Member Bill
MemberForum Replies Created
-
I totally agree with @Riggan and concur with you as I too, would be very concerned about the lack of progress as described. I imported my GSD and my experience was vastly different than what you are seeing. Wishing you a great outcome!
-
Hi @Ellie You already did the hard part, keeping a tight heel. With my protection K9 I also need various levels of heeling position. In protection I have several commands that infer where he can be.
As to your need, I would offer for consideration that you KEEP whatever you are using for your heel command as you have achieved a reliable command/result which is excellent. When you want a loose leash where the dog can wander within a prescribed distance (ie – the length of the lead) use a different command, perhaps “Let’s Go”. When under the Let’s Go, the dog is free to wander the length of the leash yet remains in the “area”. It did take some conditioning but it was pretty quick. If you are seeing compliance and corrections are at a minimum you may not need a prong at this point for these behaviors as the proximital distance is maintained by the length of the lead. It may help to use a cheery “Let’s Go” at the introduction of this new Let’s Go all the while maintaining your third option, Break.
You now would have 3 gears: Heel, Let’s Go, and Break.
-
Hi @cammc11 – Likely an option for consideration is to keep those 2 separated when you are not actively present. When you are present, you can monitor when the puppy gets too active and begins to annoy, remove him and work with him to reduce his mouthiness. As you work through this, you will want to keep in mind that you may need to provide guidance to the Mali so he learns about bite pressure and alternatives. As he ages, it may appear he is biting – but as Robert says, Puppies don’t bite. The Mali just needs to learn the alternative. Hope that helps or at least something to ponder. At some point the pug may let the Mali know, in dog behavior, to stop it and you are wise to do all you can to prevent that.
-
Hi @cbetts07 – Your effort was valiant in the scary scenario and I’d concur with you, while you may have messed up when you were making your point, the good news is, dogs generally don’t hold grudges as they live in the moment. You may have set yourself back a bit, but your renewed efforts and consistent leadership will get you through this. You may find Robert’s video on Door Darting to be timely. Conditioning your dog that an open door is not an invitation to make a run for it may be just the ticket. All the best!!
https://robertcabral.com/courses/door-darting/
-
Hi @OviB As mental toughness and confidence comes with experience, you want to continue with exposure. Robert did a video you may find very helpful as he worked with a client and his dog who was fearful of sudden noises and movements – the video is titled: Dealing With-a-Fearful-dog which you can find in the Lessons Section.
-
Hi Zuma – Ear infections have to be painful and likely he’s staying away from all sources that increase discomfort, ie: trying to clean the ears when they are inflamed. My 5.5 year old GSD never had an ear infection until 2 weeks ago. I noted he was shaking his head more than usual but there was no inflammation and ears appeared clean and there was no funny smell. Went to the vet as this was abnormal for my dog. Sure enough – ear infection – both ears. Vet stated that due to the higher than normal pollen counts – they are seeing lots of ear infections and I caught it very early. The vet cleaned the ears, took cultures, determined what type the infection was and prescribed ear drops for that issue. As Zvonimir has indicated you need to know what you are treating. The vet advised me not to dig in the ears to clear debris, etc and instead, administer the drops and use cotton balls to gently wipe away any debris and excess “drops” after administering them. My dog was very annoyed when the vet was probing in the ears for the samples! VERY unhappy is an understatement. After administering the drops once a day for 7 days, he would shake his head to clear out the excess whatever and I gently wiped away the wetness and any debris with cotton balls which was not painful to him as noted by his willingness to let me do it. If you and your vet determine it is related to allergies during high season – there are remedies that can help with the allergy symptoms that may block drainage and increase the likelihood of another infection. As your puppy was delivered to you with the issue is beyond disappointing, but it is what it is. You’ll get through this – we did – and that’s why I offer this experience. All the best!
-
I use an all around basic Pet 1st Aid Kit. I have it for general purpose and have it handy especially during training and assessments (Protection K9). Kit includes emergency thermal blanket, rubber gloves, gauze, wraps, wipes, ice pack, scissors, splints, tweezers, etc.
-
Awesome! Glad to hear the Pano is subsiding – that had to be scary!! Hopefully others with more recent/abundant puppy experiences will chime in when they get a chance. Regards. 😀
-
Thanks – working protection we are only in the concrete jungle – excellent suggestions for additions for a wilderness kit. My K9 is conditioned to only eat what is scented to me to keep him safe from poisonings among other things.
May I add – I thoroughly enjoy reading your comments and observations with pack theory as they are spot on with thorough explanations – thank you as it helps keep things at front of mind.
Regards.
-
As Loretta indicated – I use the treadmill for supplemental exercise. It’s interesting that there are times my dog will independently get on the treadmill and wait for me to turn it on!!