Jasper's diary

[JudyN]

Poor old Jasper has had a stressful weekend. My mum came to stay, and DS2 and family came over both days so she could meet her great granddaughter. So all J's most loved ones, plus the small-but-juicy smelly noisy thing who seemed to get all the attention. But nobody would settle down quietly all in the right places, like they ought to, and he wasn't allowed to check out the little one, how was a dog meant to relax?

And of course he didn't know what was going on this morning while my mum was getting ready to go home - it can take her half an hour to get ready for a short dog walk by the time she's worked out what shoes to wear, if she will need a cardi and/or coat, has she got her false tooth and hearing aids in, whether she should take a drink... Once she'd finally left, and he realised we weren't all going for a walk together, it took me some time to settle him down - he needed a short walk, and a mooch in the garden, and persuading to move beds so he could be in with me rather than crying in the front room (I needed to get to work, and I can't work in the front room). But we got there in the end... I'm enjoying the peace and quiet too!

Gratuitous cute photo:

 

[Tinytom]

So cute ...

 

[Claire Davies]

Oh, the joys of a 'special' dog...

I was hoping for a quick walk this morning but the cold, crisp weather seemed to energise Jasper and he headed up to the woods, along a path where he has had a tendency to snark at other dogs. On the way up, he grrred at a small group of 'snack-size' dogs who yapped at his ankles, then at a friend's spaniel he hadn't met before, and finally at a 12-week old pointer pup... Generally he's tolerant of pups but there were a few of us milling around with our dogs cooing over the pups.

Then, shortly after, my friend accidentally stepped on his toe, and he jumped up and snarked angrily at ME! Which is probably better than snarking at her but still felt a bit unfair!

This makes him sound like a monster... 99.9% of the time he's a perfect angel and people simply don't believe he really needs to wear his muzzle. Until they step on his toe

Dogs barking at each other is perfectly normal, but he should be listening to and respecting his owner. Try rewarding him with a treat when he is being all cuddly and use a stern voice to tell him "No" when behaviour is not acceptable. Hope this helps xx

 

[RGC]

Dogs barking at each other is perfectly normal, but he should be listening to and respecting his owner. Try rewarding him with a treat when he is being all cuddly and use a stern voice to tell him "No" when behaviour is not acceptable. Hope this helps xx

?

 

[JudyN]

Dogs barking at each other is perfectly normal, but he should be listening to and respecting his owner. Try rewarding him with a treat when he is being all cuddly and use a stern voice to tell him "No" when behaviour is not acceptable. Hope this helps xx

Erm, you know nothing about my dog, and, it appears, nothing about modern approaches to dog behaviour & training.

 

[Claire Davies]

Why are you attempting to insult somebody who has legitimately replied to your post? If you don't want help why are you asking for help in a public forum. Confused.

 

[JudyN]

Why are you attempting to insult somebody who has legitimately replied to your post? If you don't want help why are you asking for help in a public forum. Confused.

Where did I say I was asking for help? If you checked out the thread title, you'll see it is 'Jasper's Diary', and also that the post you pulled up was from 2017. Behavioural advice should also be based on a full understanding of the dog and the circumstances, never on a quick snapshot of behaviour.

 

[JoanneF]

@Claire Davies This wasn't so much a request for help, as a record of Judy's dog's journey. Sometimes, it helps to be aware of the date of the post; there's a date stamp in the top left hand corner of each post. And, of course, be aware a poster's experience if appropriate (ether by reading the full thread or building a bit of knowledge by watching before jumping in. Judy is a very experienced owner who worked with a very challenging dog.

As I've been typing, I notice that Judy has already replied but I will add, using a stern voice to say 'no' isn't particularly helpful.

For example, I'd like you to imagine you are learning to drive. Every now and then, your instructor sternly says bangoh!.

You would be puzzled. Even if you stopped or interrupted what you were doing, you wouldn't know what you were doing wrong - driving too fast, not using your mirrors, turning left instead of right, going the wrong way down a one way street, in the wrong gear, too close to the car in front etc etc.

And "bangoh" is Japanese for no by the way, but essentially English is just as foreign a language to your dog as Japanese is to you. A firm no is at best an interruptor but importantly it doesn't tell your dog what he has done wrong, and what you want him to do instead.

 

[Claire Davies]

My bad! I jumped in with an unhelpful know it all comment and you were just regailing us! Just ignore me, I haven't had my vodka yet!