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Cookie has been waking up about an hour earlier than usual. This has been happening for about a month now. Before that, she didn't wake up until 6, now she wakes up at 5 and barks and barks and barks. Jason won't go to her until 6:00 no matter how persistent she is (We know it's not a potty issue). And he always waits until she is quiet for a few seconds before going to her.
Is there any way to break her of this habit other than going to bed later? We can't go to bed any later than we already are, and nothing about her schedule has changed so I don't know why the sudden change. Occasionaly she will go back to sleep, but for the most part she just barks and digs at the door of the crate for that hour before Jason gets up. The only thing I can think of is daylight saving's time, but that would have made her sleep an hour later if anything.
My downstairs neighbors say they can't hear her so it's not a noise issue other than for us, but this is a habit she needs to get out of and I don't know how to break it. She barks and barks and barks. We are going to look into getting her an ultrasonic bark eliminator or a citronella collar but if anyone has any other ideas, PLEASE help!

I wish I could help you Jessie but all I can offer is support and encouragement and just hope that is maybe a phase! I can imagine it is a right pain! You are lucky you don't have to worry about your neighbours although I'm sure that's not much consolation to you.
I hope you get some good advice from someone very soon and find a solution to this.
Best wishes,
Mark

Thanks for your support Mark, I really appreciate it. I too hope it's just a phase, but I don't think so. A friend of mine suggested she might be waking up so early cause she's hungry, so we are going to try giving her a snack before bed, like a small scoop full of food. I am also going to buy an ultrasonic unit to control her barking, and a no-jump harness to try and control her jumping. It's just that we are trying to deal with SO many issues right now, and nothing seems to be working. We have her challenging me for pack position, barking early in the morning, pulling on the leash, she's no longer willingly going to her crate anymore and I don't know why, and I think she is mouthing more than she should be at this point. We've tried everything in the book up until now, and some things work for a while, but then she stops. Like with challenging me for pack position. I tried acting more 'boss-ish', standing real tall with my hands on my hips and acting more dominant, but she isn't buying it anymore. She's right back where she was a few weeks ago. Ignoring her doesn't work, leaving the room doesn't work, putting her in another room doesn't work, the only thing we haven't tried yet is an electronic correction which unfortunately we have to resort to. It's all very frustrating and where I am trying to be as patient as possible, Jason is extremely frustrated and not only is it rubbing off on her I'm sure, but it's rubbing off on me too. He's had it with her and I've had it with him. We love her very much, don't get me wrong, and wouldn't give her up for a million dollars, but we're both very tired and frustrated and out of ideas. I hope the ultrasonic unit works, if not we're going to try a citronella collar, if that doesn't work we'll have to try a shock collar, as much as I am against it. We're just running out of options...

Don¡¯t give up Jessie! You¡¯ve come so far with her and you have both worked so hard. I¡¯m sure it will be just a matter of time before she settles down. It seems so unfair that you have waited for so long to have a puppy of your own and now that you do you are having these issues. Maybe it is all a big test to see how strong you are! Maybe Cookie is testing you to see how good parents you both can be! I still don¡¯t really understand the full ¡®pack leadership¡¯ issue but I¡¯m sure Cookie must know who feeds her and takes her out and protects her from things she¡¯s not happy with. You know I have no experience or qualifications to advise you but I really hope you both tough it out.

Talking about the whole pack position thing it did cross my mind does Cookie know who is top of the ladder so to speak? Is it Jason or is it you? Maybe it¡¯s a case of Cookie regarding Jason as top dog and she¡¯s competing with you for second place. From what I¡¯ve read if that is the case then maybe it¡¯s down to Jason to show Cookie that you are second place and she is 3rd and then you can relax for a while and let Jason do the work to show her that you come before she does. Just a thought.

As for the bedtime treat I give Echo a little chewy thing before I turn the lights out and it settles her down well.

