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Behaviors you allow

Discussion in 'Behavior' started by corbinam, Apr 16, 2012.

  1. corbinam

    corbinam Moderator

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    Something from the agility thread made me think of this question. What behaviors that you don't love do you allow your dogs to perform?

    For example, I would prefer that Lexi not bark when we let her out of her crate. But, despite my best efforts, she still does. So, the rule is now that she isn't allowed to bark until she gets out of the crate. If she is barking when I lean down to open the door, it doesn't open.

    I also would prefer that Lexi not bark when we get home or make dinner. I would prefer that she didn't, but I can't seem to stop her (regardless of withdrawal of the item she wants) so I let her.

    I don't wish Bentley would poop in the rain. But, I try to walk him around, and if he doesn't want to go, I don't spend all day trying. I just put him in his crate and try again later.

    What about you guys? Any things that you allow? Or *gasp* gave up on training?
     
  2. danisgoat

    danisgoat Moderator

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    My dogs are perfect......every behavior of theirs is totally desirable :biggrin2:
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2012
  3. mellie

    mellie Forums Enthusiast

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    Had to think about this, but realized that Sally is allowed to sit beside me while I eat...this is something I never let any of my other dogs do,but they weren't shelties. If I tell Sally to give me space she will, but she will keep a close eye on me while I eat:uhoh: I guess because my kids are all grown I have had more time to spend with Sally than I did with my gone but not forgotten doggies. She follows us everywhere so she is right with us at mealtime, bathroom time, cleaning, etc.
     
  4. danisgoat

    danisgoat Moderator

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    Gotcha, didn't I? :razz:

    Where do I start.

    Vinca
    -jumps on my leg when I get home and scratches at me. It hurts.


    Chloe
    -Doesn't stand still when she goes to the bathroom. She runs around like she is scared of what is coming out of her.
    -She barks when she is inside the fence and we are outside.
    -She barks at the cat
    -She barks when she runs around an agility course.
    -She barks when she thinks she is right and you are wrong.
    Are you seeing a trend here?
    -She barks when the kids are on their bikes.

    Dandie
    -She goes nuts when we leave the gate our come into the gate
    -She goes nuts when we opens windows.
    -She bites at the dryer vents when the dryer is running
    -She bites at the intake tube for the central vacuum system outside
    -She barks at me when I use my blender.
    -She hates my BIL

    I could probably go on and on.
     
  5. Tagg

    Tagg Forums Enthusiast

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    Rhiannon paces in the car when we travel. Since I can't crate her and she is claustrophobic she isn't harnessed either. Drives me nuts but I still take her out.
    Ugly runners through the kitchen as she is frightened by the "shiny" floor.

    Phoebe has to lay on top of me while I watch TV. My legs get sore and I swear this is why my knee hurts most of the time but she isn't comfortable unless her head is supported by my knee so I let her.

    Tinsel - ruled by his stomach so he is a bit of a pain when we are feeding the dogs as he will scarf his down and try to get the others - a product of his being starved for the first few years at the puppymill. He is getting better about not trying to shove his head into my plate if I am having a snack on the couch. Still carrying him part way to the door to the ex yard - building a fenced off the kitchen/patio entrance so that we can turn him out from a place he is comfortable going to. There goes my bedroom renovation!

    I'm sure if they could type they would have a list about me so I figure we are even. Besides, they don't bark unless there is a reason, they don't leap on me or others, they amuse the heck out of us and they took a lot less time to teach the good things to then my 3 human children.
     
  6. SheltieChe

    SheltieChe Forums Sage

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    What I do not like I do not allow to practice. Irritation is motivation. I do not like Leo barking during thunderstorm for example so he goes into covered crate and gets a thunderbone- nice marrow bone kept for this purpose.
    I do not like my dogs attacking the vacuum, well, is not important for me to train so they either go for walk or crated in one room while I vacuum another.
    I do not like dogs to run out of the door so we have sit every time we go out... I like my dogs to be busy while I make their dishes so we change routine often- sometimes they sit, sometimes it is down, sometimes it down in open crates, sometimes long out of view stay and then search for hidden dishes... playing games is favorite here...
    you got the message...:yes: If it is undesirable behavior I either manage it or train it.
    Now things change everyday and new behaviors appear... so we deal with them as we go along...
    Sometimes things appear I do not know what to do with... YET... but will think on it, ask around and get some plant of action going...
    For example we just did fun match in agility with boys and I noted significant difference. If I had to put it in human terms my youngest boy would be in front of mirror, fluffing his hair and putting lipstick and oldest boy would be sitting in closet thinking "Can we go home now". I am figuring Che is not having fun at agility trials because he is stressing too much. Che is sensitive one and generally does not like high emotions or stressful situations. Leo OTOH is "bring it on" dog. Am not sure how to build it with Che. I am not competitive person so not competing is not a problem but I want him to have fun as he does love agility and quite good at it. I know I have yet to build better level of arousal for my boy to deal with his stress which means building transition, games and tugging.
    Still have my thinking cap on this one though...
     
