rescue dogs, so far too much trouble to deal with

[sso]

ive had a few dogs.


if you get them young enough, or devote enough attention to them and always treat them lovingly , like you are their parent and they part of the family.

they never ever bite or show aggression, never seen it.

im not fond of this near military upbringing of animals.

always, such dogs, are always trying to dominate anyone they can and are terrible nuisance unless you constantly are on your guard.

seriously exhausting business..

my dogs?

happy like children. always ready to come and snuggle or hug and kiss and friendly to anyone else.

dont really remember any of my dogs barking overly, not at strangers or every passer by. (unless they were pups.)

nor testing everyone either or trying to dominate.

because no one was trying to dominate them, not really, its just, this is our house and these are the rules Everyone abides by.

no special rules for the dogs.

course they got smacked on the nose with a newspaper once in awhile when they were kids, but not hard. just enough to be uncomfortable followed by a firm stare "listen to your daddy damnit!"

havent had a dog in years though, dont really trust myself, physically for the constant walks..

probably is a better way than the nose smacking, but this was years ago, when physical punishment was much more socially accepted, it just was the thing to do, smack your dog on the nose when they were barking too much or did their doodoo on the floor..

but they all turned out to be very loving dogs and loyal.

 

[teslafan]

Sorry, but there is plenty of misinformation in this thread. deltagrower is the one with the correct info.

First off, to the OP, it is most likely nothing that you have done wrong with Scooby. It is not likely due to any trauma done to her in her past. It was also mentioned in this thread that Scooby has to "learn" to share snacks, bones, and you. Wrong!!!

People need to understand the history of the pit bull. These dogs were bred for years to excel at dog on dog combat, the ultimate warriors. Though this is pretty dilute at this point with most "pit bulls" or pit bull mixes, it can still appear, it is in their genes.

Some can and will fight over anything, sometimes its obvious triggers such as bones, snacks, affection from humans,etc. Sometimes its over nothing, they just like the combat. It IS NOT all in how you raise them, that kind of thinking is what gets people in trouble!!! Many cannot live in a multi dog household without a crate and rotate system.
I hope that you NEVER leave these 2 dogs alone. Also, being that they are both females, that leaves less chance of Scooby getting along with Alice. You also mentioned not trusting Scooby when you lie down. Please, do not confuse dog aggression with human aggression, they are completely different. Many that are dog aggressive are absolutely the biggest lovers when it comes to people. I highly suggest you do more research on this breed to truly understand the breed, there is nothing wrong with Scooby, she is doing what was naturally bred into her. Dogs were bred for different purposes, herding dogs love to herd, hunting dogs hunt, retrievers love to retrieve, its in their genes.

I strongly encourage you to google pit bull forums, one in particular is pit bull chat. You will gain a wealth of knowledge and perhaps you can manage your situatiion like many of us pit bull owners do. Also, it makes no difference if had Scooby since she was a pup, dog aggression can still rear its head as the dog matures.

 

[Stoner4Life]

so far so good, Scooby's reacting well to the Prozac I believe. I'm basing that on her continued and usual good behavior plus the profound lack of nightmares. I'm very certain that Alice has disturbed Scooby during some dream sequences prompting at least 2 attacks.


This is 'the usual' as Scooby always
snuggles/cuddles into Alice's warm fur.

 

[im me]

Its funny you.named your buddy scooby heres my buddy dooby I got him for my daughter as a goodbye gift when I was deployed in2002 I wanted her to.have something to.remember me by if I never came back.. he held down the fort for years... Best friend ever. Im glad to hear scoobys doing ok with the prozac.

 

[Stoner4Life]

I also have to suppose that the occasional disagreement is always a possibility between the 2 girls, Scooby would/will always have the upper hand but will never be out of my reach.

right now if I'm gonna take a dump I kennel Scooby up unless Alice is already resting in the kennel, then I just latch the door. When I go to my front door 50-60 feet away same routine, one of the dogs gets kenneled; I will never leave to chance the well being of Alice, she's so laid back and gentle and still very trusting/loving of Scooby even directly after each incident, I'm sure Alice is as confused as I've been as to what exactly brings it on.

so some extra vigilance on my part until Alice is gone, after that even getting a puppy later would be out of the question, we'll be a one dog household while Scooby rules the roost.