Be strong, you know you can do it. The electronic thing sounds horrible but I know it¡¯s easy for me to say and I guess if I was in your shoes I would have to resort to doing the same thing.
Mark

Yea it's pretty much established that Jason is top dog and she is challenging me for second. I wish I could let her feed the fish or something so she could have someone below her lol. She definitely listens to Jason better and he has been disciplining her when she barks at me cause thats what works the best, but I am afraid this will just teach her she doesn't have to listen to me at all. She is very obedient when she wants to be, other than when she is barking at me, she will do any command for me, but when she's barking, she doens't do anything I tell her to. Otherwise she is fine.
We have to get her some proffesional training. I am kicking myself for not getting her into a class sooner. We wanted to, we just never got around to it, I know thats horrible, but we're paying for it now. I am going to sit down with Jason tonight and have a serious talk with him about patience and training and figure out a game plan. Nothing we've tried so far has worked so we are obviously doing something wrong, I just don't know what. Hopefully a trainer can help us determine that.
Thanks so much for your support, it means a lot to me. It's nice to have someone who isn't just going to tell me I screwed up but not give any real advise. Thanks so much for all your help! I really appreciate it!

hello...how old is cookie and what breed is she? my sister has a shiba inu X american eskimo mix and is 6 months old right now. our biggest thing with 'magic' is she is digging alot and could care less about the 'come' command. also eating anything and everything she can get into her mouth. magic started out in a puppy class and is now in a basic obedience class. she is making progress but only when she is on leash. we haven't had a barking issue like your having, although she does bark like a watch dog should, and magic is pretty good with her crate. we used it mostly for housebreaking.

i've watched shows about dogs being all wired up and have lots of energy becasue they are crated for long periods of time. some suggestions were very long walks and outings. or if you have a dog park take her for some playtime with other dogs an socialization to wear off some energy. if you haven't had her in a pup class it may not be to late if she isn't to old yet. also a basic obedience class will help her to redirect her attention. since it sounds like your haveing the problem instead of jason? maybe you should take her. although you both can do it. i'm not an expert...just some 2 cents on the matter for ya...

i would use the electric collars only as a last resort.

Thanks Janome! Cookie is also 6 months old, and she is a German Shepherd/Catahoula mix. We are absolutely going to get her into a training class. I am printing info on a place nearby as we speak. Better late than never. She is too old for puppy kindergarten, but they have an adult beginners class for dogs ages 19 weeks - adult. They use clicker training and has come highy recommended from a friend of mine.
Today at lunch, when it was time for her to go to bed, I got super duper excited about it and she was less apprehensive as she usually is about it. It worked wonderfully with potty training, and she doesn't cry in it or anything, but she doesn't want us to leave either. So I am wondering, if it has just been our moods lately, and my lack of excitement when putting her to bed. I am going to stay positive and don't let her read into my discouragement so much. I am going to talk to Jason about doing the same. We need to stop getting frustrated and start working on the task at hand. I am going to make a spreadsheet (I love spreadsheets!), listing all her problems and what our reations should be, where she is having so many issues right now, I think writing it down will help us stay on track with a training program.
Cookie also likes to dig, although not so much lately (Knock on wood!). I think it may have been that she specifically likes to dig in the snow. Occasionally, she will start to dig in the yard, and I just tell her "No Dig!" and give her a little tug on the leash and she moves on.
Thanks for your help! Are you new to the boards? I don't know if I've seen you here before. If so, Welcome!

a shephard/catahola mix....you have yourself a very high energy dog there!! training classes will definately help.and if your both up to it, you and cookie, agility would be great also. my sisters dog magic seemed to change attitudes when she turned 6 months. i think this is their equivilant of a 2 year old child.

my brother has a catahola/great dane mix and he is a high energy dog. when he comes to visit 'rastas' is non stop pacing. he wants SOMETHING TO DO. my brother lives in moreno valley,ca so coming here to arizona there isn't that much to do, esp in the summer when it's hot. so rastas doesn't get to do much...except pace up and down the house.

i'm usually on the kingsnake snake forums. these other forums don't seem as active as the snake forums. i have 5 snakes, 2 dogs and 4 cats. i like reading them though so when i read one i think i can add my imput i like to write a few words. thanks for the welcome

