Rescue Dog - Behaviour Issues

shell2001

We adoped a jack russell from the local RSPCA rehoming centre 4 weeks ago now. After the first week of settling in he is now showing his real personality. We expected this but just wondered if anyone could offer us some advice on how best to deal with it (or recommend some reading).

1. He eats anything he finds on the floor (cat or his poop - although he has not done this in the last week). Last night he ate a wet wipe that my DD had dropped.

2. At night he sleeps in his pet crate/cage. The last couple of times DH has put him in there he has snapped at him. Seems to be ok with me doing it but I am a bit nervous now.

3. Putting his harness on prior to walkies is a nightmare. Someone has obviously made a game of this in the past but it can take you a good 5/10 mins to get it on. We have started telling him to sit and if he carries on throw the harness on the floor and walk away. Return after a min and try again - is this the best way to proceed?

4. He seems to hate other dogs. If one is across the road he pulls trying to get over to it and barks. The ones he has got upto he has sniffed and then either the other dog has growled or he starts it. During the first week of us having him several well meaing dog owners came over to say hello, I explained he was a rescue dog so unsure how he would react to others before they got too close. "My dogs fine with other dogs". At this stage my dog gave the playful stance, went over to the dog to sniff it and their dogs would turn round and have a go at him to which the owners said "he doesnt like it when you get too close", so why come over then?? So I think my dog now thinks this is how you are suppose to act?

I understand he is still settling in and at 11/12months still has a lot of puppy left in him I just wonder what is the best approach regarding training these issues?

Any advice gratefully received.

tealady

Has he been neutered? That often calms dogs down. However he is a terrier so will love to chase and need LOADS of exercise.

WeirdoMagnet

shell2001 wrote: »

We adoped a jack russell from the local RSPCA rehoming centre 4 weeks ago now. After the first week of settling in he is now showing his real personality. We expected this but just wondered if anyone could offer us some advice on how best to deal with it (or recommend some reading).

Well done on adopting your Jack Russell - what's his name?! We've got a rescued one too, and although their behaviour can be a bit 'terrierish' at times, without it they wouldn't be the great dogs they are. I'll answer you points one by one...

1. He eats anything he finds on the floor (cat or his poop - although he has not done this in the last week). Last night he ate a wet wipe that my DD had dropped.

The first thing you need to do is manage the environment so he can't eat stuff, because it could be very dangerous. That could mean crating him, or popping him in another room, seperated by a child gate while you can't supervise him, and while he settles in and you train him. Giving him his own things you eat/chew will also deter him from eating random things. A kong is a great (and safe) idea to keep him occupied and to tire him out mentally too. Teach him a solid 'leave' - there's an excellent article here.

2. At night he sleeps in his pet crate/cage. The last couple of times DH has put him in there he has snapped at him.

Make his cage the nicest place for him to be. Make sure it's got a really cosy bed/bedding in, give him his meals there, and give him treats there. 'Lure' him into the cage with a tasty treat, and once he's realised that the crate is a great place to be, you can start to introduce a command, like 'in your crate'. Never be tempted to pull/push or manhandle him into it (holding his collar to make him do something is likely to lead to a hand-wary and/or aggressive dog). Also bear in mind that he may not like men (may have been mis-treated by one in the past?)

3. Putting his harness on prior to walkies is a nightmare.

This is a difficult one - we have the same problem, and I was wondering if the harness rubbed Tilly, or what the problem was. The I read a thread on DogPages and lots of experienced trainers said the same thing happened to them - their dogs were reluctant to have their harnesses on, despite lots of training. That doesn't really help you, does it?! Anyway, we just persevere - I normally sit on the floor with the harness to hand, and while giving Tilly a stroke, pop the harness on. She does stand there wearing an expression which says 'and you expect me to walk how?'! but once she's moving she's fine. She's alot better when we pop it on in the car.

