Training issue.

lostinrates

With one being spayed toorrow, one with a leg in a cast and a new arrival plus all sorts of work going on here, I am probably making xunnecessary work for myself...

But....two recouperating dogs need mental stimulation and I think I want to tackle the one gripe I have with my wonderful dogs....

The door issue. my doors receive abuse in several ways....

They do not jump up at the front door, the back door however, is a different story...any one who wanders int the back garden with out asking is met with fury, including pawing and sometimes jumping at the door. (they do not jump up at people though)

The als0 scratch at doors that they want to be let in, just two doors, but still.

The final one...the head butt, this is also just two doors, on the same that gets scratched and one internal one, and they have learnt if the head butt hard enough they can make the door slip its latch. It was repaired, and they did it again.

Most of the time they don't bother, but I want better than most of the time.

While it seems rough to start this now, it seems to be that after the first few days OT is really great timing to start working with them. Fwiw one is very bright, quick to learn, enjoys it, one is not very bright at all, slow to learn and can get a bit stressed out. She has just about got sit......but she has to think aboutit for a while between command and acting on it, but she is very good at down, on your bed and various other things. I have to be careful not to expect her to keep up with the other one.


There seem to be some really successful home trainers, and I was interested how other people would tackle these issues. . I admit, that it has never been, or seemed a problem until recently, when I have been unwell and overwhelmed with stuff to do that I have recognised this.

pawsies

I would put a bell or some sort of button on the floor that makes a noise so they can press that instead and redirect the behaviour on to that.
Thus if they want to go out/there's a visitor or whatever they can let you know without the door being subject to abuse.

This video might help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9QX_70VFLQ

elsien

I'm a useless dog trainer and probably best ignored, however two things spring to mind.

lostinrates wrote: »

They do not jump up at the front door, the back door however, is a different story...any one who wanders int the back garden with out asking is met with fury, including pawing and sometimes jumping at the door. (they do not jump up at people though)

Is this such a bad thing? They seem to be protecting the garden from unwanted intruders, or have I misread it?

lostinrates wrote: »

The final one...the head butt, this is also just two doors, on the same that gets scratched and one internal one, and they have learnt if the head butt hard enough they can make the door slip its latch. It was repaired, and they did it again.

Made me laugh at the thought of 2 dogs ramraiding a door till it opens. Can you secure it so they can't bash it open until they learn, and do they have another way of asking for the door to be opened that you can teach them. Or is it times when they're locked in another room for a reason and you don't want them to come out?

lostinrates

pawsies wrote: »

I would put a bell or some sort of button on the floor that makes a noise so they can press that instead and redirect the behaviour on to that.
Thus if they want to go out/there's a visitor or whatever they can let you know without the door being subject to abuse.

This video might help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9QX_70VFLQ

That would fry the big dogs mind, but the dog dog would love it, definitely easiest to shape/train too.

lostinrates

elsien wrote: »

I'm a useless dog trainer and probably best ignored, however two things spring to mind.


Is this such a bad thing? They seem to be protecting the garden from unwanted intruders, or have I misread it?
]you are right, it's not a heinous behaviour that one, if it were I might have been less remiss about noticing and tackling it, but one of the dogs is circa forty kilos and packs a punch.....the other is double that, and they break door handles a lot! we have had new French windows installed elsewhere, and I would like this door changed to match and it would not be safe and a big waste of money as it stands right now!


Made me laugh at the thought of 2 dogs ramraiding a door till it opens. Can you secure it so they can't bash it open until they learn, and do they have another way of asking for the door to be opened that you can teach them. Or is it times when they're locked in another room for a reason and you don't want them to come out?

The size of the big one inparticular is more like an obstreperous man trying to barge his way in. Again, they break handles, and we have stopped it with chairs under the handle on the other side (it opens put from where they are etc, but they can just move those if they want.....


Yes, it's only when I want them 'locked away' that this is an issue. Huge feet make huge muddy tracks and it's not practical to have them muddying through all day. In the evening these doors are open and the dogs have free access between 'their' bedroom (our garden room, and soon to be reused as our dining room) into our sitting room.

Generally they are fab dogs, easy to live with, so I feel I am selling them badly here. The fact is that they can cause a lot of damage with a little effort, and some damage has to be accepted as casualty of loving such big dogs.

The big dog herself is the hardest, because she is so 'not bright' and has a tendency to stress and it's remarkably easy to stress her with training. Clicker training was deeply stressful for her and instead everything has to be still reward based, but with the expectation it will not come quickly in any way.

pawsies

Would the big dog learn off the little one eventually? If every time little dog rings bell then big dog might realise and start copying?

lostinrates

pawsies wrote: »

Would the big dog learn off the little one eventually? If every time little dog rings bell then big dog might realise and start copying?

It's a nice idea. But seriously, 'not bright' is me being very generous.