Spen doing his job

[Sarah83]

For some reason Spen has taken it upon himself to carry the laundry to and from the cellar for me. I have to put it in a bag and tie the handles up otherwise I trail along behind him picking up everything as it falls out.

Sometimes he struggles to pick the bag up in a way that's comfortable


But once he's managed that off he goes down the creepy corridor


Coming back with an empty bag is much easier though

[JudyN]

Good boy Spen!

I sometimes ask Jasper to retrieve laundry that falls down the stairwell when I'm draping it over the bannisters on the landing. I'm sure they love feeling useful

[ClareMarsh]

I love Spenny, what a good boy he is

Now back to that putting the kettle on training

[Erica]

Opal only carries the newspaper back to the house. She needs to up the ante!

Good job Spen! That must be very helpful.

[Nettle]

A year ago - a hooligan. Today - a budding assistance dog

All done without force, punishment or surgery.

What an inspiration you both are.

[Ari_RR]

Yeah! Good boy Spencer!

I sometimes ask Jasper to retrieve laundry that falls down the stairwell when I'm draping it over the bannisters on the landing. I'm sure they love feeling useful

Hmmmm... I'm sure SOME of them do! Laundry that falls down is a fair game for Ari - something to grab and run away, hoping that someone will chase him all over the house! One of the favorite games... I don't mind, really, as this is limited to laundry, hats and shoes, and can be stopped with a well rewarded "drop it!". But that's far off from helping to retrieve..

[Sarah83]

A year ago - a hooligan. Today - a budding assistance dog

All done without force, punishment or surgery.

What an inspiration you both are.

Thanks Nettle The hooligan hasn't quite gone yet but there's definitely light at the end of the tunnel after a few fairly bad months. No jerking around, no smacking, no alpha rolls, no bits chopped off, very little yelling (I'm human, I've yelled a few times ) and lots of encouragement and reward and he's becoming a lovely dog. I'm going to have my hands full finding things to keep him busy though, he loves having jobs to do.

He turns 18 months old tomorrow. According to the vet that's when that switch will flip and he'll become a raging, sex mad, untrainable monster. We'll see....

[ClareMarsh]

He turns 18 months old tomorrow. According to the vet that's when that switch will flip and he'll become a raging, sex mad, untrainable monster. We'll see....

Oh and according to a pug owner we were talking to today it's also when all other males with their parts are going to try to fight him

I'm not sure how that sits with another person that told me all neutered males would also want to fight him

[Sarah83]

Oddly enough, I know quite a few people who've had problems with their intact males being attacked by other males around this sort of age. Sensible dog owners with well mannered dogs too. With all of them it's seemed to be a phase that lasted a few months and then things have gone back to normal.

[JudyN]

Oddly enough, I know quite a few people who've had problems with their intact males being attacked by other males around this sort of age.

Could it be that the other male dogs aren't used to meeting intact males and so they think 'Blimey! That one's really macho, I'd better try to man up a bit and try to look tough!'? So it's just another aspect of dog socialisation, so they're not fazed by a whiff of testosterone.

[Sarah83]

Could it be that the other male dogs aren't used to meeting intact males and so they think 'Blimey! That one's really macho, I'd better try to man up a bit and try to look tough!'? So it's just another aspect of dog socialisation, so they're not fazed by a whiff of testosterone.

I thought about that but why does it only happen at a certain age? It's apparently too late to be the surge of testosterone young males get causing it. And the same dogs that attack them in adolescence often go on to be fine with them as intact mature adults I've not experienced it myself but then we don't very often see other dogs when we're out on walks.

[Nettle]

It's putting down the young upstart before it starts up.

Before two dogs meet, a whole lot of body-language 'conversation' will have taken place that most of us would miss unless we had been taught it. And it happens so fast that when I teach people, I can't talk fast enough would be great to have it on film.

So it's "Watch it, Sonny" and "You and whose army, Old Man". And it dies off naturally as the young dogs control what they project better. Then they can be signed into the Gentlemen's Club for Adult Dogs. In due course, they will meet other adolescents who need taking down a peg......

[JudyN]

That's very much what it looks like to me, Nettle, when Jasper meets a bouncy young male dog. Though I think it's mixed in with a bit of insecurity too - a really grown-up well balanced confident dog wouldn't feel the need to put the young 'uns so firmly in their place - and possibly they wouldn't be taking liberties in the fist place. I think Jasper's more like this with an entire dog, though I'm normally concentrating on getting him back to me and not looking between the other dog's legs

Though when Jasper met Ted, who is a young entire dog, they were both perfectly mannered. It's interesting to wonder whether it was Ted's perfect manners that were responsible, or whether because of the size difference Jasper didn't regard him as a threat - or just that Ted wasn't likely to bounce all over him

[ClareMarsh]

For whatever reason (genetics, socialisation, having the common sense to know it's pointless starting anything when you're only 6lbs, or knowing you Mum will deal with any idiots) Ted seems to start pretty much every interaction with clear signs that he wants no trouble. He never goes straight up to another dog and will sit and wait for a sign to go over or sometimes he even lies down and makes himself smaller whilst waiting for the other dog. Whatever the cause I am grateful he's this way.

That said given he's entering the "danger period" I'll be a bit more vigilent, which given I am anyway with new dogs I guess just means keeping a closer eye with him and dogs he knows well that I am usually reasonably relaxed when he's with (not that many , most I watch very closely). Is this a male/male thing or do I need to keep an eye on him with b tches too? He actually knows a few girls who he gets on great with, as in they greet then we all walk together and the dogs all do their own thing mostly.

Sorry Sarah, I've hijacked your thread

[Sarah83]

Lol, don't worry about it Clare. The people I know who have had problems all have intact males and it's always been males attacking theirs, both intact and neutered ones. We're not talking proper attacks with intent by the way, just a load of noise and slobber for no apparent reason. I don't recall any of mine having it happen to them though and none of mine have been neutered young. They've all had tellings off for being OTT or pushing the boundaries but not other dogs just running over to shove them around like others have described.