animalia

I think all dogs should be trained and socialised no matter what size, it's not about small dogs versus big dogs, It's about safety. If any dog is not trained or socialised it can be dangerous to both other dogs and people around it and a danger to itself. There is no reasonable excuse not to train a dog due to it's small stature, what happens if your Maltese is running towards a road and because it's not trained it doesn't recall or if your JRT picks a fight with a large breed dog the results aren't nice. I think the only difference between training small to big dogs is if your using physical positive punishment then the intensity would differ.

Is there anyway we could maybe list what makes a great trainer and leave out the issue of all positive versus "balanced" training? Or is positive versus "balanced" a major part of what makes a good trainer? It would be interesting what the results would be and I think it would be great if people who aren't trainers get involved too and ask yourself what qualities you would look for in a trainer, so we get the professional side and consumer side as well.

I personally think it's up to you as an individual. I have met very capable positive trainers and also a lot of trainers who use a variety of methods including both aversive and positive. I can also say that I have met the polar opposite, trainers from both sides that will never be good trainers. The positive thing with the NDTF is they do teach how to train a dog only using positive methods and they also teach a variety of other methods, they leave it up to you as an individual to decide for yourself what method/s you want to use. They will teach you how to correct a dog with a correction chain but make it clear that they have no issue with you as a trainer if you decide never to use them once you are out in the field, they want their students to be open minded, "knowledge is power". So i figure why not go for the course that will teach you all the methods rather than one and you can choose what techniques to use. At the end of the day it's all about results, if a trainer can get the dog to display the desired behaviour that is required using humane methods whether all positive or using a variety of tools AND the owner is comfortable to keep up with what the trainer has advised, then I feel that is a good trainer. I might add that Vikki Austin I'm pretty sure is mainly positive which is proof that there are great positive trainers and then you have Boyd Hooper or Glenn Cooke who are happy to use any method as long as it's humane to the dog and they always achieve the desired behaviour from the dog. Is there anyway we could maybe list what makes a great trainer and leave out the issue of all positive versus "balanced" training? it would be interesting what the results would be and I think it would be great if people who aren't trainers get involved too and ask yourself what qualities you would look for in a trainer, so we get the professional side and consumer side as well. I might start another thread so i don't change the subject!

whether the dogs have been declared dangerous or not they shouldn't be roaming the streets, they could hurt someone or be run over by a car. The behaviour the dogs were showing in the footage didn't really concern me, the reporter was able to get close to them and even when they were filming the dogs behind their fence, the dogs didn't seem aggro. Their ears were pinned back and the so called pit bull ( i think staffy X or ridge X) was in a bit of avoidance, the aggression maybe was Territorial when they were out maybe? BUT they have bitten before so they shouldn't be found roaming and they require a muzzle when outside of the property, these two dogs I think are manageable, I've seen much worse aggression wise. ;)

in a perfect world the boy shouldn't of ever been put in that position

I would go for a lab or golden retriever, both breeds are great and are easy to train. I love Grey hounds as well, I used to have a Grey hound X bull terrier and she was great with cats and she was one big couch potato

I know the ins and outs of most of the kennels in the eastern and south eastern region, but my advice is to go and have a look at the kennels before booking and remember it's not just the accommodation your looking at it's the staff. I've seen 5 star kennels with poor staff and I have seen 3 star kennels with excellent staff and out of the two kennels I would choose the 3 star. So make a day of it and inspect a lot of kennels.

I can't stress how important the critical period is in puppies. Don't listen to your vet in this instance listen to the Behaviourists , the chance of your dog contracting a disease whilst out is nothing compared to the chance of behavioural problems if not taken out and socialised. I work within an environment where dogs are being trained and assessed behaviourally, and i can estimate that around 95% of dogs with behavioural issues were not socialised in their critical period. A dog that has not been socialised has a smaller brain generally their frontal lobes (from memory). I have a dog that had no socialisation in her critical period due to her past owners being unaware of this period. She has aggression towards people and other animals, her ability to learn new tasks is stunted and she can go from level 0 to 10 in seconds with either her excitability or aggression, it's a constant battle with her and I try my best to keep her in line. You can borrow her for a week and I'm sure you will find out pretty quickly how important it is to socialise you pup. Just socialise your pup in controlled environments where there is a lower risk of infection or disease, and a little stress isn't bad it will teach your dog how to deal with it and over come it.

I think that the owner of the dog that attacked is responsible for what happened. Why? because if you decide to keep a dog that has a tendency to be aggressive you need to be prepared to keep it under your full control, this means training and making sure that the enclosure where it stays is suitable (I'm sure that this isn't the first time it's shown aggression or at least the owners would of known that it was not a stable dog). I am the owner of a dog that is both unpredictable with humans and dogs, and I knew this when I took her on. I make sure that I train her daily, exercise her daily, and socialise her daily in controlled environments, and make sure that there is no way of her being at large in the community, (and no she's not a pit bull). We shouldn't drag the pit bulls name through the dirt like the media and narrow minded people do. Every time there's a dog attack the media points to a pit bull. I've worked in the dog industry for 11 years in both a shelter environment and boarding facility and I have only seen one aggressive pit bull but i have also seen dogs such as a Labrador take a chunk out of a co-workers leg (requiring stitches). So its not about the breed its about the owner of the dog at the other end of the lead! Just my 2 cents :D