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KobiD

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Everything posted by KobiD

  1. What Tassie has said is great advice. I also agree that I would not be taking him out and exposing him to too much at this stage. Everyone is big on the socialisation! but what exactly is that?? I remember reading these articles and thinking to myself about how much sense they made. A lot of K9 pro's training methods ring true with how I have wanted to train my dog. http://k9protraining.com.au/2013/02/13/socialisation-what-is-it-exactly/ http://blog.k9pro.com.au/socialise-now-play-later/ Now you know what triggers your new dog it's important to maintain control and reward positive experiences. IMO I wouldn't be allowing off lead interactions at this stage unless in a controlled environment.
  2. Quick one for those in the know? Is it more typical for an animal to be allergic to the actual plant itself, or the pollen released when seeding? Flare up seems to have hit with spring/summer and some of the grass had dry seed while others still green.
  3. Still treating this. Things were appearing to be clearing up but then this morning looks like a few spots have flared up again. More reading on the subject and appears paspalum grass is also a common allergen. We have a bit of this down the back yard isolated to a corner behind the shed where the dog tends to do her business. The rest of the yard is buffalo. I have had a bit of a session cutting/pulling some of it out and will continue to do so. It's also in the park around the corner is a few areas.. What I have also noticed is that my dog is drawn to it and likes to eat it. Go figure?
  4. Either educating yourself heavily on positive reinforcement training methods or having a trainer to work with you will have things moving in the right direction. Just remember it's not a race and that building the behaviours you're looking for will take time, patience and consistency on your behalf. I'd prioritise what is important to you and work on it. For us, the priority with other dogs has been for her show self control and confidence. If the behaviour falls apart to where she fixates, barks, pulls, etc it's a sign that you are working too close to the distraction. Basically be prepared to work at the dogs pace.
  5. So scrape and tape samples came back negative on mites/mange and fungus, however there was some bacteria as expected with some ongoing raw skin and dog licking behaviour. 10 days of antibiotics to keep infection at bay and twice daily topical steroid. The vets don't miss you on prices for meds. Think i'll probably get a script and shop around next visit. Got some advice but nothing that I hadn't read already. Vet believed probably an allergy. Suggested seeing if we could get this flare up under control and some vitamin e and moisturising products to boost immune/skin, and continue with malaseb every other day for a week and then once weekly after. If that is all it takes happy days, however also said dermatologist hit's the region 4 times a year and highly recommended going that route if it becomes a continuous battle. I asked about antihistamines but their opinion was that not many dogs respond well to them. I personally think I'd rather look into that before allergy tests and shots to build tolerance to whatever she is allergic to.
  6. Great advice and was also my intention. Hopefully things will be back on track again soon. I'll keep you all updated and appreciate the advice given.
  7. This morning have noticed another patch of hair starting to thin out above her front ankle up the back side. Not red, not flakey or inflamed. Just thinning hair, but pretty sure it's the same thing. Off to the vet tomorrow I think.
  8. We're only on day 2 of malaseb. Well aware of the long term implications, and also only applying to the effected areas. Haven't consulted with a vet at this stage but it's definitely on the cards if we don't see an improvement. The local place is a bit of a rotating door (similar to a 24 hour clinic). I have a more trusted vet but it's a bit of a drive to get there so working through a few things prior. Obviously being that this has peaked at Christmas it's not really the best time to be making appointments for something I don't really see as an emergency as such. As we're all aware allergies can take some time to find the trigger (be it environmental or food related).
  9. Couple of little pics where you can see the inflamed skin. As above, none of it appears overly raw, or sensitive. It does tend to crust/scab up a little in places though. Mainly located between the outer toes, and a bit up the leg towards the due claw, and a small patch up the hind leg too (along the tendon). It does appear to be responding well to daily soaks in malaseb so will continue with that. Also realised I had started feeding some tinned sardines in spring water which may have also been around the same time, so holding off on those and raw lamb to see if they could be a possible food allergy. Also note, paws are wet in these pictures. Were taken just after her morning soak and rinse.
  10. I can try and get a few pics. Interestingly, she doesn't have it between her middle toes. Only the outer ones.
  11. She doesn't swim.. But the grass is moist most mornings and she is outside in it. No wandering jew plants here. No environmental changes from when she was a baby a year ago. Very familiar with grass seeds including the spear grass that tend to bury into the skin causing discomfort etc. No foreign bodies caught between her toes, nor is there any puss or abscess. Just hairless red skin, that sometimes appears a bit weepy. The malaseb appears to have done a better job at reducing the inflammation than the anti fungal cream so I think I will try complete foot soaking once daily, leaving on for 10 mins and then rinsing and see if we can get ahead of it. She doesn't appear overly phased by it either. No significant pain response when touching the area and no changes in behaviour. Still happy and playful.
