My girlfriend has a 2 yr old rat terrier who is quite a handfull.  We just moved in together and the dog thinks he is the boss.  He is housebroken that is not a problem.  This is a partial list of some of his behaviors. 

Growling and barking at all visitors

Not letting go of anything he gets in his mouth

Always nudging and licking for attention

Doesn't listen to commands

My girlfriend has not done any training with him and I think this is why he is this way.  She lets him get away with anything.  I know she needs as much training as the dog....lol

I have heard/read about "clicker" training and want some information on what I can do to train my "adopted" pet as well on things to get my girlfriend in on the act.   Any help would be greatly appreciated....I am not sure where else to go...I don't have money for school training for him. 

Also of note is the fact that he has the "luxating patellas" or whatever that is, to where he can't sit like a normal dog....vet said $1600 would fix it....that is crazy....So I can't teach him to sit which is one of the first things you teach a dog right?

 Is it just me or is he freakishly long limbed for a rat terrier?

Suffering in Springfield

Levi

No... teaching a dog to sit is NOT one of the first things you teach a dog. The first and most important command you teach a dog is the "COME" command. What good is it if your dog can sit... but won't come to you to do it?

One of the most valuable things you can teach your dog is to come when called. Ironically, the more control you have over your dog, the less you need to use it and the more freedom your dog will have. So time spent on this exercise is well worth it. If you can call your dog away from a dangerous situation on a walk, call him in from the garden when you're late for work, or call him away from deer in the woods, then the dog will get a chance to walk in the woods, in the park and in the fields, without having to be on lead most of the time. This is an exercise that is as important for his happiness as it is for yours.

Keep in mind that the hardest part of recall is to get your dog to turn his attention off what he is doing and unto you. That's why you need to encourage him by saying "Good dog!" with enthusiasm the instant he turns his head and starts moving towards you. He will need reinforcing well before he gets to you. A word to the wise: most people don't praise their dog soon enough, so consciously force yourself to praise your dog as soon as your dog turns towards you.

Repeat this game several times a day in short sessions, conditioning your dog to link the cue "come" with running towards you and feeling good about it. Initially, practice 10-20 times per day in all sorts of areas around the house and the garden.   Carry treats in your pocket and give them to him as a reward for coming to you... and praise him BIG time!  This may sound like a lot of times, but by doing it a little here and there it will be easy. You can also take the opportunity of calling him to you before putting his food down. Imagine what a jackpot he's getting by just coming to you!

At first avoid calling your dog when he is intensely focused in something else, your goal is to get your dog to come to you every time he's called, so don't set your dog up for failure and to learn to ignore you when he feels like it. To be able to call your dog away from a play session in the park, you need to start with him coming to you every single time and be really glad he did. Always... the primary primary goal is to control the outcome of the dog's behaviour.

One last thing to bear in mind, is to avoid calling your dog for something he is not going to enjoy, like getting his nails trimmed, or putting him back on the lead when he is still full of energy. In these instances, simply go to him, clip the lead on, keep a friendly and upbeat attitude and be sure you avoid linking your come cue with something he doesn't like.

I would concentrate on this command... and don't worry about anything else right now. You'll find as your dog becomes more disciplined... and focused... other commands will be taught more easily. Keep plenty of yummy treats (hot dogs, stringed cheese.. chicken) handy too!

I'm sorry about the patellas... bummer. I would HIGHLY advise the surgery. Your dog is young and will rebound/recuperate from the surgery nicely at his age. Why not check to see if the vet will take payments?

Good luck!

Suggestion for high pet bills:  Ask your vet if they accept Care Credit.   Easy to apply for.  Basically a credit card for vet care, human dental care/eye care, etc.  I found it extremely helpful when I had high vet bills.  Most importantly, pay it off within the year-long promotion period which is interest-free and finance-charge-free!

~~Good suggestion~~

Please come back and let us know how things are going ok?  We're here to help you if we can!

Thanx for the info guys! I plan on starting some training tonite after work with frank.  Should I just do it by myself first so he assumes I'm the pack leader then once I have him trained incorporate her into the mix?  Also...The surgery to fix the luxating patellas.....what are the results of the surgery?  What gets fixed??  will he walk better?  I think I am going to try the clicker method of training...I will let you guys know how I'm doing this  weekend......

Sounds like you are on the right track. We have a member here who just had the surgery done on their dog, they may be able to explain more. He is only 2, how bad are his patellas? You may be able to wait a bit and see how he does if they are not that bad.

Also, with bad patellas you want to make sure to keep him lean with no added weight.

Thanx again!  Here is some more info that I got from my girlfriend ( who was the head receptionist at a vet clinic, someone came in with him as a puppy wanting to give him up and she took him) 

At the last visit which has been about 6 months ago...the doctor said there were no tears in any ligaments...the surgery will be $1600 for both legs, or no surgery and eventually his ligaments will tear....

We give him glucosamine chondroitin for dogs every day as a treat which has seemed to help his legs...he no longer gets up and carries his back legs for a little while after laying down for extended periods of time......

After the surgery would he be able to sit???

right now sit to him is going into the position on the floor like you see in the picture above....

