CP*

Could anyone give me some advice? How do I tame an out of control mane on my Sheltie My boy is looks like a lion (pic attached). Unfortunately I need to brush/comb his mane most days because he keeps his nose to the ground on walks and ends up with burrs in it. I spray it with amoveen mixed in water when I brush it. I use a pin brush or bristle brush for the burrs and a comb for any knots and avoid the slicker. The rest of his coat is fine - just really, really thick. I am thinking of getting his mane thinned at the groomers.

I think the word 'calm' is a bit of a misonomer - it should read clomiconfident. It is meant to give them confidence - so that they can cope with the seperation. When my boy was on it he was over confident when he approached other dogs. He was pretty sociable already but he often forgot the social niceties when approaching other dogs while he was on the clomicalm and would sometimes even nick off on me. I noticed his over confidence with other dogs within a couple of weeks but it took about 4 weeks for his obsessive seperation anxiety behaviour to abate. Fortunately I didnt need to leave him on it for long - just long enough make implementing behaviour modification exercises easier. Good luck - I can understand how hard it must be for your little one, she must be so worried another member of her pack might disappear too.

I am sorry to hear about Chelsea. When my girl was attacked I went to a behaviourist and was advised: - General rule of thumb is 10 positive dog encounters for each bad encounter and the worse the encounter the more postive the other dog encounters should be. And I was told not to put the encounters off - may be take up chiko's offer? - Not to go back to the same area until her confidence was built up. For me that meant driving to another suburb because I live on an off lead reserve and that meant the whole area was 'out of bounds'. - When we went back to walking in the area we started by playing a little ball game when we walked into the reserve and gradually I expanded the area we played in. - I am always to approach other dogs and owners first - they are never allowed to come up uninvited. At first, if people or dogs tried to approach us and we didnt know them I had to walk away from them to show my girl I was taking charge of who was getting access to her (esp as she was so psyched). I had the same problem with the other dog (a bitch) coming out of nowhere. My girl was attacked 4 months ago and is much better now but is still a bit jumpy and has only now stopped being aggressive to every bitch we come across. But she is still aggressive toward white bitches and hesitant toward larger dogs generally - dont underestimate what effect this has on them. Their survival instincts are strong and they do remember. One good thing was that before my little girl kept challenging my leadership and now she is happy to accept me as boss.

I had a pup who did not know how to play with toys. The behaviourist told me to do this. Give the pup a toy that is only hers for five minutes at a time, up to twice a day. At the same time I also gave my boy a toy which was only his to play with. Both toys were brand new ones so it did not have the other dogs scent on it. Each dog had its own toy, they were not allowed to pinch each others toy (I watched them) and at the end of the 5 minutes (and no longer) I always put the toy away and out of sight. It really works Within a couple of weeks my girl starting running around madly squeaking toys, tugging and carrying fluffy toys around - I was amazed. And I have kept her 'special toy' (which was a little catnip octupus fluffy thing) which she still loves best of all. I would love to know how it actually does work - When I got told to do it I thought it was a silly idea. I wouldnt worry about teaching them to play with a tug toy - once they learn to use toys I doubt they will need to learn how to wrestle over them!

Don't know about actual training but I have set up a fun agility course in the backyard for my young ones. I have - plank and brick bridge - little jumps out of old sleepers - hula hoops to go through - a 'dora the explorer' tunnel from Toys'r Us (cheaper than the dog ones and just as sturdy - plus they have mesh on one side so not so scary for pups) - A 'starting line' (just a piece of clothes line) - pause mat (shade cloth in wood frame) - not that they manage to stop - too exciting - weave poles spaced far apart (garden stakes) It is cheap and easy and the dogs have a ball. I was advised to have the weave poles quite far apart because it can put a growing dogs hips/shoulders out otherwise. Just invent some fun things. People have posted pics on DOL of stuff they have made. Plus you can look at websites with agility set ups and just come up with your own ideas. Mine think it is the best fun running around the 'obstacle course' and we get to spend quality time together.

