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SkySoaringMagpie

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Everything posted by SkySoaringMagpie

  1. It's one of those things that works for some people and not for others. Personally, I don't bother with it but my partner does. My observation is that it can take the edge off, but that it can't deal with the source of the problem. If you decide to try it, get it in a spray bottle rather than dropper, it's easier to administer. Have you asked your vet about this? For thunder and fireworks I agree with Erny that behavioural training is a good idea. It sounds like she's pretty freaky so you might need to get advice from a good behaviourist. There are people who swear by melatonin for fireworks and thunder but you have to give it before the dog is showing signs of distress. For dogs under 25 pounds, the dosage is 1.5 or 3.0 mg up to three times a day (most dogs only need 1.5 mg). For dogs over 25 pounds, the dosage is 3,.0 or 6.0 mg up to three times a day (most dogs only need 3.0 mg). I'm just some random person on the internet tho', check with your vet. I'm lucky in that my dogs were bred by a breeder who lives near a RAAF base - we have never had to worry about loud noises and I haven't tried the melatonin myself.
  2. This is probably where your problem lies. With toilet training, you need to ensure that they don't go in the wrong spot. Essentially that means watching them like a hawk, and whisking them to the approved toilet area before they soil the wrong spot. Also, take them to the spot at strategic times - right after they wake up, right after they finish playing, and right after they eat or drink. Praise like crazy when they do the right thing and don't bring them inside until they do. Toilet training in winter is a bugger for this reason!! Unfortunately taking her out after she's done it in the wrong area won't teach her anything, you have to help her get it right.
  3. That wasn't intended as a flame - just info. If I didn't care on some level about your dog and your kids I wouldn't have said anything. If you hadn't had a hound I probably wouldn't have said something either, I'm just more inclined to reply to hound posts because hounds interest me more. There's no middle eastern gazelle or snow leopard hunting around my neck of the woods either. By letting them do "houndy" things I mean letting them do things like lure coursing where they get to run after their quarry - finding a modern substitute for the things that make them really come alive. Bit like taking a herding breed to herding classes, or taking a terrier to an earthdog event. There are some dog experts who don't agree with me by the way, I think Susan Garrett dismisses the notion that you should let dogs do what they were bred to do. As to the back issue, I have done things things that are not in my dog's best interests a number of times while learning. Making a mistake or doing something that other doggy people don't approve of is not something to be ashamed of. In dog world you will always find someone who thinks you're doing the wrong thing. Up to you whether you decide they're full of it or not. Best wishes to you and your ridgie boy.
  4. Lure coursing hasn't negatively affected our dogs' behaviour around our cat (the dogs are an afghan and salukis). As someone else said, maybe if we tied a white plastic bag around the cat's neck they might make the connection, but obviously we won't be doing that!! They already have prey drive, lure coursing is an excellent opportunity for them to exercise that drive in a totally appropriate way. I think there is not a lot of point having a hound if you never let it do houndy things. I don't know about other people's dogs, but ours also recognise a lure coursing field set up, and behave differently there than when they are at home. I'd be more concerned about allowing your kids to think that sitting on dogs is OK - I'd stop that immediately. I know it looks cute but it's bad for the dog's back and gives kids potentially dangerous ideas about what they can do around dogs.
  5. If you're worming regularly, what's the problem? If they get worms, you take care of them. The odd parasite isn't a problem. It's when you get a build up that they do harm. Heh, I hate the idea of parasites - I think I'm scarred for life after picking up a still squirming tapeworm off the laundry floor. It was from our cat at the time, and ever since I've been more picky about it.
  6. Try the training forum, but basically it is the same rule for poo as for urine. The dog is likely to poo after it has eaten, and when it gets up in the morning. So she will have to take it outside at those times, wait until it goes and praise it like crazy and give it lots of treats. Dogs are pretty good at giving "I'm about to poo" signals, so if she sees that, she should get puppy outside fast. The key thing is to prevent it pooing in the house by watching it, and giving lots of positive reinforcement for going outside the house.
  7. And the dogs are right are they not? Really, there is bugger all you can do if you leave them in there if you are not there to supervise. Remember that dogs do not have a moral code. All they know is that the couch is comfy, but that Mum inexplicably gets upset when they get on the couch, Dad will get cranky because Mum is cranky but really isn't terribly concerned, and Grampa is a pushover and understands that dogs like comfy couches. If you don't want them on the furniture, don't leave them unsupervised. As to dog beds, there are some very glam dog beds around, and dog beds are easily whipped into the back room if there are guests coming over. Buy your wife a copy of "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson.
