Recent Posts by shellyandleon

Topic: General / Forums are getting out of control!!

we love EVERYONE on mds and we respect ALL opinions! lets keep the love on here alive, as loving our dogs is what its all about. lots of love, shelly and laila!

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / controlling her around other dogs whilst walking!

hi there annie,

this is shellys mum. thanks for your reply. at present im teaching shelly "look at me." this is where i have a treat in one hand and hold both arms out to either side of me. i say to shelly "look at me" and she has to look at me until i tell her she can have the treat. it took her a little while, but as soon as i put the treat in my hand and hold my arms out to the side of me she knows. i also rarley have to use a treat, sometimes i say look at me and she holds my gaze. i will definatly try what you suggested. it sounds great!! she already is getting the hang of look at me, so i could say when we see another dog "uh oh" and then "look at me" while walking away really fast, giving her the treat while she is looking at me and walking away. many thanks!!

laila and shelly

Topic: General / washing dog beds

thanx tina, will remember to tell my mum to use mild stuff when washing my bed!

Topic: General / washing dog beds

hey guys, my mum asked me to post this!

she wants to know if there are any tips on washing dog beds from you guys!

i have a flat dog bed with foam in the middle and a soft cover over it. at present, my mum soaks the cover in wool wash for a couple of hours, rinses it out and puts it in the machine with stain remover (as the bed can get black from me laying on it!) and has it on a short wash with a low spin. it comes up ok, and im also bathed every week. as for the foam bit, she airs this out side.

she wants to know if this is ok or if anyone else has any other suggestions??

many thanks!

love shelly xxxooo

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / controlling her around other dogs whilst walking!

hey there, thanks so much for your post!

im laila (shelly's mum) writing on behalf of shelly for this one. yes, my girl is very protective of me and i know thats only what she is doing. she does not know these other dogs either and does not know if they will attack or not, or be friendly, so i guess she is getting in first by wanting to sniff them out and take off over to them just to be sure. lol i do grip slightly around the back of her neck like a mother dog would but i will definalty try the new command 'cower' with shelly as she picks up commands quickly. this will be good to get her focusing on me and not the other dogs. i know with time this will come. i was also thinking about using this kind of chain on her too, as at the moment i use a halter as walking her with out would be impossible. (for being the runt of the litter, she is so strong!!) the halter is fine for walking, but does nothing to controll her around other dogs! so i will definatly try the chain and the command 'cower' and see how we go! thanks so much!!!

laila and shelly

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / controlling her around other dogs whilst walking!

hi there,

thanks for that. i thought thats what her problem was, that she has not been socilized enough. i will check it out!! i agree, its all about finding one way and sticking with it. many thanks!

shelly and laila.

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / controlling her around other dogs whilst walking!

Hi There,

I have a question for everyone! (It's a bit of a long post!) I am Shelly's mum writing on behalf of Shelly, because this is becoming quite a problem.

I walk Shelly every day mostly, and always use a halter on her as she would walk me! I have noticed that when we go for a walk and there are other dogs around, she acts like she has never seen another dog. She jumps up and down, spins around, barks, whinges, growls and keeps looking back at the other dog until they have passed. This nearly trips me over as she gets tangled around her self. When the other dog is about to pass, Shelly tries to take off (with a lot of strength!) like she wants to sniff or play with the other dog. She is uncontrollable until the other dog dissapears. This happens with every dog we pass.

I have tried many things. I carry a squirt bottle with me and squirt her every time she is uncontrollable. She ends up with a wet head and this does nothing as she is so focused on the other dog! I also have tried sitting her while the other dog passes, but this also does nothing. I speak to her in a firm voice "no" and keep walking, pulling her halter closed which closes her mouth as I go if she continues. I give her a light rap on the nose if all else fails, which it usually does! Even this fails! Due to this I walk her just after lunch as there are not many dogs around at this time.I would like to walk her at different times of the day as to not get her used to a routine.

Shelly is about 10 months old so she is still very young, but is quite used to going on walks as I trained her as soon as I could. She is also very protective of me and the house and will growl/ bark at new people if they get close and she does not know them.

Any help would be appreciated!

Shelly's Mum.

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / agility training

Hi There,

Thanks for the advice on ensuring to teach my dog to stay beside me before joining an agility club and competing. I have taught her to come, we are just working on the stay part. Sometimes she gets easily distracted, and I don't want her running to another dog while she is off leash on a course and I call her to come. Would socilizing her with other dogs a lot help her to be used to being around them, or will dogs get excited about other dogs being near all the time? (Eg is this a puppy stage?)

Thanks,

Shelly's Mum

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / agility training

Hello!!

I would love to start adgility training with my owner Laila. I was just wondering when I would be able to start this? I turn one in August. Also, would you reccomend using one piece of agility equipment at a time? Or start with a few?

Thanks,

Shelly.