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Preformance Dogs!


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Guest Anonymous

[color=darkblue][/color][b] Hello everybody! I think I've posted here before, but I haven't really that much, last time was about the Save a Sato, which was a long time ago...
Anywho!
I LOVE dogs that preform... my dog, Hazel she's quite aggressive, but the strange thing is, she LOVES to preform in front of large crowds! (as long as they don't come to close to her) I'm hoping to get her into an agility trial next spring (since she needs to be in an outdoor one, so she doesn't feel too confined). :P
I would love to preform with my BC+Aussie (Hazel) and my friend and her BC. I would also love to preform with dogs in the future, but being 15, I'm mean when I get out of school, and go to CWCC.
Does anyone out there preform with their dogs? Or know someone who does? By preform I mean tricks, entertainment for the crowds etc.
Love to hear back from you! If you'd like to e-mail me, that'd be great! My e-mail address is [email][email protected][/email] if you'd also like to visit my site, that'd be great! The address is [url]http://www.geocities.com/fly_n_woof/[/url]

Thanks!

~ $hara $lorstad & Hazel Nut Meg ~[/b]

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No advice on performing dogs, but you do need to be careful with Hazel if she's aggressive with people. Even if you have [i]her[/i] under control, you can't (necessarily) stop a screaming child from running up and grabbing her face, and if you're even a fraction of a second too slow, both you and her will be in trouble. My advice is to put off the crowds, performing, etc until she's more comfortable with people she doesn't know. Once you've overcome her aggression problems, or gotten them under control, then you can worry about working in front of crowds. Even if you do agility, there are still judges on the course, and people/other dogs all around the grounds, so it's not the best atmosphere for a dog with aggression problems.

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Guest Anonymous

[quote name='Hobbit']Just a nosey question -- :wink: --: Is your website a regular one or one of the premium ones? AND are you happy with geocities?[/quote] Well, I'm not sure what you mean by a premium one, and yeah, I'm happy with geocities... not INTIRELY, but it's good enough.

I've talked to Kim (one of the head people AAC) and she'll allow Hazel to be in a trial that's outdoors, and she has to wear a special bandana that tells others to stay away.
I've taken Hazel LOTS around people, ever since she was a little puppy (weird that she's aggressive still, but she is getting SOOOOOOOO much better!!! :) ) I know how to control her. Everytime I have her around people for the first time, I put the muzzel on her first (which I hate doing, but it's for her best and others of course) and I make sure that EVERYONE around me knows what she's capible of.
I once had her at Cottonwood Park when we had a large town gathering sort of thing, and there were these three little girls who came running up to Hazel, right away I told them to stop. I checked her muzzel and Gentle Leader, making sure they were succure, and had Haze laydown. I sat almost over top of her, staying relaxed, but ready to grab her if she tried anything. I told the little girls to ONE AT A TIME come SLOWLY up to Hazel, they did so, and I had them sit a few feet away from her. They asked me all sorts of questions about Hazel, and told me about their pets at home. Once I felt Hazel was more comfrotable, I told them to come a little closer. ONce she was comfrotable with that, I reached out touched the little girl's hand, getting the scent on me, then pet Hazel's face. Soon enough the girls were petting Hazel. With slow steps like this, I was slowly able to take the muzzel off (starting back at phase one with the little girls away from her again). After a while, they were giving her treats and getting her to sit pretty and such.
I've also had Hazel at an agility Demo once, TONES of people around, she did GREAT! She LOVED all that attention, but as soon as someone came close to her (or wrose, ME!) she'd start growling and such. I kept her by my side as much as I could, so I could tell people to stay away/don't make any sudden moves around her, and when she wasn't with me, she was in her crate which has a "BEWARE OF DOG" sign on all sides of it! LOL It was also covered with a tarp so that she could feel safe. (which did work).
I'm not saying right now today I'm guna run out there with my dog off lead and start getting her to preform, she does need some more work/training, but she's improved SO much! She use to not be able to have anyone even in her SIGHT! Now she's able to meet new people, with my slow introducing method! :D

~ Shara Slorstad & Hazel Nut Meg ~

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My opinion is that Hazel is feeding off of you and will become more aggressive instead of less aggressive. Sounds more of a dominance problem, factored in with praise (unknowingly) for being aggressive (either fear aggression or territory aggression).

