poodlefan

I've just removed all the balls from the back yard this afternoon. That's another problem - unfortunately not much. We used to walk him daily but as he got bigger, he was just too much. His over-excitement is ridiculous. He lunges at other dogs nearby, not aggressively, but excitedly and will bark and whine, but to a stranger all they see is a big dog and it frightens them. We want SO desperately to just be able to have a happy dog that we can walk normally and take to the park to throw a stick or whatever, but there's the worry that he'll either run away (he doesn't come back) or go for another dog. He's gotten in growling/slightly aggressive incidents with a couple of dogs on occasion, but it always seems to be just excitement to meet them at first, then they both get their backs up. We're terrible owners :( Nope, just owners who need some help to train the dog they want. Folk have recommended good trainers/behaviourists for Perth before. Call one ASAP. Lack of exercise would explain the obsessive behaviour - those balls are the only outlet he has for it. If you're removing those, he'll need others. Does he get big meaty bones to chew?? How about a huge cardboard box he can 'kill' ?? There are lots of ideas on this forum for boredom busting but he needs exercise too - and lots of it.

Her sister knocked her on her @rse?? ;)

The first thing I'd do is remove every single tennis ball from the back yard. How much training and exercise does he get outside the yard?

He's got those nasty needle milk teeth!!! They HURT!!

Makes you wonder if the allegation was made to remove the sisters pet. Wouldn't be the first time a pet got used as weapon of choice in a domestic disagreement. They should be able to tell what wounds were and weren't made by a dog. I'm not saying its impossible but it sure does seem unlikely.

How about something published in 1792 ;)

Don't eliminate pain rather than itchiness as a possibility. Talk to your vet.

Which is pretty much all of them (with some exceptions). It would be hard to say they weren't getting enough exercise (although I wouldn't rule that out as a possible factor in the captive wolf problem). Conversely, if we wish to use African Painted Dogs as our analogy (an idea I think has some merit), its the females that leave. Sibling sisters will leave together to start a new pack.

Just remember though Mason... that was totally your fault. Seriously, anyone who can write off all dog aggression issues as owner created needs to meet more dogs. Yes, some are. But by no means all. If we want to run with the wolf pack analogy, lets not forget that young male wolves who aren't content with no breeding rights leave the pack. We don't allow dogs to do that.

Tomas: Or maybe there are genetic and socialisation issues that don't get resolved by exercise. The only thing I'd ever be prepared to guarantee with dogs is this - those folk who think they know it all with regard to aggression and dog management occasionally get humbled. Those prepared to guarantee on the internet that following a bunch of advice based on what they've never experienced in their own dogs do so at their own risk. Never say "never" Tomas. You might be right most of the time but somewhere out there is a dog who'll prove you wrong. Lets just hope its not another dog owner who gets to experience that. I've never had a serious issue with my dogs. I don't kid myself its because I'm the bees knees as a dog whisperer. Breed and management have something to do with it but there are some breeds and dogs where what you think you know just goes out the window. Furthermore, people with the skills of Cesar Milan don't grow on trees. Whilst the OP is clearly no novice dog owner, guaranteeing no issues with two male littermates without knowing the dog or the owner is a gamble.

That's a heat wave for here this time of year. ;)

me too Ask and you shall receive. Link to judgment

Fun family that one.

You say that a lot. All I can say is wait 10 minutes before posting and reread before you do. As a journalist, you know better than anyone how powerful (and misleading) words can be. Your response to someone pointing out that the use of capitals being "yelling" was "bulls**t". You then switched to italics for a healthy dose of sarcasm. That's attitude coming from someone who now admits she didn't know one way or the other about that. Stop taking every post that disagrees with you personally and you'll find it a far less antagonistic place to be. So will I.

Have a good look in the mirror before making further statements of that nature please Leela. A lot of folk have given you a lot of good advice since you joined here and what you seem to have given back lately that I've observed is unwarranted attitude. It's becoming rather tiresome. If responses to your frequent requests for information and advice start to dry up in the coming weeks, you won't have to look far to find out why. I've typed and deleted a number of responses to your posts in recent days. Very soon, I think I won't bother to do even that. Your last response is a classic example of what I'm talking about. Even crumbly baby boomer computer users like me know that capitalising words is yelling in forum speak. Google it for yourself.

Personally, the best method of bonding puppy to the new home IMO involves spending lots of time with the puppy, (inside if at all possible) and training it. A dog can't form an effective social bond with new owners if they only spend time together for a couple of hours a day. All the other things you describe are great for entertaining a bored pup but they won't take the place of that social bond.

Lots of issues to consider and compatability is not the only one that I would be thinking about. The rule of thumb for having a conflict free pack is to avoid having dogs that are very similar in age, size and gender. Having two male littermates is as far from that rule as you can get. The only worse combination I can think of is two female littermates The other thing to consider is how closely these two dogs will bond and the impact of that on your ability to separate and manage them. I think you'd be heading for some issues UNLESS you put a lot of time and effort into training and socialising them separately. Personally I'd not do it and if I were a breeder (which I ain't ;)) I'd not sell two littermates into the one pet home. Your choice but if you decide to take it on, be prepared for a lot of extra work and potential heartache if things don't go to plan.

I agree.. up to a point. Guiding is limited to the dog being within arms reach. What happens when the dog gets further away? Hands on guiding is for early basic teaching phase, so you wouldn't have the dog/pup that far away from you? ... or perhaps I'm missing your thought/point? If your method of reinforcing the sit is to guide and place, what do you do when the dog is out of arms reach and fails to sit? I know the argument would be to bring the dog closer to you again but my view is that some dogs know damn well when you can't reach them.

I agree.. up to a point. Guiding is limited to the dog being within arms reach. What happens when the dog gets further away?

First of all, thank you all very much for your input - a lot of different suggestions which I am willing to take on board and try all!!! Just in relation to your comment PF - when he goes to obedience class, he is the most obedient dog there... lol doesnt take his eyes off me, does everything I ask immediately, the only thing he doesnt do, is walk calmly next to me to our group - he pulls like crazy, but we are working on that too! Thank you all again for comments, you're all amazing and I appreciate every one of your suggestions and stories! Smart dog this one, he's learned to be obedient in a particular situation. Your challenge is to proof what he gives you in class into other places.

Excellent point! Tom's Poultry in Fyshwick sells wings, frames etc at a good price for larger orders. A freezer will be your best friend for feeding dogs cheaply and well.

At $110 for $15 kilos of Advance, you're paying about $7.30 a kilo. Rather than feeding a cheaper grade of kibble (although a lot of folk swear by Blackhawk), I'd be feeding less kibble by feeding RMBs two meals out of three. With a bit of shopping around you could find chicken wings or frames, lamb ribs etc for less than that.

Separate them unless supervised. Be sure to socialise and train them on their own. If you can't separate them when you're out for probably at least the next 12 months, I'd be returning the female pup.

That is a very nice, succint way of putting it, Corvus. When you're having trouble training a dog, its best to look to HOW its being trained, before writing it off as stubborn or stupid. I was going to post something today along the lines of "this dog clearly isn't motivated by pats and cuddles". The next question then becomes, "what DOES motivate him?" To reward him, you have to give him something HE wants. Leela join a dog obedience club and/or get some lesson from a trainer. This dog sounds like he's blowing you off because he isn't motivated to please you and there aren't any consequences when he doesn't. You need to learn how to motivate him.

Depends on how many scans (from different angles) are required. I was potentially needing a dog scanned 2 years ago. I think one scan cost $1500? The second was cheaper -maybe 700?