Cosmolo

But staranais- if this was communicated to the trainer and you trusted them to follow your instruction, i don't think it would be a problem. Except for the control freak in all of us..

We offer boarding and training- it does work well provided you are realistic and clear with regards to your expectations and what you would like the focus to be on. My advice to you would be to consider doing a private lesson first with whatever trainer you're considering- they can then run you through AND show you exactly what they would be doing and you can decide if its the best fir for your dog. Its a little extra outlay but well worthwhile IMO. Boarding and training gets a bad rap- mostly because of a few 'cowboys' who offer the service and do the wrong thing by the dog/ owner. Good news is, we're not all cowboys! People hear bad B+T stories but not the good ones- and believe me there are MANY good ones and some GREAT ones. The dogs we have board and train LOVE the training- they light up when we come to get them and love the learning and the challenge- better than just a walk for them.

I am tired of people telling me that Gilbert is going to turn into a little monster because he is a JRT.. There is a difference between the BYB JRT x down the road and the pedigree JRT bred by a responsible breeder. I don't think terriers are stubborn- i think they are smart and like any smart dog, they will do things that work for them- good and bad. I understand that i am not the average dog owner, i really do. But Gilbert has been a fabulous puppy- easier than others i have had. I also agree that JRT's need good training and socialisation- but then again i struggle to think of a breed that doesn't. Different breeds cope with poor socialisation and training in different ways- none of those ways are good for the dog or owner. I can think of a handful of breeds that develop characteristics other than aggression more typically, when not trained/ socialised. But although that may be better for the owner, its certainly not always better for the dog.

Oh and just to add- you won't need to buy a flock of sheep.. I have 2 working/ herding breeds here including one that spent the first 2 years of their life herding cattle- and they both live happily in a suburban backyard. It takes effort but you will get there.

Corvus- did you start consistent training with Erik right away? I would debate whether his reward history with someone like yourself would be the same as a puppy whose owner doesn't know as much about dogs or puppy raising. I'm not questioning what you did with Erik at all, just suggesting it would be different from what most people would do. I'm not really sure if we're talking about the same thing either- i am not talking about getting a dog used to handling by grabbing them and waiting till they render themselves helpless. My post relating to handling was a little OT and just made to make mention of the fact that i think handling of pups before owners get them influences the pup significantly- including behaviours like mouthing. I am more referring to the owner stopping a puppy from doing something, puppy has a wriggle and squirm in response to that, and owner teaching puppy that doesn't mean they can go back to what they were doing- in combination with teaching the puppy precisely what does work. I did this with a puppy on the weekend- 16 weeks old, has been mouthing owners constantly for 8 weeks, no interest in redirected toy until after we stopped the mouthing on the human. Pup then finished the class chewing happily on a toy instead of owners hands- the same toy that 10 minutes earlier puppy ignored. I disagree that pups grow out of mouthing too- although there are a few that may, many don't- and they continue to mouth as adults. To the OP- try doing his obedience, when he is in the early stages of drive- so get him a little excited, then ask for a sit etc, rather than only practicing when he is calm. Then you should find you can do what Corvus suggested more effectively over time- asking for a sit, in the early stages of the mouthing, and then directing to a tug toy after that. In the meantime i would still use an effective correction to stop the reward history developing further- but thats just me.

Thanks for that. We're looking at a trailer with a roof and sides so we should be able to attach some side or roof racks to attach it to? We want the smallest trailer possible but full size agility equipment- not asking much!! lol

