CockersOnline Forum
General => Introductions => Topic started by: LisaNewland on January 01, 2014, 11:50:18 AM
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Hello All
Myself and my partner, Mark, adopted Ember (now Amber) two and half weeks ago. We are delighted with her and she has settled quite well. I've put a few pics on the Photo thread under 'solids', as Amber is a beautiful gold colour.
99% of the time, Amber is wonderful and perfectly behaved in every way. She loves her long walks, is very affectionate with other dogs and people alike. However, in the evening, she changes; her mood is very different and she seems unsettled. She bit me last week when I tried to move her off a certain chair. Amber also seems very concerned about her toys in the evening, she whines and carries them around very gently, often hiding them. Any ideas about what could be troubling her? Once we go up to bed, she settles in her bed and sleeps well.
Amber is three years old and has been spayed.
Has anyone got any advice?
Thank you so much!
Lisa
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Hi, I've just looked at your photos of Amber :luv: on your photo thread.
Carrying toys and whining isn't unusual, in fact there was a thread on here about it just a few days ago. My older Cocker has done it ever since he was a puppy and he's 9 now! He does it when his Retriever friend visits and sometimes he just does it. When he does I take the toy away from him and put it away. Seems to stop the stress straightaway and he relaxes. Maybe it's to do with some almost lost instinct from when their wild ancestors needed to hide or bury food to stop it from being stolen by other predators.
If Amber is reluctant to get off chairs and sofas you could try enticing her off with a nice treat and some words of encouragement and maybe try a houseline on her so you can use that gently too.
It's early days, so I expect Amber is still getting used to you and I've always found that if any of mine is ever going to have a naughty or hyper or silly time it tends to be during the evening :dunno:
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Could she be overtired and wanting to go to bed earlier :D
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At a guess,l I would say that she is probably overtired and a bit grouchy. May be an idea not to let her on the chairs for a while and see how it goes. None of mine are allowed on the furniture, and they know it's a big no-no, so maybe she is getting a bit above her status by being allowed up. It is down to you to call the shots, not her. I think Elaine is right, and she is maybe trying it out to see how far she can go.
As for carrying toys around, my Twiggy does that with things, but only at certain times of the year, and I have noticed that it is normally around the time when she would have had her season (she is spayed also). Twiggy does it with apples and walnuts in the garden, and woe betide anyone who dares to move them! She caught one of the chickens pecking at one of 'her' apples a few months ago, and chased it off down the garden! Early days yet, and you are all still finding your feet with each other. Give it time, and be consistent both with correcting her and giving praise when she has done well.
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Thanks, these are really helpful replies.
Last night, Amber was asleep in her own downstairs bed whilst we were shutting up for the night - usual thing; lights off, tv off etc. Mark leant above her to turn off a light and she snarled and growled at him, then sat up and continued to snarl and stare at him. We both backed off, gave her a few minutes, then quietly called her to us, she came, tail wagging, happy as ever. Is this behaviour usual? I think she was upset at being disturbed from her sleep, however, she was actually quite frightening when she sat up and continued to growl at us until we moved right away. I wonder if this will stop once she has been with us for longer and is more secure. she's already had two homes and a foster home, so I expect she finds it hard to believe that she is in her forever home. Bless her.
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Thanks, these are really helpful replies.
Last night, Amber was asleep in her own downstairs bed whilst we were shutting up for the night - usual thing; lights off, tv off etc. Mark leant above her to turn off a light and she snarled and growled at him, then sat up and continued to snarl and stare at him. We both backed off, gave her a few minutes, then quietly called her to us, she came, tail wagging, happy as ever. Is this behaviour usual? I think she was upset at being disturbed from her sleep, however, she was actually quite frightening when she sat up and continued to growl at us until we moved right away. I wonder if this will stop once she has been with us for longer and is more secure. she's already had two homes and a foster home, so I expect she finds it hard to believe that she is in her forever home. Bless her.
