Bingo Staffie DoB November 2008 - 31st August 2018

In loving memory of dogs that have passed
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Rescue Remedies_2
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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Olivia 27 Jan 2010 01:51 pm

I was punished by a greater power last night for being smug about our well trained dog.
Yesterday our curtain pole fell out of the wall. So in the sitting room there is now no curtain facing the road and pavement.
Rhianna spent the whole night barking at strangers, foxes, cats and tree movement and whining and scratching at the door to get through to us.
Just because there was no curtain.
I remembered my post that I had sent to you and corrected her, and didn't give in. At 4am I went through and got her and let her come to bed just so we could grab those precious last few hours.
So I am a hypocrite. :roll:
I have had a man around today to fix it, as a matter of urgency!
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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Bud 27 Jan 2010 03:18 pm

I always say never a dull moment with a Staffie around....I also need to say that after a very stressful day at work I have 2 options sit down and sink a bottle of wine and a family size box of crisps....OR....take spud out and have a laugh for an hour....guess which one helps the most.......NO not the wine...trust me best ever stress releaver owing a dog!!!
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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grizzly61bear 27 Jan 2010 03:23 pm

Brilliant, I love it, pride coming before the fall and all that....I was also interested in popping football bit, or was it body popping! I have two boys who both play and my elder one decided to cure the boredom of walking the dog with me on the first weekend, that he would take a football with him. Well I could not walk the dog and the ball lasted approximately 30 seconds. So now we can't have a ball out, and the idea of taking him to footie on a Sunday morning is more of a daunting task than I first imagined.
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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NikkiL 27 Jan 2010 04:47 pm

Can I just add my hugs and good wishes to you as well. You are doing a wonderful job and it isn't easy

Karl was of the pee on it, poo on it, or chew it up variety when he first arrived, fully crate trained, thanks to Emma, but it took him 3 weeks to realise that Crates just arent his thing. Que lots of whining and barking.

Outdoors he was fine, until he disappeared one day and I caught him chasing cattle. Panic stations, (we live in livestock central, this is possibly the WORST trait I could have in a dog) & I started to wonder if we could carry on.

I have to say that Agility Training has been the making of Karl. It wears him out physically and mentally and gives me targets to work towards each week. I also find that seeing a professional for one-to-one each week is a bit like counselling, you get to iron out any issues with the help of a 3rd party. If your finances can stretch to a professionals help then I would highly recommend it.
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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Olivia 27 Jan 2010 06:06 pm

Yeah, the football thing is a challenge still for us.
We are working on it one on one with our trainer every week after class as its a tricky one.
We have her to the point where she will come to us instead of stealing a football 50% of the time, but if you are a millisecond too late in calling her over and diverting her attention she's off and there is no hope other than to get to her in time before she manages to pop the ball.
We can get her to ignore footballs on lead now, but off lead its tricky.
It seems it's a combination of correcting the obsession and finding something that is more valuable than the small child's football on the other side of the heath in order to divert her attention. However, there's where the problem lies, she would pick a football over a fillet steak so we are still working on it :lol:
Poor dogs, we do expect a lot from them dont we? I wonder if she talks to the dogs on her group walks with all the client dogs like this.
'I am trying to get Seb and Olivia to let me sleep in bed, what have you found most effective with your owner?'
'When you want something that they are trying to keep from you, like say a ball or some food do you find whining and begging more effective or do you go for the stealth option? I am finding my owner very slow in learning to give me what I want, it only happens about 50% of the time'.
At least we can give each other empathy here :lol:
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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grizzly61bear 27 Jan 2010 09:05 pm

I bet they have a right old laugh about it together, no wonder they are always smiling! Have you had to offer to pay for any burst footballs yet?
The other night I was lead walking while my son was football training, when I stopped to chat to another owner he got bored and decided that grabbing the lead was the only way to get my attention and boy, would he not let go, to the point where I could have kicked him. However, I could not let him go as it was dark and there were quite a few boys and footballs around. I got so angry I almost dragged him along, lead in mouth. I can't remember why he dropped the vice like grip on the lead, I was just worried he was going to chew through it and I would have had no control whatsoever. If it had been day, in a familiar place, I would have let him have it and walked back to the car. Of course, like the dopey headed owner, I did not have any diversion treats, or squeaks with me. I have had one training session, one to one, focussing more on lead walking and not pulling like a train. It is hard work correcting him all the time, but sometimes he walks fine, just not for long enough. I will have to get more sessions with her, the trouble is with any agility type training, is that I would have to keep up and that might be too much of a call to make! I struggle with my knees as it is. Better he gets his exercise off lead as it is less strain on my joints. :lol:
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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Olivia 28 Jan 2010 10:09 am

