Dogs and pregnant, one paticularly wild one!?
Posted: April 21st, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Common Questions | Tags: Dogs, paticularly, pregnant, wild | 4 Comments »I just found out I’m pregnant, yeay! I have three babies but they are my puppy dogs. I have a shepherd who is well trained, a mini dachshund who is still young but learning, and a shepherd/hound mix who is wild. I have trained and trained her and she is so stubborn, I have to repeat commands over and over again before she will comply, and then she will try again in a few seconds. She flops around and has scratched me pretty hard, unintentionally of course but I really need to get this dog under control. I have done obedience training, I have worked with her for hours, and I feel I am well-versed in most basic training. So I’m at a loss as to what I’m doing wrong and how to fix her behavior. I love her to pieces but she can’t be like this with a baby! Thanks, all you dog trainers for any help!
We’ve had her about a year and we estimate her age to be about 3 or 4. She doesn’t seem to recongnize that her paws do damage and paws fiercely. I have managed to break her more than my husband, but it’s still not where we need her.
If you’re having no luck you need to take her to classes and/or get a trainer in to help you.
Congrats
well I am not a dog trainer, so i can’t say anything about that. But being around different dogs my whole life, I personally, wouldn’t let ANY dog or cat near my baby, until the child is at least 3-4 years old (old enough to defend themselves) dogs, cats are animals. you never know what they are going to do. they are unpredictable. so to be safe, I would just keep them separate, sounds impossible, but you just have to ask yourself what’s more important.
Try ignoring her for any behavior that is not desired. I know it’s hard and so much easier to yell a “no” or “get down/off”, especialy when frustrated. Been there, done that
. However, every acknowledgement whether positive or negative remains a reward to the dog. If bad behavior gets her no response from you (you might even turn your back and walk away from her without making eye contact), she should eventually discontinue. Of course, this would need to be applied by all members of the family to be effective. You don’t want to repeat commands because that teaches your dog that they don’t have to listen the frst time or that the command is “sit sit sit”, when it really is “sit”. If she doesn’t do what you ask, put her into the position you are looking for. And repeat, repeat, repeat until she gets it. I know it might be costly at this time in your life, but even just one private one hour session with a professional/trainer might give you helpful insight and training techniques to work with. Good luck!
Congratulations on the baby!!! But I know you must be concerned regarding the dogs behavior. I have a friend who has an 85 pound Golden…sweet but sooo goofy-wild that I always leave with bruises! If you have done obedience training and it has not been working, then that method of training is not the right one for your dog. If you can, I would recommend private training for your dog. I also trained mine and he was great for a long time, but when he turned 2, his behavior became unpredictable…not your situation, just explaining why I felt the need to get private training. After doing a lot of research, I chose the ecollar and was properly trained along with my dog in the correct way to use it. It is not cruel or even painful…it is similar to clicker training, but with a buzz or “touch” instead of clicks. It was the right choice for my dog, who is now back to being the biggest sweetie, but it may not be right for your dog, especially if you are one who does not approve of this method. If that is the case, then I would try some specific training for your dog…who needs to focus. She won’t listen to your command if she doesn’t hear it..and she won’t hear it if you don’t have her attention. So, for the time being..forget all other training and work on watch me/sit. Do you know what motivates her? Mine will turn himself inside out for special treats. If yours is food motivated, work the watch me /sit until she is reliable. Then just constantly do that. If she does anything at all that is not within boundaries…tell her watch me/ sit, and wait for her to calm down and then release her. Some people use the coins in the can..the noise will snap them out of it, but you may have tried that already. One other thing…your schedule must be crazy with 3, but if you are not scheduling real exercise at least for wildthing, that would be a great thing to add. Not just a walk, but a real hard run. I am able to take my guy to a field to chase tennis balls. When he was a little younger, he could go for hours on and off, now 45 minutes works for both of us..and I have a tired, happy obedient boy. Hope this was helpful, good luck.