Earlier this month (about 2 weeks ago) Izzy turned 1 year old. I know what you are wondering, are we the type of people to throw her a doggy birthday party. Well, the answer is no. I think the idea is cute but it’s not us. I don’t even like having birthday parties for myself and the thought of more than 2 or 3 dogs running through our house gives me the hives. Plus, I was in Zambia when she hit her milestone. Instead of a party, I think this weekend, weather permitting, we’re going to go to her favorite dog park with the off-leash walking trail, let her lay in our bed Sunday morning (after which we will be washing all the sheets) and maybe treat her to some specially baked dog goods. Amy over at the Nifty Foodie just posted a recipe for Peanut Butter and Pumpkin dog treats I’m dying to try.
Now that we got all the birthday business out of the way, we need to ask for you help. Izzy been exhibiting some behavior over the last 2-3 weeks that is new and not liked by us.
1. She barks. She barks at us particularly when we’re cooking or eating. She barks at people walking by. She barks at nothing. The barking isn’t consistent. She doesn’t bark every time we eat or every time someone walks by the house. Last night we were getting ready for bed and she jumped up on the bed and just started barking at me. I tried to get her off but she just ran around the bed barking. The funny thing is she doesn’t really bark at dogs when she sees them unless they are playing together.
2. She won’t walk. Every morning before work I set aside 35-40 minutes to take her on a walk before I crate her. At first she was happy to go on the walk but now all she wants to do is walk around the block, relieve herself and head back to the house. I thought it was because she doesn’t like the rain but she’ll do it on sunny warm days too. I do notice she acts this way only on days I go into work. On the days where I telecommute or on a weekend morning, she’s happy to walk the 1.5 miles. I hate to put her in the crate without the exercise but I’m not sure what to do. I thought about playing with her in the morning but she’s super sleepy.
3. Speaking of super sleepy – she is. It used to be that she’d get up with Micah at 5:45am, go potty, have some breakfast and nap until I got up 45 minutes later. Now she won’t get up with Micah. You can’t even entice her out of bed with a treat. I’m fine with her sleeping in if it doesn’t hurt her.
4. Counter Surfing. I don’t know where she learned this (Dadtractor) but she tries to counter surf. We were told after 5 or 6 failed attempts, she’d give up doing it. She tries everyday and is never successful but hasn’t stopped and it’s been 3 weeks. How do we stop this? Someone told us to lightly hit her nose when she does that but I’m not sure that’s the best idea. We give her positive verbal reinforcement when she does get off the counter.
5. The car. She used to be OK in the car and now she’s not. She wants to be in the front seat sitting on your lap all the time. If she’s the only passenger in the car, she’ll paw at the driver for attention. She NEVER used to do this before. We’ve tried kongs and toys in the car and it’s doesn’t really work. She plays for a while and then remembers no one is paying attention to her.
These are the biggies I can think of right now. Last night, we were trying to think of what has changed in the last 3 weeks that might have brought on these behaviors. Here’s what we came up with.
1. I went out of town for 10 days or so. I know she missed the attention and Micah tried keep up with her normal schedule. He even let her spend one weekend at Dadtractor’s house while I was away because she loves it there.
2. A different peanut butter. I don’t know if it makes a difference. It’s got no sugar or salt in it now.
3. Graduation. For the first 2 months we had Izzy, she was enrolled in obedience classes. Every Wednesday we’d head to class for an hour and we’d spend 2-3 hours a week learning and practicing tricks. We still practice the tricks she does know but we haven’t taught her any new ones.
4. Workers During the Day. There have been guys working on the decks and the outside stairs during the day for the last 5 weeks. They used to come in the house (while she was in her crate) but they don’t anymore. Sometimes they have to come into the garage though. She knows them by sight and doesn’t bark at them but maybe she so busy listening for them that she doesn’t sleep during the day?
5. Change of location. We moved Izzy’s crate from our bedroom to the craft room where she likes to sleep when we’re working in the office, cooking or eating dinner. We put her dog bed in the place where her crate used to be, so she still sleeps in our room.
6. The cousin. My sister and brother-in-law are back from Italy and have brought their little Italian Fox dog Giacoma home with them. Giacoma has hung out with Izzy 2 or 3 times in the last 10 days. Izzy really wants to be friends and Giacoma isn’t entirely convinced. They play but Giacoma is also very jealous and protective of her owners. Giacoma doesn’t have any of the bad habits Izzy has been exhibiting, so I doubt Izzy learned them from her. Giacoma is about 6 months older than Izzy and about 8-10 lbs lighter. Here they are being “dominated” by my brother-in-law.
Here they are after playing all afternoon
So dear friends, any advice for us? Books or articles we should read that addresses these behaviors? Techniques you’ve found useful? Help!
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7 comments:
OK, this is twilight zone freaky. We totally own the same dog. Mine has the counter issues, barking randomly...I'm stalking these comments for help!
And Millie just turned 1, I think. Ugh...
