Scope Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 (edited) any and all suggestions would be appreicated... my rotty rides in the back of the ute, and he loves standing up with his nose against the mesh on the sides of his cage, getting all the breeze that comes past the cab... but he rarely lays down unless he's been left to 'guard the truck' (always with shade and water)... he is a pain in the arse when trying to reverse, especially out the driveway, where the mirrors are useless for seeing oncoming traffic, and we really need to be able to look out the back window, which is almost completely covered by a large black furry body... :/ this is our ute with the crate on the back: this is the offending rotty :P he knows drop allready, but i'm not sure how i'd go about actually teaching him this without me having to ride in the back... i'm happy to ride in the back but dont want to cop the fine for it... and there's nowhere around where we can really have me in the back and do lots of reversing... :S thanks in advance! Edited February 5, 2006 by Scope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 (edited) Little "hop jumps" (by braking, unbraking, braking, unbraking etc.) might help. Your speed should not be fast enough to THROW him around and hurt him - even in a natural roll (ie no foot on accelarator) and tiny little brakes & releases, might be sufficient for him to make the decision to lay down. Of course, when he lays down, you cease the "hop jumps". I used to do this with my horse in the float when he would start pawing the floor and walls with his hooves. Didn't take much to stop the habit (although he'd only just begun it). I've also used this method when my dog would stand up in the passenger rear seat. In that instance, being that she was in the car with me, I'd tell her to sit, but if she didn't, I'd gently "hop jump" ... IF she stands now (which she generally doesn't), I tell her to sit and she does so promptly. The other option would be to tether him to the floor of the crate - loose enough that he can lay comfortably, but not so loose that he can easily sit or stand. ETA: I've never used the "hop jump" method violently, and neither my horse nor my dog are frightened of travel .... in fact, my biggest problem is keeping my horse from getting up in the float and my dog from getting in the car - they both seem to love it. Edited February 5, 2006 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scope Posted February 5, 2006 Author Share Posted February 5, 2006 yeah, Huds will either drag me over or barge me out of the way to get into the ute if i'm not careful, he loves it.. but we've tried the 'hop jump' method that you mention (were actually trying to get the shep to stop barking when she was in the back too, on a chain behind the crate), and it does not work to get him to lay down... in fact he's been out on a few day 4wding trips, been bounced about over some pretty rough terrain (loved it the whole time), and still prefers to stand while the vehicle is in any sort of motion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Then perhaps tether to the floor of the vehicle/crate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scope Posted February 5, 2006 Author Share Posted February 5, 2006 i dunno if tethering him would be an option... any eyelets put in would have to be about 2 feet back so they wouldnt get in the way of the door, which opens inwards... he needs to be able to stand and back about 1/2 way across the crate just so i can shut the door... he usually jumps in, turns around, comes back up to me so i can take his muzzle off, and then i tell him 'back up' and he moves out of the way of the door... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 This is besides the point, but an inward opening door of a crate (I assuming you're talking about the crate?) is unusual? Only other option I can think of is that the eyelet to which you might attach a tiedown could be on the base of the vehicle, to one side of the crate. I'm not sure if this description makes sense to you, but I can see it in my mind's eye. Or maybe even to the bottom edge of the front wall of the crate? I'm just throwing shots in the dark now, in an effort to help in your plight, Scope. Sorry if the suggestions are all useless to your situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scope Posted February 6, 2006 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 the suggestions are appreciated, it's just that unfortunately one i know doesnt work, and the other i'm not sure how i'd make it happen... the crate is a custom design, made by my father and one of his mates, as the ute was originally his, and i inherited it in june they basically had to make the door open inwards, or permanently leave one side of the ute tray down, which really isnt a good idea at all... he had a cattle dog and a staffy, i posted a thread ages ago about trying to find homes for them, they're both happy in new homes now, but they were both shortarses, and didnt get in the way when he was reversing :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Put him in the front seat :D I have the same problem with my Saints fat head in the back of my car. I tell her drop, which she does for one second then her head looms up again :D I will be watching this thread with interest, as it can be very annoying (and dangerous). Just curious what the chest plate thingo is for with your Rotti? He has a lovely boofer head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scope Posted February 6, 2006 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 Dru, his 'chest plate' is his agitation harness... i havent had a chance to use it with him yet but that photo was taken while i was getting him used to it... he'll happily wear it now and front seat is not an option either, for various reasons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 What's an agitation harness? If he was in the front, he's only crawl on to your lap no doubt :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 this will probably sound silly but ... do you have a reversing beep on your ute? This could help. If you teach him to drop everytime he hears the reversing beep it would save you a heap of effort and yelling from the cab :D Agitation harness? I assume you're doing protection sport with him? Start with it in the yard, rig the beeper on a button on/off. Start the beeper and get him to drop, feed him as he stays down. When you off the beep tell him to sit and more food (or toy reward if you are doing it that way) Keep this up, he'll eventually get the idea that beep means lay down and stay down. Theyre clever though can be a little stubborn so he'll get it. I dont think the dog actually realises the major difference between foreward and reverse, just that the car is either moving or not. The beep would maybe help him learn?