Lab pulling clothes of the line - 2010-05-12
Question
My adopted dog Larry (4yo male Labrador) is well fed, much loved and very socialised (we have two dogs total), well exercised -hour long + walks every day, stimulated -toys, pool, etc but will still steal clothes of the washing line when we are not home. How can we train him out of this positively?
Answer
Not knowing what the adoption entailed, but let’s assume he came from the pound. The dog may have been in several homes and now yours is great and he does not want you to leave.....and leave him alone, and possibly lose all he has got. Especially when molly coddled, this often leads in adopted dogs to separation anxiety, where stealing clothes etc can be a comfort sign. Better to have mum’s t-shirt than noting kind of thing. Suggest that you apply more leadership and a little less affection when he wants it. Also if really bad, can use old towel with some chilli paste on it – or a balloon in an old pillow case. The latter two are negative reinforcements, and ideally are only applied if this does not change with you making NO fuzz when you leave and come home. If persists, contact a good behavioural trainer.
Bichon/Poodle without recall - Canada - 2010-01-18
Question
: My three year old Bichon X Poodle does not come when I call her until I call her three times and I have to say ‘come now’. Then she slowly comes to me with her head down. She did when she was younger. I do child care in my home; she is in the hallway most of the time because she runs after the children toys so I have a gate at the playroom door. I speak to her and play with her now and then when I go into the hallway. She comes outside with me and the children. Because she still barks when parents come and drop the children off, I leave the gate open in the morning and let her greet the children then tell her to go in the hallway and she does. I do not let her in the dining room while we eat lunch, if she does not listen, I put her in her bed and a lot of the time when I say ‘go to the kitchen’ she does. What am I doing wrong?
Answer
: My three year old Bichon X Poodle does not come when I call her until I call her three times and I have to say ‘come now’. Then she slowly comes to me with her head down. She did when she was younger. I do child care in my home; she is in the hallway most of the time because she runs after the children toys so I have a gate at the playroom door. I speak to her and play with her now and then when I go into the hallway. She comes outside with me and the children. Because she still barks when parents come and drop the children off, I leave the gate open in the morning and let her greet the children then tell her to go in the hallway and she does. I do not let her in the dining room while we eat lunch, if she does not listen, I put her in her bed and a lot of the time when I say ‘go to the kitchen’ she does. What am I doing wrong?
Rescue dog toileting issue, Melbourne (VIC) - 2010-01-18
Question
I have recently adopted a dog from the RSPCA in Melbourne. He is a Papillon / Pomeranian (we think)and about 18 months old. He is very timid and does not come when called unless I get down to his level. Is this something that will subside over time and as he gets more confident in his new surroundings.
Also instead of going to the toilet soon after he eats he is able to wait around 10 hours to do a poo. He was very good initially going just before bed but he has now started to wait until 4 in the morning. While he goes where I have left paper I would really like to stop this behaviour before it becomes a habit. Grateful for any advice.
Answer
Well done in adopting a doggy - and they are in the pound for a reason, which you may not know the details of. The timidness will go as the dog settles in with you and confidence builds. Use soft inviting voice and no shouting. Learn to call the dog from a crouched position and when the dog comes in your direction, stand up slowly, so eventually you can do this standing. It takes about 5-8 hours for the digestive cycle to be completed (depends on food), so play with the hours you feed him (2x/day is great) and we recommend dry food all the time. Toileting will also settle when the dogs' routine is settled. Make toileting before bed time a real feast, with lots of rewards and praise when he does go and keep doing that till habit has been formed.
Kelie hates other dogs - 2010-01-18
Question
I have a 5 month old kelpie who is a responsive tolerant lovely dog. Except she hates other dogs and goes crazy barking leaping growling etc when she sees any dog. no amount of treats or roast chicken pieces is going to persuade her otherwise and I can no longer take her out because she is in danger of tipping my small child out of the buggy and causes a general and considerable disturbance to every one every time we meet another dog. please help soon.
Answer
Season greetings and there are no easy solutions for this. Did you do puppy class with your kelpie? That would have been a great opportunity for the dog to learnt to socialise with other dogs in a safe and friendly environment. If no classes were done, I would recommend that you pursue obedience classes in the new year as that may help. One of the first things, I would get for her would be a Gentle Leader head collar. Make sure you watch the video as it will teach you a lot of how to fit it and also how to use it. If you are not close to a pet store, you can order them online from our site. In the meantime, teach her to sit when other dogs are in vision, keep her in sit, when she does, reward her when other dogs are past. She gets so hyped and stressed and not taking a treat reconfirms that. So you need to use something that she is comfortable with and can deliver, stressed or not. By being in a controlled environment, her anxiety and aggression will lower. But this needs help, otherwise you will get an untenable and dangerous situation - especially with a pram.
Kelpie X Lab attacks other dogs - 2010-01-18
Question
I have a 5yr kelpie x Lab, she is the most gentle thing but lately has been attacking other dogs, it mainly females. We are not sure how to train it out of her, we would love to be able to take her to the beach but just can't risk it.
Answer
If she was placid and friendly in the past there must be a reason that this has changed. Have her checked over by the vet, it may well be health related. When this is excluded, go back and try and consider ANYTHING that has changed and or has affected her since it started. Identifying an incident where another boisterous dog being rough with her could be enough, another female that attacked her or any similar event. Identifying this will help a lot – as you know the cause. Dogs do not change just like this, it either builds up very slowly over time and/or is related a previous bad experience. I would work with her on leash and get her re-introduced to calm and gentle female dogs (also on the leash) before any safe off leash work can happen. Only reward positive reactions.If persists, seek professional advice locally.
