Crate training

[koshergrl]

View attachment 54030 View attachment 54031

I have had Mylo for about nine years, and she was two when I got her. She is very dominant and a tad aggressive so we spend a lot of energy keeping her and everybody else as safe as possible. She also poops and pees indiscriminately the minute she is alone.

She has always been so terrible about crating that I just never utilize it. She starts barking, scratching, whining, peeing, biting at the cage the minute she goes in and does not stop.

It never occurred to me to just crate train her. Instead of thinking she needed trained, I assumed it wouldn't work, or had been tried and failed.

I feel like an idiot!!! I've been dealing with her foibles for years and it never occurred to me to just train her.

I started yesterday...life is already easier. She went in on her own this am. I left her in while I did little things like make coffee and run laundry. I hope that soon I can crate her when I'm out if the house, when we travel to visit family, or when we have company. What that will mean for Mylo is her level of isolation will decrease. If she's crated she can at least be in the same room with everybody. Now she has to be put away because she bites and fights.

Having her own space, like a crate will also make her feel a bit "safer" - she wont' feel she'll need to react so much. A lot of times, aggression is linked with fear. She's cute! She has that sweet old lady face

Thanks I do love her. But she doesn't have a fearful bone in her body, lol. She's not super insanely aggressive....a little but she can get along with other dogs. She is super insanely dominant though....and that is a problem with other dominant dogs, kids, etc. She always assumes she's the boss until she is schooled differently....and even then she'll continue to push it.

 

[Cecilie1200]

I love that our new place is a straight shot down the street to the park with the no-leash dog park. Once we're done spending all our free time on moving and unpacking, it'll be easy to take Malcolm out to play the space-intensive games he loves, like fetch.

 

[koshergrl]

Mylo is a huge tangled ball of issues, most of which have to do with her breeding. Super intense prey drive, super dominant, moderately aggressive. Her reaction to the CRATE was anxiety driven, but we're dealing with that now. She could run all day...the more she exercises the higher her behavior amps up. Ultimately, she's a hard core hunting dog that doesn't hunt. Our lives will be improved if she can be crated. For one thing, I won't want to kill her because she craps on the carpet if she's left alone for two minutes (also a dominance based issue).

What was her background before you got her?

She belonged to a single guy who had a farm. He paid a lot for her, he had papers and she is well bred. He loved her, but he kept her tied up I think. He got married to a woman with kids and dogs and she didn't work well with them.

She's smart, loyal, fierce...and very dominant. She patrols continually, it's not obsessive it's just who she is. She kills, or tries to kill, anything smaller than her. She is bred to hunt foxes...carnivores. If she gets offleash, she goes hunting.

I don't know how productive it is to spend much time trying to piece together her past. I just want her to not crap and pee on my carpet ten times a day, and I would like to be able to leave a door open once in a while without panicking or having to des with pissed off neighbors or random passersby....

I was just wondering because if she were a puppy mill dog, accustomed to peeing and crapping in her cage, it can make it much harder to housebreak. Is she a Jack Russel or a Rat Terrier? I wonder if giving her activities to do might redirect some of her annoying qualities? I have a 13 yr aussie with high prey drive, a reactive personality - over the years she's mellowed a bit, but I wouldn't wish her on anyone. I started doing nosework with her and she loves it - she gets to use her hunt drive, she gets lot's of food rewards for finding it - and it seems to be helping with some issues I've had with her. Someone else told me about Barn Hunt - where dogs, particularly terriers are trained to "hunt" using scent or, rats enclosed in safe cages.

Nothing like letting a dog do what it was bred to do to correct behavioral problems.

Yeah I wish I had a pack of fox hunting digs and a stable....mylo would do great.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

We're having to re-train our Golden Retriever, Malcolm. No idea what his actual problem is, but ever since we moved to this apartment, he's gotten it into his head that he needs to poop and pee in the house. I think it's because he's used to being let out into the backyard to run free while doing his business, and now he has to be walked on a leash.

He's driving me crazy. We take him out of the crate, and he'll try to relieve himself right there while we're clipping the leash on. We walk him, he does his business all over the designated area, and then as soon as he comes back inside, he'll go right there in the entry hall. It's like he's saving some of it up for when he comes back inside.

My observation is that dogs see the world differently and pooping and peeing is part of claiming their turf. The back yard was his turf but now he has none except for the apartment. I think he will adapt in time, but it's a big transition.

Excellent point. So how do I go about helping him adapt so that he can be out of the crate?

