Setting up a fence is a bit of a pain but it'll give you the most peace of mind. I think it's a good plan Hope you enjoy Total Recall - and the whistle!
Hi and welcome. My first dog was called Poppy, so she is bound to be a delight. Well done for rehoming her. She sounds pretty normal given the circumstances and I am sure will a bit of work she will settle and be a star.Enjoy the book its great. Also have you considered classes?? They helped my super duper bouncy friendly Meg to settle and listen with distractions. We also have about 3 acres, but the dogs only have a small area where they can go out and I can see them. If I let them out further I am with them. I never let my eyes off them and constantly practice recall all the time. Meg is 18m and has a very sharp recall, her housemate Jasper (10y Malamute) has too but his speed of return is rather slower, old boy. Have fun and enjoy teaching her. OOh and can you post a picture?? Emma
Indeed, that story is one I find hard to forget! According to the author, the negative associations just ran too deep. Imagine this went on for months, the dog was hearing what he thought were the warning beeps inside his own home, even when settled in his own bed. Poor dog had learned that he had nowhere he could feel safe, just laid in his bed frozen or trembling. Of course, every time he had heard that beep it was telling him - move any further and there's a shock coming. Now imagine him hearing that in his own bed or just trotting around the home. I think even with the buzzer disabled, it was felt beyond even behavior modification training. For example, he may have heard that beep when looking at a wall, he may have heard that beep going upstairs, heading to his bowl for a drink, running to mummy for a cuddle. So he just shutdown. Short of re-modelling the entire home, it's probably impossible to calculate every single normal thing that dog could have been doing when he heard that sound, and what locations/stimuli he associated with it. I think mountain to climb was just too high - where do you even begin to help him re-learn that it's OK to take 2 steps out of his bed, 3, 4, it's OK to walk into the hallway, it's OK to approach your water bowl, it's OK to look at that blue wall, it's OK to....... you get the idea Sure BAT techniques etc could help tackle the odd negative stimuli but in this case there could have literally been a hundred. Hence they decided re-homing was the only realistic solution. p.s. It's a really good book and it's only a fiver on Amazon. It's a really good insight into how a dog see's things, and how that is often beyond our own perception.
So pleased the invisible fence idea has been shelved. JohnG how awful for that poor dog. He must have been in a terrible state. A very strong lesson in thinking through actions we take and the impact on our dogs before we take the action
http://www.amazon.ca/Think-Dog-Owners-Canine-Psychology/dp/1844037096 It's this ^ book? I'm reading one by Dr. John C. Wright which does not deal specifically with invisible fences but does provide insights to a dog's mind. http://www.thedogspecialist.com/the...ing_lessons_from_a_pet_psychologist_30620.htm
That's the one. I gave that book a lot of gravity, as John Fisher was the guy who founded the APDT - one of the highest respected training societies around. Just one word of warning. He invented dog training discs (a sound aversive) and had no problem using sound/startle + taste deterrents. It was one of the first books I read beyond basic training how-to's and I thought good enough for him - good enough for me! He's was an early backer of positive and force-free methods but he was happy to use only one form of consequence - sound/startle. That sat OK with me, I mean all the awful things we could do to a dog, when some things are just TOO serious to ignore, I felt OK fair play, lets use sound and surprise. So not knowing any better at the time, I did use some of those techniques in our early training - to no ill affect that I'm aware of, if anything the opposite my girl ended up de-sensitised to them! And even though it's an affront to the memory of their founding father, the APDT have since banned all use of aversive tools, rattle cans etc. in their membership. I still think it's a great book, just disregard parts about using sound aversion unless you want to me made to feel 6 inches tall when you admit that to anybody p.s. - I'm not sure how canadian dollars convert but that looks quite expensive on amazon.ca. Try amazon.co.uk or .com where the paperback or kindle editions are only a few english pounds.
