Positive PetzineAsha - reactive behaviour?
Hi all, I'm looking for some ideas on how to deal with my dogs hyperactive behaviour. Asha is an 18 month old Maltese/shih-tzu. We also have a 12 month old female English staffy, Bella. We walk/run/bike/play frisbee with the dogs for 30-60 minutes a day.
My problem is Asha is becoming increasingly excitable. When we first arrive home, or if we head towards the door to go outside, or at feeding time, she becomes intent on doing laps of our property at top speed (outside and inside), sniffing, panting and barking. Almost like she's checking the perimeter? She also does this if I react to something on tv (gasp or exclaim over something). She's so intense & single minded abou it. I've tried telling her no (brief response but difficult to keep her attention), squirting her with a water gun (some success but not ideal really as I don't think she understands & I feel mean), asking her to sit (some success, but she's still extremely worked up & often doesn't obey), shutting her in the laundry briefly (supposedly till she calms down but she doesn't). It seems to be getting worse. She's such a lovely dog otherwise, I just wish she was calmer. She has always been a bit jumpy too (springs back from bushes etc.). She's very intelligent (learns tricks quickly), and is the bossier of our two dogs, even though she's much smaller (they have their issues, but that's fodder for another post).
I'd really appreciate some insight into the causes for her behaviour, and step by step instructions or advice on how I should deal with this. I'm at my wits end!
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Asha - reactive behaviour
Hi doggy parent of Zooming Dogs!
I have one of those and have dealt with a few in my career! The first thing I would say is to consider what behavior you would like them to do instead? Can you incorporate the zooming with say some other constructive behavior like fetching? Can you walk away and let it play out without you, since your presence seems to help it along? Then you can greet them calmly and with 4 paws on the ground.
Are you interested or familiar with using a clicker for any behavior? It helps to have a conditioned re-enforcer for fast moving animals! I actually put this zooming behavior on cue for my Border Terrier and made it almost a forced exercise. I also suggest teaching your dogs how to completely relax using Clicker Training by body part: Down on side, head down, legs relaxed, tail still.
Punishing this Zooming behavior the way you try to, is really just a nuisance to your dogs, and they are actually getting some reward from your attention! So my first suggestion is to Walk Away Walk Away to begin with. Start counting how long it takes for your dog to settle down from that point. The other part of this is to respond quickly to the behavior instead of waiting around for it to escalate. YOU CAN"T STOP IT, It's already on it's way! (o;
I can't go into all the benefits of learning good Clicker Skills, but leave it to say, I have made a living using it on behavior problems from Zooming to Aggression to training old dogs to do something different. It gives the dog a clear picture of what you want, how they can get what They want and gives them the ability to have some control over a situation. They really don't have control over much unless we give it to them. Dogs who know what they can do to get what they want will have a much lower rate of Whacked behavior. Zooming, in my opinion, done in a controlled space (not jumping on tables and such!) can be a great stress relief for the dog, and young dogs are more inclined to do it because they CAN! Yippee!!!! LOOK AT ME-----ZOOMING! My B.T. grabs a ball and zooms down the hall and when he tries to stop, I stomp my foot and tell him "GO GO GO!" and off he goes growling and barking with the ball in his mouth. After 2 or 3 loops he is done and drops the ball and flops down with a big grin on his face. No Harm done.
Hmmmm? hope that gives you a different perspective on this joyful behavior!
K9sbehave.com
Asha
What is worth trying is to pay her less attention. That means no No commands, no water pistol, don't even look at her when she is behaving that way. If she jumps up, turn your back on her.
Only when she settles, ask her to come to you, and sit, and then reward her with a treat and a pat.
Dogs can be taught that they only get attention, including a pat, if they are settled, if you are consistent with it.
For a while, only give her positive feedback when she is settled. Reward can also be a game, or sometimes just a pat and attention. If you want to pat her and pay her attention, get her to do something first - come, sit, drop, anything she knows how to do.
when you get home after being out, ignore her. let her settle in her own time, no matter how long it takes. only pay her attention when she is settled, again asking for a come, and a sit first.
Watch Me is a common tool used by dog trainers. The dog gets the reward for focusing on the trainer's face, for longer and longer periods. They learn to focus on the trainer, and therefore learning other commands becomes easier.
It might also help to give her something to keep her busy - a stuffed kong, a big meaty bone, a treat ball, or other interactive toy.
Over time you could increase her repertoire of obedience commands and tricks - it sounds like she would like to learn new things, and would enjoy it. Fetch, shake hands, roll over, jump, the list is endless. its a great way to bond with a dog, get their attention, and be able to pat them and reward them for doing the right things.
she is only young, and may settle naturally over time. nothing wrong with running around, at the right time and place.