Comments on: I’ll open this to the floor http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/ eat. play. love. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:01:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Crystal http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-819 Crystal Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:43:10 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-819 I'm a huge fan of this lady. I drove for 6h to hear her speak on a topic I wasn't interested in and she was fantastic! http://www.shirleychong.com/index.html She runs a clicktrain training list - if you search the archives, you'll find a wealth of information on exactly the situation you're talking about. (I strongly suggest searching before posting - asking a common question w/o searching first can be rude and you're likely to get lower quality responses because of it). I’m a huge fan of this lady. I drove for 6h to hear her speak on a topic I wasn’t interested in and she was fantastic!
http://www.shirleychong.com/index.html
She runs a clicktrain training list – if you search the archives, you’ll find a wealth of information on exactly the situation you’re talking about. (I strongly suggest searching before posting – asking a common question w/o searching first can be rude and you’re likely to get lower quality responses because of it).

]]> By: MizLit http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-818 MizLit Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:44:32 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-818 Ah! Here's the article. http://www.dfordog.co.uk/behaviour_dominance.htm IF you're looking for TV trainers, Victoria Stillwell's "It's Me or the Dog" has excellent ideas for training dogs who are dog aggressive. Her show also doesn't come with the disclaimer: "Training shown here is by a professional trainer and should not be tried at home." Ah!
Here’s the article.
http://www.dfordog.co.uk/behaviour_dominance.htm

IF you’re looking for TV trainers, Victoria Stillwell’s “It’s Me or the Dog” has excellent ideas for training dogs who are dog aggressive. Her show also doesn’t come with the disclaimer: “Training shown here is by a professional trainer and should not be tried at home.”

]]> By: MizLit http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-814 MizLit Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:05:02 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-814 I recently read an article the attitude now is that all aggression is really coming from a place of fear. First, is training the dog to be responsive to being on the leash. (and the questions would be, what is being done for the dog if exercising on leash is not a good outlet. Excessive energy can make nervous dogs even less tolerate of difficult situations. Second, would be getting the dog more tolerant of other dogs (dogs going by, watching dogs at a park, walking by dogs). Most importantly, leaving or interrupting whenever the dog begins to aggress and lots and lots of yummy treats when calm behavior is present. I recently read an article the attitude now is that all aggression is really coming from a place of fear.

First, is training the dog to be responsive to being on the leash.
(and the questions would be, what is being done for the dog if exercising on leash is not a good outlet. Excessive energy can make nervous dogs even less tolerate of difficult situations.
Second, would be getting the dog more tolerant of other dogs (dogs going by, watching dogs at a park, walking by dogs). Most importantly, leaving or interrupting whenever the dog begins to aggress and lots and lots of yummy treats when calm behavior is present.

]]> By: Dr. V http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-813 Dr. V Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:12:44 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-813 I do so love the Gentle Leaders! I do so love the Gentle Leaders!

]]> By: wikith http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-812 wikith Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:50:33 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-812 There was a rescue case that came through my school that I heard of along those lines with the microchip. I think it's less of a problem with high-volume shelters, but some of the breed rescues or other low-volume places can be kind of... judgmental. It doesn't happen often, I imagine, but having heard some rescue people say things like "the poor thing, those people don't deserve to get him back!" or "what kind of person would let her get in such bad shape?" I can believe it. The wording from the email "obviously didn't want him" sounded a bit too much like some of those justifications to me. I could be reading into it too much, though. ;) There was a rescue case that came through my school that I heard of along those lines with the microchip. I think it’s less of a problem with high-volume shelters, but some of the breed rescues or other low-volume places can be kind of… judgmental. It doesn’t happen often, I imagine, but having heard some rescue people say things like “the poor thing, those people don’t deserve to get him back!” or “what kind of person would let her get in such bad shape?” I can believe it. The wording from the email “obviously didn’t want him” sounded a bit too much like some of those justifications to me. I could be reading into it too much, though. ;)

]]> By: Jenny http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-811 Jenny Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:16:23 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-811 Gentle leader, gentle leader, gentle leader. At the very least, he won't be walking you any more! :) Gentle leader, gentle leader, gentle leader. At the very least, he won’t be walking you any more! :)

