Aidan

Every other person seems to have an "untrainable" dog.

Handy if you can find something but I always just pull them right out of the situation if that happens. Using a click to calm (or Control Unleashed) sort of protocol you should be able to get more and more attention in ever increasingly difficult situations. It would be good to get someone to observe this dog, you might find that you can work with the arousal, channel it into a prey reward but the handler would need to be skilled in training this way and the dog must be under good control. It's something to work towards (play tug games under control, for a start), but not something I would just throw in there without guidance. One thing is for sure, you need to give GSDs guidance on what to do in this sort of situation. Their instinctive response to things they are unsure of is usually to bark at it, or lunge at it (if on leash).

I take it you have met my Sabella? But in all seriousness, the problem is when people try to control the line too much. Then they get a loop, which catches on everything.

That's true for little dogs. Big dogs you just let the line drag, sliding through one hand. Dogs take care of the rest. That's why I recommend a proper tracking leash, 10m or longer, even if you really only want to give 5m of freedom.

Make friends with surfers. They always know the best hidden beaches and will gladly tag along if the conditions are right.

One thing I think about dogs, either sex, is that what we call "bearing a grudge" is probably not a metaphor we should take too literally. Humans can "bear grudges" because we can think in words, so we tend to have little stories in our heads about people. Dogs don't have these stories and they don't think in words (so far as we know), so when we're confronted with what appears to be a dog "bearing a grudge" we're not exactly sure what to do. By describing the problem in human terms, we tend to think of human solutions, or worse, human-solutions dressed up as doggy solutions. When dogs fight they are doing what they have learned to do. There is an antecedent, a behaviour, and a consequence. There is also an emotional component underlying all of this. All of this is moderated by temperament, biological conditions, and environment. Why do bitches seem to be more likely to fight to the death? There is an evolutionary advantage to be gained.

Thanks sas, got a couple for $29.90! One for the Sheltie, and one the exact same size for the Akita! (j/k, both for the GSD)

Are you sure she didn't say that genes were involved 100% of the time? Psychologists have a range of opinions, but the most popular is the "gene x environment" approach. Another approach is the "diathesis-stress" model which is mostly applied to mental illness, but could be applied to other traits. The diathesis-stress model posits that a genetic potential exists (for whatever heritable trait) but must be triggered by something in the environment going over a certain threshold. These models are related and work together, most psychologists wouldn't deny one on the basis of the other. Both models would appear to make sense in this case, and still allow for the possibility of behaviour modification. As I have said previously, my dogs are separated at home. They are not separated elsewhere. I have been able to condition a repertoire of behaviours for when we are on a walk, for e.g., in response to things they are likely to do or things that are likely to happen. The genetic potential for a fight is certainly still there, and I cannot do much to change that, but I have conditioned them to do things other than fighting. Behaviour does have a biological basis. Everything we do is based on nervous impulses. If the impulse is strong enough, "neurotransmitters" are released which either excite or inhibit nervous processes. There are over a hundred neurotransmitters that we have identified, each plays a different role. Our neurons and neurotransmitters are genetically and environmentally determined. Our body has a plan which is in action the moment the sperm meets the egg, but everything that happens thereafter changes it to some extent. Even the food we eat, or the amount of light we receive will have a fairly strong impact on our behaviour. One of the key factors in aggression (in humans) is "heat"! We are less aggressive when we are cool, and more aggressive when we are hot (which has lead to the sayings "chill out" or "a bit hot under the collar"). Something that seems so trivial has such a large effect on our behaviour.

My reference point for all things canine and athletic is Dr Christine Zink DVM The books she's written are listed here Do you recall if the books include references or citations? I don't mean to sound doubtful, I just like stuff that gives me something concrete rather than just a personal perspective.

Does anyone have any references or data on this topic?

Use a cheap car harness, or better yet, a good tracking harness. A good, soft tracking leash is essential. Believe it or not, he will learn to avoid tangles and so will you, it just takes a bit of practise and learning when to give it a bit of a tug or a flick to stop them happening.

Hey! I've never done that to a dog... I thought you were more of a skinny jean type guy, Aidan? True story, sales assistant at a jeans shop once told me "we have nothing for you here"

Hey! I've never done that to a dog...

I wouldn't do anything until a vet had thoroughly checked him over.

If you put a butter/margarine container inside the bum bag it holds it open much better and is easier to clean I'm after a vest for summer and plan on checking out outdoor stores and fishing shops when I get time The American hunting suppliers have the best stuff, especially for warm weather. With the exchange rate you could probably buy 10 for AUD$1!

Don't let the secret get out :-)

$4 bait belt from the fishing section of Big W. Hose it out or put it in the dishwasher when you're done.

I know people who have, they found it a bit hard to follow strictly so I couldn't tell you whether it would have worked or not but I think that says something about the program. If you really need it (i.e you really need to set very clear boundaries) then you might be highly motivated to follow it and it would seem worth it.

I had a registered breeder enquire about putting my GSD over one of her bitches to improve pigment in her lines. She was actually asking all the right questions but, having only seen her from a distance, had not realised she was a she

Is this something you've seen before? I'm just wondering how a dog will go with the cool air and noise, I hope it doesn't bother him. You might want to put a doggy door on the front also, otherwise it will need to run almost continuously. I've just been gluing styrofoam panels inside my old boy's kennel for the summer. My only concern is that my other dog will get a taste for tearing out the foam if she's ever in his run. I've also planted a lemon tree on the north side for shade, but it obviously doesn't get as hot here in Tassie.

If it was working he wouldn't have had to keep repeating it over and over and over and over and over until I lost count. Granted we don't know what they were trying to correct, but it happened every time the dog mouthed him, and the dog was still mouthing him at the end. If the dog had been biting him and this stopped it, then I'd have to say OH&S laws in Baltimore must be fairly lax.

Now that I think of it, it doesn't seem very civilised to walk around with giant bags of poo. Especially if you have to wave to passers-by.

Let's imagine that this is an extreme dog (it isn't, or the handler wouldn't have got away with what he was doing), and that this is his last chance to stay on earth. The simple fact is that it isn't working. Repeated punishment that doesn't work is abuse.

In that case I'd say he has learned to do it (for whatever reason), and it's not really a game of tug. Without seeing it, I'd probably suggest you err on the side of caution and stop playing for now. Google "flirt pole" which might be a better option for you, and would give him a chance to learn to grab the toy. Make sure you teach him to "out" as well, otherwise it could be a really tedious game. Try food to teach the "out".

x2 I regularly use kibble, the same kibble they had for breakfast. That said, a really good reward does stack the deck in your favour. The difference between a "9/10" treat and a "10/10" treat will change depending on the dog's mood and which one they've had more of.