Gambit is Pushing My Buttons

Literally. We had an incident with him falling in the car last week where he stumbled into the radio and turned it on. From there, he understood that pushing the button with his nose would accomplish the same thing. He's in a seatbeld when the car is moving, so I thought that would end it there.

Not with Das Coy. Now he's pushing all of the buttons he can find, and it's about to make me crazy. He turns the computer on and off (duct taper over the button solved it), the tv, the DVD player, everything he can possibly reach. He ran behind the desk at daycare and turned the computer off there, too.

I can't crate him due to him panicking and trying to hurt himself, so what are my other choices. I have no idea why this behavior is rewarding to him, because the rewards aren't coming from me.

I came home yesterday and the TV was on, the DVD player was on, and the radio was on. God help us if he ever figures out the volume controls.

Who wants a Gambit to liven up their lives?

He sounds incredible. <3

That must be frustrating, though.

Oh, he is. He's by far the most intellegent, charming, and fun dog I've ever met, as well as being the best puzzle solver. And, yes, the most frustrating as well.

If his fear of people wasn't so extreme, I think he would blow the lid off just about any sport we wanted to try.

Sorry that I had to laugh with all he is able to do. I think the only way he can top this is to actually put a dvd in the player to watch a movie.

I wonder if you can start rewarding him when you tell him not to touch a button and he listens.

My first thought after reading the title was "what's new?"

And after reading the description, "LOL!!"

Seriously, that's brilliant. He's done what a lot of us try for months to teach our dogs. Targeting buttons. You should put it on cue and only allow it when you cue it, I think.

Have you tried xpens and negative markers with an alternative? Leash him, approach a commonly pushed button, when he offers lightly correct and ask for a retrieve of something instead? Heavily reward the alternative and lightly correct (eh, eh! Or whoops!) the button touching and xpen when you can't train it.

That or completely ignore it in hopes it gets old, just don't take him around a hospital for a while. lol

I'll try that. He hops right over an X-pen, but I'll try the negative marker. He actually has a look he gets right before he does something that he knows he shouldn't, so I've been trying to intercept him before he even gets to the button and distracting him.

I think part of the problem is that I've really been stepping up working with Folly to pass her CGC, and he's being bratty to get some attention. I've worked them together on some stuff, but a lot of it is just beyond what he's capable of, so he's been getting less attention. Hopefully if I work on something new with just him, button pushing will pale in comparison.