Name Mangrove's Dog

[Iason Ouabache]

Statistically speaking, most dog attacks are (apparently) carried out by Dachsunds.

A dachshund bit my face when I was little. They are vicious little cunts.

[Mangrove]

Then it'd be good to take away dog ownership rights from people who own violent dogs, and to retrain the dogs and put them up for adoption...

(lol, imagining laws that work)

Certain breeds like Pitbulls have gotten a bad rap because they are rugged, muscular dog unlike say, the Shihtzu or Yorkshire terrier. This leads to douche bags thinking that owning a 'tough dog' will likewise, make them tough too.

These dogs are then not trained at all or trained using dumb methods and voila - neurotic & violent dogs are produced.

[Jasper]

Yeah, true.  I'm just sick of people blaming dogs for behaving dogmatically, after they taught it to act the wrong way.

[Mangrove]

Yeah, true.  I'm just sick of people blaming dogs for behaving dogmatically, after they taught it to act the wrong way.

I've been learning about training dogs with positive reinforcement. Thus shouting, smacking, punishments, choke collars, prong collars & shock collars etc are all off limits.

This leaves you with rewarding the dog with things that it likes (attention, food, toys) when it is behaving well which includes when it's laying around doing nothing. When they do something you don't want them to do, you either ignore (remove attention from them) or distract & redirect followed by praise/treats the moments they adopt a more positive behavior.

This approach takes a good long time, lots of consistency and the patience of a Zen master. However, we've only had the dog about 3 weeks and she is responding very well to this type of approach. It means that Mrs Mang & I have had to train ourselves as much as the dog and that also includes training family members and people who visit the house.

Another great misconception I've discovered is that lots of people think that they are really 'great with dogs' and the obliviously violate the dog's boundaries and personal space. It's a wonder more people don't get bitten.

The toughest part for me is discovering that my late dog (Tia) had behaviors that I did not understand or know how to deal with positively. She loved people, hated other dogs and really hated being in the car. All of the negatives could've been moderated over time but I didn't have the information. So, I do still feel a bit guilty because her 'bad behaviors' (so called) were entirely our fault.

[Jasper]

You're absolutely right.

I get the impression she was happy though.  It's clear how much you cared for her.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

A lot of dog owners are really put off by the dominance play that most dogs need for effective training, and also by the concept that many dogs need a job in order to feel happy and accomplished.

[Cramulus]

Anyway, we kept the dog's original name (Ellie).

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Mangrove]

Anyway, we kept the dog's original name (Ellie).

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Just cut & paste all the name suggestions from this thread and put it in Iason's baby-naming thread 

[Jasper]

But then your baby will have a dog name and your dog will have a NORMAL name.  And that's TERRIBLE.