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Post by Shaun Eric Ewing on Sept 29, 2007 6:54:39 GMT
One of our customers in Seattle has had some trouble with training a 4 month old male puppy. Apparently it respects and obeys the man of the house (he is used to having Rottweilers) but the woman is ignored and the pup is downright naughty.
Anne has gone over to sort him out, poor dog. No, really it is usually a matter of sorting the owners out, apparently the woman has been giving him all sorts of treats, and it looks like she is trying to buy his attention.
Spoiling a Boerboel puppy can bring some problems, and these problems are best dressed when the dog is still a puppy, therefore Anne flew yesterday. It will be interesting to find out how things develop, it will be hard for the woman to learn to change her ways and turn the tables so that it is the dog that begs for her attention. But I am sure that with Anne there to help things along, all will turn out fine.
Keep you informed.
Shaun
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Post by caroline on Sept 29, 2007 8:20:08 GMT
It is so valuable that you and Anne go to people who need your help. It is also a really good idea that Anne went as the puppy will see how another female can handle him and so will the female of the house. A Boerboel is so very receptive to the people around them and they can feel insecurity and weakness. People are so unaware of theirs and their dogs body language and they do not realise how much they are both saying without using words.
Well done to both of you for giving owners your continual support.
Caroline
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Post by Shaun Eric Ewing on Oct 2, 2007 19:05:45 GMT
The progress so far: there have been some problems with food, the woman owner has had problems being in the vacinity of the food bowl.
Anne has insisted that the owners scrap their 4 meals a day routine ( the dog was always hungry and never fully sated) and go over to a free food routine where the dog eats basically what he wants. Usually the dogs takes a couple of days to get used to this. The dog no longer fears that his food will be taken away from him. This removes the symptom of the problem, however the real problem lies in that the dog considers himself alpha in comparison to the female owner. Anne has tackled this by training the dog to stop eating on command and shown the woman how to do this. The dog quickly realises that it is now the woman that controls the food. Thereby implanting the idea that it is the woman who is the alpha.
There has also been a problem with the dog jerking on the lead when other dogs have been present at the park. This behaviour has been falsely understood as aggressive behaviour. In fact it was keeness by the dog to play. The dog has not been exercised enough and has a lot of pent up energy. Anne has shown them how to initiate play with other dogs so that both owners feel comfortable, and has initiated an exercise program to stimulate the dog so that it is not so frustrated.
Shaun
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Post by Shaun Eric Ewing on Oct 6, 2007 6:05:22 GMT
We have always helped them that ask for it, these dogs are so intelligent that they certainly see any weakness in the owner, and they are dominant enough to exploit that weakness. It is often difficult to see when you have the problem, and it is just as difficult to motivate yourself to change the way you and the dog react to each other. It is often a big help that other eyes look at the problem and help find the solution.
This "dog aggressive" dog was playing with 10 other dogs in the dog park yesterday!!! It truly makes us happy to see that the dog is coming on the right track again.
Shaun
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Post by bulieboerboels on Oct 21, 2007 14:33:07 GMT
Hi Shaun is Anne back yet or is it still microwave dinners for one?Regards Paul.
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Post by Shaun Eric Ewing on Oct 22, 2007 10:28:03 GMT
Hi Paul, I am back and Shaun is back on ordinary food again.
I did not know what to expect in Seattle as the person who helped them train Tuga described him as an aggressive dog towards both people and dogs. He was food aggressive and had bitten his female owner twice.
When I arrived I spent the first day watching Tuga and his owners. Then I started training Tuga. He knew Sit and Down but would not Stay, so that was my first priority.
When I train dogs I speak dog language, using my voice and body language to get the message through to the dog. I do not use treats and I do not use violence in any form or way (no Prong collars).
Once Tuga knew these basic commands I put some food between his front paws while he was in a Down Stay and told him "It is mine". If he tried to take it I would growl over his head and put my hand on the food. It took him 20 minutes to realize I meant it and then I started with his food bowl.
