Cosmolo

Lol at Kirty I don't know- but i would expect the energy level in your household would be reasonably high overall? With kids etc- this would probably impact plus he's just trying to keep you on your toes!!! Alpha bet- yes thats true. I have met a few really good dog trainers who aren't great at communicating with people and a few trainers who aren't that great with dogs but are terrific with teaching people. To find a trainer who has both may not be common but is well worth it. To be honest though, its not something i think a course can cover- to some degree you've either got it or you don't and the rest comes with experience and maturity. I'm happy to admit i have changed alot over the last few years, realising that there are many different paths someone can take to get to an end goal. The trainers job is to guide the dog AND owner towards the best path for them. And totally OT- but boarding and training is the best option for some owners, if the buttons are already in the dog, its easier to then teach the owner how to push them rather than trying to get the owner to instill them themselves.

Randomise the exercises and if that doesn't help i'd give a well timed correction for the slow sits.

If the dog is bought as a gift, the owner is unprepared and the dog is then left in a yard without training and socialisation, i think aggression could definitely result. Its just a question of whether you blame the aggression on the initial buying as gift, or the resulting lack of training and socilisation. Either way- a bad result for the poor dog Also just to clarify, i was referring to people who experience more clinical anxiety in my last post, rather than those whose moods vary- not sure which you were referring to tlc? Either way, whether the person is clinically anxious or swings in and out of anxiety in certain situations- it certainly influences the dog.

tlc- yes absolutely. In many cases i find that you can actually use the training for the dog to ease the person's anxiety at times and then the cycle starts to become a positive one- ie, the owner has a few 'wins' with training and feels a little less anxious when dealing with the dog so dogs behaviour improves therefore owner feels less anxious etc etc. But there are some instances where both dog and owner have very extreme anxiety that takes a long time to unravel Its not a revelation to us PF, but i'd love to know what the general public would think if it was publicised in mainstream media- it probably would surprise many people.

Maybe because of the lack of committment/ preparation willow? Do they mean present bought for someone else or for one self?

Interesting. I'd love to know the details of the experiment, particularly the not using physical punishment when required. I too have seen instances where this has created issues.

Hmm.. interesting- i might do some experimenting with my guys to see if i can work it out as i have never lured it before. My temptation would be to guide it the first few times.. or to shape it. Has the pup done any shaping?

Not specifically, because she pretty much gave the answers anyway. We got to see a pup that she kept from a previous litter who is a stunning looking adult too.

I'm sure many will disagree but i believe the stand up/ sit down method often teaches pups that they can make you move- kind of like having a puppet on a string and it therefore becomes reinforcing in itself. I would start with some training with a food reward in hand, held above the pup while you are seated. Remain perfectly still while the pup jumps up and tries to get the reward- wait and be patient. Pup will eventually put all 4 paws on the ground and you can reward. Build up the duration gradually with the treat then held closer to the pup- as the pup jumps, remove food reward, when the pup shows self control and does not jump- give the food reward. Once you have done this and the pup understands the best way to get your attention is to have all four paws on the ground, if you still have problems, you may then introduce some kind of correction. This will need to be well timed, as soon as the pups paws leave the ground and occur without you having to stand up. You will need to be clear, calm and assertive so that it is clearly not a game. Did your puppy school instructor demonstrate how to give a correction?

Yes i allow my dogs to bite objects. i encourage them to play tug and bite/ mouth toys and they mouth each other in play also. No i NEVER allow my dogs to put their mouth around me or any other person. Lets say i teach them its okay with me, and they make a mistake one day and mouth someone else- the consequences for this are not something i want to have to deal with so i don't set my dogs up for this.

Well just an update to let everyone know we met with the breeder last week and it was great. We got to meet and interact with all their dogs and watch them interact with each other, play with the bigger dogs and be very obedient and well behaved little dogs. She also breeds curly coats and they were beautiful dogs too! We asked questions, the breeder asked us questions and we have decided we would definitely like one of her puppies at some time in the future. She has been in touch since the meeting and said she'd be happy for us to have a pup from the next litter We are so excited and feel like we have definitely made a good decision so far. The next litter won't be for some time (6-12 months) but we are happy to wait. Thanks to everyone for their advice and well wishes- hopefully we'll have puppy pics to show soon!!

