persephone

It will be- for the rest of his life ] I see him living in a fairly high- energy household- two young children keeping the energy going! How often DOES he get a LONG calm on-lead walk ? Does he get a lot of bones to chew? At his age he is a teen- and really needs to use up his mental and physical energy! Chewing can also be a 'stress reliever for a dog'- it is rarely direct disobedience,IMO. Dogs just don't think like that. Can you get a private behaviourist/trainer in to assess the situation? It may be a big help to you in finding out where your boy is coming from, and what management plan would work. I feel he needs the long walks onlead - where he will be concentrating on walking well, NOT wee'ing on trees etc, avoiding distractions. This will make him think, and 'work'.. then when he gets home, he will ,hopefully be tired and more relaxed. Playing/training in a backyard is fine for short term, but it just doesn't give the dog enough input in the form of different smells/sounds/sights, or the mental exercise of adapting to them. Hope to hear better news soon ;)

Feef- hope you washed your eyes Thanks. Becky in Oz- I thank you for that- at least I have some nice photos, and lots of memories!.

Doesn't sound right :rolleyes: They shouldn't be 'punishing' a dog anyway- it was being trained, was it not? Hope she finds another trainer soon Someone on here should be able to put you onto someone with a different attitude

A Friend’s Story Last night, I lost a friend. She died at home, with only a stranger to see her last moments. Our goodbyes were said, tearfully, during the day-she too weak to rise, me giving her a last hug. My friend’s name was Sally, and I would like to share some of her story with you – I think you would have enjoyed meeting her! Sally was a blonde- but not a ‘dumb blonde!’ She loved parties, and good food-lying in the sun, and puppies. She was terrific with children, and somehow they were drawn to her .Maybe she remembered her son, who was one of premature identical twins .The other was sadly stillborn. Sally’s son had troubles for the first few days, but grew quickly and was a loving , happy boy .He and his mum used to play for hours. Disaster struck on his first birthday, and he sadly passed away. Sally was distraught for a long time. When she was with our family- she fitted right in, and we discovered she had experienced a lot in her life. When young, she had been involved in two accidents, leaving lasting hip problems, and massive scarring. She had also been hungry, and homeless. Sally and I had a lot in common, and used to spend many hours together, walking with the dogs, and just standing companionably, watching a sunset on a Summer night, or the rise of the fog in Autumn. She was always willing to have a hug, and to listen – good qualities in a friend! Absent-minded she could be, though, and many a time she left a tap running, or forgot where she had put her lunch! Recently, her health became an issue, and she needed medication and extra care. Her old injuries were causing a lot of pain- movement became limited, and she would tire easily. Yesterday, she was very tired, and at last, her spirit escaped to run free with her son once more. I miss her terribly already- my one consolation being that now she is pain-free. Thank You ,Sally, for the years you were with us.. My friend, my dear old horse. R I P Sal. Anthropomorphic, I know.... but .... I have posted it elsewhere- so people read without guessing too early :rolleyes:

Thank you, people- she was such a "people loving" girl- here is one of my fave photos- not a 'good' one- but it shows her as she was-( I think I've posted it before-- but I do love it! These two younguns hadn't met her before- just sort of threw themselves all over her and she lapped it up As I type- I can hear the neighbour using his excavator out the back..........

Oh... thankyou

Hi- this could well be a kidney or other health problem... esp if she is drinking more. A vet chheck will help you find the cause, and help to work out a management plan, too. Poor old thing... ;)

I don't have any experience with training the 'bite' in prospective security dogs... And I guess my example can be construed as a 'prey' thing... BUT we have working sheep dogs- who are NOT allowed to bite when working- and this lesson is well instilled from puppyhood- EXCEPT when they are told to- to bring down a particularly obstropolous sheep or a goat. There is a command used- and then they WILL grab and hang on.. until told to leave. (also they are never allowed to put teeth on human skin.) Is it different when using a 'bite' on a human target? Now you have me thinking ;)

Roger the Rhodie?? he looks very sweet- but of course I KNOW that's just a mask to fool us gullible humans ;) Looking forward to seeing his progress, erny ;)

