Grr

[IsaP]

Okie.. compulsive disorders are NOT chemical. Any medical treatment really is just a tranquilizer and ends up doing more harm than good. Trust me.. if it were simply chemical, I would have been able to medicate it out of my own dog. He has severe separation anxiety and will tear up the house just as quickly on Clomacalm than off it. These are strictly behavioral! While I don't advocate shock collars, the desensitizing technique is the best out there for getting a dog over his issue. I think we're up to three hours without a problem. Much more than that, and he gets antsy... and he must have his kitties for those three hours.

I agree with Sarah in the fact that you do have to treat a dog like a pack animal and not a furry human. They don't reason and rarely see beyond the immediate when reacting. A dog who constantly pulls on his leash is one who doesn't respect the pack order, trying to supercede it and get his own way. Food aggression is another one. Dog aggression, a third. My dog is my beta. When he came home, he was severely dog aggressive, somewhat food aggressive, and tenative of men. He also had probably been a hunting dog because he didn't get the leash. He's since passed his CGC. He WANTS to please me because he knows I'm in charge. We don't have any question in this.

It's in trying to make your dog your equal that things become dangerous. I've seen many people use 'cruel' techniques and come back with better dogs who are happier than most because they know what's expected of them. Those who aren't treated with a pack mentality often don't know how to get out of their own way. One particular case of this was the only puppy who has ever bitten me, a Chesapeke Bay Retriever. His mother was notorious for having the two worst behaved Chessies on the planet because she would baby and spoil them. At 16 weeks old, we had to give him Acepromazine (a mild sedative used to just take the edge off a patient so that proper anestesia can be administered) just to give him his vaccines and set the cathedar for his neuter. My dog, on the other hand, will sit quietly and let me put a tournaquet on his leg to either take blood myself with no one else holding his head or sedate him.

I love my dog.. he's a part of my family.. but he's also and always will be my subordinate.

[Ali Weasley]

I am extremely terrified of small, crowded places indoors. If someone forced me to stay in a huge mob of people until I "calmed down", I would either have a nervous breakdown or I'd shut down completely. In addition I would never, never, ever go back to that place again. There are a number of places I can't go to without panicking because of situations like that.

Anyone who saw my near freakout in the cafeteria at the 2003 BC will understand (I did get out of there quickly enough that thoughts of Santa Anita don't send me into a panic, although going into the cafeteria might).

I'm the same with spiders, and that description of locking someone with arachniphobia (aka: me) in a closet full of spiders made me shiver.

It would definitely send me into some kind of psychotic episode if someone did that to me.

[Becca Banner]

I could use some advise on "bad" dogs. I have three dogs, a Collie/Greyhound mix named Soma, a Goldie named Jacks (short for Jackson), and a beagle/jack russel mix named Gordon. Its Gordon I have the problem with.

He is a reasonably well behaved dog, he's almost seven years old, we've had him since he was a little over a year old, a "gift" from one of my older brothers (in fact, thats how we acquired all our dogs). He's learn to climb the fence and get out that way so to prevent it, we stand out there and watch him do his business, he won't escape if we're there watching him. He won't escape in the winter at all because he doesn't like the cold. He is all but housebroken. Everytime it rains, we have a problem with him pooping in the house and can't seem to break him of it. He'll never poop inside if its sunny outside or even if there is snow on the ground, only when it rains. And he always does it in the same spot, right in front of my bredroom door. My door is down a dark hallway with no other doors, its difficult to see down there even in the day time, so my parents simply don't observe the poop down there and often don't know its there until I come home at one or two in the morning, exhausted as anything from working, and walk down to my room only to step in it. If any of you have any advise on how to get him to break this habit, I would be eternally greatful. I'm tired of the rude surprises when I come home from work!

[Sarah Chase]

Becca, have you ever crate trained him?

[Becca Banner]

Yeah we did. We used to crate him whenever we left the house then made it very clear that he is to go outside to do his business. And but for the rainy day pooping, he does. His crate is set up in the kitchen on the first floor, we keep it open for him all the time now as a little sanctuary away from the bigger dogs, he goes in there whenever he wants to hide toys he wants to play with or treats or just to nap in peace.

[Sarah Chase]

Okay, it's good he's familiar with it. I'd back all the way up to step 1 and keep him in his crate whenever you're not keeping your eyes on him. Dogs are reluctant to soil their sleeping quarters, and if you keep him in his crate except when he's on leash pooping/peeing outside, then he should get the picture pretty quickly. You might also experiment with hanging a bell by the door, and ringing it whenever you take him outside. Done enough times, he could ring the bell himself when he needs to go out. When you take him out, say Go Potty or Go Pee Pee or something similarly masculine (:P) and praise him when he does his business.

Is he fed and watered on a schedule? Pick up water by 7 pm, etc. And what are you using to clean up his accidents in the house? Nature's Miracle is good stuff. Regular soap and water usually doesn't cut it because the ammonia in the urine and other little scent particles in poop attract him back to the same spots unless you clean them thoroughly with something like said Nature's Miracle.

[Becca Banner]

Thats good advice. And yeah, he is on a schedual. He gets fed in the morning at six and in the evening at six, but they usually eat whenever they want, we leave their bowls out for them all day long. And yes, we use Nature's Miracle to clean. The stuff is a god send isn't it? We buy it in bulk from BJ's :blink:

[Sarah Chase]

I think while you're housebreaking him, it might be good to limit the amount of access they have to their food. I.e. you put the food down, and pick it up after 15 minutes. Why do I say this? Because it will establish a pooping pattern. If a dog eats at the same time every day, he will poop at roughly the same time every day. If he can pick at the food in his bowl throughout the day, you have no idea when he'll drop a turd!

