I'm giving him up for adoption if this doesn't stop...

[Doberluv]

Have you tried clicker training? Mark the behavior you like...those seconds in between his whining or his scratching. Maybe getting more aggressive in your training would help. I don't mean "aggressive" in a bad way. I guess I mean pro-active. Make some real training sessions and lessons out of it maybe. You might even read Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor to get the logistics down. Those interactive toys might help too, along with the other ideas. Try not to react to him when he is being demanding. Wait for a lull, then reinforce him with something he loves or wants at the time. But mark the behavior. That may be what he needs. If other people won't comply with your requests to ignore his nonsense, put him away from them while they're there.

As far as RTH's comment, I'm with you on ignoring the rudeness of it....it's typical. But don't discount all of the substance of it. What I mean is....no behavior exists without reinforcement. Somewhere, somehow along the line, he has been inadvertantly reinforced, either by you, someone else OR from the dog himself (self rewarding behavior with natural consequences) or it wouldn't continue. That's just basic behavioral law. AND dogs are all individuals. What can escalate easily with one dog might not so easily with another. For example, my dogs might ask me for something and I comply. They get antsy (not really demanding) at dinner time. And I get up and get their food. They never get any different. They don't whine or bark, jump around or anything. They just sort of look at me and wag their tails, like..."hellooooo....it's 4:30. LOL. Or Jose` might drop the ball in front of me, asking me to throw it. I might comply with his request. He never gets pushy about it though....maybe because I don't throw it every time and maybe because he's just not that bossy of a dog. LOL. If I don't throw it, he right away goes away and does something else and doesn't bug me. Some people say, "Always be the instigator of the tug game." Well, if my dog brings me a toy and asks me to play, I might and I might not. It doesn't matter with my dogs. They just don't seem to take something and run with it. They probably would if I did everything they wanted, but I don't. and I'm careful not to reinforce obnoxious behavior if it starts poking it's ugly head a little bit. LOL.

So, with various dogs, you get a feel for how much you can get away with. Your dog sounds like one of those where you have to be much more consistent and regimented....set up some boundaries you have in your mind and figure out where you'll draw the line and stick with it religiously.

I do see your dilema and difficulties and I do hope you can get things mellowed out. Maybe getting a certified behaviorist in to help you would be an idea, albeit and expensive one. But sometimes it only takes a session or two to get the tools to use. Good luck.

 

[Dreeza]

Have you tried clicker training? Mark the behavior you like...those seconds in between his whining or his scratching. Maybe getting more aggressive in your training would help. I don't mean "aggressive" in a bad way. I guess I mean pro-active. Make some real training sessions and lessons out of it maybe. You might even read Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor to get the logistics down. Those interactive toys might help too, along with the other ideas. Try not to react to him when he is being demanding. Wait for a lull, then reinforce him with something he loves or wants at the time. But mark the behavior. That may be what he needs. If other people won't comply with your requests to ignore his nonsense, put him away from them while they're there.

As far as RTH's comment, I'm with you on ignoring the rudeness of it....it's typical. But don't discount all of the substance of it. What I mean is....no behavior exists without reinforcement. Somewhere, somehow along the line, he has been inadvertantly reinforced, either by you, someone else OR from the dog himself (self rewarding behavior with natural consequences) or it wouldn't continue. That's just basic behavioral law. AND dogs are all individuals. What can escalate easily with one dog might not so easily with another. For example, my dogs might ask me for something and I comply. They get antsy (not really demanding) at dinner time. And I get up and get their food. They never get any different. They don't whine or bark, jump around or anything. They just sort of look at me and wag their tails, like..."hellooooo....it's 4:30. LOL. Or Jose` might drop the ball in front of me, asking me to throw it. I might comply with his request. He never gets pushy about it though....maybe because I don't throw it every time and maybe because he's just not that bossy of a dog. LOL. If I don't throw it, he right away goes away and does something else and doesn't bug me. Some people say, "Always be the instigator of the tug game." Well, if my dog brings me a toy and asks me to play, I might and I might not. It doesn't matter with my dogs. They just don't seem to take something and run with it. They probably would if I did everything they wanted, but I don't. and I'm careful not to reinforce obnoxious behavior if it starts poking it's ugly head a little bit. LOL.

