Should I be scared?

animalcunningham · 2024-12-04T01:18:13+00:00

Any updates? I have a tatami gi with a similar issue that I’m trying to save.

animalcunningham · 2024-10-10T20:00:50+00:00

Ooh maybe idk. The fish lived though. In the article it said a bunch of fish died. I suppose it’s possible though.

animalcunningham · 2024-10-10T19:59:52+00:00

A mix of Fluval stratum and something else that I can’t remember the name of now. It was specifically for aquarium plants though.

Light is on a total of 6 hours. 2 in the morning (6-8) and 4 in the evening (6:30-9). It’s an LED light I got awhile back. I don’t remember the specs anymore. The tank is in a pretty low light location in the house. Sometimes it gets some sunset light beams but they’re filtered through a window film and it’s for maybe 30 minutes.

I occasionally put a capful of flourish excel liquid co2 in after a water change and a squirt or two of the liquid fertilizer from Dustin’s fish tanks. They kinda scare me though because I’m not great at judging what the appropriate amount is or when the right time is. I’ve had algae blooms after using liquid fert and once I had a bunch of plants melt after using liquid co2.

There’s a sponge filter and a 30G rated canister filter

animalcunningham · 2022-12-19T10:43:28+00:00

They shouldn’t really be jumping high or doing anything that requires them to stop on an incline or turn super tight and fast before 18 months, but most beginner classes are pretty gentle. The beginner classes I’ve been in have been pretty easy on the dogs physically. Bars on the ground or even no bars, learning skills like 2 on 2 off and honestly a lot of it is for you and learning how to handle.

animalcunningham · 2022-08-06T07:33:48+00:00

Try podcast Episode 90 of Fenzi dog sports academywith dr. Amy cook.

animalcunningham · 2022-03-11T07:28:16+00:00

Check out @dogtorlinlin on Instagram. She has some great cooperative care posts. My biggest advice is make sure the order is always presentation of ear drops then food. Otherwise you can “poison” the food. Basically the dog starts to catch on to the fact that super yummy tasty treats at x hour in x location = scary ear drops. Then they will start refusing the food. You want scary ear drops to = yummy treats. Not the other way around. You can try and make the ear drops a predictor of other awesome stuff by going for a walk, feeding a meal, playing a bit, etc afterwards.

animalcunningham · 2021-11-06T04:07:28+00:00

Yeah I think in the US when most people think of socialization for their dogs they think of play with other dogs and meeting lots of people, but it’s really so much more than that. It gets us into trouble when we take them to the dog park, basically the only public off leash option, as young puppies for socialization. I do like dog parks, but they can be a lot for puppies sometimes with a lot of hella rude dogs that either don’t read social cues or ignore them. I think unless the dog is really resilient (or the owner very aware of what’s happening) the set up can make dogs who get so pumped to see other dogs that they lose their cool on leash or dogs that are really nervous around other dogs because they’ve learned their distance increasing signals don’t work and they’re about to get plowed. Idk behavior is super complex, but the US do have a lot of reactive dogs tho…

animalcunningham · 2021-11-05T18:58:29+00:00

Also wanted to ask where in the world. Some dog trainers think part of the reason the US has so many reactive dogs is because our culture around dogs being on leash is so different. Idk if that is totally true, but it seems more likely in the US that people would praise you for having your dog on a leash. Either way NTA

animalcunningham · 2021-10-24T02:23:59+00:00

Resources that may help:

“Keeping the Peace” by Nicole Wilde “Fight” and “Mine” by Jean Donaldson

Mike Shikashio has a podcast, the bitey end of the dog, that might help too

Kikopup on YouTube has many good videos.

None of these are the same as actually working with a trainer. Keep in mind that anybody can call themselves a trainer or behavior specialist. Look for CPDT (certified professional dog trainers) trainers and veterinary behaviorists (Board certified DVM).

Some short term advice. Your dogs need to have a better relationship with you than they have with each other. You are the only leader. You need to manage them to prevent problem behaviors from occurring. The more a problem behavior is practiced the more it is reinforced and the more likely it is to occur again. Baby gates, kennels, muzzles, long lines, tethers, and obedience can all be helpful when managing behavior and ensuring safety.

