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Post by Summer Magic on Feb 8, 2006 19:30:37 GMT -5
Magic has been such a good girl lately, but we still have problems with people coming to the door. She goes crazy and runs around the house barking like the hound from hades. I had an idea and I would like you to tell me if I'm on the right track.
With the phone ringing, she will do the same as with the door bell or a knock at the door. She runs around and barks. I order her to place and take hold of her drag leash and bring her to the phone with me. I order her to lie down/stay and then I answer the phone. She does comply and stays lieing down and waits until I release her from her stay after I finish my phone conversation (I am holding her leash the whole time I'm on the phone). We aren't out of the woods yet with the phone but it's a lot better than it used to be. My thoughts are this. If it's working with the phone, why not try it with the door. I would order her to place then take her with me on leash to the door and have her lie down and behave while I deal with whom ever is at the door. That way she is under my control and I can deal with her as the behavior happens rather than after the fact when I let her out of her crate. I think this is something that is workable and would appreciate any input you can give me.
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Post by Nicole on Feb 9, 2006 6:58:28 GMT -5
Do you want her to bark at all? I love that my dog barks. He is the best alarm in the world.
The sequence that I used to train is to allow a few barks at the door, order to place to lie down and stay. Don't move until I say so. While training, I had to correct for getting up and put him back in his place 100 times. Halloween is a great day to train if you have a lot of activity. By the end of the night my dog Reign would bark and go to his place by himself.
You can use whatever sequence you want. But train how you want the dog to eventually behave. If you bring the dog to the door then that is what the dog is going to do always.
When I was training and I had to keep putting him in his spot it was embarrassing but I just said to the person..excuse me a moment I am trying to teach my dog some manners. They understand.
You are on the right track. It is always better to deal with the behavior when it happens. Just be consistent, train the behavior that you want to eventually occur., praise like mad when the dog complies and be patient.
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Post by Summer Magic on Feb 9, 2006 8:11:31 GMT -5
I do want her to bark and let me know when someone is on my property and in my driveway. I can't see the driveway from my living room area of my house in Michigan but I can when I'm in Florida. She is much worse with her manic barking in Florida and I think it's because of the increased activity of the neighborhood and the other dogs that walk by the house. I live in a resort area in Michigan and have neighbors only on weekends so she doesn't see many people while we are in Michigan for the summer.
I would like her to bark and let me know if I have company in the drive or if there is an intruder on the property in Michgan but not to the extent that she carries on now. She has bitten me in the behind when I try to go to the door without restraining her first and this behavior has to stop. My mother lives with me and she is 85 years old and on blood thinners, if Magic was to seriously bite her she would bleed heavily and I can't have that. I just want her to let me know when someone is there and then behave quietly when I go to the door.
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Post by willow on Feb 9, 2006 10:58:37 GMT -5
I also have an Aussie that is very reactive to noise, movement etc., and since she was banned to the backyard in her previous home, and allowed to run the fence and bark at every one and every thing for the first 3 years of her life, it has been a challenge to control her barking.
In the house when some one comes to the door, I do what Nicki suggested. If it is just a "noise" she is reacting to, I let her bark a couple of times and then tell her "ssssssssst. enough!" If she is outside and a car goes by etc., I go out and tell her "that's enough" and she will quit.
The thing that concerns me with Magic is her biting from behind and the fact that she is still doing it when she gets excited/frustrated. I think you have to get a lot tougher with her, because by now she should know that that behavior will not be tolerated. By now she should not be " doing better, but still nipping". She should not be nipping at all. One or two good motivational corrections are much better than 100 "nagging" corrections that have little effect.
You are on the right track with her and have come a long way, but like so many of us, it sounds as if you still do not want to come down on her as hard as you should be doing for her nipping/biting.
In our house, I will tolerate some things, but because the dogs life is at stake if he/she bites some one, this is one thing I will not tolerate and let them know it in no uncertain terms. If you are unable to give her a correction that will get the message across, I suggest you find a good trainer in your area...and not a +p trainer, that will work with you and Magic to stop this behavior right now before it escalates any further.
