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Contacted a dog behaviorist/trainer in our area about Rits'a terrible agressive behavior twards other dogs. They specialize in agression, and that should help. The nice thing is, they come to us. I think this will be better for Rita, because she will be comfortable in her own enviornment. I'm very excited, and can't wait to see what this woman has in mind for us!
PLEASE wish us luck, and I'll keep you updated!
Good luck! I'm looking forward to hearing what she says :)
Yes, that sounds good - let us know what she says, and how it goes!
So our consultation is tomorrow, aound 1ish... please wish us luck! Thank you!
How'd it go??? :)
It went really well, thanks for asking!:)
She gave us some homework, and the next time she will bring her dogs, and see how Rita reacts. We learned A LOT of new things!
If you don't mind can you outline what your homework is? Just curious, and always looking for new stuff to learn. :D Good luck in working with Rita! :D
No problem!;)
She wanted us to do some other things, such as leadership exercises, (We learned A LOT about being 'the pack leader) a feeding schedule (WE eat first), Door waits (Rita must wait until I/we go out the door, then she may follow.)
-Practice obedience commands, (sit, stand, 'watch me')
-Make her earn EVERYTHING. (No free treats/meals)
-Start using a gently leader, instead of a pinch collar. (I think this gentle leader is going to work out well.)
-Take treats on walks, to work on obedience commands
-Avoid dogs at this point, make a u-turn and go the other way, until she can see what she is like around other dogs. (She is going to bring her Rottie & Cattle Dog next time)
So, Dawna is coming today around 11ish... I'm kinda nervous, she's bringing her two dogs (or one of them, I'm not sure...) But please keep us in your prayers... I just hope nothing goes wrong. Her dogs will be in crates in the back of her car, and we'll just go from there. She specializes in agression issues, so this should go okay today... I really hope so. Thank you!:)
Oh, good luck!
Just wondering how it went today.
It went very well, thanks for asking!
Dawna suggested we go to the dog park (she wasen't able to bring her two dogs)... she wanted to see how Rita reacts to other dogs. Rita did what she normally does, growl, and whine a lot. So Dawna just had some treats in her hand, and she did the 'watch me'. So basically were just trying to get Rita to realize that seeing other dogs is NOT a bad thing... we praise and treat her a lot when she makes good choices. (Not looking at other dogs, and throwing a huge fit);)
Dawna came today at 12:00pm. We worked on 'comes' and 'watch me'. We also went to the dog park by our house, and there wasen't any dogs there when we arrivred. A few minutes later, 2 dogs and their owner walked by. Rita usually growls, whines, sometimes barks, and gets up on her hind legs. She didn't do one of those four things! She just sat there, watched the dogs walk by, and Dawna had Rita do several 'watch me's', and then she gets treats for not reacting to other dogs. She did GREAT!
Thanks to everyone who has wished us luck!:)
Sounds like things are going well. Good girl, Rita. And good for you for not giving up on this pretty girl.