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So what do we do when redirection doesn't work? Occasionally Sherlock will get the idea that our pants are the perfect tug toy, or he'll get a wild hair up his rear end and start trying to jump up on the couch...and since he's too small to make it, he keeps jumping at it and occasionally grabs hold and starts gnawing on the cushions. And we're not about to reward him by picking him up and putting him up there when he does this, either...we know better than to reward that behavior. Usually this will happen when we're already playing with him and he's all worked up, so I don't think it's a lack of stimulation issue. Sometimes we can redirect him by distracting him with training, like "come" or "sit" (since he knows that this will get him treats). Sometimes we can redirect with his actual tug toy, and rarely a nylabone will be enough to distract him. When all of those options fail, though, we've been putting him in time out in his crate. Sometimes he just gets extremely intent on something and redirection doesn't work in the slightest. Is this the right call? We're trying to stick with all positive training when possible, but sometimes he just won't go for it. Do we need higher value treats? Or just different and varied toys/tugs to distract him with? We did get that "puppy pack" of Nylabones. He absolutely loves the edible one, and I'm sure it would work all the time, but that can't be an every day thing...we've noticed that if he gnaws on that for a while, the regular Nylabones offer no comfort, so we can't just swap it out mid-way through and let him keep chewing. And to be sure, while he's chewing away at a Nylabone, we praise the hell out of him and scratch the little guy for all he's worth. We're TRYING to get him to realize that calmly sitting and chewing on his bone is a Very Good Thing. But so far this hasn't been enough to redirect him from the more destructive behaviors. DaveSauce fucked around with this message at 19:57 on Nov 9, 2014 |
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Nov 9, 2014 19:54
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After months of stressing and overthinking everything my wife and I finally picked up our new puppy today. He's an 8 week old Havanese we have named Neon. He vomited four times on the way home but since he got home he has been wonderful. Energetic, playful, friendly, loves the toys we got him, has explored the backyard and seems to be reasonably toilet trained. He even sleeps in his playpen and didn't whimper or bark when we went out for half an hour to get groceries. I hope he stays this chilled out forever  The only weird thing is that he seems totally uninterested in food. He responds much better to praise and cuddles than treats and has only had a cursory sniff at his food bowl so far. It's strange having an animal that isn't food-driven but I'm sure he'll eat when he gets settled in. Photos:    
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Nov 15, 2014 06:50
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 I just can't...
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Nov 15, 2014 07:16
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 Is there something wrong with my dog's spine
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Nov 16, 2014 07:41
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Doggy daycare has helped a lot with Lunas interactions with other dogs, but she's still pretty scared of strange dogs at the park/beach, on or off leash. I don't know if it's a case of her being weird or other dogs being oblivious to her signalling she doesn't like them all up in her business. Most times when a strange dog approaches her she gets scared, runs behind me or my husband and when they continue to try and go in for a butt sniff she'll growl and snap. Part of me finds it embarrassing and part of me thinks its fine if she likes her personal space, but I'd really like it if she didn't make that possessed by Satan face every time we meet a random dog. She's OK with dogs she's around for about 20 minutes or so and will play with her daycare friends. Just wondering if there's anything I can do to help improve her initial interactions. Every human she meets is her new best friend, wish she was a bit more like that with dogs.
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Nov 16, 2014 09:11
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So it's like a switch flipped in Sherlock's brain over the weekend. Usually when we crate him, depending on how tired he is, he barks and whines for a while. Sometimes for a minute, sometimes for a while. We ALWAYS ignore it, without fail, but for the last 2 weeks it's been pretty regular, with being quiet the exception to the rule. But ever since some time on Saturday, nothing. We figured that, being the weekend, we had just tired him out and he fell asleep pretty quick. To be sure, he's otherwise fine as far as we can tell. He still eats as much as we'll let him, and he still plays as much as we'll let him. Is this how it goes? I've never crate trained a dog before...do they just suddenly understand one day?
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Nov 17, 2014 22:00
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DaveSauce posted:So it's like a switch flipped in Sherlock's brain over the weekend. Usually when we crate him, depending on how tired he is, he barks and whines for a while. Sometimes for a minute, sometimes for a while. We ALWAYS ignore it, without fail, but for the last 2 weeks it's been pretty regular, with being quiet the exception to the rule. Sounds like he's got the idea that crate =/= bad. Crate = resting place.
