New Dog

blondeanna it just takes time a firm hand is needed it sounds like over excitement is causing the snapping and growling before a walk, this will settle but you must be firm with him. ( I am not a dog specialist just an animal lover who has had 3 problem dogs who now have no problems) Have you tried a cage for overnight. I was never a fan but tried it with a puppy and it was blumming great xx

what an absolute gorgeous little thing!! I had a pedigree cat stolen from me in March this year and I,m still crying i found a gorgeous little fella at my local RSPCA in august and he has bought a smile to my miserable face

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When you get to the stage of leaving a door ajar so the cats can be in the same room as Luke, I am sure they will point out that they set the rules and that Luke, like most dogs, will accept that he does as the cats say. (They have some very nice sharp claws at the ends of their paws, you know and Luke will find out!)

Just don't leave them alone together until you are sure they get on, and never together if you go out.

Clicker training cuts through the noise and gets their attention. Very cheap to buy. All you need is the clicker and tiny pieces of his favourite food. At first I used it when we were out but very soon it became unnecessary as my dog now sees another and thinks 'ah a treat' and licks her lips. No notice of the other dog at all.

I don't compare him with Lola,except she was great with the cats from the first, Luke is obviously much younger, and he is boisterous, but what i was led to believe wasn't true,
He is very good at night though which is a good thing,he stays quiet until i get up and feed him
I am enquiring about training group near me, but a treat will not deter him when there are other dogs about,it's like he goes into a frenzy,
I will also enquire about a behaviourist .but depends what they cost, could be very expensive
I would have him neutered if i thought that would help, but the vet says it doesn't always and can make the worse
Anyway will try all these things first
He is so affectionate though in the house,and fairly well behaved, except when he gets excited and starts bouncing off the furniture

Sounds like you have some problems blondenana it's unfair to compare your latest dog with your previous one, he is completely different and needs more help to adjust.
Training classes are a good idea as Daisymae said and will help socialise him as well.
If you really feel you can't cope its better to rehome him sooner rather than later and be up front about his problems.

It takes a lot of time, work and patience but, eventually, you reach an understanding. Any growling or snapping need a firm NO, followed by walking away and a period of being ignored.

The cats should have an opportunity (if possible) to be near, yet separated from, the dog, preferably higher, too.

We had a baby gate in the hall and a cat flap in an upstairs window (temporarily, for six months) so they could sit on the stairs, observe, get out onto the extension roof and into the garden via their cat ladder.

At night, the cats had the run of the house, the dog was in my room. She always had her harness and lead on to visit the garden. During the day, it gave the cats sufficient warning to get to safety before she was 'released'!

I had treats in my pocket (some of her daily food allowance) to distract her from other dogs when out, and to curb her chasing instinct when the cats were about.

Thousands of long walks, 'What a good girl!' and NO's later, with allowance for the two years they need to mature mentally, we have a very nice little dog who's great friends with cats - all seemed impossible back then.

Sounds like he needs a lot of work. Can you get in touch with a behaviourist? Or a training class? I have found YouTube helpful with so tips. Clicker training got rid of my dog reacting to others when we are out. it's really easy to learn. Things will settle down as he gets older.

Luke is fine in the house,but a nightmare outside
It is my cats i am most worried about,as they have now been upstairs for 3 weeks,and are upset i know,as they are not eating like they should,
I have been advised to rehome him, but i have already got attached to him,
When he has been for a walk he goes into a frenzy charging round the room and has growled at me 3 times now and snapped at me this morning
I can't bear to think of him being somewhere strange again, but he hasn't been trained on a lead ,a husky and 2 smaller dogs were behind us today and he was turning himself round and round on his lead to try to get to them
I think i should have got an older dog,he ,like i had before,
When i take him for a walk at night he is much better and calmer
i didn't think these dogs were so active, but he's young ,so maybe it is that he is just too active for me at my age
Plus i don't think the previous owner was altogether truthful,
Almost every morning i come down to a mess,

wow you are handsome! You are a great fellow for sheltering Luke. I think he will soon get used to you in the surroundings and in the new house. You will be easy with him. It only takes a little time

Luke climbed onto my knee last night to watcg Paul O Grady . and again this morning,
He still left a puddle this morning and while i was cleaning it,went and had a poo in less than a minute,only just turned my back
I had just fed him and usually take him out straight after , but it was too late
I do have a clicker somewhere that i trained my cats with ,must try to find it or get another ,
I know they work

I have a little Jack Russell now but our previous dog was a 4 year old rescue. He was a huge Great Dane X German Shepherd and took quite a while to settle in. He'd been kept outside as a guard dog and had no idea how to behave in a house. (Nobody mentioned that to me.)

He refused to go in the garden unless I went with him (and stayed with him) for several months. He towed me along on walks, going where he wanted to. He would lay on garden plants, furniture, beds etc. and could open doors, cupboards and the fridge - and reach all but the highest shelves.

