BC Crazy

Sounds like a bit of a wait to give this product a try. Oh well have plenty of TOTW atm & they do go really well on that.

I have noticed that very thing Panzer Attack. I am so much more aware of upcoming situations & have learn't to remain so much more calmer than I used to be. My confidence has also soared & I have even noticed that I have a much more upright stance in the face of adversity. Must say I too would pick up my small dog if he or she was in danger even though I am well aware it is a no no :) Wobbly appreciate your post & so do see your point. I am determine to conquer this DA issue with Stella so its back to the behaviourist. Wish me luck cause I am sooo going to need it. I so grateful for this forum. It is almost a relief at times to know you aren't alone with some of these issues our beloved dogs throw at us, also all the things you can learn & all the support is very much appreciated :)

Thanks for your understanding Snook. It really does get to me cause I'm trying my very best & giving it my all as all of us are. Some days I am beaming as I think I'm making progress & there are day like yesterday when you feel you are failing miserably. I too get very frustrated at tlmes with people just not listening to me. Stella has a very sweet face & I am the first to agree but that doesn't mean she won't growl/bite you or your dog if her buttons are pushed. I try & warn folks & it's like, "oh no, she's way too cute, come here girl“. I should know, she is my dog after all. Sorry I will get off my soap box now :) just very frustrated. Had to edit just to say that I used to be quite intimidated by Bull type breeds Snook but am getting braver in their presence & it's only because I have had nothing to do with the breed & with all the hype & bad publicity. I have only had working BC's & ACD's. Good on you for trying to prove the stigma & hype wrong :)

I also do the Stop sign with my hand. You have to at times to get peoples attention. I have also started a thread for a trainer/behaviorist a while ago & this is the second one I have seen.

Thanks guys for all your input. Snook & Megan. I am thinking of going to see a trainer again to get some more help with Stella. I can only go to private sessions with her as I think she wouldn't cope with anything in a group & there is just no clubs or facilities in my area. So I have to travel out of the area. Panzer Attack. Sounds like your dog & Stella were made out of the same mould. What you have said makes perfect sense. And yes at times she is extremely difficult to handle.Perfect example was yesterday. I do use a long lead & had it on yesterday when we were walking through the bush where there usually is NO other dogs, only people. But yesterday we came across a young guy walking his aged BC, so I immediately tried to take up the slack in the lead to get her under control by the time we were walking past him but Stella had other ideas & took off & dragged me down the hill to "meet" the BC, all the while barking & carrying on. More rope burnt hands for me. As soon as she was done standing over this old girl, which was like 5 seconds, she is as calm as & looks at me like, "what", lets go then I roused on her verbally, then ignored her for a long while. I was too cranky & upset with myself to do anything else. Your edit is so true also & it ticks me off too. I avoid all other dogs whenever possible. I walk when I know it isn't as busy & get as far as I can away from everyone but people see my 2 & it's like, "Oh hello" & head over with their dog for a "play" ERRRRR, go away please !!!! Today my girl was perfect. It is so very frustrating isn't it when you know how good they can be? I will attempt to battle on regardless as I won't let little miss Stella get the better of me. She is really such a sweet natured girl.

I have had her to a behavourist & she said it was because of her reactivity that she charges at other dogs. I did voice my concern that she is going to pick the "wrong' dog to do this to one day & Stella will come off second best. The trainer said she is very smart girl & she knows what dogs to avoid & what dogs to boss.And she does roll straight over on her back most times & is as nice as pie when approached by some dogs.I find she ignores 70% of dogs usually. She used to get quite angry on lead as well on occassion if certain dogs approached, again hard to predict which ones would make her react & which ones wouldn't. She has improved a lot using LAT but it is because with this particular issue of her charging at other dogs it is very random & she gives no warning as to when it will occur. So I can't predict it Took her out this morning & she was an angel. Didn't bully anyone's dogs. She even walked right past one of the very same BC's that she went at yesterday & completely ignored it Just like it wasn't there. This is what makes this issue so frustrating for me.

