DarrenAndNicola

Quick update: We went on a long walk today, and although not perfect, Patch calmed down a lot faster when seeing other dogs after using the distraction techniques. Still a long way to go but it's a great start

Always make returning to you a very good thing and if he returns to you quickly and isn't detracted by the other dog, throw a huge party. I have the patience of a saint when it comes to my dogs. The party is already planned and ready to happen, date undecided

Thank you Waffles for your post. I fully understand the viewpoint of the other walker as numerous times with my previous dog we had others heading for him at high speed. The first thing I did when leashing him again was apologise with a lot of sincerity. It was basically a slip on my part (I take full ownership of the blame) as I thought the recall we had was working without fail as he used to come back every time when just us around. P.S: I had no thoughts of your tone being anything other than friendly, it is a fully valid comment and I am grateful for all advice on this matter. Other than this, I can't fault Patch at all.

Thank you all for your kind welcome messages! I have currently had Patch for 2 weeks, and already he is our world (along with our children of course!). I have had dogs previously but disappointingly, life is life and upsets happen. Unfortunately, Patch was not trained properly from being a puppy, and being in the location he was in, this doesn't suprise me, nowhere for him to be trained properly. Again, thank you all for your warm welcome! Darren, Nicola and Patch.

Hi, thank you for your response. Since the Bichon incident, he has been extremely supervised and kept to secluded areas. I will take a look at the post that you suggested. He has no problems with the "Down" command and "Sit" command. His recall is also good except for when he sees the other dogs. When off his lead and the recall command is given, he comes back when told. We already do attention games with him, I think I will be taking him in the back garden more often and doing them a lot more throughout the day. Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it.

Patch is brilliant with people. He adores adults and children alike. The main problem we face is his socialisation with other dogs when walking, especially off-leash. For instance, we were out in the fields a couple of days ago when another dog owner with a Bichon was walking her dog up the footpath (situated a fair distance from where we were). Patch saw the dog from the distance and darted towards it barking (which in all honesty must be frightening for both dog and owner). He then proceeded to jump OVER the Bichon, knocking it over in the process. No matter what dog he spots, it becomes noise time. Any time he comes by a bitch however, he displays submissive behaviour and gives slight whimpers. I am just wondering what methods are available, or what methods worked for you in trying to prevent the barking and behaviour. I have tried distraction techniques and treats but it seems that once he is fixated on a dog, there is no breaking his concentration. Thanks in advance.

I agree with the comments in regards to letting them set their own pace. As stated, being careful with a pup is essential so plenty of rest stops as and when necessary.

I quite like "Drift", "Jet", "Storm", "Xen", "Orion", and "Kyra". I am sure you will get plenty more suggestions, far better, but just a couple I can throw out there.

I couldn't fathom if I could upload directly from my laptop to the boards so I uploaded these to imgur (hence the strange link titles). This is Patch, our lovely boy.

Hi all, I am just wondering what are some views on allowing Patch (13 months) to begin flyball training with a nearby club professional. He certainly has the speed and ability to catch the ball, is it worth while allowing this training to begin or do I continue solely with the agility training first that we are currently doing? Thanks.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself to the forum and say that I am hoping to have great discussions about BC's with you all. My best friend is Patch, a 13 month old BC who I would not be without. He is a great boy and is developing extremely well. We took on Patch from a family who lived on a busy main road, with very little in the way of exercising area's nearby. They stated that they could no longer tend to his needs and we therefore decided to give him the loving home that he deserves. We are situated five minutes from acres of publicly accessible land with large fields, ponds, woodland and even conveniently paced dog jumping posts, which Patch now adores. We are hoping if all goes well with the repair of our camera, we will possibly be able to upload a picture of Patch later on to introduce him properly. Hope everyone is well and having a great day.