Well, I for one am not above negative training. Some dog people freak out if you teach them the word no. I screamed bloody murder and let them know the top dog doesn't allow that kind of behavior. Didn't have to do it much, they caught on real quick.

Maybe if he had a favorite spot outside, a place to mark as his own? And like I said praising him when doing it outside. The get the point, master angry/master happy.

The last thing you want to do with a dog is scream at them. Doesn't teach them anything. Whisper. They'll pay more attention. If a dog has been screamed at, it may take a little while to accustom her to listen to whispers but I guarantee, the dog WILL get it.

Dogs also respond to a different kind of physical punishment than humans mete out. No need to ever ever ever hit a dog. Better to think like other dogs. What would the Dog parent or dog aunts and uncles do? Treat the dog like he's a dog. If you watch Cesar, that's exactly what he does - he thinks and acts like a dog instead of an hysterical screaming human.

And dogs punish other dogs and then its forgotten. Don't hold a grudge and never react out of anger. The dog won't understand and you'll do more damage than good.

 

[Asclepias]

Mylo is a huge tangled ball of issues, most of which have to do with her breeding. Super intense prey drive, super dominant, moderately aggressive. Her reaction to the CRATE was anxiety driven, but we're dealing with that now. She could run all day...the more she exercises the higher her behavior amps up. Ultimately, she's a hard core hunting dog that doesn't hunt. Our lives will be improved if she can be crated. For one thing, I won't want to kill her because she craps on the carpet if she's left alone for two minutes (also a dominance based issue).

What was her background before you got her?

She belonged to a single guy who had a farm. He paid a lot for her, he had papers and she is well bred. He loved her, but he kept her tied up I think. He got married to a woman with kids and dogs and she didn't work well with them.

She's smart, loyal, fierce...and very dominant. She patrols continually, it's not obsessive it's just who she is. She kills, or tries to kill, anything smaller than her. She is bred to hunt foxes...carnivores. If she gets offleash, she goes hunting.

I don't know how productive it is to spend much time trying to piece together her past. I just want her to not crap and pee on my carpet ten times a day, and I would like to be able to leave a door open once in a while without panicking or having to des with pissed off neighbors or random passersby....

I was just wondering because if she were a puppy mill dog, accustomed to peeing and crapping in her cage, it can make it much harder to housebreak. Is she a Jack Russel or a Rat Terrier? I wonder if giving her activities to do might redirect some of her annoying qualities? I have a 13 yr aussie with high prey drive, a reactive personality - over the years she's mellowed a bit, but I wouldn't wish her on anyone. I started doing nosework with her and she loves it - she gets to use her hunt drive, she gets lot's of food rewards for finding it - and it seems to be helping with some issues I've had with her. Someone else told me about Barn Hunt - where dogs, particularly terriers are trained to "hunt" using scent or, rats enclosed in safe cages.

Nothing like letting a dog do what it was bred to do to correct behavioral problems.

It's tough with difficult dogs to find them appropriate outlets - if they are reactive with dogs or people, that limits what you do and where you can take them, and with an older dog, there's not always a lot you can change. Hazel loves Nosework and it gives her something to look forward to, plus tires her out - especially her overactive brain

I trained all my Pitbulls how to play fetch. They are notoriously dog aggressive after they get into their first fight. I found that if I keyed their prey drive to play fetch they would ignore other dogs. Older dogs are pretty tricky because it can be a hidden health problem or insecurity.

 

[koshergrl]

So this weekend we are unpacking, cleaning, and crate training. And fixing a fence.

 

[Asclepias]

We're having to re-train our Golden Retriever, Malcolm. No idea what his actual problem is, but ever since we moved to this apartment, he's gotten it into his head that he needs to poop and pee in the house. I think it's because he's used to being let out into the backyard to run free while doing his business, and now he has to be walked on a leash.

He's driving me crazy. We take him out of the crate, and he'll try to relieve himself right there while we're clipping the leash on. We walk him, he does his business all over the designated area, and then as soon as he comes back inside, he'll go right there in the entry hall. It's like he's saving some of it up for when he comes back inside.

My observation is that dogs see the world differently and pooping and peeing is part of claiming their turf. The back yard was his turf but now he has none except for the apartment. I think he will adapt in time, but it's a big transition.

Excellent point. So how do I go about helping him adapt so that he can be out of the crate?

Well, I for one am not above negative training. Some dog people freak out if you teach them the word no. I screamed bloody murder and let them know the top dog doesn't allow that kind of behavior. Didn't have to do it much, they caught on real quick.