Jamie doesn't take kindly to being leaned over, from a dogs point of view its an extremely intimidating action and if she's already had a few different owners before yourselfs she's not going to have a bond with you as quickly as some other dogs. I think you actions after were spot on and the fact that she was happy to come over to you and was wagging her tail is brilliant. Growls are not aggression, growls are a dogs way of telling us they aren't happy. she wasn't happy that Mark leant over her and he listened to her and backed off :)
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Hi and welcome to COL. You've all had your wee honeymoon that all rescues have, and now you're just getting used to each other. It sounds like you're doing all the right things, i.e., backing off when she's worried about something. Getting her off the couch with treats is the best way to go. In time she'll learn to trust you that nothing bad will happen, and you'll learn what she can and can't cope with and will deal with it accordingly. Lots of advice on here, and keep us posted. She looks :luv:
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Lots of really good replies and advice, and I agree with everyone else, in that you are doing everything right. Give it time and I'm sure she will be fine. :luv:
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Thanks again for your advice. Last night was a tough one. I gave Amber a bone late afternoon (after her dinner), she took it to her bed, chewed on it for a while then laid on it. She wouldn't move at all, for several hours and growled whenever we spoke to her. At bedtime, she wouldn't go in the garden for toilet and we couldn't even go near that side of the room without her growling very low and hard. So, we left the TV and lights on, rather than upset her further. Mark and I went up to bed and she didn't come upstairs with us, which she usually does. I laid awake for an hour or so, Amber came up, was her usual happy self but as soon as I directed her to her bed, she went back downstairs to the bone and continued as above when I came down to try and coax her back upstairs. I left her there again and went back to bed. At about 4am, she woke us in her usual cheerful manner, jumping up, licking us etc., to be let out to the garden (she'd obviously missed her late night toilet as she refused to move!), but after weeing she still remained downstairs and didn't follow Mark up. At about 7.30am, Amber woke us as usual (kisses and cuddles), had breakfast, long walk in the park and is now behaving as if the bone doesn't exist anymore.
Should we remove it from her bed or leave it there? I want to get this right so as not to aggravate her further. It is still early days, we haven't had her for three weeks yet so I'm hoping this aggression might settle down, but if we need to be behaving in a certain way, please advise! I've always had male dogs and never come across this before, so it's a new on on me!
Thanks again for your support everyone.
Lisa and Mark
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It sounds like Amber is finding her feet with you at the moment. We took on Harry who was 8 months and we were his 3rd family, and he came with a few little issues that started to come to light after he had been with us a few weeks.
Harry resource guards certain food and toys and for us the easiest answer was just not to give them to him. Harry would guard a bone in the same way you describe Amber doing. When we hadn't had him very long we put food out for the birds and Harry sat down the bottom of the garden for about 3 hours not letting us or Ben our other cocker go anywhere near him!! Eventually we bribed him with freshly cooked chicken to come into the house while OH ran down and picked the food all up. I've never done that again :005:
Harry also hates being moved off of a chair, and yes in the early days we had plenty of bites as well, so I know how you feel. If I want him to move I learnt to do something to get his attention e.g. opening the fridge door :005: or rustling a bit of paper, or saying in a high voice 'what's this' and he can' resist jumping down to see what I am doing. I have to say after a few months that stopped being a problem and he will get off now if asked, and if he is having the occasional stroppy day which he still has, then I just do something silly to get him off easily. Another trick that always works is to bend over as if you are picking something off the floor, and that guarantees both mine will come running, cockers are so nosey ;)
Re Amber growling when Mark leaned over her, this is familiar too, Harry gets a little anxious if we reach above his head or if we reach to pick him up. It took a couple of months for us to figure out what he found scary and to stop doing it e.g. he is fine being picked up off the floor for a cuddle but panics when we start to put him back down and starts to growl and snarl at us, so I just plop him down onto the chair when we have finished cuddling and he is ok with that.
You will learn strategies as you go along. If I am going to do something that rattles Harry e.g. he has a rinse down most days in the bath as he is a mud magnet, and getting in is ok, but he hates you touching him to get out, so I put a harness on to lift him out so I don't touch his body and he is ok with that. I also found Harry likes routine and is much easier to manage when he knows what is happening, so some things we do in a certain order.
I'm glad you are enjoying Amber and it is so rewarding to see them start to relax and start to feel at home and it is such a joy when their confidence in you grows and you can tell they are loving life and feeling secure :luv: :luv:
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I know she's new to you and still settling, but it sounds like she has some resource guarding issues. I think for the time being I would stop giving her high value items such as bones. You did exactly the right thing by not confronting her as that would run the risk of her biting you, but I'm sorry it cost you a sleepless night.