A great Dane Catahoula mix, huh? That must be an interesting looking dog! People have asked me if Cookie has any Dane in her cause of her ears, they don't understand that Danes ears are clipped that way. I like them floppy myself.
I spoke with the woman at canine university last night and I was really impressed with them. They got back to me right away and are going to send me an information package. Her first class is on Tuesday May 31st and I can't wait!
She is an extremely high energy dog and she's very smart too, a dangerous combination! Last night was a really good night, she didn't bark at me at all. I think it may have been cause I had her out in the yard for about an hour and a half so she was really tired. With the nice weather coming (if it ever stops raining!!), she'll be getting a lot more exercise so hopefully that will make a difference.
I bought an ultrasonic bark eliminater to attempt to keep her quiet when she wakes up in the morning, I hope it works. I don't want to get her a shock or citronella collar cause I've heard the box can get stuck in the bars of the crate.
I have posted a couple messages on Kingsnake and insecthobbyist. I have a ball python and a tarantula. What kind of snakes do you have?

i have 5 snakes...a 6 foot jungle carpet python, 3 corns, and a honduran milk snake. also some fire belly toads, anoles and the cats and dogs.
ya, i think you'll be happier once cookie gets into a class. you will like it as well. i've had my dog ranger in a basic obedience class. tues the 17th will be our last class. it was 8 weeks. ranger is a bit unsocial since i couldn't really socialize him much when he was young. now he is a bit agressive with some dogs. he just gets over whelmed and don't know how to socialize. only to react with aggresion. this class has helped him alot. he still is scared of some big dogs but he don't fly off so to speak the moment he meets a dog.

I almost bought a carpet python! They're really gorgeous!
Thats great that Ranger is doing good in school! What kind of pooch is he? How old? I can't wait to get Cookie into school, she's really going to enjoy it.
I tried taking Cookie to the park last night at like 9 to run around before bed. I was hoping if she was more tired she would sleep a little later. No such luck. So now I'm really stumped. If more excercise won't make her sleep I don't know what will! This weekend we are going to move her crate back into the bedroom and hope it makes a difference. If not, I guess we'll just hope and pray that the ultrasonic thing works.

ranger is a dobie/shep mix type dog. he is 4 years old. you might try taking cookie to a dog park where she can run and play with other dogs. we take my sisters dog magic to one several times a week and it does help tirer her out.

No one could ever say you¡¯ve screwed up with the amount of planning and effort, training and love you¡¯re putting into Cookie. She¡¯s just a big challenge that¡¯s all and you know the biggest reward will be when the day comes and she is the best dog that somebody could have!

It¡¯s funny but you know I told you the situation between me and Leo well sometimes I¡¯m glad that he has his apartment and I have mine because even though he stays over 3 or 4 times a week I know that I¡¯m here 24/7 for Echo and she knows that. There still seems to be competition going on though whenever he is here. It¡¯s not between me and him although we do joke about who Echo loves the most but because he is only here at certain times he gives her so much attention and she does adore him and then sometimes I get that feeling that she does listen to him more than me. I¡¯ll tell her to sit and she will ignore me and then he will say it and she does it straight away. I¡¯ll call her and and she won¡¯t come and then Leo calls her and she runs to him straight away! When it¡¯s just me and Echo there¡¯s no argument but as soon as Leo is here then it¡¯s another story. I think it must cause conflict in a dog when there are two parties involved, because I can see there being conflict between the two humans involved!

I wish you the very best of luck with the classes. I¡¯m sure you will see an improvement over time.
Mark