Its not about teaching a puppy that they're helpless Corvus- its about teaching them that when you attempt to stop them doing something, and they have a tanty- the tantrum does not work. Its hardly teaching them that they have no control and can't do anything about a situation- its teaching them one element of their behaviour will not achieve their end goal. You have a puppy who is in drive with the best squeaky toy in the world- a human. For many high drive pups, redirection is not enough ONCE the puppy has learned that biting people gets the desired result. If the puppy has been having a blast mouthing people for a month, how do you convince them to bite a toy instead (that doesn't have the same reward history) WITHOUT stopping them from biting you first? With most puppies that have this kind of reward history, obedience commands won't hold- especially if there has been no training in drive done before. I respect your opinion corvus, although i disagree- but remember- we are talking about a puppy who already has a strong reward history of mouthing people and dealing with this is very different from dealing with a brand new puppy that is dealt with through redirection as soon as they try the behaviour, every time. Corvus "I want them to believe they can control the things that happen to them so they are confident and get into the habit of trying to figure out what I want from them so they can get what they want." (sorry i don't know how to quote properly) I completely agree with that statement- but i don't believe that working through a tantrum or two excludes the above at all- you can do both. A little OT and not directed at the OP- The other thing many people seem to forget is that how your puppy was handled while with the breeder makes a massive difference to all of these things we are discussing here. There are huge differences between pups from origins where they were handled extensively and properly and those where they were not- like puppy farms or pet shops. This is why sometimes i think i go against the grain to what most people suggest on DOL when it comes to mouthing etc- because i deal with alot of pups that were not handled enough with their breeder, and then by the time i see them already have reward history not condusive to what the owner wants- and we often need to do some behaviour blocking before we get into the great stuff- the confidence building, shaping, relationship building exercises etc. These are important factors that i believe get overlooked. It is hard for an owner to get stuck into some great positive training with a puppy hanging off their arm. Much easier when we have stopped the bite marks appearing!

Looking for the best way to transport a full size dog walk? What kind of trailer actually fits one? Can you get a full size one that disconnects into pieces smaller than the 3 1/2 metres in length standard dog walk pieces are? Any help appreciated!

Congrats on your new puppy- i think the following is really important. - Not playing tug is disadvantageous if you have a pup with plenty of drive, and you clearly do. Playing tug will not create dominance or aggression issues and we need to just ensure we teach what items to tug on and how to give. Dogs learn to differentiate really well, so if you are clear, this won't be a problem. Why play tug? Because it means you have a reward that stays on you rather than throwing it away like a fetch game, and most importantly because you simply have to provide an outlet for your pups drive. - I would seriously consider a water spray or time out as a correction- there are other techniques that i think work very effectively but they really should be shown, not explained online. Ignoring is unlikely to work because the puppy is having a great time anyway- he doesn't need any attention from you to be having a ball tugging on your clothes or limbs! The other issues with ignoring mouthing is the extinction burst that follows- the behaviour gets worse before it gets better and at that point, its simply too difficult for everyone (including children, older or more sensitive skinned people) to be consistent. Once you have given the 'correction' 20-30 seconds later, or immediately upon releasing from the time out room, redirect to a toy. You need to teach him how to control himself when he is excited- starting by getting him a little excited, and then settling him- either through manipulating a toy or food reward (removing it when he jumps or tried to mouth, and then giving it to him when he offers you a stand or sit) OR taking him by the collar and holding him until he settles- he may have a tantrum and if he does, you have to follow through and calmly wait until he settles. - Put his lead on, soak it in crib stop first to stop him chewing on it and let him get used to moving around with it- clip it on and walk him to his dinner bowl or favourite toy. In saying all of that- a one on one session with a good trainer would be very beneficial for you.

How long a puppy can hold on for depends on the dog- their breed, size, upbringing, their diet and what toilet training you have done so far. My Jack Russell puppy could hold on for 7 hours over night and 3-4 hours during the day at 12 weeks of age. I would suggest keeping a diary of when the puppy toilets, when they have accidents etc- it aids in you working out their physical ability to hold on very quickly.

Is there any way you can set up a camera to see what happens when you're not there? I know its difficult but i had a client do it recently and discover just how bad their dogs issue really was. I think the amount of damage is relevant to the bite inhibition- or lack of- of the dog that did the biting- not necesarily related to the seriousness of the issue. No easy answer- i'd like to see how they interact when you're not there before i would consider taking the risk. Otherwise, some degree of separation would be preferred. I have 5 dogs and for the most part they run together- 2 have to be separated if we leave them for long periods though- nothing to do with the dynamic, one has HD and ED, the other awful allergies so when left in the yard for long periods i come home to one cripple (from playing too much) and one hivey ( from rollong around on the grass. We separated the puppy to start with but now he often stays with them. We are fortunate though because we don't work 9-5 away from the home. If i did, i wouldn't have the number of dogs i do.