So, with various dogs, you get a feel for how much you can get away with. Your dog sounds like one of those where you have to be much more consistent and regimented....set up some boundaries you have in your mind and figure out where you'll draw the line and stick with it religiously.

I do see your dilema and difficulties and I do hope you can get things mellowed out. Maybe getting a certified behaviorist in to help you would be an idea, albeit and expensive one. But sometimes it only takes a session or two to get the tools to use. Good luck.

::sigh:: I have tried clicker training. We have issues with it. He gets excited when he knows I have treats...and a lot of times he is automatically quiet because I have treats. I think I need to get better about carrying them with me at all times...

And I know RTH's comment had truth to it, I just felt like I had already addressed that I wasn't directly rewarding any of his bad behavior.
tryi
The more I think about it...the more I am thinking Oakley is being reinforced by this chain: barking at neighbors --> mom gets treats out (calling to him does NOT distract him from barking at all..me taking out the treats does) --> mom calls me over & I sit every so nicely & quietly & do whatever she wants --> I get a treat --> go back over to window; stare meanly at the neighbors while mustering up every bit of self control to NOT bark --> mom gives me a treat --> loose all self control & bark --> mom calls me back over --> repeat cycle.


Either that OR I go & drag him away from the window to wherever he is out of eye sight of the window & we sit in that place until he calms down (cause is literally kicking & screaming as I drag him away). Then we walk nicely over the window & if he looks out nicely, then he is praised heavily & sometimes given a treat (the only reason it is sometimes is just cause I don't carry them on me...which I probably should...I know).

My biggest issue with clicker training in this situation is that the barking starts before I ever can even realize the neighbors have shown up (I never hear anything...)...Oakley goes from sleeping to psychotic in .00000001 seconds, so I just cannot react. And the barking is non-stop until they are out of sight. LIke he is up on the window barking like a crazed maniac until they leave. the only way to get him to pause when he is WAAAAAYYY past his excitement threshold is to physically move him...or distract him with treats.

So now I am thinking my treat distractions, even though he doesn't get the treat until he does something good...are enough of a reward to enforce the behavior.
I've tried starting at less excitable situations, but Oakley is either ON or OFF. When it is less excitable, the second he realizes treats are involved, he is all up on me trying to do whatever it takes to get them. So any training that we've done in those situations (which we have), don't seem to have transferred to the more excitable ones

 

[OutlineACDs]

RTH...I'm basically ignoring your comment. Obviously you didn't read what I have posted so far. So there is just no sense in getting into it with you.

Hate to say it, but I'm going to agree w/ RTH. You do this a lot, Oakley starts something you don't like, so you come on here for advice, say you have already tried everything suggested and then put little effort into fixing the problem.

This dog runs your life. It's very apparent from your posts. He has issues, yes, but you let him run all over you.

My dogs act up, they get a warning. They keep it up, they get crated. If they make noise in the crate (which they don't, but I have had dogs who did) the crate gets covered or in extreme cases, moved outside/in the garage. Basically somewhere safe that they can be without disturbing me.

 

[release the hounds]

why do people always want to ignore what they need to pay attention to?

 

[Renee750il]

OH! :doh: Something that's worked wonderfully for Tallulah -- I learned this from Nikki and Buddy: when Oakley's getting overly excited about something, teach him to go get a toy. I swear, it works like a charm. It works so well that Tallulah does the same thing Buddy does -- when she's getting excited she now goes and gets a toy herself without me even having to tell her. It starts calming her down, and she's got a toy in her mouth so she can't bark

 

[AGonzalez]

Hate to say it, but I'm going to agree w/ RTH. You do this a lot, Oakley starts something you don't like, so you come on here for advice, say you have already tried everything suggested and then put little effort into fixing the problem.

This dog runs your life. It's very apparent from your posts. He has issues, yes, but you let him run all over you.

