Postings by Megatron's Family

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Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Thu Jun 13, '13 9:05am PST  I'd start reading books to supplement your knowledge until you can get some one on one help. For starters, try Focus, Not Fear by Ali Brown. Control Unleashed: Puppy Program by McDevitt is an all around great foundation training book. Also try Feisty Fido - Help for the leash reactive dog by Patricia McConnell and Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog by Emma Parsons. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Thu Jun 13, '13 7:28am PST  As has been already stated, dogs are not wolves, and wolves are not dogs. The process of domestication is basically selecting animals which display juvenile traits more strongly and for longer. It's called neoteny. Dogs' behaviour is basically that of puppies through their whole lives. Wolves, not being selected at all for neoteny, eventually grow up. Traits like curiosity, acceptance of change and friendliness towards strange people will fade. Basically, even if this juvenile is okay for now, I wouldn't bet on it being okay forever. If this owner is obeying all the local laws (unlikely) I would simply give her a wide berth and not allow my dog any interaction with her animal. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Sports & Agility > Agility or Flyball?

Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Tue Jun 11, '13 7:15am PST  I found flyball to be kind of tough to get into. I emailed around to clubs listed on the NAFA database, those who weren't defunct weren't looking for random new members with green dogs. I got into it through my agility friends, and I took a flyball class at a local training facility to teach the basics. I think agility would be the better choice, considering what you're describing of your dog's temperament. As already mentioned, agility dogs end up with some killer self control around distractions, and the sport itself can really boost a dog's confidence. Plus, it's just you and your dog; no other teammates to worry about. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Why use 'leave it' instead of 'no'?

Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Mon Jun 10, '13 1:29pm PST  So, your dog is about to do something you don't want it to do. It's about to dive under your feet and go for that potato chip you just dropped. You say "no" and you want your dog to do... what? What about when your dog is barking at another dog outside your front window. You say "no" and you want your dog to do... the same thing as when you said "no" about the potato chip? What if your dog darts out the front door without you? Another "no"? What does "no" mean this time? We say "no" when we want our dogs to stop doing something. However, dogs don't understand the absense of a behaviour. It's an abstract concept. They think in positives. They work best when you're saying "do this instead" and you make that alternative reinforcing for them. So, if a dog is in the kitchen and is thinking about diving for that potato chip, you can say "leave it". (Or, I would prefer you train your dog to maintain a position on a mat out of the way with a default leave it, but that's a bit more advanced.) If the dog is barking at another dog, you can call your dog to you, you can cue it to be quiet, or you can send your dog to a mat. If your dog goes to exit the front door without you, ask your dog to stay. If you said "no" in these three examples, you would be asking your dog your dog three different things. And the cardinal rule of dog training is for each behaviour to have a specific cue. You want to be clear to be most effective, and "no" carries very little information to your dog. That clarity is achieved when you show your dog how to be right, not when you punish them for being wrong. How do they learn what you want if all you're ever saying is "no"? my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Won't stop barking at the door and other sounds

Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Sun Jun 9, '13 5:27am PST  I tried ringing the doorbell over and over again a few days in a row until he stopped responding and my roommate could reward. I rang it consecutively over 300 times and he only stopped for two of them. I can only do that so many times. As you probably figured out, this wasn't a good idea. The more opportunities you give him to practice bad behaviour the more ingrained it will become. You should have rung it once, and regardless of his reaction, your roommate should have provided something amazingly valuable like roast beef. Even if he's barking, toss some beef at him, have it rain from the sky until he forgets the doorbell rang. Then, maybe 3-5 minute later, you can try ringing it again. Same roast beef reaction. Repeat on a regular schedule for several days/weeks. The reason the doorbell is so arousing is that each time it rings, the people in the room engage, they move around, there's an unknown outside the door, a new person may come in... it's all very exciting for a dog. If you remove the craziness of people moving around/entering and instead pair the sound with an amazing high value treat it will, eventually, be what's associated with the sound. Booster sessions will be necessary to maintain that association. How much exercise is the dog getting? 9 times out of 10, problem alert barkers can be helped greatly by doubling the exercise they get each day. If a dog is a bit less on edge due to a good run it'll grant you better access to do some conditioning work as I suggested above. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Wed Jun 5, '13 10:03am PST  Yawning is largely involuntary - in that the dog is not actively trying to say anything. It just happens. I would consider it along the same lines as a stress shake, subconsciously trying to relieve some physical and mental pressure during/after a stressful situation. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > mini goldendoodle

Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Tue Jun 4, '13 12:28pm PST  I don't mean to offend anyone I just deal with a ridiculous amount of breed snobbery where I live and it irritates me to no end. My dogs might be"mutts" or "mongrels" but they are good dogs. No one does (or should) look down on you for having non-purebred dogs. The issue comes with the people purposefully breeding these dogs. 98% of the time it's done without health testing, without being conscientious of the lines from which each dog comes and without much reason other than to make a quick buck or two to cash in on a fad. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retreivers?

Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Tue Jun 4, '13 11:26am PST  It sounds like a Toller may be a nice fit for her. I say "may" because I find that there's a huge variety within Tollers these days. Some of these dogs are ones that I absolutely drool over (like Nix - do you know her?) and others who I find pretty boring and "meh" (though who would probably be well suited for most active pet homes). Given the variety I'm seeing within the breed, I would want some first hand experience with the sire/dam of the litter, and other dogs from their lines. The biggest caveats I think people need to be aware of when it comes to Tollers is that there's a fair share of reactivity/aggression in the breed; they're frenetic and can be quite quirky; and they can have a LOT of energy. Without that frenetic energy channeled appropriately the dogs can become stress cases. Most Tollers who I've met have had some degree of fearfulness. They're standoffish dogs who seem to only have eyes for their people. I've not found them to be as naturally biddable as, say, a Border Collie, but they're still pretty tuned in to their handler. They're probably more comparable to spaniels than the other retrievers when it comes to their basic temperaments and personalities. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > Question; Am I an Ethical Breeder If.....?

Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Wed May 29, '13 10:15am PST  For example, Josie was bred from 2 amazing flyball dogs but she will not touch a ball and has no interest in them (hence another reason why it is so hard to drain her energy). She would have failed at flyball! Flyball dogs don't need ball drive. In fact, it's preferred that they have tug drive above all else. Mine works for food. Training ball crazy dogs to do a controlled dead retrieve and return to their handler in the presence of distractions is tedious. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Cohen CD RE- ADC FDCh-S- CGN HIC The Monster     Barked: Tue May 28, '13 8:03am PST  For the most part, breeders focusing on sport mixes are not trying to create new breeds. They're trying to create individual dogs who excel at a sport. I know of a handful of breeders who are trying to solidify the phenotype of the dogs they're creating, but the first priority is temperament and performance. And no, not all the dogs being created are F1 crosses. They often are mixes of mixes of mixes, all sport proven, and all of whom look almost nothing like their founding breeds. I used to get my panties in a twist about keeping breeds pure for the sake of purity, but the more hands on exposure I get to dog sport culture the less I care. If the breeder is doing everything right, why impose arbitrary limits on the individual and the breeding program? Josie: The problem with breeding combos strictly for a sport is that any puppies placed in "pet" homes have a LARGE chance of ending up homeless due to their unlimited energy or their drive. Just my experience....why not improve on a breed that is already excelling in the sport that you want? Breeding purebreds for sport does not preclude the dogs from your former point of them possibly being too energetic for “pet homes”. I think the overarching issue is purpose breeding dogs for sport rather than... [insert personal opinion of worthwhile purpose here]. Forest: From my limited experience, the vast majority of those breeding these types of dogs are not what I personally would consider ethical breeders. Bingo. I don’t think it’s impossible to do it right, just difficult. This was the original question. I see loads of mediocre breeders out there, but they’re not mediocre because they’re crossbreeding, they’re mediocre because they’re mediocre. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

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