Aidan3

Whether people "should" be breeding dogs that look like pitbulls is a side issue, m-sass.

This is the problem with this law. There is no onus of proof, it is a checklist of physical features administered by two trained people. Philosophically it is about as bad as law gets, so far removed from the principles of sound legislation and ethics I think every Australian should protest. Not for the dogs, but for an abuse of process which we should not accept. It treats dogs like illegal firearms or modified vehicles, but without any objectivity at all. It would not be a straw-man argument to compare it to phrenology.

When the laws were being enacted the owners contacted the council to register the dogs.

I'm not saying that Moira council shouldn't be held accountable for their part to play in this, but these dogs would not be dead, and these dog owners would not be grieving, if it were not for state legislation. Even if BSL had any credibility (which it does not according to a consensus of published scientific literature), this legislation has enabled the forced removal and murder of two animals based solely on the subjective interpretation of a check-list of physical features. This approach might be appropriate if it were objective, such as the identification of illegal firearms, but dogs are living creatures and thus highly variable in conformation which puts the checklist itself under inexcusable doubt as an instrument to enable the useful enactment of legislation for the purposes to which it was intended.

Maybe this is why? http://www.savingpets.com.au/2012/06/a-murder-in-moira/

The only safe option is a strong barrier. Studies of aversion therapy using strong electric shock have had mixed results.

Sounds like a very good idea!

When does she chew the leads?

This is not really an "instead" scenario. Resource guarding can be a serious problem in a multi-dog home and it's all well and good to avoid it, but management always comes unstuck eventually. It's not a simple problem to resolve on your own either. You might be an exceptionally good pet owner but I'd be more confident in your outcome with some one-on-one help. Patricia McConnell wrote a good book about resource guarding called "Mine!". Worth a look. im not disregarding a behvaiourist, and i am actually strongly considering it and have been looking into one. i said 'instead' as i am was after some other advice from people who may have had a similar situation to see what else they have done. i am not avoiding the situation - hence seeking advice. Sorry, I was just driving the point home :laugh: I guess you got my experience even though I wasn't specific. A lot of the dogs I've seen (as a behaviourist) have been resource guarders in one way or another. One of my previous dogs was a resource guarder. Although she was under control, my other dog was uncomfortable and it was stressful for him even though he was safe. Sometimes you can teach alternatives and stop unwanted behaviour, but it's too late and the relationship between the two dogs is already damaged. Best to get in early.

This is not really an "instead" scenario. Resource guarding can be a serious problem in a multi-dog home and it's all well and good to avoid it, but management always comes unstuck eventually. It's not a simple problem to resolve on your own either. You might be an exceptionally good pet owner but I'd be more confident in your outcome with some one-on-one help. Patricia McConnell wrote a good book about resource guarding called "Mine!". Worth a look.

:laugh: My current dog's name was 'Sid', which sounds exactly like 'Sit' in 'strayen. Fortunately, he didn't know what either 'Sid' or 'Sit' meant, but I wanted him to learn what 'Sit' meant so I changed his name.

Some humans have used this defence.

My name is Anna and one of my dogs is leash reactive :laugh: I have followed instructions in Patricia's McConnell's "Fiesty Fido" that involve looking at the owner when a new dog is spotted. It w o r k s! It does indeed. It depends a bit on your goals and the dog's personality. For some dogs, the sit and look protocol is still very useful and effective, and possibly easier for someone to undertake without help.

windchillgear.com.au make them, but I doubt you will take delivery by 18th May. Send them an email though, they might have one in stock of the correct size for your Leo.

:laugh: Like Aidan said I would try to work out a way to lower the level of excitement. That's it, if they're too far out in front of you or totally fixated on the other dog then you are not reinforcing calm behaviour , and the whole point of the exercise is to reinforce calm behaviour. It's just like teaching a sit, stay, drop or anything else around another dog. If you aren't getting the response you're after, back it up a bit and make it easier.

Personally, I don't worry about having them look at me. I'm more interested in reinforcing calm behaviour when they look at the other dog. If his anxiety/arousal is going too high, then wait until you're in a less arousing situation. It's exactly like training a dog to sit or stay.

Can't say for sure, but that was probably all they did. Good quality socialisation and training goes a long way.

Totally inappropriate for me, but I think Whippets and Salukis are adorable.

I'm doing it right now. Because of the gubmint and my dangerous ideas.

... treats from elsewhere!

I've had a jumbo Black Dog bag for 10 years, still going strong. Must be some sort of record. I mostly use that for group classes, holds a lot of food that would be impractical in pockets. Another option is a $4 bait belt from the fishing section of Big W or K-mart, especially if it's sloppy stuff. Current dog is a ball fiend, and I find myself just leaving my cycling jersey on when I get home. Nice pockets in the back to hide a couple of balls or tugs.

Agree, the blindness could also be caused by something outside of the eye itself.

I bought an illuminated collar on ebay for my old Golden and it was brilliant. It cost $8 including postage so I didn't hold out much hope for it, but he used to swim in it and it was fine. I could see him across a sports oval and in reasonably heavy cover at night, actually it was easier to see him at night than during the day.

I always like to pay attention to what happens when someone gets hurt, or if one or the other looks like they've had enough. If the other dog settles down in response to a yelp, or in response to someone trying to get away, then you're probably all good. Inhibited bites to the neck are all part of normal play. BTW, it's very cool that your neighbour is able to call his pup out, settle him, then send him back in.

I'm at a bit of a loss for Launceston, but we have some very good trainers and behaviourists in Hobart (PM me for details, I'll have to look them up during the week). It's not really my specialty (I do small classes for reactive, shy and aggressive dogs), but I do come up from time to time. With this sort of thing I'd really just be looking at good management and having the younger dog trained very reliably to go to a crate/mat/come to you. Sometimes you can train the younger dog not to react to age-related things the older dog does.