My dogs act up, they get a warning. They keep it up, they get crated. If they make noise in the crate (which they don't, but I have had dogs who did) the crate gets covered or in extreme cases, moved outside/in the garage. Basically somewhere safe that they can be without disturbing me.

Bingo! I skimmed back over some older threads, this is a trend for sure. RTH's post made perfect sense in that you need to get control of the situation or put up with the dog running your life for you.

 

[Laurelin]

Mia was like this when I first got her. She is a very very busy little dog with quite a bit of drive. The most important thing I've had to teach her is to settle. She's one of those that has the mind going 110 mph and just doesn't stop.

She rises very early at about 5:30 am and thinks the world should get up then too. She would start digging at me and screaming for me to get up. I had to some real tough love there. I would physically remove her and be firm and just tell her to can it. Sometimes I would crate her and move her to a dark room and shut the door and let her cry it out. It took WEEKS for her to stop but she finally realized it wasn't going to get her anywhere. So she stopped. It tried my patience.

She still doesn't sleep in but she also doesn't wake me up. She will sit there on the bed and stare at me until I wake up but she won't bother me anymore.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Hate to say it, but I'm going to agree w/ RTH. You do this a lot, Oakley starts something you don't like, so you come on here for advice, say you have already tried everything suggested and then put little effort into fixing the problem.

WERD

Crate training was made for situations like this... how is it useless? A properly crate trained dog will not make a peep in their crate. They will feel safe, comfortable and hang out in their crate. If the dog is tense in their crate, it is very, very, very likely that step(s) were skipped, the crate was not reinforced as a good place, and/or the crate is used for punishment. As you said... it just sat in your room for years. It wasn't utilized as a safe place and place to eat, hang out, and get yummy and positive things.

Tethers, on the other hand, are incredibly frustrating and do not serve the purpose of providing a den or a safe spot what so ever.

Doberluv has amazing advice! Clickers are also perfect for situations like this, and make communicating what you want from your dog so much easier. But of course, they're too much of a bother. That's unfortunate because they can really, really help. You just need to put in some time to get him clicker savvy, and it will change the way you work with your dog.

I don't really know what to say anymore. I wish I had a link for some magical treat that would make dogs instantly quiet, obedient, friendly and compliant... but that does not exist. :/

Dreeza, I'm so proud of you. Instead of just ignoring Oakley and sticking him in a crate, you are actually trying to get to the root of the problem and fix it.

It sounds like the root of the problem is a lack of boundaries and consistency, and reinforcing bratty behaviors. Properly crate training a dog is not just sticking them in a crate... it's teaching them when it is time to be calm and quiet, that they have a safe and anxiety-free place to go to, and that being annoying is not getting them anywhere.

Reinforcement can be you waking up. You yelling at him. It sounds like he's the kind of dog who would rather get negative attention than none at all. Negative reinforcement is still reinforcement... and you obviously cannot allow him to scratch up the door all he wants, which is why keeping him safe in a crate is a much easier way to control the situation. But my advice is useless anyway, because you already know it all, as you said.

 

[Dreeza]

Hate to say it, but I'm going to agree w/ RTH. You do this a lot, Oakley starts something you don't like, so you come on here for advice, say you have already tried everything suggested and then put little effort into fixing the problem.

This dog runs your life. It's very apparent from your posts. He has issues, yes, but you let him run all over you.

My dogs act up, they get a warning. They keep it up, they get crated. If they make noise in the crate (which they don't, but I have had dogs who did) the crate gets covered or in extreme cases, moved outside/in the garage. Basically somewhere safe that they can be without disturbing me.

My #1 issue is having roommates. I cannot let Oakley bark it out. If my roomie that shares a wall w/me is ever gone. I let Oakley whine/bark his little butt off for who knows how long. I can fall asleep to it...she can't. It just isn't something she signed up for when rooming with me.

Secondly, I get very frustrated from posts like yours because we used to use methods like this with Oakley...and after 3 years, he STILL never got used to his crate. Plus, he was self destructive (like I said, he ripped out a nail clawing his crate) if he knew people were home. He would calm down once everyone left the house (or at least it seemed that way). When he used to get put outside in his kennel, he would go through EXTREME measures to get out...we finally had to stop because the risks of him getting seriously hurt were just not worth it.

