Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

I am having a very rough day with Simba today and honestly, I wanted to just abandon him in the dog park. In fact, after he refused to stop lunging at me and biting through my two layers of socks, two jackets (one of which he totally tore apart today) jeans and gloves I left the cage (no one else w...

I was also taught not to assume anything, but we all get lazy once in a while. I'll try not to in the future. I am lazy more than once in a while :lol: One instructor used to say that everyone who teaches should learn something new every 2 years so that they can remember what it is like to be a beg...

Yes how you tell an owner what needs to happen, how they need to do it and why is critical. You can't be to simplistic or they'l think you talking down to them but you do have to be clear. I once had a gentleman client that told me during our first class that if I could explain things to him so tha...

Thanks for the thoughtful reply emmabeth! I agree with the trainer and you that it's a stress reaction but it's not about being in a class setting... she seems to dislike being asked to look at me. I have tried (very short) sessions at home when it's quiet and she'll do the same thing. In dog etiqu...

Pawz, I find it really depends on the dog - ive got one who can take a bit of negative punishment and he uses his frustration to push himself on and get more inventive. I probably wouldn't actually consider what you are talking about as "negative punishment." For one thing, punishment mak...

Mm..... technically not clicking IF the dog expects there to be a click, is a 'negative punishment'... so I would say that it is 'not pleasant', in the same way that expecting anything and not getting it is not pleasant.. But its much more useful than a positive punishment, because a negative punis...

I use a different word for recall and coming into my house, when my dogs are outside and I want them in I don't look on it as a recall, I am not expecting them to come to me but to come inside. With recall I expect my dogs to come to me not go past. Which is certainly one effective way to do it. Th...

It sounds like you may have ruined your recall word by A) saying it when the dog has no intention of coming and B) saying it when you're going to do something the dog doesn't like (put him up). I'd start with a new word. And I would only use that word when the dog is headed my direction, or I am su...

We have not tried clicker training. He's actually thriving in the shelter much to our surprise. He seems happy, like he's accepted the volunteers and workers as his new family. We all bring him new toys to play with, give him his own extra play time, longer walks, we take him on field trips etc. We...

As an owner of a dog that is working through leash aggression, I would like to advise you that when I see a dog lunging towards us, many words come to mind, friendly is not one of them. Please do not allow him to approach other dogs while on the leash without the permission of the other owner. Than...

Hi, You all have been so helpful to me working with Violets leash reactivity. We were making great progress - Violet even peacefully met a new dog friend on Tuesday. He was off the leash and came up to us on as we walked past his house. Violet was clearly uncomfortable, but she did not react and ha...

hi I have a 6 year old Golden Retriever who was castrated at a late age (4.5) as he had started to show dominance aggression towards non specific males. It started around 6 months ago just before I decided to have him castrated. The aggression has happened 2 or 3 times in the last 6 months. The thi...

My dog Luca is 6 and half months old male Red Healer and when I walk him on a lead he barks at other dogs and when he gets close to them he will try to attack them. If I take him to the dog park and take his lead of then he is sometimes a bit scared of the other dogs but usually he will play chacey...

The only real problem I have is teaching her name, how do I teach her name? Do I call her name and the moment she looks at me click and treat? A name isn't a name to a dog. It's just another cue to respond to that gets a reward - or should be. The problem with humans is that we overuse our dogs' na...

I don't have that option cos my dogs deaf, but I am starting to use a sign for it - in our case it usually just gets him focussed on my hands - not what I want! - so I just sit and wait and keep moving the box or whatever around as if it is really interesting until he gives me something I can click...