My dog is driving me crazy - help?

[Steely]

Yep.....Star I was thinking about how the shelter told me she was a German shepherd. You would think they would have known, after all the dogs they pick up on the rez - but maybe not. She did look like a little German Sheperd at first, floppy ears, black snout - and she also looked like a Dingo -had I known what to look So I am not sure if the shelter knew or not. Maybe they don't get this breed on the rez, but more up in S Carolina and Georgia so the shelter was clueless. All I knew is that she was the only dog I picked up that made that little purring snuggling sound against my neck, and did not want to go play, but wanted be held. She was/is so sweet. So she was mine.

But cunning! Clever, mischievous - and LOUD. Her favorite things are my shoes. I was getting dressed today and out of the corner of my eye I see her in stealth mode, low to the ground, literally sneaking my shoe out from under me. To her credit I actually got her to return the shoe to me back at my feet - after 5 minutes.

Gotta run some errands and then I am going to call Dingo Dog Lady I was thinking last night - why me - I really don't want to have to deal with this level of intensity in my life right now. And then I thought - what better person to have a shelter Dingo dog than a Mom who raised a difficult child. Right? difficult children are wild feral mammals most of the time, or so it seems! It is probably a good match - cause anyone else would give her away!!!

And Jena, I am still laughing about your dog sleeping on the dining room table. That is hilarious!!! Like HOW could THAT be comfortable. You should take a video and put it on youtube.

 

[Jena]

no!! lol i want help with mine too. we were going to invest in the shock collar yet i dont' know if i have the heart or the cash to do so. we had trainers, etc. in past. he's difficult child all the way!

got another funny..... when we put screens in front windows, he pops them out and hangs out of window if neighbor comes home becausehe likes him! neighbor thinks it's great..... me not so much!

than there's the extreme protectiveness over the puppy we have. can't do dog park with-them together. difficult child dog won't let anyone near puppy.

 

[witzend]

I would not spray bottle a strong dog that thinks he is alpha. He may love you, but he's a dog, and he'll see it as a physical challenge of his place in the pack.

 

[Jena]

good point. they say newspaper, or a old coffee can filled with change. and when they do something bad you shake it. their like kids truly if htey aren't trained the right way from the beginning its really hard. our difficult child dog wasn't trained at all when we got him. he used to eat and pee on furniture. thats why we replaced the furniture lol. it took so much work to get him to walk in street. odd thing is he has a huge heart. as i'm sure yours does also.

 

[ski10]

hey sorry i'm late to this.... i have a difficult child dog myself, 110 pounds who began sleeping on the dining room table when i went to portland and hasn't stopped yet bizarre.

each night i have to put the chairs up likea restaraunt.
good luck!!!

Hope the Dingo lady can help you, please let us know good luck

 

[Jena]

hey meant to tell you a few exercises i do with my dogs and have begun again today after reading your post lol. its to teach them self control and the command "leave it" which works for your shoes.... and anything else they arent' allowed to touch.

I get brother in law Jac training treats. their jammed with sugar dogs love them. i make them sit, than into lay down position giving half treat at each command. than once in the down position i place a treat on the top of their paws and i tell them to "leave it" and i began with seconds at first and repeating the command especially with a hyper puppy. you reward and pat them once they leave it. each day you increase your time. my difficult child dog can sit for a half hour with a steak on his paw and he won't touch it lol. it's funny to watch. for the no barking i just say shhh to them. doesnt' always work though. yet again ea. time it does i reward them. think of the dog as a difficult child and move forward and you'll get it!

its something a trainer taught me when she worked with difficult child dog and it really does teach them impulse control. for a while till you get him calmed down i'd walk around with treats in your pocket. than eventually once he knows commands you cut him down off the treats.

good luck

 

[Steely]

Oh my. I am not half as good as you Jena. I am really going to have to work here. Witz I tried the spray thing today - she thought it the most fun game - EVER. Nevermind.
Dingo Dog whisperer did not have a phone # listed, so I sent her an email.
I think I just really need to work on more obedience training, and getting her that thing that makes her work for her food.
She is a sweetie pie, but like a difficult child, once she gets revved up she doesn't have any impulse control.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Not as bad as one we had, and had to give back... again, shelter situation, improperly labelled (they said lab/shepherd cross - we don't think it was either!) - wouldn't accept position as lowest in the pack (endangering youngest...)

But, working with a trainer on that one, we learned some stuff that's been really helpful since...
1) high-energy dog means you have to find activities that make the dog work harder than you - so, hiking isn't good enough... simple fetch, if they like that, is better... once they have basic obedience down, look at flyball or agility.

2) The brain-work food toys DO work... we like Kongs and the Buster Cube (has settings from easy to really hard).

