Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello everyone! I'm a little concerned of Shine's temperment after his accident. He is now very attatched to me. He seems to get jealous of my boyfriend. He has barked at him, but never anything more than playful. We took Shine to my cousin's house, before he got his stitches out. He was a bit sleepy, but when my cousins wife went to pet him, he growled and acted like he was going to nip her. She pet him later and he was fine the second time.
Today, I'm at work. My boyfriend told me that one of his friends came over, Shine growled and barked at him and tried to nip him, my boyfriend told him no and went to grab him and he did the same thing to my boyfriend. My boyfriend hasn't ever hurt him, and he wasn't like this before his accident. Could something be wrong with him? Or is he just more protective of himself?
Does he just get scared>?
My boyfriend does rub his nose in his potty when he has went inside before...and I have not. I don't know if this may make him not feel safe around him or what? Just being my worried self!
Could it just be that he needs obedience training!!?
Jena & Moon Shine
YES Shine needs obedience training. He can't go to training yet but you can work on small things for him at home.
And Boyfriend absolutely MUST NOT rub Shine's nose in anything. (Shine is like a year-old baby. Would you push a year-old baby's nose in his poop?)
Those two must develop a good relationship so the first thing to do is to make all of their interactions as positive as possible. Boyfriend should start by simply calling Shine to him and immediately rewarding with a small treat when Shine arrives. That will make Shine associate good stuff with Boyfriend.
Shine can learn very quickly that desired behavior gets him rewarded. You can use a single piece of kibble as a reward, but you can also use other stuff as treats. Cut up some cheese or something into tiny pieces so he isn't eating tons of extras. But make ALL of his appropriate behavior rewarded. Take a baggie of treats and hand them to anyone Shine interacts with, including strangers.
You will learn from a trainer how to fade rewards later so that you won't be rewarding everything every time. Ask Shine's doctor when he can go to a training class. Or, if you have the resources, you can get a trainer to come to your house. I've done that and it isn't as expensive as it sounds. A 10-week class with other dogs may actually cost more than 3 sessions at home alone, and he may learn more that way. If you can do a few private sessions while he's recovering, it will also do double duty: It will keep him busy so his energy doesn't get him in trouble. I know you asked about that, too.
But please always reward the good and don't ever punish a dog for toileting in the house. If you catch him in the act, you can correct him and show him the right way. But correction is not punishment.
Shine's breed is almost too smart for his own good, but he will learn so fast and blow you away. Give him the chance to put all that puppy brain to good use. Teach him what you want and reward him.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
I agree totally with DakotaDawg. NEVER rub a pup's nose in anything. In fact it is worse than useless to punish a dog for ANYTHING unless you catch him at it, and even then, physical punishment is hardly ever the right thing to do.
Training, he certainly needs, but he needs positive training, not punishment-based training. See if you can find a book on dog body language and dog social behaviour to read - Patricia McConnell has written a good one called 'The Other End of the Leash'. It's quite readable and will help you to understand how to relate better to your pup.
I just looked up how long ago Shine had his accident. He had a leg amputated only about three weeks ago? There is every chance he is still in some pain or discomfort, so if anyone has been anything but gentle with him, his growling is quite possibly his attempt to protect himself from further harm.
Ooops. Sorry, I just noticed that this query is in the 'Ask a Vet' section (I got to it from the new posts lists).
I am not a vet. I did train as an animal nurse, but many years ago, so really, I'm just a dog owner these days. Mods, please move or delete if it's not appropriate for me to post here.
Oh I'm not a vet either, and maybe I should not have replied here, but this seemed more a general question about training so I opened my big mouth!
We have some non-vet people here who do wonderful things with training. Should this post perhaps be moved elsewhere so that Jena can benefit from those people?
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Hello Shine's mom! I wouldn't automatically attribute Shine's behavior to the accident and surgery. Because of how young Shine is this situation may have come about even if those things had never happened so definitely don't blame yourself! I don't like to base behavior issues on breeds but Aussies are so so smart that I have often seen them pick up bad habits if they do not have proper guidance. I think that your 100% best bet is to get Shine signed up for obedience training at your local kennel club or through a private trainer, I am not a fan of PetSmart training when real behavior issues (like budding aggression) are involved. Your vet could give you some tips, but this is something that is not going to be fixed overnight, and is going to need to be ongoing and reinforced. A trainer will provide structure and guidance for you, your boyfriend, and Shine that vets do not. I think that Shine should be able to attend class at this point, as long as the trainer knows that activities need to be limited for the first few weeks. Most beginner/puppy obedience classes aren't too rigorous. I would also advise going to your local kennel club so you can get Shine in agility classes after his general obedience classes. I am a big fan of agility classes for smart high energy dogs, and although Shine may or may not do competitions (based on your kennel club's rules and your comfort level) this will give him an outlet once a week to really focus on something. My local kennel club is great with Bert, in the puppy agility class he can do anything the other dogs can, the trainer works with him slowly and carefully if there is something that he isn't as comfortable with because of his missing leg. Good luck!
Jena, I highly recommend you connect with Tracy, Maggie Moo's mom. Maggie is a tripawd and Haley is an Aussie quadpawd, and Tracy does agility with them both. I think Maggie had to tone it down recently due to her "maturity," but Tracy is a wealth of information on this kind of thing. She could help you connect with an agency that could work with Shine, I'm sure. If you don't mind, I'm going to send her a link to this thread and see if she can chime in. I think she knows more about these high-energy smart pups than just about anyone else I can think of.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
That sounds great Shari!
