I need help with my puppy. - Paw Talk

DappleSuki · #1 01-06-2006, 06:50 PM

Ok, Percy is a 9 month old australian shep/border collie/black lab mix. At home he is generally well behaved. But every week we have to go to my inlaws to help care for a terminally ill parent. We go twice a week from 9am to 6pm. We have been taking him for almost the whole time we have had him. (I think we got him around 2 1/2 months old). But when we are there he has been acting up more and more each week. For some reason when my MIL gets home he FREAKS out. He barks and squeals and jumps and bucks, and he is so strong that sometimes i physically cannot control him and make him stop jumping up. Whenever someone stops by I have to put him outside so he doesn't bowl them over and he just barks and screams until we let him back in. It is getting to the point that I am embarassed and feel like a bad dog mommy for not being able to control him. We don't really have the money right now for obediance classes, so I am asking for any help that I can get! Any tips, suggestions, books to buy, anything! I know he is still pretty young, but he is very smart and shouldn't be getting worse every week! Any help would be VERY much appreciated!

smilingrl19 · #2 01-06-2006, 08:58 PM

I don't really have experience with training dogs, but have you maybe thought about leaving him home for the day and possibly finding someone maybe a town kid responsible enough to let the dog out a couple times a day while your gone? He may just not be comfortable with a lot of people or with the home that he's in, otherwise you might try a water bottle and spray him when he acts up while using a very stern voice. Good luck with it though.

Spiritus · #3 01-06-2006, 11:40 PM

Is he crate trained at home? Have you done any obedience with him? If he is crate trained, bring it with you. If he's not, put him into a down/stay when someone comes, have some YUMMY treats (if he ignores the treats and wants the person, then the treat isn't yummy enough). Ask for his attention and allow someone else to answer the door. The only person who pays attention to the dog, who even talks to the dog, is the person holding the treats.

Sometimes when young dogs get exhuberant greetings from "company", they start to get overexcited when someone arrives, making greeting company difficult. Teaching the dog another behavior can be very helpful, or in a homecare situation, crating the dog might be best and leave training at home.

DappleSuki · #4 01-07-2006, 04:57 PM

Yes he is crate trained and they have a crate there that they use for their dog that I sometimes put him in. But if someone comes to the door he just yelps and barks and thrashes around inside of it. And I am the only one there to open the door. He knows how to sit, lay down, shake, and is learning roll over. But He will not sit or lay down if someone is there.
Any other ideas???

buggygirl65 · #5 01-07-2006, 10:04 PM

well you could try giving him treats when you tell him to sit or laydown...if he doesnt then he doesnt get a treat if he does do it give him a treat

buggygirl65 · #6 01-07-2006, 10:05 PM

oh yeah...make sure you have the treat IN your hand when you tell him to do it so he knows the prise waiting for him