Barney the attention seeker

Share your experience and tell us how using positive reinforcement training methods has changed yours and your dogs' lives.

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springerx2
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 2:12 am
Location: Marham, Norfolk, England

Barney the attention seeker

Post by springerx2 »

I have 2 springers, Barney and Bella, they are brother and sister but from different litters with 1 year between them. Bella is a little angel, always as good as gold and very pretty, I've never known her be naughty with intention in all her life, and if she looks like doing something she shouldn't all I have to do is look at her and she stops and wags her tail and changes the subject. (she has had OCD in the past but I have almost broke the habit with her by playing games in which she works with her nose to find treats and using balls full of treats to give her something to do)

Barney however is the complete opposite. He was a nightmare, you really wouldn't believe they are related. It started a few days before I gave birth to my son, when I couldn't walk him as much and my attention was elsewhere. I fully intended to have the baby, be out of hospital in a few hours and carry on walking the dogs and doing the same (a bit stupid of me I suppose). Unfortunately it took 4 days and a c section, then complications after followed by 6 months rest with my feet up. That is the reason they stopped getting walked as much and given as much attention as before, plus with the new baby to look after we were busy and tired so the dogs took a back seat. Barney wasn't having it.

When I say that he has his Kennel Club Good Citizen Award and the local dog trainer/behaviourist uses him to demonstrate to his classes with and he attended puppy socialisation from the age of about 12 weeks then took advanced obedience then agility classes I found it surprising that such a well trained dog could be such a nightmare. And he was so defiant, when doing wrong he had a stare that could make anyone feel like backing down, but I wouldn't give in to him.

He started to steal anything he could get and take it either under the table or behind the settee. If it was food he ate it if it wasn't he shredded it. I couldn't even make a sandwich. I'd get the bread out then turn my back to get the butter and while doing so he'd steal the bread. When I was on the phone, feeding the baby or even washing up he'd realise my attention was elsewhere then do anything he shouldn't from digging up carpets to taking baby toys and destroying them, all so that my attention would then be focused back onto him. He also used to try and bite me when I took the stolen goods off him or told him off. He got me once or twice and the other times I was quick.

When we went out Barney and Bella were shut in the kitchen, but Barney learnt how to open doors and used to let himself out into the lounge and shred everything then wee and poo all over. We put up a 4ft puppy gate to keep him in the kitchen but he just used to jump over it, so we had the puppy gate up and the door shut with the gate blocking the door handle so he couldn't open it.

He used to jump out of the lounge window and go for the dog next door, so we had to keep the windows closed to keep him in. If he meets dogs while out on a walk he likes them and plays with them, so I thought he didn't want to fight or he would fight the ones he could get to, rather than put up an aggressive display at a dog who was behind a fence. I could be wrong that's just my opinion.

As I recovered from the surgery I walked him more and he began to behave a little bit better, but was still a thief and an opportunist especially if I was out of the room.

The turning point was when he lunged at my face. I had moved the cat food through the house but Barney always found it. We had a 4 foot high fish tank so I put the cat food on top thinking Barney wouldn't reach it. Only he climbed onto the back of the settee then across onto the top of the fish tank and ate the cat food. I spoke to the trainer who had worked with him nearly all his life and he advised me to buy a muzzle to stop him stealing and to stop him snapping at me, so while up on the tank I climbed up and put on his muzzle. Then I pulled him down onto the floor by his collar, sat next to him and told him off, just like I had been shown how to do!!! Barney then sprung up and went for my face, he burst my lip and grazed my cheek with his muzzle. I rang the trainer and he said it was a one way trip to the vets or keep him outside. It was the middle of winter and I thought it wouldn't be fair on him just to shove him out into the cold.
I was told he was far too aggressive and needed to be put down by various 'trainers'. I know my dog better than anyone and he loves to sit with me and have cuddles and go to sleep and dream on my knee and play fetch and other games and I wouldn't be told he is a nasty dog, he's just the opposite, he's very loving.

Other trainers I spoke to said to keep him in a cage and on a lead, even in the garden. I know I'd go nuts if I lived my life in a cage, and I know how much energy and intelligence Barney has so knew I couldn't do that to him either.

