take4roll10
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Can you clip on his leash and take him inside when he does this? Or what about using a clicker and clicking for that one second before he reacts to the noise?
Control Unleashed Discussion Group
- Thread starter romeosangiovese
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OntarioSheltie
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In this case, I usually take him by the collar and bring him inside. Doesn't seem to be doing much.
In this case and when he's reacting on the porch, he isn't reacting to a noise, I think he's just reacting for the sake of reacting, if that makes sense.
When we're on walks or there is a noise that triggers him, I do click or mark it with a 'yes!' and reward him. In these cases he's making progress.
I think (but I'm not sure) that the difference is learned behavior vs. anxious behavior. How do I effectively discourage the learned behavior?
I think I understand what you mean...
I would recommend to take this on as a ''building a new behavior'' challenge where you will break it down and create a new behavior before the normal reaction occurs.
For example, I would start small like, when on the porch ask for a sit, click treat go back inside. Do this a few times adding more stay time after the sit. Eventually you could be out there with him on a sit stay for 15 minutes. If he does bark, I would move a step back. Hopefully by increasing this behavior sit/stay, it will become is new go to behavior when out on the porch instead of the barking.
Once he'll be able to stay for a long period of time, I would try giving him a bit of free time (sniffing around and simply hanging out) before asking him to sit stay. Then I would increase the amount of time he his free before asking the sit/stay. The goal here would be to get him used to being out there without a specific job without reacting.
I dunno if that makes sense but it's an idea that may help.
I would recommend to take this on as a ''building a new behavior'' challenge where you will break it down and create a new behavior before the normal reaction occurs.
For example, I would start small like, when on the porch ask for a sit, click treat go back inside. Do this a few times adding more stay time after the sit. Eventually you could be out there with him on a sit stay for 15 minutes. If he does bark, I would move a step back. Hopefully by increasing this behavior sit/stay, it will become is new go to behavior when out on the porch instead of the barking.
Once he'll be able to stay for a long period of time, I would try giving him a bit of free time (sniffing around and simply hanging out) before asking him to sit stay. Then I would increase the amount of time he his free before asking the sit/stay. The goal here would be to get him used to being out there without a specific job without reacting.
I dunno if that makes sense but it's an idea that may help.
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romeosangiovese
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OntarioSheltie, I'm not sure if I'm reading the situation right, but I would probably do some LAT games with the clothes line/lanterns, just to control that excitement (if it is excitement) a little.
When my neighbour was away, their domestic help brought home her friend and her friend's dog for about 2 weeks. Juliet can't see the dog through the fence but she went mental. Since then (and it's been months and months since!), Juliet will rush out to the backyard when I open the door and bark like a crazy thing, then eventually settle and like Toby, might bark one or two more times for the heck of it.
I try to control that craziness by not releasing her into the yard - I'll take her by the collar, sit her down in the yard next to me, do a few LAT exercises (look at the fence then look at me), then with as little fanfare as possible, release her so that my movement or voice does not in any way encourage her to rev up and go nuts again.
When my neighbour was away, their domestic help brought home her friend and her friend's dog for about 2 weeks. Juliet can't see the dog through the fence but she went mental. Since then (and it's been months and months since!), Juliet will rush out to the backyard when I open the door and bark like a crazy thing, then eventually settle and like Toby, might bark one or two more times for the heck of it.
I try to control that craziness by not releasing her into the yard - I'll take her by the collar, sit her down in the yard next to me, do a few LAT exercises (look at the fence then look at me), then with as little fanfare as possible, release her so that my movement or voice does not in any way encourage her to rev up and go nuts again.
OntarioSheltie
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Yes, it makes complete sense, thanks for the suggestion. Actually, my trainer had suggested I do this but I'd forgotten. I've tried this but not which much success since I can never predict when something is going to set Toby off. The barking usually takes place after he's relieved himself, maybe I need to bring out a kong with me to distract him from looking around for things to bark at.
That's what I'd like to do, but its not always something he reacts because its not always interesting to him. I guess I could try bringing a clicker out with me, but my husband wont partake.
I guess my best bet is to maybe start leashing him when I take him out to potty, then distract him with a stuffed kong or something else he can lick till we go back inside.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Continuing to read but so far haven't had time to do much with Toby.
