What Have I Done Wrong? Please Help!

[Flaves]

:p

My VERY well behaved, VERY attentive 5mo shepx Barker has decided, he doesn't have to listen to us any more.

Since last night he ignores us when we tell him to do something. The only thing he listens to us and does is sit and wait before dinner.

Since we got him a month ago, he will be told to go ion his mat, and he would go there and lay down until we said he could do somehtin else.

Not any more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He looks at us, then gets up and walks away. We call him, Barker come, as we do and now he ignores us. Keeps on walking. So we go and get him and say in your mat and put him there, i get him to lay down.

I sit on the couch, and he is up and walking through the house.

So i go and get him and put him outside for a 10 minute time out.

Get him in and we go through the whole process again.

He did the same thing last night with my hubby and again this morning with us both.

It is really frustrating me, becasue i know he is good as he has been up until last night.

We are going to obedience at ADT on the weekends and that is going really well.

It is like a switch turned off in his head.

What do i do? Or how do i go about getting my previously well behaved pup back?

I know you are probably going to say 'he has hit the teenage years', i am NOT ready for them..... :rolleyes:

Edited August 14, 2006 by Kristie

[peibe]

know you are probably going to say 'he has hit the teenage years', i am NOT ready for them.....

Yep lol, welcome to the joys of teenage kids lol

[Flaves]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I want my well behaved baby back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And what is worse is Mitchi has just started to listen to us!!!!

I wanted to GOOD babies!!!

[Nekhbet]

yup teenagers. And my best methods are hitting him right back with what he dishes out ...

ignore him

deprive him of good stuff if he's being a poo

make him work harder.

If you say 'go to your matt' and he walks off grab him and put him outside for a while. No walking up to him, as soon as he disobeys outside for 15 minutes. No asking, no second chances. He knows the command so you know he's just being difficult. When he comes inside if he disobeys again then straight outside and double the punishment.

Link a few more things to food. If my mastiff really plays up or cracks the crankies he misses a meal until he starts listening. I dont have the time for a 55kg adolescent tantrum so he learned QUICK!

If he will not recall keep him on a longline.

[Flaves]

THanks so much!!

I was giving him chances but as of tonight i won't. 1 stike an dhe is out and will do the same for Mitchi too.

I only let him off lead in the yard and inside otherwose he is on a lead.

But if he refuses tocome when i call him then i will be putting him on a lead inside too.

I cannot believ how bad he is being over night. Mitchi has always been cheeky but she is getting heaps better. She would never recall in the house, you would call, and then we would go and get her but she is doing it really well now.

Thanks for the advice, will let you know how he goes tonight.

[TangerineDream]

It's called the 'selective teenage deafness' syndrome ;) and the rules are the same for human teenagers....they only ever listen of their own accord when you offer something they actually want...... ;)

Bluntness is good .......silent ignoring when demanding attention is good ....one command which must be obeyed (with no repetition) is good

Sanity will return!!

Stay calm.....

[jls]

Maybe it's ADD ;)

Kristie,I'd start the training commands with him again, reinforce in his mind,the pack hierachy.

Come commands,sit, Drop,stay and the like(maybe using his ball or treats to get his attention)

Make sure his bed, isn't in your room etc. You enter the doorways first,before him, all the basic steps,the get the hierachy back in the house etc.

Plus, don;t feed him,when he indidcates he's ready to be fed.After Practicing commands again,than reward him,with his dinner.

See how he goes.

Keep us updated?

jls

[Guest Stevie'sGreat]

We're having similar sudden deafness problems with Stevie. I remember a thread ages ago that mentioned walking around the dog while it is in 'drop' position to reinforce pack position. Does this sound right? I'm sick of giving commands three times and still being ignored, but because we're not home much through the day I feel awfully guilty if she has to go outside as punishment.

On top of what jls has already listed, is there a simple list of steps to follow so we get the upper hand again?

[Flaves]

ADD my ass, it is ISSBTM (i see something better than mum)

Thans, some great advice.

His bed is in the lounge but he sleeps out in the kennel cause he freaked in the crate.

I will be doing all that has been suggested and i definitely will keep you updated. Cause if it doesn't work i will need some drinking buddies.

[fido666]

My 11 mth old barks to demand attention and she is LOUD, she will not shut up even if put outside, she just barks louder . I've tried ignoring her but nothing works, if she doesn't get her dinner, walk, pat, whatever she goes to town. She even goes bonkers when you wipe the kitchen benches or open a cupboard, I'm not convinced it's a noise thing either. We put her the other side of the baby gate when preparing meals just to get some peace and quiet. I know about using time outs, ignoring her, etc but it just doesn't register . I'm almost at my wit's end, it must drive my neighbours (whose house joins on to ours but with a 3 brick thick wall between us) quite batty. They have never complained but they must hear her when she is outside. I have to admit the rolled up newspaper tapped on her rump (never her nose) does seem to work but am I being naughty using this?

