Family dog mauls girl

NT News ^ | Sept 11, 2010 | Annie Sanson

[LongElegantLegs]

A TERRITORY girl is lucky to be alive after she was mauled by a savage dog.

Seven-year-old Meg Croton and her brother Connor, 9, had been feeding their family's dog - an eight-year-old mastiff cross - in their Humpty Doo back yard when the girl was attacked by the vicious hound.

"I tripped on a rock and fell, and I think I kicked his leg," Meg recalled the attack. "And then it hurt very badly and he was on top of me and ripped on my head. "But my brother saved my life."

[LongElegantLegs]

Stories about OTPB dog attacks are usually only carried by one news provider, and half the time I’m not allowed to post them. Gannet has a story about a lab attack right now.

[A_perfect_lady]

I see you are dedicated to shoving your opinion down everyone’s throat with all caps and hysteria. You’re more out-of-control than the dog.

[RachelFaith]

What do I base it on? Hundreds of books, classes, and hours spent with dogs and other animals. Hundreds of articles like this, all with the one common thread: An unsocialized dog with children.

I have helped to place MANY animals with the elderly. That works very well. An older dog that your average family would not want is many times well suited for an elderly person, who is alone and otherwise under motivated due to the passing of a spouse or just general boredom.

I would assume from your previous testimony that you do NOT have children at home? Or perhaps ever? Your experience in such a case would be, as I stated, irrelevant to this topic. I do not say that in a disrespectful tone, any more than a brain surgeons experience is irrelevant to landing a crippled airplane. He might be the best surgeon and the nicest guy you’d even meet. But if he can’t land the plane we are all just as dead.

There are MILLIONS, and I am not joking, of articles on raising a puppy and WHY this is better than adopting an adult dog. Seriously. Google this: I did it for you. Just scan a few... enjoy the awesome reading. “Dogs raised as puppies behavior”

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&q=Dogs+raised+as+puppies+behavior&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

The most important difference between a solo human and a dog vs a Family and a dog is the “pack” instinct of the dog. Most people do not understand how “dominance” works or that it exists.

Do you have to tell your dog more than once to do something? Does it ever look at you, or growl if you try and move it or stop some behavior?

Does it sleep on your bed? Eat your food? ALL these are signs that the dog is asserting dominance and are also signs of potential aggression.

It is more than an old saying about teaching old dogs new tricks.

For example: Stationing cannot be taught to an adult dog. It is taught to a puppy or it remains unlearned. Stationing means a dog knows its place. If you have to chain a dog it does not know its place. Dogs, wolves, the wild pack KNOWS its territory and knows its place in the pack and NEVER thinks to alter those things. But it learns them as a pup or it is WILD thereafter for life.

This is just ONE example of hundreds and I will get specific in a few paragraphs.

Routine is critical for dogs. And the leading cause of poor behavior is the anxiety caused by a lack of or a change of routine. The old “moving to a new house” thing.

But if you raise a puppy on the right routines, such a move will not cause anxiety or the resulting behaviors.

Now for the exact examples of JUST these two things you can do with a puppy which cannot be done with an adult and you will have TWO explicist examples.

Stationing: Begins with a chain. Yes, a puppy SHOULD be chained and an adult NEVER. So, get a short chain. 28 inches for an average to large dog.

Look around your house. Find a spot in every room. Every room. And put an eyelet station for the chain. Drill it into the lower baseboard on the wall. Then go get a dozen exactly the same “pillows” or doggy seats... whatever suits for the dog to lay upon. Place them each at a station.

Now, without fail. Always. For the first 9 months after you get the puppy, anytime you are home, everytime you are home, keep the dog chained to a station. NEVER allow it to roam freely. If you are in the kitchen making food, chain it there, where it can see you, hear you and where you can choose WHEN to interact.

Interact when it is SILENT. If it whines, barks, moves, pulls, scratches, IGNORE IT. When it settles down, wait 5 minutes and then speak to it, and reward it with pets, and affirmations and a very small treat.

Use the word Station, or A word for station, repeatedly. When you bring it from one to the other. Every time. “Station” and then lock it there. When you watch TV, “Station” it there in the same room. Bed time, same thing, ALWAYS.

Now, you CAN leave the room for a quick bathroom break.... 5-10 minutes. Never longer.

This is VERY over simplified, but the result is, a year later, the chain is gone, only needed to reinforce if you have a VERY willfull “teen” dog. Like grounding. Bad doggy, are you still a puppy? Puppies get chained, but good doggies don’t.... that sorta thing.

