Exuberant pup - Am I doing the right thing?

caesar

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#1
Hello!

I have posted here for a while! It's been a few months!

Caesar (my half German shepherd / half Husky) is a wonderful dog and loves to be around me at ALL times! :D

The issues I am having with him are barking issues. He loves to play by getting down on his forelegs with his rump in the air (we call it herding mode), but when he gets like this, he barks at me and makes little fake grabs at me with his mouth which I do not want to tolerate. I know that he is a herder in his heart and that he is trying to have some fun at what he does best, but I don't want to be herded! I have tried grabbing him to put him out in the kennel when he starts barking but he is too quick for me. Then, it ends up being a game of chase (which he loves) and I get more frustrated by the minute. I don't want to call him to me because I don't want him to associate Come as a bad thing. Usually, I just have to walk away from him. He will then follow me and I can usually grab him then when he is unsuspecting. Am I doing the right thing? I don't know if he is associating the barking with going to the kennel because some times it takes me a while to catch him. I don't want to chase him because then he is getting playtime when he is a bad dog.

I really want to give him a herding outlet because I think he gets quite bored. He really likes to fetch, but I would love to be able to set something up for him to keep him busy when we are gone for the day, instead of him just lying around and building up 4 - 6 hours worth of energy for when I get back home.

Thanks for any advice!
 

caesar

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#3
I have started him on a beginner's obstacle course to give him something else to do. He absolutely loves it! He is one of the most fearless dogs. I thought it would take at least a week to teach him to jump over a small jump and walk on a plank about three feet above the ground. He caught on in a 1/2 hour. I'm not kidding. I took him out for a 1/2 hour and he can clear the jump on my command no problem and walk on top of the "jump" all the way across. I may have to come up with some more stuff.
 
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#4
My dog King liked the obstacle course, except for the weave poles. Most of the time, he went through one, then refused to go through another. The trainer took him through the course, and when they hit the weave poles, he sat down and looked for the bribe, and refused to go further until she gave him something. Then he went through a couple of the poles and sat down again! Thsi time he refused to co-operate at all and refused the treats. He was already known as the "Evil Genius", now the trainer's started calling him "Mr. Independant".
 
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#5
Caesar, it sounds like you've found something your Caesar excels at.

It sounds like he's a very intelligent and inquisitive dog, so you really do need to find something to keep him busy while you're gone. Go to you local pet supply stores and check out their selection of treat balls and puzzle toys. You'll probably want to start with at least two different ones so that you can alternate them since Caesar sounds like he'd get bored with the same one over and over. Even one of the balls with a handle would probably give him hours of fun; he can grab it by the handle and throw it, then go fetch it . . . all by himself.

He might like hide and seek games, too. You can hide treats or toys and let him find them, although you'll want to supervise that game. He might get a bit over exuberant and start tearing things apart in his search.

It's hysterical to see our dogs assume that butt-in-the-air position, tails wagging, chins on the ground, ears alert and eyes shining. We call it the international play position. It seems like every dog in the world assumes that position when they really, really, really want to play. It's a bit overwhelming when you see a Fila like that, though!
 

caesar

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#6
I do have a soccer ball with "handles" on it. He plays with anything and will throw the toy up in the air with his mouth and then run after it. We already went through several other squeaky throw toys. We also try to keep an unlimited supply of rawhide bones on hand as he usually goes through at least 3 a week. I really wish we had an obstacle course set up nearby that I could take him to every once in a while. I also like to take him on walks with the neighbors ladies and their dogs. He absolutely loves to socialize.
 
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#7
You know, it sounds like Caesar would be an ideal therapy dog. Work hard on his obedience and manners and check into therapy dog certification for him.

You can also set up an obstacle course in your own backyard using PVC and some imagination.
 

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