Could This Work

[juliehainsworth]

Ok my dog can be a bit of a handful at times as he gets quite bored! I've noticed that since I missed two of the three long walks I take him on at the wkend he has become really naughty (more than normal) so I was wondering to help combat some of his boredom and bad behaviour if I took him out for an extra walk on a morning (when lighter let him off lead and have a play on a local field), and possibly get my dad to take him for a quick walk round the block (highly unlikely that will ever happen but no harm in asking surely)! Do you think that might help calm down some of his behaviour?

Also as some of you know I've had problems with him jumping up when people come in the door which he is starting to get better at now, the other problem is that he jumps on people when he want attention and starts to chew on us too! My mum says turn back on him and ignore him but it does not work at all and he jumps on my back which is getting quite painful (he's a german shepherd cross), someone said put up my knee when he jumps up but I'm short and when he's on all fours my knees come just below his shoulders so that obviously doesnt work. I had it all this morning when I was trying to leave for work boy was it hard to get him to stop. After pushing him around (decided to try him at his own game) for a few minutes I managed to get his attention onto a toy eventually, as this is what I normally do and 7/10 times it works!

Also does anyone know what I can put down to deter him from chewing things he's not supposed to he chewed the carpet off the step on Sunday! Luckily the carpet is ancient and needs replacing but surely there has to be something, clove oil and lemon juice doesnt work not sure about lavender oil! Also would prefer it so that it is more or less odurless to the human nose!

Thanks again

 

[catxx]

if he's really energetic, the more walks the better!
have you tried agility training with him?

 

[juliehainsworth]

Not yet! I'm worried that he might decide to jump the gate (well actually he has done after pulling off the spokes from the top! He loves jumping to catch a ball in fact I think he's obsessed with jumping completely! Another thing is that he has a short attention span (not sure if its because he's 10mths though) and food based training doesnt always work not even with fresh meats! I'll give our local training place a call and see if they would consider doing it with him! Only thing is the place is over an hours walk away and my bf has decided he doesnt want to have the dog in the car now as its wet out and the dog will get mud everywhere!

That is a great idea though so I'll give it a go! Thank you

 

[Judmacaroni]

For the jumping up thing try to keep up with the turning away from him and ignoring him. also when you come in the house or anyone else they have to ignore him. This means no eye contact, no voice commands or any recognition that he is even there, turning away so that when he jumps up you turn away and falls back to his feet but dont do it quickly or excitedly or he'lllturn it into a game, just try to carry on regardless as if you hadnt really even noticed him.

You have to keep this up for a long time and stay consistent in your way, dont say "down" until his feet touch the ground otherwise he wont know what your talking about and will take it as a reinforcement for jumping up. It sounds like you can expect him to up the anti a bit and get a bit more boisterous before he gets the idea and starts behaving. the jumping up and chewing is an example of that but dont give in I know it is really difficult to ignore them especially if they are jumping up and chewing you its just important to try to keep chewable parts out of the way and to move in a normal way so he doesnt think its a game.

Our dogs get ridiculously excited when we come home or someone comes to the door and we tried this technique on them while we were being consistant it worked but took a while for them to get the idea. The thing to remember is your dog is young he doesnt come with an english vocabularly and instinctively know what each command is so waiting til his feet are on the ground before saying "down" and if he stays down then you can give him attension and this will teach him the command so that in future you will be able to use it to tell him to get down.

We did this with ours and they learnt that with us they had to get out of the way and sit down in the living room before I would say hello to them when I came home. It took a awhile and it worked but I found that other people coming into the house kinda spoiled it cause they come in and make a fuss and your back to square one! but it does work for us! you should see them when I come home from work George runs backwards and forwards but as soon as I am in the living room she plonks her bum right down in front of me wagging her tail like mad as if to say "loo kI'm being good!!"

And yes more walks will help to calm him down. without a doubt!

Hope this helps but it will take perseverance commitment and consistancy from you and your family but it will be worth it!! I only know what has worked for us and it sounds like he is just as excitable as my 2!! Good luck!

 

[juliehainsworth]

The only problem with the ignoring bit is that it REALLY hurts when he has his paws on my back (I have some right scratches down it)! I was ignoring him last night and the swine bit my bum! If I didnt love him so much I'd trade him in for something a lot smaller like my old Jack Russell lol Unfortunately I love him way too much even with his flaws and would do anything not to have to get rid of him!

Thank you so much for the advice! I now have to get my dad and BF to do the same (sometimes it's harder than training the dog)!

Urgh oh well looks like its going to be earlier mornings for me then (sigh)

 

[Synirr]

I think a better method than ignoring the behaviour is to correct it right as it starts. When dogs get in a certain frame of mind it can be near impossible to snap them out of it, so don't let them get in it in the first place...

