espinay2

You can usually get a dog used to the crate by helping to make it a fun place for them to be. think of it as a comphy den rather than as a cage. Perhaps you can pop her in there with a bone, or a stuffed kong toy to keep her busy in the morning.

I would suggest taking her along to classes if you can. It will be great for socialisation and I am sure you will pick up many tips to help make your life together a good partnership.

On the recall issue that was being discussed. I prefer to think of it as a position rather than an action. The position for the command 'come' is the dog (preferably sitting) in front of the handler. I often like to backchain by teaching the dog the position first. Then you begin to increase the distance. What the dog is learning is that wherever it is, when the command is given it goes to that position.

I too have never really taught recall from a stay first and rarely with another handler holding the dog. I will do that occasionally in class with puppies just for the sake of expediency, but for practicing at home, it is generally not required. It is unlikely that the pup will follow close by the owner ALL the time. Even when in the living room or backyard (which are the best places to start teaching as there are less distractions), the pup may wander a meter or two away allowing an owner to call the pup to them. A huge distance is definitely not required to teach the command and can be counter productive with a young pup that tires quickly. Remember you are teaching the position and not the running. Distance can be built up over time. If there is more than one person in the household, 'pass the puppy' is a good game where the people sit in a circle, triangle, or opposite each other depending on number s and call the pup from one person to the anther - rewarding when they come when called (but not rewarding for anticipation!).

Without seeing the dog in action it may be impossible to comment on exactly what you may be seeing. I will add the following however:

In respect to the 'play bow' it may denote any manner of things depending on the situation. It can most typically denote a 'ready' position. Whether the following action is agonistic or more benign will depend on a lot of factors. I believe I mentioned in another thread that wolves have been known to play bow to their prey. From there they may chase/catch/kill (or any of the action sequence up to this final point) or decide not to.

With respect to baring teeth, this too can depend on a lot of factors. Many breeds do 'smile' in a way that looks agonistic but is in fact can sometimes be more of a submissive gesture. Dalmatians for example are a breed renowned for their 'smiling', so a dog baring its teeth may or may not be making an aggressive gesture.

What part of the body is she itching? Often that can give an indication of the types of allergy it may be.

Check things like the washing powder you use, what you use to clean the floor, carpet treatments etc as well as the plants in the garden which may be causing problems.

If you suspect diet, you may want to try an elimination diet. Start by feeding one thing only for a week - eg plain chicken mince - and note if there is any change. If there is, as one ingredient only back at a time and watch for reactions.

Fish oil is easily purchased from a health food store - just buy the capsules. I just buy the big bottles. You can either pearce them and squirt a few over the dogs dinner, just hide them in the dogs dinner or do what I do and give them as treats - the dogs love them and come running when they hear the bottle. The oil in the capsules is preserved with Vit E so adding additional Vit E is not really necessary unless you are giving very high doses. Giving a Vit E capsule in addition couldnt hurt though as it is a good antioxidant.

Oils, particularly fish and flax oils, are quite volatile and can degrade very quickly in warm temperatures and when exposed to air and light, so if you buy them in a bottle, make sure they are in an airtight dark container and kept refrigerated right from the point of purchase. It is for this reason that I am extremely reluctant personally to buy any oils that are kept on the shelf.

I kind of see both sides of the issue here as I have a breed which has dewclaws - including double dewclaws on the hind legs - and in this breed it is considered a real no-no to remove them. I am very fond of their dew claws and with proper maintenance they are rarely any trouble. BUT, as a groomer, particularly on small fluffy dogs, I totally agree with having them removed. It makes clipping so much easier, there is less chance of damage (both generally and during the grooming process if the groomer doesnt know or forgets they are there), and less chance they will miss notice and not be trimmed. I can't count the number of times I have had small fluffies come to me for grooming with badly overgrown dew claws including some which had grown around and into the leg. Very painful for the dog. Of course if you are vigilant in maintaining them, the groomer should be able to groom ok even with them on - they just have to take extra care. Personally however, it would be my choice to remove them on these types of breeds.

Just rememebred - if you go to www.b-naturals.com and click on the newsletter directory, Lew has an article on Pancreatitis and Diet that may provide a few ideas.