Who wants a kong when the best fun is inside! Do you feed him dry food? If so, try putting it in an empty bottled water container with holes cut into it so he has to push it around to get his food out. This way he is occupied for some time with his meal. I kept my older boy inside as a puppy (same reason - the barking) but barricaded him in the dining/laundry area with a puppy fence/gates. He could see me through the gates but I could move around. He would get sick of barking after a while and push his food bottle around while I got ready. Could you barricade him in one room while you get ready and just leave something across the doorway? Alternatively, tether him somewhere inside. Dont risk the barking. BTW - would really recommend gates - I still use it for both mine, even though the boy is older now. When I want peace I barricade them in the back of the house -they can play in the dining room and still see me. They could jump it but they dont. Ans as my girl is going thru puppy adolescence at the moment there are many occasions I peace!

Finally all done!!! :D My Boy was sitting funny this morning so I checked his anus and sure enough two had even made their way onto the outside of that. Now that was a messy job. They were already starting to leave little red welts by yesterday evening. Both of them have been very naughty today - payback I think. I still dont know how they managed to get all those grass seeds. I am grooming my boy every day as he is shedding so they can only have been from friday. It was the first time we went to that track. I've been driving to different places because the little bit of mowed area behind my place is where my little girl was attacked before xmas. Diva I guess if they are mowing again it means the urban services people are back so we might actually be able to walk locally again and avoid grass seeds, snakes and rabid cattle dogs. Thanks all for the suggestions.

Still going on picking the seeds out. Must have done at least a hundred each dog so far. But I have got a collection of DVDs to watch now. I dont know of any DIY hydrobaths in canberra. I tried a hair dryer but they dont like it, as they are already agitated from having to sit so long. I have found wetting the coat helps me run the slicker thru the coat but doesnt let me feel the seeds. I've been going at this for 8 hours now and still probably have another 5hrs to go. It amazes me how many seeds managed to get caught in their fur for such a short time in the grass

Well at least they wont have any lose coat after this. I'll look into the coat magic because it would be useful for thise knots behind the ears as well. I'm halfway thru the little one but I guess it will take all night. In Canberra they arent mowing around the walking paths and my dogs are no good at walking single file, plus we have no footpaths. They never go off lead at the moment - too many snakes. So I think we will be heading for the local school oval from now on. Now I had better get stuck into the bigger one. I've mixed some aloveen with water in a spray bottle as a temporary conditioner and have two slicker brushes.

My silly dogs went and rolled in the grass on our walk this evening. Now both of them have grass seeds embedded in their skin and fur - heaps of them. They are Shelties so searching for the seeds is a nightmare, especially in the older one who has a really thick coat. Is there an easier way of getting them out of a double coat dog without resorting to clipping? Even bathing them tonight will be difficult as it is late. They keep struggling as I try to get them out. I have probably taken out 50 in each and I've hardly gotten anywhere.

Big risk. I dont know anyone who has lost of dog because of a collar. However I know two people who lost dogs last year which didnt have a collar (both were microchipped). Both the dogs ran outside when the door was opened (one was just bathed and was still wet). The wet dog eventually turned up at the RSPCA and she was fined for the dog not wearing a collar (just a small fine) but he wears one all the time now (he is an old dog). The RSPCA warned her that the microchips can fail. The other little fella hasnt turned up and he disappeared around October last year. We think someone took a liking and seeing he didnt have a collar just took him in. Bit sad. I've taken my collar off my older boy to get the knots out of his ruff out the moment and I am paranoid about him not having something on. If the collar is fitted correctly two fingers should just fit under. But your vet or the RSPCA will check it for you. I had mine checked at the RSPCA a few times - its no cost, go down on a weekend when the trainers are there.

Best thing I did was get a puppy pen. I still use it even though they are older and because they are so used to it they never try to jump over it (although they do try to push around the sides). They can still see what is going on and have the room to play, eat in there, sleep, whatever. I leave mine opened up, coming off the laundry door into the dining room. The good thing about the pens is they are portable and you can take them with you. I take them when we visit people. A bit expensive but worth every cent.

Whatever you do, do not put your dog in a kennel. One of my dogs is a bit clingy but when I left him with someone for a couple of weeks he came back a basket case. He is now on anxiety tablets while I get him straight. I see a behavourist regularly and she has said some breeds are just more clingy, plus, I was at home for his first year so we were together all the time and, of course, he never goes out of the house & yard without me. He (usually) has no problem with me going to work or nicking off with his mates at the park though. So, let me tell you what was suggested while he is on the meds. Play hide and seek (me hiding and get someone to hold him back). Ignore attention seeking behaviour Have someone look after him for short periods, building it up each time. So 15min of fun time at least every 2nd day with someone else, then 30 min next week etc. My aim is for him to stay overnight at someone's home. The fun time can be just having someone else take him for walks at the moment. Hope that helps. I havent started yet, so cant tell you how it is going. The meds are good for the anxiety, but it makes him very naughty.