 

[Stoner4Life]

Scooby's really been chilled out lately, the puppy prozac is working wonderfully.


This is her favorite blanket of mine, it had been neatly folded until she decided to take a nap in it.

and of course her playing cutesie face trying to con me out of yet another biscuit.......

whenever Alice climbs onto the bed Scooby's right there to snuggle up, she's much more amorous towards Alice, it really shows in her day to day.

a lot more relaxed, much of that previously mentioned edginess has diminished.

 

[SeaMaiden]

What a relief, yeah? And how are you feeling about the combination of dogs at this point? Do you feel more confident that things will work out well long term?

 

[MJBadger]

a lot more relaxed, much of that previously mentioned edginess has diminished.

Both you & the dogs i bet .

 

[Stoner4Life]

What a relief, yeah? And how are you feeling about the combination of dogs at this point? Do you feel more confident that things will work out well long term?

yes, I'm certain there will never be another episode but I still won't be leaving Alice alone with Scooby for more than a few minutes and only while I'm within hearing distance of them. Alice is my sweet old baby, I have to protect her, Scooby does fine kenneled & Alice usually sits in front of the kennel, togetherness.

Scooby is never treated any differently than Alice either, Scooby even gets more love as she's so young & nimble always willing to come get a scratch, my old timer prefers to lay about until she's good n' ready to get up for some love.


==============================
==============================
==============================


OK, I decided to finally let Scooby Doo go outside w/o a leash, I live right on a state highway 55mph zone & can toss a stone onto the highway from my front door.

Timing for letting a dog run free is critical here, I let her go loose @ -20F temps when I KNOW she wants to come back inside pronto! and all was going quite well until temps climbed back up and so now she feels like gettin' her ya yas out.

Scooby keeps staring across the highway where my neighbors dog usually hangs out & barks @ us, she keeps her ears pricked up high & using them as her radar dishes. She is ready to bolt, no doubt about it.

So I bought a training (shock) collar for her, no more leash but she still has to be kept in check. As a terrier breed she has a great deal of curiosity (squirrels/rabbits her favs!) and confidence to follow up on her discoveries.

She had started to ignore me when I called her to "COME" very sharply, in the house I use the word come in a different tone & volume, outside it is a command.

I can't let her go free w/o losing her to the roadway or her chasing wildlife until she's lost or shot by a neighbor who doesn't know her kind nature. or just succumbs to the cold.

my promise to provide her a good home, food, comfort etc extends to preventive measures as well.

I tested the collar on myself first, shock settings from 0 to 127; I couldn't hang onto it @ 70, dropped it again @ 60 but had no trouble holding it in my hand for a good long shock @ 50.

I turned it down to 20 & it felt like a tickle, I would test it on Scooby @ 20. I put it on her & talked to her a bit before we headed outside, using a disciplinary tone I repeated the COME command to her and then gave her a zap @ the 20 level, Scooby yipped and left the ground landing on the bed. We went out and she did her #1 & #2 and came back inside in obvious fear of that collar, head hung low.

Once inside she exhibited behavior telling me she felt betrayed, body language, hiding in her kennel etc... I wanted to remove the collar but she didn't want to come near me, I felt very bad but I know these efforts will keep her alive, healthy and happiest in the long run.


Walk #2 coming up in a short while.

 

[SeaMaiden]

I absolutely agree with using what you have at your disposal to ensure the dog's safety (as well as the safety of others, especially in a situation like this). I've never used the collar for training, but we had to go with the radio/shock collar to keep my dog, Hazel, on the property. When she is really distressed, even at the highest "stubborn dog" setting she absolutely will run and bolt through it, she knows that it's only a momentary jolt. We used flags to mark the area and I took her by leash for a few days to learn the boundaries so she wouldn't get any nasty surprises. The collar beeps twice, then buzzes before it actually shocks. She'll only leave if too many family members are within her visual range but off the property, or another example has been when I take our granddaughter or other kids out for a 'hike' through our property, then Hazel can't take it and she'll run the radio fence to be with us. She's always head low, tail low, wagging, because she knows she's done something she's not supposed to. Only for a moment, then it's head up, tail up and running and jumping around happily.

May I suggest you're humanizing her reaction? I'm not sure betrayal is what *she* felt, but perhaps you're feeling. Based on your description, the dog is confused still and simply practicing avoidance. She'll become accustomed to the tingle, but IME all dogs behave this way at first using these types of training devices. They *all* jump like cats, for sure.