The book "Dogs, Diet and Disease" by Caroline Levin is an exccellent resource:

http://www.petcarebooks.com/books/ddad.htm

One thing to be sure of is that coming to you is a 'fun' thing to do. Things to watch out for are times when you call your dog to you to do something he doesnt like like clipping nails, or for example, if you come home and find a hole or something destroyed and then call him to you to tell him off. A dog will not associate the telling off with the wrongdoing, but with the coming to you and next time may think a bit about the merits of coming when you call.

The other thing to watch is body language. Often you will see people leaning forward towards the dog, making eye contact and calling come in a rather growly voice. A common reaction for the dog may be to put its head down and sniff, avoid eye contact, and if they approach you, approach you slowly and/or in an arc rather than directly to you. This is a natural behaviour designed more or less to diffuse a situation. To approach directly may in their terms be considered to be an agonistic response to body language that is more or less posing a challenge itself. They dont want to be seen as taking up the challenge, so act in a way that they consider non threatening.

for Alibear I too suggest finding something the dog really likes and making it a game. Keep it fun and start inside with things like dinner. Start with the dog close to you and then build up distance. Start with you and your partner sitting only a few feet apart when you call him backwards and forwards between you. dont overdo the game either. Stop before your pup gets bored.

As an aside - Another way to think about it is that coming when called isnt necessarily about the act of coming to you, but the fact that you want them to be at a particular spot, say, sitting in front of you. One way to go about it is to 'back chain' from the spot you want them to end up in. 'Come' (or 'Front' which I use with some dogs) is in effect a particular position and wherever the dog is, they need to get there as quick as possible. Start by teaching it directly in front in position, then slowly build distance until they will return to the position from all directions.

And if all else fails. Teach your dog to sit and stay on command. It can be a very handy backup, particularly with those breeds that are known to be incredibly unreliable ;)

Yes, there is a lot of bone in wings, necks and carcasses, so their poos will be smaller, dryer and will often crumble to a powder. Are you feeding anything else? These are great things to feed, but they are not all you will need to feed on a raw diet. Generally IMO they do not have enough meat so may need to compensate for that with other things. I personally tend to feed more meatier bones a large percent of the time and personally dont feed a huge amount of chicken. My dogs get a variety of things including lamb (flaps/necks), rabbit (whole), beef (brisket mostly but also boneless meat), Kangaroo (tails and boneless meat), pork (tails, trotters, hocks), plus chicken frames, duck frames or whole and turkey necks. they also get organ meat such as kidney liver or heart every couple of days, whole raw or canned fish at least once a week, vegetables about once a week and eggs once or twice a week.

I don't personally feed to a fixed schedule or menu, but some who do follow plans set out by those such as Billinghurst may feed, along with the chicken RMB's, something like his pattie recipe which usually contains boneless meat, vegetables, eggs, organ meats etc either in the same meal or separately. Do you have a copy of his book or one by another author such as Kymythy Schultz that you can follow for a while until you get the hang of things?

I would encourage you not to give up just yet, but as your dog is handling the chicken fairly well (with the exception of the constipation) perhaps start adding some things to the diet in addition to the chicken with will essentially make things slide though a bit more easily.

I have my own hydrobath. But I am a Groomer too.

Just got a new hydrobath and it is great! A heated super twin tub deluxe with a trolley. I got it from www.thebarfshop.com

I was surprised at first when I found out that groomers in the US do not have hydrobaths. They do use several types of recirulating washers that act in a similar way to the hydrobath but they are not built-ins. the tubs are usually separate.

Do you know if they have done a culture on the ear to determine what type of bacteria and/or yeast is present and had a good look down it (probably under a GA if the dog finds it painful) to make sure there is no foreign body or ulcerated eardrum?

If not, this is probably what I would be seeking out a vet to do.

Also if the dog is to get eardrops, every 3 days may not be enough. Most would probably need to be administered twice a day IMO, especially if they are that bad.

There is nothing wrong with natural therapies. There are a lot of us who use them for our animals as well as for ourselves. Good for you slowone.

BTW, even the University of Qld Vet School is starting to develop courses in more wholistic based medicine now although I think you have to be a vet to do them - haven't looked at the info in a while. Couldn't be soon enough IMO.

