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wtftastic posted:This is going to sound insane, but have you thought about bringing the pee pads outside and very gradually reducing the size of the pad like for the first few days use a full size pad, then half, then a third, then a fourth, etc until she's basically pooping on the grass and not on the pad? That does sound insane but not illogical. I think the situation with her going outside is that since it's all new, she's too overwhelmed by the smells and sounds and just chooses to spend her time outside sniffing and listening to things instead of going to the bathroom. I'm hoping it's just a matter of time and getting her used to being outside on a leash. When I take her to my parents' house, she has no problem going in their backyard but she also took some time getting used to being there as well.
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Nov 16, 2012 17:35
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I Might Be Adam posted:That does sound insane but not illogical. I think the situation with her going outside is that since it's all new, she's too overwhelmed by the smells and sounds and just chooses to spend her time outside sniffing and listening to things instead of going to the bathroom. I'm hoping it's just a matter of time and getting her used to being outside on a leash. When I take her to my parents' house, she has no problem going in their backyard but she also took some time getting used to being there as well. Then the issue is that she needs to learn that walks/ exploring are rewards for going potty- if she indicates she needs to go out (or you think she needs to go), take her out, let her sniff around and if she doesn't do anything in 5 (or maybe 10)minutes go back inside. Don't make a big deal of it. Then, later, take her out again and repeat. When she chooses to eliminate outside, make sure you praise her and then take her for a longer walk. That way she learns that going out is for potty time and after she goes its play time.
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Nov 16, 2012 17:45
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I Might Be Adam posted:I have a quick house training question. We live in an apartment with a 17wk old Corgi and aside from barking (oh god the barking) she's been pretty good. Since we live in an apartment, we had to use training pads until she had her last parvo shot a few days ago. Look into a pee-stick or use the pee-pads outside as recommended. Also spray down her previous spot with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle. I would argue that you need to wait outside until she goes to the bathroom rather than taking her back in. This sounds like an issue of generalization that grass is the place to go, regardless of where she is living (given her behavior at your parents' place). I only recommend that you shorten your duration outside when the dog is already house trained but is asking to go outside when they clearly do not need to go (because it's every 20-30 minutes and they don't have a UTI).
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Nov 16, 2012 18:26
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MrFurious posted:I don't know who told you to do this, but this is bad advice. As long as she isn't socializing with street dogs and eating other animal poop that could be contaminated, your risk is low. Thanks for the advice so far. I had never heard about this whole "DON'T TAKE THEM OUTSIDE IF THEY AREN'T PROTECTED FROM PARVO!" paranoia and hysteria until my parents got a new puppy about 6 months ago and our vet agreed about not taking her for walks/outside until she was protected. The consensus I heard was it's ok in your personal yard as long as they aren't mingling with other dogs or getting into areas where other dogs are. Unfortunately, we don't have anywhere to take her outside of our apartment except neighbor's front yards and patches of grass street side so we were being overly cautious I guess. We're going to try to take her outside every hour or so in the evenings and get rid of the pads completely. I'd rather wipe up pee puddles off of tile than reinforce her idea that it's ok to go inside the house. The pee stick sounds like it would work but we don't have any yardage that would guarantee that someone wouldn't pull it up or remove it.
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Nov 16, 2012 18:39
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I Might Be Adam posted:Thanks for the advice so far. I had never heard about this whole "DON'T TAKE THEM OUTSIDE IF THEY AREN'T PROTECTED FROM PARVO!" paranoia and hysteria until my parents got a new puppy about 6 months ago and our vet agreed about not taking her for walks/outside until she was protected. The consensus I heard was it's ok in your personal yard as long as they aren't mingling with other dogs or getting into areas where other dogs are. Unfortunately, we don't have anywhere to take her outside of our apartment except neighbor's front yards and patches of grass street side so we were being overly cautious I guess. We're going to try to take her outside every hour or so in the evenings and get rid of the pads completely. I'd rather wipe up pee puddles off of tile than reinforce her idea that it's ok to go inside the house. Somewhere back in the thread we had a couple of our vet students (some now graduated) weigh in the vaccination schedules. Ultimately I think the whole "don't do anything until 16 weeks or 3 vaccines" is a outdated at this point. The socialization damage you do outweighs the risk of disease. The parvo danger is the big scary one, and as long as you're not around unvaccinated dogs and you're being careful with her outside (for example, you don't want her using the same potty spot as all the strays in the neighborhood), your risk of infection is tangible but low. As far as the pee stick, you could take it in and out with you if you really wanted to, but your plan is likely to work as well.
