cactus

The Black Dog Halter I got wont stay on unless they are on leash, it just slackens and she removes it herself

No, but after the two weeks of my son and I doing the leadership exercises etc, the trainer is going to meet me at the park to show me how to deal with her when she meets other dogs. Once I have that much control over her I'll see whether I can benefit from obedience classes. cactus

Well the Behaviourist came tonight- pity I ordered the infinit8 halter yesterday and picked it up this morning, because he doesn't want me to use it. BooHoo. He said its okay for a dog thats trained, but I said I wont need it when she's trained... So the humping thing was just another of Zara's dominance behaviours. He said I'm doing everything right EXCEPT- I have preserved rank order and that is why the girls arent getting on. Zara is threatening Kiki's position, and because she's higher, Kiki is feeling the need to maintain her position. So... they have to be kept separate for two weeks (unless I am with them, then Zara has to be on a leash attached to the leg of the sofa so she cant reach Kiki) while I get rid of Zara's dominance, and during that time they must be treated exactly the same (no smooches for Kiki!). Normally kiki is collarless unless we are out, but since I have to put a collar on Zara, kiki must wear one too. Absolute equality. And he said dogs count how many pats you give the other Boy, during the leadership exercise Zara really showed her dominance! I thought I might get her a visor that says "Screw You!" because THAT was her attitude to the bloke! We took it in turns to walk slowly in a circle in the back yard with Zara on almost no length of leash- every now and again we would tug the leash upwards and touch her rump to make her sit (but saying nothing) if she sat she got one stroke on the head, if not we'd tug some more, if still nothing we'd continue walking making her stay level. We'd say good girl if she wasn't straining on the leash and tug while saying ah ah! if she did. I said to the bloke- I hope my neighbours dont take a photo of that (Zara nearly strangling herself on the leash) and dob me in to the RSPCA It looks very cruel, but I have to remind myself that she is in control of whether it gets tugged or not. The other thing we have to do is leave their food in plain sight for 15 mins before feeding them- we had been doing it for only 5 mins and eating something while they waited. BTW, he also says Kiki is over bonded with me. Is there such a thing? She never displays aggression, but she stops when I stop walking, and if I sit down she comes and sits by me. I just thought that was her being a sweet loyal dog (well at first I thought it was her timidity so I may have inadvertantly reinforced the behaviour). He said its okay because she is an older dog but can be dangerous in a dog that is only 2 or 3 years old. Anyone know anything about this?

The behaviourist is coming tomorrow! Yay! :cool: Maybe somewhere duringthat three hours he can tell me why yesterday Zara kept licking Kiki's girlie bits and then tried to hump a blanket! I didn't get a girl dog for this!! cactus

Hi sas, I think Zara and I both need a break from training today. Now she's dropping most of the time when I say sit- I dont know how to correct that .... :sigh: I'm still getting her to go to her bed when I enter, but no treats- every second time I go in I walk over and stroke her head, and the other times I go in and dont go near her because I didn't want to encourage her to go bananas every time I go through the door (and most of the time I go in for something from the laundry or to use the tub and not to see her anyway!) She's lunging less without treats in my hand. I'm trying not to expect too much, as she has never had any training- she wouldn't even 'come' for her last owners, and she really only just got here. But jeeze today I'm finding it frustrating. She doesnt listen at all when Kiki is present- instead Kiki follows all the commands I dont 'train' her in Kiki's prescence, but if I need her to do something like come to me while she is in the yard with Kiki, I have to remove Kiki first. I'm hoping the halter will give me a bit more control over her. I went to the Black Dog site- Zara is a size 5 in the infin8 halter. What an effort it was trying to measure her for it- I practically needed her in one so I could measure her for one. I think I need a ;) I wish I could have a Georgie

Great thread O-ren ;) Some of you guys have inspired me to put my new pooch on a BARF diet- I was just thinking today that she is like some (non-fur) kids I know that act ADD when they have an intolerance to gluten, preservatives and other additives. OMG I dare not hope for too much... Did you know that its not uncommon for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder to have aggression problems when they have gluten in their diet? I dont know if it affects non ASD kids in the same way, but probably!

