Puppy Issues, Volume 1

[texn]

I have a few issues here I would like to get some help with.

1) Jumping on the door:
My 2 pups have grown fond of the idea of jumping against the glass door in our kitchen when i go in there in the mornings to fill their food bowls. I fill the bowls inside the house, set them down, then let my mutts in to eat. Normally they only do this in the mornings when it is feeding time. How can i break them of this habbit? What I find hard about it is that if i am outside, they aren't going to be jumping on the door, only when i'm on the other side of it.

2) Inhaling food, not chewing:
Both of my dogs in the morning seem to grab mouthfulls of dog food, and swallow, repeating the process as fast as they can, without chewing their food first. After they finish their dining, Sasha seems to always act like she has breathing problems (like the pieces are getting lodged in her system or something). My insight here is that i thought it could be the instinct that the one dog is worried that the other will come for their food when they finish... I tried leaving one outside while feeding the other, and swapping - same results.

3) Jumping on me:
Abbie likes to be an attention addict. She likes to jump up on people, and i can't get her to stop. Normally i will throw my knee up when i see her coming, and shout "No!", "Down!, or just make an absurd noise. This has been the case for about 3 months now. She also likes to lick people... a lot.

4) Eating my table:
The family was sitting in the living room watching tv, and abbie decided that he corner of the table looked tasty, and with us right by her, she started chewing on the corner, eating it to a new design. they have ropes, other dogs, rawhide, etc. I'm thinking this is mostly because their adult teeth are setting in right now.

5) Training multiple dogs:
I had a labrador once who i taught to sit, shake, and lay by the age of 10 weeks. i was impressed. i'm having a hard time teaching these 2 new dogs however, and they are now 5 months old. i have only been able to get them to sit, and stay (limited staying times, but thats a start). I know that you need to keep them seperate and out of view from each other to reduce distractions. Does anyone have other ideas that could help?

Thanks for reading my book!

 

[PWCorgi]

Are your puppies littermates? If so then I may be able to help as you will probably be facing some tough times ahead.

 

[Roxy's CD]

Okay, so number one: I'm not quite sure I understand. Their outside and your inside getting their food ready? Their probably just excited about eating if that's the case. I don't really have much advice for this one, sorry

2) Roxy inhales her food. She's never had a problem. Although I have heard of people putting tennis balls in their dogs dish to slow them down.

3) I like to use the command "Off!" for jumping, if you use "down" then your dog should lie down. My dogs won't do this to me unless I invite them up. Most likely if you ignore them jumping on you, they'll try something else. As for them jumping on people, put a leash on them. Right before it looks like their going to jump on them a firm "OFF!" and a pop of the leash. It worked for my guys.

4)Roxy did this to our brand new $600 hydraulic coffee table! "No!" and I gave her a flick. I think it's a sign of boredom, have lots of stuff for them to chew on and exercise them regularly. (She also does this right before we go for walks if we're taking too long to get ready) Yeah, as I said a firm no, maybe the water spritzer...

5) The reason you may be having so much trouble is because there are 2 of them. Are you training them separately? If not you should. If you are training them separately perhaps you should look into going to obedience classes, you have to remember too that not all dogs are the same, they all learn at different speeds and with different methods.

Post more info, I may be able to help more, sorry if I didn't answer all of your questions

3)

 

[Herschel]

1) Jumping on the door:
If they're hungry, they're hungry. You could maybe try walking into the kitchen a few times and walking out without preparing their food. That way they would realize that seeing you in the kitchen in the morning doesn't automatically = food.

2) Inhaling food, not chewing:
Put a ball (I like the Kong Indestructible ones) in their bowls.

3) Jumping on me:
When our puppy nips at us or tries to mouth (he's 12 weeks and teething) we say "OW!" and turn away. He doesn't want to hurt us and he realizes that it isn't right. It might work to prevent jumping, too.

4) Eating my table:
Our puppy loves to gnaw on our table. I tried "Bitter Apple", but he likes the flavor of it. I've found that a strong "No!" while pushing him off, followed by giving him something better to chew on (toy) works well.

5) Training multiple dogs:
No idea. Our Schnauzer mix can sit, lay down, play hide-and-seek, and walk to the door and sit when he has to go out. I've tried "shake" a few times but he just doesn't get it. Some dogs learn faster than others? I guess try teaching them one at a time to avoid unnecessary distractions.

 

[Tinaweena]

1) Jumping on the door:
Ok well I think you need to break this habit, I don't know the breed or size but god forbid they at some point crash through that glass! I'd first try, taping some cardboard to the door at doggy height so they can't see you filling the bowls then let them in, it may help them realise they will get fed no matter whether or not they go nuts. Also after weeks of them not noticing you do that, they may just forget they ever jumped like crazy. Or (and this is my preference) wait until they are inside, and make them sit before you put the food in the bowl, fill the bowls on a table, and they must sit befor eyou put it down, it will keep them calm, and just reinforce your status as the provider and alpha in the "pack".