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Nov 17, 2014 22:05
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m.hache posted:Sounds like he's got the idea that crate =/= bad. Crate = resting place. Well then I guess we did something right. To be sure, we always fed him his meals in there, and we always gave him treats of some sort when we crated him, and we've NEVER had to force him in (even for a time out). The breeder started crate training at about 6 weeks, so he had already been doing it for 3 weeks before we got him. Now I'm scared...we started him in a hard plastic travel carrier, which he was already used to with the breeder, so we kept it up. But, he's going to outgrow it soon. We have a Life Stages metal crate set up and adjusted for him, and we've been feeding him meals in it, but we haven't dared to close the door on it yet. My biggest fear is that since the grate is spread further apart, he'll push/drop a toy outside the big openings and flip out while we're not there. That and we'll be moving in a week...so fun times ahead.
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Nov 17, 2014 22:22
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DaveSauce posted:Well then I guess we did something right. To be sure, we always fed him his meals in there, and we always gave him treats of some sort when we crated him, and we've NEVER had to force him in (even for a time out). The breeder started crate training at about 6 weeks, so he had already been doing it for 3 weeks before we got him. If you haven't already put a blanket or something in the small crate so it get's his scent. When you're ready to make the move, put it in the new crate. You may also want to consider putting a sheet over the entire thing except the front so it still get's the den feel from it.
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Nov 17, 2014 22:24
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DaveSauce posted:My biggest fear is that since the grate is spread further apart, he'll push/drop a toy outside the big openings and flip out while we're not there. Then don't put a toy in the crate with him? Crates aren't for playtime anyways.
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Nov 18, 2014 00:46
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m.hache posted:If you haven't already put a blanket or something in the small crate so it get's his scent. When you're ready to make the move, put it in the new crate. You may also want to consider putting a sheet over the entire thing except the front so it still get's the den feel from it. Is this a standard crate thing? My dog is great with his crate but he does spend a lot of time looking out the sides trying to see us. It's not a big deal since we crate him out of sight of the door when we leave him and that cuts down on his anxiety but I've been wondering about doing this for a while.
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Nov 18, 2014 04:34
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FadingChord posted:Is this a standard crate thing? My dog is great with his crate but he does spend a lot of time looking out the sides trying to see us. It's not a big deal since we crate him out of sight of the door when we leave him and that cuts down on his anxiety but I've been wondering about doing this for a while. It made a difference for us. It also helps them sleep longer if the crate stays dark.
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Nov 18, 2014 16:15
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The cover has mostly worked well for us, but Hana is getting a bit more clingy now and has started to figure out that if we cover up, we're about to leave. It also used to be that we would take a PB-Kong out of the freezer and she would jump into her crate straight away. Now I have to tell her to go in and she'll give me the 'you're leaving aren't you?' look and ignore the Kong for the first 30 seconds or so. Just hope it doesn't get worse than this..
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Nov 18, 2014 21:11
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ImplicitAssembler posted:The cover has mostly worked well for us, but Hana is getting a bit more clingy now and has started to figure out that if we cover up, we're about to leave. Is there a reason you can't leave the cover on all the time?
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Nov 18, 2014 22:00
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Is there a reason you can't leave the cover on all the time? I have an airline style crate for my dog and a lovely old blanket that goes over it anytime he's in there. I think when I've taken it off, its actually more freaky for the dog.
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Nov 18, 2014 22:02
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Is there a reason you can't leave the cover on all the time? It just seems to separate her from us, when we crate while still at home?. If I'm cleaning, for instance, she clearly likes to watch.
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Nov 18, 2014 22:21
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ImplicitAssembler posted:It just seems to separate her from us, when we crate while still at home?. If I'm cleaning, for instance, she clearly likes to watch. When do you crate her when you are home? Or rather, why?
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Nov 18, 2014 22:34
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wtftastic posted:When do you crate her when you are home? Or rather, why? When I'm not capable of supervising her. (Cooking, cleaning, working). If I'm confident that she's just going to laze around/nap, I'll leave her outside, but if she's active and my attention is needed elsewhere, I'll crate her.
