Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

Wow I have only just seen this thread - what a lot I have missed! I can't say I have read every single post entirely but I have read the majority and Belrose all I can say is well done - you are a saint to have put so much time and effort into trying to turn Gemma around. It would be very easy to ju...

P.S If he'd been in that situation before, he'd have dragged me to the floor. Literally. Yes, it happened. And it was muddy.

Hi Phil My dobermann Bruce has had the same problem after being launched on by another dog. It took a long time to get his attention onto the food and the one thing that really did the trick was using a clicker. I started using the clicker in general for training and he soon realised that the sound ...

I have tried my best to resist getting into this debate, but i just find it so frustrating. It continues to amaze me that people continue to look at CM with such admiration. It has nothing to do with the production of tv shows, the personality, the dogs he uses or the hairstyle he choses or anything...

I completely understand the whole 'horse training v dog training' debate in your head - i too came from a horsey background first and then onto dogs. I think there are some things that you can apply to both, but as Nettle has written, there are differences in their defence mechanisms which really sh...

Thanks for your suggestion, I have read through the article however there has been a sudden possible change in the vets opinion following another flare up. Shadow has been referred to an animal hospital to receive an MRI scan as the vet is now concerned there may be some pressure on Shadow's spine w...

I read so many books when i took on my pup but in the end i found the best way was to take snapshots of each, ask opinions of people with good experience (like on here) and to go with my initiative. It is quite overwhelming and like you say you want to try to get everything right in order to prevent...

Thanks Nettle, I will have a look into it

P.S. by the way I have no issues with behaviourists, I hope I didn't come across that way! I just found that a number of people I contacted were angling towards the "throw them in a room with loads of dogs" approach, when really in my case, half of the battle was purely mine and Bruce's re...

Hi all, Hope I'm posting this in the right place. My lab x dalmation Shadow has had a mild form of arthritis for a year or so now. This will obviously continue to worsen as he gets older and he currently has flare ups of the problem in one of his hind legs. (The rest of the time he is full of beans ...

As Margaret (aka Mattie) knows, I have had very similar problems with my Dobermann Bruce. I considered seeking the help of a behaviourist, like you say it is often just so as to have the reassurance that you are reacting the correct way in the situation. But I am pleased that i persevered on my own ...

I try not to go out when it is dark this time of the year for this reason if I have to I leave the radio on full but I don't have a neighbour to worry about. I give Joe Stay Calm, I get it from Hutchinsons at Horbury Bridge but Pets at Home sell it. Hutchies dog food is a lot cheaper than Pets at H...

Thanks - I will start working on that with him as Shadow has definately inherited his stomach from the labrador in his mix :lol: The trouble is when I'm out. It seems that whether there are fireworks going off or not he gets himself into a state when I leave the house at this time of year. Last nigh...

Hi Everyone Well the fireworks have started and show no signs of stopping until New Years Eve is out of the way. Shadow, my rescue, is terrified and has been digging into the corners of rooms in the attempt to find himself a safe haven. I have set up a crate with a blanket over the top to offer him ...

Brush them outside--it'll not only save wear and tear on your vacuum cleaner, but also provide lots of nesting material for the local wildlife. When my shepherd-husky-lab mix was still alive, brushing him was a Sisyphean task, but I always imagined the generations of squirrels and birds who were bo...