2) Inhaling food, not chewing:
This isn't really a problem I don't think unless they are actually choking. You can try putting just a bit in the bowl at a time, and having them sit before you put another handful in. Helps with training, and eliminates the problem or wolfing it back. But I really wouldn't worry too much about this one.

3) Jumping on me:
Well it was actually yesterday when I'd had enough of this, and we met with Boone's new trainer. She was wearing a big coat, he jumped on her to greet her and she shook her pocket, that had a pepsi can full of pennies in it. Scared the crap outta him and she couldn't even trick him into jumping up again. Try to keep the can out of their sight tho so they don't know where the noise comes from when they jump. This is a good method because you aren't scolding them, but it makes them start to think, "hey when I jump that scary sound happens". So they don't associate the noise with you, but with the action. You can even be talking nice to them while they are jumping, and you are shaking the can. Just make sure not to over use this or it will become just another noise to them. I've shook the can behind my back twice very quickly when Boone jumped on me today, and he hasn't tried a third time.


4) Eating my table:
Bitter Apple. It's worked wonders with Boone, he HATES it (I've tasted it and I understand why!) You can also try the can method when they start to chew, but again don't over use it.

5) Training multiple dogs:
Is there more members of the family that are involved with the dogs? If so it always helps to keep them on leash, and have one person training each dog sperately, but in the same room. It helps them to realise that they have to listen to commands even when other fun stuff is going on. If there isn't others in the family, I would seperate them for short training sessions, one on one.

 

[texn]

Are your puppies littermates? If so then I may be able to help as you will probably be facing some tough times ahead.

they are indeed littermates.

 

[Bailey+Ralph]

2) Roxy inhales her food. She's never had a problem. Although I have heard of people putting tennis balls in their dogs dish to slow them down.

Bailey would eat the Ball too

 

[Doberluv]

When they're jumping on the door, do not pay attention. Do not let them in. You're reinforcing their jumping when they get what they want by jumping up on the door. Is there a couple of seconds where they're sitting or just standing there? If so, that's the time to open the door. If not, do like Herschel said and let them in without feeding them for a while. You can also teach them to sit at other times and ask for a sit before opening the door.

Herschel gave you good ideas. The inhaling of food is not abnormal for dogs though. In the wild, that's what they do because they don't always get lucky when they hunt and they go sometimes for a few days with nothing and when they get something, they scarf it down, plus they want to get it before someone else does. But something in the bowl that they have to go around will slow them down.

Jumping up on you: they're greeting you so kneeing them in the chest is like if someone came up to you with a big smile and reached their hand out to shake your hand or hug you and you kneed them in the stomach. LOL. So, it's a little kinder and more effective to teach them how humans greet eachother. The best way to keep a behavior from being repeated is to remove the payoff....your attention....any attention, good or bad. Turn away, ignore completely. Don't speak or look at the pups. If you talk in any way to them, they're receiving attention from you....just what they want. When they're on all fours, that's when you bend down to their level and give them what they want. Be very consistant. Everyone who interacts with them needs to do this. They'll soon learn what behavior it is that they're doing which gets them what they want and what behavior does not.

Basically...for any behavior you don't like, chewing on the table or anything else, distract and give an alternative for the dog...and when the dog ceases the unwanted behavior, reward with something of higher value than the reward he was getting for engaging in the unwanted behavior. This is a reinforcement and that's how dogs learn....desired behaviors are reinforced (many times) and undesired ones are not. Dogs do what works, they're opportunists, so set them up so that they'll choose what works best for them to get what they want.

Work with them seperately for most things. For sit/stay, for example, take one dog and start in a low distraction area. Lure with a treat held over the head and back just a tad and he'll follow it with his gaze and will tend to just naturally sit. Then give the treat.

Stay consists of three facets; duration, distance from handler and distractions. Work on all three seperately. Start out with duration. Do not walk away from the pup. Stay right in front of him. Have him stay for no longer than he is able to. Make him succeed. So, start out with one second, reward...two seconds, reward etc. Get it gradually longer. The more times he "wins," the quicker he'll learn. If he breaks the stay, it means you've asked for too long a stay and you need to go back to the place where he was able to stay.

Get that solid and then work on distance. In the beginning, you're going to bring your duration back to a short time....a second, then two etc. You step away just a foot and immediately return to him and treat...then 2 ft, immediately return and reward, then 3 etc. Do not expect him to hold it for a long time. You're showing him that even when you step back, he is to stay. Set him up for success remember. Prevent failure on his part. Don't forget to use high value treats. If he messes up, it's not his fault so no scolding, just go back to the point where he was able and work up gradually.

Dogs are having to guess at what we mean. They don't speak our language or have a sense of right or wrong the way we do. They do what works for them. Take things in baby steps. Set them up to have as many wins as possible. Dogs learn by reinforcement. The more reinforcements they get for a behavior, the less guessing they have to do. They do thus and so, and this happens. They do that and that other thing happens.

Once they're getting the duration and distance quite good, start adding some mild distractions and gradually work up. It won't happen over night. Training takes time and maturity of the dogs will help. But you do need to work them seperately until they're both very, very good at a skill.