I put the food bowl down and told him it was mine. Then I walked away and Tuga was allowed to eat. After a little while I would walk back and claim the food bowl back by saying "it is mine" and push him away with my body while I stared at him and bend slightly over him. He would then back away and sit watching me being in control of the food.
Next day his owners took over and did the same as I had done and it did not take long for him to realize that pack order had changes and he was now at the bottom. After a week Tuga would automatically back away from his food bowl and sit down if we came near when he was eating.
I then taught the owners to make Tuga sit before they opened the door so that they could first great visitors who were told to ignore Tuga completely.
When we went out Tuga also had to sit until we had all left the house before he was allowed to leave, same procedure when we came home.
When we came home and Tuga had been home alone the owners learned to ignore him until he was calm and he learned very quickly that if he wanted attention he had to sit instead of jumping up.
It was easy to train Tuga and most important his owners understood that Tuga was acting the way he was because they did not take the role of the pack leader. In a pack there has to be a leader and Tuga then thought it was his job.
They very quickly learned to be good pack leaders and they also realized that Tuga was under stimulated and had a lot of energy that he had to get rid of one way or the other.
From day one we took Tuga to the dog park and I could see that he was absolutely not dog aggressive. The other trainer wanted him ho be on a leash until he calmed down so he would jump to get to the other dogs. We let him play with the other dogs first and then we taught him to walk on a leash. That is a lot easier then the dog is not frustrated and has used some of his energy.
Then we started to walk him on leash 4,5 km round a lake where there were lots of dogs and people. There were people walking, running, on bikes, on Rollerblades and people with children running round.
We walked him for a while with a Gentle Leader and then for a while with an ordinary collar and it was amazing to see the difference in Tuga from the first day. It did not take him long to realize that as long as he walked nicely he would go forward. As long as he pulled he would not go anywhere.
After the first training I did with Tuga his owners were doing the training and it was amazing to see the change in their relationship with Tuga once they had all found their place in the pack. Tuga is now a happy 6½ month old puppy and his owners are happy to have a dog who is calm, obedient and want to work to keep his place in the pack.
Regards
Anne
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karen
New Member
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Post by karen on Oct 22, 2007 16:12:14 GMT
Well done to you both. I would have dealt with the pup in a like minded way and as your no doubt aware this kind of method works wonders. Weak minded people should stick to cats!
kind regards karen.
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karen
New Member
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Post by karen on Oct 22, 2007 16:22:34 GMT
my god I sound harsh. Sorry I just get a bit passionate sometimes! we all can be weak minded at times especially me with cake! I believe dogs mirror their owners. A balanced dog equals a balanced owner. But there are a lots of unbalanced dogs in the world.
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Post by aescleah on Oct 23, 2007 3:53:29 GMT
i think the diffence is being organized and being structured you just dont have to be with a cat. not only do you have to communicate with a dog to do something specific. but you have to remind him every day thats what we are going to do every day no exceptions and have the will power to get off our fat bums and reenforce it. i think thats what gets alot of people in trouble. dogs have a amazing talent when it comes to picking the perfect time when you are preoccupied or dealing with something else to sneak in some naughty behavior. lol they know what they are doing. my terror (west highland white terrier) was like that bless her. when i was out of town she would drive her babysitter sick with distraction while she scoped out the best time to steal cat food, i think she emptied twice before they figured out what was going on.
cheers
Ashley
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Post by temwani on Oct 23, 2007 9:48:29 GMT
Hi Anne,
Sounds like you did a great job! It must have been really satisfying seeing the owners regain control of their puppy. It is great that they were sensible enough to seek help while he was still young.
When are you coming to see us?
Geri
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Post by caroline on Oct 23, 2007 9:54:50 GMT
Hi Anne This is what I mean about doing what it takes to help and re-habilitate dogs. Great results Anne! The feeling after helping a dog is like a real high. I have laid down in a field on a wet day to try and encourage a nervous dog to make friends. With lots of people watching. I am not afraid of making myself look silly if it gets the results, and it did. Had to look back to see how to put on a picture. So here is a recent picture of my Archie  Caroline |
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Post by sandaharr on Oct 23, 2007 15:35:24 GMT
Is this Taz's brother?