Maybe if he had a favorite spot outside, a place to mark as his own? And like I said praising him when doing it outside. The get the point, master angry/master happy.

The last thing you want to do with a dog is scream at them. Doesn't teach them anything. Whisper. They'll pay more attention. If a dog has been screamed at, it may take a little while to accustom her to listen to whispers but I guarantee, the dog WILL get it.

Dogs also respond to a different kind of physical punishment than humans mete out. No need to ever ever ever hit a dog. Better to think like other dogs. What would the Dog parent or dog aunts and uncles do? Treat the dog like he's a dog. If you watch Cesar, that's exactly what he does - he thinks and acts like a dog instead of an hysterical screaming human.

And dogs punish other dogs and then its forgotten. Don't hold a grudge and never react out of anger. The dog won't understand and you'll do more damage than good.

All my dogs are punished by making them lay down. This is a submissive posture a dominant dog would do to them.

 

[Coyote]

Mylo is a huge tangled ball of issues, most of which have to do with her breeding. Super intense prey drive, super dominant, moderately aggressive. Her reaction to the CRATE was anxiety driven, but we're dealing with that now. She could run all day...the more she exercises the higher her behavior amps up. Ultimately, she's a hard core hunting dog that doesn't hunt. Our lives will be improved if she can be crated. For one thing, I won't want to kill her because she craps on the carpet if she's left alone for two minutes (also a dominance based issue).

What was her background before you got her?

She belonged to a single guy who had a farm. He paid a lot for her, he had papers and she is well bred. He loved her, but he kept her tied up I think. He got married to a woman with kids and dogs and she didn't work well with them.

She's smart, loyal, fierce...and very dominant. She patrols continually, it's not obsessive it's just who she is. She kills, or tries to kill, anything smaller than her. She is bred to hunt foxes...carnivores. If she gets offleash, she goes hunting.

I don't know how productive it is to spend much time trying to piece together her past. I just want her to not crap and pee on my carpet ten times a day, and I would like to be able to leave a door open once in a while without panicking or having to des with pissed off neighbors or random passersby....

I was just wondering because if she were a puppy mill dog, accustomed to peeing and crapping in her cage, it can make it much harder to housebreak. Is she a Jack Russel or a Rat Terrier? I wonder if giving her activities to do might redirect some of her annoying qualities? I have a 13 yr aussie with high prey drive, a reactive personality - over the years she's mellowed a bit, but I wouldn't wish her on anyone. I started doing nosework with her and she loves it - she gets to use her hunt drive, she gets lot's of food rewards for finding it - and it seems to be helping with some issues I've had with her. Someone else told me about Barn Hunt - where dogs, particularly terriers are trained to "hunt" using scent or, rats enclosed in safe cages.

Nothing like letting a dog do what it was bred to do to correct behavioral problems.

Yeah I wish I had a pack of fox hunting digs and a stable....mylo would do great.

Here's info on it - if you wanted to explore it (haven't tried it myself) Barn Hunt Association

 

[koshergrl]

We're having to re-train our Golden Retriever, Malcolm. No idea what his actual problem is, but ever since we moved to this apartment, he's gotten it into his head that he needs to poop and pee in the house. I think it's because he's used to being let out into the backyard to run free while doing his business, and now he has to be walked on a leash.

He's driving me crazy. We take him out of the crate, and he'll try to relieve himself right there while we're clipping the leash on. We walk him, he does his business all over the designated area, and then as soon as he comes back inside, he'll go right there in the entry hall. It's like he's saving some of it up for when he comes back inside.

My observation is that dogs see the world differently and pooping and peeing is part of claiming their turf. The back yard was his turf but now he has none except for the apartment. I think he will adapt in time, but it's a big transition.

Excellent point. So how do I go about helping him adapt so that he can be out of the crate?

Well, I for one am not above negative training. Some dog people freak out if you teach them the word no. I screamed bloody murder and let them know the top dog doesn't allow that kind of behavior. Didn't have to do it much, they caught on real quick.

Maybe if he had a favorite spot outside, a place to mark as his own? And like I said praising him when doing it outside. The get the point, master angry/master happy.

The last thing you want to do with a dog is scream at them. Doesn't teach them anything. Whisper. They'll pay more attention. If a dog has been screamed at, it may take a little while to accustom her to listen to whispers but I guarantee, the dog WILL get it.

Dogs also respond to a different kind of physical punishment than humans mete out. No need to ever ever ever hit a dog. Better to think like other dogs. What would the Dog parent or dog aunts and uncles do? Treat the dog like he's a dog. If you watch Cesar, that's exactly what he does - he thinks and acts like a dog instead of an hysterical screaming human.

