Need some dog training advice

[purplemuffin]

So, our family got a new dog a few months ago. We've always gotten our dogs as puppies, and this was our first slightly older dog(she was nearly 2 years old)

She's sort of our rescue dog. She didn't have the best original home life. She's a blue heeler mix that my mom's best friend's son picked up one day cause his friend had puppies. His mom didn't want the dog(she's a one-breed-only person, only really likes rottweilers) and he picked it up and paid for it without permission so it became his responsibility. The issue was he had full time school AND work so the dog was left outside all day until he came home at 10pm. She had about an hour of being with people if he even felt like it before it was time for bed.

So she was never really trained... She actually had never even experienced carpet until she went to live with us, and she had always just been outside and never had to beg to be let out or was taught that outside is where bathroom time happens, so right off the bat she had potty training issues.

She also acts as if she's been beaten. Now, I know this family, and they might be pretty lame dog owners, but they aren't the 'beat the dog' type of people. She just appears to be extremely self conscious and sensitive. She always looks like she's in trouble.


The biggest issue we've been having is her...well, doing things behind our backs. I don't know how to deal with an issue when she is purposefully sneaky. If I'm around she'll never go near the cat room to get to the litter or if there is any food out, but if she doesn't think I'm there, she goes right to knocking down the toddler blocker fence thing and starts to go at it. All it takes is for me to announce that I'm there by saying her name or making a noise(not even like a 'no!' noise, just a footstep or moving something) and she looks like she's been shot. She bolts out of the room with her tail between her legs like I just ordered her execution. Then, she'll act like she's in trouble the whole rest of the day related to that thing. If she was caught with cat litter she acts as if merely eating is a sin. If I walk by while she's eating her food we just gave her, she has the same reaction, thinking she's been 'caught' doing wrong. If she's been caught chewing up furniture earlier that day, she nearly has a heart attack when she is seen chewing on her ACTUAL toys.

To be honest, she has quite a few issues. If she manages to sneak out of the room we're in she'll end up ripping up things(we had a wicker chair outside, now it's a bunch of sticks, mamaw had a realistic fake cat which is now just fuzz and fake fur, etc.), getting into food or trash or litter, she digs, she has occasional potty training failures, etc. etc. But when she's with us, she's an angel. I have never seen a dog that just NEEDS so much attention and affection. She gives hugs like no dog I've ever had and is just a precious girl. This is my first girl dog as well. They definitely seem to have a different spirit than the boys. She's just a very kind and gentle animal.

Now, I've never had to 'fix' a training issue with a dog, we've just always gotten puppies that we were able to socialize and train from the beginning who just learned not to do the bad stuff and that being good is always awesome. Now I seem to have a dog who knows right from wrong but tries to be sneaky about it anyway. I don't even know where to start. With her being as sensitive as she is, I don't want to mess up and do something that will make her not trust me, but I don't want to see this behavior continue. I know we could simply have her locked with us 24/7, but some of our rooms are big enough to where she can get out of our sight, and when I'm doing homework on the computer she's snuck behind me and destroyed a remote control. I ended up having to set up a webcam behind my back to watch her.

I would just love to actually get some real advice on what to do here. My parents..Aren't the best with animals to be honest. Sadie walks all over them and they just let her, and then are surprised when she doesn't respect their authority. They also are just too busy to play with her(which is bad in a high energy animal like a blue heeler) Nathan, Aaron and I are the only people she really listens to, and we're also the only people who walk her and play with her and have at least tried to encourage her to learn simple commands(sit, stay, come here, lay down, etc.)

Anyway. Dogs aren't my specialty. So all of this stuff I've been having to study and learn on my own. There seems to be so many opinions and clashing views on training. I know I have seen a lot of really nicely trained animals and a lot of opinions on this site that really make sense to me, so I thought I'd start asking here. I'd just love to know I can trust my dog. I know my parents, and I know that if she chews the wrong thing, she'd be a lost cause and be dumped off on someone else, where she'd just do the same thing again and end up dumped off again where she'd probably end up in the pound. Don't want to see that happen. I think we took a responsibility by taking her in to give her a good home and I think we should fulfill that responsibility.

If anyone has any advice...Please, share!


Here's some pictures of the little toot!

[aldebono]

Heelers are smart Smart SMART! I suggest a training class, not only for her but for you. You will need to learn how to train her as well. Many times, owners are just as much at fault for their dogs behaviors as the dog is.