3) Stuff to chew on... but make sure its safe, have multiple types, wash them often, and change them around (they get bored)

4) Crate training... the crate needs to be the dog's special private space, including "bedroom" - they can hide a favorite toy in there, for example... we found that the plastic-style crates worked better with food toys, because the food pebbles stayed inside the crate (wire crate = dog barking over pebbles that went flying)

5) Clicker training - but watch out what version you follow. Some want you to be 100% dependent on clicker - doesn't work in long run. We were taught to use clicker to teach new concepts (including, for example, being quiet). The trick is, you DON'T actually get them to do ANYTHING... you "catch them" doing good. So, you make "not barking" your primary objective... whenever she's quiet, you click and toss her a treat. Then, ignore, but keep tabs on her... at first, you can "catch" her every minute or two, but don't do training for more than 15 mins at a time. They catch on fast that click = treat. The advantage of "click" is that you can click from 20 feet away - and they know the treat is coming. (We were told that reinforcement for dogs has to come in under 3 seconds, max - you can click faster than you can get to the treat box!) Hang the clicker on a lanyard around your neck - I lived like that for weeks.

6) Clicker part 2 - teach basic obedience commands with clicker (sit and/or down are the key here, then stay). If you want to sit and read and that's when she wants attention, then... every bark = command to do something (sit, for example) - obey = click + treat. They catch on that its a game, then you start issuing the command before the barking... e.g. you grab your book, command "down", click, treat, and YOU sit... make it a routine. Keep a sealed container of treats by your favorite chair... It took 2 weeks of this to get our latest dog to not bark when I'm on the phone (note: I'm on phone, so I can't go issuing commands to the dog... but I can click and toss a treat for being quiet... it works!)

A trainer with experience in this type of dog will have more specific advice, but from what you describe, you're doing fairly well - actually quiet if you put her in the garage or go away? Its not separation anxiety...

Other dogs... it helps to use a doggy daycare sometimes... they really get to burn of some steam with doggy friends.

(the one we gave back had psychological problems, probably from being separated from the pack much too early - at least, that was the trainer's conclusion - what we needed and what dog could handle just couldn't meet in the middle - but we learned how to handle tough dogs, so now we have 2... teenage-pups... am I crazy?)

Wow - yours sounds like an interesting project!

 

[Star*]

The problem is going to be ------(and I say this with the utmost concern for Tesla)

She is NOT a typical dog. If she is a Dingo - or a primative? Regular training is NOT going to work with her. She will be more of a challenge than any domestic dog. As far as the spray bottle? OMG - HUGE no, and newspaper is an even HUGER NO NO. The coke can with rocks? Not a huge fan of that unless you want gun-shy dogs. (noises only distract temporarily) This breed isn't going to be rattled by much. Talk to the Dingo lady. I'm sure you are going to get an ear full. There is also a behavior specialist that took in a Dingo and one that took in the worlds oldest breed (from PNG) and was doing her best to live and raise it. I just saw a special about that on television not too long ago - it may be History Chanel or Animal Planet - Look up wild dogs of Papua New Guinea - they are their OWN breed of dog. Not even related to Dingos they are so old. This woman took one and tried to raise it and she's been an animal trainer and behavior specialist for eons. She said people who have not had dogs/trained them/ etc should never keep primative breeds - and went on to talk about why. Their mind sets, how they think - it was absolutely fascinating.

You should really try to find that show - it was incredible to me that anyone would take in these PNG dogs - only 15 exist in the US because they are so difficult to care for. They did talk a little about Dingos etc - but I think your shelter had no way of knowing what they had.

I hope you get good advice from the Carolina Dog lady here. She's renound in her field, and I'm hoping she can direct you how to help Tesla.

 

[Andy]

I absolutely love the name Tesla!

Your story of how you picked her up reminds me of an e-mail I received about a month ago. It told how a couple took their little girl to pick out a puppy. They visited shelters every day while the girl searched for the puppy of just the "right size". Finally her parents became frustrated as she had already looked at lot of puppies but none were right. They asked her, "What is the right size?" Her reply, "When ever you and Daddy hug, you sigh. I am looking for the puppy who will sigh when I hold it. Then I will know it is true love."

 

[Steely]

Oh Andy, that brought tears to my eyes......that was EXACTLY what happened. She just snuggled her nose under my chin and sighed. Lil Tesla, she is so sweet.

Star, I can't find a phone number for dingo dog lady so I emailed her. I hope I hear from her. She also has a new book out - but she want 40.00 for it. Yikes. I will see if I can find those shows, do you remember the actual name of the show, cause then I look it up.

Insane some of what you said really helps. Thank you, and I will try some of it. I am worried the clicker will make her more hyper, like oh a game, good, and then she spirals. I got 2 work for food toys off the internet, so I am hoping that will work.

