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Soft Temperaments


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

Does anyone know of any books or links with information regarding dogs with "soft temperaments"? Jaeden is very soft, senstive and submissive and I would really like to learn more about different positive training methods, building confidence, and so on. Right now I use a clicker with her, and a flat collar and that's working well for most situations. I would just like to learn some more methods and so on.

Thanks, Nic & Jaeden


:D

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Guest Anonymous

Macy also has what I would call a "soft" temperament. She can't bear even being yelled at. If my DH so much as raises his voice at her, she hides behind Mommy!

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Laurel is the same way....sometimes you just have to pay a little extra attention to them, keep your voice down, and have play games (like tuggy) where they can win once in a while.....You always keep the toy, but they can pull it out of your hands now and then, and seem to win....

Also, some dogs are "touch sensitive"...which is different than timid
(Freebee is touch sensitive and doesnt have a timid bone in her body... :lol: )

There is a test for that. You take one of their front paws, pick it up and press down on the middle between the pads...NOT HARD....just enough pressure so that you can see they can feel it. A non sensitive dog will let you do that for 10-13 seconds, before trying to pull away. A touch sensitive dog can last as little as 6 seconds before pulling away. Let the
paw go immediately as soon as they pull...and she is touch sensitive
you just have to be careful about how you pet her. Gentle strokes, less roughing up, that kind of thiing.

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Guest Anonymous

She isn't "touch senstive" I just tested her, my older male dog is though. :wink: Mostly what I have noticed with Jaeden is..if I am walking all three dogs, which I normally do, when I go to places that I [i]know[/i] there will be no other people or dogs, maybe the odd moose or deer though :o I will keep them leashed for the first little while, until we are far enough out in a field that I know they are going to be ok, then I let them off leash.

They all have good recall. Jaeden however when leashed, is very senstive to the other dogs corrections, to the point that if I have her leash in the same hand as Brooklyn's (who is a puller and has to have a choke chain on) she will freeze, when I give the slightest pull on his leash. This also happens if she's on the same hand as Tydo. Now before you think I am hauling on the dogs, I'm not. At most I will rattle the leash, because Brooklyn is pretty good with heeling just from the sound and slight movement of the chain rattling/not choking or pulling. If he does not respond to this, I try stopping for a moment and that normally will stop him..sometimes it will not. And I do give a little yank on the leash, about as hard as you might brush your dogs hair..he is very senstive to the chain. But Jaeden is EVEN more senstive, however...if she is alone and pulls, she is not nearly as senstive with me correcting her. She only needs a harness, and I again usually just stop with her and she gets the hint.

She is extremely good at looking back at me for direction or praise, when we are out on walks. This is something she has always done.

Another thing I have noticed is if I correct one of the dogs, for doing something like..sniffing the dinner plates or something like that. She will come over to me and put her head on my knee or try to crawl on to my lap. She is like this with everyone. Even kids, she thrives on being talked to like a baby, though I do not "baby" her. I do play tug with her, and she loves it...though we are still working on giving it up when I ask.

She is also very submissive with my oldest male dog, Brooklyn. She licks his mouth ALL the time, which I know can also be a sign of affection. If he has something she wants, she whines and shows her belly to him and paws him. He will growl at her, but when he is done will give it to her. They clear eachothers ears and sleep on top of eachother...but that's more just how they are with eachother and not submission. She does all the normal submissive signals towards him, like showing her belly to him and so on.

My biggest question right now is... She really loves people, all people, strangers, people who knock on the door and so on. Lately she has been wanted to pull me or try to pull me over to anyone she spies on the street. Tail wagging and smiles! It's a great thing for me, but I want her to have better manners then that. She did before, but I think it was due to age. I need some suggestions to correct her without freaking her out. I have tried redirecting with a toy she loves, or food but neither are nearly as interesting as a new friend!

Thanks :D

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new friends are good!! I would try telling the "new friend" that she is trying to meet people, and be socialized. and then tell her to sit/stay and ask the person to come over and meet her. Some may refuse, but if they see her obeying a sit/stay they may decide to come over and see her. She will then feel rewarded for having correctly obeyed the sit/stay, and she will get ot meet all kinds of people that way. Most people are more comfortable around dogs that are well behaved to commands. It makes them feel safer.

