Lokipups

[quote]....could it be the confinement that makes them nastier? the lead? in a pack setting, the dogs are never confined. They can choose to back down to an aggressor, or run. This made me think "could this be "flight or fight" syndrome"? they cant fly, they cant get away.... [/quote] Nope, right on target, Court 8) . 90% of on-lead aggression I see is actually owner induced, and most handlers don't even realize it. Handlers give cues that signals "Be Aware!" to their dog, tightning of the leash being the number one signal, your body tension being the next. Dogs are amazingly good at picking up cues from you, whether it be happiness, tension, anger, etc. Next time you see another dog when you are out with yours on-lead, take the end of the leash and tie it to a belt loop tightly, take your hands out of the equation altogether. When you see another dog at a distance, get the dog to focus on you (food treat of the most fabulous value works well). Repeat the "focus" every few feet or so. When and if your dog starts to tense up, step in front of him, literally telling him "It's my job to protect you, not yours". Alpha takes care of their own, and this manuever will effectively tell your dog that :) .

[quote]It's because I found out there are 47 dogs in the class with 1 instructor and 2 assistants. Is that a normal ratio? 3:47? Plus they run a puppy class right next to the beginner class in the same room. Is that normal? I decided I would look around at different classes at that point. [/quote] :o Run, run far away :o ! :lol: Seriously tho, that is a obed class that I guarantee will have it's share of problems, dogfights being the worst, distracting atmosphere at best. You absolutely can train Buck yourself, no reason why you can't. Just remember to proof the commands, something that a lot of people forget to do. If you want to get him into a class, look for one that has no more than 8 - 10 dogs in one class. Better yet, see how much that class you looked at would've cost you compared to a private trainer, many private trainers are a lot more reasonable than you think, and you get a lot more acomplished because it's one on one.

HF, I'm so sorry he's not doing well, it's hard to see them like that when you have put in so much time and care into a pup like Devin :( . The only thing I can suggest is to try the homeopathic route and a completely raw diet. I've done raw diets for dogs similar to Devin (skin problems, digestion problems, the whole nine yards :o ) and have had great success with 6 out of 8 of them. If you want to give raw a try, I can give you a menu to start him off on, just give me his weight. Outside of that, I kind of have to agree with Courtnek, if his quality of life is so that he won't play or can't eat a meal without it sliding through him, it may be time :( , but only you can make that decision, and whatever that decision is, you have my unconditional support.

I can't see them even with opening a new window with the URL, and I'm a member of Care2 :-? ! Hmmm, either I'm having a serious blond moment, or the net gods are against me tonight :lol: .

Court, I still can't see the pics in the other thread :( , even with pulling the URL up. Little help, please :) ?

Me, now YOU shut up :P .

[quote]you own dog should NOT bite a family member!! Are you THAT STUPID??????????????? [/quote] I gotta flash for you, it's a DOG. Not a fuzzy toy. Not a mechanical invention. Not a blob of protoplasm. A DOG. They have teeth, it is an animal, they CAN bite, and should be treated accordingly. That's means ALL breeds. Now go home and play nice with the other kids.

I'm not a violent person by nature, but our "Guest" is making me want to smack them on the bottom with [i]my[/i] rolling pin :evilbat: . And that bit about taking a bone away from a dog applies to EVERY breed, not just the GSD.

:D Thanks Cairn! The pupper in the middle was a foster, he was one of the nicest, easiest, most trainable pups I've had in a loooong time. It was the third day I had him when I took that pic, he learned basic commands [i]really[/i] fast :o . He was a tough one to part with :-? . He could down pretty well too for a baby. [img]http://img21.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Lokipup/Dog%20pics/000_0100.jpg[/img]

Cairn, check your PM :wink: .

Court, be proud :klacz: , it's tough to turn around a skittish dog, congrats on the great progress!

Not a problem, try this one :D . [url]http://www.aspca.org/site/FrameSet?style=Animal[/url]

I see it all the time too, part of the problem is that a lot of the shelter workers aren't very dog savvy and don't know many of the breeds. But probably the most prevelant reason for misidentifying a dog to label it a lab mix is for adoptability. Case in point, I went to do an eval on a potential client, the dog clearly had some pitbull in him, and possibly some Rhoddie. When I asked her what the dog was, she said "Oh, he's a lab mixed with terrier". When I told her the dog was probably part pitt, she looked aghast and said "but they told me he's a terrier!" Duh. That's what the T in APBT stands for :-? .

