Buddy is driving me NUTS! What am I doing wrong?

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Actually I have seen threads regarding you and Buddy before but only skimmed them. Because you were already having a trainer come to your home I figured that it was best you listen to the person who was a professional who was seeing the situation in person. I replied to this thread because you said you only had one more lesson with the trainer. So I thought I might be able to help you out a little. So, in short, I hadn't read the whole history of you getting Buddy.

That is sad and Buddy has a lot to work thru. The great thing about dogs as opposed to people is they 'let the past go' as long as they have a reason to trust you. They are more resiliant than people and quicker to forgive and forget.

No wonder the dog goes in to orbit when he's outside, it causes a LOT of anxiety. Its up to you to re-teach him that being outside has a new set of rules and get him to look to you for direction instead of looking to freak out. It will take work but you can do it.

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
Question...I'm the one who prepares the food for all the dogs, but DH feeds Buddy. Buddy is used to waiting in "his" room - our spare living room off the kitchen with a folding door between. He whines as he hears the food being prepared. He's fed in the other room to reduce interaction between him and the other dogs while eating. This brings up the other issue - Buddy wants to eliminate our GP from the pack. He's attacked Ludwig 3 times, and lost each time - w/out learning that's not a good plan. So, we must keep them separate. They can't be outside simultaneously. However - in the evening after dinner when everyone is settled - Ludwig (GP) sleeps in his corner with a leash attached to furniture (I attach the leash while he's sleeping) and we have Buddy on a leash across the room in front of the woodstove. They can sleep/relax at the same time in the same room this way for hours, until bedtime, when Buddy goes to his room. Haven't had any problems at all so far, but neither one of them seems to be aware/concerned of the other's presence under these circumstances. I don't keep Ludwig in Buddy's room because I thought Buddy should have his own "safe space", and I don't want Ludwig to feel more put out than he already is (he's top dog in the dog pack). Am I on the right path, or are there adjustments that I should try?
Question #2...Once he's got the indoor "settle" down, do I start to work on that on the outside of the door, and slowly work on distance from the door, then out in the yard (we have 2 fenced acres), then towards the gate to get outside the property, etc? And if he starts pulling/barking, we go back a step? Seems logical, but sometimes in practice, easier said than done.
Thanks for your time and suggestions!

 

[Sequin]

I didn't see this suggestion, but before you start your training outside you can work off some of buddy's excess energy by playing a good session of fetch or having him exercise on a treadmill. This way, he will be more calm for your training session. The other thing I was going to say is that you must Always go through the door(Any door) before Buddy does. Once you have accomplished polite leash manners in the house and are ready for moving through the door, you will have to practice polite manners going through the door until you actually get to working outside. Correct collar type and placement is also important with control and assisting in training. The short answer to your question #2 is Yes. And when you do walk, anywhere, you must do so with confidence as if you know exactly where you are going and you have all the control and determination. The dog is a passenger just coming along. The walk is yours, not his. One last note, once you have mastered the walk with buddy, walk with your husband and take Ludwig along too. A pack moves together, and your dogs won't form a pack if they don't ever walk together. Another suggestion in helping to get a handle on walking with Buddy, since he responds so nicely to your husband, walk with your husband and Buddy, and part way through the walk while everyone is relaxed and moving out nicely, without comment and fanfare have your husband hand you the leash as you keep walking. If you start to feel nervous, hand the leash back. This will help you gain confidence that you are really walking Buddy in a calm and confident manner without his making all sorts of noise and pulling. Kinda like training wheels.

Best of success to you and Buddy in accomplishing mastery of walking politely together!!!

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Quote:
I really feel that the issue between the two dogs is that, again, stems from anxiety on Buddy's part. I can't see whats going on so can't say for sure if its a dominance issue being played between the two dogs. However the unnatural anxiety Buddy has pent up over the years is probably causeing poor Ludwig to worry a lot and two worried dogs seeing abnomral behavior from one another is always a fight waiting to happen. I would think that when you get Buddy taught how to relax that things will fall into place between the two dogs. However since I cannot see whats going on this is my best **guess**.

Yes, I might skip the going out the front door. And work towards another door such as the back door if you have a back yard.l As Sequin said it is important that you go thru doors first. However in a truly calm and submissive attitude towards you (which is what we are working towards) he shouldn't try and bolt out the door in the first place. Having manners at the door will come naturally with the "settle" command in place. I would actually start making him settle in the threashold of the door, half in and half out when you get to this point. Then instead of releasing him outside with you, go back inside the house and try it again.

 

[thebritt]

Buddy is behaving very well with me - waits whenever I open a door, always lets me go first, etc.. When we're outside, if he starts barking out of excitement, I tell him to lie down and settle, and he does. He relaxes and starts sniffing the ground where he's laying, and after a minute or 2 I tell him good boy - free dog (in a relaxed tone). The problem is DH...He's been through the training sessions with the trainer and I, so he has the same info I do. I printed out some good suggestions from this thread (especially about the "settle" mode), and he's seen it working. Well, 2 days ago, I get home from work, and Buddy's laying in a chair,

not his pillow on the floor. DH has been feeding him, working on putting the food down and having Buddy "wait" a few seconds before he's released to eat - but now, Buddy's back at barking when DH enters the room w/his food - and barking before he's released to eat...Seems like we're going backwards! I'm not having problems w/Buddy so much as DH (the "D" here is not standing for darling at this moment!).