The stories I have read about dingo are that they are easy to train, but not Tesla. She is very very stubborn, and if she does find value in something than she doesn't want to do it. I knew that the first minute I got her home, and she had an accident. I scooped her up mid-accident and took her outside and said "potty". And the look on her face was just hilarious. Like why, what - I was going potting JUST fine, until you moved me here, where it cold and windy. Now I won't go potty, so there.

Overall she is improving, and the garage technique is helping. Fetch is not her thing, she does not have that retriever thing in her - but we take long walks in the desert where she is off leash and she can hunt and run, which is work. Except when she eats her prey I pretend I don't notice the tail hanging out of her mouth.

It really is just the barking thing, and it seems to happen because she
"A" is talking to me. Getting dressed in the morning is like having a toddler around. She barks at me brushing my teeth, the hairbrush, the socks I pull out of my drawer. It all just seems so interesting to her. And so she barks?

"B" When she is bored. Her toys are boring, I am boring, the house is boring, and we need to take a walk Mom.

"C" When she wants attention. Last night she put her head on my tummy while I was on the couch, and whined, and snorted, which is better than a bark. So I started to pet her and she jumped up and tried to snuggle with me. That lasted one minute exactly, before she wanted to play. Nibble on my fingers, toss around on the couch, try to move me off the couch. I jumped up and said no, and put her in the garage. But it struck me that she really may not know how to cuddle. It may seem to kinda feel good to her, but at the same time it seems to overstimulate her. I really think that is the feral part. They do not get "pet" in nature, or cuddled with, so I wonder if she wants my attention but just doesn't know what to do with it.

Anyway, I will stop rambling on..............Thanks for all your advice!

 

[susiestar]

You might try putting a shirt on her to get her used to being cuddled close. Short periods of time at first, unless she just loves it. We had a trainer who said that many shelter dogs do well with shirts because they make them feel more secure, they know where they end and the world begins. Also helps change the sensory input. the dog we had at the time had major sensory issues, just like my kids, lol.

You can also try a certain type of massage. Instead of stroking or patting her, try using your fingertips in a circle on her skin. Firm enough to move her skin, make circles an inch or so around and go around 1 and 1/2 times - one full circle and one half circle then move your hand to the untouched area right next to where you are. ALWAYS go clockwise. First do it only one her back, head, sides and work gradually to be able to do it on her legs and belly. Five min to start unless she balks in which case you do one min. Increase it a min or two every few days when it seems to be relaxing her. I read some articles and talked to a trainer who said this is awesome for helping to calm a hyper dog. They get all relaxed and tehn you don't have the anxiety behaviors. We have a friend who has had several shelter dogs in the last few years, some that were super hard to get adjusted to life in a home and this method worked the best for her in getting them to stay calm.

 

[DammitJanet]

While my dog isnt a dingo, mine is a dingbat. I cant train her at all it seems and I just dont know what to do. Obviously I messed up when she was a baby but even then she was just off. No one could handle her at all except for me and she wouldnt train for me really. I was doing fairly well with house training...to a small degree, but then I was made to put her outside in a pen because she wasnt getting it fast enough. She would never go on a leash. She wouldnt let anyone but me near her. Tony couldnt touch her and it really got on his nerves. If I was the only one who could do anything with her, she had to go outside...I simply am not able to be the one and only for her. Now she is older and will let more of us touch her but now she wont house break and she refuses to leash break. I got a harness a few weeks ago and I thought she was going to kill both of us.

Its sad. She is going to live in a pen because she wont train but I wont give her away because I am afraid she will get put to sleep.

 

[Steely]

Oh Janet, that makes me sad.....see that is what I mean. I know the same thing or worse would happen to Tesla if I had not happened to adopt her. She took 4 months to potty train which is far longer than any of my dogs have ever struggled. And now this. I wonder if a neighbor "wanna be" dog trainer could help you and your dog.

Susie that is FANTASTIC advice. I am going to try it tonight. Because you can tell she wants the attention, but the way I pet her revs her. I have always had her sleep on my bed, but lately she prefers her "dark secret nest UNDER my bed". Makes me sad
My mom is like - well it is probably because you snore so much - LOL.
No, I think she just needs the feeling of security and to feel like she is in a dark cave - which under my bed certainly is

 

[InsaneCdn]

in my humble opinion - most dogs do better NOT sleeping with humans... under bed, beside bed, in basket, on mat, in crate (door open, or door closed, depending on dog) - all dogs we've had, and most we've known, want some sort of "private space" for sleeping.

I think under-the-bed is great... she knows you're there, and you know she's there.

Training can be a combo of factors - our current 2 are slow to train, partly because we got them in the "dog-teens" - just as dense-headed as some teenagers around this site! By slow, I mean 10 weeks to learn "sit".

For any dog, small bursts (even 2-3 minutes at a time, no more than 15) on a regular basis (several times a day, every single day) work better than "major" training sessions. Hardest part is being totally consistent (us humans just are NOT that way...!)