I dont know. 95% of the time he is totally manageable. I get comments ALL the time about what a good dog he is...everyone who meets him is always so impressed with how well he listens & how well trained he is.

Its the moments where he crosses his threshold that I have an issue with. And every post i have ever made about him probably is related to that.

If I could teach him to 'settle', than I think 99.9% of his issues would be solved.

I just don't know how. Like I said, he is just so on or off.

I know I need to work on his training in more distracting environments, but I can't seem to figure out one to work in. Dog park is no good, cause for some reason, while he is horribly dog aggressive on walks...at the dog park, even on a leash, he is like a perfect little angel.
On walks, I can never predict when a dog is coming...when they do, I always try to work on preventing him from snapping. We have gotten to the point that large treats that I hold in my fist & have him lick while the dog passes will keep him occupied...right until the dog is passing right by him (we try to stay as far away as possible... and then he SNAPS (physically & mentally). And then after I get him under control, I treat him for calming down.



Renee - do you know how to go about training this? This seems like an awesome idea. I am just seriously clueless about how to do this.

 

[Dreeza]

Crate training was made for situations like this... how is it useless? A properly crate trained dog will not make a peep in their crate. They will feel safe, comfortable and hang out in their crate. If the dog is tense in their crate, it is very, very, very likely that step(s) were skipped, the crate was not reinforced as a good place, and/or the crate is used for punishment. As you said... it just sat in your room for years. It wasn't utilized as a safe place and place to eat, hang out, and get yummy and positive things.

I said months, not years. Honestly, I think many of his issues stem from his treatment before we got him. He was crate trained 9-10 hours a day by the adoption person we got him from. A crate meant being locked up to him.

We got him used to sleeping in his crate...he would go in willingly & everything. And then for some reason my fam stopped using it (I dont know why...he wasn't my dog back then...I didnt live at home or even know they stopped). So, when he came to live with me, I dragged the crate with me & set it up in my room for him. I fed him in there for about 2 weeks...he would go in to eat (verrrryyyy tentatively at first)...but never any other time. He chose to sleep on the floor outside of the crate. There is no point of keeping him in a crate when I'm gone cause he isn't destructive at all when I'm gone. He just sleeps on my bed. Plus, to get him to be in the crate when I was gone, I'd have to force him in & I didnt want to do that.

So you're right...it was done wrong...but that is not my fault. I wasn't the one who did it wrong..

Tethers, on the other hand, are incredibly frustrating and do not serve the purpose of providing a den or a safe spot what so ever.

Doberluv has amazing advice! Clickers are also perfect for situations like this, and make communicating what you want from your dog so much easier. But of course, they're too much of a bother. That's unfortunate because they can really, really help. You just need to put in some time to get him clicker savvy, and it will change the way you work with your dog.

I dunno, he likes his tether. He jumps down off my bed every night when I tell him it is bedtime & lets me stand there while i leash him. And trust me, he is NOT the kind of dog that will easily let me do something like that if he doesn't want it done. He puts up a HUGE fuss if it is something he doesn't like.

And um...I do clicker train? I don't know where I said it was too much of a bother. I said there are situations where I just have issues doing it properly because he makes certain behaviors VERY difficult to mark.

Reinforcement can be you waking up. You yelling at him. It sounds like he's the kind of dog who would rather get negative attention than none at all. Negative reinforcement is still reinforcement... and you obviously cannot allow him to scratch up the door all he wants, which is why keeping him safe in a crate is a much easier way to control the situation. But my advice is useless anyway, because you already know it all, as you said.

Yeah, I agree with this. Well...not the part where I already know it all. I don't. That is why I am posting. I just know what I have already tried.

Like, before this thread, I never really thought about the fact that the cycle I mentioned in my earlier post (about inadvertently rewarding him for barking) could be occurring. I thought that I was doing it right & reinforcing the good behavior...which, according to click to calm, I AM doing it right...but since it is not working, obviously something else is going on. And I am trying to problem solve with you guys how to stop this cycle. I still don't know how. I still cannot find a way to distract him from barking other than treats...which I am now convinced that their presence is reward enough & therefore reinforcing the bad behavior.

