How Do I Get Her To Calm Down?

[JeffnCel]

So we've got Buffy, the crazy 8 1/2 month old doberman, and we're doing IPO with her. She's got fantastic drive, and when she's listening her obedience is really good. We train twice a week, exercise daily, and always have cuddle time. She is an outside dog, she comes inside to sleep in her crate, and she's been fine with this for the past 3 months. Lately, she started whining/whinging/howling early in the morning (before sunrise). We though she just needed to go toilet, but whenever we'd take her out, she wouldn't do anything, and after 20 minutes would just bark at the kookaburras, so we'd bring her back inside. Now it's like a game for her every morning. I think it's that she's lonely and wants to be with us.

I would desperately love to have her inside, not in her crate, but she is just bounding with energy there's no way I could trust her. Even after she's had a run until she's buggered, she could come home and still be jumping around being crazy. She just never seems to run out of energy.

Can anyone suggest any training techniques that I could use to teach her that she can jump around and be silly outside, but inside is quiet and calm? Or am I just kidding myself with this crazy doberman puppy? I love her energy, she just lives to have fun and she is just such a happy dog, but surely there's some way to quieten her down just for a little while?

Thanks everyone

[MonElite]

What does she do when inside? What do you do when she is inside?

How long have you had her inside bouncing off the walls?

Gotta love a 81/2 month dobie :D

[Erny]

Lately, she started whining/whinging/howling early in the morning (before sunrise). We though she just needed to go toilet, but whenever we'd take her out, she wouldn't do anything, and after 20 minutes would just bark at the kookaburras, so we'd bring her back inside. Now it's like a game for her every morning. I think it's that she's lonely and wants to be with us.

Yes - she probably does want to be back inside. Not so sure about the loneliness part ..... but she certainly has worked out how she can get YOU to do what SHE wants, WHEN she wants it.

I would desperately love to have her inside, not in her crate, but she is just bounding with energy there's no way I could trust her. Even after she's had a run until she's buggered, she could come home and still be jumping around being crazy. She just never seems to run out of energy.

Mental AND physical stimulation aside (and it's your call as to whether you are providing enough .... quality and quantity details aren't provided in your post), it is about TRAINING her how you want and expect her to behave inside - regardless of how SHE is feeling at the time.

Can anyone suggest any training techniques that I could use to teach her that she can jump around and be silly outside, but inside is quiet and calm?

But it is exactly as you've written it. You do all the energetic exercises outside, but once inside, insist on calmness. Use a lead or any other means you need to be able to control her inside excuberance (sp?). Be consistent and persistent. Be calm yourselves. And that you have crate trained her is good as well.

Or am I just kidding myself with this crazy doberman puppy?

No - you're not kidding yourself. In fact NOW is the time to train (if not even earlier) for calmness inside. Leave until later and you could find yourself with a more difficult job to do. ETA: When she was just a little pup, did you play exciting games with her inside?

I love her energy, she just lives to have fun and she is just such a happy dog, but surely there's some way to quieten her down just for a little while?

Calm-assertiveness on your part. Be her leader. :D

Edited November 16, 2007 by Erny

[Arya]

JeffnCel have you had a high drive dog like this before? This may sound no comfort whatsoever to you at the moment but as far as I'm concerned that is YIPPEEE! A hyperactive ADHD type dog is the one to have every time expecially if you're going to do IPO. For my money, I'd do a lot more mental stimulation rather than just exercise daily. Get hold of some DVDs like the Leerburg Training Grip Drive and Focus and do some work every day. Every single day. Obedience every single day. Begin tracking work and do several times a week. Hey, if she gets you up early that's perfect for tracking LOL. Running will not wear her out enough mentally. Personally, and others hopefully will come in with comments here, you need to do more to satisfy her drive, even at this age. Tug games, retrieval games, roughouse around stuff. Running won't do this properly. My dog goes a bit nutso if we don't get out there with our hoses, even if she has a good run. And she isn't even what anyone would really class as high drive. Anyway, see what others say but I'd work her more. I know you have to be careful as she's growing and only 8 1/2 months but she can learn tracking now easily and could started this lot younger, though you may have already. Same with lots of Ob work. This will all be a fabulous foundation before she is old enough, mature enough to start fair dinkum character work.

See what other Sch. people say. That's my non-Sch (but love it) two cents' worth. Hope helps :D

[JeffnCel]

Arya thanks so much for the reply that was awesome advice!! I have started tracking with her, but since my new job I haven't been able to go with my club, but I was just saying to hubby this morning that I want to start going on my own. I've never owned a high drive dog before, but I am happy with her excitement level, especially when I see others begging their dogs to be a little more active. I do training with her everyday, but I could step it up a bit more. We don't walk Buffy at all because of her growing joints, but she does get taken to the dog park every day for a run, and lots of tug work, and also for the distraction with obedience.

A friend is loaning me a leerburg dvd tonight, so I will watch and take lots of notes to use. Please don't get me wrong, I love Buffy's energy level and her drive it's fantastic to begin a new sport as a beginner and have a dog that is kind of easy to work with, but it's just the inside thing at the moment, and her whinging that is really getting to me. I will perservere Thanks so much

[t(AD)pole]

You could train her to stay on a mat. Make being on the mat the best thing ever. Treat her for being on the mat then say 'OK' but stand still and wait until she goes back on the mat- then treats start again. She has to learn that being on the mat (preferably in a drop) equals treats and fun. Slowly work up from having her lie on the mat for 30 secs to a few minutes to half an hour while you watch telly. You could also try massaging her and calmly patting while she lies on her mat.