Welcome to the site! Everyone is giving you good advice. I laughed though when I read your post. Lets see if I got this right: You two just moved in together...and he thinks he is the boss? In the pic he looks like he is telling you "Hey Bud, I am Alpha male in this house!" LOL

OH YES!! he definitely thinks he is the pack leader of the house....I have heard of ways of playing with dogs on the floor and just asertively laying them down with your paws over them like another dog til they calm down and thats the beginning of him releasing his control as leader......

Can anyone confirm this??

I will try and find out more about what stage he is in....

On the luxating patellas, I can say that it is fixable. Ratty has had problems with his knee for 3 years and I took him to my vet in NC and that idiot said he had arthritis and to give him 81 mg aspirin once a day. It continued to get worse so I took him to my vet here and had x-rays done to discover that the groove he should have had at birth did not exist. So we opted to fix it. They went in and made a groove and positioned his knee cap correctly. They also found a torn ligament and fixed that while in there. The cost was $1300.00 here in Florida for one knee and well worth it. Ratty had a great surgeon and has a fantastic vet. I do admit that the care he needed when he came home was not easy. I slept on the floor with him for 2 weeks so he wouldn't feel so alone since he couldn't get in the bed with us as usual. Phil took four of those nights to give me and my back a break. We had to carry him up and down the steps. It broke my heart to see him like that. Now it is 6 weeks later and my boy is walking better than he has in 3 years. Of course there is still more healing time to go but he can go in and out on his own now. At the end of the day his leg still tends to give a little when climbing the steps but it is improving each day. When he can't make it he stands at the steps and cries until I come get him and bring him in or out which ever he needs. 
Fortunately for us, if we get the new house there are no steps for him to have to deal with. My vet said that luxating patellas can happen to any small breed dog. My sister's vet in VA warned her of that when she took her new dog(not a rattie, some kind of poodle mix) in for neutering and said it is possible with all small breeds though it does not always happen.

Ratty can now sit which he hasn't been able to do for easily for more than 3 years. Before it was fixed when he would sleep he couldn't hardly walk at all when he got up. Now it may take a minute to put that leg down but he does and walks normally. I did not know about such things with small dogs and as he began to exhibit pain I was afraid that I would have to put him down because his quality of life was going way down and I didn't want him to have to live on pain pills. And then I found out it could be fixed. I chose to have the surgery because I could not bear to see him in such pain. To me it was worth the money to see my boy acting like he did when he was younger. He is 11 now but thanks to his surgery I may have quite a few more years with him having fun instead of him living on pain meds, which affect their liver in a very short amount of time. I wish you luck with  the pup.

Well I have some good news...

After working with frank at lunch for about an hour today I could already tell a huge difference in him...I started with stay/come and did it about 30 times rewarding when done correctly and saying no firmly and restarting each time....I used a mix of treats and praise and could see he really liked it...after each 10 or so tries I would wrestle with him a lil bit on the floor and each time by the end I was on top holding him down, not forcefully, but showing my dominance....he responded greatly by letting me do this which I never thought he would, and by calming down and starting to relax when I held him down.  I can't wait to get off work and work on him some more...

Seeing a light at the end of the tunnel

Levi

I will try and get some more pics of frank up this weekend tracey....thanks for all your guys help I will keep you all updated on franks progress.....

The best advice I ever got for training my girl was to work with her while watching TV. For example take the commercal breaks to work with them, do a few exercies in the short time that you have then when your show comes on take a "break" that way they don't get bored or frustrated and neather do you. Then you start again duing the next break. It worked good with me but since every one and every dog is different I hope this suggestion might help. But about waiting on teaching the roomate it is best for her to know what she has done wrong in not training her pup and work with her to correct the problem. She should understand that it is part of being a responsible pet owner to train and work with them, because such basic commands such as COME, SIT, STAY, DROP IT, LEAVE IT, could save her dogs life. After explaning this she hopefully with be ready and will to work with you and get Frank ready to listen and you can live all three together in peace.

I've heard the good and bad of clicker training but I used it to teach just the basics we don't need it anymore but for some people and first time "trainers" with thier dogs it works.

Hey guys!

Havent had time to get any new pics of frank....sorry : - (

But in other news he is coming along great...

Been working with him on a leash for walks in the park....trying to get him to understand how to walk without pulling on the leash and choking himself....think I am going to buy him a harness for our walks...also picked up a copy of cesar milans first book...going to start reading it this weekend...wish me luck!

Levi

Glad the training is coming along. Ratties tend to be very smart dogs.

Now, about the surgery. Please, please get it done as soon as possible. It will only get worse and there is usually pain involved with lux. patellas as they get older. Dogs are good at hiding pain especially when it's a constant low-grade pain as opposed to a sharp intense pain. I'm sure you don't want him in pain!

And $1600 isn't too bad. If you compare to human procedures and costs. It's really very reasonable. (Especially if it includes lab work and follow ups!)

The longer you wait, the worse it gets. Usually the vet will let you make payments or do Care Credit. Like stated previously there is a long intro period with no interest. We spent thousands and thousands of dollars on our Cattle Dog Kahlua's surgeries. The vet let us pay $25.00 a month. Just talk to them. Communication is the best. A lot of times you just have to talk to them. 

Bob had the surgery on one leg when he was six months old. He did great!!

Best of Luck