Just my opinion.

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If you need to muzzle her in order to take her out around people, then you're moving too fast. It's overwhelming for her to be in such a crowded place when she's afraid of people she doesn't know. You need to take a few steps back, and get her to the point where she accepts one strange person, then a few, then as she becomes more confident, you can "add" more people to her surroundings. Also, you need to let her know that [i]you[/i] are keeping [i]her[/i] safe. It sounds like she feels she has to defend herself, and you. Don't let her get in situations where she's uncomfortable... if you see a bunch of people approaching, move away to a distance where she's comfortable. If they want to pet her, tell them she's in training, and they can't. Make sure good things always happen around strangers, that way when she sees one, she looks to you for the praise/treat/toy, and keeps her mind off them. By putting her in situations where she is afraid and acts defensively, you're losing her trust in your leadership and reinforcing in her mind that [i]she[/i] needs to scare the possible "threats" away.

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I'm curious, is Hazel aggressive only to people? Or people AND other dogs? The Canadian agility folk must be more lenient than in the states, an aggressive dog is NOT tolerated or given a bandana to warn people off. I want to be fair-minded but as one whose dog was attacked at a trial, I personally think aggressive dogs SHOULD NOT be allowed on the grounds. The dog that attacked Candy was a large husky mix, his owner was barely effective in holding onto him as he was going after Candy. My sis-in-law was (silly her) putting herself between the dogs and dragging Candy away as Candy thought she could take the husky on. Woe be to the owner of that dog had he done any damage to mine.
You will need to be concerned about lawsuits should Hazel find and take the opportunity to bite anyone, human or dog. More so because you KNOW she has aggression issues. Also, if Hazel is aggressive to other dogs, I can tell you that I personally will do WHATEVER is needed to stop a dog that is attacking mine, up to and including killing that dog. I am actually not trying to be a hardass here, just telling you how I feel and I know there are others who would do the same.
I would, like gooey said, focus on the aggression before even considering taking Hazel out and about where she might injure someone OR put herself in danger of being destroyed as a vicious dog.

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Guest Anonymous

[quote name='Hobbit']My opinion is that Hazel is feeding off of you and will become more aggressive instead of less aggressive. Sounds more of a dominance problem, factored in with praise (unknowingly) for being aggressive (either fear aggression or territory aggression).
Just my opinion.[/quote]

REPLY to Hobbit: How is she becoming more aggresive instead of less if she's getting better exactlly? She is very protective over me, that is true, but she is seriously getting better! I don't know how you guys read my post and figured I was doing wrong, and that she's getting worse, I just read it over again myself, and if I were one of you, I would believe she's getting better (which she is). She use to get really scared around people, shying back, growling, and lunging if they came near. Now she'll growl still yes, and lung occassionally, but more often then not, she sits and watches.

[quote name='Gooeydog']If you need to muzzle her in order to take her out around people, then you're moving too fast. It's overwhelming for her to be in such a crowded place when she's afraid of people she doesn't know.[/quote]

REPLY to Gooeydog: if I don't muzzel her, she could bite someone! We live in a village by the way too, when I take her up town, she's around no more then 5 people! She tends to do better in big crowds then with one or two people actually. (which I wrote before by the way, did you not read it?) I have been taking slow steps, I do not force her into a situation she can't handle, if it looks like neither of us can't handle it, I leave (with her obviously). Just like when introducing a dog to a cat. I let these introductions be no longer then 10 minutes (that's at the MOST) if she looks like she's getting too stressed, I will walk her around, calming her down. It has taken be about a month or so, but she finally will trust my uncle, when ever he'd come here, I'd bring her just outside the room, let her snif around, see him there, then leave. Once she feels comfrotable, I'd bring her a little closer, just last week she went up to him, sniffed him, and wagged her tail, letting him pet her.

