Cosmolo

How do those with multiple (more than 3) dogs travelling at once in cars that don't have room for multiple crates, secure their dogs?

Its true that some dogs are better suited to certain environments. The crux of the matter is that people are selecting dogs based on the wrong factors, not training or socialising them appropriately given their genetic predispositions, failing to understand dog behaviour, failing to contain their dogs appropriately and in some cases failling to directly supervise. Councils are failing to enforce our existing registration and containment laws- if this was done we would solve alot of issues. And the government is failing to do anything that might actually really help the situation. And i don't see how some 'behaviourist' coming out and saying that no one should own bull arabs or any mastiff or guarding types is going to solve ANY of the real problems.

I think people find it frustrating when breed opinions are based on only a little information. Its the same as saying XYZ breed is very intelligent- based on meeting 1 or 2. Obviously people are less likely to object to intelligence than aggression or other negative traits though. I get a little frustrated when Jack Russell Terriers are labelled the way they are by people who have not met a pedigree JRT or have met JRTs with unsuitable owners. It doesn't matter though because they meet my JRT and love him :)

Didn't know you saw her too Megan! I have been seeing her regularly for 6 years :)

What TSD said- Deb does Dexter too.

I would definitely consider taking him to a good massage therapist and/ or chiro before anything else. Your last post sounds very unusual.

Does anyone have links to Australian rescue/ shelter videos that would be appropriate to show a group of dog training students learning about the realities of the animal welfare industry in Aus. I'd like a variety of videos- some just showing facilities and conditions, some actual stories with before and after footage/ pictures and some information rich videos with stats etc. I don't mind if some are sad, i will select a few different ones to have some balance. Any help would be appreciated.

Bart Bellon springs to mind. Seeing him in action was really fantastic and i'd love to see him again. The combination of training in drive and using e collars kindly and effectively was very impressive and one of my own dogs would not be the dog he is without that input we received when we saw Bart. And in actual fact when he first joined the forum, Aidans posts inspired me to rethink a few concepts and develop some of our training in a different direction. :)

I would also practice the LAT game with recorded noises at home- that and the bell would be my first steps Kirty. Do you have a cue that means she is about to be touched? I think this would be helpful also so that you can warn her that someone is about to make physical contact.

Its not about a trainer providing comfort with regards to a tool. And i don't think a trainer showing flexibility with what different owners require means they "lack teaching ability". I often see owners less than a handful of times- sometimes once. I need to be efficient and this to me means spending more time teaching, demonstrating and assisting rather than wasting time convincing when an owner is averse to a tool. Why not choose another tool that will also be effective and has the added bonus of owner confidence? What happens after the trainer leaves is important to me. A person who is already averse to a tool is highly likely to blame and remove the tool when anything goes wrong post session. Some of those people will not contact you again and they lose even more confidence in their ability. Those that persist with the tool may hesitate every time they attempt to use it= poor timing. Good trainers should push their clients- but not so far over threshold that they shut down or struggle to learn. Its not that different to some of the principles we apply to the dogs.

You can free shape it Megan

It is important to use tools owners are comfortable with. Timing cannot be improved with hesitation on the part of the owner because they are extremely uncomfortable. And owners have to work under threshold to learn effectively too.. If i take an owner to the point of over riding anxiety- i doubt they will retain much of what i teach them. And yes it is cultural evolution too- but i like that people now ask questions and take a more active role in learning. I don't want to be someone who my clients are scared to question- nothing makes dog trainers beyond reproach. I think its dangerous to underestimate the influence of owners or to suggest that everyone will develop the same dog training skills. While most probably can develop the skills, the length of time taken will vary which poses two issues- will they stick around for long enough to develop the skills AND what happens to the dog during the owners learning phase- there are certain tools and techniques that i would much prefer to use over others with someone who is still developing their skills, its a very important factor. I was one who did not consider this enough in my early years of training and i know what problems result.

I will be sure to let my clients that have experienced otherwise know this 'fact'.

Mace- EVERY council is different, you can't state that the leashed dog will not face serious repercussions- it depends on a wide and varied range of factors.

What everyone else said. I know of multiple situations where an off lead aggressor has been the dog more seriously injured and the owner of the on lead dog has been taken to court/ charged/ fined/ dogs declared etc. Every council is different too so there are no hard and fast rules. I don't EVER want my dog to have to use their teeth to take care of something. Prevention and/ or extraction from the situation is MY responsibility, not my dogs. And just to clarify mace- no one 'told me' anything. I have my own experience to draw from.

A dog intent on doing damage to your dog is going to do so regardless of whether your dog has a muzzle or not- severe injury is possible anyway. Just because a dog does not have a muzzle does not mean they will at all be able to diffuse a situation. Having a muzzle means that the owner (who is responsible for dealing with the situation- not the dog) has a better chance of splitting up the dogs more quickly.

Complain to the practice manager. Nothing will ever change if people in charge don't know its a problem.

It is easier to break up a dog fight when you only have one lot of teeth to deal with. Of course no one wants to get into this situation but in the event that you do, i can't imagine why anyone would want two dogs potentially latched on instead of one. Muzzles ease owners stress. A stressed owner decreases a reactive dogs threshold significantly- we want to increase the dogs threshold so we need to deal with every factor affecting it. It is flawed to either ignore an owners emotional state or expect them to change it quickly- it just doesn't work. Owners emotional states (like dogs) take time to change and in some cases, muzzles help in the meantime. In addition to the other suggestions- i think its important that if a reactive dog has some 'dog friends' that thet do get regular interactions with them if possible. Regular predatory drive rewards can also help to stimulate and tire a reactive dog.

I would recommend looking at petrescue too but then you still have to go through the procedures of the rescue group who has listed the dog. I urge anyone who has a bad experience with any pound, shelter or rescue group to make an official complaint to management as it is the only way in some cases to initiate any kind of change.

Check for a retained baby tooth.

What persephone said. 8 months old is no longer a puppy IMO either- the developmental phase involving mouthing is over nd now the dog does it because its enjoyable/ fun. A good trainer is required!

Just to clarify, i didn't mean to suggest targeting was the solution, but as a small part of a behaviour modification program its simply something you could start teaching now while you wait to consult a professional. We don't use it as a distraction but its too complex for me to explain here. I am sure that the advise you receive from the professional who sees the dog will help a great deal- good luck! ETA- in the meantime, make sure the dog CAN'T practice the behaviour at all- even if that means restricting off lead time etc.

Definitely get Nekhbet to come and help you. In the meantime though- it may be beneficial for you to teach her to target (touch something with her nose- there'd be plenty of youtube videos). I like using transferable targets (like a target stick) for some situations like this so its worth teaching (and then- if its approprite Nek can show you how to use it to help with the issues). Its quick and easy to teach and can be used in a variety of ways as part of a solution to a problem.

I doubt very much whether the aggression is hormone related at 6 months of age- what makes you think that it is and that desexing will fix it?

I would try to get him onto a tug toy as soon as you can and build value for one in particular- it will be a must have training tool for you later on so don't give up! I'm going to go gainst the grain here and say that if he was mine i would also be feeding his daily food intakes in training/ rewarding house manners/ conditioning a recall/ playing LAT etc only rather than starting with TOT.