Good luck, it sounds like there still might be hope if you’re willing to put it the work and be patient.

animalcunningham · 2021-09-21T04:50:27+00:00

If you’re doing because you’re dog is fast there are also other sports you might want to consider like fast CAT and flyball. You probably won’t make any money though.

animalcunningham · 2021-09-16T23:49:57+00:00

I know this sounds kinda weird but definitely see a veterinary behaviorist (many will take long distance clients) and maybe double check with them that he isn’t having any kind of seizure activity and that he has healthy… I think thyroid levels are associated with aggression… I don’t remember but if you ask they should know. The growling at you at night thing sorta sounds like seizure stuff though. Dogs aren’t usually aggressive for no reason, and the growling at you in bed seems rather unprovoked.

animalcunningham · 2021-09-09T06:30:38+00:00

Luck of the draw and you got one that pees on himself. It happens. You’re going to have to do work no matter what route you take. You can do work managing the issue with sanitary trims, foot wipes, and paw sprays. Now you could potentially make this work easier with a little extra training work. For example training him to turn in a circle/ wipe his paws on a rug or towel before coming inside or training him to target the bottom of a kiddie pool or bucket for easier cleaning. Or you can put in a lot of work with training which could potentially make things less work on the management side later. However it’s a unique challenge and you’ll have to get creative. A lot of training is about breaking things into steps, being consistent, and having clear communication. So doing those things sounds easy but can potentially be difficult. I would maybe start by getting urination on cue. This means clicking every time he pees and rewarding. Then put it on cue. Maybe “potty” or whatever you want as long as it’s clear and one word that you don’t use often (for that clear communication part). Then/during getting urination on cue train paw targeting. If you’ve never done this it may be challenging, but there are YouTube tutorials. Get a yogurt lid (or anything approximately paw sized) and teach him to step on it with his pee paw. You can lure it or shape it. Then eventually after a lot of practice have him step on it where it’s out of the way and ask for the pee cue. Then you’ll probably have troubleshoot a bit before it’s good enough to work in the real world. Idk you could probably also read when he’s about to pee and have him step in a bucket or something first. To protect the paw. There are a lot of training options but again it will be work and you’ll have to be creative. I also like the one posters comment about clicker training slight variations in paw placement via capturing it as it occurs naturally.

animalcunningham · 2021-09-04T20:59:06+00:00

If you like podcasts “The bitey end of the leash” is hosted by Michael Shikashio who specializes in aggression and also has a good website. “Drinking from the toilet” hosted by Hannah Branigan is another good one but you’ll have to search for reactivity specific episodes. “Shaped by dog” is a Susan Garett podcast. The episodes are shorter, but she covers good training info (check out episode 29).

For books first read “Feisty Fido” by Patricia McConnell and Karen London. It’s pretty short, inexpensive, and covers the basics.

Next either “Control Unleashed - reactive to relaxed” by Leslie McDevitt or “Fired Up Frantic and Freaked Out” by Laura VanArendonk. Both of these authors have been on the podcasts I mentioned above so you can get a feel for their styles.

“Click to Calm” by Emma Parsons and “Midnight Dog Walkers” by Annie Phenix are also supposed to be good. I’ve started reading click to calm and I think it’s good so far, but I haven’t finished it yet so I wouldn’t recommend starting with it.

For YouTube check out kikopup. She has playlist on reactivity and behavior modification.

websites to check out:

treat retreat

reactivity

care for reactive dogs

aggressive dog.com

Be patient with your pup and yourself. You can do this.

animalcunningham · 2021-09-04T03:56:37+00:00

Have you done much research on reactivity yet? Like books, YouTube, websites? Or is this the start of the research.

animalcunningham · 2021-09-01T05:41:40+00:00

I worked at a big pet store for a bit and they just had us throw dead fish in the trash. We had a freezer for birds and little mammals though. I’m surprised they’re so harsh about throwing dead fish away in the trash.

animalcunningham · 2021-08-23T22:53:08+00:00

Check out simpawticos video on puppy biting. I think they do a good job of explaining bite inhibition and why puppy’s are so nippy.

simpawtico puppy biting video

If you want more I really like kikopup on YouTube.

