Naughty Dog, Help!!

Kokopelli

Kokopelli

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We have a very excitable cocker spaniel, he is naughty to say the least! We have done everything to try and train him read all the books went to a few training classes but he got kicked out of 3 and given up! :eek:

He's a lovely dog temprement wise he wouldn't hurt a fly is very affectionate and is happy and friendly.

BUT... he jumps up on the sofa and chew the cushions, jumps onto the kitchen table which is very un-hygienic, jumps onto the kitchen side and knocks stuff off of it. Barks at absolutly anything that walks past the window, the doorbell and anything loud on the tv (we can't use surround sound)

He jumps up at people and follows you around the house tripping you up, he takes anything and buries it in the garden unless we lock it away and he has just mastered opening doors, he jumps the dog gate we have aswell. He also has pretty bad seperation anxiety, he will get a bit upset at first when we leave but after 5 mins he settles down.

We can't have guests round as even though he isn't aggresive at all he is boisturus and just loves fuss!

We are all out of ideas though we have tried so much trying to get him to behave but its just not working and hes quite simpily destroying our house :( I feel like he has ADD or something but for dogs if this makes much sense?

Any help at all please I would be so grateful as we are at wits end with him. He gets more then enough exercise a day and has been neutered, we've also spoken to vet about diet etc and he's on low energy food it just doesn't seem to be working

Thankyou and sorry for rant :)
 
galaxy23 said:
How long and what sort of exercise does he get?
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He gets an hour or so in the morning and 2 hours in the late afternoon
Its in a string of big fields where he runs around like a loony chasing rabbits etc :p

At weekends we take him to different places like the common or the forest so he goes some where different.
 
TBH he sounds like a typical Working Cocker that has got out of hand. They are noisy dogs, hence the barking etc. They are very very people orientated dogs, hence the following you around/seperation anxiety. The breed nickname is 'Undertakers' - they have a reputation for burying their game, hence the burying things!

It sounds like he needs a lot more mental stimulation, exercise alone isn't enough. Bear in mind these dogs are bred to work all day, hunting and flushing out game. Whilst 3 hours of running around is plenty of physical exercise, he isn't using that much of his brain just to loon about!
Working Cockers are bright dogs, they can pick things up very quickly, and they need some outlet to keep their brains active. Gundog training will harness his natural ability, but any training will help - agility, flyball, obidience etc etc.
 
TBH, he sounds like he may need boundaries and more mental stimulation. Have you ever tried any gundog work with him?

Also, when you take him out, do you let him straight off or do you get him to sit politely and wait to be released to run?

When he jumps up etc, what reaction does he get?

3 is absolutely not too old to start training - I would recommend finding a good local trainer that does 1-2-1 sessions, so you can concentrate on him without the distraction of other dogs.

I would also get a crate, and begin crate training (Cayla will be able to tell you all about it, she is the Guru). This will give him his own secure den in the house, give you a safe space where you will know that he is out of trouble, and will allow you to start working on separating him from you sometimes in the house, rather than letting him follow you about. I had a similar issue with Henry, he used to scream the place down when I went upstairs without him and destroy things. I introduced a crate and built the time up that we were apart, now we no longer need the crate, even when I go out for several hours:) He is quiet and calm.

A crate would also allow guests to come in without being spangled - you can then allow him to greet them when he has got over the initial WOWEEE PEOPLE WOWEE WOWEEE WOWEEEE moment. Remember a crate mustn't be a place of punishment though - it is his own special den instead.

When you are out, start working on making yourself part of the game, by playing with him - hide toys or treats for him and send him to get them. This will exercise his brain and use his instincts, and will also make you a part of the fun instead of boring mummy who stops all his amazing fun stuff.

I really think a good gundog trainer will help, if you can get to North Suffolk even once a month PM me and I will send you the details for mine:)
 
Thanks for the advice
You say they are intelligent but I really don't think he is, this sounds really mean bout him but he is not sharpest tool in the shed!

I might try dog agility with him though as I've always wanted to try thi with him and at the yard we would get him jumping the jumps and he seemed to love it :)

I'm not sure about how he would react to gundog training as he really doesn't like loud noises he is petrified of fireworks and if a car door slams he gets scared but may look into it :)

Will also look into crate training, we have got one but he doesn't like it, he tends to take his bedding out and sleep on the kitchen table, the little horror, how would we go about getting him to like the crate?

Does anyone know of any good dog trainers in south-west area who won't just turn him down we don't mind travelling if it will pay off? We've also tried one on one training but they gave up on him
 
You can do gundog training minus the bangs, just working with dummies.

Rather than thinking of it in terms of intelligence, think of it in terms of instinct. He has all these instincts to hunt, smell, retrieve, be busy busy busy all the time, and you need to channel these into something. At the moment he is channelling them himself, which is causing you trouble.

Re the crate - did he manage to open the door then??? And you think he's dim???! PM Cayla, or KatielouHouston, they are both good with crates. I used to settle Henry in his with a juicy bone and close the door, then open it, and have him in and out, and in and out, until he saw it as a good place. I always just closed the door on him overnight, right from the beginning! But Cayla and Katie both have much more experience in this than I do.
 
If the dog was ot in your care, I would swear he was with me, I have just taken on a cocker as he is doing the same as yours only he is showing aggression too:eek::D I have had him a week and he goes home on Sat a new dog with new boundaries for the owners to follow.

Do you want me to PM you a crate training guide when I get a second, as busy e.mailing a man about a dog...lol:D and will give u some tips on calming that behaviour:D
 
CAYLA said:
If the dog was ot in your care, I would swear he was with me, I have just taken on a cocker as he is doing the same as yours only he is showing aggression too:eek::D I have had him a week and he goes home on Sat a new dog with new boundaries for the owners to follow.

