summersun

hi, to be honest, there is so much to this i would really reccommend you get a behaviourist involved. it is common for people to think that "behaviourists" only get involved when your dogs are literally total monsters but i would go as far as saying any dog/handler partnership would really benefit from some 1:1 time. i would reccommend Bev at www.kizkiznobite.co.uk as she is the lady i have used with my own dogs, and foster dogs for almost 2 years now for advanced work with my own dogs, and also integration and unpacking foster dog baggage. She's in England but she does travel UK wide there is quite alot of information on her website about different areas of dog ownership and you can also e-mail her and ask her advice too. if you are interested in her coming out to you, she'll probably send you a questionnaire so she can get a full idea of Sid and what you want out of the 1:1. what will happen is she'll come and do an assessment which will look at you and sid but also the other dogs/people who live with you too and explain in clear terms what is happening and how you can make improvements I am not sure dogs really have "OCD" my advice would be to try not to "humanise" what is going on - just look at the raw behaviours (e.g. he is reacting when you walk past houses with dogs in) then think "what does reacting mean" - is he lunging, tail position, ear position, stance, noises made etc ... he sounds basically underconfident to me, he gets it all from the others being near him and if he moves this on even further (he has already moved it on alot) i would imagine there could be a chance he'll start blocking and protecting his pack - this can look like "herding" but is infact resource guarding and in extreme cases resource aggression (this can happen over people and pack members aswell as toys/food which are the more common ones) ... however i am not in a position to say without seeing him and to be honest, and thats really why i would reccommend getting in touch with Bev - i'm aware that not all people get on with all other people but at the very least she'll be able to give you an idea of what you are looking for if you wanted to get someone more local to you. for mental tiredness - try raw bones it focusses the brain nicely, also what are you feeding him (this is important) ? also there is something you can do with clicker called free-shaping it is dead easy, bev can help you with what it is / how to do it and i guarentee you he'll be pooped afterwards ! I have 3 collie x's here at the moment and I am a mum and a student - i couldnt manage without mental tiring out ! oh and also have you got any kongs ? Claire x p.s. is he 3rd from left in your sig?

how are you doing now ? it could have been marking as a reaction to increased testosterone in the house - is he entire? or marking because other dogs living there before / visiting the house have marked previously (smells can linger for a looong time) i hope its getting better - its soooo frustrating cleaning puddles from a dog you KNOW is housetrained (i've been there too - my rescue bitch came with a slight urine infection) claire x

sorry i meant that last bit for the OP - that'll teach me to post in a rush i've spent all winter with a muddy bog of a garden so i've had to always walk them and actually - it was OK, if someone had told me i'd have no garden for 6 months over winter i would have panicked but as these things creep up on you its somehow not such a "biggie" i'm a bit like that too with my training - if it doesnt matter to me, i wont "fix it" - e.g. i trained them to "go" on cue but i only have 1 "word" for wee/poop but it dont matter to me - as long as they do whatever they need

wow Amie your dog is *gorgeous* !!!! dogs are what is called "situational learners" that is when they learn about something, it is tied to that situation specifically. it sounds like something happened when that bee got all tangled in him - maybe not stung tho can you remember what you did or how you got the bee out again ? it might be that if you got quite worried and anxious he associates that with buzzing and garden and feeling anxious. if it is something like this (or something similar) you should be able to "undo" it again. claire x p.s. mine who know "leaveit" so well they'll leave wild rabbits alone in a field - wont leave buzzing things in the house they are devils for them!!

hi danishpastry yep this can happen (is why some dogs wont "go" in their own garden and will in other peoples hehe). leaving poops in there that they've done can help them to see it isnt "house" forgot to say give tons of praise / treats / toy play - whichever your dog likes best once they've been make a huge thing of it (you feel daft - i know i've been there !!!) claire x

for some reason i cant edit but i have some good video footage of this happening if you would like me to try and post it then let me know

hi, it sounds like he's a bully and is claiming more and more stuff for himself and blocking your poor other dog from getting anything you need to manage manage manage - dont let him bully ;) i would also reccommend contacting Bev at www.kizkiznobite.co.uk mainly because if i am right she's helping me with the exact same thing with my foster dog and inside a WEEK she's helped me virutally stop it completely most of the time i now have 3 happy waggy dogs yay !! claire x

hi, sounds like resource guarding to me and as it'll be worse with "her own" toys i would advise you keep them away from other dogs when she meets them. as for other dogs toys - you need a good "leaveit" so she doesnt go and pinch them it is really worth getting professional help with this particularly as you have a staffie because of how some people view them as if she gets into fights you'll start getting the "unhelpful comments" about your dog being "aggressive". if you are struggling to get to classes - i can reccommend www.kizkiznobite.co.uk typically, they will either come to you to visit and help you, or if you are some distance - may stay overnight nearby for a few days to get you a real sense of what is going on. claire x

hi, bring poop back from walk and deposit in garden to start with and let her sniff it and see its an "ok" place to leave poop then go out with her into garden when you would usually take her on a walk and if she seems "not interested" bring her back in and if she asks again - out again and repeat - walking near the other poop so she can sniff it. claire x p.s. have you tested whether she's ok in other gardens - sometimes dogs only do this for their own garden !

here here - excellent advice just add - bumbly tess sounds a good idea, on leads first (both dogs) and i would suggest somewhere neutral at first too. if its "too much" for either dog just walk away in opposite directions - chill out, and try again.

Hi, having worked through his fear aggression it sounds like there is also underlying resource aggression. you have added resource of "his girl" into the mix - he naturally wants to protect her. you need to be a stronger pack manager and communicate to him that you are in charge and he dont need to be a silly sausage i would sort this first and then work on adding in other dogs - if you were happy with them go back to your original behaviourist and fill them in as they'll have the advantage of knowing the history etc... good luck if you get it right now as your girl grows past a year she could well become pack leader and when she does reduce his anxiety even mroe and help you manage him Claire x

fab post there !! brilliant advice - just wanted to add i agree it sounds like you left off treating every time too soon - wish you the best of luck with it

hiya, this is gonna sound odd but my dog stopped being "scared" of all nasty bangs and crashes when we got our new dog who wasnt scared. is your doggie pal friendly - perhaps he has a nice confident friend who would stay with him ? just a thought (i wouldnt suggest getting another dog just to do this - it was just a happy co-incidence for us !!) claire x

hi there, does the dog do "leaveit" ? if not this is what you need it is pretty easily trained with a clicker but start indoors and without any distractions at first. have you done clicker before ? claire x p.s. i have trained my dog out of this using clicker

hello from another "billy barkalot" !! he's not quite this bad admittedly but ooooh boy it sure is annoying !! it sounds like this is re-inforced behaviour that the dog has moved on and its got so so so so conditioned that you can hardly blink without a bark ;) questions ... what breed ? how old ? neutered ? what fed / how much / how often ? when did it start ? rescue or baby puppy ? clicker trained ? can he bark on cue ? also, what do you do when he barks (as in what do you say/do with him and what do you do yourself)