4. He seems to hate other dogs.

Again, we have a similar problem. I don't think that Tilly was very well sociailise as a pup, so she tends to lie down (in a pounce mode), then charge up to other dogs, rather than being polite. She doesn't growl or bark, but tries to instigate a game of chase. I don't let her 'practice' her method though, especially with dogs we don't know. You could use the 'food bar' - where you have a tube of primula (or similar) that appears when you see other dogs and you gradually remove the primula (by changing to lower value rewards) once he realises that seeing other dogs is a good thing. The thing that really helped us was joining a training group, so Till had to learn to concentrate when other dogs were near. Have a look for your nearest one on the Association of Pet Dog Trainers website - "members of the APDT have been assessed according to a strict code of practice and have agreed to abide by kind and fair principles of training. To this end the use of coercive or punitive techniques and equipment are not used.", so they're dog friendly and use modern training methods (no Barbara Woodhouse!) and don't resort to yelling/hitting/choke chains etc. This sounds a bit mean, but unless you really know the other owner and the dog - don't believe what they say! One bad experience could set him back.

I hope this all makes sense. If anything requires further explanation, give me a shout. For excellent advice, see what the folk on DogPages recommend. They're very experienced folk and use dog-friendly ways to train and manage dogs.

Good luck! You'll have a great dog with a bit of training!

Georgie

suki1964

New pups are challenging, even as old as that. takes a lot of adjustment all round, both the owners and the pup.

Do the RSPCA offer follow up for any behavioural problems? I would ring them see if they actually offer any service. if not I would first off invest in a copy of "The perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey, then secondly find out if there are any training classes being held in your area that you can go along and join, your vet should have details. Theres also a few other books you might want to look at by Karen Pryor - Dont shoot the dog and Getting started: clicker training for dogs

quietheart

We got our hound from the Dogs Trust formerly NCDL.
When she lost her mind (did a dive through the bay window when she saw a shadow.....) they had a dog psychologist set up in no time. Most large rehoming centres have a psych on hand so I'd definitely ring the centre you used and ask for their help. It's in their interests, they don't want to re-home the dog again.
best of luck

emmilou

I agree get professional help, it may be a bit pricey but well worth it in the long run.
We rescued our JRT last christmas (8 months at the time) and already have one (7 years) so considered ourselves relatively experienced however when sibling rivalry surfaced after one week we were at our wits end.
Both dogs were going at it hammer and tongs over nothing and it was really nasty and very upsetting. We perservered with her as she was lovely with us and the kids no agression at all and the two of them would cuddle up together on their bed so obviously liked each other.
Anyway after another mammoth scrap resulting in a trip to vets for cuts and wounds we called in Barkbusters.
What a difference I cannot rate them highly enough for £200 my dogs are happy together and what a lot of it came down to was how WE treated the dogs and controlled them. Apparantly the eldest was protective of me and because I didn't establish myself as leader she took it upon herself to do the job. It would take too long to go into the methods on here but Dog Borstal on the telly are pretty similar, and a lot of control comes from your voice I basically had to bark at them with a short sharp 'bah' sound! :eek:
Don't let them jump up at you, go through doors before you, nudge you with their nose for a stroke.
It was probably cheaper in the long run too cos it was costing a fortune in vets bills!
I probably haven't answered your specific questions but hope it helps anyway. Good luck and don't give up

WeirdoMagnet

emmilou wrote: »

...we called in Barkbusters.

I'm glad they worked for you emmilou, but I've not heard Barkbusters recommended much! They're a franchise, and as such anyone can be a Barkbusters representative. It seems they use quite dubious 'training' methods, including throwing water balloons and chains and lots of shouting! They even say on their website "Previous experience with dogs is not the criteria by which we select therapists."!!! :rolleyes:

Many aspects of training a dog (especially to adhere to human 'rules') are down to consistency, rather than being dominant or the leader of the pack. There's a very good article about the Dominance Theory here.