You're in Washington, right? Here's a link to the humane associations and enforcement agencies in the state. [url]http://www.aspca.org/site/FrameSet?style=Animal[/url] You most certainly can report abuse and not have your name involved, but, unless she is not providing food, water, shelter or medical care, there isn't much that they can do :( . Crappy dog owners are everywhere, but legally they can only go after those who do not provide the above.

All my dogs have been taught with both, but respond quicker to hand signals. Actually DAL, there was a study done (Serpell, I think?) showing that hand signals are actually more effective than vocal commands because dogs are more attuned visually. Lemme dig through some archives and see if I can find it and pass it on to you :) .

That's great news, glad he's feeling better! And tell him to stop scaring you like that, it's not nice :P :D !

[color=darkred][size=6]Please Do Not Feed The[/size][/color] [img]http://img21.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Lokipup/Dog%20pics/troll.jpg[/img] :evilbat: :evilbat: :evilbat:

Crate train the pup, you'll be amazed at how much it will help housebreak a pup. Here's a link on how to crate train, and how to housebreak [url]http://dogden.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=Questions&action=display&num=1084255326[/url] [url]http://dogden.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=Questions&action=display&num=1074722872[/url] At four months old, she's just a baby yet, be firm, be fair, and most important, be consistent!

[quote]and I LOVE the sig with the "Zen" dogs....[/quote] Thanks, and the pooches say thanks too :D . (middle pup was a foster, the two big chooches are mine :lol: ) You and I are about the same age, so I know where you're coming from with the temperment issues. And I agree that everyone wants a "normal" house dog, but what constitutes normal? I think the definition of "normal" for a dog has come to mean "complacently bland" :o , meaning breeding out every personality and working trait out of any given breed and having generations of "Stepford Dogs". Yeah, great, you've got a nice furry sofa slug that's pretty to look at, but physically falls apart way before it's really old, with a lousy temperament to boot. I'm nauseated at the American show line GSD, most of them have dyplasia before they hit 5, and for what :( . [quote]I am not saying that the average dog owner should have a field dog (I have one, A field trialed foxhound, and it has taken a lot of work to make her "house happy") [/quote] Ah, but the key word in that sentence is "work" :) , something most average pet owners neglect to do, even the most miniscule amount. We have generations of people who get a dog expecting it to be already housebroken, well mannered, and self grooming :roll: . I just finished working with a Lab, who although was bought in a petstore ( :evil: , they didn't know any better), actually came from field lines. They called me for help thinking that their dog was a headcase, but in reality he was a working bred Lab that just needed some structure and a little bit of obed. work to get him in line. He's now a happy, well adjusted pup with 30 minutes of retrieving and 15 minutes of obed. training a day. As I told them, "That wasn't so hard now, was it?". If this dog had ended up somewhere else, I would bet dollars to doughnuts that he would've ended up in a shelter, for being "out of control". You want a JRT because there's one on TV that's cute? Then be prepared to be exhausted throwing a ball to tire the prey drive in the little bugger out every day. You want a Siberian puppy, cute, fluffball of lovin'? Then be prepared to make your yard as impenetrable as Fort Knox and kiss your lawn goodbye. I guess my point is, blame the ignorance of people, not the breeds and their specific traits., and the AKC and their ilk for perpetrating the myths of breeds through showing. Ok, I'll get off my rant now :grins: :motz: , lol. Laura

We had a Corgi/GSD mix that would lay across your feet while sitting at the dinner table and let 'em loose :o . One foul puppy he was!

Primrose and Courtnek, here's a great article from Terriermen, somebody's finally getting it! [url]http://www.terrierman.com/rosettestoruin.htm[/url]

Folks, it's a spoof of a real study done, it was originally printed in The Onion, a "newspaper" that parodies real news. I thought it was pretty funny :lol: .

Lol, thanks, the little man in the middle was a foster pup. I adored him to pieces, smart as all get out, extremely trainable (that pic was his first day with us, and first lesson!), and an all around lovepuppy :iloveyou: . He was adopted last Thursday, and him I truly miss :cry: him, but he went to a great home!

If the dog is going in for 6 dips, I have the feeling it's demodex :( , a lot tougher to treat than sarcoptic. BTW, Revolution works wonderfully on Sarcoptic, we just treated several of the rescue dogs with it, and within a week, combined with some Bactroban for the scabbing, it cleared up very nicely. And sarcoptic mange scabies don't live in human skin for long, nor can they reproduce on us, but man, can they make you itch :crazyeyes: !

K, I've been doing it for the past two months, and really have seen a decrease in the burning, but I also feed my dogs a raw diet, and that might be doing the trick too :-? . In any case don't let my girl hear otherwise and we'll chalk it up to a placebo effect :lol: .