Regret

Even though we got Gracie tested for heartworms right away when we got her last December, and it was negative, they said there was a small chance she could still have them because they wouldn't show up for up to six months. We didn't get her re-tested until her year appointment, at which time she was, indeed positive. Heartworms are just so uncommon around here (the vet told me they see maybe one case a month), and she's been on preventive the whole time, but I still keep wondering if we'd had her re-tested at six months (even though no vet ever suggested that) if we could've prevented some damage.

A couple of Halloweens ago, at a friend's house where the living area and deck is upstairs over a storage shed-type of room, I had Shadow on collar and tie out chain. We had a clue hunt in the trees around the property. As we came by the deck on our way to the next clue, Shadow wanted to join in. He squeezed through the slats and hung himself. Fortunately, I was literally 2 steps away. So, I elevated him while DW got the harness and I could walk him back on to the deck. I should have had him in harness with me or stayed out of the game. He was okay after a few minutes but I think I aged a year.

I lose my temper with my dogs sometimes, when I'm trying to get them to understand something and I'm not showing them clearly enough what I want. I admit that there have been times when I have screamed at my dogs in frustration. I've gotten better about it, and have learned to walk away and cool down when I feel myself starting to get upset...but the fact that I've allowed myself to sink so low as to scream at my dogs for my own inability to communicate properly makes me feel pretty awful.
 
That, and before getting Ogre, I used so pretty harsh training techniques on my dogs- alpha rolls, leash popping, etc. I didn't know better, and like many people, I thought that I was in a perpetual dominance struggle with my dogs and constnatly had to "put them in their place" and "show them who's boss." Now all of my training is +R and I don't constantly feel the need to "assert my dominance," and I have a much better relationship with my dogs. Still, I regret that I spent years bossing them around and treating them like subordinates that needed to bow to my every whim. []

I keep seeing this:  "+R".  I was just wondering if someone could tell me what it is.  Thanks!!

+R =positive renforcement I think. If not it is something to that aim.

It stands for "positive reinforcement."  Instead or yelling at/punishing the dog when he does something wrong, you praise/reward him when he's doing something right.  That way, he learns what behaviors get the reward and tends to behave in the way you want him to.
 
Joyce

+R is positive reinforcement -  I'm sure others can say it better than me, but basically you reinforce the good things the dog does rather than punish them for the bad.  Leash pops are one thing that are considered "punishment" - in +R you would reinforce when the dog is good instead.  At least thats how I grasp it, but I'm still learning myself!
 
As for regrets, I have something similar to Ron happen .... we live in a VERY hilly area, and so our apt building is up a hill. There is a cut-out in the side of this hill where a dumpster is, and surrounded by concrete wall.  So the top of the dumpster is level with the ground above it, and there's a sheer straight drop instead of a gradual slope.  I was at the top tossing poop into the dumpster when Sammy saw a cat, I gripped his leash and shortened it, trying to get him away from the edge, but it was dark and I was on a slope, so I didn't have good footing.  I got him down the slope a bit but then he jumped over the edge before we got down there, and I think the leash was too short for a second for him to get to the ground, but I let go of it right away.  That terrified me though, since he could have been hung or hurt worse by falling farther if he had been further up this slope. 
 
the other regret I have is that when we first adopted Sammy we were home almost 24/7 with him for the first few months since DH worked from home and once I got home I tended to stay there, so we only went out occassionally on weekends.  I'm sure this contributed to Sammy's SA-ish problems and we could have avoided a lot by trying to work around this problem when we first got him. 

R+ is reward based training - telling the dog you like something the dog did, by rewarding it when the dog does it. It has a very specific scientific meaning but it has come to be shorthand for training that relies heaviest on this aspect of the operant conditioning model of learning/training.

I loaned a dog to a good friend who passed away, and the family kept him on because they needed him - the widow depended on the sheep's sale later that year for a great deal of her income. I noticed Rick didn't look quite as nice as my friend used to keep him, but didn't really push the issue when the widow said she'd been letting the family buy the dogs El Cheapo dog food. Rick went on to meet his old friend and trainer who was there at the Rainbow Bridge, this summer - they didn't try to find out what happened - I'm just kicking myself for leaving him there.

Run fast, run free, Rikki dog.

