If you thought you were going to GET advice here, you are so very wrong. No, I NEED advice from all you dog people out there.
In case you've missed it reading this blog, I am NOT a dog person. I did not want a dog, but hubby did. I thought maybe if we got a puppy it would help me bond. I like puppies. They are so cute. It didn't work. Rose grew up and although I make sure she is well cared for, I am not the one to provide affection.
Rose is a beagle and she is about 7 years old. We got her at about 5 months, but not sure exactly because she was dumped on the side of the road and sent to a beagle rescue center. We got her for MA's fifth birthday and my husband drove overnight across state to St. Louis to get her. In further effort to help me bond, we signed up for puppy classes at the local Petsmart for MA and I. Basically, it was a waste of money. I tried to work with her in the beginning, but MA was too young to really understand the training (or I was just too half hearted about it.)
Rose is a good dog and will listen at times, but not always. She gets different levels of discipline from all of us. She listens best to hubby. We cannot take her for walks without her straining against the leash and choking herself. She gets over excited and jumps on the girls. They are actually a little afraid of her. I think some of me has rubbed off on them.
In trying to think of things to do this summer I've been considering dog classes again for Rose, MA and Diva. I'm hoping MA is now old enough to be in charge of this. I just don't have the time to lead the training for the dog. I was not overly thrilled with the Petsmart program because it was weekly and too large of a class. I was thinking if I could get someone to come to the house and work with the girls and the dog it might be better. However, before I put any effort into finding someone, I want to know if it's worth it. Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
Another question: Although Rose knows she is not supposed to eat things off the table, she sneaks food whenever she can. She is not allowed in the kitchen during dinner, but comes in after to clean the floor. If I do not get the table washed off, she will eat crumbs off the table. One time my hubby was putting out nighttime snacks for the girls and turned around to find them gone! This has actually happened on more than one occassion. She is not the kind of dog you can leave food out for because she will make herself sick. How do you keep your dogs from eating things off the table?
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Dog Training Advice
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12 comments:
deb
Zoe loves human food too but unlike y we feed her table scape I know bad us right.
I love taking Zoe to dog training class I think MA and diva will like it.
A year ago I would have had great advice on teaching a dog how to stay away from people food, but it seems we have fallen off the wagon. So, I have no advice except that it sounds like a good idea to hire a trainer.
Hi Deb,
It sounds like you need advice from "The Dog Whisperer". He's written a book and does wonders with dogs.
Keep us posted!
if you can get a trainer to come to your house that would be my number one bit of BEST advice. it costs a little bit more but it is 100% worth every penny.
secondly we trained our dog to stay away from people food using a can of pennies. we put the food on the table and if she started sniffing around we shook the can of pennies...it's loud. we used the techinique for other things too...like i did not want her in our formal living room...so if she went near it we shook the can. its a lot of work, but it does not hurt the dog. also our puppy trainer insited we use a different voice for disciplining the dog. we practically growled at her when she was naughty. and use a happy sing sing voice when she is good.
she was a great dog we miss her.
Hi AZ,
We have to be careful with how much scraps she eats because she will get fat.
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for the advice. I'll check the library for the book.
Debbie ~ it is difficult to give general advise in email or a comment section, other the food issue to you have problems? I would be happy to try to help you out.
First is she, in any way, food aggressive? Does she growl if you try to take food from her? or can you and your girls easily take it from her? Will she "drop it" or "leave it" if asked?
Hi Puppies,
I would not say she is food agressive. She is very excited when you feed her and will stick her nose in the bowl before you pour the food in, but when I feed her I tell her to "wait" and will not put the food in the bowl until she keeps her nose back, I say "ok" but it's about the same time as she's diving for it. She's jumps on MA when she's going to bring the food out. This is why I think the girls need lessons as well as the dog so they know how to deal with her.
She is a gentle dog but will get excited and jump up at times. I would like to get her to stop doing that. I often have to bring her in when the girls go to the backyard to play. She's so happy to see them and have company, but she scares them when she jumps on them. I want the girls to learn how to play with her.
Our dogs know that Micah's food is off limits. As long as we're there. The minute we leave the room they become Hoovers. Sorry, no help.
We invested in a shocker collar a while back and used it with great success. It beeps, then shocks. It also has a feature that just beeps. After the first shock we just beep the dogs and they know they've committed an offense. That might be something you could try. It's not as inhumane as it sounds. We tried it out on ourselves before the dogs.
When you find out, let me know.
We have an overindulged chihuahua who loved to sneak food.
Not long ago I was sick so I spent the day on the couch. I set my soup down on the coffee table and went to the bathroom. Upon return, that sneaky little thing was on the table eating my soup! Hot soup! He was licking and lapping and turning his tongue in all different directions to keep it cool as he continued to eat!
So again, when you find out, help me!
Hi Val,
Isn't it amazing how they just know when they can get away with something! It's like having another kid in a way. I'll be sure to let you know if I come up with any solutions.
Lucky you Debbie,
You have a beagle. They are notorious for being hard to train except when it invloves food. They are nose driven.
For walks, have you tried the gentle leader? It goes around the nose, sort of likea halter on a horse, and tends to work extremely well on dogs that pull.
As for taking the food....... how about training her to sit on a special mat before food is put on the table or the girls are coming inside? You could reward her with food when she stays put.
Or you could train her, with food, to go and sit in a small crate. Many dogs who are crate trained, consider it to be like a cave, and like their crates a lot.
But whatever you do, remember that she's a beagle and food training is almost the best/only way to go. Pulling, shouting or tugging only work on beagles when they want to do it. FOOD is the way to go for beagles.
A lot of movie dogs are trained this way. In fact, instead of their food being put in a dish for them to gobble, they are fed/trained with their dinner beng hand-fed to them as a reward for learning. This might be a little labor intensive for you however. Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
If you find something that works, PLEASE SHARE! I'm fighting getting the two we got from the pound potty trained. It's driving me N.U.T.S.! We are actually thinking about buying a $600 Rug Doctor machine. How messed up is that??!!??
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