Dogs or Cats...Who Rules Your Roost?

[Marlon Rando]

We rescued him a few years ago when he was a little over a year old we think... He’s a “work in progress” and a “handful”... and we all love him dearly.

good lookin mutt, can you be specific with your quote on work in progress? I can maybe assist with some behavioral issues, leash reactive? resource guarding? nipping. curious does the pinch collar help?

 

[Bologna]

good lookin mutt, can you be specific with your quote on work in progress? I can maybe assist with some behavioral issues, leash reactive? resource guarding? nipping. curious does the pinch collar help?

Thanks. Well, one thing is he is a bit high strung but only when there’s other commotion going on. He’s utterly obsessed with squirrels and chipmunks and basically any other rodent. On the leash he’s still too easily distracted and I only really trust him off the leash if there are no other dogs or big animals around. He’s not a fighter but he can have terrible social skills with animals other than humans. Even when he eats he's often easily distracted so he ends up by getting kibble crumbs and slobber all over the kitchen floor... really sucks! He wants to kill the vacuum or lawnmower if he’s around them while they’re running. He’s not fully aware of his size and often smashes his head into walls and door casings (especially if the vacuum is running.) He doesn’t like to push open some doors on his own even if he can easily and he’s afraid of the laundry basket, full or not full (big 75lb baby!)...

But he is learning...! Just slowly... and that’s probably mostly cuz the whole family is training him, which I’m sure only makes it tougher on him.

Yeah, we think he’s a little more easily manageable with the pinch and we don’t always use that collar, but I did that day cuz my kids were with me walking him and I feel that collar is easier on his neck/throat when they’re holding the leash.

Oh yeah, and he’s way more food centric than all of our other dogs... like a billion times worse. Which also kinda sucks.

 

[little maggie]

I suspect that most severely traumatized rescues are always works in progress. Gretchen is so much better now than her first year and since I have no family, she's a perfect fit for me. She goes to daycare to hang out with other dogs a few days a week and wears a front clip harness. But I live in a very busy walking area with outdoor tables from restaurants and she tries to say hi to every person who walks by but when another dog walks by on a leash or is at a table, I cross the street She doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body but she is anxious and gets excited and what happens depends on how the other dog reacts. So I practice avoidance. I felt sad last night eating at a restaurant on the sidewalk where someone at another table had a lovely dog sitting with them who was really friendly with dogs walking by on the leash. I could never do that with Gretchen

Thank you! He definitely smiles bigger and wider than our last 3 APBTs (2 were rescues), and is certainly the most appreciative... he’s alway engaged and soaks it all in, whatever “it” may be.

All we know about his past is that he was supposedly found “wrapped up in wire fencing” and dropped off at a shelter with deep gashes in his face (probably a “bait” dog)... and then spent the next six full months in a cage under quarantine with absolutely no love at all. When his sentence was up PittieLove Rescue picked him up and he happened to be visiting another shelter closer to us that Black Friday when we (wife, 10yo girl & 8yo boy) decided the guinea pig wasn’t enough and should start looking to adopt another dog... It was kismet.

Here he is again (with only his ears and tail still “intact”... ) last fall scanning the treetops for his arch enemies, squirrels:

Your Gretchen looks lovely, too! (our last 2 were female, Sadie and Jet...yes, we like Beatles refs for names... ) I’m so glad she settled down nicely for you. I’m not sure Rocky will ever completely settle down, it can be challenging sometimes but he's still way worth it.

 

[Marlon Rando]

