Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:27 pm Post subject: honey is 14 weeks old and becoming a little monster
Hi everyone, im in need of a little help.
overall honey as a star she has lernt alll her basics, sit stay,lay ect. She comes when called aswell.
But just the last few days when iv taken her out for a wewees sge wont come back inside i tried tempting her with food but she has cottoned on to that ill grap her and take her inside. So she wont come back to food now. She dosent go far from me but wont come in the door and wont let me close enough to grab her,
she also did it on our walk i walk her off lead for the most part but i have to put her back on it at the end as we have to walk at the side of the road and i just couldnt get her back on the lead. She stayed right next to me but just out of reach. She comes back to me everytime i call just not close enough for me to put her lead on in the hose she will.
I think she thinks its a game me trying to get her. I turn and walk the other way she follows but just out of reach and cant be tempted by food or a squeicky toy. I have to lunge and grab her by the scruf of the neck which i think herts her but i dont know what else to do.
Yes, this is the start of a VERY difficult habit and game to break so stamp on this right this minute or you could be left with a absolute nightmare, and no, they don't 'grow out of it' as such you do have to train this one out.
OK, everything she fears will happen if you 'get her' DOES happen. She is either put on the lead and the fun is over - or in the garden she IS grabbed and taken inside, so again, fun over.
You have to break this cycle REALLY fast. And the best way is to get a very light bit of rope, very thin, a piece of cord or two or three shoelaces knotted firmly together and attach it to her collar. When she goes out in the garden, encourage her in with food, and then stand on the trailing cord.... if she only comes to about 10 foot from you make it 15 foot long to start with, then shorten it up as she improves. It won't get hooked up. Ditto on walks, let her trail it all walk.
What this is to do is YES for you to 'get her' but you have to now show her that coming in results in nothing like what it used to!! You have to, during your walk, call her in, now and then on it, way before the end of it, have her in, fuss and treat her, maybe play a little ball game or something, then let her go again for more freerun. then five mins later do the same, then let her go, then again five mins after that. the cord is just to be able to get her and show her how lovely coming in is and breaking this can't catch me habit.
Ditto the garden. Go out there, get her to you, stand on the cord even if its a stamp as he skips off, how she is 'got' is not important, but have her in, reel her in to begin with if necessary, it will take some persuading to her you have 'changed your spots' and treat her and fuss her and be FUN with her, then let her go again with a release command of 'go on then' or 'go play' or something, give it a min or two, then repeat.
OBVIOUSLY at some point you need to come in, but come in and have a game in the house, rush her to the biscuit tin for a really glorious extra good biscuit... make coming in FANTASIC not just boring. You don't need to spend ages on this, but if you don't get it properly nipped in the bud literally in the next week or two, this will just escalate, and i've known people spend two hours trying to get their dog back on walks as this gets worse and worse or having to go to work and leave them in the GARDEN because they just won't come to them to come in. Not a good prospect at all. So do some legwork on it and don't think it funny or quirky, its a warning sign that its all downhill from here if it continues but is SO easily fixable in literally days, promise
Di
____________
The boys!
Read: Wylanbriar Dog Blog on the website: Updated! 1st February 12´!
Another way to deal with the garden side of it (evil cackle now it is cold, dark, raining in the evenings) if she does not come back in when you call her go in and close the door. Not for hours!!!! Just long enough to let her know she is actually not the main focus of things. However tempting it is don't open the door straight away, if you can watch her without her seeing you (turn the light out in the room and watch out of the window?) make her wait a few seconds before you open the door. When she comes in don't say anything, just let her in and close the door behind her then get on with something else. The times she does come in when you call her make her know that is good even if only by saying "good girl".
She may well think it is a game to start with but will soon get fed up when she is left outside in the dark on her own and will come in when called.
I know I know it is from the "hard" school rather than the soft one - but when I have had to stand out in the dark, rain, wind etc waiting for a dog who thinks it is a great game I just thought "hang on, WHO is in charge at the moment".
Thank you i will try that from tomorow and let you know how i get on. Tonight ill have to leave her lead trailing but will sort somthing ligher for tomorrow. X
I know I know it is from the "hard" school rather than the soft one - but when I have had to stand out in the dark, rain, wind etc waiting for a dog who thinks it is a great game I just thought "hang on, WHO is in charge at the moment".