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Nov 18, 2014 22:44
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ImplicitAssembler posted:It just seems to separate her from us, when we crate while still at home?. If I'm cleaning, for instance, she clearly likes to watch. Doing anything specific when a bad thing is about to happen is going to end with specific thing getting a negative reaction. You've made the crate a good thing, but it needs to be consistent. Get a PB Kong with the crate covered AND mom/dad is still home? Why not. They shouldn't be interested in you while crated anyway. That is kind of the point.
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Nov 18, 2014 22:48
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m.hache posted:If you haven't already put a blanket or something in the small crate so it get's his scent. When you're ready to make the move, put it in the new crate. You may also want to consider putting a sheet over the entire thing except the front so it still get's the den feel from it. What about him being an 11 week old puppy and more than willing to rip any blanket to shreds? Asking for a friend... But seriously, that is my hangup right now. He's a puppy, he chews. Anything cloth he is fairly interested in. I'm 90% sure that if we put a blanket in the crate with him, it will turn to ribbons. Same with covering the wire crate. I know it'll work in theory, but I'm fairly certain he will get his small puppy mouth through the grate and grab hold.
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Nov 19, 2014 01:03
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So use a cheap blanket?
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Nov 19, 2014 01:53
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I guess I just don't want to wake up to find him dead because he ate his weight in blanket is all...but aside from that, sure.
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Nov 19, 2014 02:47
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One of my dogs was a chronic chewer as a puppy and a Kong bed withstood his teeth. Maybe try one of these?
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Nov 19, 2014 03:47
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DaveSauce posted:I guess I just don't want to wake up to find him dead because he ate his weight in blanket is all...but aside from that, sure. It's never a bad idea to start redirecting to the proper chewing toys. It'll take time, but if he's chewing on stuff you don't want him to make sure you redirect to something that is OK to chew on, and that it's available anytime he might chew on something you'd rather he not. If not a kong, then nylabones or whatever else he might like in the crate in plenty of variety. It's a slow process but eventually he'll get the idea that bedding =/= chew toy
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Nov 19, 2014 15:09
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mcswizzle posted:It's never a bad idea to start redirecting to the proper chewing toys. It'll take time, but if he's chewing on stuff you don't want him to make sure you redirect to something that is OK to chew on, and that it's available anytime he might chew on something you'd rather he not. If not a kong, then nylabones or whatever else he might like in the crate in plenty of variety. It's a slow process but eventually he'll get the idea that bedding =/= chew toy We've done that to an extent. He doesn't chew on the rug anymore, so we were successful with redirecting away from that. But for other things we haven't been as successful. For example, sometimes he gets it in his head that he wants to jump up on the couch, so he kind of goes nuts jumping on it over and over trying to get up, and he often ends up chewing on the cushions. Usually the way to distract him is with toys or by doing some training. But we've never been able to dissuade him with a nylabone. Sometimes he'll just go ape-poo poo and absolutely nothing will pull him away. Same for when he decides to play tug with our pant-legs...he just goes nuts. He's not stupid...the reason he wants to get on the couch is because we used to have blankets on there that he wanted to chew on. We've since removed them, but he still wants to get up there. We've done the same with the towels hanging from the oven. He tries to chew them, so we remove temptation...but it doesn't stop him from jumping up to try to find them. On a separate subject: Our vet warned us against playing with him in certain ways...he told us not to play tug with him, since it gives him the idea that he's on an equal level with us due to all the give and take involved in the game. Being a Corgi, he's strong-willed as it is, so he is concerned about playing in to that. He also warned us against laser pointers. We discovered that he loves chasing the laser pointer, and we thought it would be a fantastic way to tire him out. But the vet said he could get obsessed and go nuts over any little speck of light (like a reflection off a watch). Thoughts?
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Nov 19, 2014 19:06
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DaveSauce posted:
Tug = good Chasing laser pointers = bad It's pretty old timey to avoid tug these days. Just be the one to control the game, teach a solid give/drop cue and go hog wild. It's a great reinforcer and a good way to drain a bit of energy. Chasing laser pointers can, as your vet said, foster OCD reflection chasing in dogs. It's a pain in the rear end to deal with and not something I'd recommend toying around with. Herders are prone to it 'cause they're normally a little neurotic in general, but I suggest avoiding it with all dogs.