Try this: Next time you're in a situation where you suspect he's going to start jumping up or chewing (providing he's bold enough to try chewing when you're around,) leash him with the collar high on his neck, like where the neck connects to the base of the skull. Whenever he looks like he's about to make a move, even just gets that look in his eye, give a firm tug on the leash and say "no" in a calm, assertive voice (don't scold, just be firm.) You have to believe he's going to obey you or he's not going to believe it. Basically, right now he thinks he's the dominant dog in the pack and he can do whatever he wants, you need to show him it's the other way around . You're keeping him from ever fully entering the "jump up on people" mindset.
Another trick is when he jumps up on you, grab him on the side of the neck with your fingers curled like teeth and pin him to the ground, then release once he has submitted and just stand over him for a while as he lies there. If he gets up too soon, pin him again. This emulates how dogs show dominance over one-another, only instead of a bite to the neck you're using a firm grip to push him down

EDIT: Forgot to mention... the really important thing is not to get too frustrated, or it'll show in your voice and he'll know he's wearing you down. My dad's golden retriever NEVER used to obey me until I tried this technique, now she knows who's boss as long as I remain calm. You don't scold or fuss, you give orders and expect them to be obeyed (as callous as that sounds). Dogs are happier knowing their place in their pack and they need structure, so not only is it important for you to let your dog know who the leader is, it's important for his wellbeing as well.

 

[juliehainsworth]

Thanks synirr! I'll see if I can get him down off me (he's one heavy dog)! Can I trade mine for yours lol? not that I ever would really

 

[Judmacaroni]

I am just going on what worked for us with our dogs but everybody is different. And yes training the people around you to do the training too is often harder than training the dog! The biting bum thing is what I meant about upping the anti to get your attension! Not good I know but I would be worried about trying to throw the dog down to the ground you've already said he's a big strong dog you might find this backfires on you and you'll end up getting bitten if your not careful.

Watch you facial expressions when your working with your dog you'll be surprised at how much they read from your face! Mines will lie down or go to their bed (most of the time) if I just give them the right look and if you smile at them they will start wagging their tail and wondering what they did right. Dominence among dogs is all to do with body language he will be amazingly perceptive of yours so act dominant (think about how you hold yourself when he jumps up do you cower away or stand and turn without flinching?) but I wouldn't go hands on unless you really know what you are doing. Just my opinion it may have worked for other folk but you said yourself your dog is quite big and if I remember right your used to smaller dogs?

I agree with what Synirr says about getting there before the situation arises but I just feel that you are better to distract the dog into thinking of something else rather than giving him into trouble before he knows what hes getting in trouble for. I would think it makes for a nervous dog that will be worried about doing anything rather than a happy dog who knows his boundaries.

Just in my opinion but like I said different things work for different dogs and you have to be sure and consistent in whatever you do and not chop and change frequently from different methods as you will just confuse the wee guy and probably make things worse!

 

[juliehainsworth]

I try not to cower or anything but I do have problems staying upright when he jumps on me! Sometimes he's great and will go for his toy when told others he's not so good and would prefer to test my patience! If ignoring or getting his attention onto other things fails I end up just leaving him downstairs on his own until he calms down!

Getting to the situation before it arises with Ty is almost impossible as his destructive behaviour comes from him being bored (regardless of chews, toys, etc being available for him)! If he is ignored he will find something to get hold of which he shouldnt and destroy it before you get there! If it's when he's about to start to pounce on me (which I can sometimes predict thankfully) I just grab a random toy and act like a fool which tends to fail (I cant be doing it right or he sees me as a tasty snack) I agree with both on the distraction instead of telling off (unlike my dad and Bf who prefer to tell him off and have him cower) I don't want him to cower to me I just want respect from him which I do get apart from when he's having the I want to play with you, you make a lovely toy mum, come on let me eat you! Definately going to just have to find a method that works! I know one thing that stops him in his tracks any time and that is my hairdryer even when its not plugged in just show him that and he runs away then comes back and then goes again! But I cant carry that with me 24/7 now can I plus its wrong to torment him with it!

 

[catxx]

maybe you should apply for the next series of "It's Me Or The Dog"? hehe.

 

[juliehainsworth]

Urgh no way I don't like her I watched one episode and she said to interupt the dog by going ahahah(dunno how to spell lol) tried it boy did I regret it ever since that day he got worse for the jumping up and biting (that was the first thing we ever tried)!

That Dog Borstal looked pretty good, only seen one episode ok the stones in the bottle didnt work! But it seemed better than the other woman!

Anyway I'm camera shy so there is no way you'd get me on TV but they can come and take my dog and use an actress Would you like to volunteer for it

 

[Judmacaroni]

Does Ty have his own space like a bed or a cage that you can contain him?