Quite possibly an infection- hopefully the antibiotics will help- but I would have got her swabbed,just so you know.... Hope she's ok soon ;)

Whilst I am sorry for the workmate-recovering from personal difficulties, moving, having two large dogs to care for... These dogs have deliberately sought out and killed a dog. Their perceived increased aggressiveness onlead is, most probably, their reaction to her current handling of them... I accept the dogs are stressed,and also realise that each of the dogs,were they seperate may not have done this. However ,'pack' dictates differently- and so 'perhaps' a fence fight ended fatally. Where to? You were wise to suggest a behaviouralist.... and I do think good ,experienced ones ARE wise to the ways of humans ,as well as dogs.!! They have to be ,to be successful in their work! I hope that she is helped to a decision she can live with..

Thankyou all. Last night we had 5.5 mm rain- a fact of which I am glad, as now I won't see recent hoofprints in the sand- or the stray hair floating on the breeze...

How long after her season? Could be vaginitis- or pyo. was she mated at all?

No more pain, No more battling to stand up with a sore hip- She has left a big hole in my heart. (this was taken yesterday- I didn't know it was to be the last photo......)

Hi-aren't dogs innovative ? I second the small meal, more often, regime. I would also suggest removing the grain and vegetable component of his diet- at least temporarily. Both of these are not well digested by dogs, and not really needed anyway, so he may thrive on food which is higher in protein/energy like meat with fat thru/on it, soft bones like lamb brisket and whole chicken wings, plus maybe a good commercial puppy food in small quantities? The bones have the added attraction of getting him to chew, and taking his mind off other things- as well as supplying a lot of minerals etc !!!

I have a couple of freeflying 'kites' ......

Oh- I had forgotten that method!! ( and I have used it ) Yes- it is certainly a way to get pup focussed on other things for a moment

Glad things are looking more hopeful- and glad that you are being equipped with some 'tools'

I have PM'D you, Siobhan... I ,too have concerns about a) introducing a new dog into the mix, and especially b) putting this pup into a KENNEL She has had a big fright..... and the extra stressors over the next few days are not what her system needs ....

... and it makes them use their own resources...

Ok- IMO a baby puppy is still missing his mum/littermates- perfectly normal behaviour. I am a fan of "start as you mean to go on" If you want a pup to chew things on the rug- let him If you want a pup to be independent - provide him with toys and secure places away from humans... If you want a pup to be unsure, and clingy, and not want to make his own choices- keep changing the rules Your boy is still only a baby- and trying to adjust to a whole new world. I suggest making it easier for him by having the rules in place, and consistent, and non- negotiable. As someone wiser than me said a day or two ago "YOU buy the dog food- rules are non-negotiable" ! apologies if I have mis quoted :D

HI- All these things may be just exciting him more. What part of you is he biting? If it's hands- well, just keep your hands away from him- unless he is settled :D No playing tug or anything- no picking him up- no holding toys for him to grab... Legs/clothes? remove him calmly- or remove yourself.... leave him alone - no speaking... just somewhere there are no people! For several minutes. make sure he has QUIET interaction with people. CALM and smooth praise and patting/stroking- calm voice... Does he have toys which he can mouth/chew/shake?.. he needs to be able to carry and pounce, to locate and pick up- all without associating this fun with bits of human :p make sure he has a few irresistible ones (toys, not bits of human !)

Hi- to post photos- they need to be resized- instead of being 3 MB ,for example- they need to be well under 200 KB. You can resize photos easily and quickly by using this usually a size around 640 pixels and 80 quality will give a good enough image

exactly!! :D I am not technical- but I would agree here Why would you attempt to look at a pic at 100%zoom on any computer screen? I only use that zoom for photoshop work . Print out a few prints..1 of each size. postcard. A4, & perhaps A3.. and see what quality is there. Print out a scenic shot, a macro shot, and a mid range shot- of dog or person. Then you have a much better exapmle of what the camera can do . I use a fuji finepix S8000fd. A4 & a bit larger prints off that- Look OK.

I like this attitude! :D