Cosmolo

Thankyou for such quick and informative replies

Reasonably social to me and most of the people i come into contact with would mean- not overtly dog aggressive/ not reactive when sees dogs, able to play appropriately with other dogs who are suitably matched and able to happily walk through parks, busy areas etc without issue. Don't have an issue with a dog/ breed that is likely to 'react back' as i think this is different to overt dog aggression. I know some breeders do not exclude dog aggressive dogs from their breeding program which does concern me but i don't know how widespread it is to do this or the real reasons behind it?

I have a question about the dog aggression- what is the best way for someone who wants a reasonably dog social dog to go about finding a Stafford breeder that would have something suitable? Or is it a matter of those seeking a dog social dog selecting another breed? I too have seen many Staffords with separation anxiety.

The play time should be on lead (if your pup immediately goes to hump and chase) so that you can intervene if need be. The behaviour won't stop unless you teach the pup to stop and your instructor should be ale to help with this. You can try gently holding your puppy facing you and high value, reasonably constant rewards for calmer, quieter behaviour before and after play time. Ask your instructor to show you how to do this without always having to remove the puppy. Arrive early at class next time and quiz your instructor. If you are then not satisified that there is a plan to actively teach your pup how to engage and interact appropriately AND how to settle- start looking for another puppy school.

Feel free to contact us (website in signature) as we do service the mornington area.

George is gorgeous He is however a little too old for puppy pre school as most puppy schools accept dogs from 8-16 weeks of age so you'll need to look at group obedience classes or one on one training. What are your aims/ goals for george and what would you like to be able to do with him in the long run? ETA Just read he is still mouthing- would strongly suggest you do at least one one on one session with a trainer to help you stop this as soon as possible given his age.

Let the neighbour know they need to contain their cat. Ferrari should be able to enjoy your own yard.

I use neither and just teach the dog to wait until they here a release word or the next command and my guys have pretty good stays.

I would also contact Jane Harper- obedience school is not enough.

IMO the instructors should be teaching you how to handle it and when to intervene, rather than you staying seated. You need to be in a position to control whats going on, to reward appropriate play and stop inappropriate play. Good luck

From what i can gather- you have tried to correct, dog has had tantrum and won- perhaps multiple times. The scruffing can work- but only if you're in a position to follow through. You need to get a professional to show you what to do ASAP- before your pup learns that escalating, crocodile rolls and biting is the best way to get you to back off. I do use corrections for mouthing- but its important that the ensuing tantrum is dealt with as well. Given that you've tried a few things, advice over the net is really not the way to go.

I think the instructor of your puppy schools should be guiding you very clearly with regard to such an issue- you have your pup in a critical period of development and you can influence some behaviours- however its not possible to know exactly how or if there's anything to be concerned about without seeing whats going on. In the meantime, control the interactions with the other pups- especially the smaller or timid puppies.

Just to add there are no puppies on the ground yet so puppy pics will be a while off!

Good news- i hate losing stuff like that!

Its not for another few weeks- will let you know how it goes. The breeder was recommended by a DOLer and fellow breeder of the same breed.

at PPS- i'm not the teary type so i don't think that will be too much of a worry! Can i ask why they cried? Thats a great question Vickie- thanks! Will take it easy on the photos etc- just a little nervous because we haven't done this before and i am not sure what to expect. Won't get dressed up- used to dealing with muddy paw prints! oh and its a JRT

Well, we have just arranged to meet our first breeder after conversations and emails with many. Just have a few questions (as we've never bought a dog from a breeder before) What should we take with us- photos of our dogs? Reference from our vet? Photos of the yard or fences? The breeder hasn't asked for anything and has seen our website so i'm not sure if we should take something anyway? We have asked heaps of questions and don't really feel like we need to ask anything else- but the breeder might expect us to ask more and i am worried about having nothing to say! Is there anything we might have forgotten? If you go to see one breeder and LOVE everything about them and their dogs, should you still go and see others?

Question re: teaching the tail wag as a few have mentioned. Do you think you have conditioned the behaviour alone (tail wag) or the feeling which then produces the tail wag?

You don't sounds stupid at all!! i train other people's dogs for a living and its only recently that i have truly worked out (and had the time to put into practice) the best way to get the enthusiasm back into Cosmo's training.

Doodling Never realised it was called that!! Sometimes its hard to explain what you mean without demoonstrating when you're talking about doodling- although knowing the term probably won't make it any easier for me!

IMO- treat should always follow your click- but especially to start with, regardless of whether the clicker is charged or not. I don't think you have to walk in big arcs, i would just take a step to begin with.

I like a NRM too- find it builds drive in my lazy dog who has come along in literal leaps and bounds since i started playing find heel position games off lead with high value rewards, not lures. Trifecta- you'd be surprised at how quickly 'going back to the start' can change the dogs attitude, i didn't find it to be a long process and i had a dog who almost hated heeling at that point, despite the rewards i was using.

Definitely try Huski's suggestions. Have you gone to puppy pre school at all? Sometimes seeing a trainer who has a few different techniques can help as they are able to tailor the technique to suit the dog. Every dog is different- not all dogs respond to the same techniques, and often the more challenging dogs will help even an experienced handler to improve their training skills. No need to leave DOL- you'll find there's lots of people with different suggestions and posting styles who can offer suggestions to help you and your pup. Do you have any photos to share- there's not alot cuter than a beagle puppy!

Now thats a lab PF!! Gorgeous

Looks like i have to get busy in the kitchen! Thanks for that idea sandra, i will definitely try it out!