The adult dog will go to it’s corner spot or station AUTO MATICALLY from then on for life. Walk into a room, if it is just standing there, say “Station” and POOF... the dog will walk over and settle down on her spot.

You can then bring the chain and pillow with you to any OTHER location and the “station” training will still work. You just teach the dog that the LOCATION is new... the behavior is not new. The chain is again, ONLY as a reenforcement for a teen dog if needed.

Thats ONE thing down.... next is the routine.

A puppy will need to pee every 6 hours or MORE. Sorry... you wont be getting ANY sleep for the first 3 months. A preteen dog can go 8 hours so its last thing before bed and first duty in the AM... NO sleeping in for the first YEAR.

Here is the best technique: Wake up, unstation, but walk chain the puppy, and repeat the command “Patrol”. Or any such word. Say it many times walking the dog outside the same door and to the “spot” you wish to confine to it’s “duty” ahem.

Then keep walking it around the yard. The boundary. Saying “Patrol”. 30 times... or more. Walk it around 2 or three times, depending on the size... no more then 20-30 minutes. PATROL.

If the dog seeks to go OUT side the fence or boundary, say “where’s you yard” and use a very disappointed voice as you pull it back. Correct the walk with PATROL.

The word NO will of course be the primary negative word, nut the NEW phrase with the NO tome will set that this is a DIFFERENT kind of NO for the dog.

It is far more complex, and I could type a book... but will spare you all my ranting. LOL

The result of this conditioning, is that Patrol will mean THREE things. First the needed “relief” routine, second the establishment of a duty. That is the dog who is instinctively programed to guard will then patrol the whole yard. They wont go out, pee and then lay in the shade or pick up digging or chewing habits.

The patrol IS a task. And as you do it in training, stop every time you SEE something and say “What is it”. Teaching the puppy to be ALERT on PATROL. There is a lot more added to the TEEN years in this lesson, but this is the base programing that you CANNOT teach an older dog. And you cannot build upon what is not there.

A Patrol dog will then be able to be let loose in the yard, watch the yard, do its duty, and NOT leave, wander or be destructive. When it feels bored, it will get up, walk the perimeter, bark at a few things (barking is another subject) and then return to its YARD station and rest.

When you take it to a new place, even a vacation place, it will KNOW “Station” “Patrol” “Where’s your yard” “what is that” and or course MANY other commands.

The dog will NOT have anxiety, will not be easily spooked or prone to aggression or dominance. These behaviors are EASY to teach a puppy and difficult to impossible to teach an adult dog.

I hope this helps clear stuff up. If you have other questions or seek furthert details, please post so!

PAX

[Eaker]

Stories about OTPB dog attacks are usually only carried by one news provider,

I have seen the follow ups to many stories where the dog wasn't a pit after all anyway.

To a reporter with an agenda all mean dogs are pits and all guns are automatics.

[Will88]

You are a presumptuous know-it-all, so clueless that you presume to give advice to someone whose situation you are, well, clueless about. I live in a rural area, and alternately pen, chain or let dogs run free for significant periods of time depending on the situation.

Take your silly studies and ...

[RachelFaith]

Oh... I think Cesar would agree with me on this:

http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/basics/starting-your-puppy-off-right

[Eaker]

The dog will NOT have anxiety,

But it will be tickled pink if you die and it is adopted as an adult against RachelFaith's recommendation by someone who will love it and treat it like a friend not a brick.

LOL! That was obviously written by a control freak who is in a subservient position in all other aspects of their life.

[brytlea]

I have said all I intend to say to you on the topic. You can take it or leave it. You can chain your dog or not. Hopefully most people will not chain their dogs, but we will continue to notice in these stories and I will continue to point out, that the dogs are often chained. And calling me names, even if it makes you feel better, says more about you than it does about me. I am not sure why I have brought out such rudeness in you. I hope you have a better day.

[RachelFaith]

LOL! That was obviously written by a control freak who is in a subservient position in all other aspects of their life.

Uhuh.... yeah... is there ANYTHING I could say to that....

No, I pretty much think our posts speak for themselves and reveal the character of the person behind the text quite clearly.

Carry on....

[Eaker]

Nowhere do I see in that article do I see anything that backs up your silly opinions.

If the dog doesn’t know that you are boss then you never will be no matter how often YOU chain it up.