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Nov 19, 2014 19:12
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DaveSauce posted:We've done that to an extent. He doesn't chew on the rug anymore, so we were successful with redirecting away from that. But for other things we haven't been as successful. For example, sometimes he gets it in his head that he wants to jump up on the couch, so he kind of goes nuts jumping on it over and over trying to get up, and he often ends up chewing on the cushions. Usually the way to distract him is with toys or by doing some training. But we've never been able to dissuade him with a nylabone. Yes, avoid laser pointers. No, play tug with your dog and your vet is retarded with respect to behavior and like ~10 years out of date minimum. Playing tug will not make your dog think he is the ~alpha~. Play tug, just make sure to stop it he bites or nips you, so that he learns the "rules" of tug.
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Nov 19, 2014 19:12
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DaveSauce posted:Our vet warned us against playing with him in certain ways...he told us not to play tug with him, since it gives him the idea that he's on an equal level with us due to all the give and take involved in the game. Being a Corgi, he's strong-willed as it is, so he is concerned about playing in to that. Please alpha-roll your vet the next time he says this. Thank you.
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Nov 20, 2014 00:07
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DaveSauce posted:We've done that to an extent. He doesn't chew on the rug anymore, so we were successful with redirecting away from that. But for other things we haven't been as successful. For example, sometimes he gets it in his head that he wants to jump up on the couch, so he kind of goes nuts jumping on it over and over trying to get up, and he often ends up chewing on the cushions. Usually the way to distract him is with toys or by doing some training. But we've never been able to dissuade him with a nylabone. Consistency is key. Do you ever break down and let him on the couch? Does he ever get a chance to self-reinforce and get on the couch when you're not looking? If the nylabone isn't working, you can either up the ante and use a more rewarding alternative (anyone else want to see what happens when a corgi puppy gets a cheese log?) or do either A) make it a game - get down on the floor and show him it's more fun to be there. Maybe spend a few days/weeks sitting on the floor in front of the couch instead so he get's accustomed to the floor rather than the couch. B) limit his availability getting to the couch, whether or not you're around to stop him. Don't let him self-reinforce and don't be an enabler. Same goes for pant legs, bathing suit strings, your ears. If you don't want him chewing you need to give him something to do instead. Especially as a puppy, chewing is how he's going to interact with the world and learn about stuff (they don't have hands like babies do) so new textures, tastes, etc are all SUPER AWESOME. Some things, like chewing barking and licking, can be rewarding just based off of the reaction they get (let me chew this because then they pay attention to me!) so make sure you're persistent and diligent about the redirections and consistent with what you do/do not let him chew. RE: "trying to find them" if he's already learned that they were there, it will take a while for him to lose interest. If you walked by a street corner and found $100 you'd walk by it again, and find another $100, and so on. Eventually the $100 stops showing up, but you'd be drat sure I'm going to keep walking that corner at least for a few weeks until I'm sure it's gone for good.
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Nov 20, 2014 00:28
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I'm looking to cut my dog's nails on my own. My dog is a rescue and he has a few really long nails with what I am assuming are long quicks (they're dark so I can't see). I would like to shorten his nails a bit each week so I can get them down without cutting his quick. I feel that a grinder is a pretty awesome way to shorten my dog's nails and wonder what you all think. Are grinders great and if so, which one should I get? I read that a lot of the pet ones are not powerful enough.
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Nov 20, 2014 16:37
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Jewce posted:I'm looking to cut my dog's nails on my own. Buy a Dremel(rotary) tool. Great for filing down nails, and useful around the house as well.
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Nov 20, 2014 16:48
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m.hache posted:Buy a Dremel(rotary) tool. Great for filing down nails, and useful around the house as well. Awesome, but there are a ton of models. Any that I should look at in particular?
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Nov 20, 2014 16:53
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Jewce posted:Awesome, but there are a ton of models. Any that I should look at in particular? Really any set with variable speeds and like 40+ attachments should do fine.
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Nov 20, 2014 17:06
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Jewce posted:Awesome, but there are a ton of models. Any that I should look at in particular?