Do you want me to PM you a crate training guide when I get a second, as busy e.mailing a man about a dog...lol:D and will give u some tips on calming that behaviour:D
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Cayla that would be great about crate training look forward to hearing about it further :) I don't think he knows what aggresions is, he's the friendliest dog I have ever come across.


Spudlet- Yes he opened the door, he then carried on to walk into the patio door and run full pelt into the window :rolleyes: I do worry he may have lost any remaining brain cells :p
 
Kokopelli said:
Cayla that would be great about crate training look forward to hearing about it further :) I don't think he knows what aggresions is, he's the friendliest dog I have ever come across.


Spudlet- Yes he opened the door, he then carried on to walk into the patio door and run full pelt into the window :rolleyes: I do worry he may have lost any remaining brain cells :p
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I like your dog already:D
 
Great advice so far and can't believe there are 'training' classes out there who kick out dogs, FFS, how are people supposed to progress.
Equates to "Oh I did a nine month online course into dog training and they didn't cover how to deal with a hyperactive, under-stimulated dog, I don't know what to do, can you leave please".

I would also see if you could incorporate cycling, jogging, swimming into his exercise but most of all agree you need to do something to occupy his BRAIN.
If he likes picking up/burying stuff, would it hurt, say tonight, when watching The Apprentice, to hide some of his toys etc, behind the sofa, under a cushion, and ask him to find them? Ten minutes out of your night. See what I mean?
 
CaveCanem said:
Great advice so far and can't believe there are 'training' classes out there who kick out dogs, FFS, how are people supposed to progress.
Equates to "Oh I did a nine month online course into dog training and they didn't cover how to deal with a hyperactive, under-stimulated dog, I don't know what to do, can you leave please".

I would also see if you could incorporate cycling, jogging, swimming into his exercise but most of all agree you need to do something to occupy his BRAIN.
If he likes picking up/burying stuff, would it hurt, say tonight, when watching The Apprentice, to hide some of his toys etc, behind the sofa, under a cushion, and ask him to find them? Ten minutes out of your night. See what I mean?
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He does swimming! He loves it, we have little river near us and he's always in there, he also jumps in the water troph (SP) at the yard and does laps!! :p

Pictures as promised:

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The photo is quite definitely brilliant.

Does he ever get to be around other dogs to go on walks with them or just play with them? I think that would also help give him a different kind of stimulation as well if not.
 
Will do the other stuff here. "guests and sofa"
Get him a bed for the sitting room, and start a routine of "settee ours" dog bed yours:rolleyes:, and use treats to train him to get into the bed on a command, something as simple as "in your bed":D so use treat waft infront of him, even though sensitive use cheese so he can smell it in the clench of your hand, then give him a dog biscuit (own food) for going in and say "in bed" at the same time her takes, then let him come back out, repeat this till he gets the hang.
when he makes any attempt to get on the sette, tell him "in your bed" and point to bed, if he goes treat him, on a night when u are relaxing offer im soemthing longer lasting at first to eat whilst in the bed, as a positive associator, block any chair u are not on so he cannot get on and when he goes to clamber on you "in your bed" if he persists and ignores, remove him swiftly to the kitchen, no talk, jsut get his collar lead him out and leave him in the kitchen for 5 mins before you release him, again no talk or touch, and during theses new routines unless you are training keep the contact and talk to a minimum in the house.
Repeat the time out, until he relates the fact that he only remains in the room if he is in his bed or off the chairs.

When guests arrive, place him in the kitchen and let them be seated for 5 minuted before letting him in, he will make a bee line for them, ask them to ignore him completely, "give him the option of "in your bed" once and if he persistes to molest the company:D then use "time out" allow him to re enter after a stipulated period and if he repeats then "time out" until again he realises if he goes "in your bed" he remains in the company, if not he goes "time out":rolleyes:
Once he responds and gives up becaue he is getting no attention, give the guests a treat give swiftly without over the topness whislt he is calm into his bed as a reward for calmness.
If he wants to get out of the bed and walk around that is no problem aas long as he does not make an over selous bee line for the guests.
 
Think there's lots of sensible advice here and I am sure the beastie can be 'tamed'! lol

He definitely needs to know boundaries and with the settee thing, like said above, he needs to know what his bed is (and that it's not the sofa). I watched an episode of Its me or the dog the other night, it featured a dalmation (i'd not seen the episode before), that had similar issues (although it also bit people) but she pointed out how it was confused whether ot was allowed on the sofa or not - ie one minute the owner had it on cuddling it etc and the next they didn't want it on and he'd have to be dragged off and this turned him snappy.

Make it clear, the sofa is NOT his. if you sit on it and he gets on then get off and encourage him to the floor/his bed with you and make a big fuss of him/give him treats there. Make the floor the nicer place to be. You must be consistent and don't decide one time or other he can come up for a cuddle. he has to learn that is not his to be on.

Also, you say he does not like loud noises - that could help in stopping in jumping on tables etc. Now whether you're able to use the camera and 'spying' technique Victoria uses I don't know - does he nick stuff when you're there or just when you're not in the room?

If only when you're away then you may have to set up a spy/web cam and hide somewhere and watch him. Then you need to arm yourself with something noisy that he won't like (some kind of horn?) and when he moves to go to the table etc, use it!

Obviously this may not be practical for this given situation, i don't know but if he doesn't like loud noises then sound aversion therapy like this could work with him.

I think the main point is to be consistent in what you do and make sure everyone in your household knows what to do with him. I think dogs like this need to know where they stand and it makes them less stressy/excitable.
 
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