Ohhhhhh boy. Can I pull my hair out...PUH-LEEEAAASSSEEEE?! This boy...this little tornado in a snicker sized compact fur suit...is driving me crazy. As you could tell I am totally new to this site AND this is my first dog AND he's my first Shepherd. He was a stray that no one wanted, then middle-middle-middle he grew up from a cute playful puppy to a pushy dominant leash pulling disaster. In a nut shell...I have no idea what the **** I'm doing.
1.) I go where I want, & when I want.
Yep. On my carpet. On the tile. In the front room. Kitchen. Bathroom. That one patch of grass he just has to keep obsessively sniffing for minutes at a time. This little frack will go EVERYWHERE but his own crate. Oh no, but if he goes in the crate it's in a nice little puddle and pile. What get's me so pissed is that I take this dog outside EVERY OTHER HOUR. Literally. He got so good at alerting me, then all of a sudden...he just stopped and started going inside whenever he felt like it. Then to top it off when I take him outside...this butthead does not go...he will sniff and pull and sniff and pull but never go, and then when we come back inside, he whines and whines and whines to go back out. When I don't let him. BOOM. There goes my floor. I tried crating him...he has learned to hike his leg so the urine goes outside of his room. Awesome, right?
2.) Thou shall not focus.
Focus? Never heard of the word. Does my dog have ADHD? Because I'm pretty sure my dog has ADHD. When I ask him to do something, not only does he not do it the first time (I keep having to repeat myself) but he will put in a 'buffer movement' where if you tell him to do something, he will stretch, scratch, moan, yawn, spin, dart his eyes, or just plain ignore you until you have to physically make him do it. Now his new trick is pretending to be afraid or hurt to get out of doing something. I never knew a dog capable of giving the water works…but I might as well just nominate this boy for an Oscar.
3.) Why Walk When I Can Pull?
Right? Well apparently he thinks so. I really hate using the gentle face leader or prong collar on him. I can tell it's uncomfortable or just a plain undesirable feeling for him to wear and I would much like to just click his chain on his collar and walk breezily side by side...in a dream...where that only exists.
4.) I SAID I WANT IT.
Talk about Captain Pushy. He uses his body and his voice to get what he wants. Even if he’s not invited…which is 100 % of the time. He expects to go outside when I go outside. Go left, forward, right, or by that neat smelling trash can. He expects to go for a car ride, to hop in whatever seat he chooses, and whine whenever the window isn't down. He expects to sniff that thing on the counter. He expects to eat it and has. He expects to be pet. He expects to be looked at. He expects to sleep on my bed. But when can I expect a rent check? Because this madness is getting old.
5.) Watch your mouth mister!!!
So now when I correct him or snap/pull back on his leash, he gives me a little 'alligator chatter' with his teeth or blunt nudge with his nose. He's even started picking up nibbling at me or throwing his body all over the place instead of having to listen. It's like a game to him. And the more I try to take control, the more he challenges me.
6.) You can't tell me what to you, you're a GIRL!
My neighbor thinks that because I'm a sweet naive nurturing caring loving cooing down to earth mother like girl that those are the very reasons why my dog won't listen to me. He says that my dog knows what he can and cannot get away with, and if I allow it when I try and put my foot down it will only get worse. Well. Is that true? Because in nature I am that type of person who loves to please everyone...but I am quite tired of it and I refuse to take it any longer from my dog.
What do I do?
How do I tell this 1 1/2 year old puppy I mean business?
Are there any good previous posts that relate to this subject I could read?
1.) I go where I want, & when I want.
Yep. On my carpet. On the tile. In the front room. Kitchen. Bathroom. That one patch of grass he just has to keep obsessively sniffing for minutes at a time. This little frack will go EVERYWHERE but his own crate. Oh no, but if he goes in the crate it's in a nice little puddle and pile. What get's me so pissed is that I take this dog outside EVERY OTHER HOUR. Literally. He got so good at alerting me, then all of a sudden...he just stopped and started going inside whenever he felt like it. Then to top it off when I take him outside...this butthead does not go...he will sniff and pull and sniff and pull but never go, and then when we come back inside, he whines and whines and whines to go back out. When I don't let him. BOOM. There goes my floor. I tried crating him...he has learned to hike his leg so the urine goes outside of his room. Awesome, right?
2.) Thou shall not focus.
Focus? Never heard of the word. Does my dog have ADHD? Because I'm pretty sure my dog has ADHD. When I ask him to do something, not only does he not do it the first time (I keep having to repeat myself) but he will put in a 'buffer movement' where if you tell him to do something, he will stretch, scratch, moan, yawn, spin, dart his eyes, or just plain ignore you until you have to physically make him do it. Now his new trick is pretending to be afraid or hurt to get out of doing something. I never knew a dog capable of giving the water works…but I might as well just nominate this boy for an Oscar.
3.) Why Walk When I Can Pull?
Right? Well apparently he thinks so. I really hate using the gentle face leader or prong collar on him. I can tell it's uncomfortable or just a plain undesirable feeling for him to wear and I would much like to just click his chain on his collar and walk breezily side by side...in a dream...where that only exists.
4.) I SAID I WANT IT.
Talk about Captain Pushy. He uses his body and his voice to get what he wants. Even if he’s not invited…which is 100 % of the time. He expects to go outside when I go outside. Go left, forward, right, or by that neat smelling trash can. He expects to go for a car ride, to hop in whatever seat he chooses, and whine whenever the window isn't down. He expects to sniff that thing on the counter. He expects to eat it and has. He expects to be pet. He expects to be looked at. He expects to sleep on my bed. But when can I expect a rent check? Because this madness is getting old.
5.) Watch your mouth mister!!!
So now when I correct him or snap/pull back on his leash, he gives me a little 'alligator chatter' with his teeth or blunt nudge with his nose. He's even started picking up nibbling at me or throwing his body all over the place instead of having to listen. It's like a game to him. And the more I try to take control, the more he challenges me.
6.) You can't tell me what to you, you're a GIRL!
My neighbor thinks that because I'm a sweet naive nurturing caring loving cooing down to earth mother like girl that those are the very reasons why my dog won't listen to me. He says that my dog knows what he can and cannot get away with, and if I allow it when I try and put my foot down it will only get worse. Well. Is that true? Because in nature I am that type of person who loves to please everyone...but I am quite tired of it and I refuse to take it any longer from my dog.
What do I do?
How do I tell this 1 1/2 year old puppy I mean business?
Are there any good previous posts that relate to this subject I could read?