Originally Posted By LuLu Yes, I am somewhat upset that the dog my daughter begged for and swore she would do everything for, has become my responsibility! But anyhoo... CoCo is now 3 1/4 and poorly behaved around other people or dogs. I took her for a walk last night and am sort of "at the end of my rope" about how much she pulls on the leash, and how she goes cuckoo when she sees another dog. A little history... Two years ago we took CoCo to a puppy training class, but I mostly relied on DD to do the training outside of class, since CoCo is "her dog." CoCo is now worse than before we took her for training. She is extremely friendly and people even comment on how sweet and loving she is, yet she's super excitable and jumps up on people. When we first got her, we took her to the dog park often and she did great. Once we stopped taking her frequently, she would get into fights (or just nip at?) other dogs, and DD would end up walking her home in tears, as other dog owners would freak out. I know I'm giving a lot of info here, and I'm sure all my dog needs is training. I'm just kinda frustrated... after last evening, and this morning a friend called wanting to take our dogs to the beach together. How fun would that be? But I can't trust what CoCo would do! Any advice appreciated!
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb I don't know if this helps, but I've heard dogs get bored easily. Taking them on long walks helps with a lot of behavior problems, especially chewing. If you take the dog to a trainer, make sure they train with possitive re-enforcement not negative. Our last dog had possitive, and the training worked like a charm, current dog negative and not so much. Good luck!
Originally Posted By Ursula Oooh, this sounds like an episode of the Dog Whisperer!! The dog needs to be walked daily for long amounts of time, and you need to show him that you are the pack leader. This will lead to better behavior around you and other dogs. What is it that he says? Excercise, food, affection? Or do I have that wrong? Or just watch an episode of the show, they have great ideas but then they say "Don't try this at home." Yeah, like everyone can afford this guy. Heck, I even used his SSSHHHTTT (it's a shush with a T at the end) technique on the neighbor's dog and that stopped him from barking each time I walk by his yard.
Originally Posted By CrouchingTigger I know a lot of people don't like it, but a "correction collar" (more commonly known as a "choke chain"), along with the positive reenforcement, does wonders for teaching a dog to stay at your side an attentive to commands. If fit and used properly, it doesn't hurt the dog, it's just an annoyance that they learn to avoid. I took our golden retriever through obedience classes and she learned to pay attention to the slightest "click" of the chain. And whenever she heard the jingling of the chain coming from the back door she would run as fast as she could to find it, 'cause she knew it meant "walkies"! She would literally dive into the collar.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Monica is my first dog ever in my life, so I didn't really know what to expect. What I've come to learn is that dogs need a lot of care and attention. When we fist got Monica back in October 2005, she was a bit neurotic. And rightfully so. She was at an American Eskimo rescue with 30 other American Eskimo dogs. It was insanity. She barked a lot on walks. She barked at people walking by our house. She barked when we had her in the car with us. And from what I've learned, most of the 'neurotic' behavior is fear-based. Barking at other dogs and other people is coming from a place of fear. The dog is afraid and is protecting itself. Over the past 9 months that we've had her, we take her for a walk everyday, and she's gotten better. She still pulls a bit on the leash, and she doesn't really heel, but she's far more calm on her walks. Also, my wife and I are here with her all day, so she's gotten much more secure and relaxed at home. She's gotten better when there's a knock at the door, and she's really, really improved when we take her in the car. She used to bark at anyone who would walk by and scare the crap out of them. Now, she doesn't bark at all when people walk by -- which is great. Time is the key -- and not everyone has the time to take care of a dog. Heck, on our walks around the neighborhood, I hear the dogs in their backyards barking incessantly at us as we walk by. It makes me sad, as it seems that they're home alone all day. No wonder they're bored out of their minds.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 We have a very hyper Boxer. She was someting else to train but now she walks calmly and can even be let loose to run. We have always used a "gentle leader." It looks like a modified muzzle, with no mouth covering and it goes around the neck and the face. So, when you want her attention by tugging on the leash it makes them turn their heads to you. With plenty of walks and shortening up on the leash - showing you are the leader, she should come around for you. <a href="http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?cm_ven=goo&cm_cat=adwords&cm_pla=unknown&cm_ite=sku&ASSORTMENT" target="_blank">http://www.petsmart.com/global /product_detail.jsp?cm_ven=goo&cm_cat=adwords&cm_pla=unknown&cm_ite=sku&ASSORTMENT</a>%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026165&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441777905&bmUID=1152651991799
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Oh another thing, don't get in a game of tug-of-war unless you can win, loosing compromises your position as pack leader.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 And I agree so much about the attention. Our dogs are family to us. We talk to them, shower them with attention. Constantly petting and touching them.