[quote name='Carolk9s']I'm curious, is Hazel aggressive only to people? Or people AND other dogs?[/quote]

REPLY to Carolk9s: Hazel is aggresive to other dogs as well. Hazel is allowed in the trial not for the sport, but for the experience. She is to be on lead at ALL times, and her Gental Leader as well. I'm sorry your dog was attacked, the owner of the Husky Mix should have taken more responsiblitity for his/her dog. My dog is also not exactlly built like a husky, much easier to control. Although that is not an excuse, I have never ONCE let my dog attack anyone! I watch her every move when she's being introduced (0r around) any other dogs, or people. If she shows the slightest sign of stress, aggression ect. I remove her from the situation.

Please understand my dog is not "vicious"! She's aggresive, but controlable. When you say vicious, it makes me think of Cujo, or Mans Best Friend, dog's that were unstable!

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Shara, I did not mean to imply that Hazel is vicious, hearing that she will be on lead the entire time does make it a bit easier for me to see her in the ring but the dog that attacked Candy was also on lead. I'm sure you will be diligent about keeping a firm grip on Hazels leash at all times. I found out later that the same dog that attacked Candy had earlier jumped the fence between the two agility rings and completely terrorized a pug that was unable to compete the rest of the day due to its fear. The owner was spoken to, I presume they were not asked to leave because the husky never got his teeth on the pug, not for lack of trying but the pug was in the tunnel when it happened and the husky could not quite figure out how to get to him.
My main point was that you are aware of the potential for trouble and lawsuits should Hazel take a hunk outta someone. The agility trials I go to, people AND dogs are somewhat jazzed up as it is, a dog with some aggression issues might be subdued in this environment or might be further agitated.

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[quote name='HazelNutMeg']She is very protective over me,[/quote]
That outward display of "protectiveness" is usually not really protectiveness at all, but more of a "you are scary. Therefore I need to scare you away before you hurt me." attitude. The dogs that make the biggest defensive displays are also usually the ones who back down the fastest if a real threat occurs.

[quote]She use to get really scared around people, shying back, growling, and lunging if they came near. Now she'll growl still yes, and lung occassionally, but more often then not, she sits and watches.[/quote]
[i]Any[/i] dog that growls or lunges at people (unless there is a real threat, which you have indicated there is not) should [i]NOT[/i] be out in public.

[quote]if I don't muzzel her, she could bite someone![/quote]
Simple solution. Keep her away from people if you're afraid she may bite them. If she feels threatened enough to bite/growl/lunge/whatever, she's too close.

[quote]My dog is also not exactlly built like a husky, much easier to control. [/quote]
She's still capable of causing great harm to a person or other dog if she bites them at a moment you happen to let your guard down.

[quote]When you say vicious, it makes me think of Cujo, or Mans Best Friend, dog's that were unstable![/quote]
Cujo and Man's Best Friend are both fantasy dogs... in real life there are varying degrees of unstability, ranging from slightly unstable/insecure to out-of-their-mind unstable. A dog that shows "unprovoked" aggression to people is generally considered unstable. That doesn't necessarily mean that the dog can't be worked with, and live a good life; but it does mean that that the dog will have to be carefully handled, and may never be fully trustworthy around people. Remember that you can cover up the problem with training, but in dogs that have fearful/dominant/whatever temperments by nature, it will always be there, at least to some extent.