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Nov 16, 2012 18:51
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We've made sure to socialize her with people (inviting our friends and their kids over) and she's had a chance to play with my parents' and brother's dogs and she's been great but I fear that it's going to take awhile to break her from associated inside with going to the bathroom. Any thoughts on the crating?
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Nov 16, 2012 19:03
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This is my new best bud Myles: http://imgur.com/a/kEoCj He's a 2 year old Border Collie that I rescued last night. He's very shy but super sweet and I love him so much. He's a little bugged out because he was neutered 2 days ago. He's really bonding with my girlfriend and I, I'm surprised how quick it improved. I've brought him to the park a few times and he sniffs the other dogs and is friendly, but doesn't play yet, I think he might be in a bit of pain from his surgery, and a little shaken because of the barking dogs in the shelter. My roommate has a dog (12 year old Female mutt named Whisper) who Myles briefly met and gets along with, but Whisper is staying with a friend for a week or so while my room mate is away, and to give Myles time to adjust. The only problem that I've had so far is that Myles has marked the house 3 times so far, and I'm nervous that it will continue. He pees when we are outside, sometimes on command, but I want to stop this before it gets bad. Myles came from a high kill shelter and they said that he was a stray, they weren't sure if he actually ever had a home. I'm surprised he's housebroken at all, hearing that. I have tried so far: wiping up the pee with a paper towel and immediately taking him outside with the paper towel, throwing it away and encouraging when he pees outside. When he does, I shower him with positivity and we go for a quick walk as a reward, since he is not really taking treats yet, or eating much. I also generally shower him with positivity when he pees, even if he didn't just go in the house, so I think that will help. It's been a while since I've had a dog so I just want to make sure I'm going in the right direction. I also wonder if he is marking the house because of the other dog who is rather dominant, I'm not sure. I live in Philadelphia and I was told that Myles is from a rural area, he is very freaked out by the cars and noise and stuff, so I try to keep to side streets but eventually on most walks we have to cross a busy street. He's getting better I think. I think the peeing in the house might have to do with his fear of the outside world, and possibly the pain from his surgery. I'm not sure if it's more painful since he's 2, but it seems like it. He's not been tail wagging much but very receptive of affection and stuff. He hasn't eaten much but he's been drinking water. I'm not too worried, he seems to be doing well, but I'm just looking for general advice and maybe tips and tricks. I will say that he is the chillest Border Collie I've ever met. He hasn't barked once yet, while he does have a bit of that BC ADHD gene, it's manageable and he's behaved when left alone for short periods.
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Nov 17, 2012 02:03
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I Might Be Adam posted:Any thoughts on the crating? Crating is good for everyone especially you because you have a dicklord herding breed.
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Nov 17, 2012 02:05
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MrFurious posted:The parvo danger is the big scary one, and as long as you're not around unvaccinated dogs and you're being careful with her outside (for example, you don't want her using the same potty spot as all the strays in the neighborhood), your risk of infection is tangible but low. It depends a bit on your area as well, and sometimes areas can have "parvo seasons." Where I'm at, there is parvo everywhere as vaccination up here is poor (it's parvo season here, so maybe I'm extra sensitive at the moment... literally people deciding about the "favorite dog to treat" because they can't afford IV fluids for all 4 dogs... so the others get stuck with subq fluids at home) so I generally caution heavily against outside random interaction and instead try to get people to find friends with pups.
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Nov 17, 2012 03:52
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Speaking of crates, whats a good method of crate training? Bruce is convinced that doggy crate=time in the hole, and refuses to go in.
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Nov 17, 2012 17:40
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BigDave posted:Speaking of crates, whats a good method of crate training? Bruce is convinced that doggy crate=time in the hole, and refuses to go in. Crate games! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8HNO79bZMY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1csNGAGmwA
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Nov 17, 2012 18:22
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Did you read the housetraining guide in the OP? It all still applies to you.
