unglue my dog from me

[pratimapthk]

happy holidays everyone. my dilemma is this:

i love my Paddy. but i would love to relax when i come home from work. as soon as i enter home, it is play with me play with me time for him. is there anything i can do to make him understand that it is okay for him to play with his toys by himself while i check my emails etc. i play with him everyday and even take him for walks. but he won't stop. he barks, which i ignore, but then the toys are continuously placed on my lap and it is play play play.
he is one years old. we do the training thing together everyday, sit, stand, shake hands etc. but i need him to understand that it is okay to play by himself. any ideas?

[ladybug1802]

When you say this is when you come home from work.....how long would be have been alone for?

[Suzette]

I have to say, one of my greatest pleasures is how excited Piper is to see me when I walk through the door -- even if I've only been gone for fifteen minutes! It's a real ego boost!! But I understand that sometimes you need to get things done or maybe just want to sit and relax when you get home. I will always give Piper my immediate attention when I get home. She's still a pup too and always ready for a game of catch or tug. So I take her outside and we play in the backyard for ten or fifteen minutes. That's usually enough to get out the initial wiggles and excited energy. Then we come in and spend a few minutes being quiet and cuddly. (If she's really wound up and feeling her oats, then we go for a walk right then and there. Nothing tires her out more than a walk!)

After that, if I have things I must do and she's still feeling a bit needy, I give her a brand new bully stick and let her gnaw away while I get some things done. All dogs have different energy levels and Piper is one that settles pretty quickly and is happy just to be near me once we've had our play time or a walk around the neighborhood. But maybe something along these lines will work for you and Paddy too.

[Ari_RR]

Yes, I am with Suzette on this. Walking through the door and having Ari running up to me with his wiggly butt and crazy tail, bringing his toys is one of the best moments in a day for me too. My only complaint here is that likes squeezing between my legs as a way of greeting me and leaves hair on my pants, other then that - I just love all this...
But a bully stick should work and keep Paddy busy for some time.

[Nettle]

When you get home, straight into your walking gear and walk him for half an hour. Then come home, give him something like a stuffed kong to occupy him and then you can check your emails. Emails can wait: your dog is a priority He has been alone all day and he needs some interaction with you.

[bendog]

I'm with Nettle on this one. Take him a decent walk and then he'll be happy to settle whilst you do things.

I roll out of bed in the mornings, throw on some clothes and go straight out with the dogs.
Then whoevers home first out of me and my boyfriend takes the dogs straight out when they get home.

If I get home and the dogs have already been walked by my boyfriend then I'll play with them for half an hour instead.

THEN you get on with emails, essays, cooking, housework etc!

[Horace's Mum]

i play with him everyday and even take him for walks.

How much walking do you actually do with him? And how long is he on his own for?

[pratimapthk]

he is with my mom all day. i work for 8 hours straight at a daycare. looking for another job, but nothing out there. we are inseperable during the weekend. he goes where i go. we play for 2 hours straight after i have finished eating. after i have greeted him, he is given his evening meal, which he hardly touches. but i think he is just energetic, and will try your advise.

[CKSAMartin]

I feel your pain. Our 2.5 yr old Border-aussie won't leave me alone. I like to call her my stalker dog. Fortunately, she's afraid of the stairs, and won't follow me to the basement. So i can either put her out in the yard where she happily runs and plays, or I can retreat to the basement to keep from getting the 70 lb, 95% white, no-pigment terror from slobbering all over me. Because our dog isn't content to climb into my lap and be petted. She can last no more than 20 minutes, then it's time to start mouthing all over my hands and arms. Preferably my hands. She is obsessed with chewing on them. If I were a cook or soemthing I could see it. I sit at a computer all day.

Our dog does have chew sticks and toys, but no matter how much fun she is having with one, as soon as I come up the stairs and enter the room she drops everything and comes running over, following me around, rubbing up against me like she's a cat or something. I'm the only male in the house- my wife and two daughters (6&12) are jealous that the dog is so infatuated with me.

Used to be the only situation where she wouldn't constantly be jumping pawing, slobbering on me was in the yard- where she wouldn't recall. Now she knows "sit"- sort of. When I tell her to "Sit" instead of doing that wherever she is, she comes over and sits at my side. Whoops. My bad training, I reckon.

So how do you break the baby duck cycle of canine groupiness? It just can't be healthy for the dog- despite she has no separation anxiety when I leave the room or go to work. She becomes perfectly normal. And on weekends, even if I spend hours and hours with her, same thing.

[misskris]

@pratimapthk - I agree with Nettle and think you do too. The first thing I do when i get home is take Daisy on a 45-minute (or so) walk. She is only left at home for 3 hours or so between when my husband leaves for work and I return. In the morning, before I go to work, I take her on a 20-minute walk and in the middle of the morning, my husband takes her on a 30-minute walk. If she did NOT have all this mental and physical stimulation, she would go nuts. She would probably take our furniture with her into nuttiness. haha. But, I truly believe, that since she is well-exercised and mentally stimulated (we always walk on different routes and play games and train her to keep her mentally stimulated) she is satisfied to rest until I get home because she EXPECTS the walk. Once your dog gets into a consistent schedule and he will be able to EXPECT that you will exercise him as soon as you get home, I'm confident that his need for play will subside! But, play is also a great way to tire him out, too! Best of luck, I am sure you will find success!

@CKSAMartin - not sure, but have you taken doggie to obedience? That REALLY helped (I can't tell you how much, it's amazing) Daisy settle down, understand what is appropriate and not appropriate behavior, and be well socialized. Maybe if you challenged your doggie with some mental stimulation through training, he would forget about his obsession with playing with you? I'm definitely not an expert, but it's worth a try! Just make sure to observe and know the beliefs and philosophies of the training school before going, as there are many different offerings out there!

best of luck to both of you!
k

[pratimapthk]

okay so now i have bought paddy bully sticks, have taken him to the park, played with him, and he is still glued to me. it is nonstop, throw the ball so i can run and get it and bring it back to you so you can throw it for me again.
the only time this stops is when we sleep. so now what do i do. is it because he is so young? about 1 year old i think. or is it his breed? boxer, blue heeler mix? need some advice guys

[Nettle]

He is a mix of very lively clingy breeds, still a puppy, and this is the first time you have tried this. You need to persist not be discouraged when it isn't all perfect after one try.

Do you give him things to do when you get home, like a stuffed kong or some boxes to tear apart? He needs structure and occupation, like a small child. You can do this - but it won't all become perfect after one try.

[pratimapthk]

Yes I do. No boxes to tear up though, because I am afraid that he might start tearing stuff up at home. But as soon as the kong is finished or the bully stick or he gets bored with the sheep's hoof, we are back to the ball again.

[JudyN]

Yes I do. No boxes to tear up though, because I am afraid that he might start tearing stuff up at home.

Tearing up boxes is a great outlet, though. It really is worth trying to tidy away everything that you think might tempt your dog, and then give him permission to rip apart some things. I often pop a treat in a cardboard box and give it to my dog, and it's rare that he will help himself to anything not 'his' to shred (unless it smells of the food it used to contain) - but then I don't leave anything too tempting within reach.

[pratimapthk]

okay. let me get him and see. today we went to a park, played ball for 2 hours. came home he actually rested for 30 minutes. played ball and hide and seek. went for a 30 minute walk. played ball and find the treats. it is now 8:50 p.m. and he wants to play ball again. and yes i have been timing him. he did rest for 30 minutes while i played cards with mom