Thanks for all your responses, they were great I'll try out the Black Dog halter this week. Obedience classes would be no use to me right now, as she is fully able to carry out the comands, but is sometimes wiful and eager to be distracted. Because of my disc injury I cant risk her jerking or pulling me on the leash, so I just cant take her anywhere until I get that under control. The problem is not so much the walking, as it is when she sees something (another dog, a cat etc) and she just CHARGES.I am going to get a behaviourist to come and see them and give me some tips, but until then I am just trying to let her settle in as comfortably as possible but taking every opportunity to show her *I* am the top dog and not her. I dont let her lick me, paw me, wimper to come in, jump up, or get anything that is on offer until she obeys the command given. I am using tidbits as rewards (because praise distracts her and makes her mis-behave) and if she does something wrong (like lunging at me), I say Aha! And make her sit. If she doesn't follow a command I walk away and shut the door and try again in a minute. Mostly she obeys first time, but sometimes she just has it on her and I may attempt it 3 or 4 times before she does it. I have had her in the house twice today (I shut the cats in the rooms they were sleeping in) I made her drop/stay on her bed while I opened the garage door, and backed into the loungeroom then called her in and made her sit straight away (she gets real giddy- especially if I tell her 'good girl'!). Then I let her roam around smelling everything (twice!) then I got her to lay at my feet, and while I rested one leg over her I calmly stroked her head for about 10 mins. I gave both girls a roasted smoked pigs ear, and while Kiki enjoyed her treat as usual, Zara looked like she was in raptures! I'd say she's never had anything like that before. She's such a lovely dog, its a shame she was treated as she has been for so long Thanks to everyone who posted, I'll let you know how we get on

I am able to get her to sit, drop, stay, and return to her bed- but compliance is unpredictable. I am still curbing behaviours like jumping up at me and lunging at my face as well as a myriad of other lesser dominant behaviours. Zara is about 36 kgs, but is 4 times as powerful as Kiki is at 35 kgs. She is way too powerful and headstrong for me to even take her to the vet, and I really would like to get her checked over for underlying health problems. She had something up with the outside of her ears when I picked her up, inside her ears is so dark I cant see whats what, she has a manky sore between her toes, and she seems to have had a sudden weight loss, as her skin is really loose on her and her belly hangs eveb though she was desexed as a pup. If nothing else I think she needs doggie ritalin! Until such time as I have a tool (halti/harness etc)I cant take her anywhere. Everytime I open the door to the garage I run the risk of her crashing past me into the house (she love to get my cats) so thats why I make her return to her bed in the down position before I come in. If she fails to do it I shut the door and try again in another minute. My laundry is also in the garage, and it ended up taking 20 minutes to go in and turn the machine on because she was being an obstinate little so and so There is nothing this dog does that doesnt ooze dominance, you can almost smell it on her I only got her the other day after she had suffered 3 years of neglect at her previous home, so I'm not expecting her to come good instantly. I'd like to be able to have the two girls together, but I have to keep them separated because of Zaras dominance- I dont want to see Kiki with fear aggression issues. cactus

I have used a halti before- when I got my first RR rescue she pulled on the leash and this trained her to be perfect on leash. I dont know how a Gentle Leader is different, but apparently mum's behaviourist guy said haltis are not recommended. He said corrective harnesses are best. I dont know anything about them either (except they are expensive!) I need to buy ONE of them as the new RR rescue doesn't just pull, damn she could tow my car for me!! We will not be setting foot out the door until I have *something* to effectively control her. She is one helluva dominant dawgy. cactus

I have just changed from Advantage Duo to Sentinel. Dog would always skulk away when I put it on, and I hate them smell and not being able to cuddle her for 24 hours. I got my sentinel white online for $74.61 per 6 pack. I dont know how that compares for you guys, but thats $15- $20 cheaper than I could get it locally.

I may be wrong Erny, but I think Alison meant there had been some improvement when she used the word regressed.... I know that doesnt make actual sense but thats the only thing that makes sense for me in the context she used it. Ok now you've addled my brain cactus