lovemesideways Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 This is a video I made about my Foster Puppy, Tonks. At just 4 weeks of age, she had some very worrying behavioural issues, aggression towards people being the top of the list. Thankfully, with my own dedication and help from the always amazing Steve Courtney from K9 Pro, I am able to say that this is a SUCCESS story :)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Thank you so much for helping this little girl! Steve is bl00dy amazing hey?! Little Tonks looks so sweet. I'm sure Tonks really loves you too for not giving up on her or putting her in the too hard pile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Thank you so much for helping this little girl! Steve is bl00dy amazing hey?! Little Tonks looks so sweet. I'm sure Tonks really loves you too for not giving up on her or putting her in the too hard pile! He really is . (though don't tell him I said that, we don't want him to get a big head :D ) She really is the sweetest dog, I'm so excited for her to go off to her own family :)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelissaS Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Thanks for sharing was really interesting. Excellent video and she is gorgeous. You guys have done a great job :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordyceps Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Great work! You have done a wonderful job and hopefully Tonks will have many happy years with her foster family. I really like the way you have edited your video - what program do you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted October 15, 2013 Author Share Posted October 15, 2013 I use premiere pro, but I'm really new to it so hopefully will get better :) Thanks guys, its really nice to be able to share her story now :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Great job with Tonks and great video :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 (edited) Love the video Jen, you did a great job with Tonks :) Happy to see her go to her new family but will miss the puppy cuddles when you come to K9 Pro HQ! Edited October 17, 2013 by huski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Not to be a Debbie downer, but a puppy with such predisposed human aggression at that age what's to say the new family will keep up the schedule and routine to make sure the dog doesn't regress? Or that reaching maturity the dog does it again if they let the dog say play mouth or rough house with Tonks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 Not to be a Debbie downer, but a puppy with such predisposed human aggression at that age what's to say the new family will keep up the schedule and routine to make sure the dog doesn't regress? Or that reaching maturity the dog does it again if they let the dog say play mouth or rough house with Tonks? I think its fair enough to have concerns, but considering Tonks has been seen and assessed by Steve(who I believe to be one of the best trainers in Australia) its safe to say that, there is a fair amount of knowledge behind the decision to send her off to a family. I don't believe that she had any sort of predisposition to human aggression, human aggression was a symptom of the real issues at hand. She also does not play mouth, and you can rough house all you like, she doesn't escalate into any sort of aggression :). She has been in too many different scenarios for me to recount, but a good and recent example was I had a party at my house maybe a week and a half ago? Everyone wanted to love on the puppy (Obviously!). So she was played with, rough and tumbled, fed treats, played tug, handled, cuddled (pretty much everything you can think of!) by a group of 30+ completely different people over the course of a afternoon/night. These were not dog savvy people either. So considering she was amazing the whole night, didn't mouth a single person and the worst she did was knock over some drinks when she decided to zoomie around :laugh: . Im pretty happy :) She is deliberately not on any sort of set schedule or routine, its not a problem that has had a bandage placed over it that will simply come back in time if she is not managed properly. She doesn't need management. Now, of course as a puppy with high drive, she could turn into some sort of monster in the wrong hands. As could any puppy with that level of drive and energy! Hopefully, with the family I have chosen, and the training that they will continue to do, she will keep growing into a wonderful dog with great manners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 (edited) Not to be a Debbie downer, but a puppy with such predisposed human aggression at that age what's to say the new family will keep up the schedule and routine to make sure the dog doesn't regress? Or that reaching maturity the dog does it again if they let the dog say play mouth or rough house with Tonks? So should we kill any dog that shows human aggression then, or just puppies? Not sure what alternative you would rather see? Steve has rehabbed thousands of dogs and puppies with HA and we are still waiting for them to "turn" on their owners... Edited October 17, 2013 by huski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I'm impressed. What a lot of thought and effort to help a puppy. I wouldn't have had any idea what to do with a pup so agro at the beginning. I was wondering what issues make a puppy so young act so aggressively? Good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 She is deliberately not on