OK, so I came back home, after nearly 5 months of being away... And It was like I never left, I felt like I was absent for few hours, my family's the same, my dogs acting like I was absent for few hours, my dogs' problems the same...
and while with the older male, relaxed and cuddly Brix, the only problem is being overly licked by him (although I do have a feeling hegot a bit fat.. that lazy dog of mine).. witgh reeva, things are... worse..
still barking a lot, she doesn't get walked a lot because she got into two fights with other dogs (and therefor,e Brix didn't get walked either sicne my dad couldn't walk one and then not walk the other one).. and I know that a lot is due to her general over excitement with stuff and that spending a lot opf time in the yard is not that helpful (although I'm trying to change it now, but taking her in or going outside myself) I still remember how hard was it to deal with her aggression and I'm not smarter now...
Maybe I just don't want to go round and around with it since all the aproaches I read about deal with agggression that shows when a dog sees another dog...and that does happen, sometimes.. but sometimes (and here is my problem) she sniffs the dog, plays with the dogs, SOMETHING happenes and then.. a fight... Will that problem solve by itself once I try to make her calmer just trying to achieve nicely walking by ozther dogs and not geting overly exsited or?
another problem is makibng her a calmer dog.. She's in general an extremely active happy dog that loves jumping around... how much calmer can she get?
maybe I should just work and see what I get, but I would like to set some kind of an ultimate goal but I don't know where to set it. Since I don't think I'll ever again feel safe with letting her run free with other dogs, buzt In want to start doing something so I don't leave her like this again to ma parents cause i know she won't get walked a lot if she continues to be like this... but I really don't know how to help her..
she would be an awesome working dog is one would really work with her a lot... she's smart, eager to work and there with you.. and I could even get her to be with me in that excited state with a lot of treats and balls.. but then I would havemaybe something even worse. Dog that is there but if you don't give her things todo, she would just go... She's not a pet dog material I would sa,y not like my first dog.. but with her, I so often feel helpless...
any advice?
It is a heavy burden to
It is a heavy burden to believe that your dog has to play off-lead with other dogs when perhaps your dog isn't entirely comfortable in doing this?
I walk one of my dogs on-lead with the other off-lead. It took some training, of course, but that is the way it has to be. We are both more comfortable with this arrangement. Aggression is learned behavior and reinforcing it only makes it stronger.
I would also look into things like tracking, scent discrimination and area search which tire a dog out much faster than walking. Ask your dog to work for all food, not just with training but also by laying simple tracks in your yard, hiding food, or putting the food into something he has to work at to get the food out (treat ball, for e.g)
Regards,
Aidan
http://www.PositivePetzine.com