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poppydog83 - Tue Oct 30, 2007 2:51 pm
Post subject: sparky

As you all know by now,a few months ago a beagle x jack russell we named sparky moved in. And this hasnt gone without its problems,however comes some sad news. Please dont hate me anyone....
We have found (recently) sparky increasingly hard to cope with. He is constantly barking at anything that goes past our house human or car,he has gotten even worse when we take him out,his behaviour is now rubbing off on our jack russell and our lab x isnt his old self since sparky moved in. We thought we could cope with 3 dogs and sparky did show some promise and his behaviours got better. However they are now going back to the way they were. He is very possessive over phil sometimes or myself (depending on who he likes on that day,he is a bit weird) We are thinking of possibly rehoming him as we cant cope. I dont want to give up on him,but i dont know what else to do. Also me and my partner are possibly splitting up and im going to be the one who has all 3 dogs as he wont take any of them Crying or Very sad

please any advice would be grateful,dont hate me anyone Sad

clareabella - Tue Oct 30, 2007 3:32 pm
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awww that must be a very hard thing for you to do Sad

It sounds as though you have tried your best with sparky though Wink

Do you have any relatives that could take sparky in? I dont realy know what else to say. I have had to rehome a dog in the past and it was the hardest thing i have ever had to do. If you do rehome him to a stranger then i would certainly do a home check first, just to put your mind at rest.

Sorry i cant be of much help but i do sympathise with you. Good luck in whatever you decide to do. Very Happy

poppydog83 - Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:30 pm
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unfortunately everyone that knows of sparky knows what he is like and they are very reluctant to take him in. I have thought if he is to be rehomed then i will take him to wood green animal shelters near huntingdon (cambridgeshire),i know they are very good there with all their checks etc......Im just gutted that we thought we could help him and we cant,he is certainly a hand full

clareabella - Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:36 pm
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At least you gave sparky a chance Wink

You have done what you can so dont blame yourself!

Hcollie85 - Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:42 pm
Post subject: sparky

Have you though of talking to an expert about sparky's problems

Heather

poppydog83 - Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:58 pm
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we were going to try and find a behavourist,or go to training classes. But his behaviour just seemed to improve on its own,so thats why we left finding anyone to help us. I might ask the vet tomorrow if they know of anyone

Hcollie85 - Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:05 pm
Post subject: sparky

Have a look at http://www.lynne-davies.co.uk/ dont know if that will help

nahatalie - Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:03 am
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Watch the Dog Whisperer!!! Seriously, this guy is amazing, he seems to be able to solve any problem! Obviously the dogs on the show won't match Sparky's problems, but you can get an idea of how to "talk" to a dog using body language and "calm, assertive energy". He goes trains owners to become pack leaders and they are always amazed at how they transform thier dogs! Maybe Sparky thinks he is pack leader, and has to control everyone and protect everything. I know it's only a tv show, but it's pretty amazing what this guy can do for dogs! And I know he obviously cant help you directly, but the show might give you a bit of inspiration and hope. I think its on one of the freeview channels at 5-7pm every day.

poppydog83 - Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:23 am
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hcollies85 i sent an email to that lady from the website you suggested and am waiting for a reply,fingers crossed Very Happy

VickienBubs - Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:23 am
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i love the dog whisperer!! he is great, he has a book out so might be woth picking that up.

i would much rather spend lots of money to help my dog than rehome it but i know its hard when you have a mad dog that just doesnt seem to listen!!

i think every dog has their weakness and if you can tap into that then you are well away - maybe food/toys/extra hugs/offlead runaround, could be allsorts but if that particular thing is only gven to reward then they are more likely to respond. when they get your idea of thinking then that reward can get smaller and smaller and then hopefully the dog will do it as it becomes second nature. sometimes it takes not just months but years to install a behaviour.

i hope you can sort your situation out however is best for you. 3 dogs must take up so much time aswell, i know my single one does!! best wishes x

poppydog83 - Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:38 pm
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Well,ive had a reply from Lynne Davies. She will be sending me a price for her services and when she is available

Hcollie85 - Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:45 pm
Post subject: sparky

poppydog83 wrote:

hcollies85 i sent an email to that lady from the website you suggested and am waiting for a reply,fingers crossed Very Happy

Thats good i didnt think you'd get a reply but you did

Heather

clareabella - Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:33 pm
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awww i hope everything works out for you no matter what you decide Wink

poppydog83 - Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:35 am
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well i had another reply from lynne. The first consultation is 1 1/2- 2 hrs at/in the home and its gona cost me £200! I didnt realise it could cost that much,has anyone else used a behaviourist for their dog (s) ?

honeydlc - Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:38 pm
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Sorry to hear about your ongoing problems with Sparky Sad

That behaviourist does sound expensive, a few years ago I fostered a dog that the owner couldn't cope with and a behaviourist came round to mine for a consultation with the dog and owner, the lady was here for ages and the consultation cost £100.
I would ask around, speak to your vet and try and get some reccomendations, at least if you had a behavioural consultation you would know every avenue had been explored. Do you have pet insurance? I think some companies will pay out for behavioural problems.
I hope a solution can be found, it sounds like you love Sparky and have put in so much work already. But if it doesn't work out, no one will judge you, you have to do the right thing for yourself and your dogs, no matter what people may or may not think!
XXX

poppydog83 - Fri Nov 02, 2007 10:13 pm
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We also have another problem. Poppy our jack russell terrier is starting to pick up some bad habits from sparky, ie: constant barking,jumping up alot,if she doesnt get attention she isnt happy about it. Im worried if she pciks up on his behaviours all the time then we will have a problem with 2 dogs and have the possibility of rehoming 2 dogs.

