I have a 6 month old Golden Retriever/Lab mix. He is very sweet and very well behaved at home with just my husband and I (still a puppy- but manageable). However, when he is around other dogs it is as if all of his "manners" fly right out the window. He wants to play...ALL the time... and becomes unmanageable. We sent him to stay with my husband's family for a week while we are on our honeymoon, and will spend an additional two weeks there for Christmas holiday. My husband's dad owns 2 dogs and my brother-in-law owns 1 (who also want to play, but are older and have been trained longer). Does anyone have any tips for how to handle this? I don't want to be correcting behavior for two weeks, and am embarrassed that my inlaws have to deal with this for a week alone. Obviously, so many dogs together is difficult, but that can't be avoided. This is what we are looking for:
-How to help him settle down when he is being stimulated by other dogs and the temptation of play
-How to get him to respond to our commands while he was playing (it often feels like he can't even hear me!)
Please help!
I forget my manners at playtime!
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mcculloughe
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 7:15 pm
Re: I forget my manners at playtime!
I might add that we have tried "time-outs" when he doesn't settle down, but they don't seem to work. As soon as he is let out he is right back to playing.
He is also exercised daily
He is also exercised daily
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***Melissa***
- Posts: 1026
- Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:30 am
- Location: Mafikeng, South Africa
Re: I forget my manners at playtime!
He is a 6 months old - and becoming a teenage whooligan - very normal 
But, it is critical that he learns what is appropriate play, and what not, and that is all up to you to teach him that.
The general stuff to do is -
- long walks & mental exercise (clicker training, feeding out of kongs, etc) to tire him out - he will still play with other dogs, but he will be too tired to continue playing for long periods
- time outs - it is important to give a timeout EVERY TIME. Not giving him a time out everytime will only make it worse - he will learn that *sometimes* I get a timeout, and *sometimes not*, which will only motivate him to try harder (doing what you don't want him to do). Time outs should be 10 seconds long (no longer), and should NOT be in his crate/bed/room/safe place. So it's important to watch him constantely to be able to give him a time out every few minutes if you have to - without skipping a single one. THe first few days will be bad - the only thing you're going to do is to give time outs. Don't give up, no matter how frustrated you get. Then it will get worse before it gets better - he will try harder (like pressing the buttons on the remote harder when you know the batteries died). After that he will see that it's not working - all he's getting is a time out, and it will stop. When you are not there to supervise - seperate the dogs (as it is VERY important to give him a time out EVERY time)
But, it is critical that he learns what is appropriate play, and what not, and that is all up to you to teach him that.
The general stuff to do is -
- long walks & mental exercise (clicker training, feeding out of kongs, etc) to tire him out - he will still play with other dogs, but he will be too tired to continue playing for long periods
- time outs - it is important to give a timeout EVERY TIME. Not giving him a time out everytime will only make it worse - he will learn that *sometimes* I get a timeout, and *sometimes not*, which will only motivate him to try harder (doing what you don't want him to do). Time outs should be 10 seconds long (no longer), and should NOT be in his crate/bed/room/safe place. So it's important to watch him constantely to be able to give him a time out every few minutes if you have to - without skipping a single one. THe first few days will be bad - the only thing you're going to do is to give time outs. Don't give up, no matter how frustrated you get. Then it will get worse before it gets better - he will try harder (like pressing the buttons on the remote harder when you know the batteries died). After that he will see that it's not working - all he's getting is a time out, and it will stop. When you are not there to supervise - seperate the dogs (as it is VERY important to give him a time out EVERY time)
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~Ben Williams
Re: I forget my manners at playtime!
Time outs will help but you do all have to be committed to doing them.
I once really upset my almost Father In Law ... doing time outs with him and my Tibetan Terrier... The dog was barking at him, to get a reaction which is one of his 'things'... and the easiest thing to do was to send FIL out of the room for ten seconds each time (since he was the object of Errols desires there) - we had to do it over and over and over and over and over and over before Errol realised that this game just would not work. Of course FIL thought we were taking the mickey out of him! I had to explain to him several times that we were not messing him about and it wasnt a practical joke, and to this day i dont think hes really sure he believes me!
It did work in the end and time outs will work but they must be given every time, immediately, repeatedly.
If you are on your 67millionth repetition of the time out and you MUST stop because .... the house is on fire... food is ready... you need to go out... dont allow the dog to continue what he was doing that earnt him the time out, instead... change the subject. Time out.. go out to him.. take him elsewhere and do something else. Then go put the housefire out, eat your dinner, go out..
Once you get your head round it (and I appreciate it IS easier when you have seen someone demonstrate it, but tv shows just cant because watching someone time out a dog 25 times in a row is borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring) its very simple and very effective - as long as you are meeting the dogs needs in more appropriate ways.
These two things are where time outs usually fail. Someone tries it once or twice, the dog tries a bit harder to do what he liked to do, the person gives up 'oh t his method doesnt work' and so yay the dog gets to carry on doing something he likes to do.
