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Post by Bella's Mom on May 7, 2014 19:41:20 GMT -5
Bella has been with me since she was a puppy. She turned 1 in November. She was spayed at six months. She is VERY protective of the old dogs. Another 3yr old dog had ear surgery for a blood pocket because that dog was bullying one of the old dogs by standing over them and snapping and Bella grabbed her. When Bella starts kissing the oldest dog (14 yr old lab/collie mix) she just doesn't stop, Zoe the old dog will finally have enough and knock Bella down on her back. She just gets up and continues kissing her. When a dog is being walked near my fence Bella seems to ran after one of her own pack to bite at (never the old ones so she must have some kind of control)...not sure why she is doing this or how to stop it. Thankfully she hasn't hurt anyone...I yell for her to stop and she does. Just not sure how to calm her at the sight of other dogs walking near her fence. Any ideas?
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Post by RealPitBull on May 8, 2014 7:37:24 GMT -5
Fence fighting is really common and often will result in redirection (i.e. the dog gets frustrated and lashes out at the nearest dog). I have a little how-to on stopping fence running like this, I have to dig it out. In the mean time, just read over this page: realpitbull.com/harmony.htmlBe right back! P.s. I'm moving this to the Training/Behavior board.
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Post by RealPitBull on May 8, 2014 8:17:53 GMT -5
Here ya go! Fence Fighting Fence fighting or fence running can be a hugely problematic behavior issue especially so when two or more dogs are out in the yard at a time. Redirection (one dog redirected his frustration on the other resident dog) can compound this issue. There are, thankfully a few things you can do to help remedy this issue. To start, if you are having this problem and have two or more dogs, until you get it under control, I suggest letting only one dog out at a time. The problem will be much more easily managed and will prevent redirected aggression. Also, working with each dog alone will speed up the behavior protocol that I’ll outline below. Now, the to start with, teach a good, solid recall (“come when called”). It is inevitable that your dog will initially fence run at some point during the early stages of the protocol, but the ky is to have a way to stop it and a good solid recall is the way to go. This isn’t just any old recall, to teach this, we will be using the Premack Principle which basically means getting your dog to perform one behavior YOU want by allowing him to perform a behavior HE wants as a reward. To learn more about Premack, watch this video by trainer Sarah Ownings: . com/4503786 Note: Initially while teaching this recall, you may need to move closer to your dog, i.e. instead of simply standing from the back door and calling him to you. Second, the use of “classical conditioning” can be a huge benefit. What is classical conditioning? In a nut shell, it is pairing one boring thing with another really good thing so the dog comes to associate the boring thing WITH the good thing. The boring thing will then come to be associated with the good thing. What’s the “boring thing” in this scenario? Your back door. What’s the “good thing”? VERY yummy treats. Here’s what you’re going to do. To start with, when your dog is calm and close to the door, open the door excitedly and noisily then when you have the dog’s attention, rain down heavenly treats from your hand onto the ground. Once you see your dog starting to associate the door opening with yummy treats, work on this practice when your dog is further away from the door, and finally, when he’s engaged in another behavior or focusing on something on the other side of the fence. Do this many times, and don’t rush advancing until you have a really strong association going that door opening = yummy treats. Hint: don’t say anything during this process, simply let the door be the “cue” to come running for treats. Also, as long as nothing “naughty” was going on in the yard, you can add Premack and double the reward by letting your dog run back out into the yard to play if he wants. Lastly, often go outside in the yard WITH your dog, especially during those times when there tend to be distractions walking past the fence line. When the distraction is out, hand feed your dog lots of treats. When the distraction passes, stop the treats. This will help your dog associate distractions with you/treats/something good, and keep his mind off those distractions. In addition to the above, you can practice Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol out in the yard when there are little/to no distractions, and then gradually increase over time: realpitbull.com/relaxation-protocol.html A wonderful book on helping dogs learn to chill out and focus is called Control Unleased by Leslie McDevitt. There are many training exercises in this book that help you teach your dog to relax and focus on you. With lots of practice, you can help lessen or even eliminate fence fighting/running. © Mary Alverson – Enlightened Canine Consulting – www.MaryAlversonAnimalTraining.com
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Post by Bella's Mom on May 8, 2014 9:55:31 GMT -5
Thanks you so much!!! This is very helpful!
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