Hcollie85 - Fri Nov 02, 2007 10:53 pm
Post subject: sparky

What seperating them for a bit in the same house or buying a kennel for outside

Heather

clareabella - Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:17 pm
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How's things going with Sparky hun?

coliel - Sun Dec 02, 2007 2:57 pm
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hi
could it be that the the way you and your partner are going may be causing the dog problems ?
you said that sparky was getting better but has gone backwards - perhaps your dogs are responding to the arguements, tension etc
if your partner wont take the dogs then may be he is doing less with them , this can all have an effect as to them you are the top dog and top bitch.
to help stop bad habbits forming with your dogs it is important to walk and play with them independantly!!
i know it takes 3 times as long to walk 3 dogs on their own but if you choose to have 3 dogs then its 3 times the work !!!!!
obviosly once every thing is calmed down and sorted you can walk them together but even then you realy should walk them and play with them on their own a few times a month!!!
this helps alot of dog problems imiediatly as they bond with you better and enjoy the attension!!
i remember my father getting up at 5 am to give one dog a good run then out at 6 30 giving his other dog a run before working all day then to do it all over again in the evening !!!!!
but he always had great dogs !!!!!!!
The behaviorist did sound expensive but if its needed then it has to be better than giving up on the dog .
try not to have to higher expectations on sparky try to deal with one thing at a time and ignore the other bad bits !!!
i hope this helps - it must be horrable to even have to consider rehoming !!!
love coliel

poppydog83 - Mon Dec 03, 2007 3:31 pm
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He is improving slowly every day. Im not sure if the problems with me and my partner are causing the problems. We dont argue at all,there is just tension between us.
You mentioned playing them independantly,but i dont wana shut 2 dogs away while ill play with the other. The thing is with my dogs when you play with one the others have to join in. And when we take one dog out for a walk and not the other 2 get very wound up. And it might not sound it,but even though sparky can be bad when he goes out,its sometimes easier to walk them all together.
As for the behaviourist yes she is expensive,and right now its not something we have the available funds for. We would have to save up for a while to do this. We dont have any expectations for him,we jsut have hopes that he will one day be a better behaved dog than what he is now.

poppydog83 - Mon Dec 03, 2007 3:32 pm
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Unfortunately he has also bitten phil twice lately,puncturing his skin the first time and the second bruisimg him really badly.

clareabella - Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:46 pm
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awwww it must be hard for you! At least you are trying with him though, so credit to you Wink

I do hope everything works out the way you want!
(((((((((((((((((((( HUGS! ))))))))))))))))))))))))

coliel - Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:15 pm
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hi
the fact that sparky has bitten your partner makes me think that the tension is the main problem !!
you may not argue but you dont need to to cause your dog destress their is a name for it but i cant remember what it is - but its where the dog takes on your worrys and behaves in a way either that is out of caricter oy regressing like for example weeing in the house, hyperactivity, destruction , etc
i know you say you cant afford the behaviorist but cant you think of it as life saving like an operation or some thing - after all helping a dog achieve its best and keeping him in the fammily he loves is just as important if not more so than fixing a bad leg !!!
i dont think it is wise to rehome as if you cant cope then it is unfare to expect any one else to be able to - perhaps the kindest thing would be to have him put to sleep ?
i know that it seems hard to play with one dog on his own but its realy important and should of been established the minute you had a second dog. - how ever all is not lost !!
try taking each dog to a seperate room and give them each a bone or filled kong. once they are happy with that then a few days later give two a bone and the other play time with you . swap around so every day each dog gets a bone and a diffrent dog gets the play time with you !!!
then leave two together and only give one on its own a bone - swap around over a few days .
then leave two together and walk one only for 5 minutes and again swap around.#
build up the length of walks untill you are giving each dog a walk once a week for at least an hour on their own.
the walks should include play time and training time - lotts of bonding !!!
once you have established this then go on to the next thing like teaching your dogs to stop barking on the word stop for example
i can tell you how to do this and any other training if you wish - just let me know!!!
lastly as far as you and your partner are conserned i cant suggest any thing to help the tennsion - its realy hard on you at the moment but things have a nack of working out !!!
love coliel

coliel - Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:52 am
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hi
any progress ??
i hope things are getting better for you all !!!
love coliel

poppydog83 - Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:22 pm
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well a the health and safety officer that works for the company i work for does some training with dogs and she runs some classes. So i am going to contact her in the next couple of days to see if she can help us

clareabella - Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:32 pm
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awww that sounds good! Fingers crossed for you and sparky Very Happy

shadylady - Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:52 pm
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maybe sparky needs more exercise than the other 2 or more stimulation as sparky is a cross terrier and hound dog, both types of dogs enjoy hunting and chasing things so maybe you should play with him outside by hiding his favourite toy and making him work to to get it or maybe he could go to agilty to burn of excess engergy, that he obviously has.

Koolkat - Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:13 pm
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take him to dog borstal lol that will sort him out Very Happy

xxx

coliel - Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:36 pm
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hi
im realy pleased you have found some one !!!!
i hope it all goes well !!
love coliel

poppydog83 - Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:55 pm
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might apply for dog borstal,the lady on there is the one i got the quote off for coming to our house to do the assessment

Koolkat - Fri Dec 14, 2007 12:12 am
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you should and then tell us all about it take pics to Razz

poppydog83 - Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:48 am
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Well,im gona try this lady from work first. Then if no joy from her am really considering that lady on dog borstal.

trooper - Sun Dec 23, 2007 12:16 am
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sorry to hear of ure probs, look on the adpt website, they have dog behavoiur theraphists on there and there should b one in ure area, they are highly reccommended by the dog world, and they are very good. price for 2 hours is normaly 110.00, but if ure dogs insured they should pay it for the adpt bcos they are regonised dog trainers etc.....
Good luck.