Are you using the collar when you tell her to come, or only after she has ignored the command? It might be helpful to have a reward ready for her when she does come or respond to the command, and the punishment comes only when the command has been ignored. I would repeat the command once, no more, and then correct.

 

[Stoner4Life]

she cowers @ the sight of the collar & yet she'll be wearing it full time whenever we go outside from now on, I'm as tired of the leash routine as I'm sure she was. It's been wonderful to watch her run & frisk w/o a tether, and frisk she does jumping straight up high and comes down spinning and kicking up the snow, crazy bursts of speed and rapidly changing direction, it's easy to see she has some pent up energy.

so far so good on listening with the collar on, I say come and she's at my heels, so aside from that initial test zap she's not received and not needed any corrections. The collar has a 'Call Back' mode where it vibrates vigorously and is meant to warn or worry the dog, I used that once to test her reaction, it got her attention and she came to my call right away.

again, my real concern is the roadway and her recent focus (off the leash) on my neighbors empty driveway where she's expecting to see his dog; she stares up there muscles rigid, ears like radar dishes looking ready to run, I couldn't risk/allow it to happen. Now with the collar on she's not thinking about anything but the collar & doing her business.

She'll get back to frisking and playing again as soon as she comes to terms with wearing it, by Sunday she'll probably realize that her fears are unfounded as long as I don't have to zap her. Scooby catches on quickly and learns from her first mistakes, a very smart girl.

 

[b00m]

Love that last photo you posted brother

 

[Stoner4Life]

thnx b00m, it's tough to capture in pics what I see & know is remarkable behavior by Scooby, when she snuggles up to Alice she lets out those long sighs of contentment, she actually invades Alices space (Ali don't care) curling up around and burying her snout under Alice's fur. they were close before but much more so now, Scooby's let down her guard.

 

[SeaMaiden]

she cowers @ the sight of the collar & yet she'll be wearing it full time whenever we go outside from now on, I'm as tired of the leash routine as I'm sure she was. It's been wonderful to watch her run & frisk w/o a tether, and frisk she does jumping straight up high and comes down spinning and kicking up the snow, crazy bursts of speed and rapidly changing direction, it's easy to see she has some pent up energy.

so far so good on listening with the collar on, I say come and she's at my heels, so aside from that initial test zap she's not received and not needed any corrections. The collar has a 'Call Back' mode where it vibrates vigorously and is meant to warn or worry the dog, I used that once to test her reaction, it got her attention and she came to my call right away.

again, my real concern is the roadway and her recent focus (off the leash) on my neighbors empty driveway where she's expecting to see his dog; she stares up there muscles rigid, ears like radar dishes looking ready to run, I couldn't risk/allow it to happen. Now with the collar on she's not thinking about anything but the collar & doing her business.

She'll get back to frisking and playing again as soon as she comes to terms with wearing it, by Sunday she'll probably realize that her fears are unfounded as long as I don't have to zap her. Scooby catches on quickly and learns from her first mistakes, a very smart girl.

ANY time she becomes that focused on something, that's the signal for you to make a decision and stick to it--is it ok or not? If it's not, then you must object every time she does it. The moment, the very instant she looks away, she is praised. You don't have to speak to do this, just make a noise to get her attention off whatever it is you don't want her focused on and back onto you. Be sure to do it every time and she will learn, because like you say, she's a smart girl.

A word of caution from a woman who's had many exceptionally intelligent animals--it's the smart ones that can be the most difficult. I had a gelding who was too smart, couldn't leave the top of his stall door open or he'd let himself out. He could unknot bows and ties, which mean that you had to be very careful about how you tied him up. He had the different snaps figured out, even the quick-release snaps! Fortunately, all he wanted to do was have some fun, but the time he got away from me and went galloping down the highway...? Absolutely not.

My stupidest dogs have been the easiest to train, conversely, and they never test it once trained. E.G. once the command "sit" has been learned, they would do it, every time. The smarter dogs? They lick their lips, drop their snout (they know what they're supposed to do, they're testing my boundaries), look around, kind of hit a sitting position..... and then I have to go and back my shit up. You'd better believe I back my shit up!