Thanks so much, Mark!
I am done sulking and I am going to talk to Jason too. We need to take charge and figure out what we need to do. I just printed a bunch of info about a class that is starting at the end of the month. It's an adult beginners class and is for dogs 19 weeks - adult. I am also going to make a spreadsheet listing all her problems and how we should react to them, hopefully writing them down will help us keep to a training program, and won't cause any conflict on what we're supposed to do, between Jason and I.
I think Echo knows that Leo doesn't live with you, and is thriving on his attention when he is there, and thats why he is so obedient with him. She knows that Leo is going to give her TONS of attention. Are you guys planning on living together in the future? If so, it's probably a good idea to make sure the two of you are on the same page when it comes to Echo. Both give the same amount of attention, treats, and everything. Have Leo work with training with her as well as yourself. And also have him discipline her too, act as if you would act if you did live together. That is given, Leo is willing to take on the responsibility. If it's been decided that Echo is yours and you are going to take sole responsibility of the dog, than thats fine, but in my opinion you may be setting Leo up to be challenged for 2nd position if you've been determined to be the Top Dog. Just my thoughts. For now, I would guess she is being more obedient to him because he gives her more attention and also isn't always there to discipline her. This does not mean in the slightest that Echo dislikes you. Not at all. Cookie gets super excited when other people come over to, and will often ignore me and Jason. If you tell her to do something when Leo is there, make sure she does it. Don't let Leo tell her the command after you do, this will just rienforce the behavior. Just my opinion.
You've got a great dog, you guys are perfect for each other. I am so glad you found her. You'll make each other happy for a long time to come. Thanks for all your support, it's been frustrating, but I am just going to concentrate on what we need to do with all of her problems and stick with it. Thanks again.

Thanks for that Jessie. At first Leo thought I was spoiling her too much and not being strict enough which admittedly I probably wasn¡¯t. You know she is my first puppy and I¡¯m sure everyone is guilty at some point of spoiling their dogs.

I am being a lot firmer now and I can see the difference it makes. Also I can understand now that it is also better for Echo and she is not going to love me any less for it.

We do plan to move in together in the future but for now we are both happy and it suits us both to keep separate apartments. I keep him updated on everything that happens with Echo so that he knows exactly what she is doing and so that he can do the same things with her. I¡¯m having to teach him the commands in English as well as Echo, it¡¯s quite funny! I know we have to be consistent with her though so it is important that he tells her the same things that I do. Sometimes I catch him talking to her in Chinese so I have to tell him ¡°quiet¡± as well! He totally adores her as much as I do and he is fully willing to take his share of responsibility with her so that won¡¯t be a problem. I think by the time that we are living together Echo will know her place ok. It might be easier in the long term with the way our situation is now because she can see I¡¯m here for her all of the time. I can imagine if I¡¯d got her and me and Leo were living together now that that could cause leadership issues. At the end of the day she is my dog anyway and Leo respects that and is happy to go along with whatever I think is best for her.

Good luck with your training program. It sounds like a good idea to make a list. Kathy advised me to do the same, well to make notes after each training session so that I can build on it. It does worry me a bit that I won¡¯t be able to take her to proper formal training classes with professionals. There really isn¡¯t anything like that here. From Kathy¡¯s last reply to you it sounds like I will be denying her a lot but I am determined to get as much information together as possible and just do the best I can with her.

Good luck and best wishes,
Mark

Thanks, Mark
So I need to get this straight lol. Are you Chinese? Is Leo Chinese? I've heard you talking about translating, it sounds to me that Leo speaks both languages, would he be able to help translate at the vets office or anything?
Cookie had a very good night last night, she didn't bark at me at all! I think it was cause I had her out in the yard for quite a while. With the nice weather coming I will be able to excersise her more outside so hopefully that will make a difference.
It is a shame there is no formal training out there, maybe you could find a private trainer online? But it sounds to me that Echo is going to be a very well behaved dog. She already is! You may not need it. It's helpful to ALL dogs, some need it more than others, but no one is saying that you're dog is going to be badly behaved because you didn't get any formal training. You'll just have to work really hard with her. Training should be constant and that's where we've flawed I think. We need to get back on the training banwagon. It seems as soon as she started doing better with something, we would assume it would go nowhere but up from there, completely unaware of what we were doing, and slack on the training. We have to stop giving her second chances with things like mouthing and barking. First offense, and she deals with the consequences, even if it's something as little as us ending the play session and walking away from her.
I spoke with Jason last night and showed him my list, he completely agreed with everything I said. I told him we had to stop sulking and just worrying about all her issues, and start dealing with each issue specifically, having a specific plan for each one. He totally agreed and I think we're going to do better. Jason and I were both in much better moods last night since we decided to take charge rather than just constantly worrying about it. It all just seemed so overwhelming, but now that we have the list and have specific things we have to do for different behaviors, and as long as we strictly keep to the program, and get her in school, I think she will be fine. I hope so anyways.
Wish us luck!

