Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

JudyN wrote:Your fingers will never be safe again....

Lol, he's not taken to doing it randomly yet, only if I indicate that that's what we're doing. I'm just waiting to have a door slammed on me though, I've no doubt it'll happen at some point.

I tried both air and water sprays with my collie, not something I'd try again personally since he immediately turned and attacked the source of the noise/spray. All the ads for things like Pet Correctors go on about how this product will stop your dog doing X, Y or Z but they don't tell you that som...

My thug of a dog is learning useful things around the house as well as his basic manners. Here's a short video of him closing the door. http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/sjlwilliamson/Spencer/th_shutthedoor.jpg He's a bit too enthusiastic about it though and tries closing it when it's already c...

Love reading posts like this as my chow/retriever was the most *awful* puller when we first got her from the shelter. Anyone who puts in the hours of work it can take to get some dogs walking half decent gets my respect. Well done you! Thanks :D We're still working on it, he's finding it extremely ...

I've been struggling with Spen and loose leash walking for around 10 months now. A few weeks ago someone elsewhere linked to something called the silky leash method. After just a few days of working on it I'd seen a HUGE improvement with Spencer. He's still not 100% and if he's excited will sometime...

Well the day after I wrote this post guess what happened? Spencer only went and ambushed the neighbours as they were coming in :oops: We were just bringing the laundry up from the cellar and as I opened the cellar door they opened the front door and me and the laundry were both forgotten as Spen hur...

It's great they were trying to work with their dogs issues but as I pointed out to them, tailing someone for half an hour without having asked whether it's okay just isn't fair to that person and their dog. Had they asked I'd have happily spent a bit of time helping them out and just used it as a tr...

Today has been one of those really crappy days. Spen's done nothing wrong, it's been people! First we had a couple with their dog follow us for half an hour round the huge fields and wooded area I walk him in. Thought they were just going the same way at first but then I made a couple of detours to ...

I've got to admit, I've never seen the point of them. The vet probably isn't going to know or remember my dog well enough to be aware of little changes that might indicate a problem in its early stages. I don't trust their advice when it comes to weight and diet or how to keep my dogs teeth healthy ...

Brilliant! :D You've put in so much work, and it's taken a long time, but you're seeing real results - particularly if you remember what he was like when he first arrived :lol: I so often see people being dragged along by labs and i get the impression that they worked at it for all of a week and th...

I finally feel like we're getting somewhere with it! Now Spen is nowhere near perfect and even his best "heel work" will never win at Crufts but he's doing so, so well. Yesterday we managed a 20 minute walk home from the phone shop on a loose leash. Today we managed that same walk mostly o...

Figures quoted in a UK dog magazine last month were a 30% success rate :shock: even in dogs bred for the job. Blimey, doesn't say much for the chances of training your own does it? :? And I know quite a few people who are currently trying to do so. I suppose it depends what you want the dog to do t...

Just be aware that (in the UK at least) many rescues have blanket policies ruling out anyone who doesn't have a secure garden so you may have to look around to find one that doesn't have that rule. But no, a garden is not necessary to have a happy dog, I've had 3 dogs in a flat and all 3 have been f...

Would also recommend Jane Killions When Pigs Fly if you're interested in books. It's geared towards people with the less eager to please breeds and I found it an interesting read. The Jean Donaldson one Bendog recommends is also very good. she seems to have reached that age when sit/stay or down/sta...

Okay, so I found step by step instructions on teaching your dog to play fetch using the treat inside the tennis ball but it's not a method I've ever seen advised anywhere. Seems a lot of "try and hope for the best" to be honest. http://zsobig.hubpages.com/hub/Tips-on-how-to-teach-your-dog-...