 

[Doberluv]

Have you read Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor? I think it could really help you with the objections you bring up. There are ways around the problems you're having. Also, even if he had a rotten past experience with crates, dogs have their minds changed about things all the time....about worse things. That's why there's such a thing as behavior modification. For one example, Toker didn't just dislike her nails being clipped. She went over-the-moon balistic...vicious, absolutely psycho if she even saw someone with clippers in the hand or looking like they might be thinking about clipping her nails. Okay...so, now when I get clippers or the Dremel out, she comes over voluntarily, lies down next to me and plops her heavy paw on my lap and gives me a kiss. She's thrilled to get her nails worked on....seriously...it's one of the highlights of her day. I don't have to tell her a thing. Another example with my own dogs.... Lyric was supremely scary toward other dogs when on leash in certain contexts and VERY strong. After some "mind control" "brainwashing" "you want to live? Okay, do this then" he improved a whole lot. He also didn't want to get in the bath tub...not one little bit! 90 Lbs is too much to lift. Soon, he was jumping in when given an agility cue. lol..."go jump" and it was a game. Soon the bath was a piece of cake. So, if Oakly doesn't like a crate, he can be "brainwashed" into liking his crate. You may not have succeeded in doing that but I have no doubt it can be done.

It is apparent that he is running you ragged and running your life. If at all financially possible, I'd recommend getting a board certified behaviorist in to help give you some ideas and demonstrate some things.

I like Renee's idea very much. You can google for something to show you ways to teach fetch. Break things down into baby steps. That goes for everything...even his rotten behavoir.

 

[lizzybeth727]

This sounds like the best advice in this thread, and something you can definately do since - if you do it right - he shouldn't be barking at all to go out:

There was an article about this in the 'Whole Dog Journal' recently so I can relay some of that advice to you. I haven't tried it out personally, but this journal has pretty much always given what I consider to be sound advice.


They list 5 things to do:

#1) make sure it isn't a medical issue (UTI, etc)

#2) exercise him hard the night before

#3) make the time between his last meal and his last trip outside longer (so feed him earlier and let him out later)

#4) eliminate stimuli in room (close curtains, turn off noises, etc)

#5) train him to wake up later (i'll explain)

Number five seemed like the option that you might want to try since it would seem that you've already looked into the first four. Essentially, figure out what time your dog generally wakes you up. For one week set your alarm ten minutes earlier than his wake up time. Let him out then. The next week extend this time by 5 minutes or so. If he cries earlier don't give in until the new wake-up time. Continue to extend the wake-up time by five minutes each week until he becomes accustomed to waking up at your wake up time. Of course, I don't know if you're wanting him to stay in bed for an extra 30 minute or an extra 3 hours - would certainly make a difference.

I'm hearing a trend in your posts... "If Oakley knows I'm going to do _____, he'll do ______." Which tells me that you might need to work on being less predictible. Having a predictible schedule (knowing what time we're going to wake up, eat breakfast, go outside, etc.) is good for an insecure dog or a new dog that's acclimating to your lifestyle.

But for pushy and/or demanding dogs, predictible schedules only make the pushiness worse. If dogs know that something usually happens a certain way, they will get upset if the schedule has to change and they will engage in the bad behaviors you are asking about.

So, my suggestion for you is this: Think about everything that Oakley "knows" about you, and figure out how you can change those things. Does he know you always get up at 7:00 when your alarm goes off? Set the alarm for 6:50 and hit the snooze a few times until 7:15. Does he know that you always get up, put your shoes on, and then take him outside? Change up that little part of your schedule... put your shoes on and do your hair, or put your toast in the toaster before you let him out. When you come home, do you let him out right away? Do one or two little things before you let him out. Changing these little things will make you less predictible and more exciting. It'll also teach him that he's not always going to get what he's expecting... sometimes it's better than he expects but sometimes it's worse, and that's ok.