any sort of set schedule or routine, its not a problem that has had a bandage placed over it that will simply come back in time if she is not managed properly. She doesn't need management. Now, of course as a puppy with high drive, she could turn into some sort of monster in the wrong hands. As could any puppy with that level of drive and energy! Hopefully, with the family I have chosen, and the training that they will continue to do, she will keep growing into a wonderful dog with great manners. I am in no way, shape or form poo pooing your efforts. You went above and beyond what a lot of people would have done for a pup like this and I'm not saying at all this is not commendable. You've also got some awesome experience, and good on you for having the conviction to stand up and keep trying to make this pup rehomable. Personally I would give the owners a contract and make them either attend a school Steve chooses that knows how to keep channeling the drive or continue popping in every so often to make sure they're on the right track so they don't slacken off during the developmental phase. Since Steve's seen how this pups grown up to this stage he would be the best to help keep an eye (and I'm sure everyone wants to keep having cuddles :p) So should we kill any dog that shows human aggression then, or just puppies? Not sure what alternative you would rather see? Steve has rehabbed thousands of dogs and puppies with HA and we are still waiting for them to "turn" on their owners... It's a perfectly valid question when you have a very young pup that you need to handle with leather gloves behaving like that. Writing 'turn' is ridiculous, you that's not what I was getting at at all. I am far from euthanasia happy, I've bent over backwards and pulled out my own hair to make sure a dog doesn't get put to sleep no matter the behavior and they can all be a happy family again. Behavior does have a genetic component, you should know that especially since you have a Malinois. My concern with a pup like that is regression during times of stress or if the new owners are not 100% aware of potential predispositions in the pup. You have successfully stopped a baby puppy from exhibiting this behavior, fine, it's not hard to pin and roll a little handfull of pup. But if the dog is slowly and subtly allowed to fall into bad habits will you find a dog that defaults back into this behavior. That goes for any dog not just this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 It's a perfectly valid question when you have a very young pup that you need to handle with leather gloves behaving like that. Writing 'turn' is ridiculous, you that's not what I was getting at at all. I am far from euthanasia happy, I've bent over backwards and pulled out my own hair to make sure a dog doesn't get put to sleep no matter the behavior and they can all be a happy family again. Behavior does have a genetic component, you should know that especially since you have a Malinois. My concern with a pup like that is regression during times of stress or if the new owners are not 100% aware of potential predispositions in the pup. You have successfully stopped a baby puppy from exhibiting this behavior, fine, it's not hard to pin and roll a little handfull of pup. But if the dog is slowly and subtly allowed to fall into bad habits will you find a dog that defaults back into this behavior. That goes for any dog not just this one. I think you'll find that many working line puppies (not that this is one) will display this kind of behaviour, you should know that having a Malinois :p This puppy has been through a behaviour modification program that addresses the fact that it did not learn impulse control from the mother or its litter mates as it was removed early from the litter (for reasons beyond Jen's control obviously). Many puppies that miss these critical developmental lessons will display behaviour similar to this. It doesn't mean the puppy is predisposed to human aggression. I'm not sure what you mean by 'pin and roll', we don't pin dogs or anything like that, and it wasn't a part of the behaviour modification plan Steve put in place for Tonks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I think you'll find that many working line puppies (not that this is one) will display this kind of behaviour, you should know that having a Malinois Yes and any working puppy that comes from me won't be going to any normal or even above average skill home because of the fact. And what it can turn into if not kept in check during the developmental phase. Just because a dog isn't a purposely bred 'working line' doesn't mean you can't put the same provisions on it. Mals, Sheps and rotts are not the only dogs out there happy to latch on the minute they open their eyes with the attitude of a possessed chainsaw :laugh: Lovemysideways has handled the pup like a champ, and I must admit you kind of can't be intimidated that far by that squeaky growl when combined with puppy smell. I'm not sure what you mean by 'pin and roll', we don't pin dogs or anything like that, and it wasn't a part of the behaviour modification plan Steve put in place for Tonks. I meant in the video when the pup is biting the gloves, it's not hard to grab a little furball having a tantrum when it's that size :p Gets a bit harder when they're bigger. Or you just develop L33T ninja skills :laugh: I had an anatolian throw a temper tantrum on me once at 12 months old that was epic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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