I've seen a couple of behaviourists who have basically said yes. I thought my bitch was being submissive when she was actually manipulating me and if I ignore her overtures she gets shirty. The behaviourists said this type of behaviour is more often seen in females or small dogs. A dog will use whatever behaviour it thinks will help it get its way and if it doesnt have brute force or size to help it, why not manipulate by acting submissive. An article I read said this behaviour if often seen in intelligent breeds - so there you go. I found a few articles on the web about it too, once it was pointed out to me, so it is not unusual.

I am looking for anti bark collars for one, maybe two of my dogs and came across this one: The Iki Voice is a fully adjustable bark collar that uses a combination of ultrasonic tones, vibrations and sound recordings to distract your dog from barking. You can actually record your own voice message/command that will be played to the dog when they bark! Although the vet suggested citronella for my little one my older one is a sheltie with a very big ruff of fur at the front and I figured the spray of citronella would get clogged up in his fur all day. Has anyone had experience with anything similar to the Iki voice? It is rated as 65-80% effective.

My boy (sheltie) didnt eat so I put his dry food in a 'treat bottle'. Which was basically just an empty water bottle with the lid on and holes cut around the sides. He loved rolling it around the floor to get his food out. It worked so well he is now on a diet. I gave my newest addition a treat bottle (she hates dry food - will only eat raw chicken which I dont always have) and he keeps pinching it. Make eating fun!

I have 2 very energetic pups, 3 months apart - the older one is 9 months and the younger acts like she is 3mths. Mine are sheepdogs so energy+. I think if I did it again I would wait until the first one is 9 mths. He has just now started using the 'adult' way of reprimanding the younger one, instead of being really rough. At 6 months a pup is still in the adolescent phase and can be bossy, self centred, jealous and trying. It is far easier to distract one pup. I am afraid 2 puppies mean 5 times the trouble! They egg each other on, they bark and chase things 5 times as much, they chase each other, they chase nothing, they fight, rumble, snap, and get jealous. And you may also need to take the 2nd pup for seperate walks to make sure it sees to you as master. If you have the time and patience or there is (a very patient) person living with you who can be the other pup's master give it a go. It is adorable to see them playing together (when they are not jealously fighting). Otherwise you might waiting until you beagle is at least 1yr and giving him lots of big bones in the mean time and find a playmate in the neighbourhood.

I read here what someone else said about complaints and so I asked for more details about the complaint and told them I have consulted a dog behaviourist. I also said I believe there was another dog causing problems in the area and this needs further investigation. There is a woman who brings her particulaly vicious rescue cattle dog to my next door neighbours wire fence to 'socialise' with my neighbours two Labs but it tries to attack the Labs. I asked her a couple of months ago to stop because it upsets my dogs but she keeps doing it. So perhaps my dogs are not at fault because there is something genuinely scary on the other side of the fence. My boy now goes silly when the older Lab barks, for whatever reason. Perhaps it isnt Tully, but this unsocialised dog that wants to rip the throat out of their pal next door that's unsettling him. So I'm going to find out this woman's address and go over myself to speak to her myself. The complaint annoys me a bit. The people most affected have all been very understanding as Tully tends to choose her victims from amongst friends and I have a neighbour on only one side of my property. The dogs are in at 9pm and dont go out until 7.30am. I would be surprised if the people over the road had that good hearing. So the complainant was probably someone walking past my back fence. At any rate, it is unfair to expect me to respond without providing me with details.

