Hi everyone.
I was checking around on the web and you know what it is like to know when you have stumbled upon a diamond in the rough, this site looks great.

I recently added a new member of the family a month ago. He is a neutered 9 month old doberman, Fergie, with a stable socialized background from what I am told. Nothing has contradicted this in the last month.

The other member, Keekae is a 4 year old female-spayed schnauzer/poodle/border collie or something of that nature/mix. She was a puppy mill mom and has turned major corners in terms of her confidence. I spent 2 years exposing her to new situations and helping her to overcome her fears. It was slow and tug of war like.. two steps forward then one back.

It was a great experience to watch her come out of her shell. Not much has changed in my routine since the addition of the doby. I lead walk them daily about 1-2 miles, and also either walk/jog/rollerblade based on their energy level. We usually all go together. The only time I just take the Doby-fergie is when I am jogging and training, Keekae just can't keep up. It seems to work out okay because fergie's energy level is ridiculously high. I am quite active and I like that he can join in my activities, so we are a good fit. Other than that I try to treat them both the same. Basically, they both get a minimum of 2 good outings per day, and a huge variety of scenery/exposure.

I am not sure about where to start? Okay, my question is related to an incident that happened the other day. I was coming in with groceries and Ferguson managed to snake by me as I opened the door. I put the groceries inside and heard some yelping in the neighbors yard. When I ran outside I saw him standing on the driveway looking at me. The neighbors dog was leashed and I felt terrible because of this. His dog had a wound on his neck that didn't need stitches but was bleeding a little. I couldn't believe that Fergie would attack this dog?

Later in the day I noticed that Fergie also had a small wound on his eye and cheek.


There are a couple of points to consider, (other than It was my fault and he did not respect my space at door, with the distraction of the neighbors dog). I have worked on him at the door and his behavior is impeccable without distractions. I realize I have much more work to do with him and have to increase the challenge.

The neighbors dog is an large English bulldog basically locked in half of a ranch. He is only let out to relieve himself on a 20 foot leash, never walked or taken out to have new experiences. He will bark at me, my dogs, and will not even get along with his housemates dog, hence kept to half of the house. Not that it is the dogs fault, but it has alot of built up tension. I can walk off leash with Keekae and she will neither get nervous nor engage the neighbors dog. She quickly has recognized it as a negative energy and takes no interest in it. Fergie on the other hand wants to meet every dog and I truly hope to believe that he just naively jumped into a bad situation because he didn't know any better.(And didn't respect me, I know)

Is this a bad sign If he retaliated because the neighbors dog bit him, as far as implications down the road with meeting other dogs? He has played well off leash with other dogs up until this incident. I can fill you in with more of my routines and leadership work if you wish, I just don't want to ramble on aimlessly. I am not worried yet, but I am aware of his capabilities and power. I have had him a month now, and he seems to get things pretty quickly. He would like to harass keekae in the beginning, but I would just keep intervening and play the mediator at all times.

Then there are times when keekae would also harass Fergie, and I would correct her also. I always try to keep it fair. A steady dose of exercise has also curbed the harassing also. I will crate him and/or separate the two when I am not at home. They have lately been sleeping right next to each other every night for the last week or so, not on my bed, but the couch in the other room. Their behavior with bones and food is very respectful of each other. They eat together, and when one is done, they know not to enter into the others space.

The biggest difference I see in Fergie is his prey drive. This is not even evident in Keekae at all. Fergie has taken most of his attention off Keekae lately and wants to get anything that moves, squirrels, birds, ducks. Right now, we have a total misunderstanding between the two of us on this topic. He is not very willing to be patient and ignore his impulses. It usually ends up a stint in the crate until he calms down. I am using both positive reinforcement and some corrections, but it is a work in progress. I can get him to sit-stay, but not for very long in the midst of a distraction.

His behavior of wanting to get to other dogs (and play?) is a whiny bark and so similar to the one that he uses to want to go out and get the squirrel, that I don't know if they are different motives anymore? I have alot of work to do with him and I love the challenge, just hoping some of you could lead me in a good direction.

I have a decent understanding of dominance and dog pack dynamics, but not so much with obedience training. The two must be intermeshed to some degree, but behavioral training with reward works best for obedience? What has always stumbled me is that after establishing and upkeep of dominance over your pack doesn't equal obedience, shouldn't it though in nature or it that just something man established?

If anyone could help me out I would appreciate any advice. I will be checking out articles on obedience training, and then maybe I will have more specific questions. But for now, the most important is how bad did I mess up the other day with Fergie's run in with the neighbor's dog? Did I set my training and socialization back?

Thanks
Kevin

Edited by Connie Sutherland (05/16/2009 04:09 PM)
Edit reason: paragraphing

Okay,
I should be studying for my final exam next week, but I spent all day yesterday perusing the website. I ordered a dominant collar to try out with fergie. I want him to focus more on me and not fall out (so to speak) around prey and other dogs. I have been reading a little on prey drive, play drive, tracking.

Before I even start changing my routine, I will have to make sure my plan is solid. The last thing I want to do is confuse the guy. If I don't know exactly what I want from him, how the Heck is he going to get it. So in the time being, I am working on the look, heel, and sit/stay with some distraction. Fergie did perfect yesterday with sit/stay as I paraded around the backyard with keekae on leash. Where he begins to have trouble is when he wants to engage another dog (I say engage because I am almost postive it is play/inquisitiveness). He will sit/stay for maybee 15 seconds, then I lose him. I have been using 100% positive-reward reinforcement. I believe you call this markers? Anyway, I am hoping with the dominant collar and a long leash and also using reward, I can get better results.

Before I begin I really need one piece of advice, and maybe I will stumble upon it when I get some leerburg videos. I have never owned a purebred working dog, and had no intention of using him for "working", other than basic jogging and exercise. I know that most purebreds really are happiest when they do what they are bred to do. So, would I be discouraging his prey drive by correcting? My gut tells me NO, but I just want to make sure I am on the right track. I "feel" that the correction will be understood by the dog as a consequence of disobedience, and I will praise obedience by eventually giving a prey-like toy or treat. Is the prey drive something I should encourage? It seems to be highly valued in certain working dogs, but is it something I should consider, and can this instict be spoiled by poor handling?
Thanks,
kevin

Correct inappropriate prey drive.

If you 'loose' him after 15 second sit stay, ask for a 14 second one and gradually build it up. It sounds like you are moving a little too fast.

Thanks tanith!
I will start with that, while I continue to learn more.