Minding when distracted

JoeLacy

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Maybe she knew that Law and was trying to save me a ticket. If she ever learns how to roll down her window, we're both in trouble.

Seems like everything I tell her these days gets filed in her super massive black hole never to be recalled again. She tore up that foam comforter the other day. I got on to her, told her no, she dropped a piece and went to the other room. This morning I wake up to another snow storm. I'm just glad I have a queen sized bed not a king or I would be needing a snow plow. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

Her need to be social may get her ran over, stolen or in dog fights. I could have got run over or had a heart attack... or I could have had a heart attack in the middle of the street and then we both get run over. I would hate to think she needed to be tied to the spare tire and ride in the trunk to go anywhere, but it's under consideration.

It's little wonder she was picked up as a stray. She's an opportunist with a Houdini knack. She knows now, the way to freedom is out the window so can't be trusted. So much for fresh air.
 

JoeLacy

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It's been raining here for a couple of days so we have not been out much. Both of us being cooped up hasn't been much fun.

She's mastered the buster cube now, but figured out if she rolls it down the stairs she had less rolling of her part and more eating to do. She can't figure out how to roll it UP the stairs yet.

Today, I patched the cord on the steam cleaner where she chewed it into. She watched me intensely. I got it all patched, then took a shower. When I came back out, she had chewed it again into, then pooped on the floor. If she did these things in that order or not I have no clue but being in the house is getting the better of both of us.
 

smkie

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some bitter apple gel on that cord would convince her it's nasty. Sorry, nothing worse then being cooped up with an active dog.
 

JoeLacy

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Yep, she loves to dig in the mud and chew up anything made of paper. She has chewed some furniture, even some baseboards. The floor is covered in chew toys but she prefers "my" things. I have as much up off the floor I can do.

The housebreaking thing is not going very well...and she would take all my time each day. I can't even get much work done for keeping her occupied, even then, she still gets into thing she shouldn't. Add these things to being out of control, plus running off and she's a handful by all accounts. She's a WILD child.
 
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Hang in there Joe! You've just hit the end of the honeymoon period. :p

Give me a call and come out on Saturday morning, if you want. :p I've got a drop-in focus class at 10AM.
 

Zoom

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Does she have a crate? Teaching a dog to learn how to chill out and calm down is invaluable. I fear that you thinking you have to constantly provide her with distractions and attention will only make things worse in the end.

There's a great thread by RD somewhere around here about how she taught her Border Collies to self-calm and learn that they don't *have* to be doing something every single second of the day.
 

Doberluv

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Does she have a crate? Teaching a dog to learn how to chill out and calm down is invaluable. I fear that you thinking you have to constantly provide her with distractions and attention will only make things worse in the end.

There's a great thread by RD somewhere around here about how she taught her Border Collies to self-calm and learn that they don't *have* to be doing something every single second of the day.

:hail:

Great post Zoom. It does sound a little on the frantic side, doesn't it. Doggie Zen...very important.
 

JoeLacy

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Things are not going well. She was in the car with me most of the day. 1st stop, she chewed my my car charger. Second stop, my cigarettes. 3rd stop, bit into a Red bull and drank it. 4th stop she figured out she could chew to top off a plastic coke bottle and drank some Coke. Last stop she pulled some papers off my dash and made confetti out of them.

She is holding me hostage. I can't leave anything in the car, can't leave her at home un attended or chew will destroy something. She is becoming a liability now and her damage bill runs about 40.00 per day.

I would hate to think her life in a crate is her future, but I need to get a handle on this before I go broke or give up. She poops and pees wherever she wants and never asks to go outside.

I shut the bedroom door at night, she won't go in there. Before I even make my coffee I'm running downstairs trying to get her to go outside. She sometimes goes most times not. Usually when I'm back up stairs trying to get my coffee made she has NOW used the living room. My house is starting to smell like a public restroom.

It hasn't been much fun lately and minding without distractions is the least of my worries. Right now, I'm just trying to keep up and survive her. At some point I am going to have to work.
 