I¡¯m British and Leo is Chinese. He can speak English very well and I hope one day that I will be able to speak Chinese at the same level. Really made me laugh though when you asked if I was Chinese!! Yeah I really rely on him for translation all of the time. I would never have got Echo if it wasn¡¯t for him. It would have been really irresponsible of me to get a puppy here without being able to depend on someone fluent enough to translate with the health issues. I¡¯m making lists constantly of things for him to do and to ask with regards to Echo. I¡¯ve given him a list of the Western vaccinations, which he is translating into Chinese and he¡¯s looking into a good comprehensive vaccination program here for Echo and for what Asian dogs need.

You sound so much more positive today which is great! You have a clear plan of what you are going to do with Jason involved and I have no doubt you will succeed.

I must admit I did wonder how you were going to reply to Kathy¡¯s response. It¡¯s none of my business I know but I did find it a bit harsh too. It seems to me that you have used this website a lot from when you got Cookie and no one can dispute that you have tried your hardest to raise her in the best way. It¡¯s all here in black and white. I respect Kathy¡¯s advice of course because she has years and years of experience and totally qualified to give advice whereas I have 3 weeks experience! It was the same bit that got me though where she compared not providing formal training to not providing vet care.

Anyway to end on a good note I¡¯ve had a great day with Echo! She¡¯s gone from barking to just snapping her jaws and I can see that will soon wear off. Now as soon as I have prepared her meals she sits waiting and then as soon as I kneel down with the bowl she offers me her paw without a sound and without any command from me¡­she is so good!

Thanks, I am feeling much more positive today. Everyone has good days and bad days. There is no need to sulk when action can be taken and I'm glad I realized that. And I think my being positive rubbed off on Jason and we are both in much better moods and ready for anything that crosses our path.
Thank you for being so understanding. We love Cookie SO much and only want what is best for her. Once I realized that getting proffessional help was a necesity with her, I called the trainer. Many dogs do very well without it. I would say more dogs don't get proffessional help than do, and I would say that most dogs are well behaved. That just proves that well conditioned dogs can be raised without proffessional help. I am not saying Cookie doesn't need to go to a trainer, she definitely does since we are out of ideas, but not all dogs do.
I would never ever critisize anyone on these boards nor tell them what they should do. All I can do is give my opinion and state it that way.
I think Kathy had a good point, but she could have phrased it much much better, nor do I think she had the right to judge me, as no one should judge anyone on these boards.
Thats great that Echo is doing better with barking! I didn't know that it was instinctual with Collies, that is very interesting. She is such a good girl and you take such good care of her. I'm glad you have each other, and Leo to help with the translating. I am sure that makes it much easier for you.
What part of England are you from? I lived in Belgium for 7 years and have been to London, Liverpool (Mom is a die hard beatles fan!), and Yorkshire (My favorite!!). I loved yorkshire. We stayed on a farm in the country and it was absolutely beautiful. I've been all over Europe but never to the far east, although we do a lot of shipping out of there (I work for a freight forwarding agency). Ever hear of OEC or Cohesion Freight? We do a lot of business with them.
Thanks again for being so supportive! Encouragement makes such a difference. I try to be as encouraging to everyone as I can, whether I agree with them or not, everyone needs encouragement. It makes us feel better.

