Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

I've used a couple of behaviourists... the first charged £75 for a 2.5-hour consultation plus email support for the duration of the issue (she was relatively inexperienced), and the second charged £180 for a 3-hour consultation and email support. Each of them also gave me a full report with a list o...

I've tried to Google for possible conditions, but it's never a good idea to do a Google Image search for skin conditions :shock: :lol: I was just wondering - could you take some clear photos of the new spots and show them to your vet? It might save your dog a visit, but if the vet does want to see h...

airen42 wrote: stalking my parrot. My parrot usually wins, and the nose pinch gets Sam to back off and sit patiently until Wally throws him a fruity morsel from his food bowl

Now that I would love to see!

Have you read the Wikipedia page on shock collars? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_collar There's quite a few studies referenced there, plus sections on 'Criticisms' and 'Praise'. Good luck, with however you decide to proceed. I'm sure it doesn't need to be said, but if you try the shock collar a...

As a lurcher owner, I know quite a few people with dogs (often greyhounds) who can't ever be let off lead, as they would chase, and possibly kill, any small furries. Yes, it's not ideal, but most of these dogs are perfectly content and well balanced. Yes, dogs love to run off lead, but they also lov...

I'm sure more experienced people will be along soon with advice, but the only thing I would say is that when he has peed or pooed in the house, you need to clear it up thoroughly with a non-ammonia-based cleaner - there are proprietry brands you can buy in any pet shop. If there is any lingering sme...

Welcome, from another newbie from the UK :D I know how worrying it can be when your new puppy isn't always sunshine and light.... :lol: If you post in the Training advice section http://positively.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=4 you should get plenty of advice from some very knowledgeable people. I thin...

If it was me, I'd probably want to take my dog to the vet for a check-up to be on the safe side. However, dogs do sometimes get bored of their food, and some people find they have to switch foods every few weeks, which isn't ideal for a dog's digestion. What often works, though, is just to add a cou...

Looking back at your posts, Sam is just over a year old and you've just had him a few weeks, is that right? If so, he is still very young, and has not had much time to unlearn habits that were allowed to develop. He may also be feeling more confident now, so is feeling more exuberant. I say allowed ...

I failed at the first hurdle :oops: He has a Pavlovian reaction to us putting our knives and forks down at the end of a meal, and the thought of making him wait - given that he is an utterly food-obsessed dog with low frustration threshold and a fragile brain - was far worse than the thought of bein...

Thank you! I'll give it a try

Jasper almost always needs to go to the garden some time in the night, often around 3am, for a wee and a poo. He's fairly quick about it (though on these warmer nights he may have a sniff round the garden) but I'd obviously prefer him to sleep through. Has anyone any suggestions? Other details: He's...

Have you taught him a good 'off' that works the rest of the time? This needs to be taught in a positive way, e.g. teach a command both for getting on and off a sofa (assuming you don't want him on the bed at all), but give a better treat for 'off' than 'on'. I taught this with one of those wands wit...

I agree with Sarah83 that the best way of dealing with this is to segregate them. A friend of mine has a dog who recently lost an eye in a scuffle over food with their other dog, though they get on fine most of the time. It really isn't worth the risk.

That's all very well, but if your dog knows what 'poo' means, and when you ask if he wants a poo he barks at you to say he doesn't, how do you say to him 'If you squeezed really hard, I bet you could do something, and then you wouldn't need a poo at 3am'?