]]> By: Dr. V http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-810 Dr. V Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:12:14 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-810 I'll ask her- I guess I assumed that any reputable rescue would have followed up on that, but you never know. I can't imagine them wanting to take on the liability of adopting a dog to someone without doing that due diligence! I'd say we are about 50/50 in reuniting microchipped dogs and cats with owners. Half the time the number is no longer in service, or the owner says, "eh, you can have them." :/ I’ll ask her- I guess I assumed that any reputable rescue would have followed up on that, but you never know. I can’t imagine them wanting to take on the liability of adopting a dog to someone without doing that due diligence! I’d say we are about 50/50 in reuniting microchipped dogs and cats with owners. Half the time the number is no longer in service, or the owner says, “eh, you can have them.” :/

]]> By: silvergrey http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-809 silvergrey Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:36:23 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-809 I like the Denver Dumb Friends League for behavior tips. Maybe not for problems of this magnitude, but they're good for more run-of-the-mill stuff. http://www.ddfl.org/tips.htm I like the Denver Dumb Friends League for behavior tips. Maybe not for problems of this magnitude, but they’re good for more run-of-the-mill stuff.

http://www.ddfl.org/tips.htm

]]> By: wikith http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-808 wikith Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:44:11 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-808 ...and I hit the submit button when I went to hit the scroll button. Anyway, I'd check with your friend to see if she knows whether the original owners were contacted at all. It's hard to give up a sweet new family member, but I know if that was my dog that had gotten loose, I'd be very upset if someone found the dog and didn't try to get in touch with me. There are a million reasons for a stray to look neglected or even abused when it gets picked up that could have nothing to do with its owner. …and I hit the submit button when I went to hit the scroll button. Anyway, I’d check with your friend to see if she knows whether the original owners were contacted at all. It’s hard to give up a sweet new family member, but I know if that was my dog that had gotten loose, I’d be very upset if someone found the dog and didn’t try to get in touch with me. There are a million reasons for a stray to look neglected or even abused when it gets picked up that could have nothing to do with its owner.

]]> By: wikith http://pawcurious.com/2009/07/ill-open-this-to-the-floor/#comment-807 wikith Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:41:19 +0000 http://www.pawcurious.com/?p=560#comment-807 During the handful of afternoons I spent with our behaviorist, we had a couple of dog aggression cases. I seem to recall she went home and got one of her own dogs, who is very blase about other animals to act as a "trigger" or "bait" to help figure out what sort of aggression it was, and maybe to help start some counterconditioning? Needless to say, not an appropriate at-home help. (eeek!) They were pretty small dogs, too, so no 75-lb Goldens hauling the handler around. On a side note, maybe it's just phrased wrong, but "At the rescue, they said they found him out and about, he had been microchipped and obviously the previous owners didn’t want him or couldn’t care for him" makes it sound like the rescue found the chip but didn't try to contact the owners because the dog's condition made it look like he was neglected or something. This raises a red flag for me, because while I've heard the "obviously they didn't want him, why try to contact them?" line before, the microchip is in place so the owner can be contacted. There is no excuse in my mind for not contacting the owner on a microchipped animal. During the handful of afternoons I spent with our behaviorist, we had a couple of dog aggression cases. I seem to recall she went home and got one of her own dogs, who is very blase about other animals to act as a “trigger” or “bait” to help figure out what sort of aggression it was, and maybe to help start some counterconditioning? Needless to say, not an appropriate at-home help. (eeek!) They were pretty small dogs, too, so no 75-lb Goldens hauling the handler around.

On a side note, maybe it’s just phrased wrong, but “At the rescue, they said they found him out and about, he had been microchipped and obviously the previous owners didn’t want him or couldn’t care for him” makes it sound like the rescue found the chip but didn’t try to contact the owners because the dog’s condition made it look like he was neglected or something. This raises a red flag for me, because while I’ve heard the “obviously they didn’t want him, why try to contact them?” line before, the microchip is in place so the owner can be contacted. There is no excuse in my mind for not contacting the owner on a microchipped animal.

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