huski

A lot of us are experiencing some VERY wet weather at the moment - so who else is stuck with a wet dog?? Daisy is a bit of a princess so isn't at all keen to get wet, even when I put her out to go to the toilet (she is saying: "Excuse me! But I did NOT ask to be put outside. What is the reason for this travesty?"); But my baby Wisdom is quite happy to run around getting soaked especially if I am playing fetch with her :) (she is saying "Huh?! Why are you wasting time talking about the weather, just throw my toy already!"); Who else has a wet dog?

Except when you said; Perhaps I misunderstood what you were saying, but clearly you aren't interested in anyone's experiences outside of your own, hence my comment that you are quick to discount others experiences. As you said yourself, you aren't interested. That's impossible, because I have the most f***ing awesome dog in the world right here ;) :laugh:

I agree, whilst no dog is the same, it is really hard to give specific advice over the internet because ultimately you are just taking a guess. Suggestions like teaching a dog to settle in a crate or mat are common suggestions because they are a good place to start. IMO, if your dog can't relax and turn off in a crate then for whatever reason, it is not crate trained. I think a lot of the issues people experience with higher drive/energy dogs and really most dogs, does come down to how they are being managed and what behaviours they are being allowed to experiment and form habits with. I am not saying it's the owners fault, but there are things we can change and do differently that will help the dog learn appropriate behaviour. If I let my Mal for eg have free run of the house all the time, I would have to be on top of her constantly to make sure she didn't learn behaviours that were undesirable. I don't have her out the whole time (and sometimes not at all) when guests come over because she's too full on for most people, and while she can relax and chill out while guests are over, if I let her loose with them she'd probably scare most people just with her natural exuberance :laugh: A lot of it comes down to knowing your dog and what level of management is required to make you both happy.

At least you are honest about what he is getting :) It sounds like he needs a lot more mental stimulation and outlets for using his brain and drive. I don't go to classes and often work long hours so the time I have to put into my dogs can be limited (I also don't walk them regularly) but even a few minutes of training a day when it's giving him drive satisfaction and tiring him out mentally as well as physically can be really beneficial. My bet is that he is desperate to do some more work and I would guess that with even short training sessions each day you will see an improvement in his ability to settle and relax in the evenings assuming the training is appropriate for his level of drive etc. I don't understand the need for the dramatic 'I will scream if one more person mentions crates or mats'. I am looking after four working line dogs here right now, all of which can settle and turn off when required, but it sounds like you still have issues with Erik being able to do the same thing? I am not having a go, but I don't understand why you are so quick to discount and run down others experiences and suggestions when it sounds like something you still have issues with yourself. We can always learn more.

In my experience teaching a dog to go to a mat or crate or similar and learn to relax there, gives them a place to go and something to do rather than pacing around or constantly reward seeking. It isn't all I would do to teach an off switch but it's a start and helps to start to break the habit of reward seeking in the house and pacing etc almost immediately. My working line Malinois is super active all the time. She would go non stop until she keeled over and died had she not been taught to have an off switch that was fostered in her from when she was very young. She always wants to be doing something but understands being in her crate or mat is time to chill out and relax. I'm also teaching her to chill out when loose in the house too, but some dogs will always require higher levels of management than others, that's just how it is. The other element to consider is that if a dog has never been taught when to switch on and learns that constantly reward seeking and hassling you for rewards etc works (whether this is something you've done unintentionally or otherwise) then it is going to be much harder for that dog to learn to chill out and switch off. Outside of home GG85 how much training and mental stimulation is he getting?

I agree teach him to stay on a mat. Or a crate.

Assume that the pup is definitely showing timidness/nervousness. In what breed is that correct or desirable and who would want to own a dog like that?

Here is my baby, I think she is the cutest! :D

I wouldn't buy a pup that showed timidness like that. Regardless of the rest of the quality of the pup (ETA: Or the price).

E+H do you have a trainer in your area who can help you? May be a better investment than DVDs :)

Had a good week training wise this week. Started training scent work with some scent tubes which was very exciting and can't wait to do more over the next few days. Wiz did some super heelwork for me under distraction the other day which was awesome. She was a bit forward but that's easily fixed, was just so happy with her attitude and work ethic. Loving training at the moment :)

I agree with others, if you are having doubts wait some more time, you have plenty! I don't get another dog for my existing dogs, I get another dog because I want one. I never understood only wanting one dog, I was always wanting more dogs even when I had three, but now I have my youngest dog, I can quite happily say I don't want any more. She's more than enough for me and meets every need and requirement I have for a dog, and while I love my other dogs dearly, if tomorrow I only had my youngest dog I still wouldn't want anymore (for now). There is nothing wrong with just having one if that's all YOU want and don't feel you need any more :)

Back when I fed dried food I would always feed some meals each week as raw so I would add chicken necks or wings etc. or I would mix in egg or sardines to their dried. At the very least raw bones are good for their teeth :)

I wish I had someone to prepare all my meals for me to make sure I was eating nutritious food that was the best food for me. But alas I feed myself so while I try to make everything from scratch most days sometimes I eat processed crap :laugh:

Take the Pointer out of the crate and put the Shih Tzu in it. They can alternate between being contained or outside. Yep, this sounds like a good idea. x3 this is what I'd do. If they are toileting everywhere do not let them have free run of the house, contain them and it will be way less stressful.

I can't say I am really looking forward to my bitch coming into season or getting her 'dog period' as I've been referring to it as :laugh:

Hey ES, just shoot me an email on [email protected] and I'll get Steve to have a look at it ASAP. If you have any video of her that would be great to see too. It could be that she's 'just' a super high drive dog or it could even be something medical or a number of other things. Without seeing her I'm not sure it's the same thing but the way you described her shaking reminded me a bit of my Mal, she shakes with adrenalin and her teeth chatter when she's really pumped and ready to go. She has a great off switch as she's been taught one from day one, but I can only imagine what she'd be like in a different home without appropriate management. Management is an important part of owning any dog, but especially with high drive dogs, as their desire to seek reward and drive satisfaction is so much stronger.

A few dogs don't like my Sibe, I think it's his upright ears and the shape of his eyes make him look like he's staring. And his tail is upright etc. A few dogs also react to my Malinois, I think a lot of dogs can sense a high energy dog from a mile away. She's actually very polite in how she greets other dogs but I don't allow greetings generally.

There are some things I train with food to start with, and then go to using prey items like balls or a tug for the ultimate reward once the dog has a better understanding of the new behaviour. Dogs also need to learn how to think through arousal, this is where a good understanding of how the 'game' works comes in handy! :)

All of my dogs regardless of their name have many variations and nick names that I call them, some are even longer than their actual name :laugh:

Poor Daisy has a common name! How horrific! :laugh: I've never met nor heard of another dog called Wisdom, and while I didn't love her name to start with (I didn't choose it) I like it now as it's special just like her :)

Blink is smashing it Nic! I am going to start teaching the dumbell retrieve this week, but we'll just start with learning to hold different objects. Planning to get started on scent work soon too :)

Thanks for the rec Megan :) Why would a trainer kick you out of class rather than help you? I would definitely advise getting a second opinion. Plenty of pups will behave as you've described and, while no one would make an accurate assessment just based on what you've written I would be extremely surprised if medication was required to address the behaviour and modify it.

I felt physically ill as I was reading your post, how awful and traumatizing, so sorry for your loss

All my dogs are crate trained but I'm not going to buy a show trolley or airline crate just for the off chance I go to the vets which happens once a year at the most. Carting one of my soft or wire crates to the vets serves no purpose to me when my dogs are under control.