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The doghouse

I love Lolly to bits but I really need to do this now. Its getting me down and I have enough shit to deal with.

52 replies

TrinityRhinoTheUltimateQueen · 30/11/2013 16:41

How in heavens name do I stop her pulling?

She had a harness but I was told they encourage pulling

I was still using it because it was far easier to control her but then she chewed it to bits

any advice on how to stop her chewing, stealing food and peeing indoors would also be greatly received Grin

OP posts:
TrinityRhinoTheUltimateQueen · 30/11/2013 16:42

gets comfy with a bankie
lolly is lying on my feet right btw
Im sure she will listen to you

pft Grin

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TrinityRhinoTheUltimateQueen · 30/11/2013 16:44

tries outthe weird writing thing on the app . Wales quite well . ish

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TrinityRhinoTheUltimateQueen · 30/11/2013 16:46

come on you amazing doggy people Smile

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tinkertaylor1 · 30/11/2013 16:58

regarding the pulling, I kept mine on a very short lead and pulled down by my leg, she wasnt allowed to walk in front of me ever not even through the gate/door. After an age she stopped and just trotted by the side.

With the chewing, mine chewed through a wall in to the lounge! she hated being alone so I had to take her to my DGMs

With peeing indoor, I had mine from a puppy so was really on the ball with going out side to pee, would be out there a good hour with her till she did. In the end she knew as soon as she peed we would be able to get back in.

Cesar Malan was all the rage when I got mine so I got a lot from him and it seemed to work. My dog was a staffy - she still is, she just lives with my DGM now as she treats her like a bloody child and the two of the are inseparable !

sorry not much help but mine sits on my feet when im talking on phone or stood at the back door Grin

tinkertaylor1 · 30/11/2013 16:59

Oh she also chewed my DGM specs the other day then stashed them as she new she would be in trouble!

lougle · 30/11/2013 17:05

Clicker.

Whenever she walks close to your side, click and treat immediately.

Before long she'll be waiting for the treat to appear.

Lilcamper · 30/11/2013 17:38

Whether they pull or not on a harness depends on the harness. This one is designed to not encourage pulling and to have a calming affect on the dog Perfect Fit

Have a look on YouTube for Kikopup, loose lead walking.

TrinityRhinoTheUltimateQueen · 30/11/2013 17:50

thanks everyone
I dont want her to constsntly at heel cause then how woukd she have a sniff around and choose where to pee and poop

we also are on country roads so I have her on an extendable lead to let her roam and sniff and have fun, just not bloody pull me along Grin

that harness looks good

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Lilcamper · 30/11/2013 18:35

Extendable leads encourage pulling, because they are spring loaded there will always be pressure pulling the dog back, and because of oppositional reflex the dog will automatically pull against that force. A training line attached to a harness would be much better Smile

TrinityRhinoTheUltimateQueen · 30/11/2013 22:38

she doesnt pull until she reaches the end of the extendable lead.

I wish I could have her off the lead
she used to love it so much Sad

it doesnt feel like shes getting a proper walk on a lead

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HorsesDogsNails · 30/11/2013 22:51

I walk my dog in a nose halter (from here: www.kjkropedogleads.co.uk/slip-halters.htm), it works really well and he walks so nicely in it. I went down this route after he pulled DD over in a flat collar and lead..... Best thing I did.

HorsesDogsNails · 30/11/2013 22:52
TrinityRhinoTheUltimateQueen · 30/11/2013 23:18

thanks horses. do you think that would be ok for a flappy lipped boxer Smile

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DeathByLaundry · 01/12/2013 02:05

Google "loose leash walking Sophia Yin" - she has some fab video tutorials on how to teach it.

butterfliesinmytummy · 01/12/2013 02:27

We have a 5 month old staffie x ridgeback who is very similar ie nearly dislocates your shoulder when walking on a lead (she chases squirrels). We do weekly training and my trainer advised me to try a gentle leader harness. It's one that goes round her muzzle and another bit high up round her neck by her ears. I'm really sorry but I can't link to it from an ipad, plus I'm in the USA and have no idea of stockists, although it's on amazon.com?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21. He said that symmetrical harnesses can encourage pulling as it gives the dog something to pull against but muzzle harnesses throw dogs off balance as they pull on one side only, which dogs don't like.

It seems to be working pretty well. We are also doing loose leash walking in obedience class. We need lots more practice and will get there but would probably only ask her to walk to heel when we're in town etc or when children pass us. I don't want her to walk to heel on long walks in the park or quiet streets, she enjoys herself walking on an extendable lead and walks at her own stop - start pace which I don't mind. At least the gentle leader has made her more wary of tearing off at 100mph after wildlife...

butterfliesinmytummy · 01/12/2013 02:28

Ps, no idea about the chewing, mine ate half a remote control this week, you should have seen the looks I got when I handed it over fora replacement at the cable tv office.....

