lefty's random dog thread.

[IronRock]

I work in small office. How do I approach my boss to ask him whether it will be OK to bring in my dog once in a while. None of the other's have dogs but as far as I'm aware none of them dislike them... edit: don't even know why I wrote the above. Was pretty hammered at teh time, dog/work was obviously on my mind. I will of course ask him, my boss that is.

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by IronRock

I work in small office. How do I approach my boss to ask him whether it will be OK to bring in my dog once in a while. None of the other's have dogs but as far as I'm aware none of them dislike them...

^Why not just ask him? Obviously, a lot would depend on the "corporate culture," etc.

On the topic of Cesar Millan, my take is that most of what he promulgates is good, sound training doctrine with nothing very exceptional about it. He does however include a dash of self-promoting snake oil here and there. Otherwise, he doesn't impart much that you couldn't get from any number of competent local trainers.

 

[lefty]

^ Yes. Or put in my terms, "stop being a ******* idiot with your goddamn dog." I pitched that title to a publisher and she couldn't see it selling.

lefty

 

[BP348]

Originally Posted by Stazy

What I've gleamed from various dog forums is that those opposed to CM dislike his use of force. He has been known to physically hold down violent dogs so in a sense he matches agression with agression. A big no-no according to some...

Some trainers are very anti-Alpha roll while others see it as a viable option. I "rolled" one of my dogs and it solved a lot of the problems I was experiencing. I wouldn't suggest it for just anyone.

 

[JLibourel]

^I really wouldn't want to try an Alpha roll on a Tosa or something similar--too dangerous if the dog means business. Although it's very non-PC, I had to give my Tosa Dempsey a good "whuppin'" a couple of times--once with a doubled-up belt, once with a broom--when he got uppity and nasty. It definitely did the trick, and I still remember him as my favorite dog.

 

[areyounoob]

I'm having trouble walking my dog. Often it has been a pack walk. Three dogs at the same time. I would walk the smallest dog, and my brothers would walk the other ones. This used to happen everyday, but since we've been getting older we've had such little time to dedicate to these guys that often taking them out for a walk has been scratched out.

I've walked the other dogs but not for long as they often "pull". I know that you gotta be the "pack leader" since I've been a fan of CM since we got our first dog. I just don't know what he actually means by that sometimes. I've done the not-tense leash, chest out, confident walk and it's worked on my Shih Tzu, as well as my Husky x Border Collie (not all the time, but some times) but it does not work for my Labrador x Boxer. Whenever she sees the gate open she bolts out and takes me with her.

I would really like to get back to walking them, one at a time since they rarely get any exercise but the fact that they pull so much that it has me leaning back and using my heels to slow them down really isn't the most encouraging thing. What do you recommend I do to "get back on my feet" in terms of walking them?

 

[Mr. Moo]

Question:

Our 15 month old Mini Schnauzer will not really play with his toys unless both my wife and I are home. Both home - no problem, very playful. Wife away - very hard to get to play. Me away - misbehaves (grabs paper from garbage, etc.) but doesn't really play. What is this behavior related to?

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

Question:

Our 15 month old Mini Schnauzer will not really play with his toys unless both my wife and I are home. Both home - no problem, very playful. Wife away - very hard to get to play. Me away - misbehaves (grabs paper from garbage, etc.) but doesn't really play. What is this behavior related to?

Dog has a different relationship with you, your wife and the two of you together.

Originally Posted by areyounoob

I'm having trouble walking my dog. Often it has been a pack walk. Three dogs at the same time. I would walk the smallest dog, and my brothers would walk the other ones. This used to happen everyday, but since we've been getting older we've had such little time to dedicate to these guys that often taking them out for a walk has been scratched out.

I've walked the other dogs but not for long as they often "pull". I know that you gotta be the "pack leader" since I've been a fan of CM since we got our first dog. I just don't know what he actually means by that sometimes. I've done the not-tense leash, chest out, confident walk and it's worked on my Shih Tzu, as well as my Husky x Border Collie (not all the time, but some times) but it does not work for my Labrador x Boxer. Whenever she sees the gate open she bolts out and takes me with her.

I would really like to get back to walking them, one at a time since they rarely get any exercise but the fact that they pull so much that it has me leaning back and using my heels to slow them down really isn't the most encouraging thing. What do you recommend I do to "get back on my feet" in terms of walking them?

Pack leader means you decide everything. The only decision a dog makes is whether or not to comply with what you want. Following you has a reward; disregarding your direction has a consequence.

