Help, I can't handle my Martha!
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| She sounds like my Maggie! So much energy! The only thing that tires her out is a dog park or a group of children willing to play keep away with her. Is there a dog park in your area? |
| Yes, there is, if I can make it to the car in one piece! Is this puppy energy that she will eventually outgrow? |
| Yes! But it could take a year or more. My Maggie is a superactive, high energy dog. She's going to be 2 in November and she is just starting to show signs of occassionally being tired. I make sure she gets at least an hour of playing with other dogs every day. There is no way I could tire her out on my own. Maybe if I were a runner. . .
If she's bouncing around in the car too, I recommend using a harness attached to the seatbelt in the car. If you can find a good outlet for all her excess energy, Martha should be better and more trainable at home. And then you can actually enjoy and marvel at the wonderfully active happy dog you will see emerge. . . At least that was my experience. |
| She is actually perfect in the car. The only problem is that she doesn't think she can climb in and out of it herself! I don't mind that she is energetic...its really the nipping that is the problem. I was thinking of trying a gentle leader. Maybe then I can actually take her for walks. Oh, and she only does that when I have her outside. She plays fine inside.
Thanks for your input! |
| That's funny -- Martha really is like my Maggie. Maggie is so quiet and calm in the car.
I use gentle leader for both Maggie and Chummie. It is great. Make sure you watch the DVD to learn how to fit it properly. It is not intuitive. As for not being able to get in the car -- I bet she can! Let her see you put a good treat on the seat and then see what she does. My 9 yr old Chummie used to need a boost, but now that she is on good pain killers, even she can get in on her own. . . Good luck!! |
| Valerie is right. I use Gentle Leader on both Ben a Fozzy (each weigh 90 pounds) and my 75 year old mother can walk them.
Fozzy was a terrible nipper when we adopted him last summer. We tried turning our backs and ignoring him when he started, and that helped some. He eventually outgrew the behavior, and now at two years old only does it to my adult son. (I think he gets over excited because he doesn't see my son as often now that he is back in school. ) And remember...a tired dog is a good dog, an exhausted dog is a GREAT dog. |
| First and foremost, they need consistency.
Have you tried training? OES's are very smart, and for those who are very energetic, sometimes training is the best route. Good luck, I hope everything works out! |
| Martha is displaying a combination of demand behavior and exuberant playtime. She is demanding that you play with her and she is playing the way she knows how to. She doesn't know she is being rude nor does she know an alternate way of asking or playing.
I am having the same issues with Dixie. She also gets so excited outside with me and she jumps up and nips at me...I could keep my arms away from her, and that helped reduce the bruices, but now she nips my butt!!! We are working together on this and making progress. Let's break this down into two separate issues, and you will see how they can be handled in similiar ways. Demand behavior-The trick is to teach her that her rude demands will not be responded to. How you do this is to ignore her rudeness (no yelling, pushing etc) and reward her politeness. Pick a way that she can communicate her desire to get something from you and your goal is to teach her that. Personally, I like a dog to lie down politely as a "please" for whatever they want. You can pick what you want. Picture what behavior you want and work for that together. Let's say, for the purpose of illustration, you want her to sit to ask you to play. You go outside and when she starts to jump or nip you leave and go back into the house....with or without her. Don't call her..just ignore. Wait a few minutes then go out again. The first sign of rudeness you go back inside. Wait a few minutes then try again. She may get worse before she gets better, and that is normal. Just work through it. Eventually she will get the idea that when she jumps/nips you leave and that is not good. This is called negative punishment. Good thing (you) goes away. When she gets the point and you can eventually ask her to sit ( I am assuming she already knows "sit") when you go out with her, then you can quietly throw a ball etc with her as a reward. Remember that the first sign of rudeness you leave. No comments, no talking, no orders...just leave. Rough playtime- How do you want to play with her? Pick some special game and work towards that. Don't make it a training session, but more something that she enjoys and will like to do with you. Let's say, play ball. You take out a ball, and again, any jumping, nipping etc. the ball goes away and you leave. Take a break for a few minutes and try again. Don't wait too long or she will forget what sent you away. Once she knows what behavior will cause the game to stop, she will start to check herself. You need to build on successes, however, so she will know what she is working for. Any chance you can, make the opportunity to throw the ball for her before she gets a chance to be silly. That is her reward, and she will learn what to do and what her reward is. Be sure to end playtime always on a happy note, so she will look forward to the next time. Even if you have to cheat a bit. Hope this helps. |
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