Read a good suggestion on how to handle Sadie when she goes out of her mind with excitement!
OntarioSheltie
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Was wondering how everyone's doing? Where are you in the book, have you finished it, etc? What are your favorite sections or what sections do you think will be the most useful to you and your pup?
OntarioSheltie
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This book makes me so excited about working with Toby and to some extent Sadie. I have what seems like a million little stick it notes sticking out and underlines of things to teach Toby and re-read, mostly in the chapter that focuses on LAT.
Toby has pretty good impulse control at this point, but it could definitely be improved a little. I'd like to teach him how to relax, some easy, alternate behaviors to focus on when he's stressed and a lot of LAT.
I've had a crazy busy week catching up from being sick so I haven't had time to do as much with him as I'd like. On walks I've been working with LAT mostly with Toby, but also with Sadie when people walk by.
Sadie has been doing SO well with not lunging at people, I'm so proud of her. She walks like a princess again 99% of the time.
Toby as always is a work in progress but he's so smart and he tries so hard. At times I have a hard time getting the LAT timing with him right, since I'm not only juggling 3 dogs, but its also some times difficult to keep him under threshold since I can't usually predict his triggers. Hoping to get out with him alone some time soon so I can teach him better.
Toby has pretty good impulse control at this point, but it could definitely be improved a little. I'd like to teach him how to relax, some easy, alternate behaviors to focus on when he's stressed and a lot of LAT.
I've had a crazy busy week catching up from being sick so I haven't had time to do as much with him as I'd like. On walks I've been working with LAT mostly with Toby, but also with Sadie when people walk by.
Sadie has been doing SO well with not lunging at people, I'm so proud of her. She walks like a princess again 99% of the time.
Toby as always is a work in progress but he's so smart and he tries so hard. At times I have a hard time getting the LAT timing with him right, since I'm not only juggling 3 dogs, but its also some times difficult to keep him under threshold since I can't usually predict his triggers. Hoping to get out with him alone some time soon so I can teach him better.
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SheltieChe
Forums Sage
My suggestionsThat's what I do when he's anxious, but this is different. This is more of a learned behavior with Toby, I think.
Usually when Toby is anxious, he'll whine, scan his environment, grind his teeth, he's tense, etc. But in the situation I mentioned he seems fairly relaxed before he reacts, and there isn't really a typical trigger. Usually he's triggered by noise. The behaviorist saw similar behavior from him on our front porch and said she thought it was more excitement than anxiety. That at times he LIKES that excited state so he's learned to work himself into it.
But what do I do to discourage this learned behavior, if that's truly what it is?
Thoughts? Suggestions?
your dog's distraction is your dog's biggest reinforcement. Can you create fun game" Do this.../insert some kind of control behavior/ then... ready steady go- run towards lantern give a good bark... good... now lets run home for a cookie" type
As long as trigger/ stimuli/ distraction is harmless in essence, i.e. there is not harm releasing dog towards desired object it could be made a nice game.
OntarioSheltie
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Yeah, you could be right. After posting that I've been vacillating between whether I'm reading his body language wrong and he's anxious or if he's doing it for fun.
Either way, I think I need to shut up, read the book and stick with the program.
Thanks for the input, I think your suggestion and everyone else's opinions on this behavior are probably spot on.
romeosangiovese
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The most useful section for me is definitely the LAT section. I use it every time we are on a walk and come across other dogs (because of Romeo's reactivity).
Before Juliet came along, we were working very hard on it and he was SO GOOD. With Juliet it took me awhile to figure out how to manage him with her around, so he took a few steps back in his progress, but we got into the groove and I just keep doing it now anyway to reinforce.
There are times when we're surprised by a dog that just pops out of the blue, and Romeo doesn't react, so I know it's working!
Before Juliet came along, we were working very hard on it and he was SO GOOD. With Juliet it took me awhile to figure out how to manage him with her around, so he took a few steps back in his progress, but we got into the groove and I just keep doing it now anyway to reinforce.
There are times when we're surprised by a dog that just pops out of the blue, and Romeo doesn't react, so I know it's working!