Really tasty dog treats!

catlou

fav77 wrote: »

To be honest its so hard - I feel I am way out of my depth here (I was told by the rescue that he was a very friendly boy and good with other dogs!) but I owe it to him to help him - at times I feel like tying him to a lampost and running away

It's a shame the rescue never told you that at least you would have known what to expect then.

Don't they have any dog trainers that work with / for them that could help you - maybe an "expert" would have different ideas?

fav77

catlou wrote: »

Don't they have any dog trainers that work with / for them that could help you - maybe an "expert" would have different ideas?

Thanks Catlou, the rescue people have done their best to help - one lady there is a dog trainer and we had a session with her and her dogs, then she suggested coming to her training class. We went to one but it was a nightmare - the lady wasn't there, just a row of well behaved little pups and Wilson going crazy jumping and barking. Its an 90 mile round trip down the M6 in rush hour traffic and I was a nervous wreck by the time I got home Tried again the week after, got stuck in snow and decided it was more stressful than helpful!
I think I will have to find a behaviourist to help - I am finding it a minefield trying to decide on one!

donnag_3

the only thing that works with my dog is doggy choc buttons, not healthy or nutritious in any way, but he only gets them when distraction is required and they work like a charm, probably cause he only gets them then! i have tried just about every kind of treat ever and they are all yuk apparently!! you could ask your vet to recommend a behaviourist. also yay you i love to hear about people like you doing everything they can for their animals, keep going you will get there and be rewarded with a very happy and loving pooch!!

catlou

fav77 wrote: »

We went to one but it was a nightmare - the lady wasn't there, just a row of well behaved little pups and Wilson going crazy jumping and barking. Its an 90 mile round trip down the M6 in rush hour traffic and I was a nervous wreck by the time I got home Tried again the week after, got stuck in snow and decided it was more stressful than helpful!
I think I will have to find a behaviourist to help - I am finding it a minefield trying to decide on one!

That does sound like a nightmare!! :eek:

donnag wrote: »

also yay you i love to hear about people like you doing everything they can for their animals, keep going you will get there and be rewarded with a very happy and loving pooch!!

I agree!

poppett

I haven't read ever reply to your question so I apologise if this has been suggested before. A friend took her choc lab to training classes and was told to take Primula cheese out on walks with her to distract her dog. I tried this with mine and it does work 9 times out of 10. Try that.

fav77

poppett wrote: »

I haven't read ever reply to your question so I apologise if this has been suggested before. A friend took her choc lab to training classes and was told to take Primula cheese out on walks with her to distract her dog. I tried this with mine and it does work 9 times out of 10. Try that.

Thank you, another great idea! Is that the stuff in a tube? I will wait til he starts to bark and squirt it right into his mouth! (before anyone reports me to the RSPCA I am only joking )

fav77

I have just been out with roast chicken and some tiny pieces of garlic sausage and they worked really well, thanks everyone! He was still too stressed when he could see another dog but as soon as it was out of sight he calmed down much more quickly than usual and was very happy with his reward! I also got him to ignore a cat and 2 dogs barking madly behind fences - he could never have done this a few weeks ago. All in all I am really happy with his progress today and am more determined than ever to help him be a calm and relaxed boy

Chocmonster7

I've not seen your previous posts but your dog sounds a lot like my rescue Terrier Milly, I find that she is worse when she's on on the lead as she'll quite happily play with my parents dog at their house.

You really need to get a specalist to see Wilson and address the problem rather than just trying to distract him. By the sound of it the dog is showing signs of fear agression from not being socalised.

You'll never get him to care about food at that point and frankly you're putting yourself (and other people) in danger even trying to be near his teeth if he's that angry. Doyou have a muzzle or halter for more control?

You mention the dog next door, how about talking to the owner and see if you can introduce the dogs in a controlled situation? Hopefully they will make friends and Wilson will start to calm down.

Have you gone back to ask the rescue centre you got him from for advice? If they are a reputable one they will be more than willing to help.

I'm going back to the Dogs Trust with Milly tomorrow to see their behaviourist to work on our problem. Good Luck!

fav77

Hi Chocmonster7 and thanks for your post.

I agree with you, it is definately a socialisation issue - we are working on that too and he has been successfully (and carefully!) introduced to several dogs so far. I do use a muzzle when walking on narrow footpaths to avoid close encounters! The real shame of the whole thing is that he wants to play rather than kill - he just gets so excited and gives off such mixed signals that other dogs react badly to him (cant say I blame them!).
I have seen a trainer with him already and am now looking for a reputable behaviourist to help us.
Good luck with Milly, and please let me know how you both get on

Chocmonster7

Hi Fav77

Don't know what part of the country you are in but this site might help you locate a behaviourist http://www.apbc.org.uk/ would also be good to ask at the local vets.

I'm lucky in that Milly being a smaller dog means I can always pick her up and remove us from the situation!

Oh and by the way her favourite thing at the moment for treats are chunks of cooked sausages. My Dad went to a buffet meeting the other night and even brought some back for her.