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Nov 17, 2012 22:08
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I mean he's housebroken, I'm more just asking questions about his anxiety and stuff like that, what I can do to help him feel more comfortable and stuff.
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Nov 17, 2012 23:48
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BusinessWallet posted:I mean he's housebroken, I'm more just asking questions about his anxiety and stuff like that, what I can do to help him feel more comfortable and stuff. If he's peeing in the house, even if it's marking, that means he's not yet completely housebroken.
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Nov 18, 2012 01:22
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On crate training, I've been crate training Cooper and he's been doing fine but last night I was admittedly kind of drunk and had just picked up Elvis's ashes the day before so I was kind of sad and really missing Elvis sleeping in bed with me so I let Cooper sleep in bed with me and he did great, slept though the night, no accidents. He's 4 months old and not fully house trained, should I lean more to this being a complete fortunate fluke or maybe let him sleep in bed with me some nights as we crate train? My intention has always been to eventually let him sleep in bed with me most nights once he was house trained but at the same time I want him to be comfortible being crated some nights, a difficulty with Elvis was he would get upset when he wasn't allowed in bed when dog inappropriate activities were taking place there. Three Olives fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Nov 18, 2012 |
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Nov 18, 2012 23:01
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I actually don't have a dog but I had a question based on a picture I found on the forums here and I couldn't think of a better place to ask it. Look at this guy's dog. Is this a good idea? Should you do this to a fuzzy dog like that ever? Not really considering getting one(although they are cute), just wondering.
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Nov 18, 2012 23:08
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We let our puppy sleep in bed with us but his "I need to pee" signal is whining/pawing at us and then escalating to barking. He's never had an accident during the night but I think it really heavily depends on what your dog's bathroom signal is. If he has subtle signals or can't hd it for very long it doesn't really seem worth the risk until he's housebroken.
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Nov 18, 2012 23:22
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Fergus Mac Roich posted:I actually don't have a dog but I had a question based on a picture I found on the forums here and I couldn't think of a better place to ask it. General consensus seems to be no. Even if it the coat grows back normally, it doesn't do much for them in terms of cooling them off. Their coats help them regulate temperature to begin with. It also puts them at risk of getting sunburned.
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Nov 18, 2012 23:33
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After years of apartment living, my husband and I moved into a house last month. We're both dog-lovers, so after settling in, it was dog time! Last week we picked up a 1 and a 1/2 yr old miniature schnauzer from an elderly couple who were moving to a 1-dog-limit retirement home (they already had this obese 3 year old pug named Crunch). We decided to name him Teemo, and goddamn he's the cutest, bestest dog ever.    more pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/VFzEE I've been lurking PI for years, reading a bunch of books (don't shoot the dog, power of positive dog training, before and after getting your puppy, and a bunch of others) and just all around was excited to do some +R training with a dog. Teemo is very food motivated, which is excellent, and he's already pretty well behaved. He's bad on leash, but after only this week he's already not pulling as much so we're keeping on training for that. Same with crate (if you look at the other pictures, you can see the first time he went into the crate by himself to get a treat! Now he does it super easily, we've already started on closed-door crate games and he's doing so well). We went to the vet yesterday just for a general first appointment and get him chipped, and again he was just super good. We had been practicing "sit to say please" all week beforehand so he was sitting pretty easily for treats before greeting the people. He's a little chubby, out of shape, but otherwise fairly healthy. I had been worried about his legs, and the vet confirmed that he's got a couple of issues. Luxating patella in hind legs (not super bad and it doesn't cause pain), and his front legs are bow-legged. You can see it really well in this pic:  We are now giving him glucosamine with each meal, and he has no problem eating it. We are also trying to give him some decent exercise and keep his food intake at a good-yet-low level (not too low just yet until we see how he does with exercise). I had wanted, originally, to go do some agility with him when spring/summer comes around (after he's learned more manners and put on more muscles). The vet said he should be ok with that, as long as I watched him carefully and dialed it down if he looked in any pain at all. Does that sound ok? I would want to do agility more for having fun with the dog and such, and I guess I could do obedience or some other doggy sport if it would be really bad for him. His old owners had him on Royal Canin Miniature Schnauzer, which is not ideal but not totally terrible looking at the ingredients list. We picked up Blue grain-free small breed kibble and we're halfway to having him switched on it (no problem at all so far, poops look good and regular). The vet however recommended Royal Canin Dental, because apparently there is an element in it that helps with stones and liver function? His teeth are fine (a little bit of tartar on his pre-molar, but nothing bad, and I'm already desensitization on tooth brushing), and I thought just having him on a proper, good quality diet would help with any liver issues or bladder stones. I was also thinking of switching him to FROMM chicken a la veg after this Blue bag is done, after seeing I can have access to FROMM food at a local pet store that I didn't know carried it. Any advice on that? Anyways lotsa words, I'm just excited to have a dog again and that he's such a Good Boy.