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Guest Anonymous

I know she will never be COMPLETELY trustworthy, that I will always have to keep an eye on her.
How am I supose to ever train her not to be so afraid of people, teach her that it's okay, if your telling me here not to ever let her have contact with people basiclly! That just doesn't make sence! Have YOU ever delt with an aggressive dog? Doesn't sound like you have, the KEY to an aggressive dog in training is SOCOLIZATION! (I'm trying not to slash out here, but I feel like your slashing out at me! :agrue: )
In agility class (which was about... maybe even 8 months ago), we did a little test. I walked Hazel around the group, she growled, lunged, barked, ect. Then I stood at the side, and Jammie (my instructor) led her around. She glared at everyone, growled a little bit, then as soon as she was near me, lunged at anyone around me! If that's not protecting me, I don't know what is! (not saying I like this behavior! Trying to teach Hazel that I should be the one protecting her! NOT the other way around!)

I'm so sorry to hear about what happend with the Husky too. The owner should have taken more responsibility with thier dog! That really upsets me, and yes I am aware that it IS possible for a situation like that to happen with my Hazel, therefore I'm training her all I can, and won't enter her into the Agility trial unless I feel 100% confedent that nothing bad will happen.

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[quote name='"HazelNutMeg"'][quote name='Hobbit']I've taken Hazel LOTS around people, ever since she was a little puppy (weird that she's aggressive still, but she is getting SOOOOOOOO much better!!! :) ) I know how to control her. Everytime I have her around people for the first time, I put the muzzel on her first (which I hate doing, but it's for her best and others of course) and I make sure that EVERYONE around me knows what she's capible of.
I once had her at Cottonwood Park when we had a large town gathering sort of thing, and there were these three little girls who came running up to Hazel, right away I told them to stop. I checked her muzzel and Gentle Leader, making sure they were succure, and had Haze laydown. I sat almost over top of her, staying relaxed, but ready to grab her if she tried anything. I told the little girls to ONE AT A TIME come SLOWLY up to Hazel, they did so, and I had them sit a few feet away from her. They asked me all sorts of questions about Hazel, and told me about their pets at home. Once I felt Hazel was more comfrotable, I told them to come a little closer. ONce she was comfrotable with that, I reached out touched the little girl's hand, getting the scent on me, then pet Hazel's face. Soon enough the girls were petting Hazel. With slow steps like this, I was slowly able to take the muzzel off (starting back at phase one with the little girls away from her again). After a while, they were giving her treats and getting her to sit pretty and such.
I've also had Hazel at an agility Demo once, TONES of people around, she did GREAT! She LOVED all that attention, but as soon as someone came close to her (or wrose, ME!) she'd start growling and such. I kept her by my side as much as I could, so I could tell people to stay away/don't make any sudden moves around her, and when she wasn't with me, she was in her crate which has a "BEWARE OF DOG" sign on all sides of it! LOL It was also covered with a tarp so that she could feel safe. (which did work).
I'm not saying right now today I'm guna run out there with my dog off lead and start getting her to preform, she does need some more work/training, but she's improved SO much! She use to not be able to have anyone even in her SIGHT! Now she's able to meet new people, with my slow introducing method! :D

~ Shara Slorstad & Hazel Nut Meg ~[/quote]


To answer your question:

I am not lashing out at you and you've already made up your mind that you know how to handle your dog --- that is fine, but I'm going to respond anyway.

Whenever someone comes around, rather you know it or not or will admit it --- your blood pressure rises (because you are afraid that she will bite someone or you are subconsciously fearing the "unknown" at what she may do or how she may react to a situation) and Hazel can sense this. This is causing her to become fearful and since you are pulling her closer to you she is thinking that you are afraid (when dogs are afraid, they get closer together). Her flight or fight instinct takes over and since she can not flee (which she would like to, because she is afraid), she shows fear aggression.

