A day at the dog park

[rosemarythyme]

I'm beginning to think its not MY fault shes having behaviors...but another family member...he is more lax with her. Ive noticed him giving functional rewards for bad behavior. I dont think he's aware of it. I'm trying to point it out without being "the boss" and more like "the dog trainer". I suggested to him to take a class with her as that "might help them bond". He didnt seem too crazy about the idea. As for now I'll just keep reading these training books and hopefully pass some knowledge on to him. She really is a good dog...but only with me.

It's always a bit trickier when there's other people in the household or who may care for the dog on occasion that aren't on the same page (which is why attending training classes with the whole family is a good idea). Can't blame a dog for being confused when people are giving them commands or rewarding them or even doing routine behaviors (like taking them out to pee) in different ways. If family members aren't really interested in the training, best you can probably do is train her the way you want, and then show them the cues or write down the routine that is needed to get that same behavior.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Uuuhhhh, so true!!! I keep telling my DH the dog's name is not a command, it's an alert that a command is coming. You have to tell the dog what you want, she can't read your mind, like we expect our kids to do (and why is that, exactly?). If you say her name in a warning tone, that does not mean, "you'd better cut that out, or else." It doesn't mean anything, it's just her name! Tell her No, or Down, or Come. Or something!

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Uuuhhhh, so true!!! I keep telling my DH the dog's name is not a command, it's an alert that a command is coming. You have to tell the dog what you want, she can't read your mind, like we expect our kids to do (and why is that, exactly?). If you say her name in a warning tone, that does not mean, "you'd better cut that out, or else." It doesn't mean anything, it's just her name! Tell her No, or Down, or Come. Or something!

This ^

 

[rosemarythyme]

Uuuhhhh, so true!!! I keep telling my DH the dog's name is not a command, it's an alert that a command is coming. You have to tell the dog what you want, she can't read your mind, like we expect our kids to do (and why is that, exactly?). If you say her name in a warning tone, that does not mean, "you'd better cut that out, or else." It doesn't mean anything, it's just her name! Tell her No, or Down, or Come. Or something!

It's like my hubby has inadvertently taught our newest dog to run from him. If she's doing something bad (like running circles around the chicken run) he chases after her while yelling her name. Now she thinks it's fun, and she runs from him.

Meanwhile I've been teaching her to Come when I call her under those same circumstances, so she's sort of learning to come when called... but he's sabotaging my efforts since obviously running around is more fun than being obedient.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It's like my hubby has inadvertently taught our newest dog to run from him. If she's doing something bad (like running circles around the chicken run) he chases after her while yelling her name. Now she thinks it's fun, and she runs from him.

Meanwhile I've been teaching her to Come when I call her under those same circumstances, so she's sort of learning to come when called... but he's sabotaging my efforts since obviously running around is more fun than being obedient.

Oh, noooooo. Tell him that's a good way for her to end up under a truck if she ever gets away from him while on a walk. Golly!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Practice playing "red light, green light" with HIM. Red light means he freezes in his tracks. Green light means he walks calmly or runs toward a predetermined goal, whatever you tell him during the "stop" phase. If he moves after you say "red light," he has to go back to the beginning. Practice! Then if you see him running your dog, yell RED LIGHT!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Oh, noooooo. Tell him that's a good way for her to end up under a truck if she ever gets away from him while on a walk. Golly!

She already took off once after a rabbit while we were walking around the neighborhood, but since I was the one she got away from, I just crouched down, told her to come and beckoned to her with my hand (realistically trying to grab the leash but she sees it as a "might have treats" sign) and she did come back to me without much fuss.

Recently I've been handing off treats to hubby as soon as we're outside (he never grabs any) and telling him to have each dog come to him. He only does it while he has treats in hand *eyeroll* but it's a start...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Can you get a cotton web 15-foot long line for her? When a dog is not reliable to come when called, I like to use one of these attached to the training collar. Then if they do get away, you can almost always get control of them by stepping on it. It's virtually impossible to get hold of a dropped leash by going after it with your hand, the dog is simply too fast. Nylon will burn your hand. Chain also will hurt your hand. I do not recommend those bulky and heavy retractable leashes at all. Until she is completely reliable, I would recommend having a long line on her whenever there is a chance you could lose control of her. Prevention so much better than cure. Once a smart dog like this learns she can ignore a command, you have lost a battle and have to re-train.

 

[lcwmt]

Patricia McConnell has a great blog post/article on "The Chain". Basically it addresses the way we inadvertently "train" the dog contrary to what we thought we were doing. Or maybe the dog trains us <G>. The comments and stories are great. I think a lot of us have these stories, once we recognize what has been happening with our dogs and their interactions with us. We can "teach" a dog to resource guard (by taking their food or things away while they are engaged with them). We can teach fearful attitudes by paying too much attention to the reaction to the scary thing; we can encourage jumping up or pawing at by giving negative feedback. The list goes on.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Can you get a cotton web 15-foot long line for her? When a dog is not reliable to come when called, I like to use one of these attached to the training collar. Then if they do get away, you can almost always get control of them by stepping on it. It's virtually impossible to get hold of a dropped leash by going after it with your hand, the dog is simply too fast. Nylon will burn your hand. Chain also will hurt your hand. I do not recommend those bulky and heavy retractable leashes at all. Until she is completely reliable, I would recommend having a long line on her whenever there is a chance you could lose control of her. Prevention so much better than cure. Once a smart dog like this learns she can ignore a command, you have lost a battle and have to re-train.

We have long lines (15') both inside and outside the house (I keep one on the porch, it's handy!) All new dogs get to drag around the long line until they learn to stay in a specific area of the property. Our new dog has this down for the most part - even if she misbehaves she does it in the approved area.

Obviously when walking off the property she's on a leash. I've been training her on loose leash walking and overall she's doing well at staying at my side, no pulling. She's just really powerful (so must be on a head halter) and prey driven so if I can spot the rabbit/squirrel first, it's no problem, I can keep her attention and make her stay with me going forward. It's when she happens to see one that I didn't that she can suddenly bolt. Honestly in that case I'd rather let go. My mother in law recently broke her arm when her dog bolted and she didn't let go.

Still need to do formal training on our dog, but she's had such bad anxiety that we're waiting for the medication to fully sink in before we schedule for classes.