Man, having a dog is hard work! I hear ya, sister :) Derby started going nuts after we were on vacation in August, and I feel like that is when a lot of her "issues" started. So, it could be the change in schedule and the visitors that are throwing her into a tizzy.
As for the walking and counter-surfing, I am not sure! Have you tried switching collars/leashes? Maybe she doesn't like the one she currently has & needs something else (regular vs. Gentle Leader Halter, etc.). When she jumps on the counter, I would yell "NO!" and shoo her off - maybe give up on the positive reinforcements when she gets off the counter...perhaps she knows that it's coming and jumps up there? I have no idea. Dogs are cray-zay!
Hang in there. We ended up getting these homeopathic drops from the vet that we put in her water. I am way skeptical, but we haven't had any madness in a couple of weeks (knock on wood).
Oh, and Happy Birthday Izzy!
@ Amy:
I hope we get some good advice! I think our dogs also look pretty similar.
@ Kristin:
We use the gentle leader so maybe a change in the morning to a regular collar would be good. We yell off when she tries to counter surf and then good girl if she jumps down right away.
Jellyby had very similar "terrible twos" type of issues. She was super friendly and loving, and then she started being leash aggressive toward other dogs and having a massive case of separation anxiety whenever I'd leave. Boo.
I'm afraid I don't have any great advice, just empathy. Some of her behaviors toned down as she got older, some of them just became more intransigent. I mostly blame myself, as I got lazier as a dog owner/trainer as time went on. And she's so damn cute that I spoil her.
I'm not an expert, but I've had/worked with dos most of my life, so I'll just make my observations from experience/what our trainer has told us (our dog is always developing new bad habits).
The possible reasons you suggested for the changes all could be contributing to her change in behavior. Dogs sense any change in the environment and in the energy around them much better than we do, and they are very sensitive to it. Here are some things that stick out though.
1. barking - our dog does this too all of a sudden and we dont know why. here is what our trainer suggested. Teach her to bark. Trigger her to bark at something she normally barks and tell her "yes" while she does it. Then using a release cue "ok" (or whatever you use) tell her that she's done, and when she stops barking reward her w/ treats. This is supposed to help you in "real life" when you give her the release cue she stops barking. Also you can teach "watch" (I can send you some info if you want it) so that when you say "watch" she looks at you, and there fore can't bark anymore.
2. The walk- our trainer told us that dogs learn routines very quickly. If she knows your routine for the days you go to work, she knows that you're going to be leaving her in her crate. Our dog would get very sad while we were getting ready for work, and would try to drag out her walks. Yours seems to be the opposite. The trainer suggested switching up our schedule to throw her off so she didn't know what was coming. Maybe that will help?
3. Sleepy - could be all the changes with you having guests over more and playing with the other dog. You *may* want to have her checked out by a vet just to make sure it's nothing medical, but our dogs will be completely tuckered out for days after boarding, day camp, dog park, a lot of playing with another dog, if its hot out, etc.. It could just be that.
4. Counter surfing. I agree- I'm not a fan of "hitting" the dog even if it's just a tap. Our trainer recommended using a noise can (old can filled with rocks, and taped shut) and lining the counters with them. We thought that was ridiculous, and instead kept one on hand and shook it whenever the dogs jumped up. Worked for one dog, but not the other. For the other we use a water bottle and squirt her when she jumps up. Also just a quick correction "UH UH!" and when they come down rewarding them could help.
5. Car. We have one dog who is excellent in the car, and one who climbs all over the place (including in our lap). It was simply too dangerous, so we invested in a doggie seatbelt. They sell them at most pet stores and even walmart. It makes car rides much safer for everyone. People don't realize that in case of an accident your unrestrained dog will become a projectile and they can be killed, and also kill or severely injure people in the front seat as well.
Sorry so long - we've just been/are going through all of this and I know how frustrating it is! E-mail me if you need anything else !
Cooper is only 9.5 months old, but just a couple of thoughts. When she barks, what is she getting out of it? Are you paying more attention to her when she barks? What is the response to her barking? If she's getting attention, stop giving it to her. If she's barking and there are truly people walking outside, you may not want to "punish" that kind of behavior because some dogs are territorial. Also, with the counter surfing, is there a particular item she is trying to get, or is this another attention getter? If you think it's the latter, when she does, take her two front legs and hold her up for a second (dogs don't love this, but it won't hurt them), and place her firmly down on the ground with the command you use when she's doing something bad, and then walk away from her. Don't give her any attention, just quickly correct and then ignore her for a good 15 minutes.
If the sleepiness or disinterest in walking concerns you, maybe take her to the vet to confirm there's nothing wrong, but it may just be that's getting more mature, and doesn't need as much exercise, and is also adjusting to your schedule. If she knows you're going to work and is going to be in the crate, she's not going to get worked up and energetic, she's going to be sleepiest then because she's got crate time coming her way. Dogs have a unique ability to adjust to our moods and our schedules. Okay, I've rambled enough. Hope that helps, or at least gives you some ideas. :)
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