Tweet
Our dog is making me CRAZY!!! He is always scrounging for food. One of my highchairs is missing the clothe seat cover and so I use a towel. He is always jumping up and pulling the towel out of the highchair and so about 40 times a day (don't think I am exaggerating) I refold the towel and put it back in the chair. He is always jumping up and standing on his hind legs to see whats on the table, and I have caught him jumping up onto the chairs and looking on the table. I never leave food up there, but he knows thats where the kids eat. He just pulled the towel down again! We used a shock collar for a while, but it didn't help. It didn't affect him at all. I have to either put him outside or in his kennel when the kids eat or he jumps up on them all the time! I have tried working with him with treats to sit and stay or lie down when the kids are eating, but he is so fixated. He gets fed 3 times a day, so he isn't being starved. Any ideas???
-
-
Our puppy used to be like that until I realized I wasn't feeding her enough during feeding time. Even though you feed your dog three times a day, are you feeding him the right amount? I know it seems silly, but it's worth a check.
Also, until the dog has stopped scrounging, maybe you should think about moving the towel. I've had to "puppy proof" many things, haven't been happy about it, but it makes my life much less stressful.
Good luck! -
It is worm season. Is he on a good deworming program?- Unless otherwise stated, all my posts are personal opinion and worth what you paid for them.
Comment
-
We had a dog that did this, and I filled a soda can with a handful of pennies, and each time he jumped on the counters, etc. I shook the can (to make a loud noise). It took a week or so of being very vigilant, but eventually he cut it out.Comment
-
I put my dog in my room or gate him in another room if there is food out. Even during family meals. Dogs are oppertunistic feeders yhey will eat because they can my advice, crate or seperate him anytime food is out and Keep the towel off the high chair until meals, good luck.Comment
-
Double ditto. He has to behave properly with your family alone before you can truly expect him to behave with the children. Look at it from his standpoint - the kids are always dropping tasty treats his way so he's looking at it that he is being fed treats every time they eat. Oh goodie!
Don't let it become a habit - it sort of sounds like it is.
Re-enforce the "Leave It" and "Wait" command and don't let anyone feed him without making him do something for it. NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) method. They become much better behaved furbabies when you use this method. The dogs are easy to train - it's the rest of the family that's the hard part.
Comment
-
Can I triple ditto! LOL!Double ditto. He has to behave properly with your family alone before you can truly expect him to behave with the children. Look at it from his standpoint - the kids are always dropping tasty treats his way so he's looking at it that he is being fed treats every time they eat. Oh goodie! Don't let it become a habit - it sort of sounds like it is.
Re-enforce the "Leave It" and "Wait" command and don't let anyone feed him without making him do something for it. NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) method. They become much better behaved furbabies when you use this method. The dogs are easy to train - it's the rest of the family that's the hard part.
We are puppy raisers for a service dog program. While I'm by no means an experience dog trainer I've learned a lot.
In addition to leave it and wait, work on his impulse control. Using his dry food, put a couple of kibbles in your hand. Have him sit. Offer the food in your open palm and when he goes for it or sniffs for it, quickly close your hand saying "leave it". Repeat and repeat and repeat until you can hold the food at his nose without him taking it. Then, say "take it". You'll work up to dropping kibble on the ground at his feet and not allowing him to take it until you say so.
Also, I'd offer him a treat he can't resist while the kids are eating. Something better than what he might find on the table. A Kong of frozen pb or wet food. You can soak dry food, mash it up, fill the kong and freeze it too.Comment
-
Im sorry... why did you use a shock collar on him? Have you even tried basic obedience training? I have a pit bull and a bulldog both 2 years old. They know what they are allowed and not allowed to do because I taught them. Its not fair to punish a dog (shock collar) when the dog does not know what is expected of him. Teach him an off command. When he jumps up, he gets a stern "off!". If he doesnt listen, he gets pushed down. Or you can start from square one and keep him on a leash 24/7. When he is misbehaving, a pop on the leash will get him down. When he does get off after the command, he gets a treat. Its quite simple.