 

[Stoner4Life]

I feel bad for her but she's got to have the collar on. several walks today, she's way more subdued than she had been before the collar but @ least she's safe from making a mistake that could cost her dearly.

she still hasn't needed a correction and so I believe the memory of the zap I gave her will fade soon enough, I haven't even used the 'Call Back' mode because she's keeping close.

 

[Stoner4Life]

today instead of putting on the collar & going directly out for a walk I put it on her and waited about 15-20 mins, that seemed to make quite a difference to her demeanor. When I asked if they wanted to go out, B00M she jumped up tail high & bolted for the door, instead of doing her biz & then just sticking tight to me Scooby went wandering around our yard & home, exactly what I want/need to see from her.

The neighbor next to me & across the highway from me both have dogs so she'll be tempted to visit them I'm sure, I'll be ready. If she bolts for the dog next door she'll get a stern "NO!" & then the warning (vibrate mode) a moment later; if she bolts for the highway she gets a shock pronto as I'm screaming "NO!!!!!!!" The highway is sure death & I wouldn't have a moments time to assess the vehicle/dog proximity dilemma. The only chance I have at preventing that tragedy is by instant intervention.



Anyway, today she frisked about and seemed oblivious to her collar.

 

[SeaMaiden]

Awesome, I knew she'd become accustomed to it. Now, a word of warning, especially if she's very, VERY smart--she'll learn when that collar isn't on. My dog learned it, so she gets the collar put on a few times a month, just as a reminder.

I like how you changed the sequence of activity, that's very effective and worked out fantastic. Changing the order of things is how I've managed to (sort of, she's still pretty much always charged up like a racehorse) get my girl more calmed when she anticipates feeding. I swear that dog is like a horse!

 

[Stoner4Life]

oh she's smart alright, a very smart dog. but I'm not lazy & the collar will go on every time; she will forever have that confidence & curiosity that enables her to run/chase whatever she's focused on.

She's gonna go bonkers chasing bunnies around here come spring. I don't garden & so I allow rabbits to make their home in an ever growing brush pile, Scooby will ignore cats but she's a maniac when it comes to rabbits. I'm gonna have to be very watchful of her although the rabbits never run across the highway to avoid the local cats or my springer spaniels.

this spring I'll also be moving out of my big building and into my garage which is another 80-90 feet away from highway. their 'walking' area will not include that ultra close proximity that's been a worry for years.

Scooby has yet to see any deer, got no idea if she's gonna chase.

EDIT:
she's had her collar on for 30 minutes now, time for a walk.

 

[greenmatter]

a bit of a "rescue dog" question .......

we recently had a puppy move in that was not house broken. the dog is pretty smart and we have a dog door so getting him to go outside was not to much of a problem

the issue is that he will do his thing an inch away from the house, and since we have two other dogs (who are not real happy about him being here) are starting to mark over where he is going.

i need to get all three of them to stop

any suggestions ???????

i checked out some of the barrier and no dig products to see what they use. one of the active ingredients is sodium lauryl sulfate which i don't want to use in my yard or on animals, but there are several natural oils in these products

lemon grass
cinamon
citronella
thyme
garlic
clove
white pepper

has anyone had any luck keeping pets out of areas with any of them?

*************

thanks S4L! 1st beer is on me

 

[DreamsofTesla]

My thoughts exactly

My thoughts exactly

just a note Beagels..They do two things well..1 Hunt,2 look cute....sit stay??? Come??? not so much.. Yes I kno some do well as pets but they are bred to hunt run chase bark.. Not to be obedient.. I hav 2 beagle mixes that I can not contain in a 6' chain link fence that previously housed 10 pro protection dogs.... good luck

Having a beagle for an inside dog... not me. They are really nuts.

I hope you will take a rescue dog. The kill shelters also have puppies. I don't understand the hassle you're going through. Check out Pet Pardons on Facebook, every day around the country they're desperate to find homes for nice dogs that are going to be killed.

Example: not long ago I took a dog from a high-kill shelter on the other end of my state. I paid a $25 shelter fee and chipped in $30 on gas for someone who was transporting another dog from that area. Total investment: $55. For all they know I'm a maniac, the only one who ever even saw me was the driver, and that wasn't at my house. I could have done anything with her, they didn't know or care.

She needs some training, but she's a sweet dog and she would've been killed in the morning had I not taken her.

Good luck

<3 Tesla