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[biomancer]

Small setback for White Dog.  He can't do his business outside because he can't stand up, so he's wearing Serenity urinary pads (held in place by a wrap that goes around his abdomen, thus holding his male parts, and closing with generic-branded Velcro) and I keep a fresh Wee-Wee Pad underneath him to catch any poop.  This works well when I'm home, because he whimpers immediately upon pooping, and I can clean it all up before he soils himself in it.

Today, I wasn't home when The Moment came.

I got him cleaned up (have I ever mentioned that White Dog has LONG hair?), and the carpet (even with two pads arranged for maximum carpet coverage, he got the poop all over in his attempt to scoot away from the pile), and me--and now we're both exhausted.  He has an extremely expressive face, and I don't need a translator to see that he's very tired and unhappy at the moment.

And here I thought I'd avoided all this diaper mess by not having any children...

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about this setback, Infopri.  Sending positive thoughts to White Dog.

Indeed - sending good thoughts to White Dog and hoping he can muster the strength to stand.

[infopri]

Thanks, peppergal and biomancer!  I'm not sure he'll ever be able to stand again, although I still have hopes.  (On rare occasion, he does manage to stay up for a few seconds before tipping over like a drunken cow.)  He slept all through the evening and most of the night, waking up only long enough to eat his dinner and again to take his meds.  He was agitated for a couple of hours just before dawn, but today he seems to be a happy camper again.  He's got a big grin on, and he's doing his happy-panting thing.

I'm still exhausted, though!  (Again, I thought I'd avoided these middle-of-the-night wake-ups by not having kids!)

[dellaroux]

Just wishing you both the best possible roads on the way to wherever you're each going.

[anthroid]

Infopri, thinking about you and WhiteDog...

My dog is settling in--she seems to be steering clear of the resident cats for the most part, though she's still chewing things (most recently my big world atlas).  So Bitter Apple has become my new best friend.  More troubling, though, was her behavior on our walk yesterday.  It was a beautiful day so lots of people were outside, as were their dogs, many of whom were not leashed (though perhaps they had invisible fences).  Anniedog really kind of lost it--she was VERY aggressive to every dog we saw, barking and lunging.  SO (who is visiting) advised me to be very firm with her and keep walking away from the dogs, clearly and loudly telling her "NO!" as we kept walking, pulling the leash quite short.  That did seem to work to some extent--that is (I think...), as she began to feel as though I would protect HER she wouldn't have to protect ME and she could relax a little.  Does that make sense?  Am I interpreting her aggression as fear aggression correctly, do you think?  She was barking at people, dogs, squirrels, everything yesterday (though I suspect she got kind of overloaded on this relatively long walk) and lunging at the dogs, as I say (well, also at the squirrels, but that's not surprising or troubling).  This morning, however, on our short morning walk, she was an absolute angel even though we ran across a few folks (no dogs).

[jossi66]

Hi, Anthroid,
One of my dogs is great on the leash until we encounter another dog, and then it's just like you describe with Annie.  She is a St. Bernard, so she can really pull if she gets like this.  I use one of those pinch collars on her and it does help a lot.  They look like medieval torture implements, but they are effective.  I've also heard good things about the collars that restrain the dog's head---part of it goes around the muzzle, I think.  The nice thing about these types of devices is that the dog does not associate you with the discomfort---according to trainers I have consulted at least.
Just a thought for you!

[john_proctor]

Hi, Anthroid,
One of my dogs is great on the leash until we encounter another dog, and then it's just like you describe with Annie.  She is a St. Bernard, so she can really pull if she gets like this.  I use one of those pinch collars on her and it does help a lot.  They look like medieval torture implements, but they are effective.  I've also heard good things about the collars that restrain the dog's head---part of it goes around the muzzle, I think.  The nice thing about these types of devices is that the dog does not associate you with the discomfort---according to trainers I have consulted at least.
Just a thought for you!

I'm not sure, but it sounds like you mean this.

If so: 1. yes, they work well.  Control the direction of the head; control the dog's motion.  2. I've seen more than a few dogs who can become brilliantly adept at shaking them off if they're allowed to get slack (imagine the scenario: you're stopped at a street crossing, the dog is sitting, the leash is slack.  Dog sees a squirrel on the other side of the road...).

Try them in safe spaces first.

[jossi66]

Yes, that is what I mean, JP -- thanks for the warning about them! 

[infopri]

Thanks for the good wishes, anthroid. 

I don't know whether Annie is in "protection" mode when she lunges at other dogs, or whether she is an alpha dog feeling her oats, or whether she's just a puppy in an excitable mood.  Time will probably tell.  The good news is that the solution is the same in all three cases, and you did it:  Short leash, stern "No!" and a quick departure (from the other dog).  The chewing will probably stop in time, too, especially if you discourage (same sharp "No!" etc.) her every time you see her doing it.

