AFTER THE FALLOUT......

[Chris & Boys]

A few weeks ago, I posted a forum about Fozzy biting/grabbing the boys' arms and jumping on them, wanting to play. He was leaving scratches and bruises. I was looking for advice how to deal with Fozzy's behavior, also asking if anyone thought it would be worthwhile to look into an e-collar. Well, it got pretty heated.......I was even told I was committing child abuse by not keeping the dog away from the boys that he sleeps with every night. Well, needless to say, I was VERY upset with that accusation. I called our trainer, who said that the behavior is typical of a puppy, and he should not be considered a "dangerous" dog.

We met with her so she could observe this behavior, and as I had been telling the boys, they had to show Fozzy that they are not his littermates, they are the bosses. And since it was coming from two adults now, they took the advice seriously. And Wow! What an improvement. My youngest is starting to lax in following the rules, and is seeing Fozzy's behavior change in response. So, now he sees that what he was doing was working, and that he must get back into the routine, or else he will again run the risk of getting bruised and scratched again.

So, thanks to all of you that offered advice. It is nice to be able to have this forum to get the help we seek, but to be honest, I am hesitant to look for advice that may stir any controversy whatsoever! I had no idea asking for training advice would turn to having someone make accusations against me. I have waited a while to add this blog. I started writing it several times, and deleted it for fear of still being offended by some of the comments, or by getting getting offended, or ruffling feathers again. But, I feel the atmosphere here is changing, and I feel it is a shame that I now think twice before I ask for advice. I wish I could ask for advice anonymously..........sad, isn't it?

[Leslie and Halas]

Glad things are working out. Those puppy teeth and toenails can be brutal. It comes with the territory when you have a puppy, but I remember that stage really sucking. The nipping stage was bad for us, too, so I didn't really have any advice to give you in your previous post. There are always a lot of suggestions, but it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what will work for your particular situation, so I'm glad you've found something that's working. And something that lets the whole family be involved in raising and training Fozzy. It sounds like Fozzy and the boys are already best friends, and now you're on your way to working through this stage, so things will be even better. Isn't is amazing how fast they learn things? Fozzy's a great dog already (not a dangerous dog), and he'll be even better as he grows up and learns the rules of the house. DK is a very large group, so there are always going to be differing opinions and some controversy. I definitely see your point, but please don't hesitate to ask advice when you need it.