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[quote name='HazelNutMeg']How am I supose to ever train her not to be so afraid of people, teach her that it's okay, if your telling me here not to ever let her have contact with people basiclly![/quote]
That's not what I said. It is important for her to socialize with people, but you have to make sure to go at her pace. Socialization isn't all about having people come up and pet your dog, it's about making the dog comfortable around them. It can be done from as far away as 500 feet, if that's what the dog needs to stay relaxed. By muzzling her, leashing her, and "practically sitting on top of her" you are making her virtually defensless and completely vurnerable. She can't run because she's leashed, she can't move because you're holding her, and she can't bite because she's muzzled. Socialization isn't about having the dog scared out of it's mind. :wink: Because you can't exactly let her run loose and unmuzzled around stranger safely, though, you need to keep a distance between you (and her) and them, one large enough that she feels comfortable and relaxed. After she is completely comfortable with them at that distance, you can move a little closer, but never to the point where she feels she has to defend herself. If you reach that point, then you're pushing too fast and need to back up a few steps.

[quote]That just doesn't make sence! Have YOU ever delt with an aggressive dog? Doesn't sound like you have, the KEY to an aggressive dog in training is SOCOLIZATION![/quote]
I have lived with two aggressive (but improving) dogs... a Mini Dachshund who has only had desensitization and redirection training, and has made great progress, to the point where she's not "aggressive" and can be trusted in almost any situation, and a fear aggressive pit bull. I used similar methods to those which you are using (muzzles, obedience when a person was near, etc) on my dog at first, and it did nothing to fix her problems. It covered them up with training, but did not actually "fix" them. My dog would hold a sit or down stay while people walked a few feet in front of her, not because she was comfortable with that, but because she knew that was what I expected. In no way was she any better (more comfortable) with people after 5 years of that training. For the past two years, we've been using the methods I used on the dachshund, and she's made progress, although slow. She will walk with me past a person standing a few feet away, not because she knows I expect her to move past the "threat", but because she no longer considers it an immediate threat. She's now 9 yrs old, and I wasted 5 years of her life [i]making[/i] her live with her fears because I didn't take the time to learn how to get her over them, and in the past year, she's made more progress than in those 5. I also used to walk/exercise an aggressive lab/mastiff mix for some neighbors, so my experience hasn't only been with my personal dogs.

[quote]In agility class (which was about... maybe even 8 months ago), we did a little test. I walked Hazel around the group, she growled, lunged, barked, ect. Then I stood at the side, and Jammie (my instructor) led her around. She glared at everyone, growled a little bit, then as soon as she was near me, lunged at anyone around me! If that's not protecting me, I don't know what is! (not saying I like this behavior! Trying to teach Hazel that I should be the one protecting her! NOT the other way around!)[/quote]
Like Hobbit said, dog can sense your fear/apprehension, and that's only serving to make her even more tense. I bet the reason she acted less "protective" for your instructor was because your instructor wasn't as nervous/tense as you. She was probably more calm, the dog sansed that, and realized that there wasn't a threat. Whereas when you are walking her, you're constantly looking for the next thing that might "set her off", and are ready to react quickly if need be. She feels that, and is more likely to react because of it.

I'm not trying to slash out at you, but I don't want you and your dog to end up getting into trouble over something that could have been prevented. Have you taken Hazel to see a behaviorist? They might be able to give you some insight as to her behavior, and suggestions on working with her. [/quote]

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[quote name='K']
was so way off mark I felt I had to comment, Goo is practically an expert on dog demeanour icluding aggression,anxiety,and dominance issues...I have always found Goo's advice to be very insightfull and usefull and above all workable...I have been known to copy/paste some of it to another site I belong to and try to make out I knew what I was talking about :oops: (hope you don't mind Goo :wink: ) [/quote]
K, I'm definitely not an expert on this stuff, but you can use whatever you want :wink:

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Guest Anonymous

[b] I'm sorry! Why didn't you tell me all that in the first place! LOL [/b]

My methods did seem to be working (some of which were a lot like yours, start far away, etc.) and I have been trying SOOO hard not to show my emotions when someone comes by. Mainly when a dog comes by, since we live in such a small town (i know it wrong :oops:) nobody really keeps their dog on leash. This creates more stress for me, because I can't control BOTH dogs!! I don't know what that other dog will do, I have had some younger dogs come RUNNING up to Hazel, and it was scary! I've been trying to stay calm now, when someone comes near, I push it to the back of my mind, and keep walking normal, thinking about my old dog Blue, or what it feels like to be playing agility with my dog etc. That seems to help a little bit. But it is VERY hard to hide emotions, since (next to dogs of course! LOL) people are very emotional "animals".

