Erny

What about getting a puppy play pen and setting that up so that she can get into the open plan lounge, but is otherwise restricted from getting up on the couch?

Naturally you're aware that Sasha has learnt that it's ok to be on the couch when you're not there (she's learnt this because she is not told to get off) but not ok when you are there. This is where "prevention" is a good method for the early days (preferably from day dot of 'teaching the rules' but at least the method I employ when I'm first beginning to train for a different behaviour than what's been "allowed" before). I am unsure why it is "impractical" that you keep her out of the room when you're not there? Is it that the room doesn't allow for things such as baby gates? These IMO are the most practical and convenient way of denying dogs access to certain areas whilst at the same time are not entirely 'ugly' nor inconvenient to use. There are special mats (not sure what they are called) that are designed to put dogs off from being on couches etc. They are made from hard plastic and have 'spikes' (for want of better words) to make it uncomfortable for your dog to lay on. I have not utilised these in any of the training I do and only saw them in a shop the other day. A few problems I identify though are (a) each 'mat' would only suffice to cover one seat (b) they weren't exactly cheap and if you multiply however many you might need to cover the couch and arm chairs, it would work out expensive and © Unless there were spots to anchor them (I didn't see any, but I had a puppy in my arms and it was difficult to check it out properly) I could see that a dog could easily and quickly learn to pull/kick them off the couch. When I adopted my previous (avatar) girl as a 7 year old, her previous home permitted her to sleep on couches. I didn't want that so whilst I was not home I loaded the couch up with boxes so there was no room for her. However, this would not do for a dog who was pushy enough to find a game in removing (and maybe chewing up) cardboard boxes. The other downside was that I had cardboard boxes hanging around my living room for a little while. There are "scat mats" which are basically mats which give off a stimulation (similar to e-collars) when the dog treads on them. There is also the "zone" collar which works on the principal of an e-collar which is activated when the dog ventures to within a certain distance (you can set the distance to a certain extent) of the couch. I have used the 'zone' collar with a good degree of results. I would suggest collar conditioning your dog before beginning training with one though, and in the meantime organise something - at least for the couple of weeks you are collar conditioning. Another (basic) option that might be worth trying is to make as if to go out but sneak back and with patience, wait until the moment Sasha goes to climb on the couch. You would then be able to reprimand her (yes, she'll be surprised) for doing so. You'll need to do this numerous times though, and you still need to deal with those other times when you simply cannot be around to do it. So you still come back to the "preventative" problem. As to how successful this method is, regardless of how many times you might manage to do it, is how sensitive Sasha is. I had another but similar problem with my avatar girl (Kal) getting up on my bed. I was able to train her out of that when I was home, but similar to your problem, found it difficult to do whilst I was out. I did make it a habit of closing off the bedroom door when I went out, for quite a number of weeks. The point behind doing this was to weaken the otherwise habitual behaviour that was already instilled. Kal was a very sensitive girl and in addition, hated the sound of those squeakies we find in dog toys. She was also not a dog who was into chewing or taking into her mouth anything (other than bones), so I had no fears with using a numer of those squeakies and randomly placing them under my doona. When she went to get up on the bed, they would one by one "squeak" and that assisted as a deterent to her getting up on the bed. There are so many things/ideas that you could try. As to which one depends on you knowing your dog and what would work best for her. It doesn't have to be one thing or another either - the main thing is that WHENEVER she goes to get on the couch when you are not home, that there is something that occurs to make it so that she'd decide her advantage lays elsewhere (eg her own dog bed). Unless you are able to provide this on a consistent basis, you will be making the problem even more difficult to erase later on.

From my understanding NZ don't have half the crazy dog laws and restrictions we do here and I must say that I was slightly musing about life in NZ myself only the other week.

They do seem really nice, Dogdude and I'll be keeping that site in mind for when Mandela is ready for his 'adult' sized collar. I'd like to see some bigger pictures of the collars though so I can more easily identify the detail in the collar work, but perhaps they will accommodate me when I contact them. I had a lovely leather collar made up for my previous (avatar) girl. It was very simple with 'coach like' rectangle brass studs spaced around the collar. Suited her - very elegant. I happened to bump into the girl who made them when I was visiting a vet one day and have since lost her contact name and details .