The APDT have a list of members (both trainers and behaviourists) all of whom "have been assessed according to a strict code of practice and have agreed to abide by kind and fair principles of training. To this end the use of coercive or punitive techniques and equipment are not used."

shell2001

Thanks for the advice.

His name is rusty and yes he has been "done". He does seem to have calmed down the last couple of days, I think he feeds of the littles mood so if they are hyper he is.

The harness is not that he seems to mind it on more that he thinks getting it on is a game, so I think his previous owners used to do this.

Exercise - he gets 3 good walks a day, the last one at night you are lucky if you can get him more than 20 yards from the house, quick wee and in! We usually play chase round the garden as on the field we have to keep him on the lead as I know at the moment there is no way he would come back.

As for the cage- yes we give him his meals in there he has his big pillow and blanket in there too. Funny thing is if you give him a treat he will not eat it in the cage. I usually lift him up give him a cuddle and put him in. DH was doing same but he went to snap for him. Again DH put him in over weekend without him snapping so hoping this continues.

As for the chewing/eating thing, we keep as much possible out of the way. All littles teddies now live on the top bunk etc. The problem is when things accidentally get dropped. DD dropped a spoon last night and that disappeared in his mouth. We are trying the treat to drop at the moment but I am not sure if this is making him pick stuff up just so he can have a treat - lol! I know they say dogs dont think on this level but having grown up with so many I disagree.

Once again thanks to everyone for responding

Billobel

Glad to hear that things are improving with Rusty. Rather than repeat a lot of what has already been suggested. I hope this might help with the harness situation.

What he needs to learn first of all is what the request (and I use that word rather than command) stand/still (your choice) means.

Start off with the harness nowhere in sight, as you know this, in his mind means a game. Choose a time when he is relatively quiet (which is difficult with a j.r puppy). Get him next to you and GENTLY, but firmly hold him in a steady standing position. ALL the time he is standing still without wriggling, praise him with your chosen word, GOOD BOY STAND, as soon as he starts to wriggle stop the praise IMMEDIATELY and ignore him. Over a period of time he will learn that standing still gets him praise. Once he is happy with this, then start to lift up a leg (as if you were going to put on the harness). Once you get him happy with this then introduce the harness into the room, but don't try putting it on. When he ignores the harness and or it's not a trigger for a game to begin, THEN and ONLY THEN introduce it into the routine. If he starts to act up, then get up and walk out of the room, leaving him on his own.

I know a lot of people have recommended using food as rewards/treats. In my experience (I am an ex Guide Dog trainer), food is a short term fix, if a fix at all. Do you want to spend the rest of your days carrying food around with you, and how much food are you going to need to carry ??????Food treats tend to wind a dog up, and they are more interested in where the next treat is coming from, rather than what you are trying to teach him. I am not against treat 100% but use them wisely. The three most important things that Rusty needs from you in his life are food (at the right time), exercise and love. Use the last at the right time and training becomes a pleasure not a chore.

I hope that this has been of some help, If you need anymore, please don't hesitate to get back to me.

rescuedogs

If he is very food orientated (which he probably will be being a terrier) , try and give him small food rewards for obeying commands like when you tell him to go in his crate or when he is well behaved putting on his harness. Do not lift him into his crate, tell him to go in.

Do not play "tugging" type games with him as he will perhaps not understand that the harness is not part of the game. You could even try walking him just on a flat collar for now until he forgets this habbit.

davsidipp

the trouble with jacks is their quick witted dogs who are really clever so your will has to be as strong as theirs speaking from experiance i have 2 one who nearly 6 and still hangs on the leash when we go out in the morning and the other one who is 2 is the smaller type and really does not like other dogs but does not go up to them so no problem unless one comes up to her but controllable and gets put straight on the lead ,as for the snarling terriers are well known for that and all dogsare different like humans no one dog is the same reading the posts georginas ideas seem sensible as i have used a few in the past but it is all about consistincy as she said good luck dont give up but also be wary aroun the children.