OMG, I've only had 3 male dogs, I dont know the signs of estrus. She hasnt been bleeding - better check with the vet, but he did say last month she was very immature. On Sunday the pup chewed a lighter and had an emergency vet visit to pump in fluids. Luckily she's okay, just a sore tummy. She's living like a queen - vet said to give her chicken and rice for the week - which she loves. So she has been sitting without asking - guess I should ask her to drop. She has also been very clingy since coming home from the vet. She only spent the day in there but she hasnt gone outside (except with me) and has been following me and showing her tummy for pats. This is a dog that spends most of her time outside. The vet said there was no anxiety when the pup was there and she played happily with the nurses. When I went to the vet hospital to get the pup she would not come to me at first but when I ignored her she literally leapt out of the nurses arms and licked my face in a frenzy. So perhaps she is not as independent as she likes to make out she is. And maybe I can use that to my advantage. Needless to say, with the weekend incident I haven't had time to think about what I am doing.

She must know I am mad with her because she has been pretty good. Although she peed on the carpet tonight having been out this afternoon and been told be all and sundry how cute she was. She has done this before - peed or pood when we she has had lots of new admirers - marking I assume. She gets about 40min in the morning and an hour or more in the evening. A few times a week we go to one of two ovals where she doesnt attack the other dogs. It surprised me initially that she was quite happy to just chase them when they were chasing the ball, but apparently this is usual for territorial dogs (she doesnt see this as her territory). I do sometimes wonder if it is fear (although she is a confident pup and has starting marking). That is something I want to check with a behaviourist - whether the behaviour modification techniques are similar for dominance and fear or whether using techniques to deal with dominance would make fear aggression worse. She gets impatient on walks. The nipping happens when I prevent her getting at a dog/bird/person/car and keep walking. I am pretty sure she has a very strong herding instinct, which is why she loves her air kong so much. Its a donut and rolls mostly along the ground in different directions, better than a ball because she can chase it. Lately I show her I am putting it in my bag before we go for our walk - then she will sit nicely for me to put on her lead instead of ignoring me. She barks at me to hurry but she does tend to be so focused that when she sees another dog, I can get her under control fairly quickly. She at least hasnt tried to bite another dog since I have done this. How would I incorporate it into training. She is so impatient to get the kong she would not do a whole training session for it. Do I get her to do a few drops then throw it?

Thanks for al the comments they have been really helpful. Sorry I had to go off line. I received a complaint in the mail today about the dogs so I really need to act on this. When I first got her she had fear aggression and that's what I thought it was when I brought the behaviourist in. But he noted the tail is up, body erect and she leans toward the person/dog and bares teeth. The vet behav I am seeing is Sandra Hassett at the Animal Medical Centre in Phillip. I'm fairly strong with my dogs - I believe they should see me as their master, they are confined to parts of the house, dont get on furniture, wait at doors and for food, I control toys. But with a dominant dog Dr Hassett said even this is not enough and it is just not me to adopt a harsh regime with a pet. I would have got a Rottweiller instead of a Sheltie if I wanted a challenge. But I agree a pet should bring joy, and a lot of the time she does. When the two dogs play and when she sleeps. But I am getting to hate going out walking and I usually love walking. I have brought heaps of books and DVDs and downloaded every article I could find. I have got the new DVD by Cesar Milan, although I havent finished watching it I have to wait until the dogs arent around or it sets them off barking. I was really surprised too when I was told it was dominant aggression. But as Dr Hassett explained, if you put her on one of thise remote Shetland islands to guard a flock of sheep she would easily be the pack leader and would do fantastically. At the moment she is not pack leaders and probably will never be. My other dog just sits on her when he wants his way - he is twice her size - but she finds other ways to get around him (she is very smart). It's a definate bite. She nips my legs all the time when we walk. Displaced aggression I think it is called. She bites dogs (and me once) but only nips people. She doesnt respond to food well and is not interested in toys except for her air Kong and balls (strange but true). She will follow instructions in class if people are watching and she wants them to be pleased - she responds to lots of praise. I also wondered whether she would get better as she gets older but the vet didnt think so. This advice has made things a clearer. I still dont know what to do with the pup. Well, I guess I do, it would probably be better for us all for me to give her up I just have to build up the courage. But before I make a final decision I think this is what I will do. - Have another consult with the vet behaviourist to clarify a few things. I might print off the comments (sanitised of course) to go through with her. - call one more behaviourist to talk through options - Steve/k9? - give the breeder an update and discuss options with her - contact my body corporate this afternoon so I dont get kicked out of my house. At least they could give me the xmas period as most people in Canberra go away over Christmas.

