ParadiserowsPointer

She doesn't react at all

Thanks Papillon Kisses, Funny you mention Chiara Perri of Point Cook Dog Training, she is our puppy school teacher , speaking of which we have a class with her tonight, what is the support group for anxious dogs you part of? And thanks again for the article, very interesting..., i really appreciate it.

Thanks Nekhbet i have sent you a PM

Hi all doggy lovers, Ah, where do i start..., my partner and i have a 19 week old German Shorthaired Pointer puppy named Heidi, she came into our lives when she was 11 weeks old. Over the period of the last month we have noticed she is extremely timid and lacking confidence when around humans to the point where she barks and growls at people who either approach her or who are in her vicinity when taking her for walks to our local shopping centre, the beach or the Obedience Club. We know this is her saying to "stay away as i am unsure", so we do not force her to have any interactions with people when she is like this, we reward her with treats when she does not react and is calm. We are working on loose leash walking which she has not quite mastered yet to a) stop the tension on a tight lead when she does react to humans, b) teach her to follow/focus on my partner. She has been attending our local puppy school in the western suburbs of Melbourne and the Werribee Obedience Club for well over the last month, i have reached a point where im stumped in terms of what course of action to take as her lack of confidence or either negative association with strangers is starting to take a toll on my partner and myself. During puppy school she has developed from being extremely unsure of other dogs to being the ring leader getting other dogs to chase and follow her through the agility tunnel but she seems to have hit a wall and i can see a negative response to humans becoming a problem in the future if we do not address this issue whilst she is still young. We are working on training and obedience to build her confidence and our bond, but her reacting in such a fearful way has me thinking i should halt all training such as the obedience club until we can get to the bottom of the fear of stangers/people issue as we dont want to be enforcing a behaviour that will stick for her life. This is where i am stuck, do i consult a qualified behaviourist or work with a trainer to get to the root cause of this issue, being such a young dog i know if i can take the right course of action there is hope to overcome this issue but finding the right course of action is overwhelming as we have had negative experiences with a particular dog whisperer when dealing with separation anxiety with our other dog which was nothing but a waste of some serious coin and a serious learning lesson that there are qualified trainers, university qualified behaviourist and unqualified so called dog whisperers. Does anyone have any experience with behaviourist and or trainers in the Melbourne region who specialise in dogs with fear/lack of confidence with people? Also has anyone had a puppy who has had a fear of humans and reacts by barking?

Half way though his first day on the range he was already sniffing trees and just pondering beside the cage without flinching at the shot or seeming distressed by the noise while mum and the squad shot clays, slowly but steady does the trick..

The inseparable two!, taking Hunter away from his play mate Maya after a walk is no where near the as intolerable as separating these two, all pro's don't come without con's, with a tightly bonding dog comes a dog's anxiety and barking becoming a major noise issue, having tried everything in the book, never did i think anxiety in dogs would be such a slow gradual progress to undo a bad habit on our behalf by not teaching Hunter to amuse himself outside instead of always being with us or inside without crying blue murder for the block to hear. First time at the clay target club at 1 year old to begin gunfire conditioning, all went without a hitch but still has a long way to go, but now he can join mum at the club on shooting days,

Thanks to Dr Bruces Vets All Natural, i don't look at heat cooked processed dry and wet dog food regardless of the $ or if it is only available in pet stores. As a younger puppy around 6 months i thought i had him glowing in the sun till i took this photo recently at 12 months old and being fed food on the all natural principal.....forever changing the way I see dog food and feed my dog The shiny liquid coat was just the beginning of the benefits,

Having fun chasing each other till one gave up chase...

I was lucky enough to get this shot, i thought i could relate to how Hunter looked he was feeling while being chased by this girl who looks hungry to catch him if she can. Dogs expressions captured unintentionally turn out to be gold!

more photos to come if only the size limit was larger

Here are some of the better photos taken on our weekend park run.... With both dogs being completely opposite's in size and personality but who's to say opposites don't attract, Maya the Rottweiler & Hunter the Maltese Hunting Dog.

Forever a true loyal companion,where ever she goes he is by her side, whever she waits so does he..

such a unique, unreocniseable expressive face is slowly emerging

These were those days when you could put him in your pocket.....not so possible anymore

This is how he is now, still growing