And dogs punish other dogs and then its forgotten. Don't hold a grudge and never react out of anger. The dog won't understand and you'll do more damage than good.

Cesar uses touch to get their attention...it is not really hitting but it's a good jab that functions like a nip it bite. He also uses sound with the touch. It isn't yelling, but the word no isn't a bad sound to use, if it works. Obviously pounding on them and shrieking isn't terribly effective but I don't believe iceweasel does that.

 

[koshergrl]

We're having to re-train our Golden Retriever, Malcolm. No idea what his actual problem is, but ever since we moved to this apartment, he's gotten it into his head that he needs to poop and pee in the house. I think it's because he's used to being let out into the backyard to run free while doing his business, and now he has to be walked on a leash.

He's driving me crazy. We take him out of the crate, and he'll try to relieve himself right there while we're clipping the leash on. We walk him, he does his business all over the designated area, and then as soon as he comes back inside, he'll go right there in the entry hall. It's like he's saving some of it up for when he comes back inside.

My observation is that dogs see the world differently and pooping and peeing is part of claiming their turf. The back yard was his turf but now he has none except for the apartment. I think he will adapt in time, but it's a big transition.

Excellent point. So how do I go about helping him adapt so that he can be out of the crate?

Well, I for one am not above negative training. Some dog people freak out if you teach them the word no. I screamed bloody murder and let them know the top dog doesn't allow that kind of behavior. Didn't have to do it much, they caught on real quick.

Maybe if he had a favorite spot outside, a place to mark as his own? And like I said praising him when doing it outside. The get the point, master angry/master happy.

The last thing you want to do with a dog is scream at them. Doesn't teach them anything. Whisper. They'll pay more attention. If a dog has been screamed at, it may take a little while to accustom her to listen to whispers but I guarantee, the dog WILL get it.

Dogs also respond to a different kind of physical punishment than humans mete out. No need to ever ever ever hit a dog. Better to think like other dogs. What would the Dog parent or dog aunts and uncles do? Treat the dog like he's a dog. If you watch Cesar, that's exactly what he does - he thinks and acts like a dog instead of an hysterical screaming human.

And dogs punish other dogs and then its forgotten. Don't hold a grudge and never react out of anger. The dog won't understand and you'll do more damage than good.

All my dogs are punished by making them lay down. This is a submissive posture a dominant dog would do to them.

Sometimes a dominant dog just kills them, too. If you watch dog packs, they have more than one tool in their arsenal. And not all dogs submit. You can lay mylo down for an hour and she never submits.

 

[Coyote]

What was her background before you got her?

She belonged to a single guy who had a farm. He paid a lot for her, he had papers and she is well bred. He loved her, but he kept her tied up I think. He got married to a woman with kids and dogs and she didn't work well with them.

She's smart, loyal, fierce...and very dominant. She patrols continually, it's not obsessive it's just who she is. She kills, or tries to kill, anything smaller than her. She is bred to hunt foxes...carnivores. If she gets offleash, she goes hunting.

I don't know how productive it is to spend much time trying to piece together her past. I just want her to not crap and pee on my carpet ten times a day, and I would like to be able to leave a door open once in a while without panicking or having to des with pissed off neighbors or random passersby....

I was just wondering because if she were a puppy mill dog, accustomed to peeing and crapping in her cage, it can make it much harder to housebreak. Is she a Jack Russel or a Rat Terrier? I wonder if giving her activities to do might redirect some of her annoying qualities? I have a 13 yr aussie with high prey drive, a reactive personality - over the years she's mellowed a bit, but I wouldn't wish her on anyone. I started doing nosework with her and she loves it - she gets to use her hunt drive, she gets lot's of food rewards for finding it - and it seems to be helping with some issues I've had with her. Someone else told me about Barn Hunt - where dogs, particularly terriers are trained to "hunt" using scent or, rats enclosed in safe cages.

Nothing like letting a dog do what it was bred to do to correct behavioral problems.

It's tough with difficult dogs to find them appropriate outlets - if they are reactive with dogs or people, that limits what you do and where you can take them, and with an older dog, there's not always a lot you can change. Hazel loves Nosework and it gives her something to look forward to, plus tires her out - especially her overactive brain

I trained all my Pitbulls how to play fetch. They are notoriously dog aggressive after they get into their first fight. I found that if I keyed their prey drive to play fetch they would ignore other dogs. Older dogs are pretty tricky because it can be a hidden health problem or insecurity.

