Barb Scott Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 The other thing I noticed....she got out of the yard (still not sure how ) yesterday morning before I had to leave for work. I didn't have time to look for her (and of course she has my contact info on her). I can't believe you'd go to work and leave her loose! Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyler Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 The other thing I noticed....she got out of the yard (still not sure how ) yesterday morning before I had to leave for work. I didn't have time to look for her (and of course she has my contact info on her). I can't believe you'd go to work and leave her loose! Barb S Yeah, to hell with the job. I'd be calling in for the day and searching for my dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 I can't believe you'd go to work and leave her loose! Barb S Ditto! Nothing else would matter if my dog is missing!! And I wouldn't trust anyone to return him- or her. Contact info- (even tattoos sometimes) are easily removeable!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bexie Posted July 5, 2008 Report Share Posted July 5, 2008 You said she knows down and sit. Try to interrupt the beginning of negative behavior by giving her something else to do--a down or a sit is perfect for this, especially for the jumping dog--then hurry to praise the dog for what she's doing right. Molly was quite a jumper and the turning back to her, etc., thing didn't work at all. So I focused on her sit and down and would give her the command before she managed to jump. Then I could pet her and talk to her in praise of the good thing she did. Another thing that can help is when she is having a bad day, take a break (put her in her room) then go do something she is good at. BCs need some praise every day or they get worse. So make sure you work her on the stuff she thinks is easy and shower her with praise and positive attention. If you can, start each day and end each day with a short training session (or practice session) of things you know she can handle. Also think about the fact that you need to teach her what you expect of her. That means setting up the situation to make her more likely to do what you'd like then make sure you praise her for the good stuff. I spent a lot of time when Molly was younger teaching her that it was good to lie down and be quiet. I put her on a leash and ignored her attempts at attention. As soon as she settled--just a second at first--I'd stop what I was doing and pay attention to her. Eventually she could settle on her own and I could go a long time between attention moments. Now she is content spending much of the day lying around with me as long as I take time every day to activate her mind. Treat dispensing toys and frozen kongs are great for that. As is basic training. For Molly training includes service dog tasks, but it started out with a lot of basic obedience. The hard part is not expecting too much of our dogs. They don't know what we want from them and have to be taught. More positive than negative attention is essential, even when she seems like a nightmare that day. It's better to crate her more of the time than keep correcting her constantly. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 1. I also can't believe you went to work after your dog who you have only had a month escaped from your yard. You should have called into work and at least said you will be late. You also probably need to go out with Lucy and not give her enough time to figure out how to escape. These dogs have springs and can easily jump a fence. Since you do not know the past, you cannot trust anything in the present or near future. 2. Look up NILIF (nothing in life is free). Sounds like Lucy needs to rules. She is young and does not understand what you want. You need to have patience and work with her. 3. Ask your neighbor if Lucy can come for playdates like someone else suggested. 4. Dogs need physical activity but mental activity will usually wear them out more. You need to start training her and do it more often. Her life needs to evolve around you. 5. A vet check may be in order to rule out illness or injury 6. Contact a trainer and get some help. 7. 1 month is not a long time. Dogs need time to adjust 8. Never compare one dog to another. You will only be disappointed either in your previous dog or the current one. 9. Thanks for rescuing Lucy and trying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.