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Post by mayahund on Oct 23, 2007 16:41:00 GMT
Hi Paul, I am back and Shaun is back on ordinary food again. Thank God  Hope you had some time to enjoy Seattle as well. Ewa |
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Post by bulietaz on Oct 23, 2007 19:48:24 GMT
hi sandra,
no, not tazs' brother, archie is brother to anasha honey, from bella/rusty combination
cris
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Post by Shaun Eric Ewing on Oct 24, 2007 9:02:12 GMT
Hi Anne, Sounds like you did a great job! It must have been really satisfying seeing the owners regain control of their puppy. It is great that they were sensible enough to seek help while he was still young. When are you coming to see us? Geri Hi Geri, it felt really good to be able to help these people and Tuga. I have used all my holiday for this year and a week more I had to pay out of my own pocket in order to go to Seattle, so I won't be going anywhere for a while I am afraid. I would have loved to come for a visit but it will have to wait till after May next year. You know you are always welcome here. Anne |
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Post by Shaun Eric Ewing on Oct 24, 2007 9:12:43 GMT
Hope you had some time to enjoy Seattle as well. Ewa Hi Ewa, I did not get to see a lot as most of the time the owners did not work was spent working with Tuga but I tell you they have some great restaurants in Seattle with food from all over the world. The best was a Pan African restaurant. You ate with your fingers and the food was spicy and just some of the best I ever tasted. I went to a Reggae concert and that was really good. I also got to see a little bit of the beautiful nature surrounding Seattle. It is mountains, Forrest's, BIG lakes and big wilderness, absolutely amazing especially when you come from Denmark. Anne |
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Post by Shaun Eric Ewing on Oct 24, 2007 9:18:46 GMT
Hi Anne This is what I mean about doing what it takes to help and re-habilitate dogs. Great results Anne! The feeling after helping a dog is like a real high. I have laid down in a field on a wet day to try and encourage a nervous dog to make friends. With lots of people watching. I am not afraid of making myself look silly if it gets the results, and it did. Had to look back to see how to put on a picture. So here is a recent picture of my Archie Caroline Hi Caroline, you are right, it is a good feeling when you succeed in helping a dog and owners back on the right track. If looking like a fool is what it takes to show the owners how to speak dog or to get the dogs attention then I will gladly look like a fool. Once you focus on communicating with the dog you actually forget about the people watching you. Anne |
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Post by buliebuse on Oct 25, 2007 8:26:42 GMT
Hi Anne
Sounds like a good result all ways round with Tuga & owners.Brilliant.
Have just finished reading a book by a Norwegian lady called Turid Rugaas 'On talking term with dogs:Calming signals'.
I found it very interesting but if anyone else has read this I would like to hear their opinion.
Ju
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Post by Shaun Eric Ewing on Oct 26, 2007 13:46:04 GMT
Hi Anne Sounds like a good result all ways round with Tuga & owners.Brilliant. Have just finished reading a book by a Norwegian lady called Turid Rugaas 'On talking term with dogs:Calming signals'. I found it very interesting but if anyone else has read this I would like to hear their opinion. Ju Hi Ju, that book was one of the first books I read about dog language and I must admit I have been hooked ever since. I think it is a very good book. We actually thought about giving it to all the people who buy our puppies. Cesar Millan has written some really good books as well. On the net you can also find studies of wolf packs and how they communicate (dog language). The more you learn the more fascinated you get and the more you begin to understand your own body language. Anne |
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Post by mayahund on Oct 26, 2007 18:28:55 GMT
Hi Anne Sounds like a good result all ways round with Tuga & owners.Brilliant. Have just finished reading a book by a Norwegian lady called Turid Rugaas 'On talking term with dogs:Calming signals'. I found it very interesting but if anyone else has read this I would like to hear their opinion. Ju Hi Ju! Turid is really big over here and has been for quite some time. She has some interesting aspects on dog training and gives seminars and classes both here and in Norway. There is also a video available on the "calming signals" You can find out more here; www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1Ewa |
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