Guilty. That's her costume. Actually Ratty bought her a few pieces. One is a bunny with a carrot. The other one is Winnie the Pooh. No matter how cute they are. Hell no. I ain't going to walk her in cartoon costume.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Look down look down 24601. Happy Halloween
Do dogs need clothes? My answer is no. They are hairy and they take care of themselves. Or I would said it depends. Some dogs are not as hairy as the others. Does Goldie need to wear anything. Hell no except Halloween. Haha
Monday, October 21, 2013
Prone collar or not
A lot of people will probably stop reading this when I said I tried the prone collar on Goldie. But a lot of people don't understand prone collar is only used for training. It's should not be used forever. It's a tool for a period of time (during training). You don't expect your dog to wear it inside the house or in bed.
When small dog owners let their dog bark at bigger ones, all the pedestrians might think that's so CUTE. When Goldie does the same to the smaller dogs, people would want me to control and calm her down. To the extreme, a lady swore at me in the off leash park. She was upset when Goldie chest bumped her small dog when her dog barked at Goldie.
What's wrong in the picture? Am I not walking her enough, letting her socializing with other dogs nor teaching her like a kid? Dogs need stimulation. Walking in the downtown cores is not a fun experience. There are a lot of people, a lot of cars, a lot of dogs and a lot of noise. And dogs are constantly fighting their own space with others on the side walk. Dogs are animal not wearing shoes nor clothes. Sidewalk becomes sizzling hot in the summer and irritating in the winter due to the salt. Can you imagine you have to be on leash and walk bare feet. Then you need to deal with the surrounding at the same time. STRESSFUL.
Before I used the prone collar, I asked myself questions. Did I try other methods? Of course, I did. I talked to her while we were walking. I made sure she make eye contact and I had good treats in my pockets. I took her out early in the morning and it's a good time for her to focus on me because the streets are a lot more quiet than rush hours. She was doing great but I just can't stop her from charging at other dogs while she was on leash. I can't expect other dog owners walking back and fro to teach Goldie not to charge. I also tried to bring toys and clicker with me. And she was getting better and better but again, I can't stop her from charging at other dogs.
Why would she do that? Frustration? Aggression? Goldie doesn't charge at dogs she knows. She charges at dogs she doesn't know and those dogs are staring most of the time. If another dog is walking calmly and Goldie will not charge at all, they will just meet and leave.
Let's assume Goldie has minor level of aggression. She doesn't take No from other dogs for sure. She becomes territorial in the park. She becomes a bouncer but she doesn't stop dogs from coming in. Goldie only wants the dogs calm and be nice. That makes me hesitate to bring her to the park when a lot of dogs are there. (I meant 20+ dogs in a small fence area)
So how can I change her behavior? Training her with the prone collar is an OPTION not a writing on the wall. I like the fact that she is a quick learner, she knows she shouldn't pull the leash right away. She walks beside me at my pace. I praise her a lot and make sure she knows it's good.
At this point, I am still working on charging. At least now Goldie is not trying to run against the motocyclists while she is on leash. How long does it take to change this behavior? 4 hours in total
Like I said , this is just training, prone collar shouldn't use for long term.
Oh, what is the assessment results of Goldie last Saturday? Prone collar is one of the tools we will use for now
When small dog owners let their dog bark at bigger ones, all the pedestrians might think that's so CUTE. When Goldie does the same to the smaller dogs, people would want me to control and calm her down. To the extreme, a lady swore at me in the off leash park. She was upset when Goldie chest bumped her small dog when her dog barked at Goldie.
What's wrong in the picture? Am I not walking her enough, letting her socializing with other dogs nor teaching her like a kid? Dogs need stimulation. Walking in the downtown cores is not a fun experience. There are a lot of people, a lot of cars, a lot of dogs and a lot of noise. And dogs are constantly fighting their own space with others on the side walk. Dogs are animal not wearing shoes nor clothes. Sidewalk becomes sizzling hot in the summer and irritating in the winter due to the salt. Can you imagine you have to be on leash and walk bare feet. Then you need to deal with the surrounding at the same time. STRESSFUL.
Before I used the prone collar, I asked myself questions. Did I try other methods? Of course, I did. I talked to her while we were walking. I made sure she make eye contact and I had good treats in my pockets. I took her out early in the morning and it's a good time for her to focus on me because the streets are a lot more quiet than rush hours. She was doing great but I just can't stop her from charging at other dogs while she was on leash. I can't expect other dog owners walking back and fro to teach Goldie not to charge. I also tried to bring toys and clicker with me. And she was getting better and better but again, I can't stop her from charging at other dogs.
Why would she do that? Frustration? Aggression? Goldie doesn't charge at dogs she knows. She charges at dogs she doesn't know and those dogs are staring most of the time. If another dog is walking calmly and Goldie will not charge at all, they will just meet and leave.
Let's assume Goldie has minor level of aggression. She doesn't take No from other dogs for sure. She becomes territorial in the park. She becomes a bouncer but she doesn't stop dogs from coming in. Goldie only wants the dogs calm and be nice. That makes me hesitate to bring her to the park when a lot of dogs are there. (I meant 20+ dogs in a small fence area)
So how can I change her behavior? Training her with the prone collar is an OPTION not a writing on the wall. I like the fact that she is a quick learner, she knows she shouldn't pull the leash right away. She walks beside me at my pace. I praise her a lot and make sure she knows it's good.
At this point, I am still working on charging. At least now Goldie is not trying to run against the motocyclists while she is on leash. How long does it take to change this behavior? 4 hours in total
Like I said , this is just training, prone collar shouldn't use for long term.
