Not really liking my dog tonight (dog vs. kitten story with sad consequences) (biting, barking)
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Since both the bunny and the dog are way faster than I am and it happens within seconds (most often out of my view), I can admonish the dog after the fact, but I can do nothing at the most effective time - during he incident.
I know about positive reinforcement but I was hoping for practical tips.
Have you trained your dog to ignore wildlife, if so, how? Did you take your dog to a place that had a fake animal on a track? I'm not being glib here, was really hoping for been there/done that advice. Thanks.
Since both the bunny and the dog are way faster than I am and it happens within seconds (most often out of my view), I can admonish the dog after the fact, but I can do nothing at the most effective time - during he incident.
If you follow the process in the book and it doesn't work, I will personally refund the cost of the book.
I know about positive reinforcement but I was hoping for practical tips.
Have you trained your dog to ignore wildlife, if so, how? Did you take your dog to a place that had a fake animal on a track? I'm not being glib here, was really hoping for been there/done that advice. Thanks.
Been there, done that, puppy has two diplomas.
Yes, but the animal was not on a track, it was animated by the trainer.
You can train your dog to ignore anything, including barking, aggressive dogs.
Oh I can't even imagine if Arwen got a stray cat. We have a cat that she plays with, mostly annoys since my cat is 13 and is not in the mood most of the time -lol
My son, who was 17 at the time, let Arwen out and she ran and caught a bird. My son was so disgusted and upset. He called me like she really just killed a bird. I have seen her catch birds and mice and kill them. Most of the time she just picks them up and spits them out over & over. Oh and don't let me try and stop her, she will just pick it up and run. It sucks, but she is a Husky, and her prey instinct is very high.
I have seen the aftermath of some Malamutes killing some Angora sheep. It put the dogs in a precaroius situation when the villagers picked up their pitchforks and lit their torches.
We can teach our dogs to not bark at every sound, chase bikes or cars, bite the mailman etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AdotAllen
Oh I can't even imagine if Arwen got a stray cat. We have a cat that she plays with, mostly annoys since my cat is 13 and is not in the mood most of the time -lol
My dogs thrash raccoons. Seems the racoons instigate it by attacking the dog first. I'm not going to teach them to not defend themselves; racoons be damned!
The more I think about it, the less I like the idea of training her not to chase. I live in the city, not out on a farm. My dog is leashed when we are in public and this kitten incident was a fluke and unlikely to happen again. My previous dog, an 11 y.o. shepherd mix never got a hold of any wild animal.
I don't want to un-canine my dog (just like I would never declaw a cat). Right now, she's barking at squirrels running along the top of a block wall. If I was to train that out of her, what is she to do during her occasional stints outside?
I understand why such training might be necessary for some dogs in some environments but for my normally docile dog, her prey drive gives her an adrenalin rush. Who am I to squash that?
My Basset swallowed one of my parakeets. He didn't mean it. He overturned the cage and caught one. He was carrying it around gently in his mouth when my husband got home. But my husband's overexcitement rushing towards him to take it away caused my Basset to swallow the parakeet whole like he would if you were trying to take a chicken thigh away from him.
I couldn't look at my Basset the same for a while. Eventually I started to adore and love him again. They are dogs. This is what they do when they have the opportunity. It's hard for us to accept when they do something like this, but it's really up to us to limit their opportunities.
Did wild birds a favor, no doubt. Of all the kittens I've ever held in my hands, I'd never once fathomed that dying of internal bleeding due to an aggressive dog would have pleased that tiny, sweet animal. :tear:
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