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Subject: Problem pup......Help!!!!

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jerrogers37
Independence, MO

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01/18/2006 7:40 PM	Alert
I need your guys help bad. I have a year and a half old lab that is causing me some problems. There are two majors ones that I can think of. 1). This one doesn't even have to do with hunting. My dog is an intact male dog. He marks his spot EVERYWHERE. We potty trained him pretty early but he has decided he needs to do it in the house. First it was my wifes suit case. Then it was my brother in laws christmas present. HE HE!! And then today is was my very nice leather coat. I don't know what to do. He is CC. Do I need to make him wear it 24/7? When we are outside, he marks everywhere also. His food bowl, his water bowl, it doesn't matter. What do I do??? 2). This one is about hunting. Like I said he is CC. When I hunt pheasant with him I always have the collar on him. He is a very hard nosed dog. I have to have it on the highest setting. If he starts chasing a running bird I nip him and call him back. He always comes. This weekend he didn't. He chased and chased no matter what I did with the collar. He was yelping while still chasing the bird. He went through OB school and knows the commands. Also, he has never chased a rabbit. Well this weekend he did. The collar did not bring him off of the pursuit either. Help!!!! Casey is out of good blood lines and I researched for about 2 years before I purchased him. I didn't just buy a dog out of the newspaper. I drove 13 hours to get him. All this being said, my wife could care less. Either I get him shaped up or he goes! By no means am I a good dog trainer. I read the Knutsons book about 20 times be4 I got him and thought it would be a piece of cake. Maybe that's where I went wrong. I'm a baseball coach not a dog trainer. Its just not meant for everyone. I can show a kid how to throw a nasty change up but I can not for the life of me FF my dog. I know because I've tried. Anyways. Sorry this is so long but all responses will be greatly appreciated.

Home of APR Turkey Creek's Casey Chief JH

bubulkaj Moderator
Blue Springs, Missouri

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01/18/2006 9:23 PM	Alert
jerrogers, I moved your post in to the training area. It fits better there, I hope you dont mind. I had similar marking issues but they went away when I got the dog fixed. Although I never had a problem with this in the house. I dont know if the collar is the best way to correct this. A good rolled newspaper to the butt,a strong verbal no, and a quick trip outside always worked for me to take care of the inside issue. Outside is a little tougher but can be done. You need to make it a loud and scarey event with out physically hurting the dog. You also need to be right there when it happens although I do think there can be some benefit to returning them to the scene of the crime. When you are calling them back to the spot of the deed you will know if he knows he did something wrong or not. You can see it in their faces. Did you continue to hunt after he ignored you? You might want to try disiplining him approprietly and putting him back in the truck after an incident like that thus taking away his opportunity to repeat the infraction. Come back another day or after he has had time to think about it and try it again this time with a check cord. This will give you back the control you need if the collar is no longer working for you. Just some random thoughts. I am not an expert by any means. Welcome to the forum! Joe

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01/19/2006 6:47 AM	Alert
Posted By jerrogers37 on 01/18/2006 7:40 PM 1). This one doesn't even have to do with hunting. My dog is an intact male dog. He marks his spot EVERYWHERE. We potty trained him pretty early but he has decided he needs to do it in the house. First it was my wifes suit case. Then it was my brother in laws christmas present. HE HE!! And then today is was my very nice leather coat. I don't know what to do. He is CC. Do I need to make him wear it 24/7? When we are outside, he marks everywhere also. His food bowl, his water bowl, it doesn't matter. What do I do??? 2). This one is about hunting. Like I said he is CC. When I hunt pheasant with him I always have the collar on him. He is a very hard nosed dog. I have to have it on the highest setting. If he starts chasing a running bird I nip him and call him back. He always comes. This weekend he didn't. He chased and chased no matter what I did with the collar. He was yelping while still chasing the bird. He went through OB school and knows the commands. Also, he has never chased a rabbit. Well this weekend he did. The collar did not bring him off of the pursuit either. Help!!!! You describe the same thing in both questions; a dog that doesn't give a hoot for what you want, only what he does. It manifests in probably many more ways than just these two, but these two are the most problematic in your daily life. I wouldn't go after either directly. I'd go after the problem. Your dog doesn't respect you, or anything associated in general. Certainly at dinner time or other instances in which he needs something from you he's a nice guy, but when he has other ideas, his prevail. Don't complicate your thinking with diagnosing all these things, believe what you are seeing overall. You need to go to your most fundamental interactions, and gain control over those. Each day when it begins, make sure he goes out the door or the kennel when you direct, not crashing out first. Do obedience without electricity and actually gain control of the dog. Make him behave in the house, in the yard, everywhere. If you can do that, you'll redirect his thinking (slowly with time, not immediately) to concerning himself with you, and not his whim of the moment. His running through the collar clearly tells you that pressure isn't the answer, he can manage that. You need to be smarter, quicker and more proactive. Does that make sense? I've gotten soooo many dogs in just like this, and I don't use the collar and I don't use the field. I use their thinking and my patience. They cannot beat that. Julie