My younger Cocker will very occasionally guard really, really high value food items. The most notable occasion was when I gave both dogs a raw marrowbone for some recreational chewing. They had the bones out in the garden and Louis immediately took his under a shrub and growled and glared very intimidatingly at me, my other dog and even a Blackbird that landed nearby :o. I left him for a while to see if the novelty wore off but still had the same growling and staring. So I laid a little trail of fresh cooked chicken from where he was into the kitchen and when he followed the trail I shut him in the kitchen, grabbed the marrowbone and binned it. He hasn't been allowed one since.
From my point of view I don't worry about it too much. I'm sure I would if I had children around or if he resource guarded more often than once in a blue moon. But I've chosen to simply not give him anything I think he'll guard, knowing that with his normal food, his toys, the sofa etc. he's very relaxed.
I know it comes as a bit of a shock when resource guarding appears. I sound lighthearted about the incident with Louis, but it shook me up at the time. he looked and sounded really evil >:D whereas normally he's quite angelic :angel: with things. But it's fairly normal dog behaviour.
If you feel able to manage the situation by recognising what she guards and not giving her access to those things then that's fine. If you want to try and change her behaviour I would suggest trying a behaviourist who uses positive methods who can help you with strategies to stop or lessen the guarding.
Hope this helps :D
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My younger Cocker will very occasionally guard really, really high value food items. The most notable occasion was when I gave both dogs a raw marrowbone for some recreational chewing. They had the bones out in the garden and Louis immediately took his under a shrub and growled and glared very intimidatingly at me, my other dog and even a Blackbird that landed nearby :o. I left him for a while to see if the novelty wore off but still had the same growling and staring. So I laid a little trail of fresh cooked chicken from where he was into the kitchen and when he followed the trail I shut him in the kitchen, grabbed the marrowbone and binned it. He hasn't been allowed one since.
Sorry Elaine you made me laugh, it just sounded like me and Harry. I do think non cocker owners would find our methods all a little bizarre but its funny how we all learn strategies to manage them.
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Thank you both for your replies, it's so reassuring to know we are not alone with this. Whatever happens, Mark and I are sticking with Amber and working out what are the best strategies. We both love her so much and couldn't be without her. We don't have young children living with us, but grandchildren visit occasionally. We will definitely not be giving her high value bones/treates and, as you mentioned, there is no problem with her meals, she sits, waits and is very calm about eating (although cleans the bowl every time!).
Currently, she has rediscovered the bone and is lying next to it, on guard! I intend to remove it the next time she moves away.
Thanks again for your advice and patience with this noob! Much of what you wrote had Mark and I laughing because it's so familiar.
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Thank you both for your replies, it's so reassuring to know we are not alone with this. Whatever happens, Mark and I are sticking with Amber and working out what are the best strategies. We both love her so much and couldn't be without her. We don't have young children living with us, but grandchildren visit occasionally. We will definitely not be giving her high value bones/treates and, as you mentioned, there is no problem with her meals, she sits, waits and is very calm about eating (although cleans the bowl every time!).
Currently, she has rediscovered the bone and is lying next to it, on guard! I intend to remove it the next time she moves away.
Thanks again for your advice and patience with this noob! Much of what you wrote had Mark and I laughing because it's so familiar.
These dogs teach us so much :D
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I think you develop a special bond sometimes with a dog when you have to invest time and patience to work out issues, it can be frustrating and scary some days and I do remember thinking 'what have we done' ph34r but it is just so worth while. Harry is 4 now, and yes he has his funny ways, but a more loving, funny dog you couldn't wish for - I am biased but he is adorable :luv:
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Here she is...butter wouldn't melt!
(http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab51/Lisa_Newland/20131227_112403_zpssqxqeikw.jpg) (http://s849.photobucket.com/user/Lisa_Newland/media/20131227_112403_zpssqxqeikw.jpg.html)
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Amber is gorgeous! Just don't give her bones any more, at least for now and some time to come. Take it off her. Easily solved problem and she won't know what she's missing.
We rarely give ours chews because Alfie has a problem. He never guards but he doesn't want to chew it but just worries about it constantly - trying to hide it in SO obvious places and Genie ends up getting it anyway. He can't cope with the bone angst so they don't get them.
Sorry, meant take it off her when she's not in same room and can't see what you're doing.
