Introducing Gigi, Case 1 History

A little something different for at least the next week, I am going to blog on an in-house case.

History:
1. General Information:

• Dog's name is Gigi.
• Her breed is mixed, owner thinks Lab/Doberman. It's hard to tell, sometimes her profile almost looks Great Dane to me, but from the front their are similar characteristics to a Doberman face, and the squareness of the jaw line could come from lab origins.
• Thought to be about 4-5 years of age.
• Gigi is spayed.
• Socialization with other dogs and men has not been going so well. Also children are thought to perhaps be a problem for Gigi.

2. Health problems: None known of.

3. Problem behaviors: 1) Aggression to other dogs. 2) Wary of men. 3) Not trusted around children.

4. Goals and objectives of training program: Gigi is staying for one week, and a minimum of three weeks was suggested. Owners' would have a problem paying for the three weeks. Therefore are goals during one week are 1) to show improvement in handling and obedience around other dogs (and other general distractions, but a focus around other dogs) and 2) to concentrate on the let's go command and heel with auto sit during this week. Anything else that can be fit into the program, will also be fit in, but these are ambitious goals.

5. Length is one week board and train, and then coaching the owners on a go forward basis from there for three follow up lessons that are included in the board and train, and then hopefully a weekly obedience coaching program at a minimum of six weeks. It's really important to be able to show the owners what can be done in the one week time period in order to gain their confidence in their dog.

Board and Train has been suggested as owners have been battling with this for the last 8 months. We want a nice start to Gigi's training in the most effective and efficient way possible. It will be hard for the client's to get to the learning curve needed quickly, and meanwhile Gigi's behavior has been on a downward slide. So once we have a foundation instilled, it will be time to bring the owners into the training program.

6. Both written evaluation form, and in person consultation to view the behavior and client's interactions with Gigi.

Dobermans are the...

Fartiest (is that a world) in the world. Seriously, I have woken up from a sound sleep.......with eyes watering.

Why My Job Sucks (NOT!!!!)

Preston is becoming acquainted with the daycare situation in these pictures. He is a young cocker spaniel puppy, and now he plays with the big Dawgs, like Logan (Rottie) and Leon (Red Doberman) and his housemate, Pluto (Black Lab).

Need your dog trained? Visit the http://www.mannerlymutts.com services page. Or contact me at 207-361-4395 in York Maine. Ask for Robin Rubin, Dog Trainer.

Say no to HSUS, PETA, No Shock Collar Coalition (NSCC) or Truly Dog Friendly Organization (TDF). Articles and information on why I do not support these organizations is on here and here.

Cerber Plays Ball

Here are some pictures of Cerber's favorite activity in the yard.

Cerber Plays Ball

Here are some pictures of Cerber's favorite activity in the yard.

Wordless Wednesday-Good and New Friends

Carolyn Scott Freestyle Dance

Here is what freestyle dance with your dog can look like:)

Jackie Loves The Water

Day At The Beach

A Day at The Beach

Blog Fish

http://mcgibfried.blogspot.com/2006/03/dog-training.html (Adventures of an owner and her besenji)

http://matt.carter.name/blog/2006/03/why.html (Police Dog Handler Poem)

http://www.petlvr.com/blog/2005/09/dog-training-how-to-house-break-your-dog/ (Tips on Housebreaking)

http://www.fideliodogs.com/dogblog/?p=38 (On Clients and A Common Problem with Client Dog Training)

http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/lskrocki?entry=dog_training_woes (cute story on child training dog) http://blog.dogdoright.com/?p=20 (Seniors and Preferring to Relate to Visiting Dogs One on One)

http://animalsuffering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=18580 (Police Dog Dies Chasing Man) http://judysworld.net/blog/index.php/2006/02/10/on-being-a-benevolent-leader/ (One Take on Benevolent Leader-Unfortunately PP Take---but still good philosphy)

http://www.petville.com/pet_community/2006/03/the_iditarod.html (Iditarod Article)

http://spadafori.typepad.com/woof/2006/03/bad_dog_does_go.html (Review of a Book on a "Bad" Dog Named Marley)

http://www.dog-college.com/2006/03/five-ways-to-tell-that-you-re-not.html (Five Ways to Tell You Are Not Ready to Own a Dog)

Allergies to Dogs

Different people are allergic or not to different breeds. My step mother is not allergic to English Sheep dogs (my husband is allergic to English Sheep Dogs), but is allergic to other breeds. When we were first looking for a dog (9 years ago) we found out this unfortunate fact, as every time I brought my husband to look at a dog in the shelter I was volunteering at, (and I was sure to bring the dog outside of the shelter) he would have an allergy attact right away. As far as controlling allergies, my husband has other medical issues, and is on much medication all the time. As you know, medications can have side effects, and side effects in combination with each other. Instead of wasting our time and money and jeopardizing my husband's health in any way, it seems more expediant to have a dog that he is actually not allergic to. He also has severe asthma, so a medication not working right or conflicting with anther medication can cause severe problems. How did we find out my husband wasn't allergic to Dobes, when we realized that there were breeds of dogs that my husband WAS allergic to (we had thought him only to be allergic to cats before), we began visiting breeders, and talking to them around their dogs for at least an hour. So we were walking in the kennels et, and it would become apparent (especially with so many dogs around us) quickly if Robert was in fact allergic to that breed. Everyone's chemistry is different, and the allergies don't conform in the stereotypical way most people will have you believe. One of my pet peeves in the shelters (I was looking for a Dobe in our shelter system before picking out Leon), is these shelter staff that will tell you unequivically, that no one is allergic to dogs that have standard poodle type hair, or dogs that don't shed, or all short haired dogs. It annoys me because they are not (in my opinion) giving out anywhere near close to the correct info, and could be about to cause some nice family or person some real heartbreak. Not every person has an "easy" time controlling these allergies. Some people actually are best to find (if possible) a breed of dog where they don't need to rely on medication to keep their breathing at an acceptable level. Good inquiry.