HI, I CAME ACROSS THIS SITE WHEN I WAS RESEARCHING ON LINE HOW TO TRAIN MY RAT TERRIER.......I JUST RECENTLY ADOPTED A RAT TERRIER FROM THE SHELTER FOR MY DAUGHTERS BIRTHDAY LAST MONTH...HIS NAME IS NELLY(LIKE THE RAPPER)AND HE IS 3 1/2 YRS OLD......FOR THE MOST PART NELLY IS A REALLY GOOD DOG....AND SO LOVEABLE..BUT I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF ISSUES THAT I HOPE SOMEBODY CAN HELP ME WITH........#1. NELLY IS REALLY HYPER SOMETIMES....FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN MY DAUGHTER COMES HOME FROM SCHOOL OR WHEN HE HAS BEEN CONFINED TO ONE AREA OF THE HOUSE,WHEN HE IS LET OUT HE STARTS RUNNING AROUND THE HOUSE LIKE A MAD PERSON AND JUMPING UP (HE JUMPS REALLY HIGH)..MY DAUGHTER IS TEN AND TALL FOR HER AGE...HE HAS JUMPED UP AND BITE HER TWICE IN THE FACE(NOT ON PURPOSE AND IT DIDN'T BREAK SKIN ) HOW CAN I STOP HIM FROM DOING THAT......#2. WHEN HE GOES FOR WALKS OUTSIDE ON THE LEASH...HOW DO I STOP HIM FROM PULLING ME, I TRIED STANDING STILL WHEN HE STARTS TO PULL, BUT THAT ONLY WORKS FOR A SECOND...I AM SO WORRIED THAT HE WILL CHOKE HIM SELF BUT IT DOSENT SEEM TO BOTHER HIM...HELP!!! .........#3 IF NELLY SEES FOOD , ANY KIND, HE  STARTS JUMPING AROUND AND CLIMBING ON U...WE ARE AT A POINT THAT WHEN WE EAT ANYTHING, WE HAVE TO PUT HIM IN HIS ROOM(WHICH HE HATES)...WHICH BRINGS ME TO PROBLEM #4......WE PURCHASED A GATE TO KEEP HIM IN HIS AREA SOMETIMES BUT THATS DOSEN'T WORK....HE JUMPS RIGHT OVER IT(LIKE I SAID,HE'S A GOOD JUMPER) SO NOW WE CLOSE THE DOOR BUT THAT DOSEN'T WORK EITHER BECAUSE SOON AS THE DOOR CLOSES HE STARTS BANGING AGAINST THE DOOR TRYING TO GET OUT AND STARTS WHIMPERING,WHAT DO I DO.....THE LAST THING I WANT TO ASK ABOUT, WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME...WHEN I TAKE NELLY OUT FOR HIS WALK HE TENDS TO FIND EVERY PIECE OF FOOD THAT SOMEONE HAS DROPPED ON THE GROUND...IS THERE ANYWAY I CAN STOP HIM FROM EATING FOOD FROM OFF THE GROUND WHEN WE ARE OUT....HE FINDS BONES..WHICH MY VET SAYS  HE SHOULDN'T EAT .....WE DON'T FEED HIM TABLE FOOD BUT HE FINDS ALL KINDS OF FOOD OUTSIDE...I AM SO WORRIED THAT ONE DAY HE WILL FIND SOME CHOCALATE OR SOMETHING THATS REALLY BAD FOR HIM.....BECAUSE HE PULLS ME WHEN WE WALK AND NOT WALK AT MY SIDE, HE FINDS THE FOOD BEFORE I DO AND IS ALREADY CHUMPING DOWN WHEN I NOTICE....WE ARE AT THE POINT NOW THAT IT TAKES TWO PPL TO WALK NELLY....ONE TO WALK AHEAD OF HIM TO MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING ON THE GROUND THAT HE CAN EAT AND ONE TO WALK HIM, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT IT'S NICE OUTSIDE AND KIDS ARE PLAYING(DROPPING CANDY AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE NOT GOOD FOR DOGS)...I DON'T REALLY KNOW IF THERE IS A REMEDY FOR THIS..BUT IF ANYONE HAS ANY ADVICE FOR ME PLEASE SHARE.............OKAY, WITH THAT SAID I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE NELLY IS A PROBLEM DOG BUT HE'S REALLY NOT(OF COURSE, I COULD BE IN DENIAL, LIKE THOSE PARENTS THAT NEVER THINK THERE KIDS ARE BAD BUT EVERYBODY ELSE DOES,LOL). NELLY IS A JOY TO BE AROUND...HE IS SOOOOO CUTE AND HE DOES ALL THESE GREAT TRICKS AND HE'S MY LITTLE PROTECTOR...WERE EVER I GO HE HIS RIGHT ON MY HEELS, I JOKE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE NAMED HIM SHADOW...BECAUSE THATS WHAT HE IS, MY LITTLE SHADOW......OH, I SHOULD PROBABLY MENTION THAT I HAVE NEVER HAD A DOG BEFORE...THIS IS ALL NEW TO ME...SO, IF U HAVE ANY ADVICE THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL, JUST IN GENERAL..PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LET ME IN ON IT

Hi and welcome to the site.  Sounds like you have your hands full!  Adopting an older pet (out of puppy stages) is a tad more difficult, but you can OVERCOME!!!!!  I've said this before, but you HAVE to get a crate for Nelly and get him crate trained.  This teaches them that YOU are the master.  They like leadership on your part because dogs are pack animals and they must identify a leader.  Put Nelly in the crate when you leave...start off with 15 minutes...then work your way up to a full day. 