Then came the Victoria way, during my 6 months rest after surgery I had studied her methods from It's Me Or The Dog and realised they worked well and are consistent.
The next time Barney stole something I didn't approach him, I called him to me and when he came rewarded him with food, then went and got the article he had stolen. No threat by me, no aggression from Barney.
It took a while to regain his trust but we got there. Sometimes he would do something he shouldn't then when I stopped him and I said he was good and got biscuit he would jump on the bandwaggon and keep doing the same thing for more biscuits, so that's why he sometimes just gets loads of praise instead of biscuits. (He keeps me on my toes)

When we started to walk both dogs a minimum of 3 times a day again we saw massive improvements, I also started doing 5 minute sessions of basic obedience training throughout the day at home, always using lots of praise and biscuits for incentive, I hide biscuits around the garden for both dogs to find and play with them with their toys. Now all the negative behaviour from the past has stopped. Barney hasn't gone for me for about 18 months so that's brilliant. He also walks round with a smile on his face, more sparkle in his eyes and is much more playful and relaxed.

Barney occasionally still steals but I can now just take it off him without any fuss. The other week we had a joint of meat in the kitchen waiting to be carved, it had slipped my mind but it got to Barney's nose. He went into the kitchen and by the time I remembered the meat and had got in there he had his nose in the air walking straight past it. What a temptation to resist, I was so proud of him. You can imagine the praise and biscuits he got for that, I think the neighbours thought I'd lost my mind :D

Barney and Victoria have inspired me to become a dog trainer and work with dogs that are on their last chance in life. Thanks to Barney it's my goal in life to help as many people and dogs as possible
jacksdad
Posts: 4887
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:48 pm

Re: Barney the attention seeker

Post by jacksdad »

cool story. well done
emmabeth
Posts: 8894
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:24 pm
Location: West Midlands
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Re: Barney the attention seeker

Post by emmabeth »

Brilliant stuff!

Do you think on reflection, that some of Barneys behaviour wasnt so much direct attention seeking... but a coping strategy to deal with the stress/anxiety caused by the huuuuuuuuge change in his life?

I ask this because one of my dogs is a terrible theif, and for years I did think as you did with Barney ill bet 'oh bad dog..... he does it to get my attention/wind me up'...

Some things are attention seeking - Dilly has a knack of yipping in your face if he really thinks he isnt being heard/noticed.. but the stealing, once I stopped thinking 'grr' and started to look more at the whole picture... he steals FAR more when its a very stressful time.

Of course most humans when in the middle of a really stressful time themselves, who are then faced with a dog who steals and wrecks things.. will leap to the conclusion 'doing it to get at me' because it DOES feel like that.. and we are not in a position to take a step back and see what is really going on.

I do think a lot of stressed out dogs steal/wreck/create havoc because it is something to do.. when they dont know what else to do. In the same way that some dogs with seperation anxiety will trash/steal/wreck things...

It took positive training methods for me too... to take a step back, stop confronting my dogs and increasing the aggression, to see what they were reallllllly telling me!
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
springerx2
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 2:12 am
Location: Marham, Norfolk, England

Re: Barney the attention seeker

Post by springerx2 »

It could well have been caused by stress as well has just having a baby we had also just moved house and had burglars. Barney and Bella were in the house alone at the time, and when the burglar was caught she had multiple scratch and bite marks, she also left the outside door wide open but both dogs chose to stay with the house. Barney was bruised the vet thinks due to the burglar kicking him and Bella was a nervous wreck running round in circles barking. Of course we'll never know what the burglar did to them, but I think it's what triggered Barney's aggression as it started after that. I'd like 5 minutes in a room on my own with the burglar! This would obviously have been stressful for the dogs as well so more than likely come out in different ways, like stealing. We once came home and Barney had opened the fridge door and all the contents were over the floor, broken eggs, half a cream cake and other half eaten things, I'll never forget that. I laugh at it now but it was terrible at the time. I've learnt to keep up the positive training or I think we could easily go back and we can't have that. At the moment Bella's chewing a raw hide bone and Barney is laid on his back with his legs up in the air on the rug in the sun. The postman has been and so have the bin men and both dogs are too chilled to care. It's a good life for them now. x
sarahjayne
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 10:22 am
Location: Paris, France

Re: Barney the attention seeker

Post by sarahjayne »

That's a wonderful story. I'm so glad that you had faith in Barney and in positive training. :D
The burglary must have been a terrible trauma for both of your dogs (as well as for you) but I'm sure with your love and devotion they have come through and things can only get better.
Congratulations for your courage :D
All the best.
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