Oh my god. My heart breaks for you and your beautiful kitty

Thats true PF-and even then its not done. I ride a very experienced show jumper and my instructor ALWAYS ensures jump has fill of some kind- second pole or otherwise. If i start to train agility again i would certainly do alot more grid training and show jumping type work. None of my dogs have ever pulled bars more than a handful of times but i thinkthat must be luck more than anything else.

Not sure if i am allowed to post this as i don't have a pedigree example of the breed ( :D please delete if this is not ok) but i always described the difference between border collie's, kelpies and ACDs as follows- Poke a border collie and they giggle Poke a kelpie and they bounce around asking questions about where we're going and what we're doing Poke a Cattle Dog and they'll simply say 'don't'. IMO and experience ACD's are a little tougher than Kelpies and borders- tougher shouldn't mean aggressive, but as they're bred to work cattle rather than sheep they have to be this way. Like any dog an ACD is what you make it, good socialisation and training and teaching from day one mouthing/ nipping people is not the right thing. I don't believe ignoring mouthing as a puppy is a good thing for this breed as they are often in drive when they are doing it- i met a 12 month old pure ACD who was aggressive to his family because he had learned nipping/ biting worked well to get attention as they had not been able to put a stop to it when he was a puppy. My most trusted dog with children is our red ACD (not pedigree) who worked cattle for the first 2 years of her life. I would not describe most of the ACD's i've met as dominant with other dogs (if they have been well socialised) BUT- they will not tolerate overt rudeness or aggression from other dogs and will respond accordingly- this can get them into trouble. Our ACD has changed many people's minds about the breed as she is truly exceptional with people and children. They do need strong leadership and training but we adore them and will always have an ACD in our life.

I look after 3 little pugs for a day every week and love them! Do those experienced with the breed find that other dogs sometimes have a hard time reading them to start with? My dogs adore them but when i have seen dogs not used to pugs interact with them some of them seem to take a little while to understand what the pugs are 'saying'.

Just to clarify- I didn't mean an adult stafford I agree with PPS and Sandra with regards to the needs- and wants- of a Staffy.

Would you consider an adult dog rather than a puppy? Have you had a read through the Staffordshire thread in Dog Breeds 101 on the forum- plenty of good information in there.

No- i would not be continuing to take her to dog parks. You should have removed her when the other dog did not heed her warnings, although preferably before this point if you saw she was annoyed by the dog. Its too difficult to say with any certainty whats going on but i'd suggest you seek a professional to help you work out whats happening.

If you are using a distraction such as a toy, you must make sure it is produced before the barking at people does- or you will invertently reward the behaviour. What training equipment do you walk him on at the moment? Lots of drive training sounds as though it would be very beneficial for him to start to gain self control.

I think you need to see a good trainer- its concerning that a 14 week old is getting really hard corrections and not improving- he may be a hard pup but if you're giving corrections they should work quickly and you shouldn't have to keep giving them repeatedly in the same situation. He sounds a little confused and to be honest, a whole lot of internet advice is likely to confuse you too which won't help IMHO. He is a baby but babies do become adults so i think its right to try to get on top of this now. What does he love? Does he play tug?

I wouldn't put an e collar on a 14 week old puppy. What training, exercise and stimulation do you give him?

Are you working on the anxiety itself in conjunction with the collar?

How may lessons have you had with the private trainer? Have you expressed your concern about the lack of exercise to the trainer? They should be able to assist you with this so that you can stimulate your dog and train effectively at the same time.

Sure- as long as you use it properly. Don't go through a number of correctional collars if the dog is continuing to pull- it then becomes much more difficult if a dog is highly insensitive because so many different things have been tried.

When you say she's nervous, what do you mean, ie what is she doing? How do you hold your lead?