So the issue here is that one dog pulls? Did it pull with the other handler?

There are a lot of ways to train this - both formal and informal and whether or not you want to teach a dog to heel with you or break him of forging/pulling.

It's hard to advise without seeing what's going on. What does the dog love more than anything? Food? Ball? Tug?

lefty

 

[mintyfresh]

Lefty - thanks for all these answers. helps a ton with my pup.

 

[lefty]

I don't know if I helped that much. It's a little tough to give training advice over the internet so I tend to talk in generalities here, but most issues can be resolved pretty simply. You just need to take a moment and think about why the dog is acting as it is under the specific circumstances. Put another way, what is it trying to satisfy? Once you figure that out it is pretty easy to control and shape the behavior.

lefty

 

[Boognish]

I've got a yellow lab that's got "issues." We've had him since he was weened, and his problems started in our first apartment when he was about 6 months. He would get terrified of doorways and hessitate to go through them. He would sit there and shake, nosing in and backing out. You should see the look of confusion and terror on his face. All of this would culminate with him charging through and tripping himself. After he would make it through, he would strut around all proud of himself.

He has had knee issues (bi-latteral patella luxation), which were corrected by three surgeries between his first and second year. Poor guy is also bow-legged. To the best of my knowledge, he was never traumatized by the doorway (ie- something bad associated with it). He was crate trained and is an indoor dog.

He was about 8 months when we moved into our current house. For the first month, he was fine. He would go anywhere without issue. About 2 months in, he started fearing doorways, some parts of the living room, and the main hallway. He sticks to "routes" in the house to get anywhere, and will even go entirely out of his way to get to something. I can be five feet away from him, but if the "scary zone" is between us, he'll go around the entire house to get to me.

In the main hallway (5' wide with windows to one side), he hugs the wall as he goes down it. If the cat or something is sitting against the wall, he'll freeze up. If he turns around in the hall, he makes sure to do so as close to the wall as possible.

In the backyard, he is fine.

I've tried working with him. ie- slowly drawing him into his scary areas while playing or giving him treats, putting carpets in the door ways, etc. but I haven't had a lot of success. My wife seems to think that his knee problems are to blame, but he gets around fine now. The floors are tile, but that is all he's ever known.

I've done a lot of searching on this, and have never found a case similar to this. Any tips or words of wisdom? Thank you.

Pic of the goofball.

 

[lefty]

I first thought is that this could be one of those rare times when there actually is a physical problem. A dog with that severe a patella problem could easily find himself in serious pain after a particularly hard scramble on a tile floor. But you say you've put rugs down. Does this happen anywhere else?

Assuming he isn't in pain any longer you need to desensitize him to whatever freaks him out. It may never be great, but it should get better.

I would back off from the praise when he is trying to go through a doorway only because if your timing is off you can be rewarding his fear. Food good can be an excellent distraction as you heel through the door. I assume like all Labs he loves food.

Hungry dog with a training collar and a lead. Get his focus or your hand holding his favourite food. Make sure he is working hard to get at that food in your closed hand. You can start this outside if you like. Heel him through the house with a reward when he is focused. Small reward - keep him interested. Heel through the door or the problem areas. Reward only when he is focused on the food. Stay silent other than commands - no praise or admonishment.

Short sessions, then release/play/praise (outside if needed).

You are working toward having him down in the doorway or recall through the hallway. So break it down into small clear steps for the both of you:
Heel through house.
Heel - sit - heel.
Heel - down - heel.

You are rewarding focus here, not perfect OB. A crooked sit doesn't matter.

Eventually you can work recalls - start at 1 foot then increasing to the length of the hallway.

This will take some time so three or four daily sessions for a few weeks. He could be getting half of his daily food through these sessions, that's fine.

If any of that isn't clear, let me know.

I hope someone else will jump in.

lefty

P.S. Let him kill the cat - it will be good for his soul.

 

[NorCal]

If you need an "ultimate" treat, try sardines. I used them when I was first teaching recall to my pup and she and every other dog in the class were ready to climb over broken glass to get them.

edit: wear latex gloves.

 

[lefty]

Messy but good. You will need something that desirable.

lefty

 

[Boognish]

Thank you for taking the time to post that. A lot of good info that I'll try to put towards good use.

As far as treats go, he's an empty pit. We usually use cheese or boiled chicken. He stays on a strict diet due to his innablity to really exercise, so anything is fair game and tasty to him. He's the only dog I've ever seen that will gladly take antibiotics, chewing them and all.