Thanks for the information, Heather!
And thanks for your input Jay!
My boyfriend and I had an Aussie before Shine. We are used to their energy, and intelligence. However, we have always trained our own dogs. Ace was our quadpawd's name, he was gorgeous! He was my boyfriend's dog. His temperment was VERY different than Shine's. Ace would listen to anyone, but was Bo's (my boyfriend) dog. Ace was hit by a car, and my boyfriend was devastated. This happened November 11th this past year. He was one year and one month old. Shine was my boyfriend's Christmas present. Shine has decided that he is MY dog, not Bo's. We knew that Aussie's can sometimes have that temperment of possessive, guarded dogs. We just haven't encountered living with one until now! We will just have to work a bit harder to help him learn aggression is not the way to go!
Anyway, I would like to take him to obidience training! I'll have to see about finding a place in town that offers that type of training. I live in a small town in Iowa so there aren't a lot of people that do in home training or even obedience training around here. I was wondering about agility! I also wondered about him being a working dog..he may not be as fast as another dog, and I'm not sure I would want to take the chance of him getting kicked. He herds children already though! 
I'll just have to look into what avenues I can go down to get some of his pent up energy focused in good areas! My funds are limited as well, and I know that the one obedience trainer that we do have in this area is very expensive. My Grandpa takes all of his dogs there. I will do some looking online to see if I can find any at home obedience training!
I will start introductions with rewards now! And even coming to Bo, I think we'll start doing that as well. We always praise him when he comes, but I guess we'll have to use kibble too! He is a smart cookie!
Thanks everyone! I guess this didn't turn out to be much of a tripawd question! Sorry! I thought it may mhave been related to the accident. Thanks for all the help, anyway!!
Jena & Moon Shine
I'll add that for Jackson we've benefited with obedience training...from our local park and rec! We live in New England and in an area with loads of small towns. It's pretty common for one town to offer dog training and "allow" citizens of another township to join their park and rec program. These have saved us a lot of money and are with folks who may be well seasoned and are 'giving back' or trainers who are new to the area and are seeking ways of getting their name out there (maybe....they try harder and are more accessible?). Call your town offices near you and see what's going on. If they don't offer any dog training right now, see if they have in past and get that person's name and phone number! Your vet may have some names of trainers, too. Maybe seek out some other friends in need of a trainer and that way you can set up your own little 'semi-private' lesson in your living room. You could probably negotiate the costs that way, too. Good luck! Your Aussie will do great!!!
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Hello to Shine's Mom,
I haven't completely read everyone's replies but Shari is spot on in her replies!
Yes, I do own an Aussie(quadpawd) and Maggie my tripawd, who both did agility but are now retired from it(quadpawd had a shoulder injury). But they have trained & competed in other things since then, such as Rally-O and Wag It Games. I will say that Aussie's aren't just herding dogs but also guardian dogs. So some of what you're dealing with could be that showing too. Going all "Cesar Millan" on a dog is NOT the answer to any dog. It will most likely make matters worse.
Maybe this link will help:
http://www.k9st.....aussie.htm
I will say for our tripawds and this is a puppy tripawd...a tired dog is a happy dog and with our tripawds we must be careful to do low impact exercises. PT exercises are of great benefit even to puppies! 3-5 minute sessions on top of for example, a balance disc, working on tricks, can really tire them out both physically and mentally.
I would suggest finding a positive trainer - clicker trainer - to help you with obedience training....and an added bonus to clicker training...it's FUN for both human and dog
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
maggie said
Hello to Shine's Mom,I haven't completely read everyone's replies but Shari is spot on in her replies!
Yes, I do own an Aussie(quadpawd) and Maggie my tripawd, who both did agility but are now retired from it(quadpawd had a shoulder injury). But they have trained & competed in other things since then, such as Rally-O and Wag It Games. I will say that Aussie's aren't just herding dogs but also guardian dogs. So some of what you're dealing with could be that showing too. Going all "Cesar Millan" on a dog is NOT the answer to any dog. It will most likely make matters worse.
Maybe this link will help:
http://www.k9st.....aussie.htm
I will say for our tripawds and this is a puppy tripawd...a tired dog is a happy dog and with our tripawds we must be careful to do low impact exercises. PT exercises are of great benefit even to puppies! 3-5 minute sessions on top of for example, a balance disc, working on tricks, can really tire them out both physically and mentally.
I would suggest finding a positive trainer - clicker trainer - to help you with obedience training....and an added bonus to clicker training...it's FUN for both human and dog
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm not a vet, but I see others who aren't vets have also replied. I'm dealing with some similar issues. Obediance training is good but you might also read about reactivity in dogs. With Floyd, my quad dog, I'm doing a lot of "reactive rover" and BAT training. Floyd was abused, neglected and then in and out of the shelter and foster homes before I got him. He is by far the most traumatized dog I've ever worked with and was considered hopeless by many. He has fear aggression issues too but has come a long long with with those techniques. (I'm also working with an animal behaviorist). I am using those same skills with Cora.
blackdogcompanion said
With Floyd, my quad dog, I'm doing a lot of "reactive rover" and BAT training.
What is BAT training?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh sorry, Behavioral Adjustment Training. I believe it's ok post links? Here is a good article about it: http://www.pete.....g-dog.html
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