raineth

Inappropriate is recommending the dog be put to sleep for what comes across as a management issue. MY OWN Ridgie is not comfortable with strangers in his face or rude dogs and is therefore managed accordingly... But I guess I'd better forget about common sense and make an appointment with the vets instead. What a cop out. The owner has already made it clear that the dog was responding well to training. The owners made the mistake of leaving the dog in the yard and allowing a tradie to enter when they knew the dog was uncomfortable/unsafe with strangers. The owners are the ones that bought a dog that may have not been the best fit for their lifestyle and now no longer want to deal with it. And still the dog pays. That has nothing to do with what I was saying; it is inappropriate to use the term psychotic the way you did because of the way it depicts people who suffer from psychosis, or those with psychotic personality traits.

this almost impossible to state without seeing this dog , and the owners.... That ^. If they want to do the work that's up to them. You seriously think a dog that doesn't love strange men and dogs in her face but is otherwise fine deserves to be put down? Or perhaps the dog is psychotic and the OP hasn't mentioned it... really? They need to see a decent trainer I agree. Please refrain from using the word psychotic to describe a dog. Dogs cannot be psychotic, and using the term here is inappropriate.

I just brought big dog out into the front yard (so he was off his territory a bit) and squatted with pup resting in my lap (as pup wasn't used to having a collar on etc) and let big dog sniff him. Then we went inside and let pup down on the floor and it was all fine. The other thing I did was have a pen set up so pup couldn't annoy big dog all the time.

oh no Farewell Georgia Sorry for your loss Perrin.

I've been having a bit of a mixed bag with Del's reactivity lately. Sometimes she's doing way better and sometimes worse. She must be working through something in her head. God I hope the improvement wins over the regression! This is 100% reactive related, but I need to share this. I was doing LAT training with Del near the front yard of a house with a cranky Beagle. I can see a couple of people walking down the street and so I turn so we are facing toward the road and away from them (I don't want to be disturbed). This doesn't work however, and one of them begins engaging me in conversation. I'm answering questions briefly in a way that I imagine is conveying that I am a bit busy and not really wanting a conversation. Meanwhile the other lady has begun taking photos of us. Then the older lady sort of lunges forward unexpectedly from behind and begins kind of donking Del on the head in an affectionate but kind of rough manner. Del doesn't seem to care one whit and is smiling at me, but I'm starting to get a bit annoyed. And we are still having our photo taken... Then the lady begins pulling on Del's collar - a leather martingale that she wears high behind her ears - and tells me it's too tight. Yes it is too tight because you're pulling towards the base of her neck which is much bigger than the top! I am trying to explain and moving the collar back into position and keeping up with the LAT. The other lady has stopped taking photos. Then the older lady pulls on Del's other collar (just one I have loose on her to practice collar grabs with) and tells me it infact is too tight as well (it is seriously, seriously not has about 3 inches of slack). Then she points to another house and says very disapprovingly "they had a collar on their dog the other day too" tsk tsk. Well clearly the good part is Del was totally fine with it the whole time! But ye gods some people are bizarre!

Keep us posted Snook. Hankdog, Jake is such a character. How sweet he was missing his trainer :)

That's excellent Superminty! I noticed a big improvement this morning when I had Del offleash. The RZ was working really well and she was sticking to my side a lot. Before if I let her off lead she would just get instantly excited and have zoomies. There was also some sheep (completely fenced off so no worries of her getting to them. I knew I wouldn't be able to recall her from that distraction, but she did a sit from a distance for me and a collar grab and she happily walked away!!! Which I was delighted with :)

All dogs learn the same way. Is there any other reason a BB would need a specialist trainer?

Awww she is beautiful! She looks really well and very happy :)

Yes, I'm the same. I want tiny moist treats for training or larger chews that take ages to eat for her own entertainment. For the latter I usually dry my own meat. It seems to last quite well. The only biscuity sort of recipe that I've used other than that was one made from beef stock, peanut butter, grated sweet potato and besan flour. It last really well because there is no meat in it. I made them for playing hide and seek with.

Sorry to hear that Laurensingh. Have you had any chance to check whether she is chipped? I think euthanasia is a very reasonable course of action in this situation. I am concerned though as to whether you could come into some sort of trouble if she does indeed have a chip and it is registered to a name, and therefore it could be argued that she's not yours because there has been no transfer of ownership. Such a terrible situation for you