That's a great tool to avoid redirected aggression. My old aussie, Cowboy, when there was a lot of ampted up energy (like going in and out) - would reirect and nail one of the other dogs close to him - he just couldn't help himself. He taught himself to go grab something and hold it instead and I always made sure there were plenty of toys around.

 

[koshergrl]

What was her background before you got her?

She belonged to a single guy who had a farm. He paid a lot for her, he had papers and she is well bred. He loved her, but he kept her tied up I think. He got married to a woman with kids and dogs and she didn't work well with them.

She's smart, loyal, fierce...and very dominant. She patrols continually, it's not obsessive it's just who she is. She kills, or tries to kill, anything smaller than her. She is bred to hunt foxes...carnivores. If she gets offleash, she goes hunting.

I don't know how productive it is to spend much time trying to piece together her past. I just want her to not crap and pee on my carpet ten times a day, and I would like to be able to leave a door open once in a while without panicking or having to des with pissed off neighbors or random passersby....

I was just wondering because if she were a puppy mill dog, accustomed to peeing and crapping in her cage, it can make it much harder to housebreak. Is she a Jack Russel or a Rat Terrier? I wonder if giving her activities to do might redirect some of her annoying qualities? I have a 13 yr aussie with high prey drive, a reactive personality - over the years she's mellowed a bit, but I wouldn't wish her on anyone. I started doing nosework with her and she loves it - she gets to use her hunt drive, she gets lot's of food rewards for finding it - and it seems to be helping with some issues I've had with her. Someone else told me about Barn Hunt - where dogs, particularly terriers are trained to "hunt" using scent or, rats enclosed in safe cages.

Nothing like letting a dog do what it was bred to do to correct behavioral problems.

Yeah I wish I had a pack of fox hunting digs and a stable....mylo would do great.

Here's info on it - if you wanted to explore it (haven't tried it myself) Barn Hunt Association

Lol I've already scoped that out. Seems insanely fun!!!

 

[Asclepias]

My observation is that dogs see the world differently and pooping and peeing is part of claiming their turf. The back yard was his turf but now he has none except for the apartment. I think he will adapt in time, but it's a big transition.

Excellent point. So how do I go about helping him adapt so that he can be out of the crate?

Well, I for one am not above negative training. Some dog people freak out if you teach them the word no. I screamed bloody murder and let them know the top dog doesn't allow that kind of behavior. Didn't have to do it much, they caught on real quick.

Maybe if he had a favorite spot outside, a place to mark as his own? And like I said praising him when doing it outside. The get the point, master angry/master happy.

The last thing you want to do with a dog is scream at them. Doesn't teach them anything. Whisper. They'll pay more attention. If a dog has been screamed at, it may take a little while to accustom her to listen to whispers but I guarantee, the dog WILL get it.

Dogs also respond to a different kind of physical punishment than humans mete out. No need to ever ever ever hit a dog. Better to think like other dogs. What would the Dog parent or dog aunts and uncles do? Treat the dog like he's a dog. If you watch Cesar, that's exactly what he does - he thinks and acts like a dog instead of an hysterical screaming human.

And dogs punish other dogs and then its forgotten. Don't hold a grudge and never react out of anger. The dog won't understand and you'll do more damage than good.

All my dogs are punished by making them lay down. This is a submissive posture a dominant dog would do to them.

Sometimes a dominant dog just kills them, too. If you watch dog packs, they have more than one tool in their arsenal. And not all dogs submit. You can lay mylo down for an hour and she never submits.

I dont know how squeamish you are about this but if you muzzle her and physically force her to lay on her back she will eventually submit. Its like brainwashing for humans.

 

[koshergrl]

She belonged to a single guy who had a farm. He paid a lot for her, he had papers and she is well bred. He loved her, but he kept her tied up I think. He got married to a woman with kids and dogs and she didn't work well with them.

She's smart, loyal, fierce...and very dominant. She patrols continually, it's not obsessive it's just who she is. She kills, or tries to kill, anything smaller than her. She is bred to hunt foxes...carnivores. If she gets offleash, she goes hunting.

I don't know how productive it is to spend much time trying to piece together her past. I just want her to not crap and pee on my carpet ten times a day, and I would like to be able to leave a door open once in a while without panicking or having to des with pissed off neighbors or random passersby....