He stole food, books, socks, shoes and toys to bury in the garden. He'd sit between me and visitors, guard the door and the kids - and chase the cat.

It took us a year to rehabilitate him (somewhat) but he always seemed to be on the settee. The kids sat on the floor but didn't mind. He was soon best friends with the cat and they slept next to each other!

Never heard of a hands free lead, but i will have a look on Amazon,thank you, i do use a retracting lead but only on large grassy areas,he has no road sense and would run into the road without even thinking about it
I do feel much happier now,i was so worried that he would frighten the cats,they stay upstairs a lot of time in the day,but always downstairs at night with me

When we had dogs I had a home-made waist leash, it's easy enough to make, with a few metres of wide elastic attached to the normal leash.
Most of the time I didn't need it though, we lived in a rural area where they could run as they pleased. Bliss for them and us.

Yes; I've got a halti that you can tie round your waist. It's also good for when you have to poo pick and you can attach it to styles [stiles?] if you're climbing over one. Also when she was a puppy the trainer said it was a good way to get her used to walking next to you and recommended using it around the house. I also find she's a different dog when she has a collar and lead on; almost as if she realises she has to behave.

Bungee clear?

Bungee lead it should say?

Have you heard of a hands-free lead? You attach it to the dog (preferably to his harness) and one end goes around your waist. In between is a lead, usually a bungee clear.

I used this when we had a puppy staying with us for a week. I used it to stop my own dog being aggressive towards the puppy as he’s old and a tad grumpy.

It worked a treat and soon he was ignoring pup, and I could take it off him and me.

Amazon about £10

Well hopefully a breakthrough re;cats and Luke
I have taken him upstairs a coule of times just so he gets used to the cats scent and they his
I took him up this morning on his lead, one cat]/[male] was on y bed, Luke just looked at him and the cat looked back t Luke, no one moved
Then took him into the second bedroom with 2 females on the bed, Luke again stood up and looked at them, they didn't move but hissed at him,
Soo hopefully it will get better before long,it's any movement that sets him off, but hopefully the cats will realise he doesn't mean them any harm

Watermeadow there is nothing wrong with Jack Russels, but not with cats, my son has a JR who is lovely but got near one of the cats and as i picked her up grabbed her leg and had to take her to the vet
It wouldn't be any good sitting one of the cats on my knee ,, they wont come near the room he is in,poor things are still upstairs hiding ,
It was quite funny tonight when the evening bews showed a photo of the London terrorist,he went absolutely mad.barking at the TV i had to change channels,and he quietened down straight away
He has stopped pulling so much, so that's good,as he was taking me for a walk, rather than me taking him,he is quite strong too

He is a cutie, and will bring you joy. It sounds like he is starting to adjust to your house. I agree with a gate to keep the dog downstairs and the cats can come and go as they like.

Perhaps you could put him on a leash attached to a doorknob or table leg and allow one of the cats down to sit on your lap for a bit. They will be able to be in the same room but not be able to reach one another.

We had a beagle which instead of crating at night we had an 8' leash attached to the wall behind her basket. She knew bedtime after her last outing was a clip to the leash and a treat. As she aged she knew to stay in her basket overnight and would not need to be clipped to the leash.

With our current Aussie shepherd we did crate her while she was a pup, but now she sleeps on a pillow beside our bed.

Maybe an Adaptil diffuser downstairs for the dog and the feline equivalent upstairs for the cats might help. I'm a great believer in dap diffusers. Also baby gates between doors so the cats always have a means of escape but they can all see each other.

Sorry meant to address blondenana's problem of Luke chasing the cats. I know you will be upset for the cats Blondenna.

It just takes time and patience. As you say even though he was used to cats previously, these are new and exciting to him at the moment and he will want to get up close and personal to see what these creatures are about. Cats will freak out!

Keep chastising him, make sure he knows you mean it. Walk him round them downstairs - keep pulling him back. We had same situ with chickens (with Cockapoo not sure about the new one yet) but eventually he got the message.... no chasing! As your Luke has been used to cats I am sure he will get the message also but not overnight.

Are we insane loving animals so much, putting up with so much.... a big resounding NO! Because...they are worth it

OMG fennel how dreadful.

Some of you may have seen my other post in which my daughter adopted a pup from Romania? She is absolutely gorgeous but is simply NOT getting the toilet training at all. Not only that but our 5 year old Cockapoo last night decided to poop on HER training mat!!! The look on his face when we saw it was priceless...almost like he was saying "nothing to do with me"....clearly was!!! SO...more work to be done there then as well.

This new one definitely looks like she has some Jack Russell in her and is so small I worry all the time when I go out with her that some big 'thug' might attack her! Never worried previously with our good old solid Cockapoo even though he has been attacked twice...but he is big enough to stand his ground! Your post Fennel has made me even more worried! Not enjoying walking her at the moment.