Good luck.

 

[Zan]

Me Too!

I have had a lot of the same problems that you are experiencing. My puppies are littermates and are now 8 months old. We took them to obdience training class and that has helped tremendously. They seem to have grown out of inhaling their food, but I think a big part of it was they were afraid the other was going to take their food....even though they each have a bowl. I have heard the ball in the food works. When your dog jumps on you: stand up and say "off!" It is not right to say "down" because then they will lay down on you. I don't know what to do about the eating of the table. Our puppies have eaten everything around our house and destroyed it. We basically can not leave them unattended and that is how we solved that problem. However, I have another problem that I desparately need help with. Our puppies use their doggy door to go outside from their cages during the day since we are gone over 10 hours a day. However, last night I discovered they have been eating the wood fence in the backyard that we paid thousands to have built!!!!!!!!!!! How can I stop this behavior?

 

[Roxy's CD]

Zan perhaps they're not satisfied with just being put in the backyard. Maybe try playing fetch or some type of game with them to tire them out. Some people here have used the "apple bitter" technique I haven't tried it but it apparently it works.

 

[Zan]

Thanks for the reply. However, they are not just put in the backyard. They go out the doggy door whenever they want. I suspect they are eating the fence during the day when we are gone or at night when we are asleep. Otherwise, they are with me at all times. I don't want them to not have access to outside during the day because we are gone for so many hours (10 hours on average).

 

[Roxy's CD]

Ahh. I see I see. Well than perhaps you should look into the apple bitter. It's hard to stop it if your not around but it's nice for them to have access to the backyard when your not around.

 

[Doberluv]

I forgot to add...I'd feed them seperately...in seperate rooms or one in a crate. That way they're not so apt to worry about their food getting stolen and also, you can monitor how much each is eating...if they swap or eat eachother's food.

Destructive behavior Zen, is usually because of boredom. It's hard, I know when you're gone for a long time. Maybe vary the chew toys so they seem to be getting something new every so often. You can use Kongs stuffed with "hard-to-get" yummies in it and hide it and other neat things around the yard, behind bushes...maybe make a little trail of scent of something good which leads to the special toys...just give them extra stuff to do while you're gone. And when you're with them, tire them out in the morning before you go. Best of luck. That's no fun to watch your brand new fence getting chewed up.

 

[Zan]

Yeah, thanks for the advice. I have basically tried everything.....it is VERY hard to tire these puppies out. I think one of the things with the bitter apple stuff is you have to apply it so often and when I am gone during the day it just wears off. I guess I will just have to keep trying and praying. I will try and post some pictures and stuff sometime soon. This is the first time I have tried one of these forum things and it is great to meet people who love dogs as much as I do!

 

[texn]

well ok where to pick back up at; sorry i was away for a few days.

in the morning when i go to feed my dogs, they will jump against the glass as i stated. my normal reaction is i stand up and stare at them until they have stopped for about a minute. then i return to fill the bowl.. repeating as they jump.

for inhaling the food i have dumped a tennis ball in each of their bowls, but it didnt slow them down any! they just pushed it around in the bowl until they got to what they wanted and continued inhaling. i stay out in the yard with them while they eat, and last month they got to the point where they quit swapping bowls and taking from the other bowl. maybe they will grow out of it, i'm not sure. sa for not feeding them right away, i have been filling the bowls, taking them outside. i make the pups "sit" and "stay" while i walk away to set the bowls down. then i walk away from them (still telling them "stay" because they are learning it still). When i get bout 10 feet away i give them "eat" and they proceed to rush the bowls. It's kinda fun actually!

I will try to turn from the pups when they jump at me for a while and see how they react to that. i dont throw my knee at them, but i have it up when i sense the jump coming on. Maybe it's harsh, but i haveto clean my muddy clothes every time i want to visit with them!

the table thing hasn't been an issue lately, because my pups are primarily outside dogs until night time, when i let them in to the house. i direct them to "upstairs" and to "go in the room" where i either put up a childs gate or close the door, then go to sleep. I'm getting my own place in about 6 weeks so i will let them roam the house a while and see how they act.

i feel bad seperating the dogs to train them, because one feels left out and looks so sad when i let her sister in and leave the other outside. but i do what it takes. they seem to love playing fetch though, but even that is a pain in the rear. i will throw a ball out in the yard, and they both chase after it. one will get it, then the other tries to steal it, then they fight for about 10 seconds and return the ball.

i'm needing to still work on teaching them "lay" and "shake", not sure what else is going to be taught, ideas? right now they pretty much only know "eat", "stay", "sit".

for the multiple toys thing, i'm not really sure what to get them. they older dog in the house DESTROYS anything with a squeaker in it, and steals their rawhide bones. this weekend i bought them 2 ruber toys with squeakers (both now dead), some rawhide bones (1 vanished so i put the others in my room for evening snacking), 2 tug-ropes, 12 tennis balls. what else could i get them that might be appealing to them? tennis balls and a rope arent really enough i dont think. but anythign else, the older dog destroys in a matter of hours.