You'll only be beating yourself up if you 'wish' this way. I mean, it might have been that had you left her home an even worse fate may have befallen her. Then you'd be wishing you left her at doggy day care. I only say this because in the absence of a crystal ball and some sort of insight and hindsight that the majority of us without 'gifts' don't possess, you just can't know if one or the other would have been better. I'm really sorry this happened to your pup, Shoshana and I truly hope for the best possible outcome for her. I can imagine your worry and regret. But try not to dwell on it and look backwards - it won't help you at all and will make no difference to your pup's situation. There are such things as 'accidents' and although I know what you mean about wanting to be able to place blame on someone because that's easier to accept, accidents do happen as a part of life. No-one's to blame, not even yourself for the decision you made. You did the right thing for the right reason. Not your fault because your pup was playing and became injured as a result. All the best, Erny

Well done, Charli73 .... and well done Zoe. You've both come a long way and overcome some hurdles along the way to boot!!! Good on you both for your work and dedication and congratulations. I know you will both enjoy the challenges in Level 7 as well as the further achievements you'll make there .

Thanks RL ..... He thinks so too! Mind you, he's showing his angelic side in the photo. There is his demonic side as well!! And thanks for your info, although sorry that your dog's problem has returned - hope you are able to resolve it. I have a friend who knows of a good holistic Vet and from what I recall is apparently pretty good with things such as skin conditions and the like. I think I might organise a visit there just to cover my bases.

Although some 'pooh pooh' the idea, I have known pups and dogs who have ingested rocks, stones and earth the cause of which was an apparent dietary deficiency (ie minerals). A change of diet could be in order - even if the one this pup is on is good, it might not be the right one for this pup to absorb what he needs. I have known of some people who have added mineral water to their dog's meal and noticed a reduction if not resolve from "pica" behaviour (eg. eating stones). If this produces results it is a fairly easy indicator that diet is indeed the culprit and needs to be addressed. Of course there are other possible reasons for the behaviour - apart from the above it could have come from natural exploration or boredom or a combination of each and from there has become a learnt behaviour. As written above, it is a behaviour definitely to be discouraged and the cause addressed, as ingesting stones, rocks etc. can have dire if not fatal outcomes. I agree that pup needs to be kept in a rock free area. Not only for safety/health reasons but also so that any 'learnt behaviour' component does not become even more ingrained than it already might be.

I was thinking this too, Persephone. My avatar girl used to suffer this from time to time, but then she was an adult dog and it would seem that young pups are less likely to contract this condition? As per my post above, I'll pop back to the Vet's next week and discuss having his ears re-checked, especially if he is continuing to scratch. He was so busy today, helping me in the garden, that I don't think he thought to scratch once .

That's what both the Vet and I thought initially. Personally, I can't see the white stuff the Vet was talking about. I presume it is further down the ear canal than what I can detect by simply the naked eye. So this makes it somewhat difficult to wipe out. I have some revolution 'spot-on', but I was avoiding applying it until he is a little older. I worry about all the chemicals we impose upon and into our dogs and although I understand there are those that are the 'necessary evils', I would like to use as less as possible and only if necessary. I need to take him back to the Vet for his weekly weigh-in, so I might get her to do a double check on the "white stuff" and re-check for mites then. Thanks all. It's not an excessive problem although I'm conscious of not leaving it brew if there is a problem to be had. Cheers! Erny

No - no application of ear powder. But thanks for the thought.

What I was going to say, Dogdude . Get the walk going easy enough on lead first, before you leap for higher expectations such as the heel. At the moment, your 5mo staffy's world would be so interesting and new. Expecting her to be able to comply with heel command (which includes no sniffing; paying attention to you; etc) is a bit like expecting the prep school kid to be able to master more complicated maths beyond the first basics of 1 + 1 = 2. So rather than setting up the situation for failure, set it up for a 'win' and be happy to reward your pup for merely walking on loose lead. Proof the loose lead walking with some (gradually) higher distractions as she improves. Keep the sessions short but frequent and rewarding. Five month old pups don't need to walk out too far for too long. Work to finish on one of those really good notes and avoid being tempted to continue the session just because it is going well. It is usually then that us humans push too far too soon and we loose the opportunity to finish on the high.

I don't check out the 'lineage' of all the dogs I see as 'clients' so I can't speak from a statistical pov. But you could be right, LL. I wonder though, given the busy life styles people lead these days and the restrictions imposed (necessarily) on dogs having to be locked in yards and in many cases restrained on leads, what it would be like for them if they possessed the high drive of the working lines .... drive that would not be regularly satisfied ???? I do see more than enough dogs though who are weak on nerve and without the right upbringing perhaps lead a problematic life at the other end of the scale to a dog with unsatisfied higher drive. My preference is for working-line bred dogs and I like to see working lines out and about, but I like to see them as happy, well-balanced and satisfied dogs. I love that many people are engaging in sporting activities that match the drive for which their dog has been bred for. I wish it could be more but I do think dog sports are increasing in membership. Or could that perhaps be my impression because of the circles I mix in? It would be very sad indeed if the working-line angle was to become completely lost.

