Pestering when there are guests/ phonecalls
My boy has an issue with his leg, so I can't run him to tire him out. I don't work during the day though so he gets plenty of walks, about 2 hours a day in total and we live in the countryside so he has lots of space and some off leash time every day. He has lots of puzzles with treat rewards which do keep him busy for a while. He's mostly fine when I'm alone, he just snoozes like a normal dog, but he's a total nightmare when I have a guest. Also, I walk him with my neighbours dog and Ru will not leave her alone. It's like his nose is literally glued to her butt  he's been like that since we have known her (7 months). He pesters her til she goes crazy too!I feel like I'm at the end of my patience with him. If I put him in a gated area he barks like crazy for hours.. if I put him in a separate room he barks and scratches at the door. I've tried an electric bark stopper, a bark collar, positive reinforcement when he's quiet, I've tried teaching him the 'quiet' command. I've ignored him, sprayed him with water and tried giving him the attention he's asking for but he just wants to play, play, play and still won't let me talk. Is it too late to neuter him? Would that calm him down? Someone suggested Skullcap and Valerian, does anyone have experience with that? I'm at a loss. I just want to be able to watch tv with my boyfriend! I feed him Purina Pro Plan Athletic. He's been on that food for years. He's fine when we are alone, but drives me mad when I'm with someone else. Also, he's the same when I play with my cat. It's like he's jealous- is that possible? How do I deal with this?!  |
|
|
| Hi Cassie, Was there an extended period of time when you weren't getting guests? When it was you and Ru? Because if there was, it sounds like he may be getting jealous of others getting your attention. I wouldn't know how to fix it if this is the case, however. |
| Hi Cassey, It does sound like he is jealous and wants your undivided attention. Sometimes Ignore/refuse his attention when it is just you the two of you so he doesn't always get it when he wants it. Put him on his bed, in a down stay when visitors are over, maybe with a toy to distract. Do this every dinner time so he gets used to down stays and not being next to you. Don't know about the barking, maybe if he gets in a stay routine he will quit barking. Don't know if any of these will work, but hope it helps. |
| Cassie I think your boyfriend needs to actively involve himself in RU's life so that RU will accept him and not see him as a threat to his position in the family. See if RU will allow your BF to brush him for starters, one of the very intimate things we do with our sheepies, it may help him accept him. All the corrections will probably be seen as unfair from his point of view and these interlopers need to involve him as he has been used to having your attention solely since you lived alone. As for the neutering have a word with RU's vet. Good Luck |
| Yes it's always been me and Ru pretty much. He follows me everywhere, even to the loo and this happens even if we are at someone else's house lol. I will try keeping him separate from me even when it's just us at home. The idea of having him away from me at meal times appeals to me, I will certainly try that. My boyfriend can't understand Ru's velcro behaviour, he had a 'normal' dog when he was growing up. But he's willing to help me train him and he even walked him for me the other day on his own which I was very impressed with. I believe they both behaved! We are all going for a walk later, I will get Steve to do recalls with Ru. Thanks for the advice, if anyone has any idea about neutering I would love the input  |
| ^^^^^^ Knowing that, I would bet that your boyfriend spending some one-on-one time with Ru would go a long way in helping Ru become more accepting of others. |
| I don't know if neutering would make any difference in Ru's behavior. It's a roll of the dice, something you won't know for sure until after the surgery when his testosterone depletes/disappears. It could certainly be a factor. Looks like you've tried many different things. It might be worthwhile to have a behaviorist come to your house and do an assessment, to see Ru in his natural habitat. I also like the idea of your boyfriend interacting positively with Ru. If Ru has a favorite treat, I would let your boyfriend reward him for good behavior. If he has a favorite toy, let the boyfriend use that to play with him. I think Ru needs to associate your boyfriend with all things good and positive.Laurie and Oscar |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|