Seb's just taken on a boxer to walk in the afternoons. This dog is massive, he is the biggest boxer I have ever seen. He is a sweet boy but completely lacks any training and until now has also been under exercised. He is about 14 months old so is also at the peak of his energy levels, oh yes and they havent neutered him.
Seb has agreed to take him on while that dog walking slot is free, and will take him on further if the owners also put some effort into training him and he can eventually join a group walk. Three other dog walkers have taken him out once and then refused to do it again. He pulls like a steam train, and is absolutely huge. Seb is 6ft 1 and finds walking this boy exhausting so I cant imagine how his owner copes as she isn't very big.
Anyway the reason I mention this is because I bought Seb a gentle leader, its a type of halti that when they pull also puts a little pressure on the backs of their neck which relaxes them, like when their Mums pick them up as puppys. It differs from a normal halti in this way. Also it gives you more control of their heads, especially if you have back/ knee joint problems as when they pull it isn't their massively strong necks or their big chests that are pulling you, its their heads which dont have any power and so they stop.
Seb put it on this Boxer yesterday for the first time and it works instantly with no corrections or force. He stopped pulling completely. It will take a couple more sessions with him before he accepts something across his nose completely, but Seb think this might be the answer.
They do complain about it initially, but it might help you if you have joint problems, also they give you a little more control with things like lead ragging.
As someone who has had a slipped disc for 7 months I completely sympathise!
And yes, we have had to pay for a football, but only once the first time. We are quicker off the mark these days. :lol:
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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NikkiL 28 Jan 2010 10:47 am


grizzly61bear wrote:
II will have to get more sessions with her, the trouble is with any agility type training, is that I would have to keep up and that might be too much of a call to make! I struggle with my knees as it is. Better he gets his exercise off lead as it is less strain on my joints. :lol:

Its not that physical - its the dog that does all the running, lol. its reward based using toys, so you can learn some techniques involving chase, hunt and retrieve to wear your boy out off lead, whilst keeping his attention.

sometimes the side effects are quite surprising, for example, when Karl came he was a little monkey for pinching things and refusing to give them up (drop) but now he has learned that by chasing the ball, retrieve and DROPPING - he gets to have more fun. Problem solved. this in turn makes life easier around the house because he has learnt what is appropriate to pick up and what isn't, and if he forgets it doesn't matter because now I can take it off him which I couldn't previously.

You dont have to take up agility as a sport, but perhaps use it as a starting point for some training tips - if you go once a week or fortnight you will be surprised how long the effects last - by the time Karl has been to dog-school on a Friday, and a couple of long walks over the weekend, all he wants to do is sleep all day on Monday - which is a result because thats a busy day for me, so it means I dont have to worry about taking time out to walk him.
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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grizzly61bear 29 Jan 2010 02:38 pm

I bought Seb a gentle leader, its a type of halti that when they pull also puts a little pressure on the backs of their neck which relaxes them, like when their Mums pick them up as puppys. It differs from a normal halti in this way. Also it gives you more control of their heads, especially if you have back/ knee joint problems as when they pull it isn't their massively strong necks or their big chests that are pulling you, its their heads which dont have any power and so they stop.

Thanks for that, we have used haltis in the past, but they used to lay on the ground and scrabble to take it off. Maybe I could try one as I only think he is only getting stronger round the neck.
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Re: Bingo Staffie DoB 11.2008 Maidstone Kent

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Olivia 29 Jan 2010 03:10 pm

Yes, they are not crazy about the gentle leaders at first, I think they struggle with having something across their nose. If you have back and joint problems though they just have to learn. The pulling really doesn't help if you have joint problems, trust me!! Trick is to keep walking forward even if they are trying to be a bucking bronco and to use treats and toys to distract. It doesn't take too long.
Good luck!!
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