Erny

I agree - book a consultation with Steve (K9 Pro). He'll help not only your dog, but will show you ways so that you will learn the appropriate management skills to walk your dog safely. A muzzle is not out of the question, as that will (a) generally solve the problem of people approaching your dog (b) give you more confidence and © prevent another bite. Steve might be away on a Christmas break and you might need to wait a while for an available booking (he tries to push the urgents in) so you could use the muzzle in the meanwhile. Use a basket muzzle (not a soft one) so that your dog can breath pant (panting being the dog's cooling system) and pick times and places where you can as best as possible avoiding coming across people in close proximity. Make sure your collar and lead are sound and that your dog has no chance of slipping the collar. But if an appointment is not that far away, then you might be able to just not go out until you get to see Steve. Hang in there and don't despair. PS .... Whilst you might be waiting for an appointment to see Steve, I'd probably be inclined to have a blood workup/general Vet Check done on your dog, to rule out anything medical that could be contributing to the aggression. Chances are there are not, but if it is the case that all socialisation and training was followed properly (and that you were properly advised) it would be worth ruling this out as a possible contributing cause. Steve might not ask for this but it would be something I'd be inclined to do. If you're seeing the Vet it would be worth while having a soft cloth muzzle fitted first so that the Vet can get a chance to have a good check around and remain unbitten. Edited for grammatical reasons.

Dogbesotted - I'm really sorry for what you've had to endure. I'm not just talking the pup - that was bad enough (rest in peace, Comet - you were loved and had the comforts of a home at least for a short while ... when you needed them the most). And I'm not just talking the parvo risk - that IS bad enough. I'm also talking the floods. You lot have had a lot to bear with and I hope you manage to find yourself out of the hardships and into some good times soon. Is there anything you need from here?

Heheheheheee ..... I'd go the Calendula Tea rinse (leave in). And maybe have a look at diet to see if I could work some improvement from the inside out as well. But I'm not a Vet - I've only had a lot of luck with the use of Calendula Tea. And I need a "broken record" emoticon here .

Thank you, Silverdog. A little belated, but I hope your Christmas Day was a nice one, filled with gladness and good cheer.

That's true, although you can trim enough off to not have to warrant weekly attention. It's a matter of trimming a bit on each nail of the first foot and then going back over each until they are sufficiently shortened. I use the Dremel. I have the plug in style - I think it is a bit quieter than the cordless (so I was informed by the store keeper, whose Mum is a showy). I've not ever used a cordless but I don't have any problems with the cord style. I have always made sure the cord is out of the way of an inquisitive mouth. DoberDawn - Trimming nails with a Dremel.

The "ban" was in the USA, wasn't it? And that had something to do with there being a bad batch of whatever it was they were producing as the L-Tryptophan supplement back then?? Can't remember, but remember something about it. But I don't think it was about Tryptophan being bad (generally speaking) for dogs. I don't know much about it other than Tryptophan being what transverses the blood brain barrier and converts to Serotonin which itself has the calming influence over dogs.

Do you need to have your dog put under for this? That would be what would put me off ....

And from me to you too, Troy. :rofl: Thanks . And to everyone. A Merry Christmas - good cheer, good health and good tidings. ;)

No - a bit far .... but it's a thought and a lead . Thanks.

Oh .... also try averting your gaze. It should initially help to make your dog a bit more comfortable about being up close and personal .

This puzzles me. IMO, whenever you have a lead on the dog you are training. (Even when you don't have a lead on the dog, you are training.) Why does your dog walk perfectly with a slip collar without you ever needing to use it but then you say you wouldn't be able to walk your dog without the use of the Gentle Leader? I'm a bit confused about what you're saying .

Or is it that the food is better for the dog's system and so the dog is less likely to succumb to grass contact allergies? Just a general question I'm posing to anyone out there who would care, want or be able to answer. It is in line with my school of thought that it's about our dog's systems not being as strong as they could be is why we are seeing so many skin issues and that their systems are potentially not as strong as they could be because of what we feed them. And not just because of what we feed our own individual dogs, but what their parents and their parents before that and before that have been fed. Glad you are seeing improvement, tlc.

