Papillon Kisses

Rest in peace, Olivia. You go with so much love.

Love it Thistle!

Welcome to DOL! Many of us with reactive dogs have had success using the Look At That game (LAT) and/or Behavioural Adjustment Training (BAT). I have thoughts about the suggestions you received, but don't know if my responses will be accurate enough or properly explained. Basically those scenarios can help but only if you use them as opportunities to teach your dog alternate behaviours to the ones she's chosen (pulling and barking) and you change her feelings around these behaviours (fear, confusion, frustration, arousal, whatever it is) so the end result is that your dog behaves appropriately because she feels OK about seeing another dog. Oh and the Exercising Reactive Dogs thread has become more of a support group for those of us with anxious / reactive dogs so do pop in and say hi! :)

Yeah, it'd be nice if we could say "hey matey, do you feel better on this medication or do you feel worse or out of sorts?" and get a legitimate response. Instead we watch and wait and advocate on their behalf. Malcolm's Trazedone dose was cut in half on Friday and he's already doing better, though still worse than before it was added in. It may just be that he's still just coming down from being on a too-high dose, so we'll see and make changes if need be. I'm very excited about starting Nosework next week.

x a million

PetRescue are the first 2 non location-based hits for me on google.com.au, followed by Monika's, PAWS and RSPCA.

Haha, I hear you. :laugh: I'm also 30 and I am sometimes mistaken for an adolescent both on the phone and in person*. And it's worse if I'm anxious as I have been with breeder enquiries. Practice makes perfect though hey? I made two phone calls today (for my parents who are after a toy poodle), my voice was definitely wavering a little with the first call LOL. :) *not complaining about that one. :D

You might find it better to call people (if you've only been sending emails). :)

Scotty boy!!!! And Teekay, Mya is gorgeous! Wow!

I will PM you, but my advice for the purposes of this thread is to take up the offers of price matches from physical Australian stores such as Petbarn and Pet Stock.

Little suggestion Anne, and I know it may hurt to read. Have a list of the opening hours of local and emergency vets you can call in case Olivia goes downhill and needs to be given her wings ASAP. Not all dogs die peacefully in their sleep and while it hurts to see them go, it is 1000 times worse to see them suffer. Great to hear that she is still having happy moments and enjoying the sunshine. :)

Sending strength. xx

Yes!!!!!!

Yep! It's all about progress not perfection, feedback not failure. If we or they make a mistake or can't do something it's ok! We are learning every day. :)

Sniffing is great! As Perse said, you have a perfectly normal, delightful puppy. :) http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/take-your-dog-on-a-sniff http://dogzandtheirpeoplez.com/2016/06/10/let-sniffing-dogz-sniff/ Second the snuffle mat idea And puzzle toys, hunting out food, snuffle gardens, so much to do and explore! :D If there's a Nosework class near you (and there are more now than listed in the below article), I bet she'd LOVE that too. http://www.dogslife.com.au/dog-news/dog-training/canine-sport-nosework

I agree!

Really loved this blog post: FEARFUL DOGS

AMAZING! You've both come so far. Nothing wrong with the right medication when needed. We wouldn't think twice about giving a dog insulin if his pancreas wasn't functioning properly, but can get kind of stuck when it's the brain. (Says the person who approached them with trepidation as I have seen the good and bad of them ???? ).

I don't know, I've had the same experience as Willem and my dog can be super reactive. Eventually what starts as running around swearing gets down to run out, bark once, and shoot back inside. Then no reaction at all. I'm not punishing for barking, just calling back and rewarding the recall then asking for a conflicting behavior and rewarding that, too (e.g. you can't be outside barking and inside on your mat at the same time). I find telling my dog what TO do is far more effective than telling him what NOT to do. It also avoids taking on the risks of punishment based methods.

Oh poor baby! For us it's more like it seems to have undone a lot of our progress. I spoke to our VB earlier and she wants us to immediately drop the dose by half and reassess next week, as it may just be a dosage problem. Meanwhile I have a trembling dog on my lap who has been refusing to eat from his bowl as he's suddenly and inexplicably become scared of it. How's Justice going?

Sending all the love in the world.

This one? http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/266081-puppies-have-arrived-photos-galore/ Puppy Culture https://www.puppyculture.com/phone/index.html

I haven't dealt with that plant before, but you'll want to be careful of any remaining suckers or seed germinating and forming new plants. If it proves hard to destroy by hand removal and spray alone, you could try laying thick black plastic over the affected areas during the summer months, secured by bricks or whatnot (soil solarisation). It doesn't look very pretty, but the heat building up over time cooks and destroys any seed or plant material in the soil underneath.

Yeah I'm hoping that's it, although we did have some increased reactivity when he started on the Trazadone a week or so before we left. I was hoping that was more due to me being a bit stressed myself, as he's a little doggy barometer who feeds off any anxiety in a room. So we're giving the Traz a bit more time to make sure it's not just all the changes throwing him about mentally. Did you have any favourite treats to take to Nosework classes Scottsmum? They say moist treats are best and also tiny pieces.