Just remember that "clicker training" is not a new fang dangle 'version' of training. It is merely a sound (*click*) that replaces a marker word (*yes*) that has been used in training methods (not just the 'positive only' styles) for yonks.

Active Manuka Honey is good as a booster for the immune system. Get the good stuff from a Health Food Shop. It's pricey, but I always have a jar of it in the pantry. Lasts for ages and is yummy (for both dogs AND humans).

Hi. I don't think this is any big problem, or even, if I'm lucky, that I need to be concerned or do anything about it. When I picked up Mandela at 8wo, he had a reasonable amount of blackish wax in his ears. His ears bothered him a little, as they still do, but I would not suggest excessively. I simply used damp cotton balls to wipe out his ears to clear the wax and noticed this did provide him with some relief, however the blackish wax continues to accrue, although not as it was. When we were at the Vet's yesterday for his 2nd puppy vaccine, I got the Vet to check his ears in case Mandela had a mite problem. When the Vet peered into his ears via the ear-scope, she did make comment that there was some white stuff in the canals which she said is often indicative of the presence of mites. She did an ear swab of each ear, but it came up clear. So no mites - good . But it's got me wondering a little about what the "white stuff" would be. The Vet suggested that perhaps my cleaning of his ears did the trick. I doubt this very much as I only wiped around the exterior part and would have expected that if there had been mites, there would still be some remaining even if I had managed to remove a few. Could the "white stuff" (sorry that I don't have a better description) be a yeast deposit of sorts? And if so, what is the cause of this in dogs, and what is the remedy? I'm happy to leave this if it is to cause him no problems. As I said, his ear scratching is not excessive and in fact I'm thinking it has reduced further in the last few days (but that might be a temporary thing, seeing as I had recently cleaned them again only a few days or so ago). I don't really want to plaster pup with chemically based or harsh cleaning products, nor start sticking anything down his ears if I can avoid it. I just thought there might be some who have knowledge and experience of this who could share that with me to perhaps douse my curiosity. All of this I should have asked the Vet when I was there. But we got side tracked and I didn't think about it at the time. I was just pleased when she told me he didn't have mites in his ears I don't think I thought forward of that at the time. Cheers and thanks in advance Erny

I'm probably still a bit lost because I'm not sure if your question is supposed to be relating to the OP's post or not? But regardless, to answer, I have seen numerous - mostly in protection and scent detection work but also in other fields as well. In some instances I have unfortunately seen numbers with unsound temperament/nerves being trained for these roles as well. Of course also in my line of work I see plenty with high desire and unsound temperament/nerves. If what you mean by "desire" is "drive", I have seen dogs with many varying levels, but then I see many different breeds, breed lines and individuals within breeds as well, and would imagine other trainers would have seen the same variances amongst their own canine clients. But I'm still unsure as to how this question relates here, or how the answer to it is of any interest ???? Sorry - perhaps due to the lateness of the hour and a lack of sleep over the last few nights, I am not comprehending the reason for your questioning and therefore my answer may not be targetting your question accurately.

.... Not sure of the point of your question, LL ???

Not necessarily, LL. Just to better describe the TYPE of 'quiver' I'm talking about .... have you ever had an event where there has been a sudden onset of adrenalin rush and then as the adrenalin leaves you, you can feel the muscles in (eg) your leg quivering? Not necessarily easily visible, but there nonetheless. I've also experienced this sort of 'quiver' when (say) a muscle in my arm has been over-taxed yet I continue to put stress on it by working it. It's not necessarily obvious and would be unlikely to show up if someone video taped it, but it's there. That's what I'm meaning by 'quiver' in this instance.

I'd like to see that!! Count me in for notification of this event too please .

Monelite .... do you mean something along the lines of a 'quiver' ? Still not sure what the reason might be though. Can only think of jaw ligament and/or adrenaline like affect/anticipation. May be completely off the mark though.

That's an excellent point LL.

Start walking two at a time and get that going right before you walk three at a time. ETA : I'm not inclined to use split leads for the reason touched on by Reddii above. I prefer separate leads so that each can be adjusted/utilised for the individual dog as required - even if doing so is not as 'clean' as it might be when walking only one dog, if the dogs know and understand Loose Lead Walking they should understand a correction when/if delivered.

I hope so too, Monelite. But don't bank on it .

.... Fantastic!! That is SO what us dog people who don't agree with the laws that have and are likely to be imposed, need to do . Cheers! Erny