Comments on: White Dog Bit My Hand http://outsidek9.com/2009/08/white-dog-bit-my-hand/ {the dog blog of Outside magazine} Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:31:14 -0700 hourly 1 By: Frederic http://outsidek9.com/2009/08/white-dog-bit-my-hand/comment-page-1/#comment-4365 Frederic Tue, 05 Jul 2011 20:54:07 +0000 http://outsidek9.com/?p=829#comment-4365 <strong>Greate...</strong> It's such a great site! http://harriseohynd.tumblr.com Great post, I just bookmarked it on Digg.... Greate…

It’s such a great site! http://harriseohynd.tumblr.com Great post, I just bookmarked it on Digg….

]]> By: Elizabeth http://outsidek9.com/2009/08/white-dog-bit-my-hand/comment-page-1/#comment-93 Elizabeth Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:30:21 +0000 http://outsidek9.com/?p=829#comment-93 Thanks so much, Mike! (And thank you Lauren...) We will definitely give it a try. I actually did have the mailman give Angus treats years ago, and it worked fairly well until the substitute dog-hating mailman sprayed him. Amazingly, my regular mailman tells me, it is against post office rules for them to feed dogs, but last time he was nice enough to actually take the treats home with him when another mailman did his route, so we wouldn't get busted. I would love any tips for what to do when I'm not at home. The mail comes when I'm away at work; Ruby is pretty good when I'm home with her and able to try the treat-distraction method Lauren mentions. The solid fence, alas, is out: historic district regulations. Thanks again Elizabeth Thanks so much, Mike! (And thank you Lauren…) We will definitely give it a try. I actually did have the mailman give Angus treats years ago, and it worked fairly well until the substitute dog-hating mailman sprayed him. Amazingly, my regular mailman tells me, it is against post office rules for them to feed dogs, but last time he was nice enough to actually take the treats home with him when another mailman did his route, so we wouldn’t get busted.

I would love any tips for what to do when I’m not at home. The mail comes when I’m away at work; Ruby is pretty good when I’m home with her and able to try the treat-distraction method Lauren mentions. The solid fence, alas, is out: historic district regulations.

Thanks again
Elizabeth

]]> By: Lauren http://outsidek9.com/2009/08/white-dog-bit-my-hand/comment-page-1/#comment-92 Lauren Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:49:21 +0000 http://outsidek9.com/?p=829#comment-92 When we decided to add a puppy to our home, we knew we had some issues to conquer with our current dog. Orli is a 4 year old pit/greyhound mix and is very territorial over our home turf. We always let her do it and didn't really see the harm in it. However, the prospect of letting her "teach" our new puppy these behaviors changed our feelings. She is never unsupervised in the yard and we keep the blinds shut when we aren't home. We are on high alert when we are home and if we see someone walking or biking by our house we distract her first and put her in a sit/stay position using a treat. Right as the passersby come into her view, I give her yummy snacks and stay very quiet. She gets better every single day and now realizes that she can be alert, but she must remain quiet to get her snacks. If she gets rowdy, I take her by the collar and lead her into a different room as a bigger distraction. Repetition is key and most people are willing to help. I think your mail carrier will welcome the idea of helping you with this project. Everyone, including your dogs, will be happier and healthier. When we decided to add a puppy to our home, we knew we had some issues to conquer with our current dog. Orli is a 4 year old pit/greyhound mix and is very territorial over our home turf. We always let her do it and didn’t really see the harm in it. However, the prospect of letting her “teach” our new puppy these behaviors changed our feelings. She is never unsupervised in the yard and we keep the blinds shut when we aren’t home. We are on high alert when we are home and if we see someone walking or biking by our house we distract her first and put her in a sit/stay position using a treat. Right as the passersby come into her view, I give her yummy snacks and stay very quiet. She gets better every single day and now realizes that she can be alert, but she must remain quiet to get her snacks. If she gets rowdy, I take her by the collar and lead her into a different room as a bigger distraction. Repetition is key and most people are willing to help. I think your mail carrier will welcome the idea of helping you with this project. Everyone, including your dogs, will be happier and healthier.

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