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@james700 To be fair: obscenely high prey drive was a big part of why they were there (both directly as a training priority and indirectly because it drastically limited our pet care options while traveling). The facility is on a hobby farm so they were constantly exposed to other animals, which...

@dani Got it — sounds like the challenge will be building neutrality around other dogs sooner rather than later, but that’s no mean feat around even the easiest of puppies let alone an undersocialized heeler. Good luck! I’m glad to see you’re leveraging all the advice you can get.

@dani Hmm — honestly that background description doesn’t quite add up to me. Is she your first foster (puppy or others) vs. just your first herding breed? What “flavor” of rescue org are you working with (and are you in touch with the other two dogs’ fosters)? ETA: I just noticed you referenced...

@dani Can you elaborate on any knowledge of prior dog interactions? My guess is that the puppy mill setting means she missed learning proper socialization skills from her mother or other adult dogs; worst case scenario she may also have competed for resources in a kennel with 1-2 other...

@cr0011 Helpful, thanks — they do a lot of work teaching intra-dog manners (and with mostly large breeds) in heavily supervised play groups, so may have started using it in that context. And that’s consistent with an earlier consult about fence fighting. My sense is that’s not the only time it...

@retardedchristianknight So for starters toddlers absolutely do not belong in an off leash dog park, full stop. Of all scenarios that’s not one you should feel embarrassed about. However, heelers of all ages are notoriously challenging for young households. Kids just move weird and the...

Update: consensus response is that there’s a major difference in kind vis-a-vis aversive collars. Thanks! Both prongs and ecollars benefit my dogs enormously, but I was always put off by the use of “bonkers” (a.k.a. tossing a rolled up hand towel to startle them out of unwanted behavior) and...

@mb_c There are also many rescues currently in need of both short-term temporary fosters as well as longer term ones (if your landlord agrees), or help with transporting dogs from overcrowded shelters to potential adopters (if you enjoy driving).

@brokertom Oh, that’s so frustrating! I’m glad you seem to have gracefully accepted her preferences rather than imposing your own, but still.

It sounds like almost everyone here enjoys hiking with their dogs, but I’m curious whether other outdoor leisure activities also inform your personal or professional training strategy. In my mind there is a distinction between being an active participant accompanying their people on rivers and...