Dog Behaviourist

[Crazy_Caz]

Ok.... I need some help from a behaviourist or trainer.....

My Staffie X border collie dog... (neutered) had him from rescue centre since he was 8 months old..(rescued from the Welsh pound as a stray). he is now approx. 3 yrs old... always been a bit funny with other dogs... used to be 100% clean but started to mark when I got my Lurcher Bitch (another rescue) when she was a puppy... now he is getting much worse with the marking in the house as well as being OTT with other dogs.... both neighbours now have dogs and its such a pain as he wont stop whining and trying to get to the other dogs.... through the garden fence...what can I do????

he is also a pain in the car... I have a dog guard in my shogun but he will jump over the other dogs (one of which is my old boy Springer X ) and trys to get through the window to get at any dogs he sees... it scares my old Springer... as he normally starts on him.... dont know what to do .... help and advice would be appreciated..... am almost at my wits end....

 

[mattilda]

Has anything changed recently to set him off? It almost sounds as if he is feeling insecure.
I looked for a behaviourist at one point and got one through my vet. Unfortunately she wasn't much use and basically told me what I already knew but not how to deal with it. Hope you have better luck and manage to sort your boy out.

 

[Crazy_Caz]

No... I am afraid he has always been funny with other dogs... and changed once the lurcher had her first heat...

but its the behaviour when seeing other dogs that is getting worse... he is a weird one... dont know his past as he was a stray but he can be so obedient.... know sure whether to try a bark collar??? such a pain...

 

[millimoo]

It may just be that he's matured and has become territorial.
I'm no expert, but in the short term can't you cage him in the car, that way he can't damage the window or your other dog, and water pistol him if you catch him in the act of marking - you may need to get a product to get rid of his previous smells as it's probably become habit to him.
You need CALA...... hope you can sort him out, i'm sure you will with time, hard work and patience

 

[Crazy_Caz]

Hiya

Well am determined... will never give up... he isnt so bad but its gradually getting worse... and the neighbours dogs have proved that... its not fair on their dogs either...

CALA....? where are you??

 

[CAYLA]

Some of us have to work u know

Right you have a few problems there, so Im am going to hazard at a guess that u culd be a little firmer in his general behaviour all round

, it is better if the advisor can meet/whitness some of the day to day routine and behaviour the dog in question displays, but I can give u a few pointers.

The territorial scenting, this could be a sign of insecurity or dominance, or it can also be an invitation of sexual behaviour(to a dog) not you

as he is neutered, we could assume dominance/insecure, it may stem from the dogs either side, and in general his own dominant behaviour within your doggi pack and the fact that he is asserting it and letting it be known.

I would restrict his access to the majority of the house, whilst you are working on his behaviour (kitchen, utility), this will also make it easier to reprimand when u catch him doing it, I would baby gate the majority of his access esp when unsupervised, use a vocal reprimand and remove him from the area, or a training aid, such as a splash collar(squirts liquid out in front of the face) or pistol as suggested, to break the behaviour.

The car
I would place him in a crate and cover it, to restrict his views, ideally it would be best for someone to accompany to, and restrict his access to the area he proceeds to be by blocking his attempts, i.e the front of the car, but for safety and an immediate solution I would introduce a crate to confine him.
Whenever I bring new dogs in, rescue or dogs to assess, I always establish a routine, and the first, is to crate train, the second is the take the dog everywhere I go in the car, in a crate, then once they become settled in the smaller/secure space, do I allow them the freedom of the boot/back of my doggy van.
The behaviour with the dogs, this is the worst bit for me to give advise on, because I have never had a dog enter my house without it becoming fully sociable with other dogs, I cannot stress, how important it is to encourage social skills, and have the courage to allow free play and not be afraid to reprimand and become the dominant figure, therefor releaving the dog of that status, I have a pack to help me socialise, so I would maybe suggest training classes, a good one, where the trainer is not afraid to let your dog interact with others.
The difficulty comes, with me not knowing the extent of his aggression or your techniques/confidence in handling/reprimanding him

Most of my dealing and training are in regard to aggression, which is hightened by lack of socialising and restricting interaction from owner fear.
Barrier aggression/frustration is the most common form of aggression, hence the reaction throught the fence, it's pretty normal to be honest, if the dog cannot interact physically, it will warn others that, it means business(so steer clear) otherwise it is simply a longing/frustration to interact.
I have been training alot of pound dogs recently, believe me, it can be over come, these dogs have been bouncing of walls for as long as six months, winding each other up, and becoming frustrated to the point of aggression within the environment they are living

I would need to know a little more about his aggression before going into poss ways to tackle the garden behaviour,, i.e does he interact at all with other dogs?
How does he react when u are out walking on and off the lead?
How much exercise does he get?
How do the dogs next door react/ are they quiet/do they bark/lunge at the fence?

 

[Crazy_Caz]

Hi...

Well firstly you are quite correct that I could definately be a little firmer although I have to say my OH is the weakest with him... but my 2 daughters are very firm with him..... We have our own yard and every day him and the 2 others are taken to the yard and let off... they are kept within my own land as its securely fenced off with sheep fencing and electric... if he sees another dog being walked along the road he will run up and down but thats it... he used to (when I first got him) try and jump the fence (hence the electric at head height) he does frighten people.....because he does try and get his head through.... this does seem better now although on one side of the fence is a footpath and he is fine unless the other dog barks back and then it can get ugly... I think the scenting is because we have an older male dog and its been bad since the lurcher had her first season..... she is due to be neutered very soon.....

