Cosmolo

That's more what i mean Aphra- knowing whether something is typical or atypical for the breed is important for people who do take particular breeds as rescuers rather than your typical adopter. I've never failed a dogs assessment for being timid. I have however, sent the dog to an experienced foster home to get further information, contacted breed rescues, given the dog more time, re-assessed at a later stage etc depending on the situation. When you go into assessments with the goal of finding out information there are many options at your disposal when you can't find out the required information within your normal assessment.

I agree that breed knowledge is essential. How do we ensure people conducting assessments have this though in addition to other relevant knowledge? I understand assessment has it's problems- but it's equally scary to me to see descriptions of dogs that are 'nice', 'nippy' etc with no further explanation and inexperienced people doing the 'assessments'. The pleas that come up on my FB page at times begging inexperienced people to take dogs from the pound with no proper assessment are very worrying.

The RSPCA has many problems and needs an absolute shake up- there will be no argument from me there. But getting up in arms about something without a factual basis does not help this cause. I never knew anythinga bout Clifford- never heard of him till i joined DOL. I don't know whether the RSPCA are lying about him or not. But dogs can display sudden aggression- i know a dog that was in foster care pending a court case. He had been in the home for months. One day he bit the carers face very badly- she had to have multiple plastic surgeries. The dog was put down- everyone was devastated. What should have happened in that scenario?

My family used Dr Tony Vigano- Patterson at Swanbourne for years- he had another surgery which might be closer but i can't for the life of me remember where it was.

It's all about classical conditioning and IMO when a CC program is followed and completed well it is the MOST effective way to get a reliable recall without the need for aversives. I see too many people saying 'come' or similar to a dog that has no association with that word- conditioning prior to using the word in practical situations is easier for both dog and handler.

How convenient that this happens just before the Million Paws Walk. I will be in Perth in May for work- might have to stop by at my old workplace.. We truly used to have a great team- 10 years ago RSPCA WA was a good shelter.

50 Feet is too long IMO. Remember you have to be able to manage the length of lead/ reel it in easily as well as the dog is coming to avoid getting tangled. I am happy to forward our recall program if you send through an email- i prefer this to long lines though they can be useful short term.

I agree with Corvus. Having broked up a few dog fights- it is easier to deal with one set of jaws than two.

On occasion i look through the urgent rescue section and the variation in the way dogs are assessed always gets my attention. I would love opinions from everyone with regards to what barriers or constraints you feel impacts yours or anyone elses ability to conduct formal behavioural assessment. Lack of training? Belief that it is not needed/ in best interests of the dogs in question? Lack of time? Lack of co-operation from pounds/ shelters? Lack of appropriate equipment?

Beautiful cat- shared on our FB page.

ruthless if you want to email me i can send you through some notes on it. [email protected]

Also, how do you normally respond if the dog 'breaks' before the release? This could be relevant.

I like to say the release word and if the dog doesn't move toward the food or toy in my hand, dropping food on the ground can be a great way to make the reward that bit more accessible in the dogs mind and therefore help to make the connection- you said you have done this but how long have you waited for her to move? Throwing food near her after the release may help as well rather than placing it down near her. You could also pair the release word independently of a stay with her diving her nose into your treat pouch and then once she has the idea go back to doing some stays- breaking the exercise down can be very helpful.

Bump

My inbox doesn't work on here for some weird reason- no idea why. Just email [email protected]

That's a good one Burkes- will do.

Have replied to all emails so far. :)

I have finally finished the second "So Your Dog Series" covering the following topics- So Your Dog- Overwhelms your visitors So Your Dog- is Getting a Friend: Managing a multi dog household So Your Dog- Chases the Cat So Your Dog- Mouths People So Your Dog- Is Welcoming a New Baby So Your Dog- Is Hyper Excitable with other Dogs So Your Dog- Is Anxious when Left Alone This is a free resource Australia wide for approved organisations including rescue groups, shelters, veterinary clinics, pet supply stores and groomers to pass on to clients and adopters as they wish. If you would like to receive the series please email [email protected] with a brief description of your organisation so i can keep track of where the series is going and i will then forward the information sheets. If you did not receive Series one, you're welcome to that as well. Series one includes the following information sheets- So Your Dog- Pulls on the Lead So Your Dog- Jumps Up So Your Dog- Toilets in the house So Your Dog- Is Destructive So Your Dog- Doesn't come when called Hoping you all find this beneficial.

There is some real misunderstanding about aggression. Saying the dog is not aggressive because- - it is territorial - it is predatory - it responded to another dog growling at it does NOT mean the dog is not aggressive. It means the above triggers the aggression. The only difference between the various types of aggression triggered by different things is the fact that predatory aggression is the only type of aggression that is naturally appetitive to the dog. The question then becomes- how do we prevent what can be normal natural dog behaviour- which presents more seriously in some dogs (like territorial aggression) from impacting others and causing stress and injury? This is the dog owners responsiblity- and we have to acknowledge most people are not dog savvy, they will let a dog sniff at a fence or similar. Make sure that when those non dog savvy people behave in the way that they do that your dog can't behave in a way that gets them into trouble- simple. It's not even about who is right and who is wrong- i NEVER want my dogs to be in the firing line so it's my job to protect them. No good hiding behind right and wrong once the dog has caused stress or injury to someone else. It's simple to prevent. I have a family who lives next door and their tennis balls sometimes come into my front yard. If the gates are open or unlocked they will come in to get them. I make sure my dogs are not in the situation where this could end badly. No good saying "it's my yard they shouldn't have been there" if my dogs scared or injured a child.

Having seen many young dogs kennelled i wouldn't say it has affected their training at all- however often when young dogs have stayed with well intentioned friends and family there has been a few issues, i believe because the context is similar rather than when in kennels. We have some owners that leave their pups with us to look after if they are going away and that works well as we know what they are working on.

Well done Snook and Staffyluv- wonderful updates! Persistent and patient owners certainly reap the rewards.

The gap in the fence looked like it was between fence and gate and was pretty big. (saw footage on the news)

Saw the lady interviewed on the news. Dog was on lead. How dreadful- that lady will be traumatised forever. It is every dog owners job to keep their dog safe behind their fence- having it in a situation where it can attack another dog is not keeping it safe. And the fact that the council has not acted swiftly in getting the fence fixed (apparenelty it's been 9 days and the fence is still the same) is a real outrage.

Bump. A few places remaining in each session.

I have seen alot of animals euthanased. Every one done in a shelter where i worked was a kind, gentle and peaceful process. Some of the dogs passed with their favourite toy in their mouth wagging their tail. (It was a low kill shelter- medical issues were the main reason for euthanasia) I then had to take a dog (not my own, i offered to take him for someone else) to a private vet clinic for euthanasia and it was one of the most awful experiences of my life. The vet and vet nurse were cold, they ran out of sedation so didn't give the dog enough and he endured 20 minutes of extreme anxiety before they finally pts. Then the vet turned to me and said "I assumed you'd seen all that before". I waited till i walked out and cried the whole way home. Up until then i strongly believed that euthanasia was peaceful and low stress. Now i know it depends on who is doing it.