  8. It might and it might not. I don't know what your cat eats, but ours is still an occasional mouser, despite having none of his canines. He's a game old bastard and he also has access to the outdoors. So I'd really prefer the dogs don't eat his shit. Likewise there's a worming cycle issue - there's no point keeping everyone on a good worming schedule and keeping a tidy backyard if the dogs are going to turn around and eat a cat turd. Sure, I worm the cat at the same time, but that doesn't mean his nuggets are going to be clean for 3 months. I don't freak about it if they get lucky and dig up a nugget because all our dogs are young and healthy but if I had an oldie around with iffy immunity, I'd be concerned about them getting sick.
  9. What's your laundry set up like? We have a hooded tray turned to the wall that sits in the corner of the laundry between the washer and the dryer which are on the two walls of the corner. There is room between the dryer and the washing machine for the cat to get in to do his biz, but not for the dogs to get in to eat the tasty cat truffles. I agree that without something protecting the tray, they'll just push it from the wall. You do have to be strong enough to lift the tray up out of its hidey hole behind the dryer to clean it. The set up we have is the only thing that has stopped them - they haven't learned how to shift white goods - yet
  10. I think this is also true of prong collars. Not everyone who uses them sharpens the prongs then chains their dog to a tree and goads it. Even a flat collar can be incorrectly fitted and used (like people who don't check for puppy growth for example). Just a general comment on the thread: If the OP wants to write a submission for permission for controlled use that's their prerogative. If people don't agree with the OP, they can write their own submissions, after all, I doubt the OP will be swayed by the same old "your collar is cruel! no your is!" debates. It's the regulators that should be educated one way or another.
  11. Personally with any puncture wound (as opposed to an open wound) I'd go to the vet and get a course of prophylactic antibiotics before seeing a problem. Puncture wounds are near impossible to flush properly, and even if you can there's a high chance of infection. Plus if it's swollen, there is a chance the attacking dog has pulled the top layer of skin away from the underlying flesh, and that might end up needing a drain. A vet check wouldn't go astray. Pats for your dog, it's a horrible thing to have happen.
  12. Colours are bit of a personal preference but go to a couple of shows and take a look at what the other Aussie Shepherd exhibitors are wearing. Honestly, I'd probably pick black for a dog that colour - a lot of colours wouldn't work with the red merle. It might not make you stand out like a pink suit would, but as one old hand said to me "it's a dog show, not a fashion show!" If you want to stand out you could wear black pants with a bright top/suit jacket. Ebay is your friend. Whack in an email alert for whatever you're looking for at whatever price you're looking for. If you know what colours you're after you can include that in the search details too. It will take some experimenting before you find a style that suits you and your dog, something with pockets, in which you can run easily etc etc. The great thing about Ebay is that some of my best suits have been super cheap. And I don't worry about putting bait in the pockets or dogs jumping on them or whatever because they were second-hand anyway!
  13. I still consider myself a novice in many pursuits I hold dear. I agree that dealing with newbies can be frustrating, I think most people go through a "teenage" phase with any new pursuit where they learn enough not to have the dependence of a child, but they know just enough to be really annoying. However, it is not my role to respond to every idiotic thing that is thrown in my path - if I had that approach to life, my dogs would have a field day. As it is, the dogs still get me to 'bite' at their bait on a regular basis (clever bastards) I work for a law enforcement organisation that trains dogs. I do not train dogs professionally myself - I'm just a community volunteer. What I do get a chance to do is observe those who train professionally for law enforcement work. As with any group of people, there are those you might want to emulate, and those you might not. No group of people is made up entirely of saints or sinners; experts or idiots. Ultimately any training tool reinforces the person using it as well as the dog, and that's the crucial part for me. I think one of my key training goals is to try to be wise enough to understand how much of what I do is about my own baggage, and how much of it is about what works with my dog. The thing about aversive techniques is that unless you are an outstanding self-manager (you can always manage your anger, your disappointment, your frustration) you are as likely, and often more likely, to reinforce the meaner parts of yourself by training aversively as you are to get a result. The thing about positive techniques, is that unless you have really decent self-esteem and good boundaries, you are as likely to reinforce the smaller more pathetic parts of yourself while your dog thinks "cool, I've shaped this treat/toy dispensing machine really well". Hrm, that's not very cheerful is it? I'm not saying I think we're doomed any which way, more that the use of tools is such a case by case thing, and so dependent on skill, that it's something that will always be subject to ongoing discussion. If there was an easy agreed answer, these threads wouldn't keep coming up on all the online dog spaces I'm in.
