Dog Behavior Advice (long)

HipChick

HipChick

Cathlete
As some of you may know, my DH & I rescued a doggie from a no kill shelter/foster home about 7 months ago. He was about 1-1/2 years old at the time & he had been a shelter dog for his whole life so it took awhile for him to become comfortable & finally figure out that he's our dog, he's got a nice new home, he's here to stay, & we're not taking him back or getting rid of him. When we got him, he was supposedly crate trained so we tried to keep him in his crate but he didn't do well & once we started leaving him out, he improved quickly & dramatically. Now, he's a well-adjusted, happy, house-trained, & basically well-behaved little guy.

So you noticed I said "basically" well-behaved? There are just a couple of things we can't seem to correct. One is jumping up on us. He just gets so darn excited that he seems to forget he's not supposed to do that. So what I've been doing is saying "down!" very sternly while making a motion with my hand facing down to the ground. My DH, on the other hand, just says "don't jump on me" nicely. So I think we're sending mixed messages for one thing & not sure if we're actually handling it the best way for another. Once we verbally correct him, he does get down but he usually forgets again right away. Any advice?

The only other behavioral problems he has involve people & other animals. He gets along with most other animals once he's introduced but he barks incessantly at first. Last night, my DH got extremely aggravated with him because he was at the fence, barking at the neighbor's son's dog while they were all trying to talk. He wouldn't stop, no matter how many times my DH told him. He even tried to get through the chain link fence in a place where there's a small gap. He also didn't seem like he was being friendly so my DH ended up yelling at him & making him go back to the house, which he eventually obeyed but he was so upset. I thought perhaps he was serious about protecting his yard, which may be a good thing, but my DH was really upset because Skippy wouldn't mind him. What do you think?

With people, we usually have to reprimand him several times when he barks at them before he stops & then he'll just growl & watch their every move. He's not being agressive & will always come over & get to know them if we show him it's okay. So I don't know if he's being protective or suspicious or scared or what. He's definitely made an improvement with this since we've had him, though, so perhaps he just needs more time.

He's a fantastic pet, full of love & energy, so other than those few minor issues we're having, he's absolutely the best & we love him to pieces! TIA for any advice anyone can offer!:)
 
Hi, Kel. Your story definitely caught my eye, and I can really relate. I rescued my dog from a no-kill facility too. She was four years old when I got her, and she'd been there her entire life.

First, about the jumping - I think it's important for you and your husband to agree on a way to train the dog. He probably is getting confused about the mixed signals.

Now, about the barking. I honestly think he might be being protective. And he could also be nervous or feel threatened. My dog, Brandy, was all three when I first got her and acted the same way. She still has some issues and is always very protective whenever somebody comes over.

When your dog barks at other dogs, he may be trying to protect his territory. After all, he's never had his "own" place before, and this is still very new to him.

The way you describe him with other people really reminds me of Brandy. It takes her a long time to warm up to other people. In fact, the only other person she'll let feed her is my mother.

I think the main thing he needs is time - maybe more time than you expect. Be patient - living cooped up in a kennel for nearly two years can't be easy.
 
I couldn't have said it better than Shannon. She is right on. I have had dogs most of my adult life and she is 100% right in my book. Good luck Kel.
 
I have been following your story with your dogs over the past several months from the time that you posted that you had to put your other dog to sleep and got the new one.

There are a couple of things that I wanted to address. Training a dog is very much about consistency. From what I read you say to him when he jumps "down", DH says "don't jump on me". I would suggest to use the same command, and since "down" is a command to make them lay down, and don't jump on me is too long, you may want to consider "off" or "ahah, off!!" Don't pay any attention to him until he does the desired action, no petting, no eye contact, you may snap you fingers and point at him while you say "ahah, off". Once he does it, pet him, praise him. You may want to get a clicker (about 50cents at petsmart) keep a treat in your hand, click when he does the desired behaviour and give him a treat.

The barking is a more difficult challenge, I have a 3.5 months old puppy who keeps barking, he seems to have chip in his head that says, "I run, I bark, I run, I bark ...... " Nothing aggrevates me more than a barking dog. So at the advise of the breeder AND my vet, I got one of those "Super Soaker Guns", kids play toy section at Target. So I started saying, "Ahah", "No" or "Hey", he didn't stop it, I squirted him with the water gun. It took 5 days and he rarely barks anymore. He needs to understand that it is undesirable behavior and the squirt gun just did it. Let me tell you that I am totally against bark collars, I was seriously considering one until both the breeder and the vet said, before you resort to that, try the super soaker and sure enough, it worked like a charm.

