I am wondering if you could help and advice please.

Maggie is our 3 year old collie who came to us as a recue dog almost 18 months ago, she is an amazing dog in many ways -

I am disabled and she assists me in that she knows when i am getting ill and let me know before i even know - she even knew i was having a miscarriage 24 hours before it happened and after it did happen she did not leave my side. also when i have falls she doesn't leave my side until i can get up etc

But due to my disability i have mobility problems and balance issues, which seem to be getting worse over time, i walk with crutches at the moment but am begin to rely on my wheelchair more.

back to Maggie, as i mentioned she is very good in many ways including be a play mate for my son.

But i do not believe she was socialised as a puppy and she lacks social skills with other dogs she tends to make a lot of noise almost like singing and pulls on the lead, i can get her to sit but by no means settle. and if she is on the lead and comes face to face with another dog she becomes very over excited and the other dog tend to get rather annoyed with her !! With my disability i am finding this very hard going. Additionally when greeting people into my house (i have physio's and other medical staff at times) she tends to want alto of attention and takes a while to settle which can be quite difficult to deal with.

i attempted to go to training classes with her but we were turned away as we would not be able to fully participate ?!?!

I am looking for any help and advice that you may be able to offer us as i want Maggie to continue to have good long walks with me especially as my husband is in the military and is due to be going away for 4 months next year.

Thanks for reading

Try to find someone in your local area that you can walk with several times a week, preferably with a calm friendly dog that she can socialize with and gain confidence from.
Baby gates are very useful in the house

Yes we use baby gates but they are not very wheelchair friendly if you know what i mean ?

Yes, they do restrict the width of the doorway

I have the travel baby gate, with soft mesh in the middle.
It's presure fitted, and when you lift the handle to go through you just pop the whole gate off its very easy to use.

x

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hello-
all of the mad/excitable behaviour sounds like could well be due to pent up energy.
When you walk with her does she go offlead at all?
Does she pull on the lead or does she walk nicely beside you?
What is she fed on?
How much exercise does she get roughly per day?

Whereabouts are you based? Reason I ask is someone may be able to recommend a decent behaviourist who will do a home visit and will come and give you some help r.e. training and socialisation with other dogs.
I think it was pretty bad form of the other trainer to turn you away without even offering home visits etc...

I would also definately consider hiring a dog walker for her, someone who would be able to take her out once or twice a week with their own calm dogs and to help socialise her with them.

I think another thing to consider is giving her some mental stimulation. Clicker training would also be a fantastic way of teaching her the basics. I think clicker training nice little tricks would be an excellent way of getting her to use that clever collie brain of hers too. You could also teach her to do some helpful stuff for you. I taught my collie to shut doors and drawers for me for instance. Also you could teach her to fetch stuff on command for you, press the remote on the TV, put things in bins/baskets for you. Collies love working for you, so I expect she'd really enjoy this.
There is a really good book you can buy called Dog Tricks by Mary Ray which gives you step to step guides to teaching loads of tricks and basic obedience as well as an introductary section at the beginning for those new to clicker training:
Dog Tricks: Fun and Games for Your Clever Canine: Amazon.co.uk: Mary Ray, Justine Harding: Books

Have you heard of clicker training before?

Here's an explanation of it that I wrote in another post, a while back:




Hope this helps

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When you walk with her does she go offlead at all? Not currently as she is not 100% predictable with other dogs - altho we do spend alto of tim ein garden which is like 110 mtrs square
Does she pull on the lead or does she walk nicely beside you?She pulls not herendously but yes she pulls
What is she fed on? she is on 50% bakers and 50% better by nature
How much exercise does she get roughly per day? she gets 20 mins plus a 40 min every day and twice a week gets a 6-12 mile run with hubby

Whereabouts are you based? i am currenly near watford but we are shortly moving to wittering whcih is near peterbourough

I think it was pretty bad form of the other trainer to turn you away without even offering home visits etc... yes she was awefull and knocked my confidence no end

I would also definately consider hiring a dog walker for her, someone who would be able to take her out once or twice a week with their own calm dogs and to help socialise her with them. i will definatlty look at that

I think another thing to consider is giving her some mental stimulation.
she already assists me in some was ie when i have falls and also she notifies me when i have injurys and infections before i know - but extending that would be fab



Have you heard of clicker training before?yes but i havent fully investigated i will lokk into further

Here's an explanation of it that I wrote in another post, a while back:






Hope this helps [/QUOTE]

re OP


hey, steph! :--)

as lemmsy said, clicker-training is wonderful for engaging the brains of smart dogs -
and LEVELS training is a good, goof-proof way to train on ones own, if there is no good nearby hands-on help!

re her lack of dog social-skills, Control Unleashed and Click to Calm are 2 books that deal with desensitization + counter-conditioning via very specific re-training.

a dog-walker who would get her out with other NONreactive dogs would be good - but many dog-walkers just pick up whichever dogs are going for a ramble, and the Wrong Dog in the mix could make Ur dog that much worse.

so ask the dog-walker very specifically if the dogs will be sure to be compatible, not random!

just getting her some brain + body exercise can help - did U see my thread on Rainy-Day training?
there is a link that has all sorts of limited PHYSICAL activity training, that gets her head working...