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Nov 19, 2012 02:22
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ButWhatIf posted:The most important one, in my opinion, is not allowing your dog to shadow you about the house when you are home. Encouraging lots of healthy independent behavior can go a long way toward preventing sep anx, and teaching things like distance stays where you can incorporate your disappearance from view is helpful from an obedience standpoint as well! This is from way back in the thread but I have a question about it. This was in relation to separation anxiety. First background. I posted a while back about my rescued dog and her horrific separation anxiety. I got some advice here and put her on medicine from the vet and we have been working on it and she is much better. It used to be she would shake and cry whenever anyone put on shoes but she doesn't really react now when I leave. We can leave her for up to 5 hours without her eating the couch now. It was 20 minutes. Anyway, here is where I stand now. The house we live in is a dump. We have 2 dogs, mine and my roommate's who is 7 and well trained. We leave them alone with the entire downstairs and a dog door with access to our .5 acre backyard. Before we had it setup so they could only be in the kitchen and with the dog door, but since our house is crappy and our couch is already torn up, we have decided to let them have the run of the house everyday because the damage is already done. My goal is to have my dog completely done chewing stuff by March, when we move out of this dump. I've progressed from 30 minutes to 5+ hours, but we have hit a wall. We can't get it to 8 which is the longest no one is in the house. It seems weird she can last 5 hours or so but then at hour 7 she loses it, but that is what is going on the best I can tell. What I have done. Medicine, at least a 1 mile walk with a backpack with 5 pounds of weight (she weighs 70) each morning, sometimes we run instead, dog training classes (she graduated 3 months ago), play at night, sometimes some training, and a ton of activity on the weekend (either running around for hours on my buddies big land plot, 3+ mile hikes, usually multiple activities). I came back here to get some more ideas. When I am home she shadows me, and if I am not she shadows my roommate. His dog also does it some, but not as bad as Kima (my dog). She will never leave the room I am in. What do I do to stop her? Close the door with me on the other side? I did that and she just laid outside of it. She sleeps in my bed or on the floor. Do I need to have her sleep in the crate instead? Would this help with separation anxiety? Should I get that Don't Leave Me Book? Actually, I am going to get it, but I have a dumb question. It says it has worksheets and stuff, should I get the paperback instead of the Kindle version? I prefer my kindle, but if there are worksheets and stuff like that I can order the paperback. This separation anxiety is driving me crazy. Everything about my dog is great except her getting destructive when I leave. It stresses me out so much and if I can solve this one problem I will be so happy. Every day driving home from the office is stressful because I have to guess what my couch will look like today. I'll do anything. If I could pay some trainer a grand to solve it I would. I don't care what it takes. This one issue is the only thing stopping my dog from being perfect. I don't want to crate her. I've done it but I read it is unhealthy to crate a dog with separation anxiety and also I am personally opposed to it (but I don't mind others do it) edit Also unrelated but what are the toughest dog toys out there? I've bought every "tough chewer" dog toy from the local store up the street and she has killed them all. Kong Xtreme (lasted like 20 minutes!), thick rubber bones, whatever, nothing lasts.