  7. DieDany

    DieDany Forums Enthusiast

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    Perry usually attacks the vacuum also, so when I vacuum he is either in the garden or goes for a walk with dad. I must admit I gave this up:hide
     
  8. Chris

    Chris Premium Member

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    For me, it's the barking as soon as I open the raisin jar for Rain Chinchilla. Beckon and Layla know that as soon as I give Rain the raisin and sing him his good night song, they get to do Border Patrol. That's an activity that involves tearing out the front door and racing down the lawn and along the woodsline, barking fiercely to show the world the property is protected for the night.

    I wish they'd wait to go nuts until after Rain gets his song. I've tried shutting the door, holding snouts as I sing -- to no avail. Sometimes I send them out to do Borders before I give Rain the raisin. Since Rain seems to enjoy the pandemonium -- heck, he probably thinks they're singing along -- I just put up with it. :rolleyes2:
     
  9. Sheltiemama

    Sheltiemama Forums Enthusiast

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    Hubby feeds them in the mornings. At 6AM they're out the door to potty, while he fixes their bowls. At 6:01AM Max starts the barking with the other 2 joining in very shortly. Hubby doesn't get the bowls fixed fast enough and the boys wake me up every morning. Maybe I should train HUBBY to work faster???

    Our house is generally very quiet. So if I move in my computer chair and it squeaks a little, Casey is up like a shot and off to bark at the front door. *sigh* Oh and he barks his face off at all the ninja squirrels in the backyard. I know they're ninjas because I can never see them!

    We have to watch Rascal like a hawk. His nickname is Runaway Rascal. He was a stray picked up on the streets by the shelter where we adopted him. He LOVES to dart out the door and run the neighborhood. Scares me to death!

    AND we're getting ready to move closer to a very busy US Highway. The fence WILL be installed before we more. And I have a plan on how to keep him away from the door where we will be entering and leaving. Better plan than I have now in this house.
     
  10. Meldor

    Meldor Forums Enthusiast

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    Interesting thread! I guess what we learn to do once we give up, is simply manage those behaviors.

    For me I would say it is the barking at the neighbors. Whatever I do, if one of my neighbors exit their condo when I am taking Kyara outside, she will bark and lunge. I've tried long and hard to desensitize her but there are limits to this:

    1. No matter how much I try to stay under threshold and prevent a bark as I train, she will end up barking while I work with her which disturbs some of my neighbor's who may complain.

    2. To get her under threshold and (almost) not bark, I need to be on the other side of our busy 4 lane street since there are condo buildings all on our side of the street. So once she is okay on the other side, I would technically need to get to the middle of the street which I will not do. And on our side of the street, she lunges and goes crazy again which undoes all the work I did at the other side of the street. The location is therefore not suitable for training.

    3. Too many cars/people/bikes are in front of our condo or can happen to pass by when I try to train. It doesn't take much to set her off which simply removes the benefit of all the not barking I got before a bike threw her over threshold.

    For all these reasons and the fact that in a year or two we will be buying a house, I simply manage the situation. When people are out I wait, when I take her out I do so quickly and run back in with her if their are people who come out/pass by. I also use a canny collar when we go for walks (sort of Halti) which helps a lot.

    Surprisingly enough, since I stopped training in front of the condo, she barks less! She used to bark when no one was there, either when she jumped out of the car after we got home or when she took her first steps outside. She no longer does that. Maybe it's a combination of being more secure, some of the training I do elsewhere, but it may just be the fact that I stopped stressing and gave up on the front door barking behavior. I guess it's a combination of all of this!
     

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