B-Mod is not impossible for dog-savvy pet-owners, but it does require that U be able to read the dogs level of arousal, any worry, growing aggro, etc, while it is still *small!*, and keep them === under their threshold=== for actual reactivity, thru-out the session...
this is a challenge, are U capable of reading the dog that well?

if not, i would enlist a good pos-R trainer who works with reactivity, or a qualified behaviorist - they are an enormous help, and it may not take weeks on end; if they can get U set up with a training protocol, U may be able to do the hands-on training Urself. they write the plan... U implement it.

TETHERS can be very helpful in the house, without blocking doorways;
they can be set in place, or portable. (portable tethers need a door if they are the 2 x 4 lumber type; or they go on banisters, heavy immovable furniture, etc).

umbilical cording can also work wonders!
cheers,
--- terry

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terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

Hi again stephwiggy and thanks for your responce

I think what you are doing is very sensible. I'd definately carry on keeping her on the lead until you have seen a behaviourist/ trainer who can give you some pointers r.e. socialising with other dogs and teaching a recall. However what you could do is keep her on a harness and long line or a double ended lead so that when you are walking in say a field, she can have a bit more free rein. You can then practice recalling her (usually using a separate command like "come" is better than her name) and rewarding her with treats or toys when she comes up to you
What is she currently walked on? A collar and lead. I think maybe something like a halti harness or a mekuti balance harness might be good because you could then use the double ended lead with it and when you wanted to give her more rein, just clip one end of the lead onto the clip behind the shoulder.
Just a suggestion- but I've heard lots of great reviews of the mekuti balance from people and the halti.

A few links for you:

-This is the long line (I think you can get this at most pet shops including pets at home- it is very long, so can be a bit of a fiddle, in which case a double ended lead might be easier and more preferable. It's best to have a dog that is on a long line on a harness so that when they hit the end of the line they don't put strain on their neck
Long Line - train your dog with confidence
Picture:


- The Mekuti Harness- to be used with a double ended lead. Benefits stated by the website:
Prevent pulling on the lead
Reduce anxious on lead behaviour (might help with keeping her calm around other dogs)
Improve control - speed and direction (might help you if she is pulling lots)
Improve balance, thus reducing stress on joints

Mekuti Balance Harness - stop your dog pulling on the lead - 30 day money back guarantee.

Pictures below:

As you can see it works in a simular way to the halti- with a D-ring at the front of the dog's chest and one at the shoulder. It's been developed by two renowned positive reinforcement based trainers. This is what they had to say about solving the issue of pulling on the lead and the harness:

Mekuti Products - Problem Solving


Road walking with the mekuti-



You can see how the double ended lead is attached to the d-ring at the chest and shoulder in this pic-


then as I suggested earlier one end of the double ended lead that attaches to the d-ring at the chest can be unclipped allowing the dog more free rein if you are training recall etc...



-There is also the halti harness which works on a simular idea

Halti Dog Harness - Stops Dogs Pulling Kindly


Oh and just to add, obviously any such forms of training equipment will not solve problems miraculously but they can certainly lessen the dog's ability or indeed need to pull and help them to improve. To totally solve issues such as pulling on the lead, you need to couple a training harness/headcollar/collar with good positive reinforcement heelwork training


Sounds like diet could definately be a contributing factor to the over the top behaviour from her. Bakers is not a particularly good food tbh. My friend rescued a collie who came to her on (Bonkers ) Bakers Complete and he was, to say the least completely loopy. They took him off the bakers immediately and the difference after just a few days was astonishing! He was so much calmer and had a greater ability to concentrate for longer periods.
The reason behind this, is basically because bakers is full to the brim of additives and colourings which sends many dogs, totally hyper. It's very much like giving a child too many sweets.
I think if you could get her on a decent diet, this could certainly help improve things with her. I should also add that many better foods may well work out cheaper than bakers too!
How much would you want to spend on dog food? Dry or wet? Or both?
One food which is particularly fantastic for collies is CSJ.

Here's a few options from their product range

1. Natural Champ Adult
Ingredients:

Beef and Lamb Meal, Wheat, Bread, Chicken Fat, Maize, Chicken Liver, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Green Leaf Vegetable, Full Fat Linseed, EC permitted natural anti-oxidants, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin C and Rosemary Extract.

Price: £9.75 for 15kg!

2. Natural That'll Do!
Ingredients

Chicken Meat Meal, Wheat, Rice, Chicken Fat, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Wheat Feed, Full Fat Linseed, Prairie Meal, Yeast, EC permitted natural anti-oxidants, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin C and Rosemary Extract.