Dogs need to get guidance from us as to what is acceptable and what is not. It doesn't mean that we need to be mean to them, we just need to make it clear to them - in a language dogs can understand what is expected of them. It may take a while, but the key is consistency!!!! Don't get discouraged.

Have a wonderful day!
 
Hi Kel,

You've gotten some great advice so far. I've been where you are, particularly with the consistency issue between you and DH.

My advice is that you, DH and doggie enroll in an obedience class, preferably one that's reward based (i.e. Carola's clicker/treat suggestion). That way you're all learning how to address his behaviors in a consistent manner.

When I've attended obedience classes with my dogs, I've usually come out learning what I'm doing wrong in communicating what I want from him/her.
 
Thanks to each of you. This is all great advice!:)

Shannon, my gut feeling told me that he just needs more time. Heck, it took him over 6 months to even attempt to play with his toys. But now that he's started... watch out - LOL! He has changed so much since we first adopted him & many of those changes have occurred very recently so I have no doubt that he's still not done transforming. He has finally gotten to the stage that although he still barks & seems suspicious of new people, he usually warms up to them once he realizes that we're okay with them. He also minds so well. If he's outside & starts after a cat, for instance, all we have to do is yell "Skippy!" & he turns right back around & comes back to us. I think that's really good. I guess my DH just got a little extra aggravated last night because Skippy seemed to be intent on getting to the other dog & not listening to the commands that were being given. So he ended up sending him back to the house, which he obeyed reluctantly - but he still obeyed which is the key. See, although my DH is interpreting his behavior as not minding, he really was. But his behavior at the fence was instinct or something he just couldn't seem to control. Skippy was so upset when he came back in the house, I felt so sorry for him. He takes it very personally & it really stresses him out if he thinks one of us is mad at him. It does sound like he & Brandy are very similar in nature. Do you think it has entirely to do with him being a shelter dog? What breed is Brandy? Skippy is part sheltie/border collie but we've recently determined that he has Italian Greyhound in him which has also helped explain some of his unique characteristics. Thanks for the insight.

Melissa, thanks for your good luck wishes. Thank goodness this is nothing major & I know it will all be fine in time.

Carola, I never thought about the "down!" command. So that explains why he lies down & rolls over whenever I say it! DUH! Now I feel like a bad doggie-mommy. Okay so we definitely need to change the command & I totally agree that my DH's method is too long. So I'll discuss this with him tonight & suggest that we use "away!". The treat is a good idea too. He loves him some treaties! As for the barking, he usually stops when we tell him to but it just seemed like he couldn't control hiimself last night, no matter what my DH said or did. Well, he would stop for very short periods but not completely. Hmmm... hadn't considered squirting him. Maybe we'll try that. I'll have to talk to my DH about it & see what he thinks. We definitely weren't considering a bark collar. The only thing that discourages me is seeing my DH get upset & then seeing Skippy take it so hard. So I'll take this advice home & talk to DH about it. That & give Skippy time... & continue to heap lots of love on him too!

Thanks again everyone!
 
Thanks, Gayle. I guess we were posting at the same time. I guess he's so obedient that we really hadn't considered obedience class. It just seems like it's a few minor behavioral issues so I'm not sure I'll be able to convince DH to do that. It's not that he woudn't want to do what's best for Skippy, I just think that he would feel these issues are so minor that we should be able to handle it ourselves. But I definitely have learned that we're not being consistent & also not using the right commands so I've already learned a lot & I'm sure we could learn a lot in an obedience class too. Thanks so much for your input!:)
 
Kel-

I totally agree with Carola on this one. Jimmy is a jumper, too. I've gotten him to the point where if he jumps towards me, all I have to do is cross my arms and start turning away, and he sits right at my feet (on more likely ON my feet). I do say "Off once then I do not acknowledge him at all - just turn away and ignore him. If you push at him to get off - he thinks your playing with him.

The supersoaker is a good idea as well and it won't hurt him at all.

A training class is always a good idea. Jimmy is a very good dog, very well behaved but I'm taking him to training class (Advanced Beginner right now), just to help me train him better. And it has the added benefit of really enforcing the bond we have.
 