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Another thing I thought of is as you get to know Amber you will discover what her most prized treat is, eg cheese or ham etc, keep some in to use to swop when she has something you want to get off her, with Harry it is a tub of peanut butter he will give me almost anything if I have that in my hand. He only gets it very very occasionally so it remains highly prized and he practically drools when I open the lid :005: Ben will do anything for cheese. Its useful to keep something like this for times when bribery is essential
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I have a (mostly reformed ;)) resource guarder too. It can be incredibly frightening and intimidating but with the correct approach it can be dealt with. It sounds like you are doing everything right so far. A very good book on the subject is "Mine" by Jean Donaldson. It is pretty difficult to read though - not user friendly! However it helps explain the issues and gives methods of dealing with the problem. I also had a lot of help from the trainers at my training club. You may like to consider a one on one with a behaviourist to help you move forward.
I had a similar incident when my Archie trapped me in my lounge for two hours because he insisted in guarding a bone across the door threshold. :doh: every time I moved growling was the result. Luckily I had a pile of ironing in there with me >:(. I ignored him and got on with it. Gradually he stopped growling and moved away from the door. I made a cup of tea, went back and sat down on the sofa, saying nothing and ignoring him. He moved a bit closer to me with the bone. I went and ate some supper and again returned without a word. This time he brought the bone to my feet and continued to chew. After about half an hour, he jumped onto the sofa next to me with the bone. I said good boy quietly but nothing else. He put the bone on my lap (nice!) and I stroked him. The whole time I was trying to be calm but I could see that he was now very relaxed so I touched the bone - no reaction. I then held it for him to chew. I can't tell you how amazing it felt. It was such a breakthrough. However, once he went outside for a pee, I removed the bone and he didn't even see to notice it was gone!
I am now able to regularly give him bones. I don't go near him at first but he will always bring them to chew at my feet and will happily let me hold them for him to chew. Hang in there, she will learn to trust you.
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I have a (mostly reformed ;)) resource guarder too. It can be incredibly frightening and intimidating but with the correct approach it can be dealt with. It sounds like you are doing everything right so far. A very good book on the subject is "Mine" by Jean Donaldson. It is pretty difficult to read though - not user friendly! However it helps explain the issues and gives methods of dealing with the problem. I also had a lot of help from the trainers at my training club. You may like to consider a one on one with a behaviourist to help you move forward.
I had a similar incident when my Archie trapped me in my lounge for two hours because he insisted in guarding a bone across the door threshold. :doh: every time I moved growling was the result. Luckily I had a pile of ironing in there with me >:(. I ignored him and got on with it. Gradually he stopped growling and moved away from the door. I made a cup of tea, went back and sat down on the sofa, saying nothing and ignoring him. He moved a bit closer to me with the bone. I went and ate some supper and again returned without a word. This time he brought the bone to my feet and continued to chew. After about half an hour, he jumped onto the sofa next to me with the bone. I said good boy quietly but nothing else. He put the bone on my lap (nice!) and I stroked him. The whole time I was trying to be calm but I could see that he was now very relaxed so I touched the bone - no reaction. I then held it for him to chew. I can't tell you how amazing it felt. It was such a breakthrough. However, once he went outside for a pee, I removed the bone and he didn't even see to notice it was gone!
I am now able to regularly give him bones. I don't go near him at first but he will always bring them to chew at my feet and will happily let me hold them for him to chew. Hang in there, she will learn to trust you.
Thank you so much for this. I'll have a look for the book. I removed the offending bone and we've had no problems since. Today, Amber came downstairs with an empty toilet roll (she loves to chew anything paper!). I asked her for it, she gave it to me and we did that back and forth, I want her to learn that I can be trusted and will give her things back if she lets them go. It's obviously only highly prized things, such as food treats, which she will guard with such ardour!
She still displays some distress in the evenings before she settles, walking around whining and looking as if she is searching for something. We make sure she gets in her downstairs bed, because if she settles next to or on one of our laps, she will then growl when we move. Overall though, things are going great and she and the cat, Bugsy, are almost at nodding acquaintaince stage! :005:
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I'm really feeling down today. Things were great then this morning Amber got very cross with us when we went near her toy, so we left her alone, then removed it when she had stopped guarding.
This afternoon, we've just got back from a lovely long walk, no problems at all, now she is sitting in the middle of the living room snarling and growling if either Mark or I go near her or even try to enter the room. We are trapped in the dining room/kitchen. As she has bitten me before, I am sure, without doubt that she will bite us if we get nearer to her.