[quote name='Gooeydog'] By muzzling her, leashing her, and "practically sitting on top of her" you are making her virtually defensless and completely vurnerable. She can't run because she's leashed, she can't move because you're holding her, and she can't bite because she's muzzled. [/quote]

I've never really looked at it that way. I always figured i had more control that way, but I guess Hazel doesn't have any then right? And if she feels she has NO control over the situation, well I don't blame her for acting out aggressivly then! :cry:

[quote name='Gooeydog'] She's now 9 yrs old, and I wasted 5 years of her life making her live with her fears because I didn't take the time to learn how to get her over them, and in the past year, she's made more progress than in those 5. [/quote]

I'm sorry about that, I understand. I had Hazel in those agility classes for almost 2 of her 4 years in life (not THAT long, I know) and the instructors were very bad. When ever she acted aggressivly, they'd "Scruff" her (picking her up in the air by her scruff and growling in her face). I'm sure Hazel tried telling me before, but being human, I didn't understand that that wasn't working. I've never had an Aggressive dog before Hazel, I didn't know what to do. Hey, I had never HEARD of aggressive dogs before Hazel came into my life! Since the problem was getting WORSE not better, and I began to learn all I could about aggression in dogs, I realized what they were doing was actually making things worse! I pulled her out of class ASAP and started working on my own with her. That's when she started to improve.

I haven't taken her to a Dog Behaviorest, we don't have enough money to, and I dont' exactlly have my licence even if I saved up the money to go. I have talked to a lot of them though (on the net). I've read TONES about Aggression, looked into it best I could (actually, still AM learning all I can!).

Well, I'd love to chat some more about this right now, but Smaze's got her head on my lap :) , I think she's hungry!

I'm sorry once again for MY reactions, and would love all the help I can get from you and others! :lol:

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[quote name='HazelNutMeg']My methods did seem to be working (some of which were a lot like yours, start far away, etc.) and I have been trying SOOO hard not to show my emotions when someone comes by.[/quote]
Peppermint supposedly helps to mask the smell of your fear, I'm not sure how much truth there is in that, but it may be worth a try :lol: You can also talk to her (or yourself if you prefer that), calmly, and it will calm both you and her down (don't do this if she's throwing a "fit" about something, as it will reinforce that behavior). I've also heard that whistling works in place of talking, and if you're really tense, it may be better since she won't be able to pick up on the tone of your voice.
[quote]Mainly when a dog comes by, since we live in such a small town (i know it wrong :oops:) nobody really keeps their dog on leash. This creates more stress for me, because I can't control BOTH dogs!! I don't know what that other dog will do, I have had some younger dogs come RUNNING up to Hazel, and it was scary! [/quote]
There are a lot of dogs around here that run loose, and Goo (and Annie too) is very dog aggressive. The best thing to do when you see a strange dog coming toward you is turn and go the other way. If you don't have time for that, try to keep the leash loose, but be sure you can get her under control quickly should she lunge. If you have animal control where you live, call them and report the loose dogs, especially if they're aggressive.

