lola1
I Love RPBF!
Lola and Reed
Posts: 372
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Post by lola1 on Feb 10, 2009 23:24:17 GMT -5
Ok, we got Lola at 3 mos old and 2 months later we got Reed, who, at the time, was 9 mos old. He came into the house needing ALOT of attention. We figured that after a bit he would calm down, but he hasn't. Anytime I want to have Lola sit with me on the couch as soon as Reed hears me invite her, here he comes to, as I say, "steal her thunder". He is always trying to push her out of the way, and take the attention that is meant for her at the time. She has gotten to where she will just go off on her own, either to her crate, or to the top of the stairs to wait for my bedroom door to open. I feel really bad for her, and I'm wondering what I can do to help this. I have gone so far as let them out separately to allow myself time with both of them. Unfortunately though, they want to be together and neither will pay attention because they want to go out to play together. What else can I try?
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snipe
I Love RPBF!
Posts: 421
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Post by snipe on Feb 11, 2009 7:49:02 GMT -5
let them out together, but then on walks, sometimes only take one at a time. once they are tired, spend some time with each one. what also could be the case is that Lola is a submissive female, but this could just be since she is younger and smaller than Reed. once she gets bigger things might change. but spending time with each dog is the most important thing, so you can bond.
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Post by RealPitBull on Feb 11, 2009 8:21:53 GMT -5
Make sure reed doesn't get rewarded for pushy behavior with Lola. For instance, if he comes rushing for attention when you are loving on Lola, ignore him. Get up and walk away if you have to.
Work on teaching him a good solid SIT in a variety of settings...then reward him with life rewards - freedom, attention, a toy, a treat, whatever. But make sure he is sitting and his butt is still before he gets any of those things. It wouldn't hurt to teach Lola the same thing.
Bring Lola into the picture and have Reed sit before he gets any attention from you. If he barges in or crowds, you and Lola leave - just walk away and ignore.
While you don't want Reed bullying or pushing Lola around, some of this is normal dog behavior; one dog in a relationship of two tends to have more 'rights' to space and other resources than the other.
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snipe
I Love RPBF!
Posts: 421
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Post by snipe on Feb 11, 2009 15:13:21 GMT -5
@realpit: just out of curiosity, you probably wouldn't want to pet Lola to much in front of Reed right? I was just thinking that it could cause more jealousy. So have Reed sit for a few minutes then invite him over to her and Lola. Could you also practice in reverse? Pet Reed then have him move away and sit, then pet Lola then invite Reed back.
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Post by RealPitBull on Feb 11, 2009 15:36:48 GMT -5
The thing to focus on is consequences....if Reed crowds/is rude, he doesn't get attention. If he is calm and behaving himself, he DOES get attention.
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snipe
I Love RPBF!
Posts: 421
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Post by snipe on Feb 11, 2009 15:52:08 GMT -5
ya good point, you kind of just have to train as each situation unfolds.
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Post by bamapitbullmom on Feb 11, 2009 16:31:05 GMT -5
Dogs do what works. Remove the reward (pos or neg) and eventually the behavior will extinguish. I prefer to replace the behavior in tandem with ignoring/removal which will make for much faster progress.
Don't forget to reward Reed when he is being appropriate, even lying by himself in the floor calmly earns him a "good job, Reed" and toss him a treat or give an ear scratch.
Often owners overlook the good behavior and focus on what they don't want the dog to do. Change your way of thinking. Instead of "I don't want Reed to be rude and illicite attention without permission" ask yourself what you would prefer him to do (sit nicely, lie down at your feet, wait for an invitation) and work on that while not reinforcing what you don't want.
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Post by DiamondTiger on Feb 17, 2009 6:06:53 GMT -5
Excellent point Jessica. I've taught many dogs (quickly) that calm behavior is what I want and expect from them, simply by keeping treats in my pocket and dropping them on the floor as I walk past them while they're laying quietly out of the path of foot traffic. I've also used this method to help with crate training and separation anxiety. One of my fosters had some severe separation anxiety issues. I moved his crate into my kitchen, just behind the wall where he couldn't see us when we were not in the same room. I did a pattern of "in and out", only re-entering the kitchen when he was calm, but I also dropped treats into the crate when I'd come back in. It didn't take him long to understand that not only would I come back, but that laying quietly gained him a piece of turkey or some other yummy treat and then I was able to increase the amount of time spent away from him. Now granted, the dog was put on clomipramine to help with anxiety and his transition to a new (adoptive) home. But I had him during the time that his system was just starting to adjust - the medication hadn't yet taken full effect. We receive updates from the family periodically, and they tell us that he is doing BEAUTIFULLY. I posted about him here when I first joined... Beacon... my little heart dog. In fact... here is one of the most recent pictures we got from them.
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Post by bamapitbullmom on Feb 17, 2009 11:48:58 GMT -5
Aww! Interesting that you did this even though the dog was on Clomipramine (not surprising since you know what you're doing) but so many folks don't pair the sep anx meds with conditioning...
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