Solo · 01/12/2013 03:09

Definitely get a Halti. Instant nice walking IME!

FreezingFingers · 01/12/2013 06:50

Totally agree with the halti advice
Even my young DS could handle my (then) young boisterous dalmatian with the halti on - that was 14 years ago & they were pretty new back then so the only downside was explaining that NO it wasn't a muzzle & he wasn't vicious ...
I would also about turn (180 degrees) every time he started pulling too much...
I used to find he would pull constantly until he had his first offlead run about - then would be a million times calmer for the rest of the walk.
That actually never got any better for all his life LOL
Awww gawd I miss him so much Sad

JemimaPuddle · 01/12/2013 06:58

I'd recommend a gentle leader, like a halting but without the tendency to ride up.

ender · 01/12/2013 17:40

We're using a double ended lead attached to a Pets at Home harness for our rescue GSD X. One end clips to front of chest and other end to back, it really reduces pulling and makes it much easier to control sudden lunges. Also using clicker and rewarding dog for walking nicely. After 2 weeks there's been real improvement.

landrover · 03/12/2013 19:59

Canny collar (ebay) AMAZING, stopped my 12 stone newfoundland pulling instantly xxx

Solo · 04/12/2013 11:09

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mistlethrush · 04/12/2013 12:42

We've used haltis and they did work. However, I also know that quite a few people have had harnesses with a D ring at the front - which you attach the lead to - if they pull they then turn themselves around which doesn't get them where they want to be - and the people I have talked to have had very good results with that.

Peeing - how often do you take her out and do you have a 'word' you use to encourage her? We had to completely housetrain our rescue dog (2+) last autumn - to start with every 40 mins or so we were out with her on a lunge rein, standing quietly to see if she would sniff and potentially do what she was meant to do (lunge rein to stop her going investigating interesting smells in the garden rather than concentrating on what she should be doing) - and using the cue word too - high praise when she did what she was meant to out there. Lots of watching like a hawk and getting up to check everytime she left the room to make sure that she wasn't starting to circle...

Booboostoo · 04/12/2013 12:54

Pulling: a front clip harness or a headcollar type lead (halti, gentle leader) will help you walk the dog so you can get her exercised without having your arms pulled out of their sockets. You then need to train her to walk by yourside. Start your walk and the moment she walks ahead of you stop and wait. Wait until she looks back at you (this can take a while) as soon as she looks at you click, treat, turn around and walk off (don't walk off in the original direction of travel). The moment she walks in front of you (usually immediately), stop and repeat. It is very boring but if you can keep this up for 2-3 weeks it does solve the problem. There are online videos that show you the technique (kikopup for example).

Soiling in the house: how old is she and how many opportunities does she have for going out? Have you excluded a medical problem like a UTI? If she's an adult dog treat her like a puppy, e.g. out after eating, waking up, playing and at least once every hour. Close off all doors, use baby gates and limit the space she has so you can supervise her when she is indoors. Does she soil when you are there or when you are away?

Chewing: give her loads of appropriate chews and restrict access to everything else.

Stealing food: work on her 'leave it' command and meanwhile don't give her the opportunity.

Are you going to training classes with her?

TrinityRhinoTheUltimateQueen · 04/12/2013 13:39

thankyou everyone

canny coller looks good

I've just been trying a halti and I dont like the lead being attached at the front, she just gets her leg over it and tangled in it

I would love to take her to classes but cant find any that aren't hundreds of pounds

she is is 2 in may

the chewing is getting a lot better as I get the house more sorted
she has a kong
and twice weekly large chew bones but she just eats them in minutes

she knows 'wee wee' means to wee and I can get her to do that outside
roughly hourly she is put on her string outside for that
and after she gets up, eats, etc

I don't leave her wandering the house or rather I try my bloody hardest not to but is tricky sometimes

like right now, I'm in the frontroom, so door is shut and she has to be here with me

we've just been to the vets and she has a womb infection, she is on antibiotics, would that cause extra weeing, trouble knowing if she needs to till it comes?

unfortunately the carpets and floorboards smell as dps old dog was incontinent so I don't think that is helping

the bin is a huge issue, she always tries to raid that if she has a tiny opportunity

thankyou everyone for your tips and advice

I'm going to try and canny collar next

she also has atrocious social behaviour

looks like fear aggression in my limited experience but makes her look aggressive which she is not

and if I ever get her settled and trained would I ever be able to have a cat or is it just not ever going to be an option with a massive, bouncy, chases things, dog? I've never realised how much I like cats

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