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Subject: I NEED SOME HELP/ ADVICE
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Author Messages
Fenway14


Ratterific
Ratterific
08/26/2008 9:45 PM  

My oldest rattie is very energetic? if thats the world...he does not listen to anyone...he gets right up in your face and puts his face on yours and will not move. he gets on your lap and puts his front paws around your neck [like a hug] when you tell him NO he will get his toy and run around and shake his toy and act like a big baby because he got yelled at..i dont know what to do.

 

its like he totally ignores me and my boyfriend is gettin irritated with him. I love him to death but everytime i go over there i come home in scratches...please help


"Always do what your afraid to do"

Megan♥ mommy to Fenway and Covelli










ivy


Rat-A-Tat-Tat
Rat-A-Tat-Tat
08/26/2008 9:55 PM  
sounds like he thinks he is in charge of it all!
Fenway14


Ratterific
Ratterific
08/26/2008 10:02 PM  
oh yes he does..and its not like we do not dicipline him because we do..and ill bring his 'sister' over and she is very well behaved and let him watch her when i tell her a command.

"Always do what your afraid to do"

Megan♥ mommy to Fenway and Covelli










rattytatty


Training Moderator
Training Moderator
08/26/2008 10:30 PM  

(1) How old is he?
(2) Is he neutered?
(3) What efforts have been made to date towards training him?  You say you discipline him... but there's a HUGE difference between disciplining a dog and training a dog. 


~Nora~
Mom to Hoss, Lil'Bit, Buster & Bailey, CGC, OA, OAJ
braeli_bryson


Terrier Terror
Terrier Terror
08/27/2008 8:06 AM  
yup... sounds like HE is ALPHA and YOU are in HIS PACK!!!! You need to train him, make him understand you are the alpha of your pack. you need to be determined, patient and consistant. i am not one for "hitting" in discipline but i will lay the dog on his side and hold his shoulder firmly to the floor... do this until he lays submissive and calm.... the yelling does nothing... its just loud barking to them...

i did this with bryson when he really acted up. a good test of dominance is to stare them in the eyes... bryson was soo brave he wouldnt turn away... now it wont last more than 2 secs before he looks down and comes to me... he still tries to push his limits but thats the "rebelious teen" in him!!!

good luck! it will work out... best advice is to answer noras questions and really listen to what she tells you to try.

"No one knows YOU better than YOU!"

gianni_mahopac, ny
bryson: pearl tri color | braeli: chocolate tri color.
Fenway14


Ratterific
Ratterific
08/27/2008 8:35 AM  
he is one year and 7 months, yes he has been neutered. I have tried all i can think of. when he jumps on me i push him down and if he continues i turn my back and cross my arms and pays no attention to him. When he gets in my face [im usually on the couch] i say down and point to the floor..he stands there with his face on mine and will not move. I pick him up and put him on the ground and say down. I have NEVER hit any of my dogs...i dont think that does anything for them..i just simply put them in their cage and leave them for a little while.

Any training advise/ tips will be much appreciated.

"Always do what your afraid to do"

Megan♥ mommy to Fenway and Covelli










rattytatty


Training Moderator
Training Moderator
08/27/2008 9:40 AM  

Ok... let's start from square one as it sounds like you are disciplining him and yet not really training him and focusing his attention on something positive. It's always a good idea to provide positive reinforcement/praise after a negative "punishment". Although you are not hitting your dog physically.... you are correcting him (ie... if you get in my face I'm going to put you down on the floor) and not giving him anything positive to reinforce to him what you are asking him to do. (make sense?). So it would be my guess that your dog doesn't know what behavior you are asking for. Because I am not there and cannot actually SEE what's happening... I'm going to assume this, and you can correct me if I'm wrong.

Put your dog on a 1 or 1-1/2 foot lead... and do all training on lead.  If your dog is not on a leash, you cannot control him during the training process (or any other time either for that matter).

