Help With Lola
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We used to call this 'lead legs' when they just refuse to get up and have very 'selective hearing' when called 
Would a squeaky toy help to get her to follow you? If she thinks there will be a fetch session with the squeaky if she goes with you that might help if food doesn't entice her? Good luck! |
| Don't I have to follow through with playing with the toy? I NEVER let her win. She always has to whatever it is I asked her to do. I don't know what her reward is in this behavior. I assumed that if I was consistent, that she would realize that she was going to end up complying regardless...apparently not. <sigh> Stubborn Sheepie! |
LolasMama wrote: Don't I have to follow through with playing with the toy? I NEVER let her win. She always has to whatever it is I asked her to do. I don't know what her reward is in this behavior. I assumed that if I was consistent, that she would realize that she was going to end up complying regardless...apparently not. <sigh> Stubborn Sheepie!
I wouldn't want to play if you never letme win either. I have to say it sounds like fear behavior to me as well. She might need some confidence and winning a game or two will help with that.. |
| I think its more important for you to decide when the game ends rather than not letting her 'win' the game. Just have a little play with her and the squeaky if that will entice her to follow you but you decide when enough is enough. She won't know whether this time will be a 2 minute or a 10 minute game but if you achieve your aim to encourage her to follow you either to bed or outside to pee without using the leash - job done! |
Daisymog wrote: I think its more important for you to decide when the game ends rather than not letting her 'win' the game. Just have a little play with her and the squeaky if that will entice her to follow you but you decide when enough is enough. She won't know whether this time will be a 2 minute or a 10 minute game but if you achieve your aim to encourage her to follow you either to bed or outside to pee without using the leash - job done!
BINGO! Kerry - it's not always fear based. I have dead weight dogs on occasion. Sybil does a mean mule imitation. Well, did. Her grandma was amazing at it. Usually reserved for bath time, but you get my drift. It's a nice way for a soft dog to avoid doing something they don't want to do without actually, you know, flipping you the paw. 
Smart dogs ask what's in it for them. Lola's asking. What are you telling her? (Sybil says blind obedience is HIGHLY overrated )
Kristine |
kerry wrote: LolasMama wrote: Don't I have to follow through with playing with the toy? I NEVER let her win. She always has to whatever it is I asked her to do. I don't know what her reward is in this behavior. I assumed that if I was consistent, that she would realize that she was going to end up complying regardless...apparently not. <sigh> Stubborn Sheepie! I wouldn't want to play if you never letme win either. I have to say it sounds like fear behavior to me as well. She might need some confidence and winning a game or two will help with that.. I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. I didn't mean I don't let her win a game, I meant I never give up and walk away when she flops down. She doesn't get to ignore me and not do what was asked of her. |
| Thanks guys, I will try the toy. I have to say though, she is not hugely toy driven either. i am still trying to figure out Lola's trigger. I believe she was very neglected and isolated. She is a sweet, happy girl in most other ways. I wonder if I haven't given her too much attention. Maybe she needs to work for it a little more. I was trying to make her feel loved and secure and I may have over done it. Plus, who can resist hugging a Sheepie all of the time?! |
| Time will help.
Our Maggie was the same way. No real interest, as she had no clue what anything fun was about, or at the least what life with humans was about.. And she was definitely on overload at 1st. She seemed unmotivated by food, affection, toys. It took several months to get to just learning that she could relax and be herself. She is still stubborn - she's a female coonhound after all!  - but she is sooo much better and so much fun now.
Hang in there, and keep working with her.  |
| The one thing Lola cares about most, besides jumping all over Tim and I, is Lily. Our retriever and her adore each other. Lily is 11.5 months. She is well trained except for the jumping part. <sigh> If I could just figure out how to bottle Lola's love for Lily into a tool...hmmmmm |
| You really haven't had her all that long so you are just really learning her personality.
Mad Dog wrote: Kerry - it's not always fear based. I guess I meant uncertainty. Even Morgan will go dead if he thinks I am asking him to do something he isn't sure of (like walk on the swaying bridge, while fearful Marley says - wowo a new toy look at me jump and run over this !!). I have dead weight dogs on occasion. Sybil does a mean mule imitation. Well, did. Her grandma was amazing at it. AHh Kristine - poor Sybil. Usually reserved for bath time, but you get my drift. It's a nice way for a soft dog to avoid doing something they don't want to do without actually, you know, flipping you the paw. I thought the bath required a female sheepie to do that. Good thing Marley isonly 65 pounds  Smart dogs ask what's in it for them. Lola's asking. What are you telling her? (Sybil says blind obedience is HIGHLY overrated )I thought all sheepdogs believe blind obedience is over rated?  Kristine |
LolasMama wrote: The one thing Lola cares about most, besides jumping all over Tim and I, is Lily. Our retriever and her adore each other. Lily is 11.5 months. She is well trained except for the jumping part. <sigh> If I could just figure out how to bottle Lola's love for Lily into a tool...hmmmmm
That is a great tool!! USE IT!! We did with Maggie, and any new dog or foster dog that joins our household for that matter. Our recent foster OES Otis (now Charlie) was a great example. He had BIG hangups and following the pack and being convinced it was a good thing was the best training weapon we had. And, it has a snowball effect too - as they learn the copying is good, they do it more and more, faster and faster!!
