Re: Lunging......getting worse oh angela,you know dexter is not aggressive we all have problems with our dogs, i think kate as hit the nail on the head, as you know i am a very anxious person, i didn't ever think i would be able to take jasper out on my own, i remember kate saying to me that i need to relax more, i have become very confident out and about with jasper,.......the worse night mare i have is pulling on the lead, i am working on this mark however much to my surprise is not as confident as i am,mark seems to go into panic mode with most situations,....he came home a few nights ago and said i will take him out later there are kids on the field,....so i went back out with him, same field, let jasper off the lead, looked at him and just said to him this way, i always have his ball to hand to distract him my hardest thing as you know was the recall, now i just say come on, most of the time he just follows me. angela you have been the best mum ever, dexter is a very lucky boy keep your chin up love
Re: Lunging......getting worse Hey. I feel your pain-literally. Vespa tore the rotator cuff tendons in my left shoulder. I'm not kidding. It has meant ten months off work (since I use my shoulder) and she STILL lunges. It has got better but I'm terrified every time we pass a dog on the lead and I think that makes it worse. Where can I get a chill pill? I want one too! I am trying everything I can think of and it's a nightmare. Poor, poor you. You are, I'm sure, far from alone. It sounds to me like you're doing all the right things though. Chin up!
Re: Lunging......getting worse Rosamund.....Ouch!im so sorry that's happened,these dogs with their buoyant joy of life....they don't know their own strength ??? That must be really painful and will of course make you nervous anticipating something similar happening,so far only my ego has been bruised and my usual positive outlook dented! I've consciously tried to relax,and I'm really trying to keep the rising shrillness out of my tone of voice which appears when I'm losing a battle :-[ let's see what Our Daycare assessment throws up today ....I'll pop by later with an update x
Re: Lunging......getting worse Hope it goes really well Dexter is a lovely dog and would make an ideal daycare attendee in my view!
Re: Lunging......getting worse Good luck with the assessment. Will he be off the lead at day care mainly? I watched a puppy training session once just after I got Vespa (without her there) and was quite taken aback by how unhelpful the lady was with the one lab owner there. All the other puppies were playful to a certain degree but nothing anywhere approaching the Labrador puppy. They were doing an 'exercise' to do with approaching other dogs on the lead and the lab was going totally mental (which I knew was pretty standard for a lab) and the trainer was really mean to the poor owner who was doing her best but I think the trainer got stroppy to cover up the fact that she didn't know how to handle a really bouncy, driven lab puppy. She basically told the lab owner not to come back and I think really upset her. I knew there was no point taking Vespa after that and (very) thankfully found the info on these sites shortly afterwards. Do take the assessment with a pinch of salt if they're overly negative. You probably know more than they do. Good luck anyway. Not all dogs are dozy plodders-and we wouldn't want them to be!
Re: Lunging......getting worse Just wanted to add - when I had my old boys, they both were at their most difficult at between 18 months and 3 years old. They both calmed right down after that!
Re: Lunging......getting worse Oh I'm so proud ;D you know I'm only going to tell you all what you knew already but I needed confirming :-[ Dexter is officially NOT an aggressive dog ;D He behaved beautifully.....so well in fact he actually made me look like a liar about the tussles I've been having ;D He met 6 dogs over the period of an hour,both on lead,then the other dog taken off,then Dexter taken off,then Dexter put back on and another dog introduced and same process. He lets us down only by trying to hump a very pretty yellow lab and the lady assessing him told me he needs to learn better play skills as he does play rough and bouncey,but being in a group of dogs will sort that out.....I did know that he can be a bit rude.The Calming Signals book I read made that clear but it doesn't tell you how a human can help your dog to learn these in much depth.... Anyway I'm going back for him in half an hour ,he's had the assessment + 3 hours play,I think that's plenty for the first time,plus I HATE the house without him ( thought about you a lot this morning Julie ,although Charlie's back with you now xxx) if it's gone well that's probably all I'll put him in for .....just a few hours once a week to learn his manners Interestingly he didn't do Most of the things I've described to you and the Daycare lady.......he slowed down a bit as a new dog came in and certainly moved in their direction but there was no feet planting,lying down,lunging off.......???? He walked to heel on his flat collar ....mostly,if he stopped for a sniff( I was watching them through a glass window )she just gave a little ( almost imperceptible ) flick on the lead and he moved on.His eye contact was brilliant ,and she said he's really responsive so I need to calm down and show him I'm confident of any situation we meet and firmly guide him through it ( I knew Handler Error would be a big part in all this :-[) so he has confidence in me too ;D Let's see how he is when I pick him up,probably shattered! Rosmund I know exactly what you mean,Ive met a lot of so called professionals of the dog world here and I'm so over them making me feel stupid,patronising me ,and giving me totally unrealistic advice.....the lady who owns the daycare is very straightforward,she is a Behaviourist but she doesn't take clients anymore,choosing to concentrate on her Dog boarding/daycare/grooming business,she is there doing her shift with her employees everyday rather than a lot of the other places here which just put under qualified staff in to run it and want to make money. Thanks everybody,I feel a lot better today and more confident that we will get through what is hopefully just a tricky part of Dexter growing up xxx
Re: Lunging......getting worse i have been waiting for your post ...i am so pleased you are much happier today,dexter is a good boy, he will love it at day care we all knew he was not aggressive
Re: Lunging......getting worse That's great news Angela. I'm so glad his assessment went so well. I bet he's had a great time and will be shattered when you get him home. Nice quiet afternoon with you gorgeous pup.
Re: Lunging......getting worse 10 minutes after arriving home..... image by dexterpops02, on Flickr Great report,no timeouts,no shenanighans,thank goodness....we can chalk our first visit up as a success!my niece and nephew sleep over tonight so my dog walker will do his evening walk so unfortunately I won't be able to see how he is after his playful morning ;D
Re: Lunging......getting worse That's great news am soooooo pleased for you. Well done beautiful Dexter xxx
Re: Lunging......getting worse Oh brilliant - I'm sure a good play once a week will do his social skills no end of good, and tire him out as well! (And give you a break.) Bit like sending your child to play school!
Re: Lunging......getting worse Well done dexter, you've made your mum proud. You look gorgeous and cuddly when you're asleep. Ok if I give you quick cuddle?
Re: Lunging......getting worse Kind of missed most of this Angela. Good lad Dexter. Not letting his mum down xxx
Re: Lunging......getting worse Brilliant! Good dog. Very beautiful dog too. Glass of wine for you, Mrs!
Re: Lunging......getting worse Hooray I'm not a bit surprised. Dexter is a lovely dog and you've brought him up well We love a sleepy after-playgroup doggie here too ;D
Re: Lunging......getting worse Yippiiiie . Good job both you and Dexter . Its such a relief to know our dogs are not as bad as we think we are . Congrats again , Enjoy the moment . PS : Dexter looks so peaceful when asleep Cheers Vish