Ratties are HYPER natured.  At least mine are.  They are full of energy and they like to hunt (food, animals, bugs, you name it).  I'm not sure that you can break them of that, but you'll have to teach him the word, "No".  If you don't have a retractable leash, you should get one.   This allows you to control how far or how close you want him to you.  Also, I like to use harnesses instead of collars so there's better control. (Molly slipped out of her collar at a rest stop and got away...eventually I caught her.  This could have been prevented with a harness).  When you walk, don't be afraid to yank the leash whenever he strays too far.  Eventually this will train him to stay near you. 

I would get Nelly a lot of toys and enroll him in agility classes.  The classes will be good structure for him and use a lot of energy.  He'll also look forward to them.  The toys are a lot of fun and can take up his time and energy.  The "Kong" toy line that you can find at Petsmart is a fun toy.  You can stuff dog food or a treat in them and the goal is to get the treat out of the toy.

Have fun and good luck...I've learned a lot from books and training classes.  But they were both worth it.

Joy

#1 - Ratties ARE hyper "sometimes"... some more than others. Exercise is a huge key in toning down the hyperactivity. Is he getting enough exercise? Hyperactive dogs are usually bored and under-exercised. No matter how busy or hectic your life is, taking some time out by playing or exercising with your dog has more relaxing benefits than you can possibly imagine. Your dog will not judge you, criticise you, condemn you or ignore you. All your dog wants is your love and to please you by showing as much love as only a dog can know how to demonstrate. They do this by play and by frolicking.  Please make time to play and frolick with him.

Crate train him. I promise you this will be the BEST thing you can do for both you and your dog. Put the dog in his crate while you are eating. But give HIM something too!  (this way it won't be lika a "punishment"   Try a kong filled with peanut butter to occupy him so his cries don't torment you while you are attempting to eat. When you are done eating... take him out of the crate and take the kong away. The kong should be ONLY for crate times. Gates are useless if your dog jumps them. Again... use a crate instead.  Get busy crate training the dog and his life will be happier and so will yours.

For pulling while you are walking him... I could recommend a prong collar, but I highly doubt you've used one before... so I'm not going to recommend it.   So instead... when he starts pulling... do an about-face and go in the opposite direction. Keep doing this... until he finally gets to the point that he understands pulling means NOT getting to go where he's trying to go. You can try a choke collar if you wish. Sometimes these help.

Agility might be difficult right now...you might even try obedience classes.  They'll teach you walking on a leash, basic commands, LOTS of helpful information.  Make sure you tell them it's an adult dog, they might put you in an adult class (they'll spend more time with you since training is more difficult). 

I wouldn't do the newspaper thing.  I've tried spraying water, but of course, the dog I had (a Lab) loved it.  I haven't tried it since. 

Letting him sleep in the crate....mmmm...I think EVERYONE has a different opinion.  My dogs sleep in bed, but a lot of people don't like that.  You might train him in the crate and eventually he'll sleep on a cushion near your bed.  I just feel sorry for my girls, because they're in a crate for several hours while my husband and I are at work, so I let them in bed. 

Is Nelly housebroken?

Joy

Here's a link from the Humane Society:  http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/submissive_and_excitement_urination.html

In the past I had never used a crate, but I have to tell you with our Bohda it has been the BEST investment, besides lots of toys and love of course..lol..

If you look in this part of the main forum (training) the very first post/article is on crate training.  It gives some great ideas on the general idea of why and how to introduce I believe.

You want the crate to be a positive place, his own little palace of safety and security.  If you can, start slowly, keep the crate open with a towel or blanket on the bottom for him.  Sit with him next to the crate and throw a small bit of treat in, if he goes in to get it, give him lots and lots of praise, and do it again.  After a few minutes walk away and see if he goes in by himself.  If he does, praise him again, if not, wait a few hours and use the treat method again with lots of praise.  It can take a few days, and basically you are building on the "good experience", after all you want this to be his "bed and home", not a place of punishment.  When he starts to seem okay with it, try putting him in it while you eat dinner with a bone and close the door.  When your done open it back up and spend a few minutes with him.  Next time have him stay in a bit longer, with praise and time with you afterward.