Otherwise. Teach her what "Good" is. I use it as the bridge when mine are doing something right. A bridge is anything really, a word, a sound (clicker) that is immediately followed by a treat. Treats can be given in tiny tiny tiny pieces.

Let her know you have the treats and then every time she looks at your face and not the treat in your hand "Good!" TREAT........."Good!" TREAT. This way, when she is eating her own food and not the litter, you can tell her "Good!" and she knows she is doing something you approve of.

Get her a kong and fill it with yummy treats. She chews on the kong and it's self rewarding and it keeps them busy.

Telling them how TO act is every bit as important as telling them how NOT to act.

Thats "Good!" for laying down quietly.
"Good!" for ignoring the cat litter.

After she knows "Good" train her to "Leave it".
Put the treats in your hand and let her nose it "Leave it" "leave it" until she stops and looks at you. "Good!!!" TREAT.

Because Heelers are so smart, once you have basic commands down and you know she is just waiting for you to turn your back so she can be naughty, you will have to set her up for correction NOT to fail.

You "step out of the room" she heads for the cat litter, "Leave it!" she turns away from the litter "Good!" TREAT or kong.

Because she is so sensitive, you don't want to set her up to fail by allowing her to get in the litter and then correcting her. You want to prevent it from happening.

She may also need a job. Jobs can be chasing squirrels while you root for her, herding, agility, even carrying a pack on a walk. This is a working breed that needs their body and mind to be worked.

She is very very cute! I wish you the best with her!

[mainbutter]

1) Training classes and multiple short daily training routines can work wonders on making a dog obedient. Keep it FUN and HAPPY and ENERGETIC! Training can be work, play, and treat-time all at the same time.

2) Marker training. We mark good behavior and correct actions with the word "Yes". Clickers also work well. Read up on how to do marker training. Essentially you give a dog a treat, and use your audible marker. Repeat over and over. Then that marker becomes a trigger to let the dog know that a treat is coming. This gives you mark a correct behavior without having to have a treat in their mouth instantaneously after they perform.

3) Treat like CRAZY! Treat every good thing. Treat every new good thing LOTS until it becomes consistent. Over time you can become more stringent with how hard they have to work to earn a treat, but make it REALLY worth their while to behave correctly.

[purplemuffin]

Right, I am well aware of the owners being the cause of most doggy issues. (to bo honest, I sort of wish my parents would stop getting dogs, at least stop getting high maintenance dogs, they just don't understand THEY need to put in work too) I don't think being left alone for so long did her any favors, and then the lack of training my parents gave her when she got to our house before I returned from college.

I'm going to start working on the 'leave it' command right away! She is very good at learning commands, it just seems to be behavior she has trouble learning. If she learns the leave it command that should help quite a bit. We've already been praising her when she is being a good girl. Well. Nathan, Aaron and I have been. Mom and dad haven't been exactly helping in the situation, but I am the primary caretaker of her now that I'm back from college. They have always just expected a dog to be a good dog without them having to do anything. Not going to work with her!

I need to figure out a good job for her. She tries to herd the cats in the house, but she gets a little rough with our older cat, so I am not a big fan of that. I wish we had chickens or something!

I need to find a clicker...I guess I'll have to get one online or something. We have been doing the treats, but like you said, it's hard to get a treat for them RIGHT AWAY!

Thanks for your help. I keep having animals dumped on me that I am in no way prepared for!

Anyway, going to look for dog training classes!

[loonunit]

Training definitely will help, partly also because it's extended contact with you, and you'll be rewarding her. It sounds like she needs more human contact, and more chances to do things right in her life.

But it also sounds likes there's some separation anxiety going on. You can try crate training, or maybe you'd like to try the thundershirt for when you're away? It's supposed to work on separation anxiety as well as noise anxiety:

http://petbulls.livejournal.com/4969464.html

Honestly, she seems stressed enough that I'd probably talk to the obedience trainers about it and ask for references to a dog behavior specialist. A visit from a real expert (or two!) might be in order.

[purplemuffin]

I definitely agree.. I REALLY want my parents to go to training as well. It's very difficult to train Sadie when they have a bad habit of undoing any good I've done. >_< We wanted her to like her kennel as a safe place, but then they'll force her into it when they're upset at her and so she becomes afraid of it. She finally trusts it again, but who knows for how long if they do it again.

She's with me most of the day, only when I'm out for dinner or something she's left with the rest of the family, but she is so needy I do think she just needs more contact with people.