Have Lily do the things you want Lola to do. Praise Lily tons as she does it. Lola will soon want part of the action (even a small part if she is initially hesitant to commit). Any step forward is praised, even a babystep. Soon she will have learned the behavior, without even being aware of it. Even better, she will do it happily, not feeling it was forced on her. |
| I will say that Lola jumps right in the tub for me. Heck, she tries to get in the shower with my husband. She comes when called in the house about 99% of the time. She comes at the dog park about 80% of the time. When she came to us, she didn't even know the sit command. She now knows that as well as Leave It. She will sometimes down as well, but pops right back up. What I love most about her is also what is most exasperating: her absolute unsquashability. Lily be have her pinned growling in her face trying to school her and Lola will grin and be like 'do that again!' Lily will look at me like, 'I tried ok, what am I supposed to do with THAT?!' It is really comical to watch Lily get exasperated as well. The interesting thing in all of this is that I have seen Lily mature quickly since we got Lola. She takes her big sister role seriously. |
| A 7 month old is still SUCH a baby! Heck, at 7 months one of mine was still struggling with being house broken and neither was very consistent with their commands. At 10 months alot changed for us, both girls suddenly understood their commands much better and heeded them more often. And at 12 months there was a significant "calming" factor, where they didn't need to be quite as spastic all the time. But at 7 months, with puppy classes and one on one training, we certainly didn't have 100% command compliance, and it was definitely worse at the dog park. Do you think some of this may just be that she still very much a giant puppy, and perhaps not as much about her prior life? |
Darth Snuggle wrote: A 7 month old is still SUCH a baby! Heck, at 7 months one of mine was still struggling with being house broken and neither was very consistent with their commands. At 10 months alot changed for us, both girls suddenly understood their commands much better and heeded them more often. And at 12 months there was a significant "calming" factor, where they didn't need to be quite as spastic all the time. But at 7 months, with puppy classes and one on one training, we certainly didn't have 100% command compliance, and it was definitely worse at the dog park. Do you think some of this may just be that she still very much a giant puppy, and perhaps not as much about her prior life?
I absolutely think so. She IS a puppy. A GIANT one. LOL. The only reason I feel any pressure at all is because of the boarding issue coming up. They had two issues with Lola. When they call her, she does the dead dog in the corner routine and issue two is she never came out of her shell. She was uncertain the whole 2 hours she was there. We are trying it again on Friday. I am hoping that she was just worried about whether we were coming back or not. The only time I have left her anywhere, she was either spayed or on an IV in the hospital. I can totally see her point. She is GREAT at the dog park. But then again, I am there. The good news is that she was interested in other dogs and curious about her surroundings. Her tail just never got all the way up and she kept more to herself. They have a doggie cam that I was able to watch from home. This is a REALLY great place and I love the staff, so I really want to make this work. I am going to put her in as many times as it takes for her to get comfortable, or as many times as they'll let me. LOL. They BOTH came home exhausted. It was AWESOME! |
Darth Snuggle wrote: Do you think some of this may just be that she still very much a giant puppy, and perhaps not as much about her prior life?
I do find her prior life disturbing though. When she had her health crisis last week, they found a bb pellet in her hip on the xray. Somebody shot at this sweet baby. I am amazed by how sweet and loving she is after that sort of treatment. |
| oh how HORRIBLE!!!!! Poor Lola!
Adam and I travel alot; so we knew that our girls would have to be okay being boarded several times a year. What we found helpful was that we took them for an overnight stay before our first trip. They played all day at daycare, then stayed the night, and I picked them up the next morning. We wanted them to know that they weren't going to be abandoned, and that we'd pick them up after a boarding stay. I think it also helped that this was the doggie day care that they went to once or twice a week to play; so they liked being there and they knew the staff. I think you are on the right track, taking Lola and Lily back several times over the next few weeks leading up to your trip. It may help Lola to understand that it can be fun, and to know that her pal Lily will be with her. And when they do finally have their "big sleepover" it will be less scary for her. Also? Help the folks at the boarding place to help Lola. My Luna loves being brushed; so I send her brush along and ask that they spend 15 or 20 minutes just brushing and coddling her. Tonks is a goof ball that just likes to play; I make sure that her favorite toy is packed ( I have back ups of these "favorites" in case they get lost or damaged). And I send a tub of healthy, low-fat treats, with the instructions that they can have as many as they'd like. Some boarding facilities will "customize" your dogs stays with walks or training or other special stuff. I actually had our place take Tonks through their Agility course once a day on one of our longer trips. It sounds like you have found a place to leave Lola and Lilly that is pretty nice; why not talk with them about a game plan to help Lola relax and enjoy her time there? |
| They are really good and really willing to work with me. Lily is content to run with the pack and play all day. Lola more likes to pick one or two dogs and play with them. She is not really a pack runner. As I get to know Lola more, I can help the facility help her more. I am hoping that once she realizes that I will ALWAYS come back for her, she will begin to enjoy herself more. It would never even occur to Lily that I wouldn't come back. Interestingly, Lily and Lola do not interact much at the facility. Lily is instantly one of the pack running and playing immediately. Lola likes to 'read the room'. At home, they are inseparable. I am hoping that in time Lola will become as confident as Lily. |
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