@Bologna, ah yes the good old prey drive, front clip harness are excellent alternatives to the pinch collar, you have a high energy dog how often do you guys work him out? for pullers, https://www.amazon.com/Ruffwear-Front-No-Pull-Harness-Medium/dp/B01MZ9B33U
(look up loose leash walking tips) Patricia McConnell is an excellent resource, find her book "the other end of the leash", that goes for all dog owners such a good book, Karen Pryor has some great resources too. get your self a treat pouch and fill it with high and low value treats, like hot dogs, cheese, chicken, whenever you step outside with your dog, "pay" him when the dog sees the trigger and mark that behavior, When your dog exhibits signs of Anxiety, excitement, frustration, Use Distance from whatever in the Environment sets him off. My guy is super leash reactive toward other dogs and we work on managing this everyday, some good days some weird days. Try to remember the three D's Distance, Distraction, Duration. If your dog gets triggered by a rodent or whatever else at a certain distance, mark it and pay the dog, if he gets too excited move further away "distance", use the environment like cars, trees, etc. to distract, and watch how long your dog can stay under threshold "Duration" before he starts freaking out at all the various environmental triggers. look into clicker tools and buy a long line 30ft. in addition to what I suggested above, the more tools at your disposal the better off your prepped for managing your dog, I know it seems like a lot of info but this whole game of management is a game of percentages, if you set up your dog for more chances of positive encounters you up the percentages for success, strive for higher percentages! don't expect perfection, its work for sure and will take time if you are not familiar with basic Counter Conditioning and Desensitization processes. its true dogs will work for food

 

[Squiby]

These little guys will be ruling the roost soon enough. They hatched yesterday.

There are 52 Guinea Keets. I'm raising them until they are old enough to live in a coop. Three of my neighbours and I are all taking a dozen each. We have a terrible tick problem on the mountain that seems to get worse with each passing year. So, it's an experiment. We'll free range them and hope that they can bring the tick population down signifigantly. These guys love ticks and some say that one Guinea hen can clear an acre of ticks. They also lay small yummy eggs and are good eating. But I'm just hoping for some overall tick control.

 

[little maggie]

@Bologna, ah yes the good old prey drive, front clip harness are excellent alternatives to the pinch collar, you have a high energy dog how often do you guys work him out? for pullers, https://www.amazon.com/Ruffwear-Front-No-Pull-Harness-Medium/dp/B01MZ9B33U
(look up loose leash walking tips) Patricia McConnell is an excellent resource, find her book "the other end of the leash", that goes for all dog owners such a good book, Karen Pryor has some great resources too. get your self a treat pouch and fill it with high and low value treats, like hot dogs, cheese, chicken, whenever you step outside with your dog, "pay" him when the dog sees the trigger and mark that behavior, When your dog exhibits signs of Anxiety, excitement, frustration, Use Distance from whatever in the Environment sets him off. My guy is super leash reactive toward other dogs and we work on managing this everyday, some good days some weird days. Try to remember the three D's Distance, Distraction, Duration. If your dog gets triggered by a rodent or whatever else at a certain distance, mark it and pay the dog, if he gets too excited move further away "distance", use the environment like cars, trees, etc. to distract, and watch how long your dog can stay under threshold "Duration" before he starts freaking out at all the various environmental triggers. look into clicker tools and buy a long line 30ft. in addition to what I suggested above, the more tools at your disposal the better off your prepped for managing your dog, I know it seems like a lot of info but this whole game of management is a game of percentages, if you set up your dog for more chances of positive encounters you up the percentages for success, strive for higher percentages! don't expect perfection, its work for sure and will take time if you are not familiar with basic Counter Conditioning and Desensitization processes. its true dogs will work for food

I'd add Pat Miller's books too. For some of us though (like me) books aren't enough. I've had to use a trainer to train me- not Gretchen. Otherwise I end up using food at the wrong times.

 

[Marlon Rando]

Pat Miller is a great resource. Agreed, books are not enough @little maggie, however they do help build a foundation in understanding basic k9 behavior, which can then be applied with the assistance of a trainer or fellow dog owners. many dog owners I have met don't have the time or adeptness to put in the work that entails in managing a dog with issues and as you said "train me" yes the owners too. Timing and mechanics is critical when teaching/learning to counter condition a specific issue the dog is dealing with. I am fortunate with my neighbor who own two reactive mutts in sharing the enthusiasm for positive CC/D exercises. We work together on our dogs as often as possible on various issues, like door bells, knocking, greetings, walks, rodents, dog/dog/people reactivity etc. then we would let them play off leash somewhere to let out some energy. If you can find a good trainer by all means do so, I am trying to enlist other friendly neighbors who want to try group walks or simple exercises considering everyone here seems to own dogs.