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Nov 19, 2012 02:38
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Ribsauce posted:I've progressed from 30 minutes to 5+ hours, but we have hit a wall. We can't get it to 8 which is the longest no one is in the house. It seems weird she can last 5 hours or so but then at hour 7 she loses it, but that is what is going on the best I can tell. It's not that weird. Consider how many hours you could stand listening to a group of children sing "This is The Song That Never Ends..." -- first hour you're probably okay, but after three, you're ready to claw out your eardrums. Your dog is going through the same thing, this is just where her threshold is right now. It sounds like you're working with a vet, but is it a vet behaviorist? If not and you can find one in your area, it's recommended. If there isn't one in your area, find a trainer who has a lot of experience with SA. Get the books recommended. If you have a subscription to Whole Dog Journal, they had an excellent article on SA about two months ago as well. No one on the forums here is qualified to help you at this stage because you likely need some direction tailored specifically to your environment and situation, so I would encourage you not to take any from us at this point either. Get a professional involved -- the advice is likely going to be the same, but you'll need a couple of nudges in the right direction to get over the hump. Congrats on your progress though, SA is one of the most trying disabilities a dog owner can deal with and it sounds like you've come a long way. On the topic of chew toys, take a look at the black rubber Kong toys and antlers.
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Nov 19, 2012 03:35
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MrFurious posted:It's not that weird. Consider how many hours you could stand listening to a group of children sing "This is The Song That Never Ends..." -- first hour you're probably okay, but after three, you're ready to claw out your eardrums. Your dog is going through the same thing, this is just where her threshold is right now. quote:It sounds like you're working with a vet, but is it a vet behaviorist? If not and you can find one in your area, it's recommended. Is the black rubber kong different than the black Kong Xtreme you can put food in? Because that thing didn't make it 1 day.
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Nov 19, 2012 03:47
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Ribsauce posted:Great analogy. I never thought about it like that. It really helps me understand what is going on. Edited this into the OP - an oversight on my part I've been putting off for too long: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3471773&pagenumber=1&perpage=40#post401439729 Vet Behaviorists will be board certified. IAABC is a little less stringent, but odds are very good they will be capable and a good fit. quote:Is the black rubber kong different than the black Kong Xtreme you can put food in? Because that thing didn't make it 1 day. Nope, same thing. Antler might still be a good fit, but you definitely have a strong chewer. You might look at sizing up. If it's bigger he might have a harder time getting a good grip on it, making it last a little longer.
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Nov 19, 2012 04:58
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I don't normally like to ask the internet for advice on serious things but I have been on no sleep for a while now, been to 2 vets and both of them said they had never seen anything like this before. My wife and I adopted a 3 year old female dog from a dog rescue organisation 2 weeks ago and she is generally very well-behaved. We were told that her foster mother kept her in a kennel during the day and let her sleep on her (the mother's) bed at night, and that she is allergic to fleas. We also have copies of her vaccination and spaying paperwork. Aside from that we don't have any medical or behavioural history on her. On the first or second night that we had the new dog at our home she started growling and barking every few hours at night while we were asleep. We thought it was best to just let her sleep on our bed since her foster apparently did that, but she was free to go out into the rest of the house if she didn't want to sleep in our room. At some point over the next week her night time barking and growling got worse, and gradually since then it has gotten to the point where cannot get any uninterrupted sleep at all. I'm talking 1-2 hour intervals all night, with long periods of lying in bed listening to her growl and bark in between. So far on the recommendation of vets and the people from the rescue we have tried using a spray bottle on her when she growls and barks at night (she totally ignored it), clapping or making a stern sound (works 50% of the time, but only for the first one or two growling events per episode, then she totally ignores it), and crating her when we sleep (she just growls and barks non-stop to the point where she's hyperventilating). While she is growling and barking she either turns her head around to face her rear/tail or runs in circles chasing her tail (presumably). Just to be clear both vets say she is totally healthy, she has no pain in her tail or hips, no fleas, anal glands normal, no skin conditions, lungs and breathing fine. She has been eating and going to the toilet normally. We are still waiting on results from a stool sample we gave to the second vet we went to, but we aren't very optimistic about them finding anything. We do have video of her at night if anyone thinks looking at it would be helpful, our vet was kind of dumbfounded looking at the video. At this point I'm so sleep deprived I would pay anyone like $1500 right on the spot if they could tell me how to stop her from barking at night. Does anyone have any idea of what might be going on? Anyone seen this before?