I was just wondering because if she were a puppy mill dog, accustomed to peeing and crapping in her cage, it can make it much harder to housebreak. Is she a Jack Russel or a Rat Terrier? I wonder if giving her activities to do might redirect some of her annoying qualities? I have a 13 yr aussie with high prey drive, a reactive personality - over the years she's mellowed a bit, but I wouldn't wish her on anyone. I started doing nosework with her and she loves it - she gets to use her hunt drive, she gets lot's of food rewards for finding it - and it seems to be helping with some issues I've had with her. Someone else told me about Barn Hunt - where dogs, particularly terriers are trained to "hunt" using scent or, rats enclosed in safe cages.

Nothing like letting a dog do what it was bred to do to correct behavioral problems.

It's tough with difficult dogs to find them appropriate outlets - if they are reactive with dogs or people, that limits what you do and where you can take them, and with an older dog, there's not always a lot you can change. Hazel loves Nosework and it gives her something to look forward to, plus tires her out - especially her overactive brain

I trained all my Pitbulls how to play fetch. They are notoriously dog aggressive after they get into their first fight. I found that if I keyed their prey drive to play fetch they would ignore other dogs. Older dogs are pretty tricky because it can be a hidden health problem or insecurity.

That's a great tool to avoid redirected aggression. My old aussie, Cowboy, when there was a lot of ampted up energy (like going in and out) - would reirect and nail one of the other dogs close to him - he just couldn't help himself. He taught himself to go grab something and hold it instead and I always made sure there were plenty of toys around.

See, Cesar would say you're just changing the focus, not the behavior. He says if you don't want a dog to engage its aggressive/prey drive, don't let it kill its toys. There are exceptions tho.

 

[Coyote]

We're having to re-train our Golden Retriever, Malcolm. No idea what his actual problem is, but ever since we moved to this apartment, he's gotten it into his head that he needs to poop and pee in the house. I think it's because he's used to being let out into the backyard to run free while doing his business, and now he has to be walked on a leash.

He's driving me crazy. We take him out of the crate, and he'll try to relieve himself right there while we're clipping the leash on. We walk him, he does his business all over the designated area, and then as soon as he comes back inside, he'll go right there in the entry hall. It's like he's saving some of it up for when he comes back inside.

My observation is that dogs see the world differently and pooping and peeing is part of claiming their turf. The back yard was his turf but now he has none except for the apartment. I think he will adapt in time, but it's a big transition.

Excellent point. So how do I go about helping him adapt so that he can be out of the crate?

Well, I for one am not above negative training. Some dog people freak out if you teach them the word no. I screamed bloody murder and let them know the top dog doesn't allow that kind of behavior. Didn't have to do it much, they caught on real quick.

Maybe if he had a favorite spot outside, a place to mark as his own? And like I said praising him when doing it outside. The get the point, master angry/master happy.

The last thing you want to do with a dog is scream at them. Doesn't teach them anything. Whisper. They'll pay more attention. If a dog has been screamed at, it may take a little while to accustom her to listen to whispers but I guarantee, the dog WILL get it.

Dogs also respond to a different kind of physical punishment than humans mete out. No need to ever ever ever hit a dog. Better to think like other dogs. What would the Dog parent or dog aunts and uncles do? Treat the dog like he's a dog. If you watch Cesar, that's exactly what he does - he thinks and acts like a dog instead of an hysterical screaming human.

And dogs punish other dogs and then its forgotten. Don't hold a grudge and never react out of anger. The dog won't understand and you'll do more damage than good.

All my dogs are punished by making them lay down. This is a submissive posture a dominant dog would do to them.

That's funny - with my dogs, I teach them to offer it, because it's also a relaxation posture - if they're lying down, it forces them to relax and if they learn to offer it voluntarily - they are also telling me they are relaxed enough to do it, and it gets heavily rewarded - it's an interesting dynamic. I have one new dog, a foster that might stay....who is the hardest dog I've taught down to - I don't k now why. He's not dominant, he looks to be a bc-jack mix...it could be his structure makes it harder, but I don't know. First getting him down - then elbows down - then holding it. He's got all that, but he still needs a bit of a lure at times. I'll just have to wait him out...my other dogs picked it up after a very short time, but he's a very different character. He also loves latex squeakies (because he can shake them and kill them) - has a terrier tenacity (mousing) and has learned to play tug with rules (like settle and give when I ask). Tug seems a good outlet for him.

 

[Asclepias]

My observation is that dogs see the world differently and pooping and peeing is part of claiming their turf. The back yard was his turf but now he has none except for the apartment. I think he will adapt in time, but it's a big transition.

Excellent point. So how do I go about helping him adapt so that he can be out of the crate?

Well, I for one am not above negative training. Some dog people freak out if you teach them the word no. I screamed bloody murder and let them know the top dog doesn't allow that kind of behavior. Didn't have to do it much, they caught on real quick.

