Guru I am not familiar with the skin jackets but a post by Besslb says they work for him. Animals are amazing creatures they sense when we are nervous and they can start to get nervous as well, even strong dogs can show unsureness when we are stressed.
A tip I give to dog owners is to think of a dog as your child, in the sense of how you treat it, how you approach new challenges with it, i.e riding in the dingy for the first time, how you feed it, etc. You wouldnt leave your kid in the candy store with a free pass the same with your dog two small meals a day is much better than one big meal or free feeding when ever it wants, which is a no no for many reasons.
Praise is a dogs best reward, when your dog does good things praise him well, never punish out of frustration and bring them towards new challenges in small incrimental steps, finally bringing all those steps together . Go onto Utube and watch how stray dogs were taught to drive cars in New Zealand, it is a great video.
Steve, I like that " a boy named Sue". I guess in Slovakia where he came from "Gato" doesnt mean "cat" but you wouldnt believe how many people who speak spanish that would raise their eyebrows when I said "quiet Gato" when he would bark while we were on a contact.
Unfortunately he passed away suddenly 14 months ago, he was a such a great great dog who we miss everyday. He loved boating and we never had to lock the boats doors yet he was friendly to all people who had no ill will.
