1 YEAR OLD FEMALE BLACK LAB, HASN'T BEEN SPAYED..HELP!!!!!!!

[rodriguezpoultry]

How does she chew through the collars if they fit properly around her neck?

 

[Stina]

You wouldn't tie her out with a halti...and you could try the head collar or the harness. The harness has the leash attach to the front of it (not on their back), so that when they try to pull or bolt they just get pulled sidways and cannot get much pulling power. The head collars (halti or gentle leader) can be used in conjuction with a regular collar if they slip them off....they work by leading the nose like a horse halter does. I've known some labs these things worked miracles on!

 

[aidenbaby]

Are you the only person training your dog?

1. Get a well fitted collar. You want tight enough so that you can only put two fingers between it and her neck. If she is still growing, check it frequently.

2. Consider using her food to train her. If she eats 2 cups of food a day in two seperate meals, divide it into smaller potions and have her sit before giving her each portion. EX. Give her 1/4 cup food after she sits. When she finishes eating that, tell her to sit again. When she does that give her another 1/4 cup. Repeat until her normal serving is done. If she eats 1 cup of food per meal, that will be 4 sits you got out of her.

3. Use every opportunity you have to train her. If you are going to give her a treat or bone, make her sit and wait. If you are giving her fresh water and she's thirsty, have her down and wait. If she gets up, do NOT give her the food and wait until she complies. She has to EARN everything.

4. I like using head collars on dogs that pull during walks. I feel that it gives me more control over the dog.

If you have Animal Planet, you need to watch the show "It's Me Or The Dog". Better yet, submit your family and dog for the show. Victoria Stilwell does wonderful training that uses minimal force from the owner.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Ugh...I HATE that show. That woman drives me up the wall...

WHY does she have to wear those nasty skin-tight pants?!

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
Because she can~

 

[Fudgie]

Our 4-H dog leader has a 6 week program that will have your most unruly dog behaving like a champ. It is very simple and makes so much sense. I believe I still have the instructions somewhere if you would like to try this out. You have to be firm and consistent. Meaning EVERY day for 30 minutes each day. Consistency consistency consistency. Praise praise and corrections if they don't mind.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
Because she can~

IDK...maybe it's me but I see a lover of being a dominatrix in that woman...

 

[aidenbaby]

If I had her body, I would be wearing that stuff too.

I think her wardrobe is meant to inspire the dominatrix in all of us to be better leaders of our dog. Either that or it's because she's English. I grew up for a while in Newmarket, England (racing capital of England) and it wasn't abnormal to see people walking down the street like that.

 

[Rolsjo]

Well, it looks like you're off to decent start in your doggie boot camp. You have gotten some great advice so far. I just want to encourage you to take it slow. You have to walk before you can run. Continue to work with Libby on just being calm around you. Only pet/treat/praise her when she is acting properly. This really works!

We adopted a 10-month-old border collie last summer. She had NO training prior to that. She had only worn a collar one time before we brought her home. She was a horrible jumper, a worse chewer and even got into digging. The key is consistency. We made it a family law that no one was allowed to pet her unless she was sitting calmly. We used to put her in her crate whenever anyone came over because she was so jumpy. She even knocked me down once when I was bringing in the groceries. I started putting her in her kennel whenever I got home from the store and now she runs in there when I pull into the driveway and waits until the car is unloaded. We had some friend's over last month and their 2-year-old hopped out of the van and started running toward the dog. What did our wild doggie do? Sat down in front of her and waited to be pet!!!! I was so thrilled!

Libby will be a great dog, but you need to be patient with her and keep working with her.

Also, to get her to the vet, try giving her one Dramamine (motion sickness medicine) tablet crushed up in some food an hour before you need to leave. I don't normally advocate the use of meds, but it sounds like it may help you to keep her calm enough to get there. You shouldn't wait until she's fully-trained to get her spayed.

Keep us posted on her progress.

 

[Mystery Peepers]

Rolsjo,
Your post was very encouraging!

I've been paying tug of war with her regulary for the past three days, that does exspend some of her energy, though, not enough for sure! I still can't get her to walk on a leash without her bolting off and pulling me down. Also, even though I'm spending upwards of 2 hours just being with her throughout the day, she still jumps up and scratches. I tell her to sit, and she sits sometimes. But only for about 5 seconds at a time. If I could just get her to walk on a leash, I could keep a steady schedule of walking everyday for excersise without endangering our other animals and family members. Thanks again!

- Mystery Peepers