Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

I forgot to mention that I do have 2 cats and Luisa's not great with them but I think that's because they're still working out cohabitating even after 4 months together. She really just wants to play with them (at least she started out that way) but they want nothing to do with her. If she gets clos...

I got a Spinone puppy in November. I am not a hunter nor do I have experience with farm animals so I can't add to how they will work training them to keep away from hens. I know from experience in my "suburban wilderness" that they are bird dogs. She will often point at the robins and is e...

I'm sure those more knowledgeable will chime in but I seem to remember Victoria tackling a similar problem on an episode. The dog in question kept barking non-stop at her owners and friends when they were outside by the pool. Victoria's solution was to give the dog a "time-out" everytime h...

She was a bit better last night and today. Maybe the treating is getting through to her. She's gone on grass before so I don't know why she stopped outright. @Emmabeth...sorry I wasn't clear, when I said "chasing" I meant as far as the 6 foot lead would let her before pulling my arm out of...

She is always tethered in the house right now unless she's in her crate. I have tried doing both but usually she is right by me if I am home.

I've been working on training my now 6 month old Spinone Italiano puppy since I got her at 8 weeks old. She's been through the AKC STAR puppy classes and is currently in the middle of basic dog training classes. She's very quick to learn and relatively reliable on her commands. We've had to deal wit...

I'll have to sort something out or confuse the pup. Our back door opens on to our deck and since I live in a townhome complex, the grassy area is all common area so I can't set up a potty area out the back or even out the front for Dad to use.

I will be getting a puppy at the end of the month and I'm trying to prepare. I read Mattie's article on "How to Toilet Train your Puppy or Adult Dog" and had a question/poll for opinions. I understand why you don't want to use puppy pads, paper, etc. because it gives the idea that going po...

Nettie is absolutely right. You have to accept these dogs for who and what they are. Progress is slow but when you see the trust and understanding down the road, you will revel in it. Celebrate their progress and remember the small steps it took you to get there. My Molly took almost 8 months to wil...

Freetobe, no I haven't read it but I did just order it. :) The only book I read specfically about puppy mill dogs was "Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills." It was a sad but interesting read but dealt more with raising awareness about puppy mills, h...

J9Padge...what a scary moment for you. I'm sure someone with far more experience than I will have some insightful advice. I am fortunate with Molly in that she is extremely non-agressive. She's a runner not a fighter and in worst case, she just shuts down. This is how she was when I got her. If she ...

My mistake again, Mattie, sorry! I did say loud but I did just mean an excited sounding voice. I couldn't do that with Molly at first. Now she loves it, I always have a friendly voice with her but in the beginning if it was too excited sounding even if pitched as you describe, she was more frightene...

I never meant to imply anything different. Absolutely house rules and such should be what is done on day one. It's unfair to allow something because "oh poor Spot had such a hard life" and then weeks later change the rules. Establish the routine and be consistent. All I meant was that unde...

My puppy mill dog was much the same way when I first got her and it will take much more than days to see a response to praise/treats and associate that with, "Hey, I just did something good!" I'm not disagreeing with Mattie, because I've read numerous posts by her and she's very intelligen...

I'm a few days late to this thread but wanted to offer my congratulations for your new dog and thank you for taking on a Puppy Mill rescue. I don't post much but this board has been a great resource for me. You're absolutely right. There is not alot of information out there that deals in specifics o...