The other option is to crate her and leave her there when some one comes into the house and do not let her out until they leave and she is calm. It is much better IMO to do that than to risk a serious bite to some one.
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Post by sibemom on Feb 9, 2006 13:45:16 GMT -5
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Post by Summer Magic on Feb 9, 2006 16:05:01 GMT -5
Yea I understand where you are coming from. She will place and I do lock her in her crate but she continues to bark until the person is out of the house or I close the door. If I am holding her leash she is still and quiet. But I don't want to have to do that for the rest of her life. The biting comes out of no where. She's running around so fast in the house, under furniture under tables that I can't catch the drag leash. That's why I tell her to go to her house (her crate) She no longer gives a frontal attack. I've thwarted that by catching her in mid air and shaking the stuffing out of her a time or two (she even peed on me once) and dumping her in her crate, but she still tries for the butt, which I have been told by another trainer that it is a hearding instinct to nip the back side. I have found that when I'm really mad at her and use a really loud voice to order her, she will tuck her tail and go into her crate by herself. It's like she knows better but doesn't care till I get really mad at her. I have laid hands on her once when I was very angry when she lunged and snapped at my neighbor. I spanked her on the bum. But that is the extent of my physical punishment. I will take her by the cowel under the ears and give her a little shake while I'm scolding but never have I raised my hand to her. Maybe that is what she needs
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Post by sibemom on Feb 9, 2006 16:22:49 GMT -5
;D See you hit right on the answer to your own question When you raise your voice and get really ANGERY AT HER, that is when she tows the line and does what she is told, so to me that means STILL even though you are making the most wonderful progress with her she STILL does not get the point all the time at WHO IS THE ALPHA, it's going to take alot of battles for you to win but YOU WILL WIN. I had a dog not to long ago that DROVE ME INSANE because no matter how much I thought I was making my ALPHANESS apparent to him, he just still pushed the limit. Finally one day and I have no idea why I did it, I grabbed him and bit him in the ear that was the end of it, never did he push past my PRESENCE or my athority. About the herding issue, I have two herding dogs and yes I suppose if left to their own devices they would try and nip at heels but NEVER have they ever tried to bite anyone in the butt my former dear canine OH YES MANY TIMES and he was no herding dog either Keep establishing your dominance over her and if that means for sometime you have to keep her leashed then so be it, evenetually and it might take awhile, but eventually she will comply, but that also means NILIF 24/7, no diversion from the plan not even slight, it has to be BRASH TACTICS for MISS MAGIC, and believe me it will pay off. Your doing good no doubt now let's take it to the next level. And no that does not mean you have to raise your hand to her but you do have to find some form of disciplin that she responds too, and it sounds like your elevated voice might just be the ticket
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Post by Summer Magic on Feb 9, 2006 17:32:14 GMT -5
Ok, here's what I just did. The phone rang and she started the running and growling. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and grabbed her by the scruff and physically dumped her in her chair, all the time yelling as loud and mean as I could that she was a naughty girl and I wasn't gonna have it. (The neighbors must think I'm crazy) But I don't care. I answered the phone with her sitting right next to it. She stayed in that chair till I finished my conversation and went back to the dinner table to finish my meal. I didn't release her till I was through eating. Now she is walking my heels and sucking up major. I'm ignoring her completely. She has emptied her toy box and tried to engage me in play. Now I have all her toys on my desk and she has none. It will stay that way till I decide to play. The NILIF is still in place 24/7 with me, mom still forgets to do it right but I keep reminding her that it ain't all the dog when she can't remember to use her authority! We will lick this if it takes the rest of the winter. She will learn to mind me and do as I say. Dinner here is a ritual for Magic she is allowed under the table but is not fed from the table. Grandma still shares her cereal bowl with her in the morning but I don't share any food with her. (Mom's excuse is it's better for the dog to have it than throw it down the drain) I can't change a leopards spots when the leopard is 85 years old! If it takes a chomp on the ear I'm willing to do that too! We used to do that to our horses when they nipped at us.
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Post by sibemom on Feb 9, 2006 22:02:39 GMT -5
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