Advice or recommendations please

[Lanny1]

I have a new dog that was a rescue.  I've had him for 6 months.  He is 2 years old.  A Pomeranian mix poodle.

He is friendly and fairly good. But there are a couple of issues.

 

1. He used to bark at the vacuum cleaner and try to eat it. I've got him used to that now. He just watches it. Doesn't even bark at it any more.

2. He still barks and tries to chases the lawn mower and grass clipper, so i have to put him inside when doing theses things.

3. He absolutely hates motorcycles and skate boards.  Barks and tries the chase. A bit of problem on walks if they come along. He sort gets taken over by the desire to chase them and that's hard to get him to control the urge.

4. Separation anxiety is getting better. Just tries to go with me when leaving the house by trying to slip through the door. Whines for about a minute. then is silent.  No barking through the day. Just appears to sleep I think.No destruction issues at all when out.  I'm getting him used to a place of "bed" for the day so he knows to lie there when I'm leaving the house. He has a "toddler enclosure space" I use some days and seems happy to be there when I'm out, other times he has the sofa and lounge area. 

5.  Barks a bit at cats or dogs that pass the house.  Loves to play with any dog. Barks at noised of people passing the house.

6. He just goes ballistic if he smells a cat outside. There are cats on both sides. I'm trying to get him to react in "calm way to the "cat smell"(of course I cant smell it so I don't know when its coming).  Im trying to calm him and get him to lie down and just stay calm when this happens. 

 

Any advice would be appreciated.  Is this a case for a dog trainer or dog psychologist? Any recommendations?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 2, 2019 by Lanny1

[persephone]

You're doing well  
Dogs who bark at moving/noisy things can cause neighbour problems, too! 
Ask on here - giving a general location, and you may find a good, balanced trainer to help you out  You need someone experienced and decent ..not a  happy-sounding franchise  ...but someone with recommendations..and someone who will use all sorts of methods and training tools  to help you work with your little dog .

[Lanny1]

I'm in Newcastle or the North Shore of Sydney.

[Two Best Dogs!]

I hope we see a photo soon, he sounds cute ;)

 

Honestly you sound like you're doing fine in progressing through his issues and challenges, especially in only 6 months when you are so new to him There's no quick fix to behavioural challenges, just patience, progress and practice. Slow and steady foundations in helping him understand his new home and lots of rest time inbetween learning. If someone is bothering you over him not being "perfect", then they need to get with reality that the important things will always take time with good experiences paramount.

There's a facebook group called Anxious Dogs of Australia Support Group that I find useful to quickly bounce ideas off when I'm in a sticky bit or just thinking of changing our approach. They have way more members than DOL with, well, the specialisation on anxious type behaviours, and thus way more variety in the list of people you can pick and choose to visit if you feel you need. Although right now you could mistake it for an enrichment group, they are very excited over the snuffle mats in Target! They are awfully cute toys for home alone time.

 

For 3. specifically, see if you cannot buy a cheap $5 skateboard somewhere and bring it home to work on familiarising him with it. You could teach him to watch it sit stationary/watch it move/ gently roll it around in front of him. Introduce him to how they work in that nice quiet environment then slowly increase the speed/noise of it as he gets familiar. I had a similar problem with bikes so I bought one and it helped him get over it very quickly AND I gained a new hobby!

[Papillon Kisses]

23 hours ago, Lanny1 said:

I'm in Newcastle or the North Shore of Sydney.

 

Have a look here: https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/find-a-professional

 

Jigsaw Dogs is in Valentine but it depends how you split your time?

Edited November 3, 2019 by Papillon Kisses

[Lanny1]

Thanks, Ill look at that now.