What on earth is going on with our sweet dog? She is worse than ever today and we just can't work out why.
Anyone around who could talk on the phone to advise us?
Thanks
Lisa
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I'd advise contacting a behaviourist (sorry if you already have), especially if you're afraid of being bitten.
For now, I'd just stay elsewhere and ignore her and see if she relaxes a bit. You and Mark try to act normally with each other so she can see everything is ok and life is continuing as normal. Does she have anything in the room with her that might be prompting this guarding behaviour? Did she act like this the second you got in, or could something have triggered it? Were there any noises outside? Anything different in her routine?
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I'd advise contacting a behaviourist (sorry if you already have), especially if you're afraid of being bitten.
For now, I'd just stay elsewhere and ignore her and see if she relaxes a bit. You and Mark try to act normally with each other so she can see everything is ok and life is continuing as normal. Does she have anything in the room with her that might be prompting this guarding behaviour? Did she act like this the second you got in, or could something have triggered it? Were there any noises outside? Anything different in her routine?
We will contact a behaviourist this week, I think. I was hopeful that things would get better but it's definitely taken a turn for the worse as there is nothing she is guarding. There is nothing in the room, unless she's buried something something somewhere. She didn't act like this immediately, she had her shower (always needs one as she gets filthy!), was very compliant with that, as ever. Nothing different to her usual routine at all. We are both baffled. We have tried speaking gently, coaxing her with treats, but now we are sitting at the table unable to leave the room! (It's a through lounge, she can see us, she is sitting in the living room).
Thanks for your reply.
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Can you contact the rescue for advise?
Hopefully they have a behaviourist that could talk to you today.
Really hope you can get to the route of what is causing Amber to behave like this and can get it sorted :bigarmhug:
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I'd advise contacting a behaviourist (sorry if you already have), especially if you're afraid of being bitten.
For now, I'd just stay elsewhere and ignore her and see if she relaxes a bit. You and Mark try to act normally with each other so she can see everything is ok and life is continuing as normal. Does she have anything in the room with her that might be prompting this guarding behaviour? Did she act like this the second you got in, or could something have triggered it? Were there any noises outside? Anything different in her routine?
We will contact a behaviourist this week, I think. I was hopeful that things would get better but it's definitely taken a turn for the worse as there is nothing she is guarding. There is nothing in the room, unless she's buried something something somewhere. She didn't act like this immediately, she had her shower (always needs one as she gets filthy!), was very compliant with that, as ever. Nothing different to her usual routine at all. We are both baffled. We have tried speaking gently, coaxing her with treats, but now we are sitting at the table unable to leave the room! (It's a through lounge, she can see us, she is sitting in the living room).
Thanks for your reply.
It does seem strange, I wonder what has set her off. Hopefully ignoring her will calm her down and allow you back into the room. When you do get into the room, I'd suggest just ignoring her and carrying on with whatever you are doing as normal, don't make a big fuss of her.
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:bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: Pop-Star has made a really good suggestion about contacting the rescue. Amber is displaying classic guarding behaviour. I have been in exactly your position with Archie so I know how you are feeling. It CAN be managed though so don't despair. I agree that expert advice is needed ASAP, to find the root of the problem. Sometimes it needs an expert pair of eyes to spot what is going on as the triggers can be tiny. When Archie wouldn't let me approach him I always kept out of his way. Once he was quiet I would call him to me in the kitchen for a biscuit. If he came I would play with him and then get myself between him and the door so I could ask him to stay, shut the door and go and remove whatever he was guarding. There will be something I am sure - they pick the oddest things! Once she calms down go through the house and clear EVERYTHING. Shoes from the floor, jumpers that you may have taken off somewhere (a favourite for Archie) magazines from the table, cushions from the sofas, nick nacks. Literally everything that isn't heavy or nailed down. ;) Shut the doors on any rooms you don't want her in unsupervised. It sounds tough and it is but it is vital that she doesn't have the opportunity to get hold of contraband. Your game with the toilet roll was really good. This sort of game really helped Archie.
I really hope you manage to find someone to help you all get through this tricky patch.
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Oh dear sorry you're having to deal with this. If you got her from a decent rescue, they should be willing and able to give you support and advice over the lifetime of the dog. If they have a behaviourist they work with, they should give you free sessions. But I know rescues vary very much and some are less reputable or simply don't have the money/resources.
