WinGus

Hi percyk, thanks so much for your reply, it was really helpful! I will definitely try to catch his behaviour BEFORE he starts. I have been doing it whilst he is barking or even afterwards and then forgetting to treat him. I'll try both the water squirting (both my dogs actually hate water!!) and then the rocks in a can if the water doesn't work. I have a whistle too and might try that - hey, I'm willing to try anything at the moment! I've also tried the "speak" command when the older one is barking, but maybe I haven't timed it right as it's never worked out. I'll keep trying. Thanks again for your help!

Hi, I hope I can get some help or just some advice. I have two mini-foxies, a 11 month old and an 18 month old. The younger one has developed a really annoying habit of barking at the older dog whenever she has something he wants or if he wants to play. The older dog then whinges really loudly until I tell them to quiet. Unfortunately, I can tell them to shut up when I'm at home, but I'm sure they do it when I'm at work and it can go on for some time, annoying the neighbours no doubt. Can anyone give me any hints as to how to control this? Thanks in advance.

My little boy was just done over the weekend and it cost me $220, including removal of two baby teeth. It's gone up in a year I think as it was only $185 last year!!

Thanks everyone for your replies. At the moment I have only one crate and it's mainly Pepper's bed. She gets a bit cranky when I put Falcon in it. I had forgotten about how important it is to work and spend time with each of them separately. I'll definitely do this. Last night hubby took Pepper for a walk whilst I worked on Falcon. He seemed fine and focused and responded well to the clicker training. On the other hand, hubby told me that Pepper pulled to get back home. Hmm . . . will have to keep working on both of them. Thanks again for all your replies!!!

Thanks for all your replies. I do have a rubber mat at the bottom of the laundry tub. I guess I'll just have to keep going. I don't make a bit fuss. I get the bath stuff ready where she can't see me, then I go and just pick her up and do it. She does have sixth sense though and knows whenever I have a motive in mind as she cowers or runs and hides!!! Thanks Corvus for your suggestion. I might have to do a bit more reading up about that method. It sounds interesting, but I'm wary of trying anything I haven't researched in full.

Hi, I've just got a new four month old puppy who needs a lot of training, he hasn't had any basic training at all! I'm trying to use clicker training on him, but finding it very difficult due to him being distracted by my other dog!! If I put Pepper outside, the new puppy, Falcon, wants to go outside, and I can hear Pepper whinging, wanting to come inside. If I have them both inside and try to train Falcon, Pepper wants the treats too, especially when she hears the clicker. I've tried to get my hubby to train one of them, whilst I train the other one, but they are still both very distracted, wanting to go where the other dog is. How do you train two dogs, especially when they are at different levels? As it is only the third week we have had Falcon, do I just let them get used to each other before trying to train him?!? Thanks in advance.

Hi, how do you know when to reward a dog in a fearful situation? I don't want to reward my dog at the wrong time and confirm her fear. There are a few situations, but, for example when having a bath. I put her in the laundry tub and I know she's scared. I tried to distract her with high value treats and toys, but it hasn't worked. I've tried acting calm and acting excited, making it a game, but neither has worked. I've tried telling her off, but I think that doesn't work either. I'm really at a loss as what to do. I know my dog is afraid of a lot of things and I've been trying to slowly build her confidence, but sometimes I feel as though I'm walking one step forward and three steps back!! I hope I'm making sense!! Thanks in advance.

I have a big plastic crate (which she sleeps in too), takes up half the back seat when I put it in there, but I find it is the best way for my dog to travel. I brought a harness, but she's too small for it and it was definitely not a good way for her to travel as the harness meant she could still jump off the seat to the footwell, even when it was on it's shortest length!! The crate can be a hassle, but it's safe and she's got her big soft bed in there, plus Snuggle Puppie to keep her company.

Thanks Wylie and Ginger's Mum! Looks like I'll be getting some EPO Shampoo!!!

I found she had some good ideas, but a very confusing way of conveying those ideas. She waffles a lot and I had to think hard to try and figure out what exactly was the crux of what she was doing. As Amhailte said, I found her methods a lot like TOT and NLIF.

Wow! I've just read through the whole thread and found it very interesting! I did post another thread about my dog's itchy, red legs. I had been using Malaseb for a while, but recently it's become worse and Pepper has been licking quite badly. I went to the vet today to get a skin scraping and he said it wasn't mites and he couldn't see anything that would cause the redness and itchiness. Mind you, I've only been using the Malaseb weekly, so will have to try twice weekly. I am interested in this EPO Shampoo though. Just one question, is it detrimental to the dog's coat to wash so often? My breeder told me to bathe once a month or less, but I was wondering if it is different when you are treating a skin allergy? How do you know when to come off the twice weekly washings of EPO? I mean, I know that if the dog stops itching and doesn't look so red . . . can you then go back to your normal bathing routine?

My dog gets a mix of whatever I have leftover in the fridge as a vege mix, ie. various chinese choys, sweet potato, broccoli, carrots, beans, capsicums (not often), spinach (not often), etc. She LOVES soft fruits - nectarines, peaches, rockmelons, mangoes (her absolute favourite), bananas, berries, etc. Not keen on the harder fruits like apples though.

The park is a different territory to him, full of different scents and probably a much larger area to explore, and if there are other dogs, lots of other playmates (!), so of course he's going to be excited! I would not let him run around leash free until the recall is 100%. Use a long leash or rope (about 5-10m) to let him go, but reel him in if he doesn't respond to your call. Reward crazily if he responds. Try to do this when there are no distractions around, then you can try with other dogs/people in the park. When you say he plays tricks on you in the backyard, this suggests to me that his recall is not 100% in the backyard either. Do you give him treats or praise when he comes to you? There are lots of resources on the internet about training a good recall, do a search. Good luck!

When I first got Pepper, the first night was great, as she was scared and tired from the long trip home from the breeder. However, the subsequent nights were sleepless! She cried and whinged quite loudly the whole night. We were quite strong though and didn't check on her at all from the time we put her in the laundry until morning. This went on for two nights, but from the fourth night with us, she eventually got the message and slept through the whole night! I think it just takes patience and some sleepless nights on your behalf. You could tell her to "quiet" once in a while through the door, but I would say generally ignore her. She'll eventually get the message. Just remember to not go into the laundry when she's still whining, otherwise she will think that her whining will get her the attention she seeks. Tell her to be quiet and when she is quiet for at least three seconds, you can then go in and praise her/give her attention. The other thing I found really helpful was a soft toy or blanket and/or ticking clock to imitate litter mates. I got a SnugglePuppie that had a heatpad and ticking heart inside it, which sort of helped. This gives the pup something to snuggle up against as helps the pup not feel so lonely because it doesn't have it's litter mates anymore. Good luck!

I'm starting clicker training at the moment as opposed to traditional training. I have to say it definitely is more difficult muddling my way through it by myself. I got the Karen Pryor clicker and book from her website and will read Don't Shoot the Dog (which I also got from her) shortly. She's having a sale on all her books at the moment and the shipping isn't too bad! www.clickertraining.com I have the clicker hanging on one of those retractable ID card holders that hang off your waistband. I find it much more convenient than having it on a lanyard (too high to reach quickly) or on the wrist (always in the way when I want to do something else). ETA: If you want to borrow Don't Shoot The Dog, see this thread: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=123000.