We do have a dog gate and during the day he and the others are only allowed in the dining room and kitchen.... at night we allow them in the front room with us but they have their own sofa and are not allowed on our settee, we have just started to let them up at night... (prob a bad thing) but the old boy always used to be allowed up... thought it was unfair... and he doesnt mark upstairs....

I thought about getting a crate for him for the boot... would be better for the other dogs especally my older boy.... will give that a try,....

When we first got him we did try and socialise him with other dogs... we took him to Foal Farm animal rescue open day and he was fairly good initially but gradually seemed to get worse ..... we have taken him out on walks and I have no problem in letting him off.... he is very obedient but he is fine if he meets another dog unless it starts on him.... I think the training classes are an excellent idea... we should have ( and it was recommended by the rescue centre) that we take him to training classes...... that is my fault and I totally accept the blame for that.... all I can say in my defence is that the classes near me were fully booked for months...so I gave up....

One of the major major problems is that he will chase the horses..... he is fine and then "bang" he just goes for them... and we call him back but I always feel should we tell him off when he returns as it feels like punishing him for coming back when we call him... the other thing he will do is when the horses are tied up and standing he hovers around their back legs and goes backwards and forwards and will try and nip their back legs... we do shout at him and if he is too much he is placed in the car.....

When out on a lead he has always pulled.. we have tried choke chains, a harness and how we have a halter with one lead and a normal collar with another... that way we have full control of his head... I have to say he is normally exercised up the yard where he is allowed to run free and play with the lurcher..

With regards to the dogs next door well she got a mature jack russell bitch (very recently) and that barks back and through the fence... this neighbour has now got a Sheepdog/collie puppy... both her side and back garden gates are always open and both dogs are able to go through her front cat flap... which is such a pain....... so they are often loose out the front....

With regards to a neighbour the other side... this dog is very very new... dont know what the dog is or how old it is but they have only had it about a week.... it does bark back but not aggresively.....

All my dogs are exercised daily.... god sounds like a nightmare doesnt it....

 

[CAYLA]

Thats longer than my reply

The first thing that springs to mind here, is that he has a lot of free running time, and not enough one on one time, I would firstly stop all this and get a good training lead, and for me it has to be check chain, if used correctly, it's very effective for doing it's job, (checking) u would need a one of correct width and size for it to work effectively, and make sure the loop runs the right way, so it does not just lock, it only check mode

and a good quality leather training lead.
The correct training aid can make all the difference.

I would then introduce a routine, of taking him out into a field that is unoccupied and getting a ball to throw, or one of this plastic ball thrower things

, thats makes the ball go alot further, hence, he runs a lot further, and burns alot of energy in the mean time.
I would then walk him around the yard with you, so that when he reacts to the horses, dogs passing, u can check/reprimand and introduce a command LEAVE IT! and mean it, with a firm voice and a firm check.

You could also introduce a treat based reward, and introduce a WATCH ME! command, also introduce a clicker, as a training aid for when u phase the treats out, so basically at the time u treat, when u have his full attention click, at the time the treat is taken by him, this can also help his lead/heel work, but also always check when he pulls and command HEEL!

This is a way of mentally stimulating him one on one, and giving him commands to respond to for when u do eventually allow him to run free again, instead of him running free like a hoodalum with a hollow vocal threat from yourself in the background

You need to make this a routine, exercise i the field first, then on lead walks, walks around the yard on lead, and some time spent closely with the horses, making him lie in the down position(on a leash), beside a tied up horse, and be taught to be calm, whenever he shows excitement, or attempts to move towards the horse, return to him reprimand(check) and place him back in the down, repeat this however many times it takes, he needs to know, his behaviour will be reprimanded, not just followed through by an idle threat.
Do the same with the neighbours dogs, take him out on a long line for his business, and reprimand him when he charges at the fence, then click and treat when he responds and comes back to u, hence he gets a positve reward for his response.

You could also try a technique, of basically claiming the space yourself, so everytime he lunges or runs along side the fennce, simply block him and drive him away, and command LEAVE!
Lastly, u could also possibly try a splash collar to release a negative reprimand to assosiate with his behaviour.

Very important, lots of exercise, a new firmer stance, all round, no upstairs, new on lead routine, let him earn his free time once he begins to respond to your commands, but remember make up the exercise with the one on one time, alone with him.

When I get a new dog in, it spends alot of time on the lead, in the car, being crate trained and walking, I show no lieniency or let down my guard until I start to see that my commands are met and the behaviour I want is clear to see, I work like this by putting alot of one on one time, letting the dog know I mea business, so when it comes to the extra freedom, off lead, the pleasures of being treat like a well ajusted pet, they know what comes if the terms are broken

It's like a dog that keeps running off, u would not allow it to keep doing so, as the dog will become to think it's acceptible, as it gets ehat it wants. FREEDOM

this is what your boy is also getting.
He is a breed with stamina and intelligence, he just needs a little guidance