JoeLacy

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Yes, the honeymoon is over, as a matter of fact we're discussing Divorce Counseling.

Two things must happen, restrict her access and setup some rules for the house. I could restrict her access in the car maybe but what does seem clear is today she is not a go everywhere kind of dog. The only way we are going to make it, is a baby gate, + crate and a shorter leash. I hate all those options for her, but I have no choice.

We have class today, I plan to take her to the Dog park right before class. I can't say we have made any progress over the last week but we'll see how she does after the DP on her doggy obsession. It's cool/cold outside this morning, so her energy will be even higher I suspect.

Have I mentioned she's a digger? She prefers mud puddles to dig. Yeah, white feet + mud puddles. I'm not sure how muddy the Dog park will be this morning, but the mud over her energy level is the lesser of my two evils.
 

smkie

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I"d leash that girl to me and let her know that freedom is earned. IT's a total pain in the arse but it has been effective for me in the past. Potting in the house is a no go. Chewing is a no go. She would get off the leash only when in my view with my complete attention other then that she would have to be tied to me like an umblical cord. IT's time for her to understand who is running the show here. I had to do it with a certain little leg hiking jack russell. I slept with the leash in my hand i kid u not, but i won that round and he was able to be rehomed into a good place. He was a foster.
I am sorry your having so much trouble especially with all the work you have put into it.
Sounds like it is time for some tuff love. I would put a crate in the car before she eats something that makes for bigger vet bills.

I would also add a time of calming t-touch and pressure point massage. To learn that being calm can be a good thing, while using a calm word for association in troubled times. IT has to be done regularly.
 

JoeLacy

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Yeah tuff love here seems to be in order as much as I hate it for her. Red Bulls are not good to calm a hyper active dog. I have to take everything with me when I leave the car. When I get back to the car, she has chewed something up and is all calm in the backseat even though the destruction happened in the front seat. It's like she's saying "Hey Dude, it wasn't me, I'm in the backseat!" I can't catch her doing it so I can't correct her. So, I fall for it.

I think I'll leash her to my desk chair so my house does not get eaten. Hopefully she won't eat my chair and I find my butt on the floor. BUT she chews through leashes when she's tethered so I'm going to have to go to metal leashes for this to work, then I have to worry about her breaking teeth. She's a handful and then some...I gave up on gentle leaders, she chewed up 2 while they were on her face and got out of them.

Funny, I was thinking last night, I could have adopted a human baby and it would have been considerably less effort, expense and destruction. She knows how to unscrew a bottle cap now so no bottle is "child" proof. My son's Coke was the victim yesterday and he was astonished how she got the cap off. I picked up the coke and the cap and it screwed right back on. She bit a hole in the Red Bull can, I guess for a faster pour. :)

I don't need a document shredder around here, just let anything paper be in her reach and it's unreadable in seconds. She should have a job at the government.
 

JoeLacy

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Well, I decided to forget the dog park, with the wind and temp, it's probably too cold for Eskimos so nobody other than the die hards will be out there. (if any). We're going to class without extreme energy burn off and I'll just fight through it.
 
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ooooh, bad idea. Get that girl to the park to burn off the energy. It's not THAT cold out there! :p (The collies and I were out this morning at 7:30. :p)

I don't think the tethering is a good idea. I tihnk she's goint to eat your chair. You NEED a crate at this point. :p
 

JoeLacy

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Hey Eskimo :) Class is in an hour. We're leaving now. I'm going to leash her to the front of my car and have her pull me there. No problem in that, but mounting the GPS in front of her might be problematic.

I have a crate, fits her perfectly. She even visits sometimes to rest up before the next terrorist attack. It has a door too, it works at least I "think".
 

