Member Riggan
MemberForum Replies Created
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Take a look at Robert’s video on Hind End Awareness using the pot / brick / bowl. This is part of what that is useful for.
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I agree this is a good question for Robert to answer. I’ll be interested to hear what he says, since my dog is absolutely terrified of children. Fortunately, his reaction is to run away, but it is still something I would like to overcome as much as possible. There is one thing in the meantime that I have heard Robert say many times: dogs should never be allowed to nip or bite someone, particularly children. If your nephew is going to be over, put your dog in a crate or have him on leash. If there is any chance you will encounter children outside, have him on a leash (as you say you are doing now). Have you watched the videos with Bear? They are excellent, although they would be a bit harder to do with children since children often don’t have the self control to follow instructions reliably. They also tend to be more sudden and erratic in their movements, which can trigger a response in a dog. Good luck, and I’ll be listening for your question to Robert.
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D-D,
Unless you have a background in doing agility, you might want to get involved in a formal class, especially since you have one so close (assuming they have a solid reputation and fit with your training approach). If not done correctly, dogs can be injured doing agility, so it can help to be working with someone who knows safe ways to introduce dogs to the different obstacles. It also depends on what your goal is. If you would like to possibly compete at some point, working with someone who is experienced can help you avoid bad habits. I have never done competitive obedience, but we did train our Search and Rescue dogs on a variety of obstacles. We trained for stability, control, and confidence rather than speed. I’m just starting our newly adopted dog (had him 6 months now) on some obstacles, and my goal for him is to improve his confidence (he is fearful) and coordination. We go hiking in some heavily wooded and steep areas, and I want him to have good body awareness. Because of his personality, I know I will never compete with him. So you can use agility for many different reasons, and in some cases it can affect the approach you take.
I’d love to see Janet join in here with some hints and tips from her experience. It looks like Dwayne is becoming an awesome agility dog under her tutelage!
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Hi, Alin! How can I find replays of the Live Member Chats (and also the session you did on the new website)? Thanks!
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I’d love to see a Shelter Dogs group (or, to make it more inclusive, maybe a “Second Chance Dogs” group that would include rehomed dogs from all sources. Discussing with some of the issues surrounding poor or no socialization as pups or traumatic experiences could be very helpful as I try to navigate this path with Lance. I also plan to start volunteering with our local shelter once they are open to volunteers again.
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This is why I think it is a good question for Robert to address. The end result – a child possibly being nipped or bitten – might be the same, but the cause (and thus the method of treatment and prevention) might be very different – fear, aggression, or herding instinct. Even in the videos with Bear, Robert mentioned that you would not go as far as he did with “regular” people. My concerns about that approach with children are even greater, for the reasons Jayson mentioned.
With Lance, my approach so far has been to cue an incompatible behavior (sit and look at me) when we are around other people. Then I can reward him for that behavior rather than requiring someone else to interact with him. I can also do that without the other person even being aware that he / she is being a “training aid”! My hope is that over time, he will start going “Hey! Great! There is a stranger! Where’s my treat?” While he is slowly getting better, we are still not to that point yet, and certainly not when the “stranger” is a child. Eventually, I want him to accept handling from someone else, and I have just recently starting following the protocol with Bear with a couple of trusted friends. It’s going to be a long, slow process, though, and I don’t want to put more pressure on him than he can handle. Right now, children definitely fall into that category.
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Mark, I ran a program training assistance dogs for people with mobility disabilities for several years. A Mal breeder donated one of her dogs to our program. She did so because in her words, “this was the mellowest Mal she had ever seen.” With some reservations, I agreed to give the dog a try. She was a lovely dog (about 1 year old), but was still far higher drive than any other dog we trained. I still thought that it might possibly work if we had a client who had an extremely active lifestyle. Unfortunately, we never made it that far. When we had the dog’s hips X-rayed (a requirement for all our dogs), she failed the exam. The breeder was devastated since she had never had a dog with poor hips before. She actually got angry at us, as if we somehow made the dog’s hips bad! Anyway, just wanted to say that even a “mellow” Mal is still a high drive dog.
That said, my daughter adopted a Mal / Husky mix from a couple who decided they were too old for such a high drive dog. Lily was 8 mo when they adopted her. For a Mal, she is very mellow. I spent a month with them doing some training for them and absolutely loved working with her. Her attitude was fantastic and she loved training! There have been some challenges for my daughter with she and her husband working full time and a young teenager in the home, but Lily has turned into a wonderful family member. My daughter has done a great job continuing her training, and her husband gets her out regularly for a run. So it can be done if you are committed to the needs of the dog and understand what you are getting. It sounds like you are extremely active, and the dog would have lots of outlets for their energy. Good luck, whichever way you go!
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Thanks. I found the one with you on YouTube (it’s great to have a face to put with your name!), but it doesn’t look like there is anything from 2021 in the Members Live playlist. 🙁 In the past, I could watch them from the player window where you all announced the upcoming Live session, but that isn’t there anymore. It would be great to have a way for those of us who might not be able to make the Live session. I know you are incredibly busy, but maybe you can put it on what must be an ever growing “To Do” list with all the requests coming in!
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What a cutie! I love those ears!
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I think a single group. I agree that dividing up into too many groups could create a management nightmare over time. And I think Linda is right that most of the issues are similar. So much depends on the personality temperament of the dog, regardless of whether it is from a shelter, rescue organization, or re-home.