Hard school I wouldn't have thought so. When Bella refuses to listen to me and come back in, I have always just shut the door, walked away from the window and as soon as I do that, she is there waiting to come in and will run straight in. If she doesn't run in, the door gets closed again. Certainly works for me and I'm not hanging around outside waiting for her all the time
I have only just stopped using a trailing line on Bella out on walks (she is nearly 7 months now) and I have a new 5 meter one if she does start to slip into bad habits. I use a squeaky ball on walks and all I need to do is squeak it and she comes running even if there are people/dogs on the horizon. I also have a whistle which doesn't get much use, but a blast on that has her hurtling back to me.
Good Luck
____________ Owned by Bella, Shadow & Cats ....
Never forgetting Harry : 18/01/11 - 14/05/11 RIP
Hi i cant leave her in the garden as i live in a flat. And its not completly enclosed. I did alk inside the flat and shut the door and watched from the door window. But it didnt help. She still wouldnt come in a few mins later when i opened it.
This morning a had her on a long lead trailing around the garden but she came in nicley and i didnt have to pick it up. We havent been on a walk yet today we are saving our walking time for the afternoon.
onto another topic. Last night honey wouldnt eat her dinner. And dis morning wouldnt eat breakfast. Its dry food orijan puppy. She would eat it if i fed it to her by hand but not out of her bowl. So i washed the bowl incase she smelt somthing not nice. But she still wouldnt go near it.
She did eat a small amount from the bowl then i fed the rest by hand as she wouldnt eat it otherwise. She usualy eats it all in secounds. shes teething and im wondering if the dry food is herting her mouth. Or what other reason for not eating could their be she gets 100g 3 times a day. Is she maybe just full. Iv got her lunch soaking in water to sofen it. To c if that helps. X
Hi i cant leave her in the garden as i live in a flat. And its not completly enclosed. I did alk inside the flat and shut the door and watched from the door window. But it didnt help. She still wouldnt come in a few mins later when i opened it.
This morning a had her on a long lead trailing around the garden but she came in nicley and i didnt have to pick it up. We havent been on a walk yet today we are saving our walking time for the afternoon.
onto another topic. Last night honey wouldnt eat her dinner. And dis morning wouldnt eat breakfast. Its dry food orijan puppy. She would eat it if i fed it to her by hand but not out of her bowl. So i washed the bowl incase she smelt somthing not nice. But she still wouldnt go near it.
She did eat a small amount from the bowl then i fed the rest by hand as she wouldnt eat it otherwise. She usualy eats it all in secounds. shes teething and im wondering if the dry food is herting her mouth. Or what other reason for not eating could their be she gets 100g 3 times a day. Is she maybe just full. Iv got her lunch soaking in water to sofen it. To c if that helps. X
If shes having a off food day, don't worry too much, and honestly? I wouldn't start the feeding by hand thing, certainly not unless she was very ill, because they do rather get used to pulling these sort of strings Then you never know if they are not feeling too good or whether they just are wanting us to fetch and carry for them
If she walks away from a meal, give it ten mins, pick it up and then wait till the next meal, giving her no extras inbetween 'because she missed breakfast' If she seems completely normal, but misses a few meals here and there whilst teething this is very normal. If she seems listless or bothered or is sick or retching or looking really miserable then try the vet.
But I wouldn't worry about her missing a couple of meals and don't fall into the trap of pandering too much as it will make her a fussy one
Di
____________
The boys!
Read: Wylanbriar Dog Blog on the website: Updated! 1st February 12´!
Yes shes acting normal the teething has really set in this week and shes chewing like crazy. She hasnt really chewed much up untill this week. She ate her lunch because i softend it. But im going to try it normal at dinner time. X
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honey is 14 weeks old and becoming a little monster
I wouldn't have thought so. When Bella refuses to listen to me and come back in, I have always just shut the door, walked away from the window and as soon as I do that, she is there waiting to come in and will run straight in. If she doesn't run in, the door gets closed again. Certainly works for me and I'm not hanging around outside waiting for her all the time 