I'm also a big believer that with pushy dogs, they need to learn that my "life" is more important than them. For example, when I come home from work, sometimes I'd take the dog out right away, but other times I decide to get dinner started first.... no matter how much my dog feels like he needs to go out, my dinner is more important at that moment and he can just wait two minutes until I'm ready. With Oakley barking at the neighbors: If he barks, go to him, put him on a leash, and remove him from the window so that he can't see out; then very obviously pick up a book or magazine or scrap of paper, sit back and relax and read for a few minutes with him on leash next to you. When he relaxes, pull out the treat that you conveniently have in one of the tupperware containers you strategically placed throughout the house, and calmly hand it to him. If this gets him all riled up again, fine, just go back to reading and wait for him to relax again.

BTW, the Click to Calm method is not "dog barks --> distract dog with treat --> give dog treat for being quiet." It's actually "dog looks out window --> click --> give dog treat."

One last thing: one of the good things about clicker training is that you don't have to have treats with you all the time. When he does something good, click, and then the two of you can run together to get a treat. You could also use a marker word, rather than a clicker, if you have a hard time remembering to pick up your clicker; but I find it more effective to use a clicker, so I just have one of those coil wrist strap thingies so that I can wear my clicker around my wrist.

 

[Doberluv]

This sounds like the best advice in this thread, and something you can definately do since - if you do it right - he shouldn't be barking at all to go out:



I'm hearing a trend in your posts... "If Oakley knows I'm going to do _____, he'll do ______." Which tells me that you might need to work on being less predictible. Having a predictible schedule (knowing what time we're going to wake up, eat breakfast, go outside, etc.) is good for an insecure dog or a new dog that's acclimating to your lifestyle.

But for pushy and/or demanding dogs, predictible schedules only make the pushiness worse. If dogs know that something usually happens a certain way, they will get upset if the schedule has to change and they will engage in the bad behaviors you are asking about.

So, my suggestion for you is this: Think about everything that Oakley "knows" about you, and figure out how you can change those things. Does he know you always get up at 7:00 when your alarm goes off? Set the alarm for 6:50 and hit the snooze a few times until 7:15. Does he know that you always get up, put your shoes on, and then take him outside? Change up that little part of your schedule... put your shoes on and do your hair, or put your toast in the toaster before you let him out. When you come home, do you let him out right away? Do one or two little things before you let him out. Changing these little things will make you less predictible and more exciting. It'll also teach him that he's not always going to get what he's expecting... sometimes it's better than he expects but sometimes it's worse, and that's ok.

I'm also a big believer that with pushy dogs, they need to learn that my "life" is more important than them. For example, when I come home from work, sometimes I'd take the dog out right away, but other times I decide to get dinner started first.... no matter how much my dog feels like he needs to go out, my dinner is more important at that moment and he can just wait two minutes until I'm ready. With Oakley barking at the neighbors: If he barks, go to him, put him on a leash, and remove him from the window so that he can't see out; then very obviously pick up a book or magazine or scrap of paper, sit back and relax and read for a few minutes with him on leash next to you. When he relaxes, pull out the treat that you conveniently have in one of the tupperware containers you strategically placed throughout the house, and calmly hand it to him. If this gets him all riled up again, fine, just go back to reading and wait for him to relax again.

BTW, the Click to Calm method is not "dog barks --> distract dog with treat --> give dog treat for being quiet." It's actually "dog looks out window --> click --> give dog treat."

One last thing: one of the good things about clicker training is that you don't have to have treats with you all the time. When he does something good, click, and then the two of you can run together to get a treat. You could also use a marker word, rather than a clicker, if you have a hard time remembering to pick up your clicker; but I find it more effective to use a clicker, so I just have one of those coil wrist strap thingies so that I can wear my clicker around my wrist.

:hail::hail::hail:

I see that now, but when I read it, it just didn't register. I'm in a fog.

Great post Lizzy!

 

[Hillside]

I'm astounded by people on this forum and others who ask for advice and get SO much of it from people who have YEARS of experience and then disregard all of it. Seriously, would you (global you) argue with your mechanic about something being an exhaust issue when it was a different issue altogether? Just because you live with a dog doesn't mean you know everything about training or behavior. I used to teach obedience classes and I STILL learn things from these people everyday.

