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I would give the pup the benefit of the doubt,but I would have some reservation about him not being from working lines is the intended purpose was Shutzhund. Tony

Rob,about time you turned up!!!!LOL Thanks for the input as its much appreciated.I reckon your right,so many have lost Animal Sense for sure.Yes many are great on the Theory but very weak on the practical Application for sure. Tony

getday everybody,good to see the Aussies out working and everybody enjoying themselves.Sooner or later I will have to get an Aussie and join the rest of you Characters!!! Tony

Ben,great to see you post.Welcome aboard!!! Tony

Jeff,my friend thank you for your very kind mention. Tony

Lilli,that explains a bit,this Horse being one of the CSL mob.Lilli,when you get time I would follow up the Join-Up Process as I think it will help in many ways.Thank you Lilli for the Thank you, but being able to help somebody even in a small way is a privellege for me and enriches my Life. Tony

Lilli,I take it from your post that this is the first time you have encountered Rearing with this Horse?

Lilli,as you know the factors that need to be taken into account are your state at the time,the onsett of Spring,the behavior of nearby Horses,the late Gelding of this Horse and the way he see's you.

Before I go any further Lilli,as this was a first it is not entrenched behaviour.I would if you feel a little wary, get somebody else to take this Horse and recreate the situation that you had and see if he repeats the behaviour.

Lilli as you know Horses are like Dogs in one respect and will repeat a behaviour if there is a payoff in it for them.alot of Horse Training is making it easy for the Horse to do what we require and hard for him to do what we do not want!!!We show them a Path of least resistance.

lilli,it is not helpful to chastise yourself about how you may have contributed to this matter.Awareness that there may be a problem is the first step in seeking a solution.This first step you have taken, so do not beat yourself up over it.No matter what we are doing life is learning.

lilli,there are a few options here.Firstly as you already know many issues with Dogs go back to Leadership.Horses also are subject to Leadership issues.Lilli I would check out Monty Roberts and his Join-Up Process as one good starting point.

Lilli, one option which another poster has already touched upon is this.I would equip yourself with a good Halter and a Lead long enough to lunge the Horse with.Recreate the scene you had or enlist the help of other People.Have the other People assemble all leading a Horse each.Get these People to group together.Next lead your Horse up and down past this group of Horses.Take note of your Horse"s body language and behaviour.If he starts to act up,immeditately send him out on the lunge right near the group of Horses.Keep him Lunging then stop and proceed in leading him up and back past the group again.Any unwanted behaviour and straight away lunge again!!!!You must initiate the Lunging immeditately so he connects it with his behaviour.When he will walk past calmly let him stand as a reward.We are showing him that his behaviour of acting up makes life hard for him and his behaviour of being calm makes life easy for him.

Initially in the early stages have the group of Horses being held all pretty well stationary till he gets the idea.As he gets the idea you can then have the Group move around a bit,whilst still repeating the Lesson.The same way one would introduce a distraction into a Dogs training to strengthen behaviour we want.

Lilli, is it helps PM me a postal addy and I will send you one of those Halters mentioned in this Thread, as they are one of many items I make.The Halter will be on the House as I will be glad to help see the situation rectified. Tony

Thank you Lady"s for your wise and articulate posts.You all bring wisdom to this topic, so again thank you. Tony

Again Vickie,thank you for your input as it is appreciated. Pinnacle There is no correct or incorrect answer as you ask at the start of your post.Its much better to just post what you feel about this Topic.This you have done very very well and I thank you for your contribution!!!!Pinnacle many times somebody like you will raise a point I have not thought of and this I value as it broadens my outlook. Tony

Is it just me or are there others that find it very lacking sometimes, the general section?

What am I talking about?I am talking about some of the supposed problems inregard to Dogs posted in the open or general section.I see so many of the Problems as trivial and I have the attitude of fix it and get on with it!!!

I guess maybe it all goes back to the level of experience of the individual involved.I guess somebody with little experience,would tend to classify a minor problem as a major problem.That might be the case but it does not help the Dog involved!!!!

Seems to be that so many do not take into account the part that their low level of experience plays, in any Dog related situation.Possibly in their Eyes, its best to fool onself into believing their experience and knowledge is greater than it actually is!!!!That of course does not help Dogs.

The sad part about is is that we see People post a problem and the rantings in some cases,start of PTS PTs PTS!!!!Very sad when its a minor problem being blown out of proportion by inexperienced People!!!!!! Tony

Thank you Anita and Horus for some more excellent input!!!!

Anita, you raise a very relevant point about some Dogs of the present not surviving in the past.Very very very true.Some of the Dogs I have come across nowdays,I would not own or feed!!!!