Price: £10.95 for 15kg

3. Lamb with Rice (Wheat Gluten Free)
Ingredients

Lamb Meal (min 26%), Maize, Oats, Rice (min 6%), De-hulled Soya Bean, Chicken Fat, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Minerals, Alfalfa, Salmon Oil, Yeast, Minerals & Vitamins - stabilised with EEC permitted anti-oxidants, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin C and Rosemary Extract.
Price: £19.00 for 15kg

4. CP21 (Salmon)

Ingredients

Fresh Salmon (min 26%), Whole White Rice, Corn, Fish Meal, Barley, Chicken Oil, Oats, Brewers Yeast, Sugar Beet, Whole linseed, Salmon Oil, Herbs (marshmallow, peppermint, fenugreek, parsley, rosemary), Minerals, Vitamins, Chicory Extract, Yucca Extract, Chondroitin, Glucosamine Sulphate & MSM.

Price: £29.40 for 15kg

If you are interested in CSJ- why not email Ceri at CSJ and ask for her recommendations and some samples?
Dog Food for gundogs, sheepdogs, agility dogs, and show dogs.

Another good food is Whites Premium (dry):

1. Whites Premium Active
Chicken, Garlic & Herbs

Ingredients
Chicken
Herbs (4%)
Rice
Garlic (4%)
Carrots
Green Beans
Whole Linseed
Maize
Beet
Fish Oil
Yucca
Mineral and Vitamins
Vitamin A, C & E, Prebiotic FOS
Omega 3

£26.99 (15 kg)

2. Original Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken (26%)
Rice (26%)
Barley
Poultry fat
Sugar beet pulp
Fish meal
Brewers yeast
Yucca extract
Minerals
Vitamins
Omega 3

£17.95 (8 kg)
£31.99 (15 kg)

Whites Premium Dog Food
I think you can request a few sample online too:
Whites Premium Dog Food - Request a FREE Sample

- Arden Grange (wet and dry)
are also excellent
Natural Premium Dog Food & Cat Food From Arden Grange

- Burns (dry)
Burns Pet Nutrition - Real Food For Pets

Wet food wise I totally recommend Nature Diet (this is what my friend swapped her rescue straight onto and the change was amazing!)

It literally contains no artificial ingredients whatsoever and is also wheat/gluten free and 60% meat:
Natural Dog Food | Naturediet

Just to give you an idea, these are the ingredients in their "Chicken with vegetables and rice" food:

Chicken, minimum 60%
Vegetables, minimum 5%
Brown Rice, minimum 5%
Omega 3 (provided by Flax, Fish Oil & Meat) minimum 0.25%
Omega 6 (provided by Flax, Fish Oil & Meat) minimum 0.75%
Natural Ground Bone
Kelp
Herbs (Rosemary and Rubbed Sage)

Pets at Home and most other pet shops sell this or you can buy it online (Berriwoods sells it at a very good price )


Sounds good. Is this split up during the day- so that 20 mins in the morning and 40 in the afternoon say.
The jogging with your hubby sound excellent. I was actually going to suggest Cani-X as a way of giving her some really good exercise until you have trained a recall.
There are waist belts and stuff that you can buy to attach the dog's lead to so that you don't have to hold the lead too I think.

In fact some people actually do Cani-X races and the like with their dog. I don't know whether this grabs your husband but if he enjoys the jogging, he could do this with her too? Maybe a short jog in the morning/evening with your husband (as an extra to what she already has) might be an idea and really benefitial to her and help burn of some of that endless energy?
Canicross - where your dog takes you for a run

Here is a list of a few APDT behaviourist/trainers near Watford:
Source:
http://www.apdt.co.uk/trainers_area....=Hertfordshire

and some near Wittering:


Source:
Local Dog Trainers in Cambridgeshire UK


Totally- I think clicker training would be an excellent way of getting her to use that clever brain.
What you have just said r.e. her assisting/alerting you has reminded me of something. I know someone who has a progressive condition who is training her dog and aiming for assistance/alert dog status with her dog. Maybe you could use clicker training to further what Maggie already does for you? The person I know, has trained her dog to do loads of really fantastic things and she has found it great fun to teach him and he has so much fun helping her He'll fetch things like her phone for her, shut doors, fetch clothes for her from the drawers etc... I think there is a scheme that you can do with a charity called dogAID, as this is who the person I know is doing it with?
Dog Aid Home Page
Totally fantastic stuff IMO and the dogs look like they are having so much fun

Phew... that was a long post
Hope this helps in some way and keep us updated on the lovely Maggie

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Thanks so much i will have a busy couple of days - including the first thing to change her food!!

here are a couple of pics of maggie moodle !!!


Just incase anyone wonders the one in the crate - this is where she sleeps and her quiet time place ! just incase anyone thinks she is all caged in !!


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