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Hi,

 

I've posted a few times, but wanted to formally introduce myself. I live in California and work with animals for a living. I have one dog (Blue) and several cats (all of whom have disabilities). My passions are animal behavior and rescue, so my house is always full of fosters (all breeds), usually with some kind of behavior problem. I work for a well known veterinarian/animal behaviorist who I'm sure some of you have heard of (or read her book). I love my job and am always learning a lot. With her, I've had the chance to work with a lot of different types of animals (including consulting at a zoo). I am big on positive reinforcement and changing the mindset of the animal for the better.

 

While I've worked with lots of dogs with aggression, fear, or other behavior issues, I've only trained "fun" stuff on my own as a hobby. I love passing the time by training tricks to foster dogs. Now that I have Blue, I want to get her involved in agility, fly ball, frisbee, or any fun outlet for her energy.

 

My cats all love dogs and accept any new foster dog into the household. Some of my cats act like dogs themselves. Blue was extremely cat aggressive when I brought her home, but it only took two weeks of training to get her to leave the cats alone. Now, she even likes to play and cuddle with them.

 

Blue is a beautiful border collie mix of some sort. She is always happy and ready to play. But she's also sweet and cuddly. Blue loves her frisbee, tennis ball, and squeaky toys. She is so much fun to be around and is a really good dog. She came into the shelter and I couldn't just leave her there and had to bring her home.

 

So, that is a little about me and my Blue. I am enjoying browsing around the site and learning more about border collies.

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... I work for a well known veterinarian/animal behaviorist who I'm sure some of you have heard of (or read her book). I love my job and am always learning a lot. With her, I've had the chance to work with a lot of different types of animals (including consulting at a zoo). I am big on positive reinforcement and changing the mindset of the animal for the better.

 

Welcome Melissa and Blue!

May I be so bold as to ask who the vet/behaviourist is? And the title of her book?

Call me curious -- or just nosey :rolleyes: . And lucky you consulting at a zoo and living in one too!

I once considered that my dream job -- until I realized I had allergies to straw and hay :D .

Ailsa

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I work for Dr Sophia Yin, author of How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves and The Small Animal Nerdbook. She has a new book coming out in January as well. Her website is www.askdryin.com and has lots of videos on there.

 

Had a look at the website -- does Dr. Yin ever sleep???! :rolleyes:

Sounds like a wonderful job. Welcome again. I'm sure you have lots of really interesting stories to share ....

Ailsa

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Welcome; you will like it here. May I ask your advice on my Aussie female? She is 5 yrs old and is a rescue from a nice family but busy. She is a sneaky dog. If you have her lie down she slinks away when you aren't looking. She has a bad habit of licking the other dogs. She also crawls up on our laps one step at a time when not invited. We keep putting her down with a "off" command but soon she forgets and starts again. We have had her for 2 years with not much improvement. Any suggestions? She is awsome on stock; too much sometimes so we are working on the zoomies. N

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Welcome; you will like it here. May I ask your advice on my Aussie female? She is 5 yrs old and is a rescue from a nice family but busy. She is a sneaky dog. If you have her lie down she slinks away when you aren't looking. She has a bad habit of licking the other dogs. She also crawls up on our laps one step at a time when not invited. We keep putting her down with a "off" command but soon she forgets and starts again. We have had her for 2 years with not much improvement. Any suggestions? She is awsome on stock; too much sometimes so we are working on the zoomies. N

 

As soon as she starts to climb in your lap, stand up immediately. Then reward her for an alternate behavior, like sitting. If you are consistant, she will learn that sitting in front of you is what gets your attention, not climbing in your lap. As far as the laying down, I'd just work with her more on her down stay. If she moves away, put her back immediately. Reward her for staying and teach her a release word. What do you mean by licking the other dogs? When does she do it?

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