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Nov 19, 2012 05:26
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That's definitely very strange. Is she awake/conscious when she goes on the growling/barking episodes? Is it just when the lights are out (like if lights out/dark in daytime it's the same as night?)? Is there anything going on in your home that could explain it? Could there be rodents or nocturnal creatures that run amok and are driving your dog batty? At this point since everything else has checked out you should look/ask for a referral to either a local behaviorist (board certified veterinary) or a veterinary neurologist. Dogs can rarely have very strange OCD-like behavior - back in school a classmate of mine had a dog that would literally chase his tail into exhaustion and collapse. Would not stop, even to eat or drink. Put him on mood-altering meds and he's turned into a normal dog. Literally OCD tail chasing.
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Nov 19, 2012 06:01
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HelloSailorSign posted:That's definitely very strange. quote:Is there anything going on in your home that could explain it? Could there be rodents or nocturnal creatures that run amok and are driving your dog batty? quote:At this point since everything else has checked out you should look/ask for a referral to either a local behaviorist (board certified veterinary) or a veterinary neurologist. Dogs can rarely have very strange OCD-like behavior - back in school a classmate of mine had a dog that would literally chase his tail into exhaustion and collapse. Would not stop, even to eat or drink. Put him on mood-altering meds and he's turned into a normal dog. Literally OCD tail chasing. Looking at the links to the certified vet behaviourists in the OP I couldn't find any nearby to us, but I remember the first vet we spoke to did mention she had a behaviourist she could refer us to. In the meantime I still have some strong doxylamine tablets I brought with me from Australia and I think they sell some weaker ones OTC here in the USA too, but I really hate taking them every day just so I can show up at work!
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Nov 19, 2012 06:35
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You know, I've seen some pretty freaking weird things end up being some variety of neurologic/seizure disorder. Nothing surprises me anymore. Could you get video of an episode during the day and one at night? You know, for science? (and the behaviorist/neurologist would love to see these too) A consult with a neurologist and a veterinary behaviorist, maybe at the same place so they can work together on it, would be the way I would want to go with something like that. What breed/mix is the dog, just out of curiosity? Topoisomerase fucked around with this message at 06:50 on Nov 19, 2012 |
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Nov 19, 2012 06:47
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Topoisomerase posted:
They told us (and I don't say that because I don't believe them, just because I'm not an expert) that she is a Papillon-Pekingese mix. She definitely looks like a mix of Papillon and Pekingese to me. Actually she looks just like Gizmo from the movie Gremlins if that gives you an idea.
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Nov 19, 2012 07:32
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Fergus Mac Roich posted:Look at this guy's dog. Is this a good idea? Should you do this to a fuzzy dog like that ever? Not really considering getting one(although they are cute), just wondering. Edit. Seconding the video suggestion.
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Nov 19, 2012 08:11
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Sorry I missed part of your post before:quote:Could you get video of an episode during the day and one at night? You know, for science? (and the behaviorist/neurologist would love to see these too) We have night time ones already (one from a few minutes ago, the fiercest yet), will have to ask my wife to film her doing it during the day. When I get the chance I will upload some videos to youtube and link them here. It's so weird- after being like this in bed she will follow me out to the living room and lie on the floor next to me being totally quiet/relaxed. Maybe this is not answerable without knowing what exactly is wrong, but how on Earth should we react when she does this at night? We've tried ignoring it, telling her no, comforting her, squirting her with water.
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Nov 19, 2012 09:41
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Seashell Salesman posted:Maybe this is not answerable without knowing what exactly is wrong, but how on Earth should we react when she does this at night? We've tried ignoring it, telling her no, comforting her, squirting her with water. The barking/growling at her rear and tail chasing shouts OCD behavior to me. My dog has similar OCD issues. Her worst thing was chasing her tail and then pulling out the fur. Putting her on prozac fixed that issue, but she still has some lingering behaviors. On nights where she doesn't get much exercise during the day, she will occasionally growl/bark a the ceiling, sometimes at a shadow or dust and sometimes at nothing at all. It only happens at night when she is tired, but not tired enough. I would try really upping her exercise for now, particularly mental exercise like training. With my dog, we interrupt her episodes by distracting her or removing her from the area, but since your dog is focused on herself, that might not work. How do you comfort her? Try doing massage, it might get her to relax. In the long term, I would definitely talk to a neurologist or behaviorist and consider medication if they think it's a good idea. I'm not sure about the expensive neurology tests...we never had anything like that done because my dog has other obvious problems, so putting her on prozac was a no-brainer.
