Pedro and Linda
Thanks Robert for including us in your weekly podcast. This is an update to our problem. We did an embark DNA and he is a mixed Auss/GSD/American Pitbull mix. We have bonded with him (he is now 7 months old and have had him since he was 10 weeks old). He is not aggressive toward the little dogs (just wants to play with them). We do not want to give him up so we have decided to train him to the best of his ability. We have accepted its going to be a long process of training. How do we get a good impulse control (prey drive/herding) for him to see the little dogs and just ignore them?
Junsei
My 2 off leash dogs and I were walking/playing thru a grass field. Behind me with no notice, a man that my dog does not know well started to whistle/call to her. She ran towards the whistle, started barking and nipped his leg. His jogging pants were not punctured but he definitely felt it. She came back to me when I called. She is a 1.5 year old German Shepherd I adopted almost 3 months ago from the shelter. She’s never done anything like this before or since. Is this the start of a bigger problem? What should I look out for and how can I do better? Many thanks for your great instruction!
Ed
I’ve tracked it down. The 4 rotties and the pitbull live in harmony until there is a redirection brawl. If the Pitbull is involved, it becomes an issue. I can stop it in no time. However, when I go out, I crate either him (pitbull) or the 2 young girls (rotties). All dogs show him affection, but he does not show affection to any of the other dogs. It is a manageable situation, but it would be nice if we could resolve it. Is there a way to get him to be more chill with it. Insecurity may play a role, but when we build him up I think he starts to pick up small fights with the others. Thanks!
Jo R
I recently adopted a dog a month ago. She’s a one year old mixed breed with a cattle dog in her. She’s smart, sweet but resource guards toys only. She doesn’t growl at me but puts her paw over her toy and will get mouthy if I take it. I’ve tried playing ball with her in the yard and even used two balls. She seems to play a bit but the resource guarding gets in the way and she ends up losing interest. She doesn’t walk well on a leash so we are working on that in the yard. At night she barks aggressively at me, gets mouthy and runs around the house. I think it’s lack of exercise.
Also I’m working with a trainer that says this – Yes and no. She needs to know that our family has rules and boundaries that we respect and work together for the family, but it isn’t about the “boss” or that that you are “higher” than her in the ranking or anything.” From your videos I’m thinking this is incorrect- your thoughts?
John R
I was just watching one of your training videos and Ruby (1.5 y/o) heard kids playing and was instantly “triggered”…Last summer my neighbor asked if their grandkids could come out and play with our puppy – little did I know that 8 kids would pour out of their house. For our dog it quickly went from “oo fun! kids!” to “get away! this is intimidating!”. She’s never been the same around any kid since. She now barks aggressively at kids around 5-10ish. We’ve tried ‘training’ her with a few friends kids but its intimidating for them. She’s ALL bark but obviously this needs to stop.
Kevin
Hi Robert, I’m 18 and have worked at dog daycare for the past year. I really love working with dogs, and want to be a trainer one day. I moved out of state this month and I am going to start volunteer dog walking at the local shelter. Do you have any tips for meeting and walking these new dogs? I want to make the process most comfortable for me and the dogs. I really love your videos and they’ve inspired me a lot. Thank you!
Katrin
Sometimes I go to a training ground where a lot of pet owners are training. There was a dog fight there a few weeks ago in which a large dog bit into a small dog. (Not my dogs!) Many of the people there were completely helpless and not abel to separate the dogs. Now I’m wondering, are there any tools that could be put on this training ground to break up a dog fight? There is no water connection there, so a water hose is not a solution. Thanks for your answer! I benefit greatly from your socialization videos.
