Southern by Choice's Teaching Moments- Indoor LGD! Badger

[Southern by choice]

My female GP and my female Australian Shepherd despise each other. Polly the Aussie will attack Paris the GP and the fight is on. Or Polly will snarl at Paris and that is an affront to the Queen's dignity. The fight is on. I go to great lengths to keep then separate.

Breaking up the fight? Last one took my DH and me to pull them apart and Polly went to the vet to get the gash in her head stapled.

If we didn't jump in, Paris would kill Polly. Polly has always been the instigator and goes down fighting, but she would lose.

What things have you done to correct these issues?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I couldn't do it, lol. I tried to keep my mind distraction free, but nope. In fact, earlier this week I had an MRI and needed to stay perfectly still. I managed to be still physically, but allll I could think about was moving. I wanted to blink, I wanted to swallow, I wanted to scratch my nose...

 

[Southern by choice]

LOL - if others try the exercise they will really get to see how long a literal minute is.

Most of the time we use the word minute as an idiom.
New York minute is now and an Egyptian minute can mean 3 days... but minute in a literal sense is a really long time.

I am going to wait and see what others say and how they respond then I will get back to @animalmom 's question.

 

[mikiz]

Not LGDs but a friend's dog who is reactive to every single dog she meets, was fine until their other dog grew up a bit and suddenly it was to-the-death. Mastiff x I believe, has hip dysplasia and the owner is a purely R+ trainer. Says she's worked with her for a few years and she's better than what she was but still tries to maul most dogs, especially anxious or excited ones.
I'd like to know what you'd do to deter or correct this behaviour @Southern by choice

 

[Southern by choice]

Honestly I really couldn't say. The dog would have to be observed and evaluated to see what the actual triggers are and how the handler/owner handles the dog.

Most dogs that are aggressive and have issues with going after other dogs are directly related to how the handler/owner deals with the dog. Dogs feed off the owners signals way more than people think.
Most of the time they are reinforcing the very issue they are trying to eliminate but are not aware they are doing so.
A few years? Yeah, time for a different style of training IMO.

 

[Southern by choice]

I just had to add I find the theory and style of the "R" training somewhat disturbing... and yes I will go on a tangent for a minute... The same crap style of parenting is also an issue. This whole thing of replacement and redirect and refocusing TEACHES NOTHING!
And people wonder why we have so many ill behaved pets and ill behaved children. Sick of hearing people "redirect" little Johnny when he is throwing a tantrum instead of letting little johnny know a tantrum is unacceptable ... Little Johnny grows up never hearing no, never realizing his behavior is undesirable and yet somehow the parents think he will outgrow it...

Dogs same thing...
No means no, yes means yes. I believe in a great deal of praise when it comes to dogs but I also believe in blame and shame. So to speak.
I absolutely believe in developing relationship. I expect my dogs to succeed. If I have a young dog (meaning older pup) in while kidding and that pup starts to lick or go for the afterbirth hanging off a doe and I redirect but never teach it NO how will it know that it isn't acceptable?
Alternative behaviors... oh brother.
What is the alternative behavior , what should it be replaced with when a LGD decides chasing or mouthing livestock is ok or fun? What about poultry?

I guess you could say I believe in teaching self-control. The dog can be taught self- control and learn that proper behavior is a reward unto itself. A happy dog is a well trained dog.

Getting off my soapbox now. Tangent over. Resume all normal activity.

 

[mikiz]

^ I LOVE YOU, this has been my founding belief since forever, I wish more people were like you.

Interested to hear what the 60-90sec clear mind thing was about!

 

[Mike CHS]

I went with 90 seconds but it does seem like a looooooonnnnng time.

I guess you could call that a Tennessee minute since nothing gets done in a hurry. They have a saying that everyone adheres to and that is -- if you have to get somewhere in a hurry ..... you don't go.

I got bit by my Aussie when she got into it with the neighbors big lab. She did it instinctively and quit fighting as soon as she realized what she had done. Fortunately I was able to keep a hand on until she went submissive. I don't think many people know how vicious those cute Aussies can be but she hasn't done anything to the Lab since then.

 

[Baymule]

Southern, I just keep Polly and Paris separated. Polly is utterly devoted to me and doesn't want to share. So she piles into Paris whom she sees as a rival. And the fight is on. The enmity between them is deep and irreconcilable. Just easier to keep them apart than trying to erase the hatred between them.

At one time they tolerated one another. Four years ago my mom had a stroke and I stayed with her for several months. I came home every day for a few hours to cook supper for DH, Mom and me, then back to mom's house. The dogs got all weirded out, missing me. Feeding the chickens, with Polly at my side, Paris came up for attention and Polly attacked her. They absolutely hate each other now. Polly is a smart alecky snot and will snarl at Paris through the wire fence. Scolding, firmly showing my displeasure, short of beating her, LOL, does no good.

I value each dog as individuals. Both were grown when I got them and you already know Paris was a problem child. They will never be friends. Ever.

 

[Blue Sky]

Thank you for this thread. My "boys" were giving me some trouble. I'd done a lot wrong, got two brothers about a year old with some exposure to goats but not sheep. Job changes kept me from training. Chasing and rough play became issues. I did the suggested obedience, separated them to different pastures and the hot Summer temps slowed undesirable behavior. They are so much better now and will be great LGDs. I have been lambasted for using shelter dogs (pun intended) there can be lots of set backs but I think most LGD breeds are smart enough to learn from their mistakes and ours. I would recommend having an experienced dog to help train especially if you're just starting.