  12. Summer has rolled on and our little girl, 14months mixed breed, has hot spots between a couple of her toes (all paws). We live in the tropics so first thought was fungal but after a week of treating daily with nizoral 2% the condition has not really got any better. Some look a bit cleaner and not as red as previously, but others have also got larger (possibly due to licking). Have also done 1 x wash with malaseb in that time and intend to do so again today, but am a bit shy about excessive washing. Washing just her feet alone is quite difficult. Does anyone have any other suggestions? We've moved her across from her normal feed to a grain free variety incase it were something allergy related.. we introduced some raw lamb offcuts around the same time that the flare up occurred but it was only 4 x servings spread over a month or more so don't think that would be it (never know). Nothing else diet wise has been changed. If allergy related would an antihistamine be of assistance?
  13. It's definitely territorial, however she is desexed. Has been since 5months. I'm picking up on her triggers. She usually barks now if any of the dogs of the neighbouring properties come out to the fence. I'm working on desensitising her with them but it's taking a while. It only happens on our ground, never an issue in a public place. The main trigger is birds. Cockatoos, Myna Birds, Ibis, etc all get her going. They don't need to be in our yard even, just visible. In a tree she'll spot em and rip it. Again, only from the yard. During our daily walks on common ground she'll walk right by. She'll even continue walking on a loose leash while a willy wag tail claps at her tail. I've also noticed sometimes she'll do a patrol as I walk outside, she'll jump up and scan the area ready to bark, as if to check it's safe before I come outside. I've been rewarding and getting in before she has a chance to practice that behaviour though.
  14. It all depends what you wish to achieve with the dog I think. At 12 weeks she's still a baby, so based off that I wouldn't even bother with tricks, or cues too much at all. I'd be working on firstly creating a bond between you and the animal, and secondly working your clicker or marker word and simply reinforcing EVERYTHING that you like. It could be calm behaviour, good toilet choices, sitting, waiting. I wouldn't be working too much on duration. Just rewarding anything she offers that you like. Given that she's already taken to learning so quickly and is offering behaviours willingly I think one thing will quickly lead to another. Make sure the rewards are always near by and try to reduce the gap between the mark and reward. This may mean extending duration until you are in a position to follow the mark quickly. As you start proofing your cues I've found it quite beneficial to also offer strange body movements with it. It causes the animal to think and listen rather than just read body language. For instance holding a hand above the dog and asking for a down will go against their natural instinct to sit or stand. Then reward from the other hand down nice and low. Little things to keep the brain engaged will ensure they don't get bored. Keep the sessions short and fast paced with a high rate of reward.
  15. This dog has variable speeds. During the heat of the day she gets her laze on in a big way and is hardly motivated by anything. Still follows cue but at her own leisurely pace. Get her worked up and excited and the behaviours speed up and snap. Luckily for me I like calm and cruisey! And luckily for her when she gets all excited she reacts to me quicker! Win win. I feel like she's really starting to appreciate some touch and praise a little more now too. The world (at least the immediate world around her; ie our yard, regular things) isn't as exciting as it was and she's happy to cuddle. When she's on she doesn't want pats! Just wants to explore.
  16. Our dog is a rescue, picked up at 8 weeks. Was listed as a BC x Staffy, but to be honest I don't see much if any of either in her. As she's matured she looks very Lurcher-ish hunting dog, and given we're in FNQ where pig hunting is very common I'd say there's a good chance she's a mix of mixes. At a year old now she's just shy of 20kgs, but very slender and muscular, with a short stiff coat. Looks very lab like from some angles, but also a bit sigh hound, in the hind legs and waist. Anyway, back to topic. As a beginner trainer I really didn't know what I was getting into, nor do I really know if she has been a challenging temperament or not. I know I've had to put a lot of work into her, and continue to have to do so.. but I think that would be the same of any puppy.
  17. Still working with her on this and looking back at how she was to where she is she has shown some great improvements. She has had some very positive encounters with a variety of dogs. She does get a bit fearful if the other dog is too playful or stands over her too much and tends to come back in behind me indicating it's time for them to keep moving on. There is still a certain distance where she gets a bit overwhelmed or over threshold and focus shifts from me to the other dog, but as they move past she tends to snap back out of it and back onto task. I must say I have only been using kibble lately to reward so not high value by any means.
