Question:One of my dogs, a 1 yr old female, is having obedience issues. She's a chocolate Lab-German short hair pointer mix. She's headstrong anyway, but before, when I called her name, she came running without problems - I had worked heavily with her on training and still do.
She's been having issues with coming when called and staying where she's told ever since we took in a new dog. He's significantly bigger than she is - a Greater Swiss mix - but he is far more docile and submissive to her.
Is there any way I can get my female to start listening again? I know she knew at one point that I was the boss, but is this slipping? Is it doggy puberty? Or is it the fact that now that she's alpha over another dog, she thinks she's alpha over everyone?
Any help is appreciated. :)
Answers:
there are simple little things you can do to remind your dogs that you are the ultimate alpha:
before you feed them, you eat first. if you are on a different feeding schedule than your dog, i recommend keeping a box of crackers next to the dog food, so you can have a couple and make sure they see you eating first. in the wild, alpha ALWAYS eats first.
control your space. make sure you are walking through doorways first, then the dogs. same for sofas and beds. when you walk your dogs, it should be you first, then your lab, then your swiss mix. if there are enough people in your household, you can actually walk IN FRONT of the pack, with another person holding each dogs leash following.
be sure to reward good behavior, and also be sure not to "contaminate" her name. use her name ONLY positively. whenever she hears her name she should want to come running to you because it means 100% good stuff will happen 100% of the time.
many times, if a dog starts to hear her name in frustration/annoyance/anger "FIDO! stop barking! FIDO! Drop the sock!" etc. they'll stop coming. sort of like how teenagers will stop hearing mom call them (because they know it's probably not to give them $100 dollars... but more likely to take out the trash, do the dishes, get to the bottom of the 'D' on the report card, etc.)
best of luck :)
It's a phase, keep up the training and be consistent and she'll come back around.
Give the dogs equal attention and love. Try to do things with both of them at the same time. Your first dog is probably jealous of the other one and needs more time to adjust. I had similar problems with 2 male dogs and now they are best friends. Lots of luck!
have a treat in your hand and call her name. she will come to you and she'll learn. keep doing this with gradually less treats.
Ha, if you think thats bad, just you watch my dog for 10 seconds and I'll guarentee he'll do something naughty. He is a 1 year old and he is a Pomeranian. He is Austin!!!!!!!!...
You may need to go back to the basics of obedience training to remind her. Reteach the come command with her on long leash so if she doesn't you can gently give her a little tug and help her. Praise and treats when she does it correctly and always end on a positive note. Same thing with stay--short periods of stay with you very close. Extend the distance and time gradually.
She sounds like she is a little upset with the new dog and this is her way of showing you. Just make sure she gets a little extra attention, especially when she is good, so she knows she is still #1.
I have run into this before when adding another dog to the house. She will come around.
both - she thinkks shes boss & traiings sliping usually the to go hand in hand - start working with her alone - with out the other dog then once shes working if- then make her listen while the other dogs present
-- feed her last , make her sit / stay before she goes outside gets her food etc - if she breaks the command - get her to ____ again ( no pushing or forcing the animal physically ) & continue to repeat till she doesnt mess up - start for 5 seconds or so then extend time -then give a release comand eg OK ! & make a huge fuss praise etc.
Repeat 10 to 20 times a day at least - fin it in as approperiate
Tough love usually works wonders
It's partly the new dog upsetting the balance in the household. Keep consistently working with her, try adding a few new things to your training to keep her thinking and concentrating, maybe add a few new experiences for her - take her somewhere new for training, then come back and have her work on recall when she's a bit tired out. I think they all go through stages where they regress a bit, but she'll come back to where she was again, she's figuring things out.
More Questions & Answers...