Thanks, Christine. I thought you'd chime in at some point.:)

I will definitely take the "off" & ignore advice. We've been trying to turn away & that seems to help. So that, along with a better command, should do the trick! I'm going to talk to DH about the supersoaker or water gun tonight & see what he thinks. It sounds like a great idea to me since it won't hurt him. I still like the idea of a training class but I just don't know if my DH wil go for it. I'll mention it, though.

Thanks again for all the great advice!:)
 
I only have one piece of advice sorry not a real dog trainer but know one really well, he said when the dog comes at you and jumps all you have to do is take your knee, if he is a small dog don't do it to high you want only at the chest of the dog, you are NOT kicking the dog you are using your knee to push the dog down and say firmly DOWN. a few times of doing that should do the trick, as for the barking I have no advice on that since my dogs bark at everything also.
 
I don't think it is a matter of training classes. Most classes will just go into the basics, sit, down, stay, heel, lose leash walk. If you are lucky you will have a dog trainer who also knows dog behaviour. But truth being told, most of them can't look beyond the regular stuff - sorry, just my experience.

I totally agree with the pushing off being perceived by most dogs as playing!!!!

This is not a training issue, it is a behavioral issue. Try the "off" command and the soaker gun for the next few weeks, see how it works. Keep us posted!
 
I would also recommend the knee move if he is a medium to large size dog. We used to have a german shepherd that would jump on us. All we did was just raise our knee up and she would hit the knee instead of our body and say "no" or "down". Might not work with a small dog.

Susan
 
I agree with the great advice you have already received. I wanted to add that certain breeds are naturally protective of their home and if that is in your dogs genes, it might be difficult to train him away from it (as far as the barking). One of my dogs is naturally protective of the house/family and usually only barks if there is something amiss or if a stranger is approaching. With some breeds it might be impossible to totally break them of that-- although I am sure that you could work with him to tone it down.

It sounds like overall you have a great dog and are making very good progress with him, so it sounds like you are off to an excellent start. Enjoy your dog!
 
I read a book called "Ceasur's Way" that really helped me train my rowdy dog. We have two pit bull mixes. The one was calm but the other would jump up on people, pull on the leash during walks and was just poorly behaved. Her biggest problem was she would pull and show aggresive behavior with other dogs when I would take her with me on runs in the local parks. I did not know how to handle it because we did not have any problems with or other dog.

His basic idea is that in order for our dog's to listen to use we have to make ourselves seem like leaders. Dogs are pack animals and if they sense a weak leader they will try to take over. In the wild things like showing emotion ect are seen as weak behavories. I followed his suggestions and her behavior improved. It was not a overnight transition but I got her to see me as "the boss" over time and now she is much better behaved. :)
 
Kel - My dog, Brandy, is some sort of Rottweiler mix, so I doubt it's just a breed issue. I do think a lot of Skippy's situation can be attributed to living in a shelter. Dogs just can't socialize normally in such a situation.

I remember when I walked through, looking for a dog. All the dogs were well cared for, but the environment seemed so stressful. They were all barking and jumping against their fences, trying to get attention. And you know how when one dog starts barking, they all do. It's like that constantly in a shelter.

It took Brandy a long time to adjust to life at my home. She became instantly attached to me and wouldn't leave my side. She's more independent now (a little), but she still relies on me a lot. Like Skippy, she gets very upset if I have to reprimand her at all.

Another thing is that when I first got her, she was very easily intimidated and frightened, but she responded aggressively. She would bark and growl at strange people, and even bit them a few times. People asked me if I was going to have to get rid of her! I think it all stemmed from the fact that she simply didn't know how to react in such a strange environment. Like I said, she had been in the shelter all her life. She was left on the doorstep as a puppy and grew up there for four years.

So I guess this is all to say that even though Brandy and Skippy were treated well, and weren't abused, I still think dogs like this deserve some special consideration. And of course that goes back to "time." Give Skippy some time. He sounds like a wonderful dog, and I know he'll be okay!
 
Thanks again, Shannon. What a wonderful reply!:)

I feel so fortunate that we found Skippy & I know he's fortunate too. I'm also very happy that you gave Brandy such a wonderful home too. Like Skippy, I know she deserves it... & so do we! Your story sounds so familiar & they are definitely worth the time.

Thanks to Leslie, Susan, Fitstick, & Jacque too.:)

By the way, I disussed the "off" or "away" command (along with turning away/ignoring) & the super soaker idea for barking with my DH & he was very interested in utilizing both. So thanks again to everyone for all the wise advice! I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes.
 
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