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Nov 19, 2012 14:27
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Cosinetta posted:
It sounds like you're doing really well by this dog. Re: the possible future in agility, it shouldn't be a problem as long as you keep tabs on him for pain. Keep him jumping relatively low (not much higher than his knees). And of course, that's contingent on you getting all that excess weight off him, 'cause he's a little fattie right now. As for other sports, rally is fun, practical and is an easy entry point into the world of competitive dog sports. As you advance in Rally there are some pretty fun behaviours integrated into it like jumping, walking backwards, etc. I'd probably skip on the Royal Canin Dental stuff and just get him on a high quality food which agrees with him. Good luck! Seashell Salesman posted:Maybe this is not answerable without knowing what exactly is wrong, but how on Earth should we react when she does this at night? We've tried ignoring it, telling her no, comforting her, squirting her with water. If it's a behavioural loop (rather than a neurological issue) I would address it via more exercise as Kiri said, interrupting him when he starts to exhibit signs that he might start up, and MAYBE a citronella collar. The collars have better timing as interrupters than you. Sometimes you just need a bit of a hand to snap him out of it and then you can start better addressing the problem. Keep in mind, the collar is intrinsically aversive, so if you don't address the underlying issue you'll be doing a disservice to your dog and you may not end up fixing the problem in the long run.
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Nov 19, 2012 14:41
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Don't think I saw you mention this, but I just want to confirm. Have you actually talked with the foster and verified that this behavior is new upon her moving in with you? If that's the case, I would argue it detracts from being a neurological issue and is probably a stimulus you can't detect. Given that the building is new it could just be creaking wood frames as everything settles in. You might try recording some sleeping at night before anything actually occurs to see what originally sets her off.
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Nov 19, 2012 15:35
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MrFurious posted:Don't think I saw you mention this, but I just want to confirm. Have you actually talked with the foster and verified that this behavior is new upon her moving in with you? If that's the case, I would argue it detracts from being a neurological issue and is probably a stimulus you can't detect. Given that the building is new it could just be creaking wood frames as everything settles in. quote:You might try recording some sleeping at night before anything actually occurs to see what originally sets her off.
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Nov 19, 2012 16:54
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MrFurious posted:Don't think I saw you mention this, but I just want to confirm. Have you actually talked with the foster and verified that this behavior is new upon her moving in with you? If that's the case, I would argue it detracts from being a neurological issue and is probably a stimulus you can't detect. Given that the building is new it could just be creaking wood frames as everything settles in. But stress (such as moving to a new place) can trigger neurologic episodes as well. My dog's last seizure (classic generalized tonic-clonic seizure, definitely neurologic) was the first night that I was gone for a 3 week period over the summer. I think it's worth it to investigate both avenues. edit: when you think about it, it makes sense - both sorts of issues would be mediated in the brain.
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Nov 19, 2012 23:15
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Topoisomerase posted:But stress (such as moving to a new place) can trigger neurologic episodes as well. My dog's last seizure (classic generalized tonic-clonic seizure, definitely neurologic) was the first night that I was gone for a 3 week period over the summer. I think it's worth it to investigate both avenues. Fair point - and to be clear, I'm not advocating one way or the other. But in either case, there's a stimulus causing the behavior somewhere. If SS and his dog are very unlucky, it's entirely neurological and non-deterministic, as far as his environment are concerned. Still looking forward to seeing the video, I'm very intrigued.
