Annoying Behaviour We Cant Get On Top Of

[baf65]

My 3yr old Cocker spaniel has a couple of habits Im struggling to get on top of! First, is the constant begging or trying to steal food. If I am preparing food at the kitchen counter he is constantly at my feet or trying to get up to the counter to get it...licking the counter,hovering around under my feet. I have tried to put him in the family room and close the door but then we have the scratching on the door! When we are eating I have the head on my knee or coming up and stting next to me on the couch waiting for any crumb to fall...again if I put him outside in the back garden we get the scratching and howling at the door so I dont know which is worse!! If a plate is left unattended for a second the food is gone, have tried to get the kids to be more responsible with their plates but they are only young.

the other thing is something I am sure is just a normal dog behaviour....but the constant need to go for a walk...cant even stand up and booooom he is there under my feet squirming with excitement and often I might just be going to another room! Get my shoes on and you would think it was christmas...then I feel guilty that Im not taking him. I do walks at different times of the day so he isnt always used to morning or afternoon but dont know what else to do

Any advice on how to make a start in controlling either behaviour!

[persephone]

;) a time machine :p

these behaviours had their origins a few years ago , probably ,when cute puppy stuff happens, and cons us. Puppies are very good trainers !!

I would now be VERY organised & firm ... dog is crated or tethered or outside when food is being prepared , for a start.

all this obviously needs TRAINING ... it will be a process of a little & often , and eventually it can be done easily .Don't just LOCK dog in a crate or outside .. there needs to be a big incentive! A favourite meaty bone /meal/toy ..a treatball filled with HIS food ..or a frozen kong ... so outside becomes the food place :)

prepare his meal away from his sight ...

and do NOT feed him treats unless he has them as a reward for performing a task.

Hamlet was a cocker X and a garbage /bin scrounge, etc .. however, I could also use his head as a table if I was eating on the couch ..and he would sleep ..... If he could do it , anyone can, I think :p

have a read of THIS, too, and see if it might work in your house . EVERYONE needs to be on the same page though.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Dogs do prefer routine - especially with walks. I recommend sticking to the time - I understand why you are going at different times but it hasn't stopped his behaviour.

He needs to learn "sit" and "stay" etc by the sounds of it.

Obedience training goes a long way.

A crate is also a wonderful invention, not cruel at all, gives the dog somewhere to call his own. Mine go into them at times other than bedtime although only one has to sleep in a crate at night, they all love them.

[disintegratus]

Probably not "by the book" but what has worked for me (both with the dogs and with my sister's pig) is:

if preparing or eating food, and I am being bothered by one or more of them, as soon as I notice, I stop what I'm doing and stare at them until they back off. When I'm eating, I don't want this to take forever, so a very short growl (yep, completely crazy dog lady here, I even talk dog :p) speeds the process up a lot. Not sure if it's connected in any way, but I'm also very strict on food possessiveness here, no matter what they're eating, or when it was given to them, if I want to take it, it's mine. Because of this, I can sit on the couch with dogs either side of me, and they will not even dream of begging for food unless I call their names. That said, apparently the rules don't apply to other people, my mum came to visit the other day and I caught Thundercleese sitting with his head on her lap staring longingly at the biscuit she was eating!! She didn't mind though, as she puts up with that kind of behaviour from her own dogs.

The dogs food doesn't take long to prepare, but with the pig, he gets very bossy and pushy while his food is being prepared. He headbutts and gets under your legs and generally makes a pain in the ass of himself. So what I did was, the second he started displaying what I deemed inappropriate (ie, anything that wasn't standing or sitting quietly waiting) I would stop what I was doing and walk away for 2 minutes. When he'd settled, I'd go back and resume. Luckily I have a lot of time on my hands, as one of the first times I did this, it took me almost an hour to feed him. As a result though, he is still a right royal PITA for my sister, but won't do anything of the sort with me. He even sits and waits for his food without being asked. :) I'm a meany, but it works :p

[mixeduppup]

I would recommend teaching your dog a cue to settle and go and lay down.

[Salukifan]

How much formal obedience training has your dog had? How much exercise does he get daily? Your post indicates to me that he doesn't seem to have much self control. This is something that has to be taught.

[disintegratus]

Oh, another thing I did that's worked for me: to try to curb the overexcitement whenever the lead comes out, just take it out all the time. Pull it out of the draw and walk around with it, then put it back. Put the dog on lead and have him walk around the house with you while you do whatever you're doing. Basically, just shut down the idea that the lead means THE FUNNEST TIME EVER!!!! That said, I have a specific pair of pants I usually only wear when walking the dogs (old and ratty, I look like a hobo but they're comfy as anything and have heaps of pockets :)), and the dogs still get super excited by those. I don't mind though because I very rarely wear them unless walking the dogs.

[korbin13]

Two words, Place Training.

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/3308

This has been a godsend for my two. It does take a bit of work, the link says 5 steps which is probably about right but the self control takes a bit longer to come.

[baf65]

thanks everyone, i will start to take some of your tips on board

we havent had formal training since he was pretty young ...i'll get the crate back out and also try and train the kids a bit more!!

[Salukifan]

thanks everyone, i will start to take some of your tips on board

we havent had formal training since he was pretty young ...i'll get the crate back out and also try and train the kids a bit more!!

Keep at the front of the mind that you have a dog bred to work.... out in the field, looking for birds. He needs to be given 'work' and plenty of exercise to keep him mentally satisfied. Obedience training is as much about working the mind as the body.

They are a 'busy' breed. Keep him busy in ways that you are happy with and I expect you'll find him far less annoying to live with. :)

Tiring him out will help. A good run, some chasing a ball or LONG walks a couple of times a week would be a good idea if he doesn't get that now.

These dogs are not couch potatoes.