Doberluv

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I can't believe you haven't been using your crate. A dog shouldn't even ride in the car without a crate. It isn't safe. When a puppy can't be supervised directly, she needs to be in a crate....not only for her safety and the safety of your valuables, but each and every time she gets a hold of something and chews it up, that pleasure is reinforcing that behavior and will perpetuate it more and more. You need to get a hold of this dog and stop leaving her all this freedom. You don't have to take her with you every place you go. If it's going to be a warm day, she's better off left at home than in a car in the sun. As long as crating isn't excessive and she is getting ample exercise, (more than a couple of 15 minute runs) and ample mental stimulation, crating is the best way to prevent problems while she is maturing.

Going to the bathroom in the house is again a matter of your lack of supervision. Every hour on the hour she needs to be taken out. Don't expect her to tell you. You tell her. You make it very rewarding each time she goes outside in her designated area. You prevent inside mistakes by either supervising her every second or crating her. Free roam in the house ONLY happens on an empty bladder/bowel...right after she has gone...for about a half hour. But that freedom is STILL supervised. After that you really have to watch her very, very carefully because it may be nearing the time where her bladder is filling up. Every hour....until she gets a grip on this.

Digging: Set up a sand box and bury some toys or biscuits and encourage her to play in there. Supervise. You can't leave a puppy loose in a yard and expect them to not do what dogs like to do. They need to be taught....redirected to a suitable place to dig and reinforced.

I don't know where you live, but some wind and rain isn't going to kill you or the dog. Unless it's below zero or maybe 10 degrees, there is no reason why you and your dog can't bundle up and go for a brisk walk. I live in the extreme north panhandle of Idaho and it gets very cold. My Doberman use to wear a snood over his head to protect his ears and a coat. My Chi's dress up if it's below about 15 degrees F. Otherwise with the exercise, they're fine. I have a nice winter coat from L.L. Bean and it's good for 25 below zero. If your dog is this high energy, she needs to work out, physically and mentally. And then some doggie zen practiced at home as you train her. How is the obedience coming along? Sit, down, stay, come? Any duration building?

I am so sorry you're having this difficulty but this breed type, as you are finding out needs a great deal of prey outlet, energy burning activity. Short of having a farm with livestock to herd all day long, you're probably going to need to get her involved in some high energy sport like agility, once she gets her obedience well under way. She's probably not the greatest type for city dwellers.

I use to love the activity and high level of involvement when I had my Dobe. I loved agility and going to classes, hiking in the wilderness area I live in every day practically. I was very interested in this dog and he was a big project. And right before him, there was my 75-80 LB Chocolate Lab. She too really loved her hiking and swimming.....lots of activity, although she was a rather laid back dog. I needed to bathe her all the time because she'd go into disgusting water any chance she got. Extra work.

Now, since I've injured my back, gotten use to a less busy life style, I'm enjoying the simplicity of my Chihuahuas. They're bred mainly as companion dogs...quite undemanding. I'm older now. I can't lift much weight at all and when I think of big dogs when they get old and you have to lift them into the car and so forth, I'm thinking...I'm pretty much done with anything but toy breeds...specifically ones selected for companionship primarily vs. vermon digging dogs. So, it will probably be Chihuahuas or a little mini or toy poodle for my future, if I get anymore dogs. I can't believe I'm saying this because before these Chi's, I only had larger dogs....Labs, Lab mixes, GSDs, mixes and my Doberman. Never thought I'd like a yappy toy breed. Boy, was I mistaken!

Anyhow, I'm sure your dog will mature into a more manageable girl. But it's going to take some extra involvement and sensible handling. You can do this.
 

Jynx

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I totally agree with Carrie,,she's been allowed to much freedom , I STILL crate my 7 month old puppy when I'm not here,,while she isn't as much of a chewer as Peyton sounds, if left to her own devices,,oh I'm sure I'd come home to some major destruction.

I have a crate in my vehicle as well, she's in it not only to prevent destruction when she's left in the car but for her own safety as well !!..

Go to walmart,,they have cheap wire crates if you don't have one..When she can't be supervised ,,put her in the crate..There are TONS of appropriate chew things out there, cheapest and easiest is go to your local butcher (or check meat section of grocery store) and get her some big marrow or knuckle bones,,granted if she's got a sensitive stomache they may cause diarhea,,but she will be busy with those for HOURS..Bully sticks are another long laster (ok maybe 2 hours with my gsd puppy:))

I also will freeze dry dog food, or dog treats in ice cube trays,,pop her an ice cube or two a few times a day..