My heart goes out to you at this most difficult time. I was in this very same position 4 years, feels like yesterday, when I had to let my beautiful heart dog, Redman go He had been ill for about 6 months & this particular morning he turned & looked right into my eye's & then I noticed that his eye's had lost their shine & it was like his soul had gone. They were kind of dull, he had had enough. I agree with Ams here as well. Nobody can tell you when the time is right. Only you really know your dog. All I can say is that you have to remove your feeling"s from this picture & ask yourself, Does you dog still have quality of life? Is he still happy in himself & aware of his surrounding? Is he is pain constantly? e.t.c If the answer is no to most of these, there lays your answer. You have to be strong & let him go with dignity. Remember he will never be far away because he will always be in your heart. Thought's are with you. Take care.

Fingers crossed for a better morning out with Stella than yesterday. She bailed up 2 BC's on separate occassions. One an older girl & the other around her own age, both submissive She seems to be a bully at times & charges up to a shy dog. Likes to stand over them, until they lie down. She growls & sometimes bares her teeth. I don't know how to handle this apart from call her & put her back on lead. Yesterday I called her & she came back but I am finding she bolts back to her victim as soon as they try to get up for one last growl & then returns to me if I'm not quick enough to clip her lead on. This behaviour is very hard for me to predict as she only does this to "certain" dogs, others are fine. She is a very vocal girl & it all sounds worse than it probably is but I just don't know how to correct this type of behaviour. Yesterday she lost her freedom after the second incident & remained on her leash. She doesn't actually fight these poor dogs, always seems to be bitches btw, just likes to bully them into submission. Any suggestions or folks who have similar issues ? I find this type of behaviour very upsetting as Stella is a very sweet, effectionate girl usually.

Thanks snook. I am very careful about exercising them in the heat & probably a little paranoid as I lost my last BC to heat stroke His larricks had collapsed. So you can understand my worries there.

I brought a medium size Thunder Shirt online for Stella. She is a medium size BC. & weighs 16 kg. I ended up giving it to my mum for her dog as it was too small & brought the large size which fits her perfectly. So yes the sizing is a bit on the small side I found as well. Had to buy boring grey this time not the nice pink she had first time around not that she is any the wiser lol. I only have one concern & that is when summer rocks arounds Im worried she will get too hot with it on?

Great link Tassie. I've book marked it to read when I have a bit more time. Have to agree I wouldn't be playing fetch either with Calvin ATM. Sorry to hear about his injuries Such a handsome boy. Caindo1, I play this very simple game with Sonny as he loves scent work. Sonny's absolute favourite game. I put him in a down position & get a small stick ( don't throw it & I certainly don't advocate throwing sticks) as they can cause injury, break the stick up into tiny pieces all the while rubbing the scent off your hands on them. Randomly scatter them around the yard or in your case paddock I believe you lucky thing :laugh: Then give the release cue, "go find". This funny little game can keep Sonny on the hunt for all those tiny twigs for hours, till he finds every single one. He picks them up then drops them, all the while he tail is swishing constantly & his nose is to the ground. His brain is totally engaged. This is just a suggestion & this type of game may not work for Calvin. The clue is to find a game or 2 like this with no physical exertion involved. But is mentally very stimulating for him. Hope I was of some help :)

Beautiful pic's guys. Just awesome out comes for all concerned but especially for the poor little previously homeless treasures.

Maxiewolf, I'm hearing ya!! I have permanently impaired elbow's, fore arms & hands both left & right. So can't have badly behaved dogs on lead. They have to loose leash walk. Hmmmm. Still a work in progress unfortunately. First 10 mins of a walk is a very LONG 10 & it is very confusing for the poor dog too. So I see exactly where you are coming from.