You might want to consider fish, or maybe a bowling ball.

[wardaddy]

Woof

[Eaker]

Uhuh.... yeah... is there ANYTHING I could say to that....

No.

No, I pretty much think our posts speak for themselves and reveal the character of the person behind the text quite clearly.

You finally get it! You understand that I have both character and no respect for your feelings based opinions.

[Will88]

And calling me names,

You name yourself when you give highly specific advice online without knowing one single thing about a highly specific situation.

[RachelFaith]

You may note that my understanding of the chaining situation is reflective of evidence rather than cause and effect.

Chaining is only necessary when proper training was not begun at an early age and did not instill the proper pack behaviors.

Chaining does not directly CAUSE bad behaviors as much as it compounds them and is evidence that bad behaviors already exist.

Chaining will also NEVER remediate bad behaviors and will more than likely exacerbate them. Chaining IS a punishment, it is NOT a modification to itself, unless used within a retraining regimen.

Leaving a dog chained for hours is cruelty. It is abandonment. The dog would be better off put down.

Caged, if the cage is 10 or more times the size of the dog id acceptable for periods of 12 hours or less. Smaller cages for 2 hours, such as a trip are also ok, but not as a daily occurrence.

My 2cents on the matter.

[LongElegantLegs]

You would assume from my previous testimony that I have no children? Really? Because I have five...the oldest is eight. It's at the top of my profile page.

A pitbull-red heeler we brought home as an adult has been with us for nearly four years, after bouncing from home to home during the first years of his life. He has experienced the birth of two babies into our home, the introduction of a much smaller dog (also an adult), several dogs coming and going as we fostered them for other people. After a month of 'umbilical' training and constant involvement and work on my part he went from a wild-eyed hurricane that had no notion how to live in a house to a well behaved joy to be around. He does not eat my food, he does not sleep in my bed unless I invite him, he does not pull on the leash, he has a good recall, I can direct him to go anywhere in the house by pointing.

I can take a piece of chicken that I gave him right out of his mouth if I want to, and yes I've tried it. He is willing to be used as furniture by my kids, or to pull them down the street in a wagon. He has had little fingers poked into his eyes, nose, ears, had his tail pulled, toes fiddled with, most of this by kids he meets out in the street. He can stand firm with an entire soccer team of screaming girls running to meet him after practice with hands full of cookies and juice and greet each one quietly, with never an attempt to jump or steal their food.

He is just about as close to bomb-proof as I can imagine, and he's only gotten better with age. Now you're telling me I might as well be training him to attack my kids (your words) because somewhere lurking in the dark recesses of his doggy nature is some magical 'trigger' that will turn him into an attack machine, the existence of which is confirmed only by your opinions, which were gleaned from other people's personal experience.

Puh-lease.

[LongElegantLegs]

That’s true! They never seem to put those corrections front and center like they do the initial attacks, either. I wonder why...No wait, no I don’t. ‘It wasn’t a pitbull after all’ probably wouldn’t get as much attention...It might even call into question their journalistic integrity.

[brytlea]

This discussion was not about you, you turned it personal. I don’t know what your problem is, I have zero desire to discuss you. And yet, you won’t stop.

[Eaker]

Speaking of a pitbull-red heeler, this is my grandson with mine.

[RachelFaith]

Yeah, based on that info I would bet the dog was never trained or socialized.

The problem with such adult dogs is that you never know. Maybe the owner DID do some very basic “no” “sit” “stay” training and the dog is just naturally gentle. Like I said on a previous post in the thread, raising a dog as from a puppy, even with POOR training is still safer than the risk of the unknown dog.

Every animal has its own personality and dominance. My dog, in particular was VERY dominate and I probably had to spend far more hours than I would have with another of her siblings had they been my choice. But I picked the most playful and bossy of the litter and got a pistol!

Later, in competitions, both her demeanor and my training proved its measure. May judges commented often that they had never seen an a dog so well behaved. I mean, outside of a professionally trained sight guide dog.

She could do all sorts of tricks too. Again, almost EVERYTHING was built in that first year. But for example. She loved the rocket slide at the town park. And all the little kids loved the doggy who would ride the slide. She would climb up the stairs and then slide down face first paws out to the bottom and jump up and do it again.

She road in my lap the first 100 times down the slide for a month before she did it solo.

When I get another dog, I will be married and have small children. Not before.

[brytlea]

That dog looks really evil! ;)