on the leash because it shows a complete disregard for anything other than where they want to go. My dogs do not control which direction we walk in, I do - otherwise we'd end up walking across the road in busy traffic! I don't like to have a dog ignore me, or only comply to my 'suggestions' when it suits them. When I tell Daisy or Mish to look, they look, and I expect 100% focus on me. I am happy to let them walk a bit in front, or let Daisy sniff things as we walk by them but they cannot pull and when I command them to pay attention to me, they are expected to do it. I put a lot of work into teaching my dogs that I am the most interesting thing out there, and they obey me because they want to and know they get the best rewards when they do

Micha reacts to other dogs when out on a walk because strange dogs are what triggers his fear aggression. It doesn't matter what environment it is in.

I have used clickers in the past but now I just use a marker word (yes) to mark behaviour. My dogs seem to pick up on it really quickly, they now know that yes = you did the right thing and a reward is coming. I find it a great way to communicate with them, and they do learn faster when I mark the behaviour I want.

Sometimes it is a good idea to decide where you want the dog to sleep and be consistent with this from the day you bring him home. He has been accustomed to having a crate and now you will take it away, you will have to retrain him to get used to a bed or whatever it is you want him to sleep on. Crate training has many benefits, but if you don't want to use a crate for whatever reasons, start training him to get used to a bed now. Getting a good trainer in may not be as expensive as you think. It is an investment to get his behaviour under control now, than have it escalate and have to get someone in down the track when the problem is a lot worse than it is now. Whereabouts are you located? Maybe someone can recommend a good trainer or obedience club (the cheaper option) in the meantime? I don't let my dogs run up to strangers in the park. If we pass some kids or people who want to pat her, she has to be sitting calmly next to me and then she can have attention. If you have him off leash in the dog park, and can see a person coming in the park, call him and put his leash on him so he can't rush up to them. And yes I make sure she sits to greet visitors, although it is hard with those friends or family members who encourage the dog to jump up on them As Poodlefan said, it is really helpful to put a leash on him so you can control his behaviour. I would also make sure that he learns that he does not get to greet guests before you. You say hello to your guests first, and then when he is sitting calmly, he can have a pat

It is really about the individual dog - there is no one diet that will suit all dogs. BARF doesn't suit Cherry. My cat loves it though I made the change to a 100% raw diet because of Daisy's yeast infections and I have seen a remarkable difference in her skin and ear infections, now she has no grain in her diet. She and Micha are thriving on BARF and I know many dogs who do, just as many dogs thrive on super premium kibble

Hi bailey Have you thought of getting a trainer or behaviourist in to give you some guidance? This helped me when my beagle was going through a very challenging stage as a pup. I have a crate for mine, have you thought of getting him a bigger one that will fit him when he is an adult? I find it very useful to have a crate and my dog is lost without it. As for the jumping up, I taught mine to sit when people came to the house and she wouldn't get a pat or any attention from the visitors until she had her butt on the ground. It was the same for when I came home - she must sit before getting attention, now I have a dog who runs to me and sits automatically waiting for a pat I use a training program called the triangle of temptation at feeding time, it can help with dogs who resource guard: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=64101 You might also find the "nothing in life is free" method useful too: http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=nilif.html

LOL T&C I think I will stick to my smaller dogs, my Sibe is not even 30kg and he hardly eats anything Dr Billinghurst has a book called "Grow your pup with bones" that I think many people find helpful, the next time I get a pup I will start feeding it BARF from the word go - it just works well for my dogs

I only have two dogs to feed on BARF so I don't have to buy a lot. Yesterday for eg I bought four chicken frames and 1kg of chicken wings, it was less than $5 for the lot. I make up several kgs of BARF mix and the meat costs me no more than $6/kg, vegies and fruit is cheap and I get a tin of sardines for 55 cents to add in too. The offal is cheaper than the mince. That lasts for three weeks as I feed it with lots of other RMBs. If I had more dogs to feed I would probably buy a standing freezer and buy everything in bulk. You can buy in bulk through Canine Country.

Sounds like a great plan SK! Good luck with it I know you will love your new leash

I first started the dogs on the BARF patties and after two days Daisy refused to eat them - so I made my own (as well as feeding RMBs) and haven't looked back. However Cherry on BARF went back to having severe skin irritations, she hadn't had them in the years since we changed her to RC so I have a feeling she is intolerant to red meat (as RC is chicken based). Since changing her back she is fine and can eat raw chicken bones but any taste of red meat will send her back into a scratching frenzy.

I agree - I wouldn't walk away but I also wouldn't directly confront a dominant dog, I tried that with my bitch and she took me up on the challenge and it made her behaviour get a lot worse. I had to look at non-confrontational ways to handle her and instead of forcing her to obey me, make her want to obey me. There is so much info out there that tells you to growl back and I think that can be quite dangerous! You will find that there aren't too many behaviourists who encourage this anymore, as it can do the opposite and teach the dog to be possessive because every time a person walks by they are going to tamper with or take away his food. I know you said you didn't do it all the time, but I generally find the triangle of temptation a much safer way to discourage possessiveness when it comes to food.

I think the crazy/hyper ones are often the ones with the most potential! Just imagine what you could do if you could harness the crazy!

I would not have been impressed at all. I would have told him where to go

Actually, if it exhibits any of the smallest of early warning signs to defensiveness onset I would refer to it as fear aggressive. (Eg. Stillness; still eye; etc.). But if someone describes to me a dog as "fear aggressive" (and assuming they've asked me for opinion), I don't think I tend to pull them up on their description when, after me asking if the dog has actually aggressed towards anyone/animal or appeared threatening, they answer "no". If that person was in a teaching capacity though, I probably would, assuming the opportunity to do so was appropriate. Thanks for your explanation Erny. I get what you are saying about a fearful dog vs one who has actually acted on that fear with aggression. Although I am inclined to think the actual term of the behaviour itself is not that important, compared to how you deal with the problem!

I have both, two premium ones and a standard. They are both nice and soft, the standard one takes a bit longer to break in but softens up after a couple of walks Tell your hubby that once you buy a good quality leather leash you will never need to buy another leash again!! Unless you get another dog like we did and want two

But if it has exhibited a fight response you would call it fear aggression?

I use the term fear aggression. Regardless of the 'type' of aggression it is still aggression. It is still a dog reacting to a trigger and exhibiting aggression accordingly. That's how I understand it anyway!