Postings by Skarlet

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Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Mon May 13, '13 9:54pm PST  Honestly, I wouldn't have all the testing done. I would have him euthanized. While it may have been "provoked" he wouldn't let go.. a growl or snap is one thing. Even a quick bite might be workable. But to bite and hold like that? It just isn't safe. I'm sorry you are going through this my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Sun May 5, '13 1:13pm PST  Skarlet got flagged for low energy too! Which seems a bit ridiculous to me. I think perhaps it's because she does get enough exercise and training so she's not overly excitable and she calms down really fast. She has just as much energy as most dogs, she just controls it better than many I think my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Why do trainers insist that "positive training" doesn't work?

Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Sun May 5, '13 12:49pm PST  I think it's not even as much that it doesn't work, but sometimes positive training only is unrealistic. I do agility with Skarlet now and then, and we've done obedience. All of that I think I could have trained without corrections, and I used very few. However, I live on a farm. Skarlet not only has herding drive, she has prey drive. If she is not absolutely convinced that a cat belongs on the farm she will go after it, and she is serious about dispatching what she sees as an issue! Perfecting her recall enough and teaching her to ignore cats using treats? Then being able to trust her enough to let her off leash while I'm doing barn chores and my mind is preoccupied?? She would have been locked inside all the time and she LOVES barn chores. Yeah, I gave her corrections. It worked fast and well, and the barn is still Skarlet's favorite place to go. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Cesar Without the Drama....Like for REAL, lol!

Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Tue Apr 30, '13 12:55pm PST  This is really interesting. I love how they have a group of well mannered dogs to start with, I feel like those are rare. I find many dogs that are "good with other dogs" are ridiculously friendly and don't listen to a dog's 'back off' signals like these did. It's right in my area too! I might find out more about him... my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Rescue, Adoption & Happy Endings > I need advise for possibly finding my baby girl a new home :(

Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Fri Apr 19, '13 4:37pm PST  You can list her on Rescue Me, just be sure to ask for a rehoming fee and references. Do not just give her away to someone that "sounds like a good home" unless you know for sure. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Fri Mar 22, '13 10:48am PST  I remember as a teen showing one of my friends my half grown puppy and their comment on how much they loved puppies and dogs. And then they proceeded to tell me that some day they'd like to have a "puppy farm." My mom had been a very responsible breeder and I was raised with a great awareness of the difference between that, byb, and puppy mills and what can happen to unwanted puppies or dogs. I just remember being so shocked that my friends were so clueless, they did really like dogs and took good care of their own, just had no idea. I still am often suprised at people's lack of knowledge about that, and where pet store puppies come from. It's so discouraging realizing how many people are are either clueless or honestly just don't care. At least some will change their minds with education though. I sure hope your friend changes her mind! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dog Health > FHO in Larger Dogs?

Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Mon Mar 11, '13 11:09am PST  Hmmm... that's interesting. I am curious about other people's take on this too. Anytime Skarlet notices certain family members come over to talk to me she runs over between us and lays her head in my lap if I'm sitting or just stands there between us. It doesn't matter if I'm awake. With her it is almost always someone she knows, but does not view as stable and trustworthy. I don't let Skarlet do that anymore, I redirect her to the other side of me and have her sit. I have always thought of her behavior as "interrupting". I have a book on calming signals and they talk about how dogs will interrupt a tense situation between other dogs by simply walking or standing in between. I personally have noticed it is extremely effective in the dog world and is quite often respected whether it is used by humans or dogs. I've used it many times. When I notice too much tension, one dog getting uncomfortable or I just don't want them interacting. Of course some dogs don't respect it but many do and the dog you are doing on behalf of if one is uncomfortable usually relaxes a bit. From my understanding it's just letting the dog know you are aware of what is going on and want things to stay peaceful, and you are willing to intervene if it becomes necessary. So if that's what your dogs are doing maybe they are uncomfortable with the situation, and are doing it as a way to both alert you and let the other person know they are aware of the situation and want things to stay peaceful? The dog might being looking scared because it doesn't want conflict but feels that you are in a very vulnerable position and need that. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > I want definitions for types of aggression.

Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Wed Feb 20, '13 9:16pm PST  I would still call it aggression myself because the dog is, regardless of the reason, actually going after someone. I used to have a dog with terrible social skills, and if she was scared she'd flip out and try to get away or do what people call a "tap out" but never once did she show any behavior that was meant to hurt or scare a human because of her fear. She was fear aggressive with other dogs, with them she would growl or snap if they scared her. I think that's why classifying the type of aggression is so important. To say any dog is an aggressive dog because they have one type of aggression makes things too unclear. Skarlet has territorial aggression. If a stranger comes in our house without permission they will get bit. If I welcome that same person into our house or if we meet them outside she will give them a friendly, polite greeting. Knowing that I know no matter how many classes I take her to for socialization it's not going to change her behavior and I know what angle to deal with it from. Because of the specific label other people also know that they can't just randomly enter our house but otherwise she is okay. I rescued a dog that had fear aggression a few years ago. It wouldn't have been fair to have just given her an aggressive dog label, but knowing that she was fear aggressive made it clearer what her triggers might be and easier to work through. Many dogs are resource guarders or ssa. It's so useful to have a label for those specific types of aggression instead of just saying they're aggressive because then people know what to avoid and it's much more managable. Very, very few dogs (I've never personally met one) should be labeled aggressive with just a general meaning. Anyway just my general take on it! Hearing about the experiences at the vet's makes me thankful for my vets, they are great with the dogs. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > What to ask a potential trainer and how to verify if what they say is correct

Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Tue Feb 5, '13 11:53am PST  When I was looking for an agility trainer for Skarlet I went to a couple trials and watched the runs closely. I looked for dogs that had good relationships with their people, were very happy, and did well. Then I would approach their owner and ask what trainer they had gone to. It worked extremely well, and I found a wonderful trainer. I honestly could not tell you how many titles she has, or even if she is certified... But I watched her students compete and knew from watching them with their dogs she had to be doing something right. I also watched her teach a class before signing up my dog for any. I have no regrets, and if I was looking for a trainer in a different area I would go about it the same way. It was great, because some people are really good at training their dogs and competing so they have the titles, but they can't pass on what they know quite as well. This way I knew she was good at training dogs and people my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Skarlet 1231853     Barked: Thu Dec 20, '12 3:39pm PST  Who said strangers should pet your dog? For now I wouldn't let strangers touch her. The only stranger that needs to is the vet, and for that I would muzzle her until she can handle it. Don't give her the opportunity to make that many mistakes, if she's trying to nip she is beyond her threshold. It's okay to stop her from saying hi even if she wants to. Wait till you have a trainer to progress any farther. For now just keep training her and practise keeping her so focused on you when out and about that she doesn't notice things she would normally consider scary. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

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