On June 4, 2003, I basically killed my Australian Shepherd "Sandee".  We were in the house watching tv when I heard a crash.  The dogs & I rushed out to see what had happened, to find a truck had ran into the ditch & then hung on my culvert.  I rushed out the gate to check on the driver & didn't close the gate behind me.  Both dogs Sandee & Chyna rushed out the gate behind me & I didn't notice.  I went down into the ditch & up the other side where the truck was sitting to check on the driver.  As I was at the driver's side door, the truck started to roll over towards me.  I saw Chyna and grabbed her collar as I dove out of the way, sadly I was not able to get to Sandee in time & she was crushed.  Chyna's leg was hung under the cab of the truck and in the process her leg was broke & all the tendons & ligaments in that leg were torn.  I had the leg repaired, but it has taken 3 surgeries to get everything right.  I feel guilty every day because if I had closed that gate, Sandee would still be with me & Chyna would not have had to endure those surgeries.

My regrets are basically the same as Ratsicles. I've been too harsh in the past because of getting frustrated and also learning the "old school" type of training. I feel AWFUL about that stuff. []

ORIGINAL: BEVOLASVEGAS

On June 4, 2003, I basically killed my Australian Shepherd "Sandee".  We were in the house watching tv when I heard a crash.  The dogs & I rushed out to see what had happened, to find a truck had ran into the ditch & then hung on my culvert.  I rushed out the gate to check on the driver & didn't close the gate behind me.  Both dogs Sandee & Chyna rushed out the gate behind me & I didn't notice.  I went down into the ditch & up the other side where the truck was sitting to check on the driver.  As I was at the driver's side door, the truck started to roll over towards me.  I saw Chyna and grabbed her collar as I dove out of the way, sadly I was not able to get to Sandee in time & she was crushed.  Chyna's leg was hung under the cab of the truck and in the process her leg was broke & all the tendons & ligaments in that leg were torn.  I had the leg repaired, but it has taken 3 surgeries to get everything right.  I feel guilty every day because if I had closed that gate, Sandee would still be with me & Chyna would not have had to endure those surgeries.

That is so heartbreaking. I don't know what to say, except that maybe in the split second it might have taken you to stop and close the gate, perhaps the driver would have been killed?

My biggest regret with a pet was with my first dog, Grace. I was 18. She was the first dog I made decisions for. She was 10 weeks old, when I got her, and had chronic renal failure. I knew that she was dying, when I got her. I took her, so she'd know what a real life was like, for a dog. She lived with me for three months. In an attempt to "save" her, I put her through surgery twice. She died the day of the last surgery. I was with her, in full eye contact, and the vet made it easier on her, but she didn't have to be in that much pain.

About 10 years ago my family rescued a stray Yellow Labrador. We named him Charlie, someone had owned him, but they never claimed him. He was such a smart dog he knew ever trick in the book, but someone also taught him to be agressive. We had 2 other dogs at the time and Charlie would try to fight our black lab named Jazz. Therefore Jazz hid under one of our beds most of the day, which I feel very bad for.
 
But Charlie also bit my sister 4 times, evertime unprovoked. yet with me and my mom he was the sweet dog. We do not know who had Charlie before us and what they did to him but he was a dominant dog and would bite unless he knew you were a leader.   Instead of taking him to training and trying to work on his agressive temperment my parents made the decision to have him euthanized.  My sister was afraid of him and our other dogs were also.  We could not rehome him, but to this day I think about the last day we had him and how he looked going into the room to be put to sleep.  
   Someone had taking a wonderful dog and ruined him, to try to make him agressive. Charlie was only a year old and I think he could have been a wonderful dog through training but at that time it wasn't an option.  But, I'll always feel bad for Charlie. We had Charlie for 4 months.
 
 

I feel guilty every day because if I had closed that gate, Sandee would still be with me & Chyna would not have had to endure those surgeries.

You were in the act of a good deed.  I'm so sorry.

I killed a dog also.  I adopted a dog from a shelter, sight unseen.  She was a beautiful collie mix, very small.  This "rescue" brought these dogs up from shelters farther south where they were in a rural area and supposedly had little chance.  Anyway, I went through a  lengthy application process.  I specifically stated that we required a dog that was good with everyone, well socialized.  I had three smaller children at teh time, one special needs.  When we got her, she was completely unsocialized.  She had probably lived her life without benefit of humans at all.  She was terrified.  She was also a fear biter.  She despised my husband and he couldn't get near her.  I tried for about a month, and though it broke my heart, requested they take her back because she loved my dogs, but she was terrified of us.  If I was alone, childless, I could have worked with her, but the situation was not a good one for her.  I was afraid she'd bite a child next.

Anyway, I returned her.  I met the person about an hour from my home and handed over the poor girl.  I was on my way back home and she called me on the cell phone and said that the dog had bolted out of the car at her stop.  I returned and searched to no avail.   Three days later I took my dog, Isis, whom seh adored and we performed our SAR.  We found her.  Dead on the road.  Guilt.  That poor, sweet dog never had a  chance.