Frustrated at several things. Please read if you take care of your dog(s) alone.

[lizzybeth727]

One tiny suggestion: Don't click for this behavior. One trainer at Clicker Expo (can't remember which one) said something that made a lot of sense: "Click for action, treat for position." So if you want to teach him the action of laying down, use the clicker. But if you want to teach him to stay down, just remain in that position, then don't click, just treat. I think often, especially with a dog that knows something about shaping and clicker training, they will hear the clicking and think that they're supposed to be offering different behaviors, like it's a shaping game. But for this, you don't really want him offering different behaviors, and you certainly don't want him trying to figure out how to offer different behaviors!

 

[AllieMackie]

One tiny suggestion: Don't click for this behavior. One trainer at Clicker Expo (can't remember which one) said something that made a lot of sense: "Click for action, treat for position." So if you want to teach him the action of laying down, use the clicker. But if you want to teach him to stay down, just remain in that position, then don't click, just treat. I think often, especially with a dog that knows something about shaping and clicker training, they will hear the clicking and think that they're supposed to be offering different behaviors, like it's a shaping game. But for this, you don't really want him offering different behaviors, and you certainly don't want him trying to figure out how to offer different behaviors!

Ah, makes sense to me! I've sort of been doing this anyway - I treat with no click for resting, and click when I catch him laying down.

 

[GreenFireflyGirl]

Yes, I'm alone caring for a crazy dog, and remember the 8months old stage in the middle of winter when we couldn't run it off. There were times that I even crated her when I was home to get some housework done! She's 13 months now, and I make sure to really tire her out with a good run or bikeride when I have to have her sit quietly (like now) while I use the computer for example. I did the tethering thing too, and I also tied her leash around my waist while I did housework. I think she's learned a LOT of patience by my doing this, I even mowed the grass with her tied around my waist too!!

I have a nine year old son that WILL take her outside and play with her, but he gets bored after 10 minutes, and that's not enough for my dog, so I have changed things up and had my son do more housework instead!! I've also packed away a lot of "stuff" that I find that I don't really miss. If It's not out, I don't have to dust it or clean it, or worry that the dog will knock it over. I'm also teaching her to ring a bell when she wants to go outside, so that there's no accidents in the house. (I've also considered getting a playmate for her, but I take her to doggy day care for that kind of fun instead, twice a week)

Sometimes I feel like I'm not a good enough owner on my own, for my girl, but she's happy, and getting better behaved all the time! (Sometimes, if I'm being totally honest, I wish I never got a dog...but then she looks at me in the middle of a huge mess, and I just melt, and clean up after her...)

I can only look forward to the long years we will spend together when she's older, and less crazy, and won't give those up for anything! (I'll even put up with a ton more shredded toilet paper rolls!!)

 

[Paige]

Oh how I remember this. Except x2.

Instead of tying the dog to the furniture I'd tie them around me and flat out ignore them. Their booties would do what I did. Go to the fridge? I had two furr butts right there with me. Sitting down? They settled down. The result now is I have two stalkers that follow me EVERYWHERE. But hey, at least I know where they are all the time. AND they liked it! I'd teach them a couple things to do to help me out example being to open and shut a drawer and I'd ask them to do it.

 

[Laurelin]

Lol sounds familiar!

Summer was 4 when I got her and had an off switch but still, trying to do it on my own is tough sometimes. She's not so much work energy wise as a dog like a bc but she's one of those dogs that if she had it her way she'd want constant attention. She is very in your face ALL the time if you let her. She wants in on everything. The whole 'Huh, what you doing? Wanna play? Wanna walk? Can I help?' is very very familiar. My roomies had always had very laid back dogs and they didn't get her at all. She was often 'in their way' and they did nothing to help me with her either. That's okay imo because she was MY dog and not theirs. They didn't want that responsibility, but I did. So it all rightfully fell to me. I had thought of a bc/aussie at one point and I decided if I was still rooming with someone there was no way I would bring in a dog like that. It would've been even worse as far as the 'I don't get this dog' thing went with the roomies.

Sometimes I do wonder if it's fair to her, but she's happy. I think that's a normal feeling when you're alone and you can't provide attention 24/7, especially when you have a really needy dog. You always think that it may be better if there were more people to help diffuse the attention. But really even at home, Summer stalks me and she probably got more attention while I was away with her at school. Having the other dogs does really help because they can entertain each other. When we were alone though, I just made sure she was getting adequate attention and exercise. It was tough some days, every day I'd get up and go for a 2 hour long walk with her around campus. Every day we'd do a lot of shaping exercises and obedience. (Touch this, touch that, sit, stay, silly tricks, jumping hoops, turning book pages, etc etc etc) It would've helped if she'd play like the other dogs but she has no interest in toys so that's always been a challenge. My best way of wearing the boys out is a good long fetch game.

As far as young dogs and no off switches go, I totally understand that too. Beau and Bernard both were terrors as puppies. Nard is really coming into his own right now at about a year. He's calmed down a LOT, thankfully. He was the one that if you took your eyes off him for a second, something was destroyed. Now Beau on the other hand we got when it was just him and the old shelties who didn't want to play at all. So he was wild and had no way to diffuse it other than us. We had lots of toys and he got lots of timeouts. He would (and sometimes still does) work himself up into being overstimulated and out of control. He'd get penned up for that. One nice thing about the little dogs is you can pretty easily pen them (except Summer) and not have to crate them. It took Beau 4 years to really mature, 2 years before he could be unsupervised at all. Now he's probably the most well balanced of the four and a pretty easy little dog to deal with. He wasn't as a pup though!