I say this sincerely to everyone.....don't ever fall for the lack of socialisation routine and blame yourselves for the incorrect raising of a pup who ends up defence aggressive..........it's a genetic nerve weakness in the dog, not the way you have raised it. Dogs of strong nerve and genetic temperament stability don't need socialisation at all as the world isn't a scary place in their mindset. Socialisation and environmental exposure in pups helps to mask nerve deficiency and better prepare weak dogs for urban living in a pet environment. Unfortunately not all breeders run off strong nerved dogs so socialisation of a pup is an important phase in raising but only because you can't guarantee the pup you have received is bred off stable character ancestry. One of my favourite tests is gunfire testing Labradors and Golden Retrievers and the one's who bolt, ask the breeders why they are breeding gun dogs on parentage who are scared of gunfire....you will be surprised No one knows whats wrong with the dog - therefore why should it be euth'd on an assumption, I always believe prior to euthing a dog there should be a behavioural assessment so you know what you're dealing with. I absolutely disagree that dogs in a domestic environment don't need socialisation with their environment. Although that's a whole other topic so best not to get into it here. I'm the first to say that weak nerves have become part of Danes however there are a number of breeders that also have their dogs never leave their property, we don't know what the deal is here. If the new owner does not want to work with the dog then I guess there are little options, I guess I'm just being optimistic. Hell, I'd return the dog and tie it to their bloody front door and kiss my money good bye > the dirty dead of euthing the dog is not the new owners. That's a shame Sas, because you are making allowances for weak nerve as if it's normal, it isn't normal in dogs bred on strong nerved ancestry. Danes coming through with weak nerves is due to breeders running off weak nerved dogs, they need to cull and top up their breeding stock with better dogs. Amax, this is a bit off topic for this thread. You could start a new thread to discuss genetics versus socialization if you like :)

The OP said that the previous owner isn't even sure whether the dog HAS a chip or not! It could be in anyone's name or no one's name.

It sounds like you might need to teach him to relax and do nothing. Teach him that relaxing on his bed is a really nice thing to do. Just like your trainer says. When he's on his bed give him attention. Not excited attention ofcourse, but soft praise, relaxing full body strokes and even the odd treat. You can also play a game where you get him all revved up and excited then get him relaxed as quickly as you can (ideally lying in his side). You add a cue to this behaviour and then eventually you only need to say your cue and he will relax. Also time it and see if you can make the time between being excited and relaxed as short as possible. My girl is very well behaved in the house but has trouble relaxing outside of the house and this game has helped her a lot.

You know what T I thought that myself. Not the biting part lol but the fact that someone would actually steal him from the pound. I remember it happened at Gosford Pound years ago, they had bolt cutters and just went in and stole their dog back! Gosford Pound is in a very isolated spot though and no one would be any the wiser if someone went and broke in. They have security systems in place now. Yes there are a number of people offering to do it. People have broken in to our local pound before and taken a number of dogs. She said something about family. But she refers to her supporters on that page as family sometimes too... So I'm not really sure. I find it hard to understand most of the stuff she says.

Yes the ownership details could make things complicated. I think euthanasia is a responsible course of action in this case. But as you say you might have to confirm whether there is a chip or not. I would be just as worried as you at the thought of her being rehomed onto someone else

yes arousal adds a whole other dimension doesn't it?

So she is saying that they are relocating Hugo to Cairns as long as Cairns council allows it. If that falls through they will take some sort of legal action? is that what she is saying?

Might also be an idea to see if you can get some footage of it to make sure it's not an anxiety-based behaviour.

Oh can we have a photo of this grand old Dame? She sounds so very special :) It is such a hard decision to make, because you don't want to leave it too late. I would definitely be taking notice of her enjoyment. What are the things she always enjoyed, how many of them does she still enjoy, and how much does she still enjoy them. Does she seem content?

Ahh nice :) I always thought I'd like to have a matching pair called Scout and Jem :)

That's good she's come around to your side. I don't think non dog people really understand the commitment levels that we can get. You should've heard some of the comments from family friends when Mum told them I'm entering shows and training for trials... Apparently that's a horrible hobby and will repel men! Groan! Because finding a man should be the soul objective in your life, and you mustn't do anything to compromise it!

Haha! I would have said something like, yeah it's so sad how many dogs are just left outside, don't go for walks, don't get trained and are lonely for much of their lives.

Yes, do what others' have said and return her. Taking on a dog that shows behaviour like that (unprovoked aggression) is a huge and expensive amount of work, as you will need a behaviourist to assist you with rehabilitation. Even then there is no guarantee. Some Danes are born with poor temperaments, a tendency toward and anxiety and reactivity. If this is the case rehabilitating her will be even more challenging. Even without this issue you would need to keep a Fane and an elderly whippet separate when you are not at home because of the size difference. Unfortunately you are not the only person I know of to purchase a Dane in this way (private rehoming) and end up with a dog with serious behavioural issues. If she is a pedigree you can tell the people you got her from to contact the breeder and tell them of the situation and they may be able to assist in some way. If you have your heart set on a Dane I would advise you to look at Great Dane rescue Victoria, and Great Dane rescue in QLD. These dogs have been temperament tested and been in foster care, and they don't rehome dogs with reactivity or aggression.

Darren Thomson posted this the other day. You can STOP THIS BY LAW. give me a call & l will send you the PAPPER WORK BY THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA CONSTITIION LAW. Call me Darren on ... Send me the PAPPER work dude! oh my goodness! Well sign me up for some papper work too!