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Posted by Poodle Girl on March 13, 2008, 12:08 am, in reply to "Re: Help!--Not about your breed though"
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Thank you for the response this morning. You sound very busy! Here's an update.
My daughter that was bitten also has a dog and has been using the same trainer I use. She's been training with this guy a few weeks longer than I have, and so he's had a chance to observe her. His skill impresses me more as I watch him, because he's able to handle dogs AND people. My daughter had told him about the incident with my dog, and he was able to be relatively tactful but also to convey what I also had perceived--that she was partially responsible for provoking the bite, and needs better techniques to deal with him.
He asked her to come to our session, and he spent quite a bit of time showing all of us some exercises to get the dog under better control. None of them involves sitting on the dog or rolling it over or such; it's all calm, positive reinforcement of desired behavior, and equally calm corrections on the leash for undesirable behavior. He also suggested an addition to the daily exercise I give them; she's to take the dog out for an additional walk each day. (They're fairly well-behaved on walks.) So, generally he's prescribing some better ways for her to assume leadership. Work the dog calmly, correct it calmly when necessary, and it will learn to do what you want it to.
I once again brought up the nastiness at feet and ear cleaning time. The trainer reassured me that as we get the boy calmed down, he'll accept being fussed with. He'd better! He's a poodle for petessakes. Someone's always going to be after his ears and his feet. (He is a rescue dog, and part of the reason for the rescue was that he had been neglected and hadn't been groomed for a couple of years.)
Anyway, this trainer's methods seem effective, and the dogs are noticeably calmer the more we work with them. So--assuming no further incidents--I'm willing to give it some more time, as I can handle the dog reasonably well and my daughter has some better techniques for doing so herself. What's more, she is noticeably calmer and more confident with the dog than she was when the incidents first occurred.
I appreciate your thoughts and your time. I'll check in once in awhile to let you know how it goes.
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