Im new to the board.. been lurking for a while and there's good information.
I adopted an 8 year old dog and she is really well behaved in certain areas but some things not so much.
Things she's good at: not being dominant, calm, submissive, somewhat timid, no aggression at all with food, people, and even other dogs. Only sometimes she growls or barks if there are dogs across the street when going on walks.
She also knows basic commands such as sit, down, knows her boundary for a door way. Starting to get "lie down", and im sure she knows "stay" but she NEVER listens.
I tested her hearing to make sure everything is good and she can hear and reacs to the TINIEST sound when it comes to her squeak toy.
her prey drive is insanely high and once she's fixated on something (her toy for example, a dog across the street, some kind of noise) i can kiss getting her attention goodbye and recall is a joke. Even when i give her a big correction using the leash and keep walking at a fast pace just looing forward, she is just so captivated, I have to do it harder and harder 3-4 times before she gives up. .. for about 5 seconds. Lol
I use "tss" as a form of correction or letting her know that I do not want her to do it, and she completely understand. She however, does not obey at times. sometimes without distractions, she does listen though.
She has really smart. If she doesnt want to do something, what she will do is walk away from me. I started NILIF and resource control a few days ago and it is working a lot better so maybe im being too hard on her but yesterday i tried to get her to eat her food (she needs to eat so she can take her meds) but she refuses to eat. She knows exactly what i want because it has worked before but she was just being stubborn. I make sure to give her lots of affection when she does eat and follow up with a treat, but no go. She will eat the hot dogs (with pills inside) no problem so i know its nothing medical, she just doesnt want the normal everyday food.
I also am using resource control by using a ball because she goes absolutely insane over the ball. if she sees a ball, NOTHING can snap her out of it. She focuses on the ball and the ball alone. If she doesnt do what i ask, i dont throw it but she just doesnt do it at all, so eventually what happens is she gets tired of it and goes and lies down. Basically, she is being stubborn and won't give in and would rather not have the treat or the ball.
Low motivator: I tried all kinds of treats but food is not a motivator for her at all, and if she's distracted you can have a delicious steamed chicken in front of her and she won't eat it. She only eats it when she is not distracted.
Medium-high motivator: she loves affection. She whines when she is alone (which is actually getting much better after NILIF) but she loves it. Before i tried NILIF, she would jump up and down, and literally ram her head into my groin and legs and ive gotten bruises from her ecollar ramming into my shin because of it. I didnt know that petting her to make her calm is giving in but after NILIF, i stopped and she is much better. Not 100% but much better.
Too -high : ball or fetch. She is so fixated on the ball and fetch and i cant even get her attention to get her to do a simple thing in order for her to get her reward.
She follows me everywhere i go (except for when she goes and lies down after being stubbornly disobedient), and does not listen to "stay". i can at most walk away about 10 feet or about 5 seconds before she gets up and comes back to me.
Any help on where to start and any description of what is going on between me and my dog will be greatly appreciated.
I adopted an 8 year old dog and she is really well behaved in certain areas but some things not so much.
Things she's good at: not being dominant, calm, submissive, somewhat timid, no aggression at all with food, people, and even other dogs. Only sometimes she growls or barks if there are dogs across the street when going on walks.
She also knows basic commands such as sit, down, knows her boundary for a door way. Starting to get "lie down", and im sure she knows "stay" but she NEVER listens.
I tested her hearing to make sure everything is good and she can hear and reacs to the TINIEST sound when it comes to her squeak toy.
her prey drive is insanely high and once she's fixated on something (her toy for example, a dog across the street, some kind of noise) i can kiss getting her attention goodbye and recall is a joke. Even when i give her a big correction using the leash and keep walking at a fast pace just looing forward, she is just so captivated, I have to do it harder and harder 3-4 times before she gives up. .. for about 5 seconds. Lol
I use "tss" as a form of correction or letting her know that I do not want her to do it, and she completely understand. She however, does not obey at times. sometimes without distractions, she does listen though.
She has really smart. If she doesnt want to do something, what she will do is walk away from me. I started NILIF and resource control a few days ago and it is working a lot better so maybe im being too hard on her but yesterday i tried to get her to eat her food (she needs to eat so she can take her meds) but she refuses to eat. She knows exactly what i want because it has worked before but she was just being stubborn. I make sure to give her lots of affection when she does eat and follow up with a treat, but no go. She will eat the hot dogs (with pills inside) no problem so i know its nothing medical, she just doesnt want the normal everyday food.
I also am using resource control by using a ball because she goes absolutely insane over the ball. if she sees a ball, NOTHING can snap her out of it. She focuses on the ball and the ball alone. If she doesnt do what i ask, i dont throw it but she just doesnt do it at all, so eventually what happens is she gets tired of it and goes and lies down. Basically, she is being stubborn and won't give in and would rather not have the treat or the ball.
Low motivator: I tried all kinds of treats but food is not a motivator for her at all, and if she's distracted you can have a delicious steamed chicken in front of her and she won't eat it. She only eats it when she is not distracted.
Medium-high motivator: she loves affection. She whines when she is alone (which is actually getting much better after NILIF) but she loves it. Before i tried NILIF, she would jump up and down, and literally ram her head into my groin and legs and ive gotten bruises from her ecollar ramming into my shin because of it. I didnt know that petting her to make her calm is giving in but after NILIF, i stopped and she is much better. Not 100% but much better.
Too -high : ball or fetch. She is so fixated on the ball and fetch and i cant even get her attention to get her to do a simple thing in order for her to get her reward.
She follows me everywhere i go (except for when she goes and lies down after being stubbornly disobedient), and does not listen to "stay". i can at most walk away about 10 feet or about 5 seconds before she gets up and comes back to me.
Any help on where to start and any description of what is going on between me and my dog will be greatly appreciated.