Oh, what is the assessment results of Goldie last Saturday? Prone collar is one of the tools we will use for now
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Is Goldie becoming an aggressive dog? Ratney and I might be responsible for this changing behavior
We only know Goldie for a few months since May 2013. We don't know much about her background. We are second guessing her age, her birthplace and her breed. And that's all.
We don't know what she has been through for the first 18 months. Maybe she was born inside a loving home and got lost in the woods. Maybe she was neglected. Maybe her previous owner was sick and couldn't take care of her anymore and she ended up in the pound.
Adopting a pound dog is not the same as buying a discounted gift basket from the store. You can't choose something you want to keep from the basket and discard the rest. Dogs are not toys. They have needs and feelings. And you are the providers. Like I said before, they can't choose you but you choose them.
Due to a lot of unknown, we are having a tough time to understand why she becomes "bossy". She played well in the park before but now she seems to be the bouncers in the park. She tries to choose who can come in and play and who should not. That's a territorial behavior.
At the very beginning, she was care less who coming in and out. As time goes by, she hangs out by the entrance. She seems to be a greeter. But not every dog wants to meet other right away by the gate. There were a few occasions that some dogs were very nervous and started to bark before coming in. OK. That's how it started. Goldie knows she can use her voice too and tell others she is here inside. Well some dogs think their dogs are friendly and good greeters. Are you serious? Do I want to see strangers standing by the playgrounds' entrance and starting to padding my shoulders and all that. I don't and Dogs don't. Goldie is not allowed to be at the entrance at all. I now start to leash her out of the area and give other dogs space. I don't tell other owners what to do but at least Goldie is not allowed
Then I found her whining while she is waiting to play. Barks, trying to charge, pull the leash. Sorry Goldie, other dogs are still checking newbie out and you have to wait. I tried to draw her attention with treats and waved my hands in front of her. I am sure it takes a long time to adjust but at least I need to be in control
If I think Goldie will play nice after a proper greetings, that's wrong. She plays rough. It really depends on other dogs behavior. Most of the time, they are less than 3 years old. They are just chasing and wrestling. However many times dogs gang up on each others. Goldie was freaked out. And she became defensive. 90% of the time, I stopped her. But 10% of the time, she was ran far away, it took me a while to calm her down. So what's next after all the barking and chasing? I choose to stay away from the commotion and put her on leash for 10 mins. If she is not calming down, I will leave. I am sure this will become a long process. At least, I assure other owners that I am in control and I am not walking away from the situation
The other thing I am going to change is to walk her first then go to the park. In the past, I walk to the park with her. Now, I need to take her out for a longer walk first. Then went home, wait till the outside is dark, then I will go to the park. Usually bigger dogs owners go to the park later, less small dogs at that time.
Many people would say, "why don't you take her to training school". Good question, I will probably write about this after 19 Oct. We will take Goldie to the chain pet store for an assessment. It will be interesting
So when your dog becomes aggressive, who are at fault? Whose behavior should be changed first? Don't expect your dogs will behave perfectly when you can't change your behavior. We are the pack leaders.
We don't know what she has been through for the first 18 months. Maybe she was born inside a loving home and got lost in the woods. Maybe she was neglected. Maybe her previous owner was sick and couldn't take care of her anymore and she ended up in the pound.
Adopting a pound dog is not the same as buying a discounted gift basket from the store. You can't choose something you want to keep from the basket and discard the rest. Dogs are not toys. They have needs and feelings. And you are the providers. Like I said before, they can't choose you but you choose them.
Due to a lot of unknown, we are having a tough time to understand why she becomes "bossy". She played well in the park before but now she seems to be the bouncers in the park. She tries to choose who can come in and play and who should not. That's a territorial behavior.
At the very beginning, she was care less who coming in and out. As time goes by, she hangs out by the entrance. She seems to be a greeter. But not every dog wants to meet other right away by the gate. There were a few occasions that some dogs were very nervous and started to bark before coming in. OK. That's how it started. Goldie knows she can use her voice too and tell others she is here inside. Well some dogs think their dogs are friendly and good greeters. Are you serious? Do I want to see strangers standing by the playgrounds' entrance and starting to padding my shoulders and all that. I don't and Dogs don't. Goldie is not allowed to be at the entrance at all. I now start to leash her out of the area and give other dogs space. I don't tell other owners what to do but at least Goldie is not allowed
Then I found her whining while she is waiting to play. Barks, trying to charge, pull the leash. Sorry Goldie, other dogs are still checking newbie out and you have to wait. I tried to draw her attention with treats and waved my hands in front of her. I am sure it takes a long time to adjust but at least I need to be in control
If I think Goldie will play nice after a proper greetings, that's wrong. She plays rough. It really depends on other dogs behavior. Most of the time, they are less than 3 years old. They are just chasing and wrestling. However many times dogs gang up on each others. Goldie was freaked out. And she became defensive. 90% of the time, I stopped her. But 10% of the time, she was ran far away, it took me a while to calm her down. So what's next after all the barking and chasing? I choose to stay away from the commotion and put her on leash for 10 mins. If she is not calming down, I will leave. I am sure this will become a long process. At least, I assure other owners that I am in control and I am not walking away from the situation
The other thing I am going to change is to walk her first then go to the park. In the past, I walk to the park with her. Now, I need to take her out for a longer walk first. Then went home, wait till the outside is dark, then I will go to the park. Usually bigger dogs owners go to the park later, less small dogs at that time.
Many people would say, "why don't you take her to training school". Good question, I will probably write about this after 19 Oct. We will take Goldie to the chain pet store for an assessment. It will be interesting
So when your dog becomes aggressive, who are at fault? Whose behavior should be changed first? Don't expect your dogs will behave perfectly when you can't change your behavior. We are the pack leaders.
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