At My Wits End

[wish_4_cockerspaniel]

I have to vent. I am really getting close to my wits end!!

Casper seems to be getting progressivly worse as the days go by. If he is not jumping on the couch he is jumping on people so much that they cant stand it. Her is starting to get quite bitey now also, I just had a friend over for the first time and casper just went nuts. He jumped all over her even when she did not acknowledge him and completely ignored him. By the end he started getting bitey with her. Not aggressive but going way beyond the point of it being acceptable.

We have a trainer coming in 2 weeks time to try sort this out. I just dont know how i am going to last till then.

I am close to tears and am almost frightened to go near him at times.

Other times he is adorable and the perfect puppy.

He is now nearly 5 months old. He has done puppy school and we have kept up all that we learnt. I just dont know how to deal with these new ones.

Give me strength!!!

I'm sure the trainer will help tons, don't despair Cat, sending you good vibes from Sydney.

[black sooty]

My friend had a border collie who would do the same so when we got our pup we decided to do the same thing their trainer advised and it has worked on both her dog and our pup;

** ignore the dog until she settles down. We just stand there and cross our arms until she sits and reward her when she does. I think the hardest bit is to be patient and also to get the guests to do the same thing as its so easy to visit someones place and want to give the dog the attention. Also get your guests to acknowledge you first so she knows that she isnt the leader of the pack.

I do the standing arms crossed all the time during the days, esp when she excited. this could be for all sorts of reasons including when she's about to be fed, when Ive come home from work, when she's about to go for a walk... so she always associates being ignored and arms crossed with time to settle and I'm not encouraging accidently to jump on me.

good luck, and hope that your trainer is of help!

Edited May 3, 2009 by black sooty

[Dogsfevr]

I now many go to puppy preschool but i see more people with issues afterwards & the reason being is many(not all) encourage exuberance & free for alls & the owners arent involved in training them when to switch off/on.They learn that being over the top is correct at such a crucial age.

I think its also safe to say at present your frustrated.The dog nows this & your angry at the dog for something that isnt its fault.

It sounds like the pup is running the household & you have no idea how to handle or control your dog & seeking help is a great start.

Once your shown techniques you will realize how easy things can be .

The most important thing you need to look at is your pups daily activity level & this doent just mean exercise.Some breeds need more mental stimulation & crave to learn.

So what is your dogs daily routine.

I got him to sit and crouched behind him to try calm him but he just snapped at me.

Never lower yourself to the dog level.

Also remember as much as your frustrated it isnt the dogs fault .We all now dogs are only as good as the owners & some owners just need more help to achieve the right result.

Also ask yourself how are you around your dog.Are you someone who is boring ,confusing,interesting.

Often a boring person loses the dogs attention very quickly.When communicating you need the dog to want to hear you & listen.You need to stand upright & use your voice to allow the dog to understand good,bad .Your voice is you best tool to gain respect.

Some people talk so quietly & repeat the same commend 15 times & the dog still doesnt listen so you need to address why & try new methods to make yourself more interesting than the distraction.

When i was trialling for example i had adog that was ball obsessed.It took enormous self control not to chase any ball laying about so when practising i used her balls as distraction & rewards.

He down stays involved me playing ball,sitting with her balls & her reward was her ball.I would do figure 8 around her balls & get my mum to squeak the balls whilst doing offleash work.I had to be more interesting than that one item she cherished.

It was her tool & she was a brilliant worker .

Some dogs work for sheep skin.food,voice,simple pleasure so consider what item she really values & use that when training.

If you have video camera also vido yourself interacting with your dog,it is amazing what people see & dont realise

Edited May 3, 2009 by settrlvr

[Tripip]

I have a male who was a terrible handful when he was young, he really pushed the boundaries and I'm an experienced dog owner. I started him on the Triangle of Temptation (pinned at the top of this forum) and implemented the NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) program. TOT is hard to get used to at first, but once you've been doing it for a few days it becomes easy.

Both these programs are brilliant (especially TOT) and within a week I had a totally different dog. I really can't recommend TOT and NILIF highly enough, I don't believe in 'miracle cures', but TOT is close to it. I still do TOT every night before he eats, at the park before I let him off lead to run, before I give him a bone, there are hundreds of situations where TOT can be used. Another advantage is that I have a dog who will sit or stay indefinitely until I give him the release word.

Give it a try, I think you'll be amazed at the difference it will make.

Hi, I was very interested in your posting. Where do I find the TOT and NILIF programs? My dog could do with a bit of extra help!

[luvsdogs]

I have a male who was a terrible handful when he was young, he really pushed the boundaries and I'm an experienced dog owner. I started him on the Triangle of Temptation (pinned at the top of this forum)and implemented the NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) program. TOT is hard to get used to at first, but once you've been doing it for a few days it becomes easy.

Both these programs are brilliant (especially TOT) and within a week I had a totally different dog. I really can't recommend TOT and NILIF highly enough, I don't believe in 'miracle cures', but TOT is close to it. I still do TOT every night before he eats, at the park before I let him off lead to run, before I give him a bone, there are hundreds of situations where TOT can be used. Another advantage is that I have a dog who will sit or stay indefinitely until I give him the release word.

Give it a try, I think you'll be amazed at the difference it will make.

Hi, I was very interested in your posting. Where do I find the TOT and NILIF programs? My dog could do with a bit of extra help!

TOT at the top of Training/Obedience/Dog Sports

NILIF

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=Nothing+...lient=firefox-a

There are a lot there. I haven't checked them all out but I think they would be basically the same.

Edited May 3, 2009 by luvsdogs

[lilyandjazz]

I have just gone through this stage with Jazz. I am no expert but this is what worked for me.

I found putting her in a crate when people came over or whenever i thought her behaviour was not acceptable. I got everyone to ignore her and she was only allowed out of the crate when she was settled and listening (boy..... did she have some temper tantrums, nearlly rocked the crate over when no one was paying attention to her and crying) but we did not acknowledge her. I found even if you were chastising her it was a reward as she had your attention.

I would also suggest a short lead ie. not giving any length.

Now she is at the stage where the crate is not a punishment, she actually finds it a happy place to be.

Good luck you will get there.