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I understand that, i really do but although its likely to be frustrating, you would likely see improvements within a week- apart from using a bark collar (which i would not recommend in this situation unless absolutely necesary) i don't think there is a quicker way. Can you speak with our neighbours and explain what you are doing and that you are working on the problem? Alot of neighbours are happy to give you a week or two of leeway if they know you are trying to resolve the issue. ETA I think what you're doing now is entirely TOO predictable, hence the issue- dog knows if he barks for long enough in the mornings you will give him food. My dogs have a very random, unpredictable feeding schedule and while they're always happy to be fed there are no demands at certain times.

If you ignore, the dog will get worse before it gets better- but it does work. Can't say how long it will take though- especially now that the dog has been rewarded for his efforts. Vary feeding times as much as you possibly can as well- each time the dog barks and gets fed, it makes the problem worse. How long did you ignore for the first time? ETA I disagree with Poodlefan- varying meal times can help. Most dogs do better when there is no strict routine creating expectations- when dogs are in a routine and their expectations aren't met, we often get problem behaviour.

How many meals a day does the dog get? Do you feed at the same time each day? Do you feed to stop the dog from barking?

Dust angel- those photos are gorgeous!!

Yes, i said i had not pts a dog- i have pts other animals of mine and i don't disagree with you that it is awful. Having had one of my dogs die in a different way though- i don't think any one way an animal passes is any easier at all but thats JMO, i respect others feel differently. (I don't feel i hijacked the thread either- i responded to the OPs post regarding sedation after recounting my own experience in my first post)

Ooohhh- great thread! We met Dexter man at the shelter (he was named Magpie) where we were temp testing. It was only about 2 months after we lost our old boy Otto. I saw him in a play yard and although we don't normally have time to test puppies, i wrote him down on the list for some reason. We got him out to test and i was going goo and gah while OH was handling him. We see lots of amazing dogs but this one was different. OH and i had said when we got our next dog (which was not going to be until AT LEAST 1 year later) that if it were a boy we'd call him Dexter. So while i am trying to hold back how i feel about "Magpie" OH says to me- if he were my puppy, i'd call him Dexter. And at that point i burst into tears, leaving my poor OH very confused as to why.. I still don't really know why! There was just something about him. So we adopted him and brought him home and he is my very special bear- i don't know what it was but something in me tweaked when i met him and we have been inseperable ever since. Dexter as a puppy- Dexter at Christmas-

Yes- i know what its like to lose a pet. And i am allowed to have a different opinion to you, just as you're entitled to disagree. I have apologised if there was any offence caused- but i am posting based on my experiences, just as everyone else is. I said multiple times that everyone has the right to decide how to send their pet on their way- there is NO right or wrong. Where we disagree is that i think everyone also has the right to make informed choices about their options. If the OP would like me to go back and delete my posts i will do so- but i do believe others have learned from many of the posts in this thread and i don't think that is a bad thing.

I disagree with you labsrule and others have commented they do too- i think its important for people to know what their options are and threads go alot more off topic than this all the time. In saying that- my intention was NEVER to cause offence or be insensitive to the loss of someone's pet- i know how awful it is- and if thats what has occurred, then i do apologise.

I think thats true Longclaw- while i am no expert, i think the sedation takes away physical control first so when the mind is still there, it becomes very stressful. I respect everyone's right to make the decision they want to for their animal- but that decision can't be made when people don't even know they have a choice. ;)

I think you'd do well to consider border terriers, australian terriers and jack russell terriers- any of these from a great breeder with the right training and socialisation would do well and they are all intelligent and good to train. They're not without their challenges from a training point of view but get it right and they learn very fast, retain information well and love it at the same time!

We specialise in one on one training.

We work in Frankston on a regular basis as well. Good for you for wanting to nip the problem in the bud!

I missed your reply- Jackie- have you seen dogs injected straight away with lethabarb? I've never seen it take a full minute- maximum would have been 10 seconds, even with the big dogs. so 30 seconds with sedation seems a long time to me. Granted its certainly better than the 20 minutes the vet waited for the dog i took in to be pts who was sedated first. I think its unfair to suggest responsible owners wouldn't go into it blindly- people are distressed at that time and hardly likely to ask the questions they might normally. Euthanasia protocols are not common knowledge and most pet owners would euthanase very few dogs in their lifetime.