Doc_E
N.E. WA state

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01/19/2006 7:44 AM	Alert
Julie, I've also heard that something that helps show the dog "who is in charge" is to do what wild canine Alpha's do (nobody eats until the 'big shots' say it's alright) -- When it's feeding time, have the dog sit, place the food bowl down and do not let the dog eat until you give a release to do so. I don't know if this helps or not, but I know a few folks who have used this as one piece of establishing the human as pack leader (obedience). Does this have merit or not? .

Doc E and Cujo Casey boy.

2Blackdogs!
Kansas City Area - GO CHIEFS !!!

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01/19/2006 7:57 AM	Alert
Julie- After you have had the clients dog and things are corrected does the new desired behavior stick or does the dog attempt to go back to his old ways with the owner?

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01/19/2006 9:01 AM	Alert
Dogs do not generalize. They do not necessarily apply one learned behavior to all potential applications. So, no, they behave well for me and kind of wait to find out what the owner is going to ask of them. That's a problem unto itself, but not for the guy with his own dog. Doc's method is one of a zillion ways to require in a meaningful, nonpressure ridden way, that a dog yield to you. The majority of behavior problems stem from this lack of responsiveness (sound familiar book guys?), and can be addressed by requiring responsiveness in the little places first. Dogs actually like it, and you don't have a battle as to who wins - the human always does.

Trout Bum
Elbert County, CO

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01/19/2006 9:11 AM	Alert
Off the subject but is the snow falling up your way Julie? Trying to wrap things up and head for the river and take advantage of the storm. Guess that makes me a storm chaser.

¶r²

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01/19/2006 9:18 AM	Alert
If you count 4 flakes about an hour ago... yes

Trout Bum
Elbert County, CO

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01/19/2006 9:24 AM	Alert
Not what I was hoping to hear. Snowing pretty good down here to the point I can hardly stand it. Thanks for the report hopfully it's headed your way, cuz I am and will wave and think of you and Paul when I go by the Orchard exit.

¶r²

Doc_E
N.E. WA state

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01/19/2006 9:00 PM	Alert
Troutbum, Where are you going to go fishin'? Doc

Doc E and Cujo Casey boy.

Trout Bum
Elbert County, CO

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01/21/2006 1:40 PM	Alert
Hey Doc, Headed to the river for one last duck hunt cuz the season closes tomorrow, Hoping the storm around here would make it further east and a little north. Not a flake...hunted Thursday p.m. and Friday a.m. Plenty of ducks still around but nothing to make them come to the sloughs or the river. Had two small groups of mallards come right in Friday a.m. and I shot nothing but air. Pretty much the same thing with a nice flock of geese that came right over my shoulder Thursday p.m. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn door. Can't complain, had a great season with some pretty darn good hunts. Geese are open til earl Feb, will probably give them a try or two. Then managed to get stuck in the mud up to the axles...scaring 75 or so ducks out of a spot I was going to jump shot. One of those..should of, could of, would of hunts..... I'm starting to think about fishin though, cuz it's right around the corner. Want to go when you're out here this spring?

¶r²

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Forums > American Pointing Labrador Association > Training > Problem pup......Help!!!!