Cheers,

Corine

Edited for spelling.

Edited August 10, 2006 by fido666

[Nekhbet]

Corine your dog continues because she wins every time. Unless you are really going to thump the dog what do you think smacking will achieve? A half assed tap is attention for her, and builds the dogs tolerance to that as a correction. Plus dogs dont speak english ... I tell people to imagine if they suddenly moved to a foreign country and had someone else tell them what to do. And when you did what you thought was right they smacked you on the bum

She has learned that if she gets loud she gets what she wants. If she gets louder I assume you go out there and eventually shoosh or something. Dog wins again.

It doesnt register because you are being too lenient. If she goes bananas teather her to a 2 foot tether where you can see her and let her sit there and think about it. Let her woof herself hoarse but no one is going to even look at her until she shuts up. If it takes 3 days, well she stays hungry for that long.

Both of mine stay at the entrance to the kitchen and know to sit there because their quiet behaviour means I throw them a treat occasionally. So they happily sit there for a couple of hours waiting for some meat offcuts or biscuits. Same with your girl - when she settles throw her a treat and praise her. Praise everything good she does as soon as she does it! Even if its just a pat and a 'good girl!" you are reinforcing to her which behaviours are acceptable.

[Flaves]

Ok, night number one!!

We had a pretty successful night last night.

Both had the same rules, told once, 30 seconds to obey, then time out.

Barker went out 3 times, 15min, 30 min and 1hour. Mitch went out once.

I have photos of the babies behaving. They even got a bone late last night as a reward. And cuddles throughout the night and they stayed in their basket when i did it.

So we are making headway, we are definintely going to continue on this path.

Thankyou for all your help and i will keep you updated on their progress.

[wheres my rock]

dont you just love those teen years lol ive got two teenage humans and one teenage dog and one nearly teen dog my house is kaos

[Flaves]

I was in shock when teenage years happened over night. I had not thought it would change their behaviour and make them test me. How naive i was!!

[p_stampy]

Unless you know lots about ADD (today tonight doesn't count) don't use it as an "excuse" for anything.

Makes me so mad

The psycho kids they show having ADD are psycho, not ADD. I have ADD, I am typically not psycho.

That is all

[lab and poodle]

I choose to believe that whining or barking inside means they want to go outside. A week or so of this and they generally shutup.

I observe a lot of this "adolescence". I think it is more complex than that but with some pretty simple solutions. Cut the nagging,(if you are) and judge the occasional non compliance as a context shift due to the presnce of growth hormones.Hence go back a step. Lure some of the behaviours, increase rather than reduce some of the reward frequencies. Do more with them so you are still the centre of their universe. I am assuming that you are NILFing. My little poodle seems to be letting all this stuff go by, and going from strength to strength. She is extremely satisfying to train. I really don't know wheter it is her,me, the training method, the breed, or the lot.I am trialling her in tracking next month.

[sandyl]

Selective hearing.. Yep! Got it here too with my GS. She's just over a year and has decided she's the boss. She's never touched our shoes to date. What do i find when i put my runners on? Bits of shoe everywhere.

She knows that she's in trouble, she just pretends she can't see us.

[Flaves]

Yes i am NILIFing.

THey are doing heaps better now, it certainly made a difference having a consequence for not listening rather than repeating the command and taking them to their matt.

I say it once, and they do it or they are out for 15. They only have to be put out once and they are rewarded when they obey.

[jls]

Hi kristie, love your babies. Gorgeous, soo glad things are taking a turn for the better, keep up the good work.

Love more piccy's too

They keep us entertained that's for sure

Love to hear your updates,

jls

[Flaves]

I am glad my apin and frustration is amusing...just joking

THey are so yummy, i love them. Poor Mitchi gets so many kisses and squooshes cause she is a little munchin and i lay down with barks ini his bed, i am above him, and he just lays there snuggling.

AND they are listending really well.

I have to work on his car behaviour though. He doesn't realy like it, after about 20 minutes he starts dry retching and if i don't stop the car he pukes... It is really sad seeing him cause all my dogs have loved the car. Mitchi can't wait. I know it has something to do with his life previous to me. I have tried feeding him in there. He doesn't even like it if the car is turned off and Mitchi is in there. He baulks at the door and i have to pick him up and put him in the car.