The other one is where the time outs are repeated lots, but Rover is barking for attention;/chewing the furniture/bouncing off Grandma's head because Rover is bored witless, lives on runny slop and is never walked, so of COURSE hes goin to seek attention by barking chewing and bouncing around.
Really make sure that your dog is getting not only the physical exercise he needs, but the mental exercise too. Several short walks a day that focus on training, responsiveness etc. Puzzle solving sessions and clicker training sessions every day, several times but for just five or ten minutes at a time. Feed from filled Kong style toys too, gnawing and chewing to get a meal is much more satisfying and tiring than hoovering it up from a bowl.
I once really upset my almost Father In Law ... doing time outs with him and my Tibetan Terrier... The dog was barking at him, to get a reaction which is one of his 'things'... and the easiest thing to do was to send FIL out of the room for ten seconds each time (since he was the object of Errols desires there) - we had to do it over and over and over and over and over and over before Errol realised that this game just would not work. Of course FIL thought we were taking the mickey out of him! I had to explain to him several times that we were not messing him about and it wasnt a practical joke, and to this day i dont think hes really sure he believes me!
It did work in the end and time outs will work but they must be given every time, immediately, repeatedly.
If you are on your 67millionth repetition of the time out and you MUST stop because .... the house is on fire... food is ready... you need to go out... dont allow the dog to continue what he was doing that earnt him the time out, instead... change the subject. Time out.. go out to him.. take him elsewhere and do something else. Then go put the housefire out, eat your dinner, go out..
Once you get your head round it (and I appreciate it IS easier when you have seen someone demonstrate it, but tv shows just cant because watching someone time out a dog 25 times in a row is borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring) its very simple and very effective - as long as you are meeting the dogs needs in more appropriate ways.
These two things are where time outs usually fail. Someone tries it once or twice, the dog tries a bit harder to do what he liked to do, the person gives up 'oh t his method doesnt work' and so yay the dog gets to carry on doing something he likes to do.
The other one is where the time outs are repeated lots, but Rover is barking for attention;/chewing the furniture/bouncing off Grandma's head because Rover is bored witless, lives on runny slop and is never walked, so of COURSE hes goin to seek attention by barking chewing and bouncing around.
Really make sure that your dog is getting not only the physical exercise he needs, but the mental exercise too. Several short walks a day that focus on training, responsiveness etc. Puzzle solving sessions and clicker training sessions every day, several times but for just five or ten minutes at a time. Feed from filled Kong style toys too, gnawing and chewing to get a meal is much more satisfying and tiring than hoovering it up from a bowl.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
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mcculloughe
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 7:15 pm
Re: I forget my manners at playtime!
Thanks for all the advice!
We did send a large rawhide with him, and I asked my father in law to give him that throughout the day. He is also being taken out and introduced to SNOW for the first time- which he is fascinated by!
My father in law has been redirecting his attention to his "tricks" when he starts getting out of hand. He practices "high five", "shake", "down", "sit", "stay", and "wait" with him, and that does seem to work for a while.
It sounds like the time-out is the right thing to do, but we have been doing it for 2-3 minutes rather than just 10-15 seconds and obviously it has been repetitive! I will try the shorter time outs and instead keep him sitting close to me (which seems easier to do than hauling the other 3 dogs away!) or taking him out of the room. Practice makes perfect!
Thanks for all the advice!
We did send a large rawhide with him, and I asked my father in law to give him that throughout the day. He is also being taken out and introduced to SNOW for the first time- which he is fascinated by!
My father in law has been redirecting his attention to his "tricks" when he starts getting out of hand. He practices "high five", "shake", "down", "sit", "stay", and "wait" with him, and that does seem to work for a while.
It sounds like the time-out is the right thing to do, but we have been doing it for 2-3 minutes rather than just 10-15 seconds and obviously it has been repetitive! I will try the shorter time outs and instead keep him sitting close to me (which seems easier to do than hauling the other 3 dogs away!) or taking him out of the room. Practice makes perfect!
Thanks for all the advice!
Re: I forget my manners at playtime!
Read through our clicker training thread in the articles section, because running through tricks he already knows is not all that taxing on the brain, whereas learning NEW tricks very much is and needn't take any more time up.
Have a look at www.clickertraining.com also as you will find loads of ideas there for things to teach him.
2/3 minutes is far too long for a time out, so that is probably why they are not working. It isnt a chance to let him calm down - though that can be a vaulable method also (changing the subject, taking him off to do something else rather than allowing him to get really silly), its a fast and immediate consequence for his actions - its the intial 'omg, im out here and not in there' that does the trick not the length of time hes out there for.
Have a look at www.clickertraining.com also as you will find loads of ideas there for things to teach him.
2/3 minutes is far too long for a time out, so that is probably why they are not working. It isnt a chance to let him calm down - though that can be a vaulable method also (changing the subject, taking him off to do something else rather than allowing him to get really silly), its a fast and immediate consequence for his actions - its the intial 'omg, im out here and not in there' that does the trick not the length of time hes out there for.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