[Emily Mitchell]

Dogs are reluctant to soil their sleeping quarters

Some dogs are, but let me say sometimes I am beyond disgusted with the way some dogs treat their kennels. I work at a boarding kennel and there are often dogs that poop and pee everywhere and step in it and just don't care. I thought maybe it was just because they are in a new environment, etc. But- my sister has adopted another dog recently and that dog is the exact same way. She'll go right where she sleeps and has no problem with it. My sister and I suspect this kind of behavior is due to how she was raised. I mean, if the litter was made to live in a nasty box or something then I can see how she doesn't know that's disgusting.

But there are other dogs that are extremely careful. Good doggies.

[IsaP]

It really depends on how big the crate is and if they've been trained properly. Often times, an owner will buy this HUGE crate for a dog so that he doesn't feel too crowded. The dog learns that he can poop on the floor and not have to sleep in it. However, he'll usually end up 'dancing' in it before getting out because.. well, there's poop in the way of getting to Mom and Dad. I'm not suprised that your dog picks a remote spot to soil the floor. That means he is house trained and knows going in the house is not desirable or he would do it in the middle of a well-lit area. My advice is to crate him when it's rainy. Doesn't matter if you're awake or asleep. If he's not constantly watched, he goes in the crate. That, and try to 'walk' it out of him. No matter how stubborn he is, going for a walk usually can get him to go.

Hope that helps!

[Amanda O'Brien]

I have a 9yr old retreiver (solo) and I have learnt to live with his little "quirks" which include still pulling on a halti lead until he has his first tree pee when walking, letting the cat beat him up when asleep, wanting to sleep on my lap when he is tired (ok i let him sometimes when i am cold) but the only habits i cant break him of are his fears of water and fireworks. I have tried all methods, "flooding", treats you name it i have done it even tried aromatherapy from vet (waste of £25). So now we just let him go into the loo which is dark and shut the door.

His other fear of water is harder as when it comes to bath time i literally haveto pick him up (all 28kgs) and put him in the bath, half full of water and the edges surrounded by treats. needless to say i dont bath him half as often as i should but once he has been soaped up he decides thats it. try keeping a wet 28kg dog in a bath - and see how your back likes it!

I just take these as part of him being him - i may not like them or feel that he shouldnt be this way but he his so .......

[Sarah Chase]

Dogs are reluctant to soil their sleeping quarters

Some dogs are, but let me say sometimes I am beyond disgusted with the way some dogs treat their kennels. I work at a boarding kennel and there are often dogs that poop and pee everywhere and step in it and just don't care. I thought maybe it was just because they are in a new environment, etc. But- my sister has adopted another dog recently and that dog is the exact same way. She'll go right where she sleeps and has no problem with it. My sister and I suspect this kind of behavior is due to how she was raised. I mean, if the litter was made to live in a nasty box or something then I can see how she doesn't know that's disgusting.

Ah yes. I take it you meaen "the way some KENNELS treat their DOGS." Unfortunately, there are irresponsible people out there who force the dogs to become comfortable in their own waste. It's a natural instinct of dogs to keep their dens clean. Your sister's dog, I would say that it was bred by an irresponsible breeder, maybe even a puppy mill, and the entire litter was kept in unsanitary conditions. It makes my blood boil that people treat dogs like that. Dogs who have learned to sleep in their own waste will take extra patience and time to housebreak, but your sister's dog should come through eventually! That is, unless it's already been housebroken! Your sister did a very good thing by adopting a homeless dog, and I know the dog will love your sister and its better life.

Amanda, the fireworks is most likely an issue of nerves, which is genetic. Do other loud, sudden noises scare him? Like dropping a pot in the sink? The water fear ...some dogs don't like water, but all dogs should be able to TOLERATE water. They don't have to like it, they just have to stand quietly and calmly when the pack leader says it's bath time. Was he always scared of water? When he freaks out, what is your reaction?

[Sarah Chase]

Oh and Amanda, if he were my dog, I'd get rid of the Halti and put on a regular flat collar, nylon slip collar, or prong collar (dead ring to start). You cannot give effective corrections with a Halti/Gentle Leader. And the poor boy, beaten up by the cat? He sounds like a sweetie, good luck with him.

[Emily Mitchell]

Ah yes. I take it you meaen "the way some KENNELS treat their DOGS."

er, well no I meant the way some dogs treat their crates or kennels or whatever you want to call them. hehe But yeah my sister's dog was about 13 months old when they adopted her so she probably had to live in terrible conditions those first few months of her life. I have a lab mix that I adopted when she was a little puppy, and I've housebroken her so she is careful about where she goes and whatnot.

[Amanda O'Brien]

Oh and Amanda, if he were my dog, I'd get rid of the Halti and put on a regular flat collar, nylon slip collar, or prong collar (dead ring to start). You cannot give effective corrections with a Halti/Gentle Leader

I have tried everything - the halti is the only thing that works! he pulled my mums back out once but after his first mad rush to trees i snap the lead onto his regular collar.

As for the water issue - he tolerates it only after i have carried him to the bath, put enough treats around to sink a small batttle ship but the minute i take the shower off him to soap he jumps out.

Re fireworks - its just them, nothing else bothers him. (except now rain and thunder!)

I just accept how he is as how he is! I cant change it now!