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scope Posted February 6, 2006 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 Thankyou Nekhbet!! i think that's just what i need... the ute doesnt actually have a reversing beeper... we were going to get a manual one fitted for when we're in tight spots and cant see approaching pedestrians, etc... as most of the time they shit us off and we'd prefer not to have one... but i think i can work something out :D as for protection sport, not as such, he's going to be a security dog, working with me... we've yet to start our agitation/bite training properly as there's a few other things we need to iron out first, but he's gunna be great when i get him sorted out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scope Posted February 6, 2006 Author Share Posted February 6, 2006 oops, i didnt see Dru's post before Nekhbet's... an agitation harness is basically just a strong comfortable harness designed for a dog that's jumping about on the end of its lead, and/or doing bitework, so the strain of the dog pulling on the lead is spread evenly across its shoulders, instead of being concentrated on their neck with a collar... not everyone uses them and it depends on the dog... i got Huds' one from the states, it's got nice wide straps, and thickly padded shoulders and chest... he hated it at first, but loves it as much as his other gear now, because he knows some or all of it means he's going somewhere! and having him in the front is just not feasible, as i cant drive on my own yet (stupid L's)... so either OH has to drive, and i'm in the passenger seat, or i'm driving and he has to be with me as passenger... so there's no room for poor Huds anyway... :P he cant go anywhere with OH as even though he tolerates him being around, and will grudgingly do obedience with him, he wont let him get him out of his pen or put his muzzle on... just cracks the shits instead... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Can you still control them when it's just one female (arent you female?) person holding on? against the strength of his chest? He looks damn powerful!! Or is it all done in a controlled environment? I can quite comfortably say if your boy pulled me with that chest harness on, I would drag along behind him :D <I'm a bite work virgin and curious to know more> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_dog Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 A couple of eye rings, and a rope with a handle on the end... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scope Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 (edited) Dru, yeah, i'm female, i can easily handle my nearly 30kg shepherd on the end of her lead doing bitework, though i'm yet to actually have my rotty right out there on his harness actually pulling into it... i can however stop him with a prong collar or flat collar when he's in mid-charge after something, be it another dog he wants to play with, a human he doesnt like, or, in one instance, a 4wd going past at 60kph... O.o so i'm guessing i'll be OK with him on the harness but the first few times i work him we'll be tying him to something solid behind me, so if he happens to pull too hard for me, at least he wont get free and eat the poor decoy :p black_dog: again unfeasible, he'd get himself horrendously tangled, as he bounces back and forth from side to side and turns around many times as we travel (hell i cant even leave him on a lead in the back yard for 5mins without him getting at least one leg caught)... i can only get to him from the passenger side, and hooking him down to the driver's side would be quite difficult i think Nekhbet is on track with the reversing beeper... ! Edited February 7, 2006 by Scope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lablover Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Silly question I am sure, but does the dog have comfortable bedding in the pen/crate. Was is the base made from? I would teach him to drop, at least while you are reversing. How long are your trips?. Does he sleep overnight in the pen/crate. Or buy bigger side mirrors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Or buy bigger side mirrors. :rolleyes: Noooooooooo ................ that's too simple, Lablover! :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scope Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 Lablover: he is mostly a pain in situations where the mirrors are of no use to use, like backing out the driveway onto a main road... we cant see oncoming cars or pedestrians with the mirrors, the driver NEEDS to look out the back window there is foam on the ute tray in the bottom of the crate, i dont know how comfortable it would be, but the surface isnt too bad... he has a pretty good amount of grip and a bit of cushioning... i dont want him to lay down for the whole trip - only when we're reversing... and as i've allready said i think Nekhbet has nailed it with the beeper idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grotty_rotty Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Yeah the reversing beeper is great - was great. I have the same combination Scope, a GSD and Rottweiler, they settle when the reversing sensor beeps. Now the darn beepers have gone haywire and screech at me non stop when I am in reverse and do not actually sense anything... now it drives both me and the dogs nutty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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