We are holding off castration for the moment, simply for this reason. We want to see how he settles into the home before we rush him off to the vets.
I also held off with my younger pup, but he was becoming far too frustrated whenever he smelt bitches in heat, he got demodex because of the hormones, and was genuinely distressed at times. He could never have been studded out as he has an undershot jaw so I got him castrated to reduce his hormones.

Not sure whether Krusewalker knew what he was signing himself up for replying to this thread
I will accept help readily, I only want to be sure that what I do is right for my dogs

As you're a vet student, you are doing stuff based on science, probably using scientific articles, etc to write assignments? The info in the links is all based on science, up to date as we can get so hopefully that will help to show the way that is best to go. They are written by top behaviourists in the field.

I've just done an Applied Animal Behaviour degree, and all the animal behaviour courses (as far as I know) are moving right away from dominance and the harsher methods, which is great

Ooh! just to add, an excellent book for you get hold of might be the (rather expensive, but very good!) BSAVA manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine, 2nd edition. It's got lots of behavioural stuff in there, and is all in the same vein.

Good luck with your course

Wys
x

Im blushing

thank you for that

i trust you and yours are well?

thanks also for the good word wys

Vicki, i can give hands on help if you like?

just PM me

Didnt think it was possible to make you blush
will send you a pm (if your box is empty) and bring you up to date

cool...........go for it

As everyone else has said well done for taking on Bear.

Some good advice and I have just researched quickly your breed as I also have a mountain dog breed but from Switzerland and a Bernese.

I wanted too make sure the training for your dog as I thought was much the same as mine. Have too agree dispose of the noise corrector an already shy dog this will enhance its natural instinct to react to this.

Ollie is shy and nervous we have had him from a pup we never push him past his boundaries and have taken a lot of time and patience training him all has to be positive they can be a very stubborn breed these mountain dogs but also very sensitive.

Ollie can be re-active to other dogs especially entire males although he has been castrated he does not take kindly to his personal space being invaded but they were also watch dogs and when I watch Ollie sometimes deal with other dogs he is not keen on you can see the gentle but firm get off my patch side come out of him.

He is always on a harness and long line when out on the field and I now allow him his freedom to meet and greet I had stopped it for a while as he had started too show his other side towards dogs he took a dislike too he is much better if left too sort it for himself and no altercations just a sniff sometimes a growl if the other dog is overly persistent
but a quick come on lets move on always does the trick. Plenty of praise and treats when he does well.

I also agree with the stop pinning him down we found a firm no and walk away and find a distraction toy or treat to diffuse any situation you are not comfortable with. When achieved again plenty of praise and maybe a treat.

He has not had a good start in life but sounds like he will make a wonderful companion with the firm but gentle training these dogs need.

Thank you for the book recommendation, I'll get on Amazon and buy myself a copy. My OH and I sat down after the first day of this post and had a proper talk about the way to go with Bear. We both agreed everything said made sense and have dropped the noise corrector entirely with Bear, and the pinning. What we do still do though, if he gets het up, is to move him away from whatever is the cause and stand with him and wait. Once he starts to calm and relax he gets loads of fuss and praise and eventually he ends up lying down getting cuddles anyway.

We have given him double-love really, and tried hard to be very pro-active in saying no and then BIG praise once he responds to that. He's been brilliant. I'm so glad I posted here because Bear is being an absolute joy.

He even sat on my lap last night He's never been overly in your face but he's become very loving and and it's like the true Bear is coming out.

Thank you, that would be great. I don't think I have PM priveliges yet but once I do I will drop you a PM. It would be nice to have an experienced dog person's view on his behaviour because it might be we think there's a big problem when there really isn't.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and advice. We are always firm with our dogs but we'll be sure to be gentle with Bear.

He's already responding well and sits beautifully. I think the fact he is bonding to us also helps, he always sleeps at our feet and follows us around. You can see he enjoys the praise and that is a brilliant incentive for him to do as we ask.

We have a long line for Bear and I think a harness would be a good idea (so long as we can get one big enough) but he doesn't really run around or pull so not sure whether it will make a difference. He's a very stately dog.

I think he does react to dogs that are wound up or nervous as this is when he will growl at our own dogs and he has a good sense of his personal space too Luckily not when it comes to people though, just other dogs.
It's hard to always know which dog in the park has got the right mix of energy to make him bite though!

What a heart warming thread! It is wonderful that Bear has found such caring owners and I feel sure that all will come right in the end because you are determined that it will be so, and are willing to listen to any advice.

A huge well done to you!

Just a mini ha'penny worth, and it is purely on the castration issue - our rescue dog came home back in February having just been castrated, and initially he was very aggressive towards other dogs that we met when out walking. Once the hormones disappeared (and with treat training each time we met a dog) he totally changed and now has many friends that we regularly meet. He still becomes a little worried and defensive if an off lead dog bounces all over him, but he is very small so that can be excused! The thing is, I am convinced that castration went a very long long towards solving his male aggressive tendencies; and it also stopped him from scent marking in the house too!!!

Good luck to you, and well done again.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but a longline should really only be used with a harness. This is a just-in-case, really, as a dog could seriously injure its neck if the longline was on a flat collar (or Halti) and was suddenly pulled up short with a jerk when at speed.

May I recommend another book no dog owner should be without - it's not a big book, and it's very easy to read, but it may change your life: Calming Signals - On Talking Terms With Dogs by Turid Rugaas.

It blows everything CM (falsely) interprets about dog behaviour right out of the water, by showing exactly how dogs do genuinely communicate in body language. When you can 'read' other dogs as shown in this book, I think you may find things become a lot easier for you & Bear, by being able to see how other dogs (and he) are reacting to one another, and how to manage things accordingly.

Bitkin - glad to hear castration did so much for your boy. I think it's unrealistic to think that none of Bear's behaviour was originally driven by his hormones, so I know castration would remove the original drive behind some of his behaviours, but I think, at his age, it's so set in him that it wouldn't immediately make a massive difference, but would probably help in the long run.

I'm more concerned about prostate and testicular problems, which are not uncommon in uncastrated male dogs, and I'd like to prevent these with Bear.
Same underlying reason I spay my girls, because I've seen pyometra, several times, and it's devastating. That, plus the seasons are a bit too much when you have high energy dogs that really can't go three weeks without proper walks and exercise!

MerlinsMum - thank you for the info on the harness. I shall get him one as soon as. We have harnesses for the younger dogs because my male sheepdog pulls like a trooper and I don't want him damaging his throat or neck until he learns to walk properly.

And thank you for the book recommendation. It's a minefield out there for falsifications and people claiming to be expert when they're not. We've taken a lot of advice with Bear, and will continue to do so to constantly make sure our way with him is the best way for him to thrive.
I used to own rats and read for hours on their behaviour so I could 'read' them and help rescue ratties, but never found a reputable resource for dogs. I am sure I'll read that book cover to cover several times.