Horus,Humanising Dogs is one of my Pet hates!!!!So much like talking to me or you in Chinese and expecting us to understand perfectly!!!People try to turn a Dog into a Human,then wonder why his behaviour as a Dog is confused,anxious,fearful and agressive. Tony

Lewis-Lyn, the Dog"s prey drive is being triggered off by the Pigs.The Dog is responding to age old instinct.I would say a move might be the best option.Covering the lower portion of the Cage would not be effective I do not think as he would still smell and hear them. Tony

Thank you both Lady"s for your excellent posts.You both raise some very good points!!!! Tony

Are we catching up to Dogs?

This is only one of my perspectives on Dog"s and Training.We have all in our time so far, seen different Trainers,Approaches,Methodologies,Books,DVDs and Schools of thought emerge.

I am in many ways a believer of the saying, that everything old becomes new!!!.What is the most effective way of getting a task,message or lesson through to any Species?The most effective way is obviously putting things in a way that is relevant to the Species specific Psychology of whatever Animal we are dealing with.Much like talking to an Australian in English rather than Chinese.

Dog Psychology has existed for as long as Dogs have of course.Dogs have always known how to relate to one and other.Dogs have always known how to train one and other.Hence my belief that everything old becomes new.

To me based on my experiences,indepth knowledge of Dogs was once far more common than Today.Back in time when Humans worked with Dogs in a much broader sense than today,the knowledge was more common and was a requirement so things functioned effectively.

Today,we see less knowledge due to many not having the exposure of those in the past.I find it a bit absurd,when some out in the Community buy a Dog and then seem alarmed, when this Dog actually acts like a Dog!!!!!

Again to me,the key is to understanding the very being and Psychology of a Dog.Once we can do that,everything will flow from that.Dogs have a big headstart on us in understanding,Dog Psychology and surely to do justice to us and our Dogs we need to catch up. Tony

Piglet,its just a Pup being a Pup. Tony

Isis,your post made perfect sense.You answered your own question well.Like you said you were running on a past experience and the Dog reacted to where you were coming from.

Isis,along the way whether it be Horses,Dogs whatever we have probably all held things back.The Key is my Book is firstly being aware that we are holding progress back and then seeking a way/s to change what we are doing inorder to facilitate ongoing growth.

A certain amount of self analysis is part of the process.You seem to have it pretty well worked out. Tony

I would not do it with Pups at all.Older Dogs in their natural state may not eat every day anyway. Tony

Cocker, no problem.We all at times as Humans dismiss or discount things as that way they do not seem that bad.You are aware it is a problem otherwise you would not have posted.No matter what we are dealing with,till we make change there will be no change. Tony

Cocker,ah yes the Fences and chewing from the outside.I thought this may well be the case.

Cocker I would read up on Separation Anxiety.I would also have an objective look at your management of this Dog.

When our management and or Leadership of a Dog or Dogs is not what it should be,a Dog will feel they have to take over as leader.In these cases Dogs think they have to protect and look after us and our welfare.In these cases when the Human dissapears it causes anxiety,stress and panic in the Dog.Dogs in these situations will chew on Doors and such as they know the Door is acess to where you may be.

I would consult a knowledgeable Trainer near you for a start.I would be chasing up some news of how the rest of the Litter is.Why?Sadly nowdays some Breeds are genetically prone to some of these disorders. Tony

Cocker,relax take your time its no drama.I unfortunately did not make my question very clear about the holes.I meant are they for example in the middle of the Yard or near Fences?

When you say she is chewing the House,is she chewing frames and so on from the outside or is she doing it when she is inside the House? Tony

Cocker,a few questions for you. what is the positioning of the holes she digs?When she chews Doors,Frames and so on is she by herself?

Also have you heard anything about the behaviour of other Pups from the same litter? Tony

Blitz,I would go with the excellent suggestions by Kitkat and Poodlefan. Tony

Kowai, its not surprising the content of your post.Yes our performance does indeed affect the dogs performance.Unbeknown to us when we are feeling ill or off,we may think we are using the same tones,same body language,same pace of movement but there will be subtle variations to our usual mode of operation which the Dog will pick up on. Tony

Diesel,I am a fan of Halters but only for Horses.Initally something like a Halti may change a Dog"s behaviour on the surface.The issues are still there though and not attended to.A House is only as good as the Foundation its built on.A Dog"s foundation is only as good as the relevant training he or she gets.I would be seeking a Knowledgeable source of training for you and the Dog. Tony

Vari,go and have a great time!!!!Its all experience for you and your Dog. Tony