Oh and if he can't help himself when the kids are eating, he should be put in a kennel until they are finished.Comment
-
Thanks, Ms Stephanie, for assuming. We have had him in 2 different classes. I have bought videos, and books. I have worked with him. I have a neighbor who works with animals who is working with him. The shock collar has been a last resort thing. Only using it on the low settings and only when he did the bad habits that bugged us the most.
I quoted my own message because I did say that I already put him in the kennel or put him outside during meal. It didn't start out that way, but soon found that he was a major begger. He has LOTS of bad habits, as he is still young (almost 2), and kind of hyperactive. He is great with the kids, but still chews on EVERYTHING! I throw SOOOOOO many toys away that he has chewed up. I could go on and on. My kids love him to pieces or we would have probably found another home for him. I just don't have the time to work with a stubborn dog all day long.Comment
-
I did not assume anything. I asked questions, then stated MY reasoning for the question and further explained why a shock collar won't work if the dog doesn't know. I did not accuse you of anything.
Anyways... So you have found a solution to the mealtime thing then. Outside or kennel. Perfect. Dogs are dogs. They beg if you let them. Removing him from the situation was the first step to eliminating the behavior.
As for the towel situation.... Why not put the towel somewhere else until mealtime?
I think you really need to start back at the beginning. It's obvious that there is some type of breakdown happening between what you expect and what the dog thinks you expect. Treat him like a brand new puppy. He needs to learn OB. Keep him on a leash attached to you when he is in the house. If you cannot supervise him, in the kennel he goes. You might also want to look into getting a private trainer. A class doesn't always do the trick. Is he intact? What breed is he?
And when you used this shock collar, what exactly were the bad habits? Not trying to be rude, but hes a dog. They aren't children.
Do you walk him regularly? A tired dog is good dog. He might just need more things to occupy his time. I give my bullies raw beef bones that keep them occupied for hours. I also walk them daily while feeding them dinner. They do not get fed from a bowl, only my hand. I practice this:
Comment
-
Oh and don't take this the wrong way...
The fact you say that you would probably have gotten rid of the dog if the kids didn't love him so much makes me STRONGLY believe you don't have a strong enough bond with this dog to make him obey you the way you want. A dog will not obey you if he doesn't respect you. Period. You have to develop a strong bond with the dog before you start telling him what to do. And obedience training is a GREAT way to develop a bond with your dog.Comment
-
Ugh. I know, I am a bad person for being irritated with our dog. I want to love this dog to bits. I do. I am too busy with the daycare to have a crazy, hyperactive dog pulling on me, jumping on me, and possibly knocking kids down because he is tethered to me. My kids walk him in the evenings, or run with him in the back yard. I researched dog breeds and we decided on a puggle because they were supposedly great family dogs and not supposed to be hyperactive. He is fantastic with ALL of the kids. He is a little love bug, and I love it when he is calm and likes to snuggle, but it is the during the day stuff that I don't have time to deal with that drives me nuts. He seems to get going with the chaos of the house during the day with the kids, and is a lot calmer at night. It does make sense, and I can't blame him completely, I was just venting some frustrations and looking for ideas. If I had known how crazy he would be, yeah, we probably wouldn't have gotten him. Maybe would have gotten an older dog who was thru the puppy phase. I think he has a lot of potential, and we need to get him thru this and learn as we go, which again, is why I was asking for advice.Comment
-
I thought about these things when I got my puppy. We did two obedience classes and never waivered from what his rules and expectations were/are. My dog was great the first 18 months. Now he is a a PITA dog! :
: He weighs more than my DH so he pretty much does what he wants when he wants now. But, fortunately for me, is not around my daycare or the kiddos so it isn't an issue.
The point I'm making is that things change.Comment
Comment