Dreeza, I know you are fairly young...maybe you should revisit methods that you tried in the past with a different perspective this time around.

 

[Fran101]

My moms bichon had this kind of drama.
He would wake up at 6 in the morning and try to wake her up.

She wouldn't even look at him, put his leash on, take him out for literally 1 minute. didn't look at him, play with him, talk to him..
if he didn't go to the bathroom .. he was put right back in the room. and she plops into bed and goes back to sleep

If he tried it again? without a word she picked him up and put him in a crate in the laundry room on the other side of the house.

Is there any other room in the house where he could be and bitch/cry all he wants without waking up the roomate? a bathroom? laundry room? that kind of thing..
our dog very quickly learned to NOT try and wake people up because it gets him nowhere and usually ends up with him in a crate in the boring laundry room.

Now he sleeps longer, or quietly chews on his chewie next to her bed



We have had great sucess with the everlasting treatball, its such a great product, the dogs love it, it doesn't get gross or smelly and it does LAST!

the dogs know we keep one on the floor beside the bed, so if they wake up, the go and stay busy until our alarms go off.



as for crate safety, we also had a problem with wire crates/nails getting caught and things like that for dogs that tried to scratch/get their way out

we switched to wooden crates..
we found some pictures online and found a carpenter dude at home depot willing to make us a few for only $50 each (less than your typical crate)
and we have no had a problem since

they aren't good for puppies. I can imagine them being a pain to clean all the time (we have had a few accidents, but we keep towels/beds under there and they are treated so the smell doesn't seep into the wood. but STILL, I can imagine them being a pain to clean ALL THE TIME like you do with puppies.. )

but our adult dogs seem to like these much better and we have no had a safety problems or injury even when they get into their bitchy "im gonna tear outta here" moods
I think the wood makes it also a bit darker/cozier in there.. for some reason they adapted and LIKE these much more than the other wire ones. they go in there and hang out in there like its a den now.

they have been a great solution for us so now we can use crates, not have to worry about them hurting themselves, and they are pretty! lol



Maybe something like rescue remedy or the like (benadryl, etc..) might also help to have on standby
maybe just to save it for mornings when he is being a terror, you have finals in 3 hours,the roomate is complaining, hes barking and going mad and your about to rip his head off..
this is A BAND AID. of course not for regular use, but on the rare occasions where its just..too much. a little something to calm him might be helpful



I would also talk to your roomate about whats going on, be honest with her..

Tell her the problems you are having and ask if you could please let him just cry/bark/and tire himself out in the mornings while you ignore him because you are training him to NOT be a pest at 6 a.m

Offer to buy her earplugs or new earbuds for her IPOD, and to perhaps pay a little more than you usually do for your part of the rent for that month while your training

Sure, if your dog was causing a scene for an hour each morning while you seemed to ignore him and she had no idea what was going on or had no warning.. she would be pissed.
but maybe if she knew/understood, you guys could find a compromise

 

[Dreeza]

I'm hearing a trend in your posts... "If Oakley knows I'm going to do _____, he'll do ______." Which tells me that you might need to work on being less predictible. Having a predictible schedule (knowing what time we're going to wake up, eat breakfast, go outside, etc.) is good for an insecure dog or a new dog that's acclimating to your lifestyle.

I kinda see where this applies for me bringing out treats...but I am a little confused how this applies otherwise. I would def appreciate a further explanation since you may have a really good point that I am missing.

The thing is, I have like THE most unpredictable schedule in the world...we have class at a diff time almost everyday. He literally gets fed breakfast anytime between 7 - noon (weekends...ooops, I sleep in); dinner between 6-11pm...

I honestly thought this unpredictable schedule was part of the prob, but the rest of your post makes me feel much better

The only thing I can think of is that he does know he usually gets fed right after he gets let out in the mornings...but other than that, I'd say everything else is pretty darn random. I really do do all the things you mentioned.

BTW, the Click to Calm method is not "dog barks --> distract dog with treat --> give dog treat for being quiet." It's actually "dog looks out window --> click --> give dog treat."

