The Teenage Stage...

[Kitteh]

Now that my pup Harper has taken to his crate to listen to pink floyd and smoke pot for hours on end, ( A.K.A the teenage stage ) there's a few questions about some problems I'm having, that the lovely DOLers can maybe help me with.

Serious overexcitement when people come over:

Every single time people come over, he goes banana's. Jumping, excitement wee's, won't settle. I've tried the on lead approach, putting him in his crate until he settles down ( this usually entails a half hour of screaming.) Once he stops and is relaxed in his crate, ie: looking like he's nearly falling asleep, i snap the lead on him and then he starts to pull like like a little steam train cause he's so excited. I tell guests to COMPLETELY ignore him until he settles down, but they don't seem to want to listen, so I put him back in his crate until he calms down again. ( Yesterday when i ducked outside to grab something, my girlfriend picked him up OUT OF HIS CRATE ..after i'd told her not to look at him etc...) Suggestions?

Ignoring commands:

He's getting to the "meh" stage."Meh, don't wanna " Not consistently, but it's happening. Wanna nip that little sucker in the bud right now. I've read several threads where people have talked about discipline/repercussion, but haven't actually stated what they do, when the dog doesn't obey. So what do ya'll do for discipline?

The run down on Harper:

• He's a bichon x 6 months old
• Get's exercised at least once a day ( depending on the weather of course)
• Training at home: Several times a day, but only for 5 mins at a time. This includes sits, stays, downs, waits, trick training, go find his toys etc. I try to mix it up so it's not boring. Will use food, toys or his tug as a reward.
• Enrolling him in obedience today at either perth ob club or the one at southern river. Haven't decided yet. Suggestions welcome.

Anything else you need to know let me know. If anyone else is going through a similar stage at the moment, please feel free to add your own questions.

Thanks!

Edited August 8, 2011 by Kitteh

[BC Crazy]

So glad you are asking the question Kitteh as I am pretty much in the same place as you ATM. So sorry I will not be of much help.

Very funny start to your post by the way. Cracked me up.

Stella is 9 months old almost & she is going really well most of the time but when she is excited I think her ears must be painted on

She also jumps up, although she is a lot better with that problem than she was, she still does it on occasion. I rather she didn't do it at all.

Looking forward to your feedback.

Edited August 8, 2011 by BC Crazy

[ChristineX]

Hi Kitteh

Yup, the dreaded 'teens'

For problem 1, enlist the help of your friend (when she has time to spare). Put Harper on a leash, and arrange for her to come over. As soon as Harper starts misbehaving, she walks away (regardless as to wether she has reached the front door or not!)(and out the house etc. comes back once harper settles, goes away when the misbehaviour starts - immediately the misbehaviour starts)

Keep repeating until Harper gets the idea - misbehaving makes the lovely visitor go away. This really needs to be a series of set ups until Harper gets the idea.

If you decide to come to Perth Ob - let me know so I can look out for you! That's my dog club too!

I'd also keep training sessions really really short, and massive reward for complience. No complience - say too bad, and walk away (ie game ended). And keep at it, the teens really do end.

ChristineX

[Zug Zug]

Good on you for treating your bichon x like the real dog he is! So many people (possibly including your friend) teach them like toys. They are certainly smart enough to take advantage of that! (my old bichon was with me for 13 years - I really love this breed)

my only suggestion is to pick a few very specific issues to work on at a time. Trying to fix too many things at once can leave you feeling unsuccessful. But have a list of say maybe 3 things on the fridge you are working on, and cross each one off as your dog gets the hang of it (and add something in it's place).

Eventually you end up with a long list of achievements, which will give you motivation to keep going.

Start with 2 simple ones and one that drives you crazy. For example:

- sits for 30 seconds

- waits quietly in crate for 5 mins (when no visitors are around)

- sits for 10 seconds (when visitor in room but isn't making eye contact)

So each one is quite specific and achievable. Once you've ticked each one off, you very very gradually increase the level of difficulty, making sure your dog is experiencing loads of success along the way and is amply rewarded for all his good efforts.

Have fun!

[Kitteh]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, keep them coming!

Good on you for treating your bichon x like the real dog he is! So many people (possibly including your friend) teach them like toys. They are certainly smart enough to take advantage of that! (my old bichon was with me for 13 years - I really love this breed)

Thanks Zug Zug. I love bichon's too! First time I've owned one, but I think i'll stick with them for a little while In regards to treating him like a "dog", yeah, I'm trying to learn from past mistakes. I had a maltese x shih tzu boy who I babied, and that turned out badly. ( I'd never owned my own dog before, so I had NO idea about dog training.) He'd resource guard the couch ( didn't realise that's what he was doing, till I started reading up about training for this one), get snappy, bite etc. Not good

In the end, I think, regardless of size, a dog is still a dog and should be treated as such. I'm doing my best to learn from my past mistakes. He seems to be doing well so far.

For problem 1, enlist the help of your friend (when she has time to spare). Put Harper on a leash, and arrange for her to come over. As soon as Harper starts misbehaving, she walks away (regardless as to wether she has reached the front door or not!)(and out the house etc. comes back once harper settles, goes away when the misbehaviour starts - immediately the misbehaviour starts)

Christine X : I've started doing this every single time my OH comes home. I've been doing it the "penalty yard way" as well, meaning, if he starts lunging on the lead, we'll turn around and walk back and then start again. This seems to be helping with the loose leash walking as well. Great suggestion, thanks!

I've also bought the book "The Focused Puppy". I've been doing some focus work from that, and it seems to have really helped! , and ChristineX, your suggestion of keeping sessions really short was great. I think because he's hit 6 mnths, I forget that he's still a pup. ( sounds silly I know)

Anywho, keep the suggestions and questions coming, I'm sure there are other owners who might have some queries!

Thanks :D