  K9: at least with a low drive dog, you dont have to try & control hyeractivity, if something goes wrong in training, all that happens is nothing 

LOL! True. Most of the time they just shut down. Of course if they are offlead it can be a different issue as they tend to disappear in the opposite direction to the handler at a great rate of knots! There is a saying, for example, that an offlead Pyr is a disapyr

Which leads me to this.....I have been thinking though about different types of drive. While LGDs, for example have low prey drive, they have strong instincts to independently patrol territory and to chase off predators. I am trying to work out how to translate this to drive for training purposes.

Which means that many dogs will not be suitable for training in drive techniques?

K9: Im struggling to believe this is a serious question. Of course a dog with low prey drive or a high threshold to prey drive is not suitable for training in prey drive.

It was, and it wasn't. It was more leading again to the question that was raised earlier in discussion (not by me), but which we seem to be skirting around, about what techniques could be used with an animal with low drive and low food motivation.

Maybe I should start a new thread on this so we can discuss it separately from any discussion of techniques for dogs who do have sufficient drive?

A dog with very high drives is certainly a challenge!

Yes it can be, most definitely. But at least with a high drive dog you have the drive there already to work with and shape. As you may know, in the absence of drive, you have to look for/build the tool you want to work with first, rather than working with something that is already there (ok, we could debate till the cows come home about whatever is used already being there, but you get the picture ).

BTW, I said that truthfully. I am always interested in how other people do things. I just tend to be the type of person who asks the 'hard' questions ;)

One of the reasons I have LGDs is I love their independence and like the challenge they present in training (call me a glutton for punishment. I really do like hitting my head against a brick wall )

There is a well known saying among LGD circles that they can make even the best trainer look bad. Well, they have made me look bad often enough . I sometimes think I should stick to easier breeds (My Dalmatian, for example, is a pure breeze by comparison). They certainly help you learn to think outside the box!

K9: all training in drive techniques require the dog to have the drive you want to work & the nerves to support it.

Which means that many dogs will not be suitable for training in drive techniques?

A great way to get all your questions answered is come to a workshop or seminar.

Would certainly be interested to see what you make of some of the dogs I have here

For some reason, unknown to me, but maybe K9 will know my dog gets into pray drive when I pick the bunny up and carry it in my hands.

LOL! Lovely photo.

Can you hold the interest as well for, say, a bunny skin?

K9: your right, it shouldnt be done.

So, neither should any excercise of getting your dog used to other dogs, cats, or any animal for that matter.

But the difference is in the first example you are trying to increase drive. In the other examples you are trying to minimise drive.

I feel that your interests lay elsewhere than in the drive discussion.

No, I am definitely interested in drive and this thread. I am just as interested however, in how you would work in the absence of drive.

I have a question. How are you using the bunny? To initiate prey drive? what is the intended reaction you want and how do you plan to 'redirect' this so it doesn't go too far and put the bunny in danger? Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere.

How does this sit too with regulations regarding 'live baiting' such as those laid down for greyhounds?

No, I wasnt talking about herding dogs or herding per se. I was giving LGDs as perhaps a better example than a herding dog of a dog with low prey drive when the question was asked, what would you do with a dog with a low prey drive. I too do not consider herding breeds to be low prey drive.

Many LGDs have for hundreds of years been specifically selected for these traits. Low prey drive, ability to work independently, ability not to react when a rather large ram steps on their feet. Most have a low metabolic rate and are not overly interested in food.

Welcome to my world

Often also a very high pain threshold.

So what happens when your dogs genetic drives do not fall into any of these categories, such as in a herding dog? 

K9: ? A herding dog is usually loaded with prey drive...

A better example for this question may be a LGD who is bred and selected specifically for low prey drive and also has minimal food drive.

On a hunch I checked the link for the article as I know there have been some site changes recently. If you go to www.lgd.org click on the library link and look under 'behaviour' you will find the article by Janice entitled "Prong collars and some information about their use" which refers to the study. She however, does not reference it. (edited to state that she does not directly reference it to a primary source - she does refer to the anne marie silverton seminar which is where she sources the information)

(On a personal note, while I have experience using a prong collar and have seen them used by others - mostly while I was in the US - I am not a fan of them)

If anyone wants to contact Janice directly, I can probably pass a message on to her and get her to contact you directly.