Behaviors when Mom & Dad aren't Around

K

Kelsey

Forums Regular
Our three year old sheltie, Henry, is extremely lovable, amazing with children, very friendly, and fearless. We love him dearly, but his friendliness and lack of fear cause some unwanted behaviors, especially when my husband and I are not around. One example- my father-in-law came to our house to watch our son while we were gone, and when we got back, we learned that Henry kept jumping up on the couch and was even jumping onto the kitchen table benches. I know he gets excited, but he also knows he is absolutely not allowed on the furniture and never dares get on when my husband and I are home. If we have others watch him while we're away, we find out that he was on their furniture too.

He also is a bad beggar, even though he never gets any table scraps; he only ever gets his dog food and dog treats IF he finishes his food.

I'm realizing that not having him from early puppyhood has proven difficult. Even though we got him at just five months old, I think his foster probably let him get away with a lot.

This is the same dog who jumps on people, which I wrote about not too long ago. He's a big sheltie too, at 50 pounds. He's not overfed, and is exercised well- just huge. The vet said he's fine for his size but shouldn't get any bigger. This makes me hesitant to use treats for training.

Any suggestions for getting a dog to behave whether we're around or not? He's a smart dog and knows what is not allowed.
 
Have you taken him for any obedience training? A 20 pound Sheltie can get away with a lot because they're small but a 50 pound Sheltie can knock someone down with their exuberance. Also if your worried about using training treats and weight gain try taking 1/4 cup of his daily kibble and using that throughout the day for training. Good luck!
 
I agree, obedience training works wonders on any dog! My Baron is 40 lbs and when he comes in after doing his business he gets excited and jumps up! I discourage this immediately and he now just jumps straight up in the air! Never on me anymore!
He could knock me over for sure...
You need to train folks that come into the house too so the expectations are consistent. That will help him understand what is expected of him!
 
Henry is sure testing the limits, LOL. As far as training treats, try veggies. Every Sheltie we've had has LOVED carrots, apples, bananas, broccoli, and especially red pepper. Very low calorie treats, just chop them up into pieces. I trained our first Sheltie Skye at agility on red pepper pieces and everyone thought it was hilarious, but she loved them.

Otherwise, if you can have other folks tuned into his restrictions, make sure they are consistent, too and shoo him off the furniture for example.
 
Sharon7 said:
Henry is sure testing the limits, LOL. As far as training treats, try veggies. Every Sheltie we've had has LOVED carrots, apples, bananas, broccoli, and especially red pepper. Very low calorie treats, just chop them up into pieces. I trained our first Sheltie Skye at agility on red pepper pieces and everyone thought it was hilarious, but she loved them.

Otherwise, if you can have other folks tuned into his restrictions, make sure they are consistent, too and shoo him off the furniture for example.
Click to expand...

Oberon loves berries - blackberries are his favorite, but raspberries, blueberries and strawberries are also up there for him. Again, low calorie, and since they're small you don't have to cut them up and can get quite a lot of obedience out of a handful.
 
Yes, it sure sounds like he is testing the limits. Shelby is good at testing her limits and if she gets away with it just once she will continue to do it. And she definitely knows who lets her do what. You need to have your guests learn how to enforce the rules too.

I also use veggies for training treats. Shelby especially loves carrots.
 
Unfortunately the only way to train is to put him in the situation. Group obedience class will help with varied people as will setting up some training visitors to mimic when younare not there first practicing in your presence, them out of soght or out of the house and training that specific person like your dad.


As for food motivation, shelties are notorious chow hounds regardless of anything you do. It is surely part of why they excel in obedience and agility! Hmm I am off to try bell peppers as a treat today. Lots of good ideas here for food that I hadn’t thought of
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top