Our dogs used to have a cage til we moved house now they have the space under the stairs which is their bed and is where they sleep and get put in when we're out because they will chew things too. They love their bed and if Mirtha (no1 problem dog!) was being bad by jumping up or trying to start fights or whining for attention she was put to her bed and for a while just locked in until she was quiet or we had left her for a long enough time. now she just needs told to go to bed when she is misbehaving and she goes (always in a huff!) If poeple coming into the house didnt make such a fuss over them they would do this when folk come to the door but like I said before people are harder to train than dogs!!

Because we have the 2 and they will fight over toys sometimes they only get chews that they will finish or they get playtime with their bones or toys while we're about but only for a certain time. This seems to calm them down plus cause they want their toys to play with its much more of a reward and a distraction for when they are good or when I am trying to get their attension. When they had loads of toys lying around they just wanted to find more and now they appreciate their toys and George (no1 chewer and distroyer) has got alot better.

It is really hard and I will look out the books I read when I was training our dogs and give you the names of the trainers and books I found I had to take a little from each as none would be ideal for both my dogs but when you read up on it and understand the theory behind it it makes it easier to do!

I can only tell you how I got on with ours and I know what you mean its difficult to stay on your feet and dominent when you are hit with 6 stone of dog! Mirtha used to regularily drag me off my feet out of the house etc and is much stronger than me but I have eventually gained her respect and she knows I am the one in charge she constantly tries it on but shes 8 this year nad I only started with her really about a yr and a half ago! Ty should cotton on quicker because he's younger and probably not as willey about it! Mirtha could out patience a saint!!

 

[juliehainsworth]

He used to sleep in the kitchen on one of those dog cussions but he destroyed them and used to bark at 4am every morning when our neighbour went to work along with pulling things off the work tops etc, so he was then made to sleep in the hall at the bottom of the stairs on a blanket (he chose that spot) we have a baby gate to stop him getting up if we dont want him up (great if he's been out in the mud pit of a garden)! Unfortunately we don't have room for a large cage but my dad was on about building one under the kitchen work bench (doubt it will ever happen same with the kennel he wants)! He seems to like playing with 3 main toys with me one of which I keep in my bedroom to distract him with another is in the front room and the last one is in the hall amongst his other toys! We also have a certain toy that we keep for walks it's one of those hoops so I keep it latched to the lead although so far we have lost at least 3 of these in the local lake! I also keep a chew upstairs as well (comes in handy lol)!

Your definately right with the people being harder to train!

My mum is suprised that I havent given up on this dog yet, he's my first ever pup our last dog was a stray and we'd had him since I was seven for 15 years! I think one of the reasons why I'm so determined to keep him is because he was passed around so much before I got him, my sister got him at 9wks old and he'd already lived in 4 homes! She was going to get rid of him because she couldnt cope with not having a social life etc so I caused a fuss and managed to keep him and there is no way I'm letting this behaviour beat me into giving him up which is why I really appreciate your advice!

My old jack russell used to be able to pull my mum off her feet when we first got him and he never did learn not to pull on the lead! I'm lucky with Ty in that aspect he's pretty good on the lead, but only since we got a halti for him, although he has tried to get a few things by pulling but I have more control over him with it on! He doesnt like it much though! I once put it on him when he was playing up and he soon calmed down but I cant do that every time as its meant for walking with and not a punishment!

Do you have any pics of your dogs! I cant wait for Ty to get a bit older and settle down, some people say that they dont start to settle down until after they are 18mths not sure how true it is! I'm looking into getting back to dog classes my best friend says she'll walk up with me and have a go with him (she's looking after him when we go on holiday so should be interesting to see how he takes to listening to her), I just hope he pays more attention this time as the last few lessons he stopped paying attention!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

sorry, i'm just breezing through; will read in detail later.

the knee thing works by hitting him in the middle chest when he jumps up. it'll hit his ribcage and bounce him away from your body. you have to really hike your knee up, but it works pretty good on any dog whose shoulders are lower than your waist.

here's a (very rough) illustration:

 

[juliehainsworth]

Trust me I really cant get my knee to reach his chest when he jumps up I'm only 5ft 1 and normally when he jumps up he's too close for me to reach his chest in time with the knee! It works for my bf but he's over 6ft!

On another note last nite when I got home boy was he being naughty nipping me and jumping at me to get my attention but somehow I managed to ignore him and get upstairs (with him following trying to get my attention by the time we'd got to the top of the stairs he had calmed down a bit so I opened my room door and he walked in then looked at me I told him to get on the bed and he did and gave him a fuss well until he got over excited and started to chew me ! So I ignored him again and got on with my stuff so he took to destroying some plastic that was lying about I decided to just leave him to it and he soon gave in (I think he knows that he normally gets a reaction to when he does something he shouldnt) and went for his chew instead!

This morning he behaved quite well too, in that I didnt get pounced on when I was getting my coat on, so I played with him for 10mins before leaving, he even dropped the ball we were playing with in my hand with his paw over my arm it was so sweet of him, he even stopped playing without any problems, shame we have the bad days as well!