Keep some toys in there for him so he isn't just sitting there board, this helps a lot because it helps to feel less like punishment and anyway, how fun would it be to live in a house with nothing to do? LOL  The key to this is to make it a positive thing and not a punishment.  Although we have 2 older dogs we have learned with our Bohda (rat terrier) that they are like parrots (which we also have), any training method or introducing a new thing should end on a positive note, not a negative one.

When we first started to crate train Bohda we did cover her cage at night, this did seem to help her feel safe and lessened the whining when she saw us and wanted out.  Now we don't have to do that but it helped in the beginning. We only did this at night for sleeping though, not during the day.

Once your dog is comfortable with the crate, and not killing your ears with whining (which he will probably do a little or a lot for a bit) he should be in the crate anytime you can't watch him and you think he may get into trouble.  Some of these times are:

1. When your not home, this keep him safe and your things so he's not chewing them up and hurting himself or using the bathroom anywhere he wants if he's not potty trained.

2.  If your having problems during meal times.

3. At night while everyone is alseep

4.  When your daughter gets home from school until he learns not to jump up on her.

A crate should never be used as a babysitter, in the sense that any animal CAN spend to much time caged, and it WILL hurt them emotionally and can create a whole new mess of problems.  Your using the crate for his safety and in some cases your sanity, but its essential that as much as possible you dog be "a part" of your family.  Now if you work 10 hours a day, its best your dog be in his crate while your not home if you can't trust him, with some toys. That is okay.  But if your home all day and find your dog crated for 10 hours straight, that might not be such a good idea.  Then again the last is my personal opinion and may not be the best example, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying.

A couple things to remember about a dog in general and especially when using a crate.

1. A TIRED dog, will whine less in the crate and just generally be happier.  We learned this early on! LOL  Give your dog a good walk or play before crating him for a long period of time (like all night or before work).

2.  When your dog first comes out of the crate, he WILL have loads of energy and be SUPER excited to be with you.  This is an excellent time for a good walk to burn off some of that excess energy or a good game of fetch!

3.  Basic obedience training will help you and him as much as the crate.  It will help with the jumping, but it will also show you how to train your dog and be in control and it will also train your dog to have control over himself. 

4.  We buy soft treats from walmart and carry some with us whenever we are working with Bohda.  When she does something good we praise her and give her a small piece of the treat.  When your dog is doing a good thing, you can not over praise!  You just can't show him enough love or give enough praise when he is doing something good.  Every good experience you have with your dog will make him want to continue to get that praise, he will pay better attention to what your saying/doing so he can get that love.

I just want to say, I'm just a dog lover and still learning myself.  So if I'm wrong about anything I'm sure another member will pipe up and let us both know, so please listen to them if they correct me!  That would be very important!

Good Luck!  It can be a bit of work and very overwhelming at times but its SO worth it!  And remember, crate training, basic obedience.  With those two things you can rule the world!  LOL

April and Bohda in SC

YEAH! I'm happy for you and Nelly. He's so cute!

Joy

I have used a shock collar, and I am not against them.... BUT....I would not invest in a remote/shock/electric collar unless you intend on getting someone who has experience with one to show you how to use one properly. Your dog needs to know some basic commands before you go this route... so please don't go out and purchase one unless you intend to get properly trained to use it. You can do more harm than good.

I agree with Nora (and Mia). Shock collars should NEVER be used without proper training from a professional as the potential damage is just too great a risk. There are many other methods of training that can be and should be exhausted first before a shock collar might be considered.

You have adopted an older dog from a shelter (and bless you again for that), so it might take him just a little longer to catch on than say a puppy would, but he WILL catch on if you are consistent and patient. This breed is one of the most intelligent any of us have ever seen - and some of us have seen a lot!

I hope you check in soon and let us know how Nelly is progressing. Always, always, feel free to ask questions here. You will be given much advice and support.

You don't need a ton of training to use one for aversion training, you just push the button and say no...You and I spent hours on the phone when you bought yours for Bailey and then you went to your other trainer buddy for help. Most of the info that is provided with the collars is very very good and there are tons of web sites on how to use them. Now if your afraid or against using one then by all means don't buy one, but you better get ready to do something about jumping and biting, a trip to the emergency room and a permanent scare on your childs face is not something you'd want either.

Scott

Yes indeed, we did discuss the option of using a shock collar at great length, and I did buy one and I did use it on Bailey a few times... and it DID help correct the issue I was having with him at the time. But the KEY thing I try to stress and ALWAYS stress (especially to people with NO training experience at all)... and you said it yourself.... is "you went to your other trainer buddy for help".  I'm not a professional, even though I've had lots of experience WITH a professional.  I know how to train a dog.  But I had never used a shock collar  and no way was I going to use a shock collar on Bailey without the assistance of a professional.  And I don't advise anyone else to do it either.

I had several sessions with the professional before I ever used it on Bailey by myself.  Did it do the trick?  Absolutely it did !  I'm not against them at all.  Just saying much depends on the dog...the dog's background... the temperment of the dog as a whole... how much experience the owner/handler has had... many factors go into making a decision as to which training method to use.  The same methods simply don't work for each and every single dog, imo.