>>Thanks for your support Mark, I really appreciate it. I too hope it's just a phase, but I don't think so. A friend of mine suggested she might be waking up so early cause she's hungry, so we are going to try giving her a snack before bed, like a small scoop full of food. I am also going to buy an ultrasonic unit to control her barking, and a no-jump harness to try and control her jumping. It's just that we are trying to deal with SO many issues right now, and nothing seems to be working. We have her challenging me for pack position, barking early in the morning, pulling on the leash, she's no longer willingly going to her crate anymore and I don't know why, and I think she is mouthing more than she should be at this point. We've tried everything in the book up until now, and some things work for a while, but then she stops. Like with challenging me for pack position. I tried acting more 'boss-ish', standing real tall with my hands on my hips and acting more dominant, but she isn't buying it anymore. She's right back where she was a few weeks ago. Ignoring her doesn't work, leaving the room doesn't work, putting her in another room doesn't work, the only thing we haven't tried yet is an electronic correction which unfortunately we have to resort to. It's all very frustrating and where I am trying to be as patient as possible, Jason is extremely frustrated and not only is it rubbing off on her I'm sure, but it's rubbing off on me too. He's had it with her and I've had it with him. We love her very much, don't get me wrong, and wouldn't give her up for a million dollars, but we're both very tired and frustrated and out of ideas. I hope the ultrasonic unit works, if not we're going to try a citronella collar, if that doesn't work we'll have to try a shock collar, as much as I am against it. We're just running out of options...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You said you've tried everything and are considering an electronic collar, but from what I understand you still have not actually gotten into a formal dog training program with the dog? As far as I'm concerned, failing to do a training program--not just hit or miss, your own ideas of training and what you read here and there, but a class or long series of lessons with a private trainer--is like not getting the dog vet care! Very unfair to punish a dog for what you have not taught in the first place!
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I think that is a bit harsh, telling me that I am being unfair to my dog.
She is starting training on May 31st. If you read the above posts, we are getting back on track and we realize that what we've been doing isn't working. I wouldn't call that unfair. Nor do I consider us not getting her into training the equivalent of not getting her vet care. I would never ever do that to her. She's not an unhappy dog in the slightest. She's not aggressive, she's not shy, she's not unhappy. She is a very happy dog and we treat her very well. I have had a lot of experience with dogs, although I have never had my own, I have trained other dogs, mostly puppies when I was a dog walker and all dogs are different. What worked for other dogs that I have worked with, didn't work with Cookie apparently. I am trying to train her and condition her, I am not neglecting her or being mean to her. And I am certainly not being unfair to her. As soon as we realized that this was a serious issue, and all these problems combined together, probably the past week or so, I came to the conclusion that we really needed to get her into training. Before now, it was she would be doing good with one thing, but not another, and so on, it wasn't until very recently that she started not liking her crate again, and waking up in the morning and pulling on the leash again.
Hey thanks for being so personable and encouraging.

>>I think that is a bit harsh, telling me that I am being unfair to my dog.
>>She is starting training on May 31st. If you read the above posts, we are getting back on track and we realize that what we've been doing isn't working. I wouldn't call that unfair. Nor do I consider us not getting her into training the equivalent of not getting her vet care. I would never ever do that to her. She's not an unhappy dog in the slightest. She's not aggressive, she's not shy, she's not unhappy. She is a very happy dog and we treat her very well. I have had a lot of experience with dogs, although I have never had my own, I have trained other dogs, mostly puppies when I was a dog walker and all dogs are different. What worked for other dogs that I have worked with, didn't work with Cookie apparently. I am trying to train her and condition her, I am not neglecting her or being mean to her. And I am certainly not being unfair to her. As soon as we realized that this was a serious issue, and all these problems combined together, probably the past week or so, I came to the conclusion that we really needed to get her into training. Before now, it was she would be doing good with one thing, but not another, and so on, it wasn't until very recently that she started not liking her crate again, and waking up in the morning and pulling on the leash again.
>>Hey thanks for being so personable and encouraging.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sorry I offended you, but I still believe your dog deserves proper training rather than an electronic collar.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I wasn't going to get her an electric collar. I was going to get an ultrasonic box that plugs into the wall and emmits a high frequency that only she can hear. Mainly for when she barks early in the morning. I don't know what they could do in training that would help with that. I can see them helping with her barking at other times, but what about early in the morning? Getting up will only give her attention. I don't want to get her an electric collar because I know the box can get caught in the bars.
Yes you did offend me. I think you could have said what you said without being rude.

