August 13, 2006

How to train a difficult dog

In answer to Michele's question/comment (previous post): honestly, I don’t know the answer. I’m still working on it. I love my dog dearly but she still has some quirks that need to be ironed out. She’s super intelligent. That’s part of the problem. She knows what she is supposed to do (at nine months now), but she also knows that not doing it will get my attention. It’s not that she doesn’t get enough attention. She just wants more. Most of the time. She can often play by herself, and she can be very good. But she can also be very naughty.

Her naughtiness involves mouthing (she thinks she has to put her mouth on everything, including my arms and legs), jumping up on people and counters and tables, running off with favorite items (including glasses, shoes, important papers) and what was her favorite (finally ended!), nipping people in the butt. She had stopped all this bad behavior at about four months, but then the building project started here. Each week I could see her behavior deteriorate. Once there were no more workmen in the house she improved with still some residual problems.

Over the course of the seven months she’s been with me, I’ve tried lots of techniques: ignoring (which drove me crazy and injured), yelling (which upset me more than her), kenneling (which solved the problem temporarily), and now I’m taking a new tactic. We are going to a clicker training obedience class. The method is great for her, it seems. It involves clicking (with a small clicker in my hand) at the moment she does what is appropriate behavior (sitting, lying down, coming when called, getting into heel position, and not nipping or jumping) and then treating. Click and treat.

So for the nipping (when she does), it involves taking my hand away (if that’s where her mouth went), offering it again, and again, until she doesn’t nip, and then clicking and treating. If she’s jumping on me (or someone else), it’s best to turn my back (ignore) for a few seconds, then turn around and if she stops jumping (has all four feet on the ground), then click and treat. The important part is timing: to click right away when the behavior is good. The treat can be delayed if it feels that what she is expecting for being naughty.

This seems to be working (with some lapses). With Tamar and Damian here, I have had lots of opportunities to practice training Lila. Every day she is better. Less jumping, less mouthing. Damian has been playing with her alone out in the field, throwing a tennis ball or kong or kicking the soccer ball for her. He no longer needs me there to protect him. When she does get overexcited by so much activity around her, then I kennel her for a few minutes. It does calm her down.

So it seems I am using all the techniques I’ve been taught by various people and books (all except the yelling, I hope). Tomorrow evening we are all going to the dog class together. I think Damian will enjoy it. I hope so. He’s used to cats. This is so very different for him. And it is so nice for me to have their company here.

Posted by leya at August 13, 2006 05:34 PM