And I TOTALLY agree with Zoom, (I think said it),,sometimes when you do TO MUCH physical exercise,,they not only expect it, but it ramps them up even more,,she needs to learn that there is "down" time.

And ok I' admit,,my aussie can pop open a pepsi CAN,,she loves the stuff,,I have tried a zillion times to take a pic of her slugging down my caffeine free pepsi, and send it to the company so she could make some money and earn her "keep" LOL...She can remove the cap from "whatever" in about 2 seconds! Soo,,yes, probably a kid would be easier,,but wouldn't be as entertaining!! Mine also love DIGGING and rolling in the mud holes, and eating nightcrawlers,,which she sucks right out of the ground..I've figured out the "girlz" are just 'pig' dogs...

AND YES,,no excuses for not burning off energy before class at doggie park,,I just came in from hiking my 4 , it's pouring rain and 60 mph winds :))))))

Hope today's class went well !
diane
 

JoeLacy

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It's quiet now. Class? Well, it was the same old same old. The trainer thinks that perhaps a change in diet to something lower in Protein than Cali natural might help. She also suggested a leash with a padded handle. That was for me when I showed to trainer my hands. She will cut off her air supply and my circulation to get to another dog. Nothing has changed but I think the trainer is starting to see my issue a little better now. Today was wait and come. Peyton has those nailed so it wasn't anything new to either of us.

We went to the park after class and she got to run off some energy. Something new showed up. Protecting ALL the bowls of water and keeping other dogs from drinking. She plops both feet in then covers it with her head, then growls at other dogs if they get too close. She played pretty well otherwise.

I admit some of these issues are purely from giving her too much freedom.
 

JoeLacy

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I tried a shorter leash, one I could put my boot through. ( double handle) I did a recording of Peyton in class. When she figured out she was on a short leash, she calmed down for a second but then tried again. You can see how badly she wants to go. Try controlling that level of activity on a 6 foot leash in your hand and you'll understand what I'm dealing with.

No one speaks to me in class. I'm sure they wish Peyton had a chill pill or I would do something other than sit idly by and "ignore it."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_5VPPxSySo
 

JoeLacy

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Something else happen at Petsmart today that made me feel bad. I don't care if other people in the class talk to me but... out in the store there was a little old lady that asked me if she could pet Peyton. I told her no because she might jump on you and knock you down. I felt bad about myself that I have let this get so out of control that I can't take this sweet dog out in public to meet people.
 

smkie

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IT won't do any good to tie the dog to a chair then she will just eat the chair or drag it around. She needs constant supervision or a crate. I have never used a crate, but i was able to be with them 24-7 which gave me an advantage. IF not i guess i would have had to. But by having the leash on my belt the dog had to be good it wasn't a choice until we got through the hard core lessons of how to control thy self. I can see how frustrated your are. THat period of time to burn off the excess energy tho is critical. Especially in the first two years.

Practicing meet and greet is something I had to work hard on with the dog i have now. Her first response to "OHH WHAT A LOVELY DOG" was to jump up and lick their nostrils off. IT was fast too:yikes: ONe quick leap right into their face. ANd of course they pushed her away and would have nothing else to do with her which is why she shut down and would have nothing to do with anyone. Until someone said oohhhhh look at you. and there we would go again.

So first sit
then shake
then we would anticipate the person coming to see her and put her in a sit stay. THen i would shake with her to remind her.
NOw when people come she sits and looks her lovely self and offers a paw and they tell her what a lovely little dog she is and she beems. WE had to replace the response and it worked. IT took months. ANd still i can see her first will is to leap, but she has to be reminded. WE are still working on it. LIke we are working on a lot of things. SHe has many "issues".
I set up practice meet and greets in the beginning. ANd anticipate her behavior before she has a chance to put it into practice, and remind her what is a better way.
 

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