JasmineTX Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 From what I heard, read and told, I understand that you are supposed to punish physically as little as possible but praise them when they do right. I've been following that past one and half weeks with my new 8 week old BC puppy. However, there are a few things that I think I need to punish her for such as, eating cats' poo and biting my ankles when I run infront of her. I don't want her to have bad personalities or attitude just because I punish her. Besides telling her "NO" firmly and ignoring her for a while after she misbehaved, is there any way you can train them without being cruel? I already use "NO" and "ignore" tricks when she does small things but need different levels of punishments when she does something really bad. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Goosey Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 You're going to be hard pressed to find any punishment that can overpower the allure of cat poo, IMHO. Best to make the litter box inaccessible to the puppy. For ankle biting when you run, at this age, I think it's good to redirect her prey drive to an acceptable object, such as a ball on a rope. JMO, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike's Bitch Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 There's always the water pistol - did wonders for Spike who liked to show affection with his teeth.... As to cat poo, I suspect you'll have to find a way for the cat to go somewhere the dog can't reach. Liz & Spike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 Originally posted by Spike's Bitch:As to cat poo, I suspect you'll have to find a way for the cat to go somewhere the dog can't reach. I have to admit that I am really confused about why people say that all the time. I have a litterbox under an end table in the hallway and the dogs don't touch it, because they were corrected for going near it. I put newspaper under it I could hear the crinkle from their sneaky little paws when they stepped near it and I told them to firmly LEAVE IT! whenever they went near the cat box. In no time at all, they realized it wasn't worth touching it and none of them do. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Goosey Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 Great idea, RDM. So, now that they've learned to leave the litter box alone, you could probably get rid of the newspaper, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 Originally posted by SAR K9 Lucy:Great idea, RDM. So, now that they've learned to leave the litter box alone, you could probably get rid of the newspaper, right? Umm, yeah SAR K9 Lucy, that's correct. I guess that even explains why I used the past tense when I said "I put newspaper under it." Subtle. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Goosey Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 Yeah, I'm probably about as subtle as you are confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 Just to offer a slightly different perspective, I put the litterbox where the dogs can't get to it (in a gated off room) mainly so that the cats have a room where they can go to be rid of the dogs. In that room I also feed free choice kibbles to the cats. Although I probably could teach the dogs to leave the kitty litter alone, I think it would be tough to impress on them that they shouldn't touch the cat food while I'm away at work all day! Before I started this arrangement I don't remember the dogs visiting the litterbox, but maybe I was just lucky (or maybe they find enough other delicacies around the farm that cat poo just sort of lost its cachet). J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasmineTX Posted September 3, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 How did you teach your dogs to leave cat's food alone while you are gone?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Goosey Posted September 4, 2003 Report Share Posted September 4, 2003 Jas-Mom, I'm assuming your question is directed toward Julie? I don't think she has taught them that; I interpreted her comments as meaning that it's easier to keep the cat food in an inaccessible place. I'm in the same boat. I pick my battles, and the cat food is not one I have the time nor the inclination to expend a lot of energy on. For me, there is a time for training, and a time for preventive management. Perhaps someone else around here has successfully taught their dogs to leave the cat food alone while the humans are away, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted September 4, 2003 Report Share Posted September 4, 2003 I'm in the "keep the cat food out of reach of the dog" crowd, too. I don't know that Riley would ever be able to agree that it is more rewarding to please me than the immediate gratification of cat food. Of course, this is about a dog that stole the butter off the counter last night at 2:30 in the morning and ate half of it before I caught him. :eek: (Yes, I did manage to catch him in the act!) Betsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmsoileau Posted September 4, 2003 Report Share Posted September 4, 2003 I think the key is to make our BC's think what THEY want to eat is something we also want them to eat. Then they'll, more than likely, leave it alone! Gotta figure out how to make Jazz think that one bush in the front of our house is his kibble... Jazz's pal, Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandiefurniss Posted September 5, 2003 Report Share Posted September 5, 2003 My dogs love the herb lemon grass, I have it growing in the backyard and I often see them chewing on it. Mandie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmetteabrakai Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 RDM I guess I'm confused,what is the present tense? I love words and always am curious, I didn't catch the past tense on "the paper under the litter box". Just curious. My cats have their own space, for reasons of the litter box, thier food and just because it is easier, and the cats need it. Leave it works well but they still sneak if they are left alone . Liz is right the squirt bottle works for ankle biting, and the re-direction is helpful too. I used the bottle when they were biting at someone else's heels ahead of me(planned training sessions). When they bit me I gave them a firm no, and have used no bite with re-direction. None of my dogs nip at all now. Well the grayhound grooms me from time to time but thats another story. Andrea D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Originally posted by emmetteabrakai:RDM I guess I'm confused,what is the present tense? I love words and always am curious, I didn't catch the past tense on "the paper under the litter box". Just curious. Why are you confused? I wrote that I put - or if it's easier for you, while I was training them to leave it I placed - newspaper under the box and could hear when the dogs went near it, and verbally corrected them so they no longer try to snack out of it. Meaning, I have used the method IN THE PAST and taught the dogs not to engage in the behaviour IN THE PRESENT. If you read the whole paragraph, it's very obvious that I was referring to the method as being in the past tense; meaning that I did it, it worked and now I don't have to do it anymore. It's not confusing in the slightest. As for the cat food, it's in different places. My partner chooses to feed his cat a brand of food that I won't feed my cat, so it's on a very tall armoire that my senior cat can't get to. My cat's food lives on top of the deep freeze, because the top of the freezer is warm and he spends a lot of his time curled up there anyway. I don't leave it on the ground because I think actual food is too tempting for my dogs and I choose not to make that a battle. They can reach it if they make an effort, but they aren't allowed to jump up on surfaces to take food so they don't. They are allowed to take food off the floor, so they would. But the catbox snacking is just plain gross, and I don't allow it. The dogs were taught not to touch the catbox and they don't. I still fail to see how it's confusing ... they also don't touch the garbage or take food left on counters because I taught them not to. I have friends with registered therapy dogs who have been trained not to take food without permission, and I don't imagine people get sarcastic with them when they claim their dogs leave unoffered food alone. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Goosey Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 OOOOHHHHHH! So you mean that you no longer have newspaper under the litter box? See, I thought you still had to keep it under there. You said "PUT" in past tense, but you didn't say anything about whether or not it's still there....that's what I found confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Originally posted by SAR K9 Lucy:OOOOHHHHHH! So you mean that you no longer have newspaper under the litter box? See, I thought you still had to keep it under there. You said "PUT" in past tense, but you didn't say anything about whether or not it's still there....that's what I found confusing. Sure you did. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Actually, I can see why she was confused. Try to word the original sentence of "I put..." in the present tense. It already is! And it is also past tense. To be exact, I might have said, "I had put..." (past) or "I have put..." (present implying still there now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Goosey Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 I did. Again, look at your exact words. You said nothing about having removed the newspaper. That implies it is still there. The way I see it, a miscommunication occurred. My part in it is having made an assumption. But your part in it is having omitted information that would have made the situation clear, which would have prevented my assumption. You know, I almost wish I was as devious as some of you folks seem to think I am. It wouldn't be quite so insulting when people make that accusation if there were some truth to it. I suppose I could accuse you of having omitted that information on purpose, so that I would make the assumption I did, so that you could make me look bad. But I really don't think that. I'm only saying it to make a point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Goosey Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Thank you, Betsy. I knew I wasn't completely off my rocker interpreting the sentence in question the way I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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