the puppy wizard

HOWEDY ferox,


Here's a original post to HOWER pit bull DEAD
DOG ambassador:

Shyness, advice please...
Date: 2001-05-04 06:21:56 PST Hello Chrisman,
"Chrisman Dinnan" <brocolli@earthlink.net> wrote in message news:B715727D.780D%brocolli@earthlink.net...


Are you sure you didn't leave a letter or two outta his name?


Sorry, we only sing happy birthday on the dog's birthday. Tell
him he'll have to wait his turn.

Strange that a dog at almost three would become shy?
Perhaps that's because nobody's willing to sing happy
birthday in advance, but them's the rules.

Yeah? This does sound suspicious.


Did you correct him for that? Restrain or scold him? Was he
rejected by someone he'd been greeting? Did anything spook
him, did he spook someone? Anything along those lines are what
I'd look for to explain why he's spooking, cause I think it's
very unusual.

HEY LOOK! I found them letters you was missing!!!! U, n, & a!
Here, keep 'em! Boy oh boy! Wasn't even lookin for letters or nuthin!

O.K. That gives me a thought...

Yeah. Sounds like he's nervous about greeting. Something's
happend to him while trying to meet people. Someone must
have hurt him by accident or intentionally, but seems like
something's been done that triggers a bad memory when he goes over
to greet someone... MOST LIKELY cause of this behavior would be
someone correcting him for jumping either
by physically contacting with him in a corrective manner from
either end of the lead.. or off lead from either end of his off lead people.

Maybe it needn't be something as overt as intentional
aggression towards him. Very often our approved, accepted,
recommended methods for handling our dogs will trigger exactly
the opposite behavior than what we want. Could be even just
restraining him on the lead is too overbearing and causes him
to be uncertain of his Usual self.


Something hurts or scares him at the moment he's thinking he
should trust a stranger or visitor.


I thought you said he'd be going right up to someone and then
spooked. If he spookes from a greater distance than arms
length, I'd be looking for something else as triggering him.

As for suddenly getting turned off to strangers at almot three
years old after being eager to greet them for two I cannot easily
accept that as being coincidental.


Dog sounds afraid.

That could be. Try mentioning Happy's name at times when Usul
is stressed or about to meet someone, that might help.


Had Usul been accustomed to meeting people without Happy being
there, did you always walk them together so Usul would
ordinarily just follow Happy's lead? Perhaps you can do the
same when meeting someone. Might take a little planning, but
set it up with an acquaintance you think might spook him and
go through a couple happy style greetings.


Bread's for poor people.

Strange that he'd start acting funny so late in life. Have you
been not taking him out at all since Happy died?

I'd also look into his diet. I'd look real close for anything
that could cause anxiety like additives bha, bht, ethoxyquin,
proplyene glycol, and avoid any cleaning products containing phenols.


If you want to run by the ideas you've got for desensitizing
him might be helpful. There's lots of ways this could be
worked out.

But my bet is someone's harrassed or intimidated him and
you'll need to just make plenty of successful introductions to
people.

Your pal, Jerry "The PHONY," Howe. j;~}

A short while thereafter chrisman MURDERED
HIS DEAD DOG Usul for grHOWEling at a child
when he jerked and choked IT on his pronged
spiked pinch choke collar...

the puppy wizard

HOWEDY ferox,


Here's a original post to HOWER pit bull DEAD
DOG ambassador:

Shyness, advice please...
Date: 2001-05-04 06:21:56 PST Hello Chrisman,
"Chrisman Dinnan" <brocolli@earthlink.net> wrote in message news:B715727D.780D%brocolli@earthlink.net...


Are you sure you didn't leave a letter or two outta his name?


Sorry, we only sing happy birthday on the dog's birthday. Tell
him he'll have to wait his turn.

Strange that a dog at almost three would become shy?
Perhaps that's because nobody's willing to sing happy
birthday in advance, but them's the rules.

Yeah? This does sound suspicious.


Did you correct him for that? Restrain or scold him? Was he
rejected by someone he'd been greeting? Did anything spook
him, did he spook someone? Anything along those lines are what
I'd look for to explain why he's spooking, cause I think it's
very unusual.

HEY LOOK! I found them letters you was missing!!!! U, n, & a!
Here, keep 'em! Boy oh boy! Wasn't even lookin for letters or nuthin!

O.K. That gives me a thought...

Yeah. Sounds like he's nervous about greeting. Something's
happend to him while trying to meet people. Someone must
have hurt him by accident or intentionally, but seems like
something's been done that triggers a bad memory when he goes over
to greet someone... MOST LIKELY cause of this behavior would be
someone correcting him for jumping either
by physically contacting with him in a corrective manner from
either end of the lead.. or off lead from either end of his off lead people.

Maybe it needn't be something as overt as intentional
aggression towards him. Very often our approved, accepted,
recommended methods for handling our dogs will trigger exactly
the opposite behavior than what we want. Could be even just
restraining him on the lead is too overbearing and causes him
to be uncertain of his Usual self.


Something hurts or scares him at the moment he's thinking he
should trust a stranger or visitor.


I thought you said he'd be going right up to someone and then
spooked. If he spookes from a greater distance than arms
length, I'd be looking for something else as triggering him.

As for suddenly getting turned off to strangers at almot three
years old after being eager to greet them for two I cannot easily
accept that as being coincidental.


Dog sounds afraid.

That could be. Try mentioning Happy's name at times when Usul
is stressed or about to meet someone, that might help.


Had Usul been accustomed to meeting people without Happy being
there, did you always walk them together so Usul would
ordinarily just follow Happy's lead? Perhaps you can do the
same when meeting someone. Might take a little planning, but
set it up with an acquaintance you think might spook him and
go through a couple happy style greetings.


Bread's for poor people.

Strange that he'd start acting funny so late in life. Have you
been not taking him out at all since Happy died?

I'd also look into his diet. I'd look real close for anything
that could cause anxiety like additives bha, bht, ethoxyquin,
proplyene glycol, and avoid any cleaning products containing phenols.


If you want to run by the ideas you've got for desensitizing
him might be helpful. There's lots of ways this could be
worked out.

But my bet is someone's harrassed or intimidated him and
you'll need to just make plenty of successful introductions to
people.

Your pal, Jerry "The PHONY," Howe. j;~}

A short while thereafter chrisman MURDERED
HIS DEAD DOG Usul for grHOWEling at a child
when he jerked and choked IT on his pronged
spiked pinch choke collar...