[quote]I've never really looked at it that way. I always figured i had more control that way, but I guess Hazel doesn't have any then right? And if she feels she has NO control over the situation, well I don't blame her for acting out aggressivly then! :cry: [/quote] Not only that, but since you're the one who "took" the her ability to defend herself, she [i]needs[/i] you to defend her.
Here's how it was explained to me (by a friend who's helped me figure out a lot of Goo's problems): If [i]you[/i] were deathly afraid of something... let's say kids (or whatever you're afraid of); and your parents hobbled you so you couldn't run, tied your hands so you couldn't fight them off, and made you sit in the middle of a school playground, imagine how you'd feel. Even if no one actually touched you, or even looked at you, wouldn't you still be afraid, just knowing they were there? And how would you feel towards the person who had "rendered you defenseless", then surrounded you with frightening things? Would you trust them to protect you? Sure, eventually after you had been there for a while, you'd probably realize that [i]those[/i] kids weren't so scary, but what about other kids? And would you ever really [i]like[/i] kids? Or would you just tolerate them because it's expected of you and you want to make people happy?
Now, what if your parents held your hand, and slowly brought you closer to the things that you were afraid of, never being close enough for you to be afraid or uneasy, all the while handing you tasty pieces of chocolate for being calm?
Which do you think you'd prefer?
It's also kinda like teaching a child to swim... there are some parents who just throw them overboard, and let them learn... then there are others who slowly introduce them to the water, making sure it's an enjoyable experience for them. Both (usually :lol: ) result in the child learning to swim, but they can affect the child's mindset (about the water, swimming, their parents, and anything/one else that was involved) in different ways.

[quote]I'm sure Hazel tried telling me before, but being human, I didn't understand that that wasn't working. I've never had an Aggressive dog before Hazel, I didn't know what to do.[/quote]
The important thing though is that when you did realize it was wrong for her, you got her away from it, and now you're trying to do what's best for her. :lol:

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Guest Anonymous

Wow, I've never had it explained to me like that before, reminds me of when my friend thought I wasn't serious about having a fear of knives (I know, it's weird) and she jokingly held the knife towards me, without thinking, I jumped back, just a reaction, and was afraid to go near her or my sisters while they were baking, even though she said she was sorry.

Do you mind if I use what you wrote for the example and such on my website (I have information about aggression on it) I'll give you the credit for it as well of course!

Right now I've gotten Hazel off the chain (she was reported in neighbors yards a couple years back, and we got a few complaints), and into the house. I've been working with her for about 5 days inside now, and she's already started to calm down, and be more relaxed around just my familly members! (Although work still needs to be done about chasing the cats, eating cat food, getting into the garbage etc.) Hopefully just this experience of her in the house will help with her aggression a little.

We do have animal control in town, but they don't go down our road, they only patrol in town, and will only pick up dogs if their in a pack of 3 or more (or I guess if someone calls in). Plus, I do know most of the dogs and owners down the road, it would feel odd to call the "doggy cops" on them! LOL I can try calling their owners as well, like before when Ozzie (our neighbor's dog) kept comming into our yard when Hazel was in heat (thankfully she's fixed now), and causing constent rucus. I called their house, and they were very good about it, they even went out and bought Ozzie a run! :)

I have a question; what should I do when someone comes to our house? I don't want to go tie Hazel up, but I also don't want to lock her in a room in our house until that person leaves (which may be hours!)!

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Guest Anonymous

Having her in the house will probably help alot, since she can spend more time with you, and the rest of your family. Can't help much with the cats (if you start another post about it, I bet someone can though), but about the trash... put it up or get a covered can. And the cat food... sit it on a shelf or counter if you can (you'll have a very hard time getting her to leave it's food alone) :lol: .
If you feel comfortable talking to the dogs' owners, then that's the best way to go. If not, or if they don't seem to care, sometimes calling animal control does "wake them up" a little.
When people come to our house, I just put Goo (my dog) away in my room. She pretty much ignores people as long as they're sitting down and being still, but if they stand up, she gets nervous, and if they start moving around, she's even more uncomfortable. I don't know for sure that she would bite, but it's not worth it to me to find out. If won't hurt hazel to be in a room/outside for a couple hours while someone's there, but it [i]will [/i]hurt her (mentally) if she has a bad experience when there's someone there. If the people aren't going to be frequent visitors, then it's probably best to not even bother trying to introduce her. If they are going to be at your house often, you'll probably want to introduce her at some point. I can't really tell you which of the many methods will work best for you and her, though :wink: .