  14. I might be overly cynical, but I operate from the expectation that any aversive tool is probably going to be used incorrectly, and I generally factor that into my advice. The number of badly fitted haltis I've seen, it makes me wrinkle up my face in sympathy for the poor dogs. I'm sure you can use them properly, just as you can use a choke chain or a prong properly, but most people, especially novices, can't (or won't, or don't - whatever). If there is handler incapacity (mental, emotional or physical) that precludes training loose lead walking on a flat collar and the halti is the difference between the dog getting a walk or not getting a walk, I'd fall down on the side of recommending it. It really isn't a first resort tool tho' and I won't use one on my dogs.
  15. Ours aren't greys, but are close enough (salukis and an Aff). We feed a mix of kibble and raw meat and meaty bones. We adjust the kind of meat for the dog. The overweight Affie never gets lamb flaps, the skinny toaster rack boy gets them regularly. Some our daily diet options are: - tinned mackeral - chicken frames (chopped in half for the ones that don't need the cals) - marrow bones (marrow scooped out for the one on a diet) - hamburger mince (human grade) and vegies with an egg or yoghurt or fish oil mixed in - offal of some kind although a couple of them don't like kidneys - chicken wings - lamb flaps - beef "dog bones" from the butcher (nice chunky bits of cow backbone and such) We adjust the amount of kibble depending on the meat, and I also feed the 12 month olds extra kibble in the morning. The kind of meat often depends on what is on special at the butcher, but we try and mix it up a bit. I love those 2 dollar a kilo chicken wing specials! I guess my only caution is that sometimes ex-racers have horrible teeth. I'd check that out before getting her to do any hardcore chewing for her dinner.
  16. Try John Martin in Wagga Wagga. Greyhound man who also works on performance horses. Edited: because I meant to PM this rather than post it, PM me if you want his contact details.
  17. Ours is "go toilet". At least the neighbours don't care (or we don't care if they laugh, more to the point). I've heard people say "be clean" is a good cue, but that seems a bit prudish to me ;-)
  18. I would definitely get her checked by a vet to elimate urinary tract infection as a cause. Also, young puppies don't have the same physical bladder control capacity as older dogs. If she doesn't have an infection the key to success is preventing failures and rewarding good behaviour. Your challenge now is that you have allowed many failures to occur in the house, and each time she goes she gets a reinforcement (ie, relief) and it's therefore a self-reinforcing behaviour. That's why people really emphasise prevention - the longer the wrong thing is reinforced, the harder it is to train out again. Anyway, praise and treat when she goes outside, ignore her completely when she goes inside but watch her like a hawk and learn to recognise when she is about to go and get her out fast so that she doesn't get that relief reward inside the house. I'm more a fan of the "leash them to your belt on a 8 foot leash and supervise" approach rather than crate training but everyone is different - with ours crate size made no difference to the propensity to wee in it. If you don't have her contained in some way, bedroom doors should be closed so that she is incapable of making that mistake. Also, clean all the floors thoroughly with an enzyme based cleaner (urine-off or nature's miracle or something like that) so that there is nothing around to give her the idea that the floor is a dog toilet. Soak that part of the sheets and bedding that is urine stained in an enzyme cleaner before washing too. If she can smell wee already there, it makes sense to her doggy brain that she can go there. Our Afghan was a hell of a lot easier to house train than the Salukis - so take heart, it can be done! My Saluki bitch took 9 months before she was totally reliable (but she certainly wasn't peeing every day, we just had to get her over this idea that if she could SEE outside that was good enough) Oops, EDIT to add: Depending on how you have been trying to train to date, the peeing might also be a stress response. Submissive dogs pee to appease their owners, which creates a horrible downward spiral when the owners get more and more frustrated and therefore more scary to the dog and the dog pees even more. Hence the "just ignore it" advice everyone is giving. Cheers Anita
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