I agree with those who say "the dog is not fully trained unless it will perform without the tool" and I think this is a very relevant point if a bunch of us were merely sitting around discussing the advantages and disadvantages of training tools for 'training and training tool' sake and without taking into account the very real variables that individual humans create. Although years ago it used to be that I wouldn't be satisfied unless I knew the dog would 'perform' with or without a specific tool, I've come around to recognising and acknowledging that my passion and ambitions are not the same as others. And so for that reason I tend to more readily accept that provided the dog can be reasonably comfortable in the tool of choice and provided it is being used properly and is the best for the dog/owner COMBO and that it means increased dog/owner interaction, walks etc., then I'm ok with that. Whatever floats your boat (so long as the conditions I've just mentioned are observed). I agree that extension leads and head collars are incompatible with each other and I see that you've recognised the 'tension' factor is a very real problem in that instance. Personally, I don't like extender leads for almost anything because the most if not all of my general training is about teaching dogs to not apply leash tension. BUT .... I think you might be missing another major risk factor with the combination of a head-collar and a long lead, DaisyDog. Even with your extended Flexi-lead in the 'locked' position, there is a very real and higher risk of neck damage if your dog chose to suddenly bolt (for whatever reason). The longer the lead, the more momentum your dog will pick up before s/he suddenly comes to the end of the line. Imagine your own neck if your face was in a contraption that would result in a sudden whiplash situation in a circumstance such as that. Head Collars have their place but I think it needs to be acknowledged that they also have their limitations and I think the limitations of the use of the Head Collar needs to be observed by those who either choose to use them or need to use them. ETA: Re-reading over some posts I've just realised you said that you ONLY use your extender lead in the "fully retracted and locked" position. I presume by this you mean that you are using a shortish lead rather than the fully extended lead I had first imagined. I apologise for my misunderstanding in this respect but I'll leave up my post as some don't think about the 'length' aspect of their head-collar/lead combination. As an aside though, I don't know why anyone would bother or would want a retractable lead. IMO they very much get in the way of good lead handling because of the sheer bulkiness and unbalanced weight the handle creates. But that's me and probably just the trainer passion coming out in me, lol.

That's interesting, CavsRcute. One of the Vet's I've seen with my boy has made mention a couple of times of the fact that he (the dog, lol) has a "trigger point" but on both occasions I've forgotten to ask the significance of that (as we've had so much else to concentrate on at the time). Who is the person you see for the TENS Machine work? (ie Which Vet?)

+1 Looks like he is quite uncomfortable and the skin at the front of his muzzle would have to be very painful. Poor dude. Lucky you've got him and that he's going to receive some imminent attention that should have him feeling better soon.

If this includes me - I commented on the handling method I saw. I don't make any apologies for that and it was not my doing that I was manipulated (assuming that the footage has been tampered as described above). I think your comment about "the dog world and its sheep mentality" is insulting. Should we turn our backs on all that we see because it might be that it is fake and wait until perhaps someone will come forth with an explanation of the facts? If we thought that way anyway, how can anyone know that what you've posted above is correct? Would it be "sheep mentality" to believe it just as the initial video footage was believed, now that you have scolded (insulted) people for believing the first? Perhaps it might prove that you are 'guilty' of "sheep mentality" if it turns out that what has been posted in defence of the Judge in question is a lie. Then you will need to apologise to all within the dog world, as you've accused all of them as having "sheep mentality". I don't apologise for my comment on what I saw of the handling method. This is not sheep mentality - it is people seeing the same thing, thinking it to be true and knowing what looks wrong. They should not be criticised for being duped, assuming that they have been.

Lol

Lol .... my boy definitely does NOT have any space issues. This was NOT planned (although it has been trained for) ... I was busy talking to the camera person at the time : I agree with many of the suggestions given here, especially the leg weaving and the rewarding for being on-side rather than at front. Also train for 'heel' as being the static position and get that going well before you place forward movement to it. In fact, train for the pivot before you place forward movement to it as well. That should help with the distance issue you have. But I think the leg weaving will help as a beginner towards getting your dog comfortable enough to be able to start the static heel. And if I'm not making the slightest bit of sense, please let me know and I'll explain betterer .

I'm thinking that the majority of people who are having the problem about "behaviourists" who have no degree to tell them they are behaviourists, calling themselves "behaviourists" are the people who think they should have a degree to be able to call themselves "behaviourists", not the actual people who call them out to assist them with their dog's behaviour. I don't know of anyone who has said "OMG, I called a person who said s/he was a behaviourist bust s/he wasn't, s/he was a trainer". Sure - I've heard of a few people who have been unsatisfied with the advice/assistance of the behaviourist called out to see them. And that could have been because of bad advice; not advising them something that suited them/their situation; not suiting their preferences; or some other reason. But that could also occur with someone who has a degree but little profound experience about what they are doing. I've met some really crappy Vets and also crappy human Doctors in my lifetime (I've also met some good ones). I've had wrong diagnosis and bad advice. When I didn't like them, I scouted around to find another.

It worked! thanks Erny. She's not tearing herself apart anymore. You are a Godsend! It is brilliant stuff and I'm glad it has brought your dog some comfort. But remember - it doesn't cure the reason for the reaction, just deals with the symptoms and can help stop it becoming secondary infection. You still need to work out what's going on and why, and see what you can do to treat the root of the problem.

What a lovely post, Ravyk. And good for you for rescuing a doggy life - one that has obviously added to the richness of your life in return . There's something so different in the look of a "in need of a home" dog's eyes to that of a dog who 'belongs'. So lovely. Thanks for sharing.

Unless it is a 'forever' thing (ie NEVER allowed in your bedroom/study) I like to train to a word command that tells them they can enter (and which for them will also mean that it is safe to do so .... no stim/aversive).

Aaaaah. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. It would be a good strategy for behaviour that hadn't yet become ingrained/reinforced. Agree with this. Hey back

Are you being serious, Kelpie-i? Or am I being dull-headed? I haven't heard of that little tip before.

Scat Mat or Zone