It was great you took on a rescue in the first place but please remember if it's more than you feel you want to deal with, there's absolutely no shame in returning a dog. Not every dog gets in the right home first time. (We're our Genie's second shot at a home. She's right for us, just wasn't right for where she was first rehomed.)
Good luck with everything.
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It's such a shame that you've tried really hard to help Amber settle into her new home and things were picking up. Then to have a major set back is so upsetting. I agree with others my first thing would be to contact the rescue that you adopted her from for advice.
Sometimes it's really hard when things go wrong and you can't see an answer for her behaviour, but as already said and expert on behaviour should be able to help you and given time she'll be a lovable companion. There's a reason for her being in rescue very often it's no fault of the dogs but sometimes it's some sort of bad behaviour that has meant them being there.
It's an uphill struggle but hopefully with help and advice you'll overcome the problems.
Good luck and think positively :luv:
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Just had a thought. Did she leave the bone she was guarding in the lounge? I assume she didn't see you remove it so maybe she just thinks it is still there somewhere and that's why she was guarding the room? I'm not sure what to do if that's the case but it may help to know what she was thinking possibly?
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Thanks for your help, everyone. Amber ate a treat (she must have been sitting on it!) after about 40 minutes and finally let us back in to the living room! Since then, she has been a bit growly, but Mark has firmly told her 'no' and she has backed down. She's now sleeping in her bed.
I spoke to Cynthia at NESSR, where she came from, who is very supportive. We are going to see how things go. This is Amber's third home, but no aggression has been mentioned before, however she has always lived with other dogs, so perhaps she is trying it on now she is 'top dog' or in fact, the only dog? We are going to be very clear about her boundaries and get a crate or stair gate to she has 'time out' if necessary.
I absolutely do not want to give up on her, neither does Mark, as we are so attached to her already. I am sure we can get this right. It's still early days and tomorrow I go back to work after the Christmas break, so some sort of routine will be established again.
I've also emailed two behaviourists, one has quoted me £850.00 + travelling expenses, for two sessions, which is way beyond our budget! I'll look for others in the East Midlands area.
I'll keep you posted.
This site is great, it's kept me sane this past week or so. I can't express how grateful I am to you all for taking the time to help us. 'Thank you' just doesn't cover it!
Lisa :luv:
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Thanks for your help, everyone. Amber ate a treat (she must have been sitting on it!) after about 40 minutes and finally let us back in to the living room! Since then, she has been a bit growly, but Mark has firmly told her 'no' and she has backed down. She's now sleeping in her bed.
I spoke to Cynthia at NESSR, where she came from, who is very supportive. We are going to see how things go. This is Amber's third home, but no aggression has been mentioned before, however she has always lived with other dogs, so perhaps she is trying it on now she is 'top dog' or in fact, the only dog? We are going to be very clear about her boundaries and get a crate or stair gate to she has 'time out' if necessary.
I absolutely do not want to give up on her, neither does Mark, as we are so attached to her already. I am sure we can get this right. It's still early days and tomorrow I go back to work after the Christmas break, so some sort of routine will be established again.
I've also emailed two behaviourists, one has quoted me £850.00 + travelling expenses, for two sessions, which is way beyond our budget! I'll look for others in the East Midlands area.
I'll keep you posted.
This site is great, it's kept me sane this past week or so. I can't express how grateful I am to you all for taking the time to help us. 'Thank you' just doesn't cover it!
Lisa :luv:
Glad you got back in, it does sound like classic resource guarding. The good thing is, if you know what it is, you can start trying to deal with it! For now, I wouldn't allow her anything she can take away and guard. It may be in previous homes, she has had to protect her things from other dogs or people, and is still in that mindset now.
This might be worth a read, but if you are in any danger of being attacked or bitten, don't approach.
http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/resource-guarding-treatment-and-prevention
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just sending a few :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
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I've also emailed two behaviourists, one has quoted me £850.00 + travelling expenses, for two sessions, which is way beyond our budget! I'll look for others in the East Midlands area.
:o They're having a laugh aren't they? Maybe someone on here can point you to a good one in your area. Top Barks might know of someone in your area.