[JeffnCel]

Ok I'm going to try putting her on lead and getting her an inside blanket. I have actually tried it before with her lying down next to me while I was on the computer, she lay there happily for about a minute, then she was off running around the house just generally being silly and wanting to explore everything.

Myszka, everytime she comes inside she's jumping and running around like a mad chicken. Even to get her into her crate it's like she just bursts into it at 100km/h. When she has been inside (being crazy) I probably have been a bit frazzled which probably hasn't helped the situation. But I'm going to try the lead and reward thing, then I can gradually build it up to her lying down inside during a study session, then a movie, then hopefully all night. I need to make her a special part of the house that is her own, or teach her how to behave inside then I can leave the crate door open and she can just go in and out as she pleases.

[t(AD)pole]

Ok I'm going to try putting her on lead and getting her an inside blanket. I have actually tried it before with her lying down next to me while I was on the computer, she lay there happily for about a minute, then she was off running around the house just generally being silly and wanting to explore everything.

Myszka, everytime she comes inside she's jumping and running around like a mad chicken. Even to get her into her crate it's like she just bursts into it at 100km/h. When she has been inside (being crazy) I probably have been a bit frazzled which probably hasn't helped the situation. But I'm going to try the lead and reward thing, then I can gradually build it up to her lying down inside during a study session, then a movie, then hopefully all night. I need to make her a special part of the house that is her own, or teach her how to behave inside then I can leave the crate door open and she can just go in and out as she pleases.

You need to reward her for staying before she gets up. That might mean starting at a few secs so remember to build it up slowly. Good luck

[kateykateykatey]

Have you tried calm on command? I am slowly reinforcing this in my dogs, as one of mine gets anxious when the weather changes. When he is calm, I simply pat him and say "yes- calm" etc... to reinforce that word with that behaviour. I've seen some success with it when he's been a bit wound up, and I've said "be CAALM". I use calming signals on him when he's stressed (during thunderstorms) as well, such as yawning and exaggerated lick lipping (though I feel like a goober sometimes, it works).

[Arya]

Arya thanks so much for the reply that was awesome advice!! I have started tracking with her, but since my new job I haven't been able to go with my club, but I was just saying to hubby this morning that I want to start going on my own. I've never owned a high drive dog before, but I am happy with her excitement level, especially when I see others begging their dogs to be a little more active. I do training with her everyday, but I could step it up a bit more. We don't walk Buffy at all because of her growing joints, but she does get taken to the dog park every day for a run, and lots of tug work, and also for the distraction with obedience.

A friend is loaning me a leerburg dvd tonight, so I will watch and take lots of notes to use. Please don't get me wrong, I love Buffy's energy level and her drive it's fantastic to begin a new sport as a beginner and have a dog that is kind of easy to work with, but it's just the inside thing at the moment, and her whinging that is really getting to me. I will perservere Thanks so much

No worries Happy to help. I do a lot of tracking on my own! It depends on what method you're using to teach but I use footstep and food and you can lay most of the tracks yourself with food or toy reward at end too. Remember that personal scent is only one initial part of tracking and ground scent will still work, no matter whether you or some other lays the track. So try laying your own tracks. I love getting out there and track laying and your dog will love the independence of 'being in charge' on the track and will help with mental exercise and teach concentration. You could walk her a bit now at her age, I'm sure. I'd do it on a pinch collar if she's a puller and goes too fast. Again, check out Leerburg website. Tug work is brilliant. Do you use tug or toy with your obedience? Keep it just for reward and it will help. She is only young and will be young in the mind still, so don't worry if she's nutso. I reckon learn to love it ROTFL.

To be honest, don't be disappointed if 'calm on command' and 'reward for calm' doesn't work well at this stage with a high drive dog. Use your prey items as the key to controlling your dog. Raise their value so high the dog will do anything to get them. As you work with her and she becomes more bonded to you as she gets older and learns to control her own drives through work, you will see her start to listen and settle down and not be so full on at inappropriate times of the day when you're trying to sleep lol!

[Lablover]

Its a fun age, isn't it?

Where is the crate? Next to your bed?? If your dog, does not toilet, when you release it from its crate in the morning I would simply, put it back. Strange dog though, as mine always need a pee or poo at that age.

If it is running about, and not needing to toilet, I woud take the opportunity, for some training.

[JeffnCel]

Yes Lablover but at 5am I'm not properly awake yet LOL. She's actually quietened down a lot the past week. We've been ignoring her and she seems to have learnt that whinging doesn't get attention.

We brought her inside the other night, and put her blanket out and I told her to "plahtz" and she stayed there really well. Her stays are getting much better, and she even stayed still enough for our cat to venture up to her!! First time ever!!!!!! I was very pleased. So slowly slowly slowly, like any other training

Thanks to everyone who responded :cool:

[Erny]

JeffnCel .... that's great things are on the improve. Just don't forget that she is ONLY 8.5 months old. Although obviously you can expect more from her than when she was a pup, don't expect more from her than what she is capable of. I guess I'm trying to say move forward by training for reliability, but avoid rushing things by increasing intensities too quickly.