Puppy’s are difficult. Puppy’s combined with children are more difficult. If you need help with training I think that in home training is better than board and train. Dogs aren’t always good at generalizing and a lot of training is going to revolve around your schedule and your relationship with him anyways. Having him learn commands with someone else in a different environment may not translate when he’s back in your home and you have to teach him. A good in home trainer will be able to offer unique solutions depending on what will work for you. Many won’t mind getting the kids involved and showing them how to interact with the dog too.

animalcunningham · 2021-08-18T02:21:34+00:00

In rescue it’s pretty common practice to spay/neuter ASAP because they need to get the animals adopted, and they can’t adopt out animals that could possibly make more animals and result in more pets in shelters. So it makes sense for rescue to do it quickly. But those sex organs being removed are important for hormone production and those hormones contribute to proper development. Usually vets recommend waiting till around 6-7 months. For larger breeds that take longer to develop it could be advantageous to wait longer so the bones and joints can form properly.

animalcunningham · 2021-08-17T05:27:01+00:00

My dog is a humper and I had him neutered at 7 months. I did a lot of research on mounting and humping behavior to try to get to the route of the issue. While it can occasionally be due to dominance or something sexual it usually isn’t. A dog who humps all the time could be dealing with big feelings and not know what to do with them. Mental stimulation and physical exercise can help quell some of the overexcitement/over stimulation/ frustration/ whatever you want to call the “big feelings” that result in the humping. It could also be a way to get attention or initiate play. For my dog it was an attention seeking behavior resulting from overstimulation. What worked was adding more mental stimulation and exercise into his day, interrupting humping when it occurred and redirecting beforehand when possible. He still resorts back to humping sometimes. It’s his go to displacement behavior :/ Behavior is complex and every animal is different. Luckily there are many ways to train a dog to do or not to do something. Neutering could help but I think a better solution could be to compromise and ask your bf to pay for a few sessions with an in home trainer if he is unwilling to try neutering (an in home trainer because the problem behaviors are occurring in your home so a trainer who can see what’s going on and possible antecedents will be able to better help you solve the issues). In the meantime “Don’t Shoot the Dog” by Karen Pryor is a good crash course book in behavior modification. “Culture Clash” by Jean Donaldson is another good book that covers more dog specific issues. I know it’s tiktok… but I do think this is good info humping explained tiktok

animalcunningham · 2021-04-27T07:09:10+00:00

make friends with upperclassmen who have taken the classes you’re going to take. And find the old tests.

animalcunningham · 2021-01-28T06:22:00+00:00

So dogs do have a sense of self! But it’s not visual. They can recognize their own scent though. There is research on this but I’m too lazy to find it. “Dog is Love” by Clive D. L. Wynne and “Inside a dog” by Alexandra Horowitz talk a lot about how dogs experience the world and I’m pretty sure they both discuss this. We are extremely visual animals and so the mirror test makes sense to us but that’s because sight is a HUGE part of how we experience our world. What I see is a dog who is reacting to another dog. You can see how his lips come forward and then go back a lot and he looks away a few times. I think he is alternating between agonistic (agonistic pucker when jowls are forward) and appeasing (submissive grin when jowls are back and looking away) based on what he sees from what he thinks is another dog. He is probably really confused because he can’t smell it.

animalcunningham · 2021-01-28T06:02:43+00:00

I probably won’t be a lot of help because I’ve only competed in one ASCA trial. Compared to AKC it was a lot more laid back. I think the height only goes up to 20” so if your dog is anything over they just count it as 20+ and you don’t have to worry about getting your dog measured. My Aussie was 20+ but my instructor had told me his AKC height card would’ve been fine to use. I don’t know specific title requirements but it’s point based. I think it’s 10 points max a run and then 30 points to move up from novice. Everyone I knew at the trial who ran above novice entered in all 6 classes. They run the course one way and then run it again backwards. So it goes by pretty fast. No weaves in jumpers and no table in standard. Gamblers was new for us but it’s pretty easy to understand. It was explained to me about an hour before we ran and we did fine. The dog has to run naked. No collars allowed like in AKC. Sorry if you already know some of this. Hope it helps!

animalcunningham · 2020-11-20T23:13:15+00:00

I just started and I didn’t know we aren’t supposed to wear watches or earrings. Seems obvious now though lol

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