I hope you and Anniedog are having fun!  :)

[venerable_bede]

This is a great little book on dealing with leash-aggressive dogs (which our little guy is too).

[anthroid]

This is a great little book on dealing with leash-aggressive dogs (which our little guy is too).

I adore Patricia McConnell, so I'll be getting this book today.  I also did find a Monks of New Skete (?) book at a used bookstore yesterday and it is sitting on my kitchen counter preparing itself to be read.

It's hard to know whether Annie is alpha.  She certainly does not act like it at home--she seems to want to be gamma dog (after me and the cats).  And she begins to shrink against me if she encounters a dog under usual circumstances (yesterday was a new set of behaviors)--she'll bark but then really back off.  I think yesterday just overloaded her--too many off-leash dogs coming at her and barking during the course of the walk.  There were at least five. 

[pink_]

If she was on leash, it makes sense that she'd feel uncomfortable by off-leash dogs.  If everyone was off-leash, they might have gotten along a bit better (or she could have just run away).

[anthroid]

If she was on leash, it makes sense that she'd feel uncomfortable by off-leash dogs.  If everyone was off-leash, they might have gotten along a bit better (or she could have just run away).

This makes so much sense!  I will be introducing her to SO's soon-to-be-adopted puppy (a black lab 8 week year old who he is picking up in 10 days) at Thanksgiving and we were both a bit concerned after Sunday. 

Infopri, thanks, but she started chewing the newspaper this afternoon.  Luckily, I caught her in the act and scolded her thoroughly.  She looked quite chastened. 

So, how long after scolding is it all right to praise?  Like, say she does something bad.  I scold her.  Then she's presented with the same issue and she acts right.  I'm assuming it's okay to praise then.  Tiny example:  she occasionally nibbles at my fingers.  I scold her.  She stops.  Then I push my fingers in her mouth (to test the correction).  She doesn't nibble.  I praise.  Isn't that the right way to do it?

[prof_smartypants]

I know there's a mixed response to Cesar Milan, but I've found his leash suggestions to be spot on.

One thing that has worked tremendously for me is to try and remember is that if YOU're nervous approaching another dog, the dog on the end of the leash will know that. Annie will sense your tension. So try to maintain your own neutral, relaxed peace of mind while walking and try not to get preemptively nervous when approaching other dogs. Annie will relax if you do. The more you ignore the other dogs and just enjoy your walk, Annie should do the same.

As for scolding and praising, I've never figured it out. SmartyHound doesn't respond to much of anything. Hounds are notoriously stubborn and mine fits the bill. My understanding is that it's all about consistency, but I've all but given up. Luckily she's too old now to want to do anything particularly bad or annoying.

[speedy_gonzales]

If she was on leash, it makes sense that she'd feel uncomfortable by off-leash dogs.  If everyone was off-leash, they might have gotten along a bit better (or she could have just run away).

This makes so much sense!  I will be introducing her to SO's soon-to-be-adopted puppy (a black lab 8 week year old who he is picking up in 10 days) at Thanksgiving and we were both a bit concerned after Sunday.  

Infopri, thanks, but she started chewing the newspaper this afternoon.  Luckily, I caught her in the act and scolded her thoroughly.  She looked quite chastened.  

So, how long after scolding is it all right to praise?  Like, say she does something bad.  I scold her.  Then she's presented with the same issue and she acts right.  I'm assuming it's okay to praise then.  Tiny example:  she occasionally nibbles at my fingers.  I scold her.  She stops.  Then I push my fingers in her mouth (to test the correction).  She doesn't nibble.  I praise.  Isn't that the right way to do it?

Couple minutes or so - dog memory is very short. And chime on pink's explanation of the leash aggression. Intro to puppy should be leash-free for both, so that they feel they are on equal footing. Also, one thing that can be hard to get used to is that what may seem like aggression between dogs is really just necessary posturing to define rank or boundaries. It's best not to interfere in the relations of dogs unless you really must. Loud barking/snarling/etc is frequently just a dog making its boundaries clear to another (often younger and less experienced) dog. However, when Annie's on leash she should not be pulling or lunging regardless, and it's okay to correct her as other have suggested.

[anthroid]

Thanks, all.  Apparently this kind of lunging behavior is also quite common in rescue dogs once they become bonded with their owner, and, I'm told, it passes.  Smartypants, thanks--that's kind of what I thought.  If I tense up, she'll feel that and get anxious herself.

We'll actually be visiting an old friend before Thanksgiving, and she has 2 dogs, so I'll be able to let Annie meet dogs (who are very well behaved) in a more natural, leash-free environment. 

Infopri, how is WhiteDog today?