Maybe if he had a favorite spot outside, a place to mark as his own? And like I said praising him when doing it outside. The get the point, master angry/master happy.

The last thing you want to do with a dog is scream at them. Doesn't teach them anything. Whisper. They'll pay more attention. If a dog has been screamed at, it may take a little while to accustom her to listen to whispers but I guarantee, the dog WILL get it.

Dogs also respond to a different kind of physical punishment than humans mete out. No need to ever ever ever hit a dog. Better to think like other dogs. What would the Dog parent or dog aunts and uncles do? Treat the dog like he's a dog. If you watch Cesar, that's exactly what he does - he thinks and acts like a dog instead of an hysterical screaming human.

And dogs punish other dogs and then its forgotten. Don't hold a grudge and never react out of anger. The dog won't understand and you'll do more damage than good.

All my dogs are punished by making them lay down. This is a submissive posture a dominant dog would do to them.

That's funny - with my dogs, I teach them to offer it, because it's also a relaxation posture - if they're lying down, it forces them to relax and if they learn to offer it voluntarily - they are also telling me they are relaxed enough to do it, and it gets heavily rewarded - it's an interesting dynamic. I have one new dog, a foster that might stay....who is the hardest dog I've taught down to - I don't k now why. He's not dominant, he looks to be a bc-jack mix...it could be his structure makes it harder, but I don't know. First getting him down - then elbows down - then holding it. He's got all that, but he still needs a bit of a lure at times. I'll just have to wait him out...my other dogs picked it up after a very short time, but he's a very different character. He also loves latex squeakies (because he can shake them and kill them) - has a terrier tenacity (mousing) and has learned to play tug with rules (like settle and give when I ask). Tug seems a good outlet for him.

Try doing it before you feed him. My routine with any dogs involves making them lay down and waiting until I give them the command to eat. I remember I was showing a neighbor how to do it and we got distracted and went back in the house. Both my dogs were still there waiting to eat about 30 minutes later with drool all over the place. I felt really bad but my neighbor got the point.

 

[koshergrl]

Excellent point. So how do I go about helping him adapt so that he can be out of the crate?

Well, I for one am not above negative training. Some dog people freak out if you teach them the word no. I screamed bloody murder and let them know the top dog doesn't allow that kind of behavior. Didn't have to do it much, they caught on real quick.

Maybe if he had a favorite spot outside, a place to mark as his own? And like I said praising him when doing it outside. The get the point, master angry/master happy.

The last thing you want to do with a dog is scream at them. Doesn't teach them anything. Whisper. They'll pay more attention. If a dog has been screamed at, it may take a little while to accustom her to listen to whispers but I guarantee, the dog WILL get it.

Dogs also respond to a different kind of physical punishment than humans mete out. No need to ever ever ever hit a dog. Better to think like other dogs. What would the Dog parent or dog aunts and uncles do? Treat the dog like he's a dog. If you watch Cesar, that's exactly what he does - he thinks and acts like a dog instead of an hysterical screaming human.

And dogs punish other dogs and then its forgotten. Don't hold a grudge and never react out of anger. The dog won't understand and you'll do more damage than good.

All my dogs are punished by making them lay down. This is a submissive posture a dominant dog would do to them.

Sometimes a dominant dog just kills them, too. If you watch dog packs, they have more than one tool in their arsenal. And not all dogs submit. You can lay mylo down for an hour and she never submits.

I dont know how squeamish you are about this but if you muzzle her and physically force her to lay on her back she will eventually submit. Its like brainwashing for humans.

It would take, literally, hours. She doesn't submit. I've tried. She gets more and more resistant the longer it goes on.

 

[Coyote]

I was just wondering because if she were a puppy mill dog, accustomed to peeing and crapping in her cage, it can make it much harder to housebreak. Is she a Jack Russel or a Rat Terrier? I wonder if giving her activities to do might redirect some of her annoying qualities? I have a 13 yr aussie with high prey drive, a reactive personality - over the years she's mellowed a bit, but I wouldn't wish her on anyone. I started doing nosework with her and she loves it - she gets to use her hunt drive, she gets lot's of food rewards for finding it - and it seems to be helping with some issues I've had with her. Someone else told me about Barn Hunt - where dogs, particularly terriers are trained to "hunt" using scent or, rats enclosed in safe cages.

Nothing like letting a dog do what it was bred to do to correct behavioral problems.