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just sending a few :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
Thank you, hugs are always welcome. x
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So sorry for what you are going through, reading this, but I think your determination to keep hold of her and get the problem sorted is wonderful. Good luck and hope it all goes well for you. :luv:
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So sorry for what you are going through, reading this, but I think your determination to keep hold of her and get the problem sorted is wonderful. Good luck and hope it all goes well for you. :luv:
Well, she has mine and Mark's heart already. She is adorable and so loving and sweet 99% of the time. I don't think she enjoys being aggressive at all! I've always been of the view that the owners need to change their behaviour if they expect their dog to change its. Last night, we had no aggression at all. It was my first day back at work after the holidays, so Amber had about a couple of short spells on her own. Perhaps that helped her? She has not displayed any resource guarding traits at all since Sunday and Mark and I are working on being firm with our voice and generous with our love, as well as sticking to a regular routine and ignoring where appropriate.
Thanks again everyone. If I knew how to give a hug on here, I'd give you all a great big group hug!
HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGSSSSSSSSSSS
Lisa
xxx
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Lisa it sounds like she's really landed in the right place with you and Mark.
:bigarmhug: The hug icon seems to have disappeared. I had to copy this but it's :big arm hug: without the spaces between the words.
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I think you and Mark will be her forever home now, keep up with what you're doing and it'll all work out in the end :luv:
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I've also emailed two behaviourists, one has quoted me £850.00 + travelling expenses, for two sessions, which is way beyond our budget! I'll look for others in the East Midlands area.
:o They're having a laugh aren't they? Maybe someone on here can point you to a good one in your area. Top Barks might know of someone in your area.
Yes, get in touch with Top Barks.
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Wonderful update, Lisa. So pleased for you!
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Just to let you know - it's coming up to four weeks that we have had Amber and these past five days have been wonderful! No serious growling or snarling as before, just a couple of minor growls but stopped immediately one of us said 'no'. I'm so so happy with her. Not giving her any toys or bones for a while yet, it definitely helped not giving her things she could guard. Also, we realised that she gets very tired by about 7.30/8.00pm and needs to get in her downstairs bed. Once she's there, she sleeps til we go up. She gets into bed as soon as we tell her to and settles beautifully. So all in all, it's a much better situation than this time last week and Mark and I are very optimistic. Hooray! :D
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Just to let you know - it's coming up to four weeks that we have had Amber and these past five days have been wonderful! No serious growling or snarling as before, just a couple of minor growls but stopped immediately one of us said 'no'. I'm so so happy with her. Not giving her any toys or bones for a while yet, it definitely helped not giving her things she could guard. Also, we realised that she gets very tired by about 7.30/8.00pm and needs to get in her downstairs bed. Once she's there, she sleeps til we go up. She gets into bed as soon as we tell her to and settles beautifully. So all in all, it's a much better situation than this time last week and Mark and I are very optimistic. Hooray! :D
Hooray indeed :D
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Good for you! Onwards and upwards. xx
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So pleased to hear things are getting better for you. I haven't any experience of what you are going through but we contacted Mark at Top Barks for training issues we were having and I cannot recommend him enough. He turned our lives around with Meg after a two hour session :D
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Another thing I thought of is as you get to know Amber you will discover what her most prized treat is, eg cheese or ham etc, keep some in to use to swop when she has something you want to get off her, with Harry it is a tub of peanut butter he will give me almost anything if I have that in my hand. He only gets it very very occasionally so it remains highly prized and he practically drools when I open the lid :005: Ben will do anything for cheese. Its useful to keep something like this for times when bribery is essential
I was also going to suggest this, with Kez when she is wet & we fist come in, I lay a towel down for her to lie on to get a bit dry & she has a "chew", she now gets excited & expects this even when she is not wet, after a little while I take the chew off her ( I don't really like her to have them), I show her a very small biscuit, or it could be anything they love, she accepts it and also seems to know that I will take the chew away, she accepts this o.k. now , it only took a couple of goes. She now knows that this is the routine.
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Fabulous news - the best for your little girl. Well done! :luv:
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Excellent news!
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:happydance: lets hope you have "cracked it" :clapping: keep up the good work Julie.
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Pleased things have settled down now, I do remember this with Harry, we had several 'incidents' in the first couple of months. But the gap between each one got longer and longer, as he settled in. As others have suggested contact Mark (top barks) he had previously helped us with Ben and his recall, and the advice we had to help with Harry when he arrived was invaluable and made all the difference. He is not that far from you up the M1 ;)