Originally Posted By LuLu I do think a lot of CoCo's issues are boredom and too much energy. I even said to DD yesterday that she has to play with her lots more. Being a dalmatian, I think she just needs lots of exercise. More long walks too, despite how annoying it is - I guess she'll eventually come around. We use a Gentle Leader and I can still barely control her. She's VERY strong! She almost never barks or chews things. She's a really sweet and wonderful dog. She does get a good amount of attention (I'm home all the time), but is lacking in exercise. Thanks again for the tips, I'll be rereading these!!
Originally Posted By Lisann22 What about toys LuLu. I read regarding our Boxer that they need a whole toy box full of toys to play with as they get bored with the same ball or toy. And boy, is it true. Our Sammy is worse than a 3 year old with toys all over but she plays hard with them and it wears her down a bit.
Originally Posted By LuLu I may try the choke chain... I'll definitely look up the Dog Whisperer. I appreciate these tips, it sounds so much easier than what we learned about constantly giving the dog little snacks while walking to get her to come back to you, etc. Just persistence and lots more walks!
Originally Posted By LuLu CoCo doesn't really play with toys unless someone is playing with her. So again, it's just that Time thing!
Originally Posted By CrouchingTigger Remember that a properly fit choke chain fits very loose. It will put practically no pressure on the neck unless they (or you) pull on it. I made that mistake and had to buy a second one on the instructor's advice.
Originally Posted By Ursula I think that just rewarding with snacks doesn't do much to impress the idea of pack leader, but it sure does do a lot of Pavlov-ing the dog into certain behaviors. I'd rather have a dog who sees me at the pack leader. And I forgot she's a dalmatian!! They are very fragile creatures who once they latch on to an owner you are set for life! Well worth the time and effort, that's for sure!
Originally Posted By friendofdd We have found an item called a pinch collar to be most effective in controlling them while on leash.
Originally Posted By LuLu I need more help. I read up on the pinch collar and got one that fit right. The first time I took CoCo out with it, she was better, but it surprised me how much she'd still pull against it, as I suppose that thing would hurt. It seemed to work better for her than the gentle leader tho, as it didn't irritate her snout. Next time, tho, we encountered a few dogs, and she just went ballistic. I got worried and tried to hold her by her regular collar, as I didn't want her to get hurt, *or* for the pinch collar to come undone, as I've heard they can. Now I'm very reluctant to walk her. I spend more time throwing the ball for her, where she really gets to run. I know that's good exercise, but I think she needs walks too, doesn't she? And it would certainly be better for everyone if she could be more "socialized." Any ideas? I don't even see how I can take her to a training class, as she just goes nuts when she sees another animal. Help!
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb I almost hesitate to sugest this... but perhaps you can get a "shock" collar (I hate the things myself, but our trainer used it on my dog and had good results) and walk her around your yard on a leash having her heel, "nick" her with the collar when she doesn't. Once she's figured it out in the yard (have her sit when you stop walking) try a short walk with the collar. Then when she has the idea down, try it with the choke-chain collar making sure she stays in a heel. This all takes time and practice. This isn't my favorite method, I usually prefer the reward traing to punishment training, but it works when all else fails. Good luck
Originally Posted By trekkeruss ^^Watch Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer. He will tell you why walking your dog is important, and how to walk a dog properly. In a nutshell, if CoCo is out in front of you while you are walking, you are a follower, not a pack leader. Take control of the dog walking, and pulling becomes much less of a problem, if not disappearing altogether. The method *does* work... when I first got Siu Mai, I walked her the wrong way, and she pulled, and pulled more when other people or animals got close (she was afraid of everything!) But once I learned to walk her the correct way, Most all of that went away. She'd still be a bit anxious when other dogs got close, but she was for the most part completely managable.