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Nov 20, 2014 22:44
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PUP  Turns out Kong Wobblers for cats are even more fun than the dog ones because they have a fluffy thing you can drag them around by! (no longer regretting buying it for disinterested cats) He is also chewing everything under the sun except his chew toys. Now I need to go to the grooming thread to find out what brushes to buy for this hairy little bastard.
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Nov 24, 2014 08:46
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After reading some info on crates in here, i went ahead and bought one.... Bloody dog took to it like a duck to water!
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Nov 24, 2014 19:27
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Hana is now 7 months and has been accident free for at least 2 months. (minor happiness pee in the main hallway about a month ago) We still more or less take her out on schedule, but she will also tell us when she needs to go, although often varies how she does it. (going to front door is one. Barking is another and if she's in her crate, she'll whine). Tonight, she had already been out for a evening duties and yet, 2 hours later, she walks downstairs to the living room where her favourite bed is and pees on it!. What happened to the whole 'not peeing where they sleep' thing? Of course I'm also out of Nature Miracle.
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Dec 3, 2014 09:06
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Hello PI. We are bringing a puppy home on Saturday and I'm searching for advice. I've got my clicker primed and ready, three baggies of training treats, and a sweet little crate for our new puppy, but it's been almost 14 years since I've had a puppy and I've never been solely responsible for one's training before. Our previous dogs were all adults when they were adopted and came with their own enormous sets of issues, but now I'm kind of terrified that I'm going to screw this puppy up beyond repair. The basics: she's an Aussie/Great Pyr mix (before anyone says anything, our last dog was a Pyr so I have experience with the breed--this was not an "oooh white doggie!" decision, and she's coppery colored anyway, heh). She's 14 weeks old, has been raised in home around people, left her mom at 12 weeks and she's still with most of her litter, so it's pretty much the ideal adoption situation. I'm waiting to hear about her schedule from her foster mom, I know she's going to need three walks a day, etc. etc. etc.,... I suppose I'm looking for advice on getting off on the right foot with her. With my previous Pyr I read that we had to be firm and in charge with her, but she was much more sensitive than I'd anticipated and I ended up being TOO firm and setting our relationship back when we got her home. She turned out to be the best dog who ever lived and we were partners until she died a few months ago, so I eventually figured it out, but I'd like to skip the part where I gently caress up and just do the part where I'm an amazing dog owner and our new puppy grows up into an incredible dog that actually comes when I call her. Any advice?
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Dec 3, 2014 21:56
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Generally, be the doorway through which your pup gets everything she wants, not the barrier (within reason of course). Convince her that working with you is awesome, and without you boring things happen. No need to punish or be stern. Just be aware of the reinforcement your pup gets for doing certain behaviours, and try to control that reinforcement so you can encourage your pup to be a decent member of society. Training tricks is just about the best thing ever, as far as I'm concerned. Try to keep a watch out for potential problem behaviours early on, as it's better to head them off at the pass rather than deal with them after the fact. Basically, it's better to be proactive rather than reactive with your dog. And don't be afraid to ask for advice. The internet is full of some pretty cool resources -- you just need to know where to look (and ignore the crap).
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Dec 3, 2014 22:05
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| # ? May 20, 2024 08:26 |
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My girlfriend adopted a 14 year old lurcher from a local shelter a couple of weeks ago. He's deaf and his eyesight isn't great, but he's the happiest dog and physically he's in great shape apart from that. Very active, loves walks and has zero signs of lameness or stiffness (and ALWAYS seems disappointed when we get home again), always eager to play with both of us. The only problem we're having is his separation anxiety. It's worst at bedtime. If we sit with him until he's either asleep or at least really settled he's fine, but if we leave him while he's still "up" he'll bark until we come and sit with him. He is making slow progress - he used to bark any time we were in the house but out of sight, like if we were having dinner with him shut in a separate room or if was he left alone downstairs. We play the game of leaving the room, waiting a couple of minutes, and coming back with praise and/or treat, and that has made a difference. Now it just seems to be bedtime he doesn't like. Is there an effective way for us to make him think that bedtime is SUPER AWESOME even when we aren't around?
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Dec 5, 2014 11:56
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