>>I think that is a bit harsh, telling me that I am being unfair to my dog.
>>She is starting training on May 31st. If you read the above posts, we are getting back on track and we realize that what we've been doing isn't working. I wouldn't call that unfair. Nor do I consider us not getting her into training the equivalent of not getting her vet care. I would never ever do that to her. She's not an unhappy dog in the slightest. She's not aggressive, she's not shy, she's not unhappy. She is a very happy dog and we treat her very well. I have had a lot of experience with dogs, although I have never had my own, I have trained other dogs, mostly puppies when I was a dog walker and all dogs are different. What worked for other dogs that I have worked with, didn't work with Cookie apparently. I am trying to train her and condition her, I am not neglecting her or being mean to her. And I am certainly not being unfair to her. As soon as we realized that this was a serious issue, and all these problems combined together, probably the past week or so, I came to the conclusion that we really needed to get her into training. Before now, it was she would be doing good with one thing, but not another, and so on, it wasn't until very recently that she started not liking her crate again, and waking up in the morning and pulling on the leash again.
>>Hey thanks for being so personable and encouraging.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

I have to tell you, my days are way too short for all the things I have to do already. If you don't want honest answers from me, I can easily just refrain from answering your questions. I'm not here to provide emotional support, but rather accurate information to benefit dogs and their owners. I'll assume you don't want my answers and will cease responding to your questions.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I value your opinions very much and have no doubt that you have the experience and the knowledge you claim to have. It seems that the reason you post messages is to help people with their dogs, no? I just think you could say what you want to say without being so blunt and I hate to say it, rude.
I just don't like to be critisized, especially by someone who doesn't know my situation. And I would never do that to another poster, no matter how much I disagree with them. We didn't become members to have someone tell us what a bad job we're doing, or that we are punishing or being unfair to our dogs. I became a member so I could get some advise, support and encouragement. Not so people could tell me I am punishing my dog. If you disagree with me, thats fine, but there are nicer ways of going about it. You know that little phrase, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all?" I just don't think you are in any position to say what you said to me the way that you said it. There have been many times that I have disagreed with a poster and I have either bit my tongue because it's not my place to critisize, or I told them my opinions in the nicest possible way to avoid offending someone. Why would I want to offend someone? If anything, I would think that if I pissed someone off than they wouldn't want to take my advise and then whatever problem is occuring doesn't get fixed at all.
I don't want to start a childish argument through here, and I want you to know that I do value your opinions, but no one is going to take advise from someone that pushes them away by being rude.
All I am asking is that you recognize we are human beings and have feelings. What you said to me and how I treat my dog really pulled at my heart strings and I don't think I deserve that in the slightest. Everyone on these boards love their pets and want nothing but what is best for them, and maybe you should recognize that. Give critisism, but be concious about the way you give it and try not to offend anyone. You're basically saying you don't have enough time in the day to be nice. If it were me, and that were the case, I would rather limit my posts so I could be a bit more personable and not offend people. Just my opinion.

>>>I'm not here to provide emotional support, but rather accurate information to benefit dogs and their owners. I'll assume you don't want my answers and will cease responding to your questions.

You can provide accurate information without being so rude about it. There was NO need for you to tell me I am being unfair or punishing my dog, especially when you don't have anything to back it up. No need at all.

the only thing we haven't tried yet is an electronic correction which unfortunately we have to resort to. It's all very frustrating and where I am trying to be as patient as possible, Jason is extremely frustrated and not only is it rubbing off on her I'm sure, but it's rubbing off on me too. He's had it with her and I've had it with him. We love her very much, don't get me wrong, and wouldn't give her up for a million dollars, but we're both very tired and frustrated and out of ideas. I hope the ultrasonic unit works, if not we're going to try a citronella collar, if that doesn't work we'll have to try a shock collar, as much as I am against it. We're just running out of options...
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

Yes, I said if the ultrasonic box doesn't work. And that was before I found out it can get caught in the bars of the crate. Jason pointed that out that night.