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Guest Anonymous

[quote name='"Anonymous"']Having her in the house will probably help alot, since she can spend more time with you, and the rest of your family. Can't help much with the cats (if you start another post about it, I bet someone can though), but about the trash... put it up or get a covered can. And the cat food... sit it on a shelf or counter if you can (you'll have a very hard time getting her to leave it's food alone) :lol: .
If you feel comfortable talking to the dogs' owners, then that's the best way to go. If not, or if they don't seem to care, sometimes calling animal control does "wake them up" a little.
When people come to our house, I just put Goo (my dog) away in my room. She pretty much ignores people as long as they're sitting down and being still, but if they stand up, she gets nervous, and if they start moving around, she's even more uncomfortable. I don't know for sure that she would bite, but it's not worth it to me to find out. If won't hurt hazel to be in a room/outside for a couple hours while someone's there (and you can have the "visitor" stay out of your way/her sight while you take her outside for a pee break/quick play time if you need to), but it [i]will [/i]hurt her (mentally) if she has a bad experience when there's someone there. If the people aren't going to be frequent visitors, then it's probably best to not even bother trying to introduce her. If they are going to be at your house often, you'll probably want to introduce her at some point. I can't really tell you which of the many methods will work best for you and her, though :wink: . I don't mind if you use the thing from my other post for your site :lol:

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Hi Hazel! I know I'm really late, but I just wanted to welcome you to the board! :D So...


[size=7][color=orange][b]WELCOME![/b][/color][/size] :smilecolros:

Hey, hope you have fun here! I am! Sorry for the rocky start :( Anyway, just wanted to say welcome and have a nice time!




P.s.: I'm building a web site for my Golden, Rowie(yeah, a wierd name I know :wink: ) and I dunno ANYTHING 'bout HTML and web sites and stuff, maybe you could PM me and help? THNX! :D

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Guest Anonymous

Thanks Rowie-the-Pooh, for the welcome and the coment about my Smaze (and asking for advice about webdisgn, I feel so... proud :lol: LOL) I will PM you if you'd like...

About Smazel though... (dont' get confused if I call her things like that, if it basicly has "aze" in it, I'm talking about Hazel! LOL :wink: )
Well, most people visit often with us, but not THAT often, like my cuz will come over maybe around a couple times a month! We don't get too many visiters. We rarely get someone who has visited once or twice. Maybe if when those people (like my cuz) come over, I'll lead her into the kitchen (which goes by the dinning room where the guests always are) give her a treat, then lead her back into my room. Do this maybe once when they come over, that'll give her a little bit of a chance to be around strangers, but not feel too uncomfrotable at the same time?

With the Garbage; I try putting the lid on it, but once the garbage bag gets filled, we have to move it out of the bucket because the garbage can is smaller then the bags, so there's no way to latch the lid down. If i just fold the edges of the bag over, and put the lid on top, Hazel will pull it off!! We've tried closing the kitchen door, but the handle's broken (has been since I can remember!) so if you push the door, it will open. We were hoping Hazel wouldn't figure this out, but nevertheless, she has! Now I'm just trying to teach her to stay out of the kitchen, that is so hard! She's a dog, that's where the food is kept! LOL

Yeah, we've been putting the cat food up on the counters, the cats aren't happy about that too much, but at least they HAVE FOOD NOW! LOL

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Hazel in regards to the trash can try putting something yuk around where she grabs the bin I use Vicks (for colds) but Ive heard of people using chili powder in a paste and smearing it round the edges ( its also good for digging put it in the dirty ) I guess curry powder might do the same Good luck

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