:D

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Cracker is also VERY submissive. She is shy, and wary of strangers. I agree with what someone else said, using a very upbeat, happy positive voice when training can go a long way. I might have to check out one of those books u listed Nic, those would probablt prove to be helpful. :)

And another bit of info, if u ever take her to some sort of obediance class, agility class or whatever, make sure u ask the trainer what their methond of training is. We made a huge mistake with this on Cracker, that has really lasted her whole life by going to a trainer that used harsh, tugging and pulling methods to teach heel, and walking on a leash. Plus he used forceful methods of pushing the dog into sits and such. We eventually relised this was a huge mistake in traning her and dropped out of the class. Now when I work with Cracker, I can't really push her in too any position because her wrong-puppy hood training made her a fear biter. :x :( I of course work around it, and she's a lot better, but choosing a trainer that knows how to handle submissive dogs is a good choice. :D

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Guest Anonymous

[quote name='Anonymous']Not every one is goin' to want to meet or be 'friends' with a pit bull. I wouldnt. From the picture the dog don't look too nice.[/quote]

How can a picture show the dogs temperment? Not all pits are agressive. Heck I have a pei that looks sweet as sugar, but has issues with aggresion. The look of the dog & the breed has no impact on the temperment of the dog.

Don't judge the book by the cover

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That kind of attitude is exactly what needs to be eliminated in order for this breed to have a chance at being accepted by the public.

Any dog, no matter what breed will become aggressive if it is constantly treated as an aggressive dog even though it may not have shown any aggressive tendancies. That is to say that the animal is not socialized, not taught basic manners and good behavior, not loved and not integrated into a stable, wholesome environment.

By the way, the same thing happens to children when treated this way. Why should we expect dogs to react any differently?

No dog instinctively wants to fight and be mean. It is a reaction to a previous experience or a last resort for the animal when it knows no other way to respond.

So Guest, you are wrong. Not all pits are aggressive, and those that are, were made that way by people who didn't care for them properly.

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[quote name='Anonymous']maybe that dog is misstreated. does nt look that well taken care of. its a pit for freak sakes. it lives on a chain. no food. no water.[/quote]

what would make you think that this dog lives on a chain with no food or water? Do you really think that's how all people treat their pits? If so, you have a lot to learn ....

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Guest Anonymous

Guest- You are entitled your opinion and if you think my dogs are UGLY..then so be it. But not all Pit Bulls are aggressive, most are loving family pets. Mine are not kept on chains, in fact not one of them has EVER even been tied up period. Leashed yes. They always have fresh water, in fact I keep three bottles of water in the fridge for them..so it will be really cold and yes, it is bottled water from a spring that is near where I live. They sleep on my bed at night, and during the day if they so happen to choose. Jaeden is totally non-aggressive, and if you had actually read other posts I haev made..you would see that she's very submissive, with humans and dogs alike. Brooklyn and Tydo are both very human friendly, with kids as well, both are dog friendly as well..Tydo does not like cats though but that does not make him a bad dog or aggressive..it just makes him a DOG!

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Guest Anonymous

Is this face REALLY UGLY?...

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwAAAHMZYSK*1bMETviyygHE6C919Hm91wSy0kUmABks5CRDLpYAUGiaQyKHU5SUczQruY9kWW4WnmRzjKgPyrNdMFJvoHqyP022Jxl7cEiBuIMeU!1SkbiEn7YqKHkV/100_0067.jpg?dc=4675446759175380344[/img]

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwDPAh0Z0QNy3xg1bSCBCNPs!Cnv5qai9T4xWN1syk8LWYj25zSTUZPN0fOoUjvDzt11UO*Wmdu0Vd0ySBD!AllRHYqajdz!xbWct7u5nCYfY4J10X8liQ/jae7.jpg?dc=4675446759265281963[/img]

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[quote name='Anonymous']the dog is ugly. all three are. pits are agressive and nothin u say will change that.[/quote]

Have you ever seen a pittie smile? Our neighbor has a APBT, Dante & he smiles all the time. Don't judge the breed if you don't truely know the breed. Pits get an awfull rap, and some are left on a chain. But Pouty keeps her doggies in the house, where they are members of the family.

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Guest Anonymous

Thanks everyone for your attempts to set this person straight. I hope that they will come back and talk about this without name calling! Pit Bulls are great, noble and loving dogs..they deserve a chance.

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