Thanks for all your comments they are really helpful She does do much better in obedience class than outside because she loves to perform. You are probably right in that I do not have a dominant enough approach to deal with such a dominant dog and it is hard to balance a dominant dog with a placid dog - at least for me. I first brought in a behaviourist at 4 months when she started biting other dogs. So far I have taken the easy way out and kept on with seeing behaviourists. The hardest decision is to give her up. And if I give her back I want to make sure I have done everything I can. I'm in the ACT. The vet is giving me a couple of books on leadership behaviour for dealing with dominant dogs. She has also recommended having someone else look after my other dog while I deal with the pup. I'm not sure I want to try a third behaviourist - the vet is good and I need to make a firm commitment (plus I have spent close to $2,000 on them so far). When she bit me I was so surprised I let go of the leash and she ran off after the car. Luckily I have a collection of strange noises to get the dogs attention in an emergency. When she bit the dogs I grabbed her muzzle. The first behaviourist told me the standard things about desensitising, running away when we saw another dog/person, gentle leader, not talking to her, making her wait for food, only 5 minutes of play a day, reducing walking time, no ball games. The new behaviourist recommends solo walks with a citronella collar trying to avoid dogs, limiting exposure to things she can dominate, limiting shows of affection and not letting strangers pat her, limiting access to the house and yard and a number of dominance things. I had to apply the first behaviourists actions to the other dog as well and he was most upset about being ignored. This time I do not have to apply all the strategies. Also lablover. I have already had to travel with the other dog and the pup hates it. I either have to race back home or if I leave her with someone else when I come home they are all stressed because of her behaviour.

She has done puppy classes and obedience classes since she was 8 weeks old and done fairly well. I spend a lot of time with both dogs to train them and have had 3 Shelties before. I use mainly food as a motivator plus now on the behaviourists advice she gets things withdrawn if she misbehaves. Her favourite thing is her air kong so she only gets to play with it if she behaves. She doesnt respond to clickers and I have just ordered a retractable target stick to see if she responds to the ball at the end as she likes balls. Her main dominance is directed towards other dogs, barking, lunging and biting. But she also barks and tries to nip people who do not give her attention, and she hates joggers. Plus she throws big dummy spits when she gets told off. She has bitten me once but that was at the side of the road and she becomes hysterical around cars. The breeder says she has an excellent shape and beautiful face for showing. She is very small and cute and the problem is a lot of people come up and want to pat her and I am worried she will bite someone. Luckily I have known all the owners of the dogs she has bitten and as she is small, they have not made an issue of it.

I was watching one of those behaviourists the Dog Whisperer or Listener and someone had a similar problem. They said that you had to reassert the pack heirarchy when you wake up so no snuggles and cuddles, be firm. Make them sit to put the lead on and then wait a bit before letting them out. The dog on the show got hyper as soon as it saw the lead so the owner had to wait until the dog was calm to open the door. Then the dog had to sit and wait calmly before it was let out the door and the owner had to go out first. Then same thing before they went out the gate. Made a huge difference. Otherwise it was hyped up with getting a walk and then tried to assert its leadership over whoever it saw first thing in the morning. And I think they made the dog look at the owner rather than the dog when they walked past another dog and got a treat for it so if they saw another dog they could look for the owner for something good.

I have a 6mth old female Sheltie which has been diagnosed as having significant dominance aggression by 2 behaviourists. While her behaviour improved somewhat after the 1st behaviourist, it is still a problem. The vet behaviourist I saw today (recommended by RSPCA instructor who knows Shelties) said the pup is very independent and not to expect big changes. My other Sheltie is becoming more and more edgy in response to her behaviour. The vet said only a very experienced trainer could deal with the problem with another dog around. At the moment I spend over 4hrs a day walking the dogs seperately. My major concern is I purchased the pup with the express intent of competing in agility trials – she is fast and agile but the vet said she is unlikely to take direction. Aside from this she is a beautiful little girl and I love her dearly and the two dogs play together really well. I am in a dilemna so here are my questions. Do really dominant dogs do okay in showing? The breeder has indicated a willingness to take her back for showing (I dont want to do showing). Should I give her back? I don’t want to delay a decision. Keeping her could be worse for my other dog and might drive me nuts, but if I give her up I would feel like I let her down. Advice?