It's tough with difficult dogs to find them appropriate outlets - if they are reactive with dogs or people, that limits what you do and where you can take them, and with an older dog, there's not always a lot you can change. Hazel loves Nosework and it gives her something to look forward to, plus tires her out - especially her overactive brain

I trained all my Pitbulls how to play fetch. They are notoriously dog aggressive after they get into their first fight. I found that if I keyed their prey drive to play fetch they would ignore other dogs. Older dogs are pretty tricky because it can be a hidden health problem or insecurity.

That's a great tool to avoid redirected aggression. My old aussie, Cowboy, when there was a lot of ampted up energy (like going in and out) - would reirect and nail one of the other dogs close to him - he just couldn't help himself. He taught himself to go grab something and hold it instead and I always made sure there were plenty of toys around.

See, Cesar would say you're just changing the focus, not the behavior. He says if you don't want a dog to engage its aggressive/prey drive, don't let it kill its toys. There are exceptions tho.

He's actually never killed his toys, but I think by teaching a dog to redirect - you are changing the behavior. If he gets a toy in his mouth, he then can't turn and bite at the other dog. It's not aggression per se - it's over ampted up energy that he doesn't know what to do with. Another trainer I really like, Suzanne Clothier breeds and trains German Shepherds and has anywhere from 7 to a dozen dogs at a time. When you have that many high drive working dogs together there are bound to be some problems. She taught every dog from puppyhood to love Kongs. She keeps a basket of them by the door and there's this cool video she showed where they are all being let out to run (she has a farm) and as they're streaming out, they grab a kong. There is one dog that is a boarder, so he doesn't know the rules, so he goes running out and starts to nip at the running dogs, however, other than a few glares and head turns, they ignore him because no one wants to let go of the kong and get into a fight, so he finally gives up. The problem of dog fights in a high energy situation is resolved by something that is easy to maintain once taught, and is self-reinforcing to the dog.

 

[Coyote]

Excellent point. So how do I go about helping him adapt so that he can be out of the crate?

Well, I for one am not above negative training. Some dog people freak out if you teach them the word no. I screamed bloody murder and let them know the top dog doesn't allow that kind of behavior. Didn't have to do it much, they caught on real quick.

Maybe if he had a favorite spot outside, a place to mark as his own? And like I said praising him when doing it outside. The get the point, master angry/master happy.

The last thing you want to do with a dog is scream at them. Doesn't teach them anything. Whisper. They'll pay more attention. If a dog has been screamed at, it may take a little while to accustom her to listen to whispers but I guarantee, the dog WILL get it.

Dogs also respond to a different kind of physical punishment than humans mete out. No need to ever ever ever hit a dog. Better to think like other dogs. What would the Dog parent or dog aunts and uncles do? Treat the dog like he's a dog. If you watch Cesar, that's exactly what he does - he thinks and acts like a dog instead of an hysterical screaming human.

And dogs punish other dogs and then its forgotten. Don't hold a grudge and never react out of anger. The dog won't understand and you'll do more damage than good.

All my dogs are punished by making them lay down. This is a submissive posture a dominant dog would do to them.

That's funny - with my dogs, I teach them to offer it, because it's also a relaxation posture - if they're lying down, it forces them to relax and if they learn to offer it voluntarily - they are also telling me they are relaxed enough to do it, and it gets heavily rewarded - it's an interesting dynamic. I have one new dog, a foster that might stay....who is the hardest dog I've taught down to - I don't k now why. He's not dominant, he looks to be a bc-jack mix...it could be his structure makes it harder, but I don't know. First getting him down - then elbows down - then holding it. He's got all that, but he still needs a bit of a lure at times. I'll just have to wait him out...my other dogs picked it up after a very short time, but he's a very different character. He also loves latex squeakies (because he can shake them and kill them) - has a terrier tenacity (mousing) and has learned to play tug with rules (like settle and give when I ask). Tug seems a good outlet for him.

Try doing it before you feed him. My routine with any dogs involves making them lay down and waiting until I give them the command to eat. I remember I was showing a neighbor how to do it and we got distracted and went back in the house. Both my dogs were still there waiting to eat about 30 minutes later with drool all over the place. I felt really bad but my neighbor got the point.

That's a good idea - I haven't tried using his meal for a down. He's pretty quick on other things - sit was easy, and because he loves a certain tug toy so much - I've taught him to wait until I tell him "break" to grab it from me. Never had terrier types before (always herding dogs) - so he's an interesting combo.

 

[koshergrl]

I've done the whole relaxation/submission posturing thing a la Cesar. It doesn't work with her, not that way.