Any advice on finding a new loving home

[SpicyPear]

I have two dogs. They are mostly lovely, but the little one is seven months and still in training. His main issue is stealing food and begging.

I love him, but it's not working out. My DH is seemingly unable to follow simple rules about putting food out of reach and it can't go on any longer.

So I'm wondering if anyone can help me out with a suitable rescue place or loving new home for DH? He's mid-thirties, good job and partially house trained. Ideally a home with no dogs or children and someone with the time and patience to continue his training with regard to domestic tasks. I would hate my work to go to waste.

[ThatVikRinA22]

fabulous thread. i feel less alone. We had 2 dogs and 2 cats when my DS was tested for allergy to pet hair - sadly it turned out that he was, and so i had to rehome him.
it only took 21 years.
it was for the best. He keeps threatening to find his way back home though...he isnt micro chipped so im hoping that no one finds him and fetches him back.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Ah yes Turnip but Easter can be a good time to re-establish the ground rules.
Long weekend, lots of time.
A few kitchen scraps to treat him if he's good (few slices of chicken and veg leftovers)

And you can assert your place as Pack Leader by making him wait for his food and s-l-o-w-l-y eat a chocolate egg in front of him.

"Mmm this is nice. Do you want some. Do you ? You can't have chocolate. No no no no no no no.
Chocolate baaad for DHs.
You can have a bikkie if you're a good boy"

It works.
Just make sure he knows he's on last warnings.
I find it helps to have the Yellow Pages left open at the Adoption/Rehoming Advice pages on the