Dog Owner Chat v2

[MacGyver]

You NEVER EVER EVER correct a dog for aggression. EVER. You'll simply reinforce that the trigger (whatever they're aggressive to) is a bad thing. You countercondition or dysynsethize to the trigger to make them see that it's a good thing, not a bad thing. Also, since MacGyver's dog, Dixie, was dog aggressive (but has made an awesome turn around with positive reinforcement) I'm sure Mac knows what to look for.

@Mac: Like Camillion said, I would just keep an eye on it but I'm pretty sure it was just Goliath telling the other dog he didn't like how boisterous he was being. I would do timeouts when he gets too enthusiastic about the butt sniffing.

Okay, thanks, Camillion and Sara! ^^

Pic spam of the bugger. When you take him out back to go potty, he won't stray further than 5ft.





And since 'Goliath', didn't fit, his name is now 'Ohana', which everyone agreed on. (I think it fits him way better!)

Murdoch waiting for his mummy to get off from work and come home.


Stitch is wearing an e-collar while his skin issues are healing up (allergies). And he had a bath yesterday, so he's feeling spry today.


MY BBY DIXIE NEEDS SOME MORE LOVIN' LATELY!

[Saracirce]

Ohana is a very cute name! He's adorable. And Dixie, Stitch and Murdoch are very adorable.

[val.]

@Saracirce

thank you for the videos, i'll look into those properly later.

as for my dad, i do have him give finn treats, feed him ect. but i think finn is just a little too excited (wrong word to phrase this but >.>) to concentrate on my father. it's only been a little over/under two weeks since he has been here and i think, he is still getting use to everything.

the random nipping, as i have said before, is like this. i or my mom will be walking down the hallway, going into the kitchen, going to sit down ect. and finn will jump up and nip us. could it be because he wants attention? he gets a bit aggitated when i pet the cats, and nipped one of them (though in return getting a smack on the head cx) and has repeatedly chased the cats (but they take care of business if it gets too far).

i've been thinking of taking him to this place called zoom room, and enter him in obedience, agility and personal training sessions.

[Rainbow Dash]

i've been thinking of taking him to this place called zoom room, and enter him in obedience, agility and personal training sessions.

Agility is really fun. My mom's hairy chihuahua mutt was in agility with other small dogs and it's a great activity to do together. I've heard of Zoom Room before but I haven't checked them out yet. I was thinking of enrolling Gatsby in agility but I want to focus on his CGC certification first.

I don't think I put up his Halloween costume. I'll be in a business suit with a notebook and briefcase and he's in a shark suit. We're both sharks.

He's a little long but I think he looks adorable.

[Ines.]

Do you own a dog?: I have 4 plus none foster dog!
Favorite dog breed?:Pug!
Tell us about your dog(s), if you have any!:
We have a poodle named Katara aka Kit kat. She is shy and hardly barks
Luna is are Aussie named Luna as my mom puts it she is a nerves nelly
Leo is a grumpy Pekingese
My dog Oliver is a pug puppy he is SO crazy!!
Pictures of your dog(s): sorry I'm not a lowed to post pictures of my dogs (My moms rules)

[MacGyver]

Ohana is a very cute name! He's adorable. And Dixie, Stitch and Murdoch are very adorable.

Thanks! > 3 < I think Ohana fits the little guy better. :P
i just realized we now have a 'Stitch' and 'Ohana'

[Joe Kerr]

An acquaintance of mine needs some dog help,
but prefers to stay anonymous. Could they get
some opinions?

[center]Thank you so much, these dogs are the main two problems in two households.