My OH is a doll, don't get my wrong & I won't be trading him him any time soon :laugh: He is just a bit soft with Stella & when questioned OH sez, you know "she's just a baby girl" at 19 months old So it really doesn't matter if she pulls on the a little or sneaks up on our new leather lounge when Sonny isn't allowed too OH wasn't really a dog fan before I came into his life almost 20 years ago & now he adores them but I swear he also thinks he's Caesar bloody Millan at times I just work twice as hard to restore order when he is at work :D

Exact same thing I find happens to me if OH walks our girl especially. It is very annoying & yes I think it is cause they are stronger & also OH lets just say doesn't like to listen to me when I suggest not to let her "pull" on lead. I can only sympathize with you & watch this thread with interest :)

I have 2 metal crates & the TFH one is excellent quality. Very strong & durable. It's 5 years old & like brand new & it's been very well travelled. My other one is a Vebo one. Excellent value for money. Was quite a bit cheaper than the TFH but still very sturdy & not showing any signs of age :)

Funny you should say that megan because with both of mine they did give me a bit of a confused look as if to say," hey sure this is O.K" when we first started to learn to play tug-of-war. So what your saying makes perfect sense re the biting & resisting. Placid is a really good thing :) I am half way through Greg Derret, Foundation Agility DVD. The man is a legend & makes it all look so easy

Sorry to hear about your poor Cooper I can't be of any help as I know very little about H/D. Must be very difficult for you to know what is best for him as he is still just a baby. Good Luck with him & I hope there is something medically that can improve his condition. Also love your banner picture bianca.a of that beautiful GSD, gorgeous eye's.

I must of been lucky as far as playing tugs with my 2 cause they just grabbed hold of the tug toy & off they went. They do have their favourite toys that they like to play it with though & both are different. I watched a Learn to play Tug of War DVD first which was good as far as learning a few rules of thumb. Like I must be in control of the game,I start & finish it. Sonny used to bring the tug toy to me & shove it in my face to instigate a game which I have now learnt to ignore. They both just love it & it tires them out really quickly. I would like to try a flirt pole as they look like fun to & I'm sure my 2 would love them. ljaitkenhead, not sure how I could help with Ollie apart from saying I was very animated when I first started to play tug with them.I make growl noises & generally act like a goose :laugh: That & praise like mad when they pulled back on the toy in any way. I tried lots of different types of toys too. Some they wouldn't play with at all & others as soon as I moved it they would grab it. So maybe try a variety & see if Ollie is more interested. I also throw it & have them retrieve it, then play tug again. One fav here is the Kong Wobba. I did buy a cowhide one from Clean Run & they wouldn't have a bar of it. Good luck with the game, I do hope Ollie will catch on as it is an excellent reward for a job well done. Other much more experienced DOL's will have lots more ideas I'm sure :)

:laugh: Cute as !!

Tiny Pony is just tooooo darn cute WnH I just want to cuddle him to bits. Very hard to find a coat small enough I would imagine. The blue suits him & as long as he is warm. He may grow into it one day :laugh:

Beautiful story. What a courageous boy Mason is! His devotion to his family is so very heart warming.

Stella is very good at opening the crate door when ever she feels inclined luckily that isn't very often. They love a challenge & as we all know are little smarty pants. I have never had a climber or a fence jumper thankfully but have heard horrendous stories of them scaling fences like there not there.

It isn't at natural pet store as yet, just checked & they are usually pretty much up to date with all the new products. I buy most of my needs from there. Sounds like you do have a very good range of dog food in Tassie. I have to buy everything online as there is absolutely nothing in stores around my area. We only have 2 pet stops locally, very basic products in stock & I won't buy from either of them because they sell things with a heart beat Tassis sounds just lovely only it would be a tadd cold for me. I can't handle the cold weather. Some pic's I have seen of the country side look magnificent.

The girls are usually that little bit smaller. My boy, Sonny is very long in body length so I had to get him the 42" crate, big lug he is :laugh: