# It's a hard life for Amaretto



## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Second day home, out and about enjoying the neighbourhood. When I'm tired of playing, I just lay down on the greenest patch of grass I can find in the dead of the Canadian winter. 











Then there's always the tiring task of playing in the backyard with Marshies. I mean, I have to tug, run, chase, and go potty. Look at me, I'm growing frown lines thinking of these stressful activities. 










Worst of all, when I go home, these people don't even give me a decent bed. I have to sleep this way...










And that way...










Robin, come take me home. It's practically puppy abuse in this new household!


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Love tired puppies. Yep, it's rough.


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

hahahah enjoyed the pictures...puppies are so fun.!!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

BlackPuppy said:


> Love tired puppies. Yep, it's rough.





ponyfarm said:


> hahahah enjoyed the pictures...puppies are so fun.!!


Thanks guys! I actually made a mistake on one of them. Take a look again. My favourite photo...little drama queen.


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## evybear15 (Mar 28, 2011)

What an awful life...being forced to play fetch AND tug. 

(and what a cutie!)


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

evybear15 said:


> What an awful life...being forced to play fetch AND tug.
> 
> (and what a cutie!)


Thanks! 

I want to get a serious picture of her, but it's SO hard. She keeps moving. So most of my pictures are of her passed out somewhere.


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## evybear15 (Mar 28, 2011)

marshies said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I want to get a serious picture of her, but it's SO hard. She keeps moving. So most of my pictures are of her passed out somewhere.


Haha, Baxter was the same way when he was a puppy - most of my pictures of him them are of him passed out, or a blur.  She is a cutie, though! Enjoy that puppy stage while you can - it goes by SO quickly.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

_"Don't worry Amaretto....grandma Robin is coming to save you!!"_
Great pics Xuan.....I LOVE seeing pics! PLEASE keep them coming!


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Adorable!! 
You can feel free to send her over here _anytime!!! _


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

Congratulations!! She is a beauty!! If Robin can't get there to rescue her soon....I've got some friends up in Canada who could pick her up for me


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

robinhuerta said:


> _"Don't worry Amaretto....grandma Robin is coming to save you!!"_
> Great pics Xuan.....I LOVE seeing pics! PLEASE keep them coming!


Will do. We're headed to the vet tomorrow, and taking the SUBWAY for the first time! I imagine there will be alot of treats, petting, and picture taking.



qbchottu said:


> Adorable!!
> You can feel free to send her over here _anytime!!! _


LOL. You'll regret this. I raw bloody hands from her. 



mysweetkaos said:


> Congratulations!! She is a beauty!! If Robin can't get there to rescue her soon....I've got some friends up in Canada who could pick her up for me


Thanks!!! Amaretto is thrilled that demand is high in the market. She could start holding me hostage with all this love.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

marshies said:


> LOL. You'll regret this. I raw bloody hands from her.


My rescue girl is downright MEAN lol! She's like a feral cat when she gets in one of her moods. She gave me some nice bites and claw marks that have scarred my hands and legs ugh... Amaretto can add to the war wounds I already have 

But yea...send her over for some free potty/obedience training... (no guarantees I'll return her tho )


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

qbchottu said:


> My rescue girl is downright MEAN lol! She's like a feral cat when she gets in one of her moods. She gave me some nice bites and claw marks that have scarred my hands and legs ugh... Amaretto can add to the war wounds I already have
> 
> But yea...send her over for some free potty/obedience training... (no guarantees I'll return her tho )


Amaretto does the catty thing too! She bats my hands! I don't know HOW she picked this up. When I get her to down, and I'm holding a treat, she bats my hands on the way down. And sometimes, she'll walk to my chair, I'll start petting her, and she'll bat my hands...?? Maybe in the last life, they were both cats? 

Potty training is going well. Bite inhibition was just started today...since she gave me a blood wound from tug. And formal obedience...well...I taught sit and down, but classes start on the 9th of January, so we'll start that then.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Nice work! You definitely sound like you are getting into the swing of things! Congrats!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

I went socializing today while Marshies picked up some holiday gifts. The lovely ladies at American Apparel just LOVED me. I am quite pretty, if I do say so myself. 










While on the road, Marshies HAD to give me some pets and scratches. Honestly woman, do I look like I'm enjoying myself here?


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

Great job on starting on all the obedience already. Bite inhibition is fun I joked when we first got Sherman that I needed a bite sleeve to play with him. He was crazy, if you ran at all he would run out in front of you...jump up and grab your arm to pull you down. I'm happy to say we are almost completely out of that stage!! I just noticed you are in Toronto which is where our friends just moved back to....that will make the "rescue" so much easier!!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

mysweetkaos said:


> Great job on starting on all the obedience already. Bite inhibition is fun I joked when we first got Sherman that I needed a bite sleeve to play with him. He was crazy, if you ran at all he would run out in front of you...jump up and grab your arm to pull you down. I'm happy to say we are almost completely out of that stage!! I just noticed you are in Toronto which is where our friends just moved back to....that will make the "rescue" so much easier!!


Thank you!! I move between 2 cities during the school year, since I go to school about 3 hours away from Toronto. 

I don't actually think I'm doing obedience right though, since it's not much of a game for her, and more of a game for me. I've got 2 books to read during Christmas, and I want to try Susan Garrett's crate games DVD as well, to see if I can make the crate and training more fun for her. I'm still using NOs and light corrections, which I hope to get away from.

She's such a sweet girl, and I look forward to her growing up. I don't want to be her "parent". I want to be her friend.


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## SitUbuSit (Aug 1, 2011)

She is PRECIOUS! What a nice, nice puppy. I love the daily activity pictures!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

SitUbuSit said:


> She is PRECIOUS! What a nice, nice puppy. I love the daily activity pictures!


Thanks! She is quite a precious little girl! 
The reason these are all daily activity pictures is because I have no idea how to pose her. 
Hoping she'll magically stack herself when she grows up.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

I'm finally done my exams and on winter break. Was able to take Amaretto, who I call puppup, out and about.

She:
-rode an escalator, and now refuses to go on one, so I have to keep working on it
-rode a subway, and was REALLY well behaved. 
-went to the vets! Not a huge fan of the vets. Don't like being touched on the face or the paws, have to keep working on this.
-Met TONS of new people
-Met cages of birds at a pet store
-Met the calmer, bigger pet store rabbit in preparation of meeting my D.W.
-Met a cat

Things I want to work on:
-Loose-leash walking. She pulls when we're on walks, so I have to get started on that
-Crate games. She's not a fan of her crate...so we'll have to keep trying. Though to be honest, it looks like it's getting too small for her. My poor wallet. 
-Proofing sit and down in more places

Here's a picture of her on the subway! Sorry it's a bit blurry.


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## Danielle609 (Jun 18, 2011)

Marshies, she is beautiful!! Love the pictures!!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

No pictures to add but I'm finally getting the hang of Amaretto and not freaking out at Robin every day.

Over the winter break we:

-continued to work on escalators...still refuses to go on them, so I rode a few while holding her, and rode a few where I carried her onto the escalator. Will keep working on this. The ability to navigate escalators is not necessary to being a good companion to me, but I feel like it's not some deep dark fear that her good genes cannot overcome with a few more exposures.

-Met the blow dryer for the first time. HATED it. BARKED at it. Backed away from it. HATED HATED the blow dryer in her face. Subsequently barks at me blowing wind at her face too. She investigates the blow dryer when I turn it off, eats treats from it, but doesn't like it when it's on. I've tried blowing the wind on myself and looking like I'm having a party, and she looks confused, but not convinced. I'll keep exposing her to the blow dryer as well to make sure.

-I cut her nails for the first time! Lots of bitey bitey involved, but was manageable.

-Went downtown and into clothing stores and small mall. Met TONS of strangers. 

-Rode more subways

-Regularly goes to petstores and hardware stores, LOVES LOVES cat food smells.


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

Too cute!


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Drag that spoiled little sissy on the escalator while blowing her face full of hot air from the blow dryer*......*what doesn't kill ya, makes ya stronger!* LOL!*

_*I'm starting to miss the emails.....could ya send me one to make me feel better?!*_


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

GSDBESTK9 said:


> Too cute!


Thank you!



robinhuerta said:


> Drag that spoiled little sissy on the escalator while blowing her face full of hot air from the blow dryer*......*what doesn't kill ya, makes ya stronger!* LOL!*
> 
> _*I'm starting to miss the emails.....could ya send me one to make me feel better?!*_


Spoiled little girl she is indeed!
I wanted to call you today actually! Maybe tomorrow?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

I was thinking the other day how we haven't seen any new Amaretto pictures lately. Hint, hint..



robinhuerta said:


> Drag that spoiled little sissy on the escalator while blowing her face full of hot air from the blow dryer*......*what doesn't kill ya, makes ya stronger!* LOL!*
> 
> _*I'm starting to miss the emails.....could ya send me one to make me feel better?!*_


Not sure if Robins kidding or not, but she's got a point here. Throw her on that escalator and just go. Don't make a big deal out of it... just pick her up and plop her on there with you and let her know it's nothing to be afraid of. I bet she'll pick up on it real quick.


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## GregK (Sep 4, 2006)

Great pictures!!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

yay!!!! Robin, another beautiful pup! Glad she's in a happy home!!! 

Marshies, Amaretto is adorable!


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

not really kidding......throw her on the darn escalator, go up and down a few times...she'll be fine.
As for the "hot air "blowing in her face...?...well....she might never like that...I sure don't.
Carlos uses a forced air dryer on a grooming table.....they have no choice....stand there and dry...or die....*_but he doesn't blow them in their faces*, since they're not poodles, or a breed that needs face grooming.*_


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Thanks for the advice everyone. Yes. I don't think I handled the escalator very well. I made a bigger deal of it than I should with coaxing and treats. I will try again this week and get her used to it. 

This week I'm adjusting her to my school schedule. Most days my classes start around 11 and go in a 3 hour block. The goal this week for me is to walk her for 1 hour, and be able to crate her for 3 hours quietly afterwards. Yesterday, we only made it to 2.5 before she started howling like a maddog. Stupid me gave in because the last time she made these noises, she peed in her crate. But this time, I waited for a quiet moment and went downstairs, checked on her, saw all was fine, and turned around and left. Don't know if I handled it right or not. From the forum, it seems that dogs her age should be okay to hold it in for 5 hours. I've been taking her out for potty breaks at 3ish hour intervals, and want to increase that. Problem is, when I don't let her out to pee in the 3ish hours, she paces my house and finds a deliciously clean spot to pee herself. I guess more crating required?

Bought pupper a harness yesterday. She pulls on walks, and after trying a few things, I realized I needed professional training to help me with the pulling. I don't start classes for another week and didn't want to make it worse, so I got a harness. That way, I won't be hurting any of her soft tissue with dragging, and hopefully she'll have less of the tight collar and leash = I can go places association. 

She is a SWEET, GORGEOUS girly. We are growing very attached to each other. She comes when called, and follows me around the house. Yesterday, my boyfriend came over and walked her with me. During the walk, she bite my hand and nothing I did was working to calm her down, so I said NO and walked away to hide behind a pillar. As I left her field of vision, she made this yelpy bark/whine. She did it again when I went inside the grocery store. 

I know puppyhood is short, and though she is already the sweetest puppy I could ask for, I'm looking forward to her growing up. I'm eager for the day that my arms and hands can stop being scratched and bruised, and eager for my transformation from a parental figure to a partner and friend. 

Will be taking her out on her first 1 hour long walk of the day in a few minutes. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the few things I mentioned.

Happy new years!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

From today's walk. The surface that Amaretto is walking on actually is a gate on top of a set of stairs. The drop is about 3 meters. She wasn't thrilled to be on it, but did well after I put her on. The first time on, she just wanted to get off. The second time I put her on, she stayed, moved around, and took a good look. The collars/harness system is a new thing I'm trying for her. She got out of her harness at home when I stepped on her leash really close to her to wipe her paws. But it's never happened outside because I don't step on her leash that low. None the less, was worried, so had the other end of the leash in her regular collar. I have 2 knots on the leash closer to the harness side, so when she pulls, the harness side is tight but the collar side is still slack. 










This is a picture from a while earlier. Amaretto being blue that I'm sitting on my bed playing with the computer instead of her.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Looks like she is saying......"Mommy pleeeeeeeeease let me out!"
Good job with the "footing excercise"....get her around as many different things and obstacles that you can. *Life should be an experience,,,and all dogs should experience life*.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

robinhuerta said:


> Looks like she is saying......"Mommy pleeeeeeeeease let me out!"
> Good job with the "footing excercise"....get her around as many different things and obstacles that you can. *Life should be an experience,,,and all dogs should experience life*.


Oh Robin, my mother has claimed this "daughter" for her own. I am merely the sister. Amaretto goes CRAZY when she sees my mother. It's a party every time. But seeing as my mother is on the 3rd business trip to China since summer, the competition for Amaretto's affection does not leave me terribly concerned.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Can you find the time to send me a picture of her standing sideways??
I would love to see how she is looking (from a breeder's eye)....you can send it to my email, and it does not have to be perfect or stacked.....just a good side view.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Went to Petsmart with Amaretto today, POOR decision. I'll be sticking to the neighbourhood petstores now. I tried to buy a Martingale collar. They didn't have the size I needed, so when I asked an employee for help, they found me a trainer there who asked me what I was using my collar for and gave me a whole shpiel about how my training is a "song and dance" and making his head hurt. So I asked him what he recommended I do, and he said "well I can only give advice in my class." Great business sense right here. Tell the customer that they're full of bull, undermine their training methods, and THEN try to sell your own services. All the while, all I wanted was for someone to help me find a collar my size and fit it for my girly. The treat section was disappointing too, filled with Beneful and Pedigree. 

The highlight of the trip though, was that Amaretto picked out the Jolly Ball for herself in the toy section. She loves the ball! 










I've been a bit upset these past few days because Amaretto has gotten to the point where I can't spend time with her unless we're out and about town walking. She is SO bitey. If I try to interact with her in the house, all she is interested in is taking chunks out of me. The bite inhibition training isn't going well. She's biting HARDER than when she first came. 

My other hand is worse. This one at least only has tooth marks. That one is nursing several bruises. The legs are also unbearable. I'm tempted to walk around the house in rainboots. It's getting very hard to take her outside to potty because unless she ABSOLUTELY is dying to go, she'll rather jump and snap at me instead.  Oh Amaretto, why must you make this so difficult for both of us. I don't enjoy practicing tough love. I just want you to be well-behaved so I can spoil you like a princess.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Oh, I forgot to add, the highlight of my day was that Amaretto LOVES bitter apple spray. She bites my hands even harder with them on.

Can you tell I'm not too pleased with us right now?


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## GregK (Sep 4, 2006)

Sounds like an awesome pup! Are you going to do SchH with her? What kinda bite inhibition training are you trying?


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

GregK said:


> Sounds like an awesome pup! Are you going to do SchH with her? What kinda bite inhibition training are you trying?


She is awesome! I'm sure that she would pass the forum's expectations for a pup in any competitive sport. She loves everything in life, except her kibble, and is just a great dog. 

I'm not going to do SchH with her. I'm graduating and starting my own career next year. I'd like to do fun classes with her, try agility, obedience and such. But mostly, she's just going to be my cuddle bug when I study, my motivator when I exercise, and my friend. :wub:


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

So when she is biting you what is your response to her? What have you tried?

Amaretto is a beautiful little girl!


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

marshies said:


> The collars/harness system is a new thing I'm trying for her. She got out of her harness at home when I stepped on her leash really close to her to wipe her paws. But it's never happened outside because I don't step on her leash that low. None the less, was worried, so had the other end of the leash in her regular collar. I have 2 knots on the leash closer to the harness side, so when she pulls, the harness side is tight but the collar side is still slack.


I don't use a prong, but always use 2 collars with Woolf. Pain in the butt but worth it since he has managed to break collars/halters. I saw this leash on the Leerburg site, ordered it and it works great. The way it's designed makes dealing with collars and backup collars much easier.

(Not connected with the company just really impressed with this leash)


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

I've tried:
No very loudly
OW very loudly
NO/OW very loudl followed by time out
NO/OW very loudly followed by leash correction
No/ow very loudly followed by grabbing the skin on her neck 
Bitter apple
Redirecting to toy - she finds my hand more thrilling when I shove the toy in and interact with her
Ignoring her


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Twyla said:


> I don't use a prong, but always use 2 collars with Woolf. Pain in the butt but worth it since he has managed to break collars/halters. I saw this leash on the Leerburg site, ordered it and it works great. The way it's designed makes dealing with collars and backup collars much easier.
> 
> (Not connected with the company just really impressed with this leash)


Thanks! I was trying to replicate that design. I love the material my current leash is made of though. Feels easy on hands, can be sanitized, and mildly chew proof. Maybe I'll contact the maker of this leash with the leerburg design.


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## GregK (Sep 4, 2006)

Has she been taught the cue 'leave it' and/or 'off'?


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

GregK said:


> Has she been taught the cue 'leave it' and/or 'off'?



I'm embarrassed to say no...she's been taught out but it only works on toys and bones but not on anything else. She is my very first dog so I'm waiting for training classes to start (tomorrow) for more guidance. Does leave it work for hands?


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## GregK (Sep 4, 2006)

That's where I'd start with her then. Yeah, it sould work for anything. Also teach her an 'out'. That way if she does clamp on, you can get her to release instantly.


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

When you use the verbal indicator that she is hurting you, does she just play harder?

Have you tried a flirt pole? I'm thinking your hands move fast and she wants to give chase. The Flirt Pole will allow her to give chase. When you try to redirecting to the toy do you make the toy interesting? Or just plop it in her mouth? Try making the toy move in quick jerky movements to gain her attention and then let her have at it.

I know Amaretto is hurting you, but she really just wants to play and engage with you. It is your job to essentially teach her how to play with a human  You need to teach her that yes, you are more interesting than a toy, but the toy is what allows her to play with you. (Unless you play rough and wrestle, which can be much fun with manners)


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

GregK said:


> That's where I'd start with her then. Yeah, it sould work for anything. Also teach her an 'out'. That way if she does clamp on, you can get her to release instantly.


I've taught her "out". But she takes some time thinking before she gives the out. She wants to see if she can get one last tug or shake out of the toy before she gives the out. I don't know if I should force her or just wave something else at her and hope she wants that one instead. As I said, more guidance is needed. Read a clicker training book and a few training resources online...but still feeling pretty lost.

She always goes for a clamp on my hand. It must be SUPER soft and delicious to her little sore mouth. I've tried getting her things of similar firmness like the orbee bone, stuffed animals, etc. But alas, she likes them, but she LOVES my flesh.



ShenzisMom said:


> When you use the verbal indicator that she is hurting you, does she just play harder?
> 
> Have you tried a flirt pole? I'm thinking your hands move fast and she wants to give chase. The Flirt Pole will allow her to give chase. When you try to redirecting to the toy do you make the toy interesting? Or just plop it in her mouth? Try making the toy move in quick jerky movements to gain her attention and then let her have at it.
> 
> I know Amaretto is hurting you, but she really just wants to play and engage with you. It is your job to essentially teach her how to play with a human  You need to teach her that yes, you are more interesting than a toy, but the toy is what allows her to play with you. (Unless you play rough and wrestle, which can be much fun with manners)


I have to say my verbal indicators very loudly for her to pause. When she does, she just quickly goes for another chunk of flesh somewhere else on my body. There is no hesitation. OW here, okay, let me go there.

I do play with the toy and make it interesting. But when I move the toy, she'll come and grab my hand instead of the moving toy. Sometimes, she's just not interested in the moving toy at all. 

Flirt pole sounds like a good idea. She plays relatively nicely when we're actually playing tug though. She doesn't bite my legs or anything. It's when I let her out in the house after some crating time or when we go outside for potty sometimes that she chomps down. I've only seen cat ones in store. Where do you get yours?

I know she wants to play with me. I think part of the problem is that she views me as a playmate rather than master. It's something I'm working hard to fix. I am a very confident person in general, but maybe not a confident enough dog handler for her. I think it's also my handler error in that I'm not consistent with this. For example, if I need to cut her nails or wipe her feet, I say no when she bites down, but am still focused on the task rather than bite inhibition. 

I have much to learn, and only hope that despite my faults and errors everywhere, she'll outgrow this soon and not have any scarring memories.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

For our 1 hour morning exercise today, we went to the playground at my old elementary school. Amaretto crawled through a large red plastic tunnel with me, went on a tall wooden arched bridge, went on metal grate platforms that she's not overly fond of, and enjoyed woodchips on the floor.

She really has no problems with surfaces and places. Even if she doens't want to go on in the beginning, if I put her on, she'll stay with me until I come off. It's socializing with living creatures that I'll have to work more on.

She barks and growls at some dogs, and I imagine it must be my handler error to her when she encountered an animal somewhere because it wasn't a problem when she was with Robin and she hasn't had a scarring experience with animals here. Either that or it's because she was barked at somewhere. 

Will continue with this later...have to go out to grab something.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

She is also EXTREMELY fond of people. When we see people on our walks she's always straining and jumping to get to them. 

Are there good puppy raising books that cover what I should do in these situations. I've watched Leerburg's 8 week to 8 months video and have read Ian's before and after you get your puppy. Still feeling the need to run to Robin for everything and am not independent a all.


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

I have to say my verbal indicators very loudly for her to pause. When she does, she just quickly goes for another chunk of flesh somewhere else on my body. There is no hesitation. OW here, okay, let me go there.

I would stop with the verbal indicator. Instead of correcting her, she maybe thinks it is great fun, actually! You are raising her excitement.

I do play with the toy and make it interesting. But when I move the toy, she'll come and grab my hand instead of the moving toy. Sometimes, she's just not interested in the moving toy at all. 

When she is seemingly ignoring the toy, is this after her bedtime and she is needing a nap? If not, I would suggest getting a more exciting toy! If she doesn't want it, make it interesting. Play with it yourself! Throw it in the air, act :wild: like you are having the time of your life with this object. When you see that the pup wants it, play with her with it.

Flirt pole sounds like a good idea. She plays relatively nicely when we're actually playing tug though. She doesn't bite my legs or anything. It's when I let her out in the house after some crating time or when we go outside for potty sometimes that she chomps down. I've only seen cat ones in store. Where do you get yours?

You can go somewhere like GreenHawk and buy a horse lunge whip for 10 dollars. Attach a stuffy to the end of it and voila! Flirt Pole 

I know she wants to play with me. I think part of the problem is that she views me as a playmate rather than master. It's something I'm working hard to fix. I am a very confident person in general, but maybe not a confident enough dog handler for her. I think it's also my handler error in that I'm not consistent with this. For example, if I need to cut her nails or wipe her feet, I say no when she bites down, but am still focused on the task rather than bite inhibition. 

The pup does think of you as a playmate...but I would prefer you worked towards companionship rather a master role. With a little pup like yours you need not be confident, or harsh, or anything other than a happy companion to show her the world. Consistency is the most important thing. Carry a tug or stuffy or ball, etc with you at all times to redirect the pup. Before you cut her nails make sure the puppy is tired out and being quiet. It makes it easier  Very normal for a pup, keep up with it and she will be amazing


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Thank you for the advice!! I think she bites hands whenever she's not SUPER tired, but when we're out, she seems to only nip feet when she's tired. Let's hope this is true. Today, she was dead tired after a 30 minute walk there and back plus a one hour class, and sure enough, on the way home, my booted feet were bitten SO hard, that it hurt through the thick boots. I ignored her when she bit, didn't move, didn't look at her, and after a while, it stopped. So I think I'll be doing that for the feet biting. For the hand biting, I've been trying to shove toys in and play with toys, but as I said earlier, not working too great. Going to just try using treats and doing lots of lots of watch me's.

So today was the first day of class for me, and a new schedule for pupper that I've sent the last week or two trying to acclimatize her to. 

This is what I did with her today:

Woke up for good at 8:20, and was out the door for long walk by 8:30. Walked until about 10, when we both went home for a food break. Handler error here, and fed her first before eating in front of her. Had to hand-feed her too, another error. I was just in a hurry to get her to eat so I can leave. I didn't want her to have any reason, hunger/thirst/potty, to bark or whine while I'm gone. At 10:30, went back out until 11:10, trying to potty and doing some more last minute walking.

At 11:20, I left for my first class and was in school until 2:30. Got home at 2:40, took her out for potty. She was completely silent while I was gone. Exercising is the key to victory!!! Didn't want to overdo the walk in the afternoon because we were leaving for class at 5:20. So I just took her out of the crate and had her in the room. 

At 5:00, we went out for potty again, and left for class at 5:30. As I mentioned earlier, it was a 23 minute walk (google map) there. 

During class, we learned watch me, and learned to great other dogs nicely. Amaretto didn't greet so nicely and was VERY hyper. It'll be something I'll continue to work on. I've taught her watch before, but she seemed to learn it better today. On our way home, I was able to use watch me on a distraction (billowing plastic bag) and worked! But I think Amaretto needed to potty and was too tired, she acted up in class towards the end. The instructor said Amaretto is very rude, and uses her mouth too much when interacting with anything. For next week, she wants me and the other hyper gooden-doodle to get sensation harness/gentle leaders. Though I've read what the forum thinks of either, I will get it and follow her training guidance since I know absolutely zilch about dog training.

On the way home, Amaretto was TOO tired. I should've just stayed put and called a cab. She bite my legs SUPER hard, and though watch me worked a couple of times, she was really rough taking the treats from my hand. This is the second and third bloody wound she's inflicted. There is a slight nick, and a chunk of skin missing from two of my fingers from her tooth grazing over it.  Oh pupper...why do you hurt me so!

She's dead in her crate right now. I'm going to eat dinner, and let her out in my room for a bit while I do homework. 

She ate about 2.5 cups of food today, and two handfulls of treats. I need her to eat one more meal so I can mix in her Giardia medicine...stress.

So that was my day.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

I've been really enjoying your posts and following Amaretto and your adventures (specially since I have a WGSL female myself)!

Sounds like you two are going to be a great team together but I'd like to toss in some tidbits I learned the hard way.

Even though she is WGSL they still can be more work-willing (I don't say drive because it's better for the pros to determine that) then a golden doodle or a shih-tzu.

So it worries me somewhat that you're running into similiar comments from trainers that I ran into with Ilda (in red below). She's just being a well bred German Shepherd at this stage. Yes she needs guidance but I've learned that there are some trainers out there who are too quick to associate a natural behaviour with a negative (rudeness). 

What your little Amaretto is doing is very similiar to what my girlie did at her age. Now my Ilda, while not perfect by any means, is really a different dog now and quite the 'princess' in public.

Gosh, I know it's all so confusing and overwhelming but you may want to consider, if you can, going to a trainer with more experience with German Shepherds. Usually that means a trainer with schutzhund/protection training experience but obedience is obedience. Our trainer gives basic obedience classes all breeds welcome. Those with GSDs (rotties/dobies/mals) who want to go on to Schutzhund can but it's not a requirement. 

I just found that going to a trainer who had focused more on GSDs things seemed to be much less confusing and our progress was more steady and in keeping with the temperament *and strengths* your well bred young girlie has.....

Just my .02 love your Amaretto, she is beautiful.



marshies said:


> Thank you for the advice!! I think she bites hands whenever she's not SUPER tired, but when we're out, she seems to only nip feet when she's tired. Let's hope this is true. Today, she was dead tired after a 30 minute walk there and back plus a one hour class, and sure enough, on the way home, my booted feet were bitten SO hard, that it hurt through the thick boots. I ignored her when she bit, didn't move, didn't look at her, and after a while, it stopped. So I think I'll be doing that for the feet biting. For the hand biting, I've been trying to shove toys in and play with toys, but as I said earlier, not working too great. Going to just try using treats and doing lots of lots of watch me's.
> 
> So today was the first day of class for me, and a new schedule for pupper that I've sent the last week or two trying to acclimatize her to.
> 
> ...


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

I second the GSD trainer recommendation. A trainer that is used to large, intelligent and strong working breeds would be a great resource to you. I've taken Petsmart type classes in the past and they did not help me too much. In our Schutzhund club, we have people with companion GSDs that come only for obedience. Obedience is the same whether you do protection, tracking and the extras. Plus a GSD savvy trainer would be better at addressing breed specific issues. But that's not to say the obedience class isn't worth it. I just didn't find it that helpful, but they have helped a lot of others.


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## SitUbuSit (Aug 1, 2011)

Marshies, I second the flirt pole. Batman is OBSESSED with his squirrel on a stick. The stick came from EliteK9. 

He also loves the ball on stick, but is teething and can't tug on it without hurting his mouth: Elite Working Ball on a Stick-Elite K-9

I recommend the synthetic tug on stick for Amaretto: Synthetic tug on a stick-Elite K-9

If the tug gets destroyed, you can just use a stuffing-free squirrel or other soft toy to replace it. Cannot stress enough how much my puppy loves this thing. It is a godsend!

Batman is a little mouthy, but not terrible. The second he opens his shark jaws, I literally stuff his favorite gutless toy beaver into his mouth and shake it around, or I say "OUT," and pop a treat in his mouth. That said, accidents still happen. Yesterday, I was rough housing with him a little and stupidly stuck my face in his face, and then he bit my mouth. Hurt like the dickens!


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## SitUbuSit (Aug 1, 2011)

qbchottu said:


> I second the GSD trainer recommendation. A trainer that is used to large, intelligent and strong working breeds would be a great resource to you.


Yes! I totally agree. Don't listen to that trainer, Marshies. Amaretto is not "rude." How can a dog be rude, anyway? She's a dog and she's social and energetic. That's not a bad thing if you know GSDs and similar breeds.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Thanks guys for the advice. I agree that I don't think this trainer knows the breed well and what to do with it, but unfortunately, while I'm at school in Kingston, I have very few choices when it comes to trainers. I asked what I should do when she barks at other dogs on the street...she said get her into a sit. There's no way Amaretto is listening to a sit when she's fixated on another dog...T__T There isn't a Schutzhund club even NEAR the city. I have a bit more options when I go back to Toronto. So I'm hoping that Amaretto isn't destroyed by my poor handling for the time that I have her at school.

SitUbuSit, I hope Batman is everything you've dreamed of and more! I was wondering where you've been lately. But I understand, it took a while before I started posting again after I got the pup.

A new behaviour Amaretto has is barking at dogs on the street. I think it's my fault again, like everything else. She barked at some dogs the first week she came home, and I just tugged her leash. I think it's made it worse...I've called some trainers that come highly recommended in Toronto, and am waiting to hear back. Mean while, I'm trying to just keep walking, call her with treats, or just block her view. But I don't think blocking her is going too well. Today she got frustrated and let out this frustrated little growl and bit my pant legs. Another behaviour that I wrote a bit about earlier but got WAY WORSE this week that makes me literally BURST into tears is biting my boots/pants/legs. She bites REALLY hard and then tugs at them like a tug toy. She does this when I'm walking her, or standing around. When the mood strikes, she also jumps up during walks and latches onto my arm/glove/hand/coat...basically any part of me she can get. I'm trying 2 things here. When she bites and grabs as I walk, I look away and ignore her behaviour and stop moving. If I'm just standing there, I'll try to say HEY, and see if she wants to play tug...Don't know if this is the way to handle it. 

I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow for a tooth problem. I think she either chipped something, or has something logged in pretty solidly in her gums. I hope this is the reason that she's been so unpleasant and bitey lately. My poor girly.

So today was my toughest day for both of us. I have 4 hours of continuous class from 11:30 to 3:30, which means she's crated from 11 to 4. I walked her for 1 hour and 20 minutes in the morning right before class. Fed her kibble during the walk as "watch me" and name calling training treats. She whined a bit in the first hour and also turned into a small bark, but was quiet for the rest of the 3 hours. When I came home, I took a bit of time changing into dog appropriate clothes, and she peed as soon as we got outside of my room. We didn't make it out the front door.  But this was my fault. She really did try hard to hold it in. Luckily, I've tarped my room and the path leading outside, so cleanup was a sinch. 

Until tomorrow then.


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## SitUbuSit (Aug 1, 2011)

marshies said:


> Another behaviour that I wrote a bit about earlier but got WAY WORSE this week that makes me literally BURST into tears is biting my boots/pants/legs. She bites REALLY hard and then tugs at them like a tug toy. She does this when I'm walking her, or standing around. When the mood strikes, she also jumps up during walks and latches onto my arm/glove/hand/coat...basically any part of me she can get.


Girl, I feel your pain. Literally! Batman sliced open my thumb today with his shark teeth, and also has a liking for biting and/or climbing on my face. Today during our afternoon play session, I was dripping blood onto my white winter coat from my thumb. Seriously. It's a hot mess.

My tactic is, always try to give them an alternative option. Present them with a way to succeed. At home, I use the soft beaver toy. On walks, I load my bait bag with HVTs (High Value Treats) -- cheese cubes and hot dog pieces (make sure there is no onion powder in the hot dogs). Get the really good stuff. Bits of steak, even. Make it really difficult for your pup to lose interest in what you've got. Batman is super distractable by cars, bikes, people and especially dogs. I get the hot dog bits out, and he pays attention. It doesn't always work, but it works 90 percent of the time. Is Amaretto food motivated? Batman is kind of a pig. 

On walks, I wear my waist lead with a 6' lightweight lead looped on it, tethering the dog to my waist so I'm not so stressed about dropping the leash. I loop my bait bag on the waist leash on the left side of my body, with the 6' lead looped on the left of the bag. This positions the puppy to walk on my left. You will still get tangled up a bunch, but that's life with a crazy puppy! I stash the squirrel on a stick and a Chuckit and balls in a yoga mat bag that I sling across my body. Keys/phone and (empty) poop bags go in my pockets. This leaves me with both hands free to control the dog. It makes a big difference. It's also harder for the puppy to pull me down when he's tethered to my waist. There's less "give" than when I'm just holding the leash with my hands. 

If Batman starts to bolt after another dog, I plant my feet until he stops pulling and call him back with a HVT. If that doesn't work, I give a quick yank on the leash to the side of the neck (vs straight back, which sometimes just makes him pull harder) to get his attention, then praise and reward with an HVT. If I sense that he's about to bolt, I step on the leash before he gets a leaping start. This helps stamp out his burst away from me, and makes it easier to call him towards me with a HVT. Sometimes I physically stand and block his view of the dog or whatever other distraction he's fixed on. 

I wear snug rain boots that can withstand biting, and have no fun dangling laces or tongues for him to tug. Also, I wear hunting gloves, the fingerless kind with rubberized palms. They keep your hands warm, increase grip on the leash, and help protect all but your fingertips from bites. I have these: [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Glacier-Glove-Premium-Fingerless-Realtree/dp/B002T1G7IM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1326328750&sr=8-4[/ame]

OK, gotta eat dinner now, I am starving! Hope this helps, Marshies. You're definitely not alone here!


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## SitUbuSit (Aug 1, 2011)

Forgot to mention, the no-fun rainboots go on OVER the pants. This is crucial. Goodbye, pant legs!


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Ilda did the same thing, the barking at other dogs and I'll second SitUbu's advice about the high value treats. That's what we did too.

Please get this book as soon as you can, Amazon carries it.....

*Schutzhund obedience: Training in drive with Gottfried Dildei* 















http://www.amazon.com/Schutzhund-obedience-Training-Gottfried-Dildei/dp/B0006F1CHO


It addresses puppy training and I'm thinking it may do you more good then the trainer you are going to right now...

And just remember this dog is not going to be like a lot of other dogs you have owned or known. After I got Ilda with a trainer who understands German Shepherds it was like night and day. She literally became one of the best dogs in class in a matter of a few weeks.

Imagine that, from rude to WOW you have a great dog!






marshies said:


> Thanks guys for the advice. I agree that I don't think this trainer knows the breed well and what to do with it, but unfortunately, while I'm at school in Kingston, I have very few choices when it comes to trainers. I asked what I should do when she barks at other dogs on the street...she said get her into a sit. There's no way Amaretto is listening to a sit when she's fixated on another dog...T__T There isn't a Schutzhund club even NEAR the city. I have a bit more options when I go back to Toronto. So I'm hoping that Amaretto isn't destroyed by my poor handling for the time that I have her at school.
> 
> SitUbuSit, I hope Batman is everything you've dreamed of and more! I was wondering where you've been lately. But I understand, it took a while before I started posting again after I got the pup.
> 
> ...


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Thank you guys for the advice. I'm contacting Michael Clay, whom Carmen recommended in several threads and trains GSDs for work, to do an evaluation for Amaretto. I hope after the hour I spend with him, he'll be able to give me some hands on advice about what to do with Amaretto. I'm also going to continue my group puppy class for socialization and puppy manners. 

I went out today and got the waist leash...I LOVE IT! But sometimes Amaretto does pull a little hard. I'm worried about bruising my organs... 

So today I got to spend LOTS of time with Amaretto. We started off the day with our regular school schedule. But Amaretto was naughty this morning and woke me up at 8:30 instead of 9.  We then went out for about 40 minutes in a blizzard, and came home, ate a little, played a little, and went back out till about 10:50. She went into the crate at 11:00, as always, and I went to class. Classes ended at 2:30, but I had some time before she needed to come out, and I was able to have a few minutes to myself at home.

At around 3, we went out for our biggest adventure of the day - a shopping trip downtown. Amaretto was VERY poorly behaved. She lunged at EVERYONE passing by. Even on a very VERY tight leash (like less than a foot), she managed to get someone's gloves. I am very upset about this, and want to address this behaviour ASAP. The other problem she's developed lately (and I've been told it's her second fear stage), is that she is reactive towards other dogs. She growls and barks at most dogs we see on the street. However, she doesn't bark at the ones we meet in puppy class...I'm not sure how to address this issue. I think next time I'm going to try asking for a sit with some hot dogs. We came home at 5:30 from the pet store and army surplus store. It had been snowing the entire time, and we walked through busy downtown during the 2.5 hours. While she wasn't on her best behaviour, I'm hoping she gets used to seeing that many people soon. Any tips on jumping at people will be greatly appreciated.

I went out for dinner and left her crated for an hour and a bit. When I got home, had supervised chewing time with frozen towels twisted with a bit of cream cheese, and kongs stuff with kibble and a raw piece of stewing beef. To make the kong more of a challenge, I fill it about 1/3 of the way, and shove a small elk antler into it so that the skinny tip comes out the smaller hole on the kong, and the large tip blocks the kibble from coming out of the big hole on the kong.

At 9:30, we went out for 1.5 hours of play and potty again. 11:30, tucked into crate...

While I was getting ready to put her in, I noticed a cut on her leg. It's almost an inch long... It's not very deep, and looks to have started healing. I put peroxide on it, and hope it'll get better soon. It must've been from the icicles that formed on each blade of grass yesterday. Oh winter, how you are full of perils. I can't wait until all the sidewalks freeze over into a solid sheet of ice.

Amaretto yesterday morning...or maybe this morning, my days are all a blur. This was before the blizzard started, when it was pleasantly winter.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

A new resource I'm trying out is Dr. Sophia Yin's website. It has tons of good information. I'm using the waist leash on her "learn to earn" program.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Marshies....you should post that pic you sent me of Amaretto.....she really is quite beautiful, I like her better than Anisette actually.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Lol I did!! Last page 

Yes. She is a looker! I especially love her against snow. Compliments her colors so well!


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Ah good news about finding another more experienced GSD trainer to check with!

...and in red...what a lucky puppy!! 

On the pulling and jumping my trainer told me to not worry about it so much during the socialization phase. He said they need to just be puppies, explore and gain confidence (with in safety and reason of course). As he told me German Shepherd dogs, while strong as adults, tend to be weak as puppies and too much correction can cause problems later on. I was worried that she may 'develop' bad habits but now as she is approaching 2 years old I'm glad I followed his instructions. She behaves very nicely when we go out and about.

Ultimately though, it'll be best to let the trainer you are meeting guide you based on actually spending time with you and Amaretto......




marshies said:


> Thank you guys for the advice. I'm contacting Michael Clay, whom Carmen recommended in several threads and trains GSDs for work, to do an evaluation for Amaretto. I hope after the hour I spend with him, he'll be able to give me some hands on advice about what to do with Amaretto. I'm also going to continue my group puppy class for socialization and puppy manners.
> 
> I went out today and got the waist leash...I LOVE IT! But sometimes Amaretto does pull a little hard. I'm worried about bruising my organs...
> 
> ...


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

I'm just meeting with Michael Clay for an evaluation on how she reacts to my handling and some guidance on her reactivity with other dogs. 

Today marks the end of my first week back at university with Amaretto. We've settled into a good routine: 

First potty break 7-8 in the morning
Wake up for good at 9 for 1-1.5 hours of outdoor activity, usually including training, tug, and walking in the park
Crate between 11 - 3 (sometimes 4) while I'm in class
Go out for another hour of outdoor activity at 4 
Crate from 5-7 while I'm eating dinner and getting a bit more work done
20 minutes of tug/potty break outside
Tethered to me/table for supervised playing time between 8 to 10
Last 20-30 minutes of tug and potty break outside
10:30-11, crated for bed 

Would love some comments on how my schedule is set up, her activity levels, and possible room for improvements.

Today was a good day. Went to the park with Amaretto and a treat pouch with hotdogs, kibble, zukes mean green treats, and zukes mini treats mixed together. We practiced "watch", and practiced turning around when I called "puppy". 

Here is what I would like guidance with. Amaretto barks when she sees other dogs. She barks even when they are VERY far away. Today, she barked on 3 occasions. The first, I turned her around and walked her away, and did "watch" with treats. She barked for a while until I was able to turn her away, but was focused when we were away. 
The second, I was running and playing tug with her, and she successfully ignored the other dog.
The third, she started barking, but I kept moving and feeding treats. She was able to refocus on the dog once, and barked a little bit more, but it is better than the first attempt for sure.

Based on what I'm reading, where others say their dogs have a reactivity threshold of a certain distance...Amaretto doesn't seem to have that. She just barks when she can see them. Is this not true reactivity then? Is this just a fear period she is going through? If so, is what I'm doing the best way to approach this issue?

Proud moment of the week:
While Amaretto still bites me when I'm home, and still bites my limbs hard when she wants to steer me somewhere or get my attention, she has learned to not bite my glove while we play tug! If she latches onto my glove, I hold my hand still and say eh-uh, and she will shift her bite towards just the tug toy. I am hoping this will transfer to other areas, like her trying to bite my hand as I wipe her paws, clip on her collar, or when I play with her.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

What kind of bark is it when she barks at other dogs? Is it high pitched and urgent or deep and forceful? She might just miss doggie buddies and be vocalizing that she wants to go play with them. Whisk was just like this when he was at that age. He loves to play with other pups and used to bark at every dog that came by because he wanted to get over there to play. At that time, other dogs were much more fun than me so he struggled and barked to get to them. Once I established a good bond with him and he learned that *I* am the most fun thing on this planet, he stopped barking at other dogs because he would rather play with me. He is an strong, intact and alpha male so he will get into staring contests with other intact males at which point I'll have to step in and take him away. I don't have any fantasies that my dogs have to get along with every dog out there. I am fine if they leave strange dogs be. They only need to get along with the ones in the household. Dogs like people can like some dogs and not others. I think she'll grow out of it as you keep socializing and bonding with her so she learns to focus on you rather than other dogs/people. The fact that she turns focus away from other dogs to you when you initiate play is a good sign. I don't think she's aggressive. Probably just wants to play. 

As for the biting. Once you establish a good bond, you become a prized resource for your dog and they try not to do anything that will have that resource taken away. For example, Puddi was a terrible biter (once put a canine through the skin between my thumb and pointer). Once we established a bond, she learned to love me more than any other dog, toy or food. So when she started her usual biting and annoyance, I got up, went to a different room and closed the door. She whined and barked outside, but then would eventually stop. Once I went back out, she got happy and started play again. If she bit, same treatment of ignoring or removing her prized resource (me). Eventually she got the idea that the fun human leaves if I bite so she stopped. Leave if she gets excessively bitey and she'll learn that biting gets her nowhere. 

Schedule looks good. Keep it consistent and regular. Dogs like containment, regularity and routine.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Good advice Aish!
Marshies......Amaretto had absolutely no dog aggression issues here.....it is not allowed nor tolerated in my home.
Dogs do bark.....puppies do bark.... IF she is barking to initiate some form of correspondence between the other dog and herself, it is your job to stop it....she will learn to be quite.
She does not need to "play" with the other dogs.


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## SitUbuSit (Aug 1, 2011)

First of all, Amaretto is GORGEOUS. Second, you're doing all this in a blizzard?! Holy cow. I commend you for your dedication. I can barely stand winter here, and it isn't even snowing yet. Just keep reminding yourself how easy it will be working with Amaretto in the spring, and how good she's going to be in a few months. You will get there. 

I'm so glad you found a good local trainer -- let us know how it goes. 

Re: jumping -- Was it your first time with Amaretto in that particular city environment? If so, it will get better with time. Batman was really into lunging/jumping onto innocent passersby when he first got here, but has since settled down a lot. He would sit down verrry slowly and watch people approach from a distance, then, as they started to pass him, he'd leap up and bolt towards them, like, "Hey! Where you going? You forgot about me!" He stopped doing this a few days ago, though he still does it once in a while. The high value treats helped a lot.

Your schedule looks really good. I wish I could get out of work in the afternoon every day. I got time off to be home by 3pm for the first two weeks after Batman's arrival, but my normal weekday schedule will be:

6:00am - Wake up, go out for potty, fetch, squirrel on a stick game, etc.
7:15am - Crate
8:00am - Morning meal
8:30am - Crate
12:15pm - Out for potty and play
12:45pm - Crate
5:30pm - Out for potty and play
7:00pm - Back home, tethered to my waist
8:00pm - Evening meal
9:30pm - Short (15min) walk and potty
10:00pm - Lights out!

Weekends are all about Batman. He is my best bud. Right now, he's sleeping like a log after a full day. He snores. Loudly.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

qbchottu said:


> What kind of bark is it when she barks at other dogs? Is it high pitched and urgent or deep and forceful? She might just miss doggie buddies and be vocalizing that she wants to go play with them. Whisk was just like this when he was at that age. He loves to play with other pups and used to bark at every dog that came by because he wanted to get over there to play. At that time, other dogs were much more fun than me so he struggled and barked to get to them. Once I established a good bond with him and he learned that *I* am the most fun thing on this planet, he stopped barking at other dogs because he would rather play with me. He is an strong, intact and alpha male so he will get into staring contests with other intact males at which point I'll have to step in and take him away. I don't have any fantasies that my dogs have to get along with every dog out there. I am fine if they leave strange dogs be. They only need to get along with the ones in the household. Dogs like people can like some dogs and not others. I think she'll grow out of it as you keep socializing and bonding with her so she learns to focus on you rather than other dogs/people. The fact that she turns focus away from other dogs to you when you initiate play is a good sign. I don't think she's aggressive. Probably just wants to play.
> 
> As for the biting. Once you establish a good bond, you become a prized resource for your dog and they try not to do anything that will have that resource taken away. For example, Puddi was a terrible biter (once put a canine through the skin between my thumb and pointer). Once we established a bond, she learned to love me more than any other dog, toy or food. So when she started her usual biting and annoyance, I got up, went to a different room and closed the door. She whined and barked outside, but then would eventually stop. Once I went back out, she got happy and started play again. If she bit, same treatment of ignoring or removing her prized resource (me). Eventually she got the idea that the fun human leaves if I bite so she stopped. Leave if she gets excessively bitey and she'll learn that biting gets her nowhere.
> 
> Schedule looks good. Keep it consistent and regular. Dogs like containment, regularity and routine.


Thanks again for your advice!

The bark is the big dog bark that has a low growly sound after the bark. I'm not sure what she's doing, but I hope my watch-mes is the right way to go abouts it.

The biting is actually MUCH better now than it is at the beginning of the week. Slowly but surely she is getting better. It just feels like so long when she sinks her teeth into my flesh!
I've figured out when we enjoy each other's company the most - when we're out playing tug and focused on one another, and when she's dead tired and I can pet and cuddle her. :wub:



robinhuerta said:


> Good advice Aish!
> Marshies......Amaretto had absolutely no dog aggression issues here.....it is not allowed nor tolerated in my home.
> Dogs do bark.....puppies do bark.... IF she is barking to initiate some form of correspondence between the other dog and herself, it is your job to stop it....she will learn to be quite.
> She does not need to "play" with the other dogs.


Robin...I wish I had even 1% of Carlos...or heck, even Michael's dog sense. I'm not sure what she is barking for, but I hope to get someone else to take a look real soon.




SitUbuSit said:


> First of all, Amaretto is GORGEOUS. Second, you're doing all this in a blizzard?! Holy cow. I commend you for your dedication. I can barely stand winter here, and it isn't even snowing yet. Just keep reminding yourself how easy it will be working with Amaretto in the spring, and how good she's going to be in a few months. You will get there.
> 
> I'm so glad you found a good local trainer -- let us know how it goes.
> 
> ...


I am SO glad we have puppies at the same time. I love sharing and getting feedback from you!! We've been in the city for a week, so I hope Amaretto is still settling in. I'll continue with the watch me exercises and hope to make the same progress that you and Batman have!

For the 2.5 hours between 7 to 9:30 when he's tethered to your waist, are you just moving about house getting chores done? How do you keep batman out of trouble?

I try to get work done during the night time, and I think I'm over-feeding her with treats. 

Today I gave a kong stuffed with pumpkin and one piece of stewing beef. But throughout the day I give LOTS of treats mixed with her kibble while on walks. 

Just put her away for the night. She is still calming down. Weekends are for me to relax a bit more and rest from puppyhood craziness.


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## SitUbuSit (Aug 1, 2011)

marshies said:


> I am SO glad we have puppies at the same time. I love sharing and getting feedback from you!! We've been in the city for a week, so I hope Amaretto is still settling in. I'll continue with the watch me exercises and hope to make the same progress that you and Batman have!
> 
> For the 2.5 hours between 7 to 9:30 when he's tethered to your waist, are you just moving about house getting chores done? How do you keep batman out of trouble?


I'm so glad, too! The "watch me" command is a great one for focusing. It also keeps Batty from fixating on my bait bag or my hands for a treat. He doesn't get a treat til he makes eye contact with me.

The tethering works best when he's tired. What I usually do is, after our walks, I just keep him tethered to my waist when we're home. By then, he's usually pretty tuckered out and willing to wander around with me. When he gets into something, I say his name cheerfully, or make the kissy sound to get his attention and then reward him with a toy or a treat. I also have to keep the house very neat to minimize the number of things laying around that he can chew up. (Batman has a fondness for cashmere and leather, as my scarf and my bf's shoes learned the hard way.)

Sometimes I give him something to carry in his mouth, like his Wubba or a bully stick. The bully stick kinda stinks though, so I prefer a toy!

The first few times I tried it, it was a little frustrating, and I had to put him back in his crate after, like, 30 minutes. Then, gradually, he got better at it, and today he even flopped down by me in the kitchen, a notorious hotspot for mischief, while I prepared my dinner. I had him tethered from 2:30 to 8pm today, including our walk. I put him in his crate because he'd fallen asleep around 6, and I felt bad waking him up every time I needed to get up to do something. 

The other thing that amazes me is how much he sleeps! How much does Amaretto sleep? Batman probably sleeps for 18 hours a day. Is this normal? I woke him up to go potty about an hour ago, and he went right away in his designated area (YAY! This used to take 30 minutes because he was so distractable). He was super cranky and tired on the walk back. It took him over a minute to sit on command. Sitting is usually his favorite thing, he was just too tired to listen to me. I waited him out and treated him when he finally sat his butt down, but I took the hint and hurried home without any more training after that. I let him back into his crate, where he is now snoring. Again.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

SitUbuSit said:


> I'm so glad, too! The "watch me" command is a great one for focusing. It also keeps Batty from fixating on my bait bag or my hands for a treat. He doesn't get a treat til he makes eye contact with me.
> 
> The tethering works best when he's tired. What I usually do is, after our walks, I just keep him tethered to my waist when we're home. By then, he's usually pretty tuckered out and willing to wander around with me. When he gets into something, I say his name cheerfully, or make the kissy sound to get his attention and then reward him with a toy or a treat. I also have to keep the house very neat to minimize the number of things laying around that he can chew up. (Batman has a fondness for cashmere and leather, as my scarf and my bf's shoes learned the hard way.)
> 
> ...


Amaretto sleeps a lot too! 

All the times she's crated are nap times. 10 hours at night, and roughly 6-7 during the day? They're growing boys and girls, more sleep needed.  She doesn't really sleep outside of those times though. I am still working on having her be calm while I'm around. Right now, if I want her to calm down in her crate, I close the lights in that room and leave. If I'm inside the room she'll bark, whine, and paw for my attention unless she is truely dead tired.

Amaretto doesn't even want to go out if I wake her up to potty. She'll plonk down before each door we go through and refuse to get up. But once I get her out, it's a pee and go home situation if it's past bedtime. She's pretty good about that.

Amaretto is also a PITA and super cranky when she's over tired. On the way back from super-tiring outings (walks pushing the 1.5 hour mark that included tugging), she'll bite my legs to try and stop me. This usually happens at the most inopportune times, like when I'm crossing a super icy road. T_T

She also snores. Sometimes when I climb into bed, she snores so loudly that I can't sleep...so I knock on her crate. :blush:The few minutes of quiet I get when she wakes up lets me fall asleep. But most of the times, I'm also too tired to notice her snoring.
Are you sore these days? I'm sore every time I come back from a walk, sit down, and try to get up again. My waist area is also a little sore from the waist leash.
I also have k9noz leashes...wish I made mine a waist leash.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

The weather has been disgusting this week. It was -17 celcius yesterday, and today everything is melting. I almost killed myself trying to walk on the sheet of ice that is our sidewalk with Amaretto today. 

I wanted to come on and say...does anyone else think that their pup smells good? When I'm hugging Amaretto or petting her, I'll randomly take a sniff and think she smells great! A dog for sure...but sweet and cute. <3 Needless to say she has my heart. I love it when she first comes out of her crate, with her ears all pinned back and rubbing herself against my legs to be petted. 

So I have a change in plans...I'll be delaying my visit to Michael Clay. I brought up the issues with my trainer on Monday, and she said she's not seeing anything unusual in my puppy than other GSD puppies she's seen around her age. We are working on some things in class, so I wanted to just stick to one set of methods with Amaretto for now to be fair and consistent to the pup. She trains malinois for agility and has a shepherd at home, so I do trust her judgement even if she doesn't specialize in GSDs. Our class got started working the pups on gentle leaders. I'm still a bit nervous with it on, so it's something I'll have to work on. 

What struck me the most during this last class is how eager the other labradoodle puppy was to work for their owners. Amaretto doesn't seem quite this happy to work for me, she is working for the treat, which is fine. Amaretto also didn't have the same focus on me as the other dogs had on their owners. I truely believe this is my fault...I didn't spend enough time building my bond with her in the beginning, when I felt overwhelmed by the responsibilities of dog ownership. So engagement is something I'll be looking to work on in the next while. I've taken a look at the clips on the forum, but if anyone has more suggestions, please throw them my way.

I hope her puppy fur sticks around longer. She smells so darn nice and is sooooo sooo soft.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Whiskey smells really good too! In fact, he's the cleanest and best smelling dog in my house. The girls stink so bad. I bathe Whiskey every 2 months (if that) while the girls get bathed every 2 weeks! Thank your lucky stars that your girl is a clean one! 

In regards to your labradoodle/focus story, I would work actively to build a stronger bond. Not to say you aren't going all out already! Just a few tips to keep establishing a bond. Is she food motivated? I used to feed kibble one by one sitting on the couch to Whiskey when I first got him so I could establish a bond. I pretty much do this to every newcomer in the house. They quickly learn that this human has all the fun stuff. She has treats, food, fun, games and cuddles! Every time she comes to you without calling, treat her. Physically handle her a lot. I'm always massaging, petting or roughhousing with the dogs. I think touch is something very visceral and deep-rooted. Focus all your positive energy and thoughts into the tips of your fingers. Give your dog deep strong strokes on her back/legs/chest like a mother licking her pup. Use your palms and do it slowly with purpose. It might sound bonkers, but it really does work. My dogs LOVE this. For my dogs, massages are right up there with the best tasting treats. Long smooth strokes put them into a love coma and they just soak all that attention up  They ask for their massages at night before bed by coming by my legs, rubbing against them and showing their tummies. Very sweet to see an 80lb male melt at your feet for some snuggles. I just awwww myself to death over that! 

What's her favorite game? Whisk loves playing tug so I played a lot of tug with him at the start. Wiva/Puddi have crazy ball drive so I spent hours playing ball to build a relationship with them. Find your dog's trigger and use that to establish a bond to her. Eventually one day, it'll be like magic and everything falls into place. She'll truly be connected to you. After that, training is a breeze because they want so badly to please you. They don't want to let you down and they work their butts off trying to make you happy. These days, a frown is all it takes for Whisk to stop a behavior. It just takes time!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

qbchottu said:


> Whiskey smells really good too! In fact, he's the cleanest and best smelling dog in my house. The girls stink so bad. I bathe Whiskey every 2 months (if that) while the girls get bathed every 2 weeks! Thank your lucky stars that your girl is a clean one!
> 
> In regards to your labradoodle/focus story, I would work actively to build a stronger bond. Not to say you aren't going all out already! Just a few tips to keep establishing a bond. Is she food motivated? I used to feed kibble one by one sitting on the couch to Whiskey when I first got him so I could establish a bond. I pretty much do this to every newcomer in the house. They quickly learn that this human has all the fun stuff. She has treats, food, fun, games and cuddles! Every time she comes to you without calling, treat her. Physically handle her a lot. I'm always massaging, petting or roughhousing with the dogs. I think touch is something very visceral and deep-rooted. Focus all your positive energy and thoughts into the tips of your fingers. Give your dog deep strong strokes on her back/legs/chest like a mother licking her pup. Use your palms and do it slowly with purpose. It might sound bonkers, but it really does work. My dogs LOVE this. For my dogs, massages are right up there with the best tasting treats. Long smooth strokes put them into a love coma and they just soak all that attention up  They ask for their massages at night before bed by coming by my legs, rubbing against them and showing their tummies. Very sweet to see an 80lb male melt at your feet for some snuggles. I just awwww myself to death over that!
> 
> What's her favorite game? Whisk loves playing tug so I played a lot of tug with him at the start. Wiva/Puddi have crazy ball drive so I spent hours playing ball to build a relationship with them. Find your dog's trigger and use that to establish a bond to her. Eventually one day, it'll be like magic and everything falls into place. She'll truly be connected to you. After that, training is a breeze because they want so badly to please you. They don't want to let you down and they work their butts off trying to make you happy. These days, a frown is all it takes for Whisk to stop a behavior. It just takes time!


Amaretto is JUST the opposite. She is SUPER cranky right before she's put away to bed, but VERY loving when she just comes out of her crate. When I come release her from her crate, her ears are pinned all the way back and she melts by my legs for nice long belly pats. We pet until she starts getting too excited and twists her little head around for biting action. 

She used to love tug, but these last 2 days she hasn't been so enthusiastic. So I'm going to put the tug away for a while to not dilute its value. 

She doesn't play fetch yet...it's more of a Marshies throws and Amaretto runs to it, and runs away with it. :wild:

Her absolute favourite thing in the world is meeting people. When she gets to greet someone...OH BOY. She is LITERALLY bouncing off of them. She runs up to them, gets a quick pat on the head, and circles me a few times, runs back up to them again...all this done is SUPER fast motion with her ears pinned all the way back and her tail well on its way to being wagged OFF.


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## ladyfreckles (Nov 10, 2011)

She's beautiful! And she makes the best facial expressions.

How old is she?


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

I like your idea about touching...
She knows this human is the provider of food, treats, tugs, etc. But STRANGERS, oh boy!!!!!! Guess I'll keep working.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

ladyfreckles said:


> She's beautiful! And she makes the best facial expressions.
> 
> How old is she?


Thank you! She's 5 days short of 5 months.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

It's been a while since I last posted, so I thought I'd update y'all on the happenings of Amaretto. I am having tons of fun training her, and we have both settled into a schedule. I'm going to start having group meetings for school soon, and hope those don't disrupt the fine balance we have now. She is definitely the biggest challenge I've had to deal with so far in my sheltered life, but I remain positive, hope daily that my handler errors don't scar her for life, and wish desperately for her to grow up. 

She's gotten a lot more vocal these days, and will sometimes make the cutest frustrated little grumbles right before she gives up and plops down on the floor. 

She is also SUPER SUPER sweet when she is tired. Full of cuddles and heart-melting glances. 

Recent proud moments:

1)She went down a baby slide with me! I think she rather enjoys it too. We went down a couple of times and she would race back up with me if I started moving. 

2)Learned "table" on baby agility equipment.

3)Goes through tunnels with no prompting. 

4)Heeling is coming along nicely. We can only do 2-3 meters max right now on a mostly empty street or parking lot, but it's coming along 

5)Learned "Off", and works in most situations like counter-surfing, staring at my rabbit. Does not work with dogs or interesting people.

6)Learned "touch" to the palm of my hand. She literally needed only 1 repetition to get this! So proud!!!

7)Learned "wait" while being handled to not fight. Still a work in progress. Does not let me touch teeth or hold muzzle. But can handle ears and paws. 

Struggles:

1)Barks at other dogs!!! She is fixated, she is tense, her tail curls over. Ugh. I am so frustrated about this. My strategy WAS working with a gentle leader to refocus her on me, and then use a replacement behavior like watch, sit, and use high value treats all the while leading her away (under the directions of my trainer, and also with some additional guidance through Sophia Yin's online resources). But the gentle leader RUBBED the skin under her eyes red!!! So I had to stop using it. Now she is just barking off and ignoring me completely with a flat collar. I dealt with it very poorly in the beginning, like tugging her back and such, and I hope that hasn't caused more damage. Right now, without the gentle leader, I am just running in the other direction as soon as I see another dog before she reacts, and pray for the best. Hoping to get her back on the gentle leader for a bit more control so we can work through this issue. 

2)Leg biting. Truthfully, this is MUCH better already. But she still does it. I usually avoid it by luring her away with food and then asking for a different behavioral to distract her. But late at night, during our potty break before bed, she isn't interested in food and mostly not interested in tug either. So I am powerless. I try to stand still, and yell HEY, and do something else when she stops. But as soon as I SHUFFLE my feet, she is back on them. My trainer said that when she is wearing her gentle leader and does this, I should pull her up and redirect her so that she doesn't seem my passive reaction as permission. The first day I used gentle leader, I think I pulled up TOO many times and she got SO frustrated and bit me a bit harder. No broken skin, just bruising. So my new strategy is to engage her in something else. I hope she isn't "testing me" each time she bites my legs. Sometimes I feel like she's trying to herd me, but I honestly don't know.

New goals:

1) Continue working with gentle leader about barking at other dogs
2) Shaping her to put both her front paws in a plastic basin, with the eventual goal of fitting all 4s in as an awareness exercise.
3) Training her to put her front paws on a basin turned upside down, beginning perch 
4) Continue reinforcing down, sit, heel, off, touch, wait, out

Need suggestions on:

1) How to deal with redness from gentle leader


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

This was from the weekend, when I got to go home to celebrate Chinese New Years! Pupper was dead after a long day with several sessions of backyard play with children, snow, basketballs, and other fun toys.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Just wanted to clarify for all reading that Amaretto didn't come to me barkin at other dogs. In fact, she was very sweet and greeted other dogs politely. It's a recent development that stems from 2 poor encounters with dogs that barked at her and my poor handling in general. So Though I am frustrated by the situation, I do feel hopeful that with more work on my behalf she will grow up to be a fine adult


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## Hillary_Plog (Apr 3, 2011)

Hey Marshies...just a couple things...

1. The reason she seems a bit disinterested in playing tug is that she is teething RIGHT now. Absolut's teeth are falling out of his head in multiples right now. DO NOT do a lot of tugging, as it probably hurts, and you don't want her associating her toy or the act of playing tug with pain. 

2. This litter is VERY, VERY vocal. There are times when it is appropriate and times when it is not. For instance, it is NOT appropriate to bark at another dog on the street, even if it is to play or out of curiosity. It IS okay, perhaps, to bark at the door when she needs to go out or when she is playing/wrestling with another dog friend. You will want to work on a "quiet" or a "watch me" command. Maybe your trainer can help you with that. 

Absolut is VERY social and loves to play and will bark out of frustration and/or to initiate play. This is NOT okay with me, so I reward him for showing interest but not barking by treating/praising him right when he is quiet, and attaching the word quiet to it. This is difficult because you have to know what his/her threshold is. When he does bark, I either remove him so that he understands he gets taken away from the fun when he barks, or I give him a verbal correction and redirect and praise/treat for the quiet. Wash, rinse, repeat...about a HUNDRED times. 

3. I DO NOT like gentle leaders...and will NEVER use one, but this is just my opinion. When I see/hear of people using them, I always get reports that the dog is frustrated, confused, biting the leash, bucking, barking, shaking their head, pulling back, etc. This is probably why she had rubbed the skin off of her face. How gentle is this? And, FYI, you should never give corrections with gentle leaders. It will/can make your dog head shy and can cause other issues. 

Does your obedience instructor insist you use one? It is my philosophy, especially when I am teaching group obedience, that there is not ONE single tool, piece of equipment, or method that works on every dog. 

If you don't want to use a pinch collar for when you walk her, perhaps a non-pull harness might work better?

Just a couple suggestions since we haven't had a chance to talk.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Hillary_Plog said:


> Hey Marshies...just a couple things...
> 
> 1. The reason she seems a bit disinterested in playing tug is that she is teething RIGHT now. Absolut's teeth are falling out of his head in multiples right now. DO NOT do a lot of tugging, as it probably hurts, and you don't want her associating her toy or the act of playing tug with pain.
> 
> ...


Hi Hilary,

THANK YOU SO MUCH for responding. Again, I'm sorry about the calling. I FINALLY got the call card and left a message for you yesterday. Maybe we can chat some time soon. 

1. Thank you! You're probably very right. I have been keeping the tug rope at home. Today I only played tug with her when she was already tugging very hard at my pantlegs and shaking them...I figured she needed a better outlet than me. She lost a tooth today as well!! I woke up this morning to the sound of beads dropping on plastic, and I panicked briefly thinking, oh no, she must've splintered the bone she has in her crate into a billion little pieces. When I opened her crate up, it was just her tooth! 

2. Do you think Absolut and Amaretto are experiencing the same thing? I think some earlier experiences of other dogs barking at her may have scarred her a little. When she SEES other dogs and just so much as LOOKS at them, she barks. There is no fixation then bark. It's just see, and bark. I've tried the watch-me, and have tried sit. She knows these 2 behaviors perfectly in other settings, but she is completely oblivious to me when she is barking at another dog. I can generally call her off barking at other things. My trainer has seen her do this, and the suggestion was to remove her focus with a gentle leader since she wasn't focusing on me in any other way (does not take food, does not want toy), and then redirect the behavior. Do you agree with this approach?

3. I may have written my earlier post to convey a wrong message about how I'm using the gentle leader. What I meant to say was to redirect her focus up and then engage her in another way. I don't want to correct with a gentle leader. I just want her to focus on me instead. I was hesitant to use one at first because of what I heard here. It has definitely helped her focus on me when there is another dog. I think my operational and fitting error are the main causes of her injury. 

I am not averse to choke chain, I just didn't know how to use and fit one properly. My trainer said give Amaretto a few weeks on purely positive first, and then if it doesn't go still, we'll try the choke chain. I am thinking of asking her to help fit me one next Monday. I don't mind the pulling so much because there's lots of time down the road to train that. I want to correct the leg biting...I wear jeans under sweatpants, and today there was still a bloody hole where flesh used to be. 

Again Hilary, thank you SO much for responding to my post. It means the world to me, especially since you can provide examples with Absolut. It gives me So much reassurance.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

I agree with Hillary about the gentle leader. I was never a fan of those. I've gotten great results with using the prong(pinch) on Whiskey. Whiskey is a fairly hard dog and never paid any attention to me before the pinch. When he is very excited, normal collars are going to be completely useless on him. Consistent obedience combined with proper use of the pinch got results in a very short amount of time. You would have laughed your butt off at our first couple of obedience lessons. He used to body slam me and bite my forearms with his full mouth when I tried to get him to down! Now he can sit in a 20 minute down no problem. He knows if his butt gets off the ground, I will bring down the fury of Thor upon him  Eventually as you raise the dog, set limits, and establish order, your dog comes to respect you as a leader and is more capable of listening to your commands. It just takes time. A GSD is by no means an easy breed to handle and you are very brave to take one on as your first. I commend you on your progress and don't be so hard on yourself/Amaretto. A year from now, you'll be laughing and wondering what you were so worried about 

Just be cautious that your dog is not too handler soft. For example, if I ever used the pinch on Wiva, she would belly crawl and p**s herself because she is a very soft dog. All I need with her is a standard fur saver on a dead link and a firm tug for a correction. Anything more and I would ruin her. If your dog needs greater containment, I don't see any problem with moving up to a pinch. She is still young so maybe wait on that for a couple months. Just don't get a choke. Many high drive dogs will seriously harm themselves choking out on the choke chain. For fitting your prong, make sure it sits a little behind the ears and high on the neck. Give a quick, sharp tug and release. If done right, Whiskey usually gives a sharp bark or small yelp. It can make you feel bad, but the behavior won't get repeated again. My trainer repeats this constantly: one good correction is worth a thousand bad ones. Meaning that if you don't give a good hard correction that stops the behavior from happening again, the dog learns to push past the inadequate correction and you slowly create a tough dog impervious to corrections (at least in my experience). We had a lady give her male a dozen bad corrections on the prong. Now that dog has to be on an E-collar because he has no response to a pinch. A low pinch collar is useless. Leeberg has a great tutorial on using a prong. 

Also with the barking, continue redirecting and I think it'll pass in a few months time. Eventually (if you keep redirecting), I think she'll get the idea and knock it off. It can be embarrassing to have her bark or misbehave in public, but just keep working on it. It'll get better!

For the teething:
-soak a rag in water, put a few knots in it, freeze it and give it to her to chew on. This works better when you soak the rag in chicken broth. Just be sure to get low sodium.
-frozen carrots are great
-I used to massage the gums. They loved it and helps alleviate some pain. Added bonus is that they don't care at all when I stick my fingers in their mouths 
-ice cubes

The leg biting will be another thing that she will grow out of with continued reinforcement. My rescue used to herd, snarl and nip at anything that moved. She thought herding screaming kids was the best game in the world  After teething ended, she knocked it off.


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## Hillary_Plog (Apr 3, 2011)

Marshies...sorry, I was teaching obedience classes till 9pm last night, got home and went straight to bed. I didn't even look at my phone!

1. Absolut has never had any bad experiences with dogs. He is very social and wants to play, and when this is not an option for him, he will bark and whine out of frustration or play initiation. 

I think that as humans, we try to attach some sort of meaning to why our dogs "do what they do"....try not to focus so much on why Amaretto barks (quite simply, she is a dog and that's what they do), and focus more on finding a way to be more motivating than the dog she is interested in. 

If worse comes to worse, just keep walking and don't say a word to her. If you focus as much on the other dog and make it a huge deal, then she will focus even harder. She is looking to YOU for leadership...she needs YOU to show her how to act...it is OUR job to show our dogs what we expect. 

2. I DO NOT recommend that you use a pinch collar for corrections. The corrections, if she needs one and/or it is appropriate, come later after she has matured and has gone through training and knows what you expect of her. The pinch collar should be used, if you so choose, for walking so that she doesn't pull. She will correct herself when she tries to pull. This will give you a bit more control over her when you are walking and, for instance, she tries to pull towards another dog or person. 

DON'T use a choke collar/chain. 

If you are happy with the Gentle Leader, then by all means, keep using it. If you are going to use a pinch collar, read qbchottu's link from the Leerburg website or work with a knowledgeable trainer so they can fit it properly and show you how to use it appropriately.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Marshies....
Amaretto is being a 5mo old, energetic, thinking puppy...that has become an "only" child. (spoiled)...but not because of lack of *want* by you, simply because of *real know how*.
I will disagree (slightly) with Hillary right now....._sorry Hillary, ya know I love ya!_
IF a choke collar or pinch collar will give you the opportunity to give a "real" correction when Amaretto is biting you....then use one. It is just another tool, that can be used.
BUT...it MUST be fitted properly and not abused....it MUST be used appropriately.
Biting, barking and many behaviors are completely normal for her breed and age.....
Behavior and training are two separate issues.
*Behavior* is whats **expected** from our dogs....*it is not requested*...it is matter of fact and black & white.
*Training* is what we **teach** our dogs to do...and there is *reward *given for a job well done. 
Use the same mindset as you would do with children......your child is *expected* to "behave" a certain way and "respect you"..........Your child is then *taught* things by "schooling", and their grades reflect their "reward".
JMO


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

robinhuerta said:


> Marshies....
> Amaretto is being a 5mo old, energetic, thinking puppy...that has become an "only" child. (spoiled)...but not because of lack of *want* by you, simply because of *real know how*.
> I will disagree (slightly) with Hillary right now....._sorry Hillary, ya know I love ya!_
> IF a choke collar or pinch collar will give you the opportunity to give a "real" correction when Amaretto is biting you....then use one. It is just another tool, that can be used.
> ...


I am going to ask my trainer to help me fit a choke chain on Monday's class. She is better at home with mouthing my hands, but when we cross the street, sometimes she grabs my legs and it's REALLY dangerous for me to wait it out or pry her off or distract her in the middle of the road.



Hillary_Plog said:


> Marshies...sorry, I was teaching obedience classes till 9pm last night, got home and went straight to bed. I didn't even look at my phone!
> 
> 1. Absolut has never had any bad experiences with dogs. He is very social and wants to play, and when this is not an option for him, he will bark and whine out of frustration or play initiation.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the response Hilary. I stopped using gentle leader this week to let Amaretto heal up the redness.

I've been going to a dog park and staying around the fences with Amaretto so she can look at other dogs and be rewarded. If she barks, I move away. She is really good at not barking if the dogs have been there for a while. She can even do some obedience with me pretty close to the fence. But when we see a new dog walk around, she barks again. Do you think what I'm doing is right?

You are right about wanting to play with them. When she sees other dogs playing and she clearly cannot go, she makes the SADDEST little whimper. I almost gave in and went inside. T__T




qbchottu said:


> I agree with Hillary about the gentle leader. I was never a fan of those. I've gotten great results with using the prong(pinch) on Whiskey. Whiskey is a fairly hard dog and never paid any attention to me before the pinch. When he is very excited, normal collars are going to be completely useless on him. Consistent obedience combined with proper use of the pinch got results in a very short amount of time. You would have laughed your butt off at our first couple of obedience lessons. He used to body slam me and bite my forearms with his full mouth when I tried to get him to down! Now he can sit in a 20 minute down no problem. He knows if his butt gets off the ground, I will bring down the fury of Thor upon him  Eventually as you raise the dog, set limits, and establish order, your dog comes to respect you as a leader and is more capable of listening to your commands. It just takes time. A GSD is by no means an easy breed to handle and you are very brave to take one on as your first. I commend you on your progress and don't be so hard on yourself/Amaretto. A year from now, you'll be laughing and wondering what you were so worried about
> 
> Just be cautious that your dog is not too handler soft. For example, if I ever used the pinch on Wiva, she would belly crawl and p**s herself because she is a very soft dog. All I need with her is a standard fur saver on a dead link and a firm tug for a correction. Anything more and I would ruin her. If your dog needs greater containment, I don't see any problem with moving up to a pinch. She is still young so maybe wait on that for a couple months. Just don't get a choke. Many high drive dogs will seriously harm themselves choking out on the choke chain. For fitting your prong, make sure it sits a little behind the ears and high on the neck. Give a quick, sharp tug and release. If done right, Whiskey usually gives a sharp bark or small yelp. It can make you feel bad, but the behavior won't get repeated again. My trainer repeats this constantly: one good correction is worth a thousand bad ones. Meaning that if you don't give a good hard correction that stops the behavior from happening again, the dog learns to push past the inadequate correction and you slowly create a tough dog impervious to corrections (at least in my experience). We had a lady give her male a dozen bad corrections on the prong. Now that dog has to be on an E-collar because he has no response to a pinch. A low pinch collar is useless. Leeberg has a great tutorial on using a prong.
> 
> ...


THANK you again for the GREAT advice. 

I might get a choke chain this Monday if my breeder will help me fit it and teach me how to use it properly. I have no problems continuing redirecting while we are somewhere safe like in a park or in a parking lot, but one of her favourite places to bite and herd my legs is as we cross the street. :O It's SO dangerous! Numerous times I just dragged her along WITH my foot because the light was turning and there was a massive cue of cars. TELL me about embarassing. I actually HEARD someone in the car laughing at me.

I do the frozen carrots too! Great minds think alike!!!


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## SitUbuSit (Aug 1, 2011)

Hi Marshies! Amaretto sounds like Batman after our night time walk and play. When he gets in, usually around 10pm, he has MAJOR ZOOMIES. And if I let him run around the house, he will lunge and bite at everything, even the air. He looks like a snapping turtle. That's when I put him in his night crate and turn out the lights. He is usually sleeping in minutes. 

If you aren't comfortable with the pinch/choke, you may want to try a steel fursaver on a dead ring. It's more impactful than the buckle collar when they pull, but not as "corrective" as the pinch. Right now, Batty is still on the nylon buckle collar, but I will probably move to the fursaver on walks in a few weeks. He is already almost 50 lbs and quite powerful. 

Batman started barking last week after 4 months of virtual silence. He is in the fear period, along with Amaretto, it seems. He barked at people doing things he doesn't like, like skateboarding, playing tennis, or being in a walker, as he did to an 80-year-old grandma in the mailroom. This was particularly embarrassing. He sometimes barks at dogs, but not often.

He even barked at me from his crate. He was protesting because I was in the kitchen making good-smelling food, and he wanted some. When he barked the first time I just started at him, I was so surprised. The next time, I closed the office doors (where his crate is) and blocked his view of the kitchen. He stopped barking, so I opened the doors. He has not barked at me since.

On walks, his barking has almost stopped because I'm getting better at telling what might set him off. Constant vigilance. When I note something bark-worthy approaching or see his body language gear up towards a target, I quickly get in front of him, wave a treat under his nose, and make him do something for me. Sometimes I step on his leash and grab his collar and scruff/side neck fur and tell him "settle."

Sometimes I jump around in front of him and squeal like a disturbed child. Anything to get his attention. 

Luckily, he is VERY food motivated, so the food for tricks thing usually works. Yesterday he barked at a skateboarder, and that was it. He didn't bark at any puppies in our first ever puppy class. So we went from barking at 8 different people per day to 1. Today he barked zero times. 

Another thing I hear works is peanut butter. Put a spoon of PB on the roof of your dog's mouth, and instinctively she will want to close her mouth and stop barking. Then tell her "quiet" while she is sucking on the PB. This is best for indoor events like classes, or at home since it's not that handy to carry around a jar of PB everywhere.

Pets and kisses to Amaretto! She is very, very pretty.


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## Jelpy (Nov 8, 2009)

Reading this thread the only thing that struck me was to be VERY CAREFUL of her tail while you are on the escalator. It would be all too easy for her tail to get tangled/stuck on the steps and she could end up being injured quite easily. WATCH THE TAIL. 

Jelpy


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Hi SitUbuSit!

I've been reading your blog for Batty! I am UNWORTHY! Was inspired by tennis court off-leash time and found one on campus to use.

In terms of reactivity, luckily, the only people Amaretto SOMETIMES barks at are joggers. But she barks at dogs 100% of the time. In class she only barks when they first walk in, and is settled for the rest of class. It is so embarassing when I'm walking her out on the street and Amaretto is going off her rocket while the other dog doesn't even so much as glance at her. But this too shall pass.

She isn't as food motivated as Batty, unfortunately. When I see another dog, I'll usually start having her do obedience things with me, simple commands like sit and watch. Sometimes it works, but sometimes the other dog gets closer, and she notices them and barks. When she starts barking, the only thing that works is walking away until she stops barking. I then pet her and treat her if she can look at the dog calmly. Are you using any other resources for reactivity? I'm thinking of trying Control Unleashed.

I don't feel uncomfortable using a choke chain, I just need to learn how to use and fit one. I don't get a good vibe from my trainer at puppy classes... She doesn't seem to like me or Amaretto very much. Can't wait to go back to Toronto, and join a different puppy class.

In terms of ankle-biting, the one consistent time I notice it is when we cross streets. 9 times out of 10 she will start noticing my feet moving and want to go for them. It is so dangerous trying to stop her/drag her/distract her in the middle of the road. 


Jelpy, thanks for the advice about escalators.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Don't want to jinx it but...

It's been 2 days since she last nipped my legs as we are walking outside. She still goes for my crocs and feet when I'm in the home, but at least crossing the street is no longer a hazard! 

YAY!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Going to wrap this thread up...it's becoming a monstrosity and impossible to follow. I'll continue the daily updates on my blog. Click Amaretto's name to follow!

I'd still love to hear from you guys. Your encouragements, suggestions, and advice has really helped me tremendously with Amaretto.


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## Duncan (Apr 20, 2002)

I think she doesn't need to be rescued already. She seems to be satisfied. (If not, she has a place in my family too )


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