THIS is why I need you guys. I am an idiot...sometimes I get so caught up in one mind set & forget how to think about it in a different way.

One last thing: one of the good things about clicker training is that you don't have to have treats with you all the time. When he does something good, click, and then the two of you can run together to get a treat. You could also use a marker word, rather than a clicker, if you have a hard time remembering to pick up your clicker; but I find it more effective to use a clicker, so I just have one of those coil wrist strap thingies so that I can wear my clicker around my wrist.

this is very true too...thanks. Time to dig up a carabiner & hook my clicker on to me...

 

[Dreeza]

Dreeza, I know you are fairly young...maybe you should revisit methods that you tried in the past with a different perspective this time around.

I am not trying to disregard anyone's advice..I just really have tried a lot. Thanks for saying this 2nd part though...this is actually EXACTLY what I cam on here to do. I need that different perspective though...cause it just was NOT working before

My moms bichon had this kind of drama.
He would wake up at 6 in the morning and try to wake her up.

She wouldn't even look at him, put his leash on, take him out for literally 1 minute. didn't look at him, play with him, talk to him..
if he didn't go to the bathroom .. he was put right back in the room. and she plops into bed and goes back to sleep

If he tried it again? without a word she picked him up and put him in a crate in the laundry room on the other side of the house.

Is there any other room in the house where he could be and bitch/cry all he wants without waking up the roomate? a bathroom? laundry room? that kind of thing..
our dog very quickly learned to NOT try and wake people up because it gets him nowhere and usually ends up with him in a crate in the boring laundry room.

I actually started doing this last night! I started putting him in my closet..
Unfortunately the whole "quietly picking him up thing" doesn't apply. I was quietly leashing him...while he was throwing a temper tantrum. I now have a nice 2 inch claw mark (nice & bloody too)...from him...but I didn't even look at him or touch him. I did this about 10 times in a row. Talk about testing my patience...but it is a start I guess.

We have had great sucess with the everlasting treatball, its such a great product, the dogs love it, it doesn't get gross or smelly and it does LAST!

Have it. Plays with it sometimes. I re-filled it with treats last night. He didn't touch it but they are pretty awesome when he is into it!

as for crate safety, we also had a problem with wire crates/nails getting caught and things like that for dogs that tried to scratch/get their way out

we switched to wooden crates..
we found some pictures online and found a carpenter dude at home depot willing to make us a few for only $50 each (less than your typical crate)
and we have no had a problem since

but our adult dogs seem to like these much better and we have no had a safety problems or injury even when they get into their bitchy "im gonna tear outta here" moods
I think the wood makes it also a bit darker/cozier in there.. for some reason they adapted and LIKE these much more than the other wire ones. they go in there and hang out in there like its a den now.

they have been a great solution for us so now we can use crates, not have to worry about them hurting themselves, and they are pretty! lol

Hmm this I would consider...pricing could be an issue. Not sure if I'd be as lucky as you to find someone to do it for $50. I'd def have to do extensive research on how to re-crate train him too.



Unfortunately benadryl doesn't do anything for him, haha. Havent tried rescue remedy yet though.

And yeah, my roomie is ok with it on days when we don;t have exams...but this past week we have been doing a lot of studying for our exam today, so it is like the worst possible timing!!!

 

[Maxy24]

I'm sure you've already said it but why is he tethered and where is he tethered?

 

[Dreeza]

I'm sure you've already said it but why is he tethered and where is he tethered?

I just leash him to my desk (he is on a normal length leash) at night...so only while I am asleep. It is just long enough that he can put his chin on my bed, but not get up into it.

It just prevents him from sleeping in my bed with me (cause he is a pain) & from getting to the window & barking at things in the middle of the night.

It has worked very well for the past like...year. He has a hugely comfy bed that he really likes too.

 

[Doberluv]

The only thing I can think of is that he does know he usually gets fed right after he gets let out in the mornings

I would definitely not feed him right after he wakes up. Be very boring first thing in the morning for a while. Maybe he won't look so forward to getting up and active if nothing terrific is associated with that. What follows getting up should be pretty hum drum for a little while.