 

[ducks4you]

I have been a dog owner since 1990, I grew up with a family dog, and I now own dog #4 and dog #5 (they are almost the same age, about 3 yrs old each.) I know that a dog looks to you for leadership. My advice is twofold:
(1) You and DH need to sit down and decide how you eventually want Buddy to behave, not just outside but regarding floor, furniture, where/when he eats
(2) Then, start the conversation with Buddy, so that he understands what you expect from him

I didn't have any REAL issues with either of my current dogs, because I got each of them at 8 weeks of age. Neither of them is perfect, but I am top dog, so if I change the rules occasionally, they are not bent out of shape, which is the beauty of starting their training as puppies. You will not ever have this luxery with Buddy. He has baggage and he won't live long enough to completely forget.

You need to be ridiculously consistent with your expectations so that Buddy will trust you. Get RID of the treats. When you feed him, do not make any fuss, and let him eat in a quiet place, alone. Use "simple praise" for reward, and ignore him as punishment. PRAISE means "yes", IGNORE means "no." Train Buddy inside the house to come, sit and stay, using praise and ignore, to make it crystal clear that you mean him to do it every single time you ask. You won't touch any part of him that is healing, so he won't experience any pain. He will believe that you are playing with him, which is something that all dogs LOVE to do. Repetition will teach him everything that you want him to know.
I imagine that your outside training won't be able to go beyond your back yard for a very long time, but it is possible to retrain him.

I have been a horse-owner/trainer for about 25 years. I have had problem horses before, and I now own a 20 yr old Standardbred who has some nervous problems. He is about 1300 pounds, and yes, a big, scared horse can kill you inadvertantly. I liked him, which is why I bought him last month, but he needs every day assurance about my expectations. He does not have an aggressive personality, and this will make my retraining MORE difficult, because I could frighten him just by smacking him. (For those who don't own horses, we ALL occasionally smack our horses, if they bite, to establish leadership. You don't hit their faces, but you do hit their chest or side. Horses are also social creatures. THIS is how they talk to each other. They just kick a lot harder than we can!) Just like dogs, the horses trained right in the first place are very easy to handle.

Therefore because of the training I have going on now, AND previous horse retraining, I am aware of your problems with Buddy. It's very kind of you to take him. Don't give up on him!

 

[Anianna]

Quote:
When your DH comes in with food and Buddy barks, what is DH's response? If your DH walks back out with the food when Buddy barks, Buddy will get the idea not to bark. Is DH just giving up? It's not uncommon for a dog to repeat a previous behavior that seemed to be corrected, but like ducks4you and others have said, it is really important to be consistent all of the time.

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
When your DH comes in with food and Buddy barks, what is DH's response? If your DH walks back out with the food when Buddy barks, Buddy will get the idea not to bark. Is DH just giving up? It's not uncommon for a dog to repeat a previous behavior that seemed to be corrected, but like ducks4you and others have said, it is really important to be consistent all of the time.

I'm not sure if DH is "giving up" so much as giving in. He seems to think I'm too strickt about following our new guidelines(?). Whe I feed Buddy, I do as suggested - leave the room w/his food, have him sit before I go back in, and have him wait before he eats. He's eaten alone in his own room since I brought him home. I fully agree w/being consistant, which is why I feel like

when DH does his own thing!

 

[Anianna]

Quote:
My husband does that sometimes with our dog and then he laments when she behaves badly. You might gently point out to DH that if both of you aren't consistent, behavior issues will be a big problem and Buddy will be a huge PITA to live with. The fact that he behaves properly for you shows that Buddy knows what is expected of him and is capable of behaving appropriately. He just doesn't realize it's expected from anybody but you.

Also, I can't be sure not witnessing the behavior myself, but it sounds to me like Buddy believes that he is ahead of your DH in the pack. Buddy is exercising his will over DH by doing as he pleases and commanding your DH to bring that food dish. It sounds rather emasculating to me and I wouldn't stand for it if I were the man of the house.

 

[thebritt]

To respond to Ducks4you:
I have eliminated the treats - he got too worked up over them.
He is really good in the house with sit/down and pretty good w/stay. I don't acknowledge him when I get home until he settles down, and is actually laying down. His problem w/stay is that he wants to follow me. He's not allowed in my bedroom or the kitchen, but gets up to see exactly where I am, at which point I say, "Go lie down", pointing to his designated place. He does, but, if I go to the bedroom for a few minutes, he comes down the hall to be sure I haven't snuck out the window or something.
As for communicating w/DH - I thought we were on the same page. DH is home most of the day (unemployed), so he may be feeling like he can be the "good guy" and I can be the disciplinarian. He can definately be harder to communicate with than Buddy, which I know doesn't help. He thinks I'm nagging when I see the rules being broken. I'm trying to find the right words.....
Buddy has his own room, so to speak. We have a double-wide and we don't really use the front living room. It has furniture and a tv in it, and Buddy has chosen a chair in there where he sleeps. He sleeps alone in there every night and when no one's home. I know this may sound like the furniture that's ok and off limits may confuse him, but I've never had a problem w/him laying on the furniture in the family room until 2 days ago. Now he jumps up on the chair DH lets him as if he's always done it. Besides the obvious "challenge to authority" (on both their parts), the chair he's chosen is the one our old dog has slept on for the last 10 years, so I see a fight brewing between Buddy and old Blue. I've never had a problem with Blue - he always does as he's told, and I've always been top dog with all the dogs. I'm the one who took them all to dog school, and taught them their manners, etc.
Thanks for your suggestions to all of you!