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Nov 19, 2012 23:23
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I will upload some video when I get home from work. Apparently the contact from the shelter is now totally sick of discussing anything with my wife and says to either give the dog back (her messages about this are super guilt-trippy) or stop asking her for help. So no support there; we had previously hoped they would take Crackers for a night to see if she does the same thing outside of our apartment. My wife now wants to book a trainer from Bark Busters to come on Saturday. I even spoke with them on the phone and they seemed completely confident that they could solve her barking after I explained the situation in detail. I guess I am okay with this taking some time and lots of money I just need to be able to sleep a bit in the meantime. My wife seems on the brink of breaking down altogether. e: The behaviorist we were referred to needs booking like 2-3 weeks in advance, apparently, too. Ordinarily I'd say that's not bad but I don't think it works in this case. Seashell Salesman fucked around with this message at 23:30 on Nov 19, 2012 |
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Nov 19, 2012 23:27
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Seashell Salesman posted:I will upload some video when I get home from work. Apparently the contact from the shelter is now totally sick of discussing anything with my wife and says to either give the dog back (her messages about this are super guilt-trippy) or stop asking her for help. So no support there; we had previously hoped they would take Crackers for a night to see if she does the same thing outside of our apartment. Scroll back a couple of pages for some comments on Bark Busters. Might have been in the training thread, can't recall, but I would be very cautious. Bark Busters, in general, avoids the use of food rewards and trends in the direction of aversive stimuli for training. If your issue is neurological that will have no effect on the behavior. If the issue is one of fear or anxiety, it is likely to make the problem significantly worse. Strongly recommend you seek a behaviorist of some flavor via the links in the OP.
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Nov 19, 2012 23:31
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My dog made it 9 hours without chewing the couch today!!! I think this is the first time ever! Can anyone weigh in on Don't Leave Me paperback vs Kindle? Unless someone tells me the worksheets add a lot of value with the paper book I will order the Kindle version later tonight.
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Nov 19, 2012 23:59
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Hey Penis Island dog people, I've got concerns about the suitability of my Mom's dog for their living arrangement and other things. And while I'll be expressing my opinions bluntly, I'm completely open to advice, especially if I'm wrong. The short version is I don't think her 1+year old rescue dog is a good fit and that they should give him back up for adoption due to obedience/leash issues that they (my Mom et al.) are unprepared for. This is all coming to a head because Saturday he pulled her down on a walk and she ended up with a break in her ankle. She wants to still keep the dog and really loves him, and, without getting too E/N'y here, she's kinda torn up cause it seems like her husband is not happy with the dog. Casey is a rescue mutt, with a mix of Springer Spaniel and Black and Tan (Gordon?) Spaniel (he has the coat and eye markings of one) and is somewhere between a year or two old. He is housetrained but did poop in a bedroom recently. He doesn't know many/any commands as far as I can tell and doesn't jump on people too much. Also, his temperment is very calm indoors, but he's a bit of a runner and has made a couple of escapes due to a left open door. His main problem comes from how he is on a leash; he's very much a puller and very reactive to birds, dogs, and most other stimuli outside. My Mom lives in a townhouse with two cats, her husband, and two children (9 and 12?) with no fenced in backyard but plenty of outdoor space. She tried o get him a couple of works in a day, don't know how many, with his big one at night and I believe that, all told, he was out being walked for an hour or so each day. She's not very knowledgeable on dog training and has had Casey for a couple of months now. So that's the basic rundown, I've now given him two walks since I've been down for the holiday and have been doing my best with him and can go into a little more details with how he does. Initial impressions are that he wasn't a "leash" dog before and isn't used to the idea that he is being lead around to do his business (and exercise). For his size, I'm surprised by how strong his pull is. I'm ~215 lbs. and reasonably in shape, but I still have to really plant myself to stop him if he catches a whiff of something. As far as what effect I've been having on him, I'm not really sure. On each of the 30 minute walks, I've only only focused on his pulling to any measurable degree, if he pulls to tightly, I tighten the lead, say "No," and command him to heel (what I mean: stop and wait for me to start walking again). From those "heel" moments, he's gotten decent at waiting for me to begin walking again with only "good boys" (and he'll even do it with a loose lead too). Near the end and right after a "heel", he'll start off walking with a loose lead to my left, but then will catch something after a couple of steps. I'm not asking for specific leash training advice here (I saw the training thread), I just want some other people's opinion (especially that of internet dog nerds) on what we should do with him. I can tell that he can be taught still and is learning bit by bit, but I don't think my Mom could get him to the place he needs to be. Outside of just hoping he can find a better home, I have thought about advising that they get a pro walker to do leash training with him for a couple of weeks, but I don't think that would be doable. Sorry for the long post, but I really don't want to have to tell her that she should give the dog up unless I'm sure. 
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Nov 20, 2012 00:44
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