[wolfy-hound]

First, you should get rid of the notion that she "knows" she's doing something wrong. At this stage, she only knows that you're upset when she does things. She hasn't worked out what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. So to her, right now, you are mad at her at completely random times.

This is why she's cringing when eating her food, in addition to cringing when eating the kitty 'treats'. She has no boundaries as far as "Chew this" "Don't chew that".

It's also not that she was beaten, but that she was never socialized. Dogs that have no social training only know how to cringe, since they HAVE learned that people sometimes yell and get upset. If a person does "anything" they cringe, because you can never go wrong with cringing(in a dog's mind). If you were happy, you will still be happy, even if she's cringing. If you were mad though, cringing is how a dog says "Don't beat me up". A dog cringing is NOT saying "I'm sorry". It's saying "Don't punish me". But don't let that stop you from reprimanding her!

Don't feel sorry for her!!! I can't repeat that enough times. Do Not Feel Sorry for the dog! She will get past all this if people don't pin it to them. She's in a good place NOW, and dogs' live in the 'now', not in the past. Her living outside with no contact has stunted her training. It will not affect her life. You just have to treat her as a puppy in the training.

Training sessions are a good idea. Walk her on a leash as much as you can fit into every day. See if you can teach her to fetch a ball. A heeler will do something, so give her something to do, or she'll decide on her own. Her own idea could be to chew on toys or dismantle your sprinkler system(see it). So you decide. Crate training is always a good tool as well. Give her special treats that she ONLY gets when in the crate. I used pig ears for my dogs and they actually thought that getting into the crates was a treat rather than a bad time.

Teach her to stay "in bed" which can be a towel on the floor or a dog bed. Remember to praise her when she's doing good things(even if "good things" = laying there doing nothing). If you sound happy and praise her when she's doing something like eating her food or chewing on a toy and she cringes and stops, ignore the behavior, give her the pat-pat like she didn't do that, and move on. Don't 'feed' the cringing by making a fuss over it.

Example:
Dog eats dog food. You walk by and see dog eating dog food. You stop and say "Good dog!" in a happy voice, give her a pat-pat. Walk on.

Now, she might fall over and cringe. Don't do anything different. If she cringes and you start cooing at her in the typical "It's okaaay... no no, it's all right..." then the dog hears "Omg something is wrong". The dog doesn't hear the words "Everything is fine". Dogs hear tone, inflection, not english(at least until they're learning words later). She will learn that your happy "Good dog" = pat-pat happy person.

And here I go, rambling on and on... animal behavior is quite a passion I have. Working with creatures for decades has given me so much oportunity that I often forget everyone doesn't want to hear a novel length diatribe about canine behavior.

Good luck!

[aldebono]

You don't need a clicker. It gets lost and is not on you all the time. A marker word "Good!" "Yes!" is the same as the click from the clicker.

Wolfy is right. If she does cringe even when she is doing something you want and you are praising her, ignore the cringe! Ignoring = no reinforcement, no petting, no "oh no its ok!"

[wolfy-hound]

A clicker is just something to make a "marker" sound. The click noise is distinct so the animal can distiguish it from background noise easily and unconsciously. They do not learn that "click" = "treat". They unconsciously 'know' the noise = did good. IF you time your click right.

Timing is EVERYTHING.

I personally watched a 'trainer' teaching a horse to walk through a gate. They led the horse to the gate. Horse balked at the gate. Trainer gave feed. Trainer walked horse in circle, came back to gate. Horse balked at gate. Trainer gave feed. Trainer walked horse in circle.... repeat.

The trainer gave up after an hour, horse never went through the gate. My offer to help was spurned as they "know what I'm doing! I have YEARS of experiance."

Once they gave up and left, I asked the owner if they wanted me to train the horse to walk through the gate. She shrugged. Within ten minutes the horse walked calmly through the gate. The trainer had taught the horse to STOP at the gate, by rewarding AFTER the horse stopped. By rewarding only when the horse was in motion, it learned extremely quickly that moving forward = reward, while stopping = no reward.

So just having a clicker doesn't mean you're training the dog to do something. It's timing of the reward. Any noise maker can be used as a "clicker". I used a soda can and "clicked" it by squeezing it once to make a sharp "clack" noise, to teach a chicken a trick. Don't get hung up on items, use the technique.

[mr.spooky]

heelers are WORKING DOGS... i could go into it alot more,, but bottom line is that they need to have a purpose in life.. maby trials corses????
spooky