Have treats available (in your pocket...in a ziplock bag next to you....etc.). Sit down on the couch and put your dog in a "sit" position on the floor next to you, and do not allow him to get up. Give him the verbal command "SIT". The instant he sits and makes eye contact with you.... praise him and give him a treat, and reinforce the verbal command "Good sit... good sit... good sit...". Make it a happy experience, and yet do not let him get up. Keep him in the sit position with the leash. You need to do this everytime you sit and under no circumstances should you allow him on the couch or chair or bed where you are. If you are unable to put him on the leash and reinforce this... put him in his crate, but make this a positive experience also so that he doesn't feel you are punishing him for something. Dogs don't come to us with good manners. It's up to us to teach these manners to a dog. When you tell me you tell the dog "down" and he will look you in the face and not move... that lets me know that you are not the boss -- he is, and this simply is not acceptable. You can "point to the floor" all day long and I suspect he has no clue what you are asking of him... and that simply isn't fair to the dog. I'm being honest (and I hope not too blunt) when I say that you cannot possibly expect a dog to understand what you want of him if he hasn't been trained to KNOW what you are asking of him.   I prefer to first teach a dog not to get on the couch at all.  Later, once he has learned this and you wish for him to get on the furniture with you... THEN you can start teaching the "OFF" command.  He needs to learn (1) Not to get on the furniture without an invitation and (2) when he is on the furniture and you want him off... he needs to know the command to get "off".  But it's my opinion it's better to teach one command at a time, and have the command down pat before proceeding to another command.  It gets confusing to a dog if you try to train two commands at one time.

I use the "down" command when I want my dog to go down (on the floor). I use the "off" command when I want my dog off of me. For example, if I'm sitting in a chair and the dog is in my lap ... and I want him off. I say "BAILEY... OFF" and my dogs immediately jumps down to the floor. Many people make the mistake of using the same verbal command for different behaviors they are seeking. So I always use different commands for different behaviors. Off means get off. Down means lay down on the floor. Make your verbal commands distinctive so the dog can learn the difference.

So we've addressed him jumping on the couch... and from now on the couch, chairs, or bed.. or any other furniture you are in... are off limits to him during the training period, ok?

So now let's address him jumping on you while you are standing. Same thing.... the "off" command. Jumping up is a natural behavior for dogs and unfortunately we actually strengthen the behavior by paying a lot of attention to it and giving the dog mixed messages about it. In order to decrease jumping, the first rule is that he's not allowed to jump or climb on anyone at any time. I would advise keeping him on a short 1 or 1-1/2 foot lead at all times (buy a cheap nylon leash and cut it off) and if he attempts to jump up, grab the lead... put the dog in a sit position and say "OFF"... or you can always step on the lead too which will help him stay down and off of you. Again.. use the "off" and not the "down" command. Once the dog is in the sit position... keep him down by putting pressure on the lead and treat him. Good "off" and treat... good "off" and treat... good "off" and treat. Make it a happy experience.

Keep the lead on the dog... make sure it's long enough to grab on to, but short enough so that he can't get it hung up on anything. Keep this on him at ALL TIMES when you are home (not when he's crated), so you'll always have something available to grab ahold of.

I promise you if you will do these things, you will eventually (and it probably won't take but a few weeks) end up with a dog who respects the "off" command.

Stay calm... and give these commands in a matter-of-fact way. Make your praises and treats very animated and happy...

Good luck to you. Don't give up on this little guy. This is a highly intelligent breed .. a very energetic breed... and because he is a terrier, he will push his luck if you allow him to get by with it.

Also... I would take the lead and make him sit before giving him his food. This will reinforce you as the leader. I use the "wait" command for this. I hold the bowl in one hand... the lead in the other. I say "Bailey...Sit" (always remember to put the dog's name in front of whatever command you are using). The dog sits (and if he doesn't do it automatically, put pressure on the lead and gently push down on his back side). Once the dog is in the sit position... say "wait"... keeping pressure on the lead to keep him in the sit position. then put the food down. So the scenario should now be... you have the dog in a sit position with the food bowl in front of him, right? Now.. say "OK!!!!" (release command). Let him go to his food bowl. Eventually, you won't need to use the lead at all.


~Nora~
Mom to Hoss, Lil'Bit, Buster & Bailey, CGC, OA, OAJ
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