Australian Shepherd x Border Collie

Her name is Zura, and she was bought from a breeder in early January of 2013 - just a couple of months before my brother and his wife moved all the way to Germany in late April. She was fine as a puppy - playful, nice, not really aggressive, hopping up on laps - but when she returned to the states in August of this year, something was different. I get that a lot of dogs mellow out as they get older, but she hadn't and she made a major aggression issue and a huge fear of strangers. My mother's husband said that he thought someone had abused the dog, and when I really started to pay more attention to how my sister-in-law treated this poor thing, I noticed that she would swat at Zura, but make no connect if she knew someone was watching.
This was just the first two days they were staying with us, by the third my little brother and I were scared to go downstairs unless my mother was there because my sister-in-law didn't do anything to make her dog back off - just saying "no Zura, quit barking" in monotone while checking her FaceBook or sitting beside her son and looking at her gosh dang phone. (Zura had been snarling and backig me into corners the whole time she had been with us) The fear progressed so much that I went to my mother and said, "I'm scared that dog is going to bite me or Mark. Neither of us want to go downstairs to do anything and I know I won't be able to bring friends around anymore if she does stay for the six months she had been planing." (A totally different story there). So my mother talks to my sister-in-law and they both agree that the dogs (she had two, but only one was an issue) needed to find another place to stay.
Then that same day, Zura goes after my little brother while he's coming downstairs. Thankfully she didn't get to reach him before my mother and I both stepped in, but that was the last straw with my mother. She said that the dog was not allowed to have free rang anymore while my little brother was home alone, so she either needed to be outside or in her crate in the garage. Zura was crated in the garage until we got home, but later that night she had almost bitten me. So my mother really pushed that she find another place to stay because she didn't want the dog biting anyone.

My question for Zura: what do you think we should do with this dog?


Mini Pinscher

I forgot his name, so I will just call him Dog for now. Dog is two years old and has been through seven different homes before he was welcomed into my brother-in-law's grandmother' house. He is also a very, very aggressive biter who, they think, "dislikes human males because he was abused by one" (they don't know for sure). This line has been used so many different times - when he bit a neighbor kid, when he bit my bother-in-law, when he bit my little brother - and no one really sees that there is an issue with him biting more so than ever now because my sister is due to have her baby in less than two months and is living with this dog.
The week before last Dog bit my sister' hand and drew a lot of blood (more so "than usual" but less than a serious wound). Now my sister is pretty upset with having to live and having her baby live in this household with Dog, and doesn't know what to do. She's scared that if she puts her baby (a baby boy) on the floor, the dog will attack him and really injure him. Heck, if Dog bites the baby's finger it could probably take some of it off. My mother and I are really talking about letting my sister and her baby come and live here when he is born, but we don't want her dog (Phoebe - who is perfectly fine with babies and other animals, she would just be home alone a lot and she pees everywhere whenever you greet her) or my brother-in-law staying here. I'm scared of this dog, too, and I'm scared of what he'll do to a new baby.

My question about Dog: how do we get him to stop biting, or at least not bite the baby when it arrives?

[/center]

[.Middy.]

Sara- thanks! Guess I'll keep it up then! I think I may start actually using treats instead of just praise (generally I don't have treats on me, but I'll get a pouch to carry them in)

Speaking of Princess, we are still trying to decide what she will be for Halloween! There are so many cute ones! Only problem is that she refuses to wear any costumes that have anything over her head, but we will find a cute one eventually! (Though the miss Piggy would have been super cute!)

I'm probably just going to dye Chewie's white fur some goofy color and then he will wear his cape like he has for every Halloween since we got him! (Guess he doesn't really matter since he won't be going out in public or anything. Still want him to get in the spirit lol)

Ohana is so cute! So are your other goofy pups! Love love love Dixie! We need more pictures of her!

[Saracirce]

I think that the Min Pin should be rehomed to a family with no children and no plans to have children in the near future. Preferably, someone who is experienced with positive reinforcement and helping aggressive dogs. I would not feel comfortable with a dog with a bite history like that around a baby or a young child. Just an fyi, small dogs are completely capable of killing babies. A Pomeranian killed a baby in 2012 when left alone with it for just a few minutes while the uncle was preparing a bottle.

[krunts]

Do you own a dog?: yes, i have two!
Favorite dog breed?: corgi!
Tell us about your dog(s), if you have any!: my dogs are old and fat, but i love them
my bigger dog, daisy, is a german shepherd mixed with a queensland heeler, and pickles, the smaller dog, is a puggle.
Pictures of your dog(s): daisy & pickles

hello!! i love dogs, i have a sister who was a dog trainer and i hope to train dogs in the future as well!