  18. We're still working on this one with some positive results. She definitely shows some territorial behaviour, but I've noticed it's mostly birds that she stirs at, or palm fronds falling, and occasionally neighbours doing things that make strange noises. The other night someone was playing a trombone and she wasn't a fan. Hahah! But did settle after we investigated and rewarded some calm behaviour.
  19. I think I've been dealing with possibly 2 separate issues on this front. On one front she is definitely being more territorial and alter and I think we're making some progress with investigating, settling and then stopping. On the other hand I think she might be doing a bit of attention seeking later at night. She has done the attention bark in the past around dinner time which we'd all continue eating ignoring her, no eye contact and after a week or so she got the idea. I feel like she's stepped this up, but at a later time at night. Once the kids are in bed and when we're trying to relax. Last night was a full moon so I'll cross my fingers that was just it, and a weekend night with more noises around the place. I did notice her direction would change from barking towards the yard back towards the doors. I tried waiting her out and rewarding for quiet which worked, but I'd come back inside and within a minute she'd be back at it. This went on for some time.. By around 9pm at night I had had enough and was thinking of the little one in bed, the other kid who was complaining he couldn't get to sleep, and also the neighbours. Ended up getting quite frustrated. Ripped it up the dog and closed the doors and she stopped. Went back out a few minutes later, had a cuddle and pet and then went to bed. Usually the dog would be asleep by that time, so maybe not enough exercise or training (no walks and little play) that day, coupled with the added light from the full moon.. Try again tonight.
  20. Always is Tassie! I pretty much have 'go sniff' on cue. Still working on the balance between sniffing with a loose leash, and knowing if she's sniffing to familiarise or sniffing to source out and consume something I'd rather not. A couple times I've had her pull, waited for her to shift focus back and then released her only to have her dive into some bushes and scoff down something. That is something else we've been working on though, trying to build value about leaving anything on the ground and only helping herself on direction.
  21. Great idea Tassie. We tend to do this in the afternoons when the day begins to cool off and she gets a bit more active. Ropeys, Palm fronds, tennis balls, and the whole family running around the yard. It's just not of much interest to her during the day when it's hot and she's not motivated. Take her to the park and get her interested in everything and she works much harder. Runs fast, quick recall, quick spins, and lots of hand targeting all before the treats are delivered usually. It becomes about the whole process rather than just the food.
  22. I wouldn't be rewarding her for barking, but the trick her is to find the threshold at which she can still function and then reward and with time close the gap down. As above, is it a particular scenario in which she barks, or is it whenever she see's him? With what you've described I would start by him telling you when he's getting home. That way you can get the flow of treats started before he gets out of the car. Keep rewarding as he approaches. The moment she stops eating and goes to vocalising stop the treats and stop the progress. Have him move back to a point where she stops and then reward heavily again, approach.. continue the cycle. She will soon associate the action of not barking with the treats coming. I'd then move her away and put her in your time out area with some treats while he comes inside and that way she doesn't get to practice the barking in that instance.. it becomes positive all around for the dog. Eventually he should be able to close enough distance to where your husband can actually deliver the treats. I'd also try and get him involved in feeding time if possible. Our pup used to (and still sometimes does) get very excited when guests would come over. I found giving her a high value reward such as a kong or bone would give her a buffer where she'd 1) associate guests arriving with good things happening for her, and 2) to watch the interaction with the guests and take some of the initial excitement off before she'd greet them.
  23. We spent the last couple mornings down the beach for several hours, doing laps of the esplanade, passing many people and greeting several dogs before moving on. She's definitely come a long way since last time we were down there in terms of impulse control and overall excitement. First morning she was more interested in the smells than the treats, but we simply slowed down and moved only once she could get the focus back in my direction. A lot of positive encounters with a variety of dogs, and always mixing it up between sometimes greeting briefly and sometimes letting them simply pass by. I've noticed quite a shift where she'd previously start barking as other dogs would approach to where she now crouches down all submissive but still moves in to say hello. She's still a bit unsure. Had one greeting today where the other dog was a bit excited and she came back around my legs. Kept it very short and the other dog and owner moved along. Interestingly seeing that same dog again later she was much more aware of it's presence, both in wanting to move towards it, but also being not sure. Just making sure all positive encounters are following up with lots of praise, pets and treats. I think I'll try and hit up a few new areas over the next couple weeks and see if we can start proofing the behaviour in a larger variety of environments.
  24. I've just been calling her back, rewarding, and then continue to reward as we investigate together quietly. She seems to be getting the idea. We then head back together I get her on her mat and give her a few more rewards for laying quietly. After watching her behaviour a bit closer i'm reasonably confident that she is just developing and showing some awareness of her territory and doing what dogs do. It'll just take some training and time for her to understand how much alerting is needed, and in what situations.
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