Comments on: Dog behavior issues

By: Lindsay Stordahl

Lindsay Stordahl — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:30:29 +0000

Ha! That’s awesome. I still can’t get Ace to stay on his bed when someone comes to the door. But I have not put in a fair amount of time working on this, either. I’m glad your dog has a guarding issue because then I don’t feel so bad that my dog has a retrieving obsession.

By: Biggie-Z

Biggie-Z — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:18:39 +0000

That being said, we taught Biggie in 5 days or less not to bark at the door when the downstairs (apartment building) buzzer goes off.

By: Biggie-Z

Biggie-Z — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:17:37 +0000

Wow, yet more ideas for more posts! Now I just have to find the time to do them!

Biggie and I have reached a plateau of sorts, too. I taught him a whole slew of commands last year, and we haven’t worked on anything new in a long time. Of course, he could also use reinforcement on the old stuff, though as he gets older he is just getting better and calming himself and listening.

The main thing we work on is “not guarding” – or at least, not guarding obnoxiously. He will still stand at attention and give things the kvuasz stare down, but he doesn’t go ballistic as often as he used to. It’s the ferocious snarling and barking at boundaries (the door, a fence) that we are working on.

By: Lindsay Stordahl

Lindsay Stordahl — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:21:47 +0000

Yeah I’ve heard that dogs with a crazy ball obsession make ideal police dogs. I have a hard time picturing Ace doing that! Ha. But he does benefit from any kind of “job” I can give him.

Ace has a bit of a hose obsession as well. He’s not quite as bad because he won’t go looking for the water unless we’re actually using the hose. That’s good that you make your dog go into a down/stay while playing. It’s always good to make them take breaks and calm down.

By: Sylvie

Sylvie — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:44:24 +0000

My dog is obsessed with the hose. She chases the water and then “bites” her way up toward the nozzle, whining with excitement. We have to take the spray nozzle off the hose and put it inside the house, otherwise she bites it, trying to make the water come out. Now she’ll stand by the chair is the basement and looks at us, or she tries to get at the nozzle if she’s inside. If she’s outside, she’ll stand by the hose caddy/faucet.

We do have her go into a down/stay at least once during pplay (which is when we say it is, not when she wants it) and spray the water all around her before letting her at it.

By: Ty Brown

Ty Brown — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:12:02 +0000

Boy, you need to train that dog to be a narcotics dog. The biggest prerequisite for a drug dog is they have to be CRAZY for a tennis ball.

By: Lindsay Stordahl

Lindsay Stordahl — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:11:20 +0000

Thanks, Marie!

By: Marie

Marie — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:09:37 +0000

I can’t wait to read more on how your latest 30 day challenge progresses.

By: Lindsay Stordahl

Lindsay Stordahl — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:06:00 +0000

Yeah exercise helps a TON for Ace as well. Thanks for the compliment. I hope you’ll share how your 30-day challenge works out for your dog!

By: Amanda Steiner

Amanda Steiner — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:09:32 +0000

My pointer mix does a lot of anxious whining. I think it started about a year ago because he wasn’t getting enough exercise, but now he runs 4-6 miles a day, and that excludes our twice a day 2 mile walks and play time with other dogs. And there’s still whining. There’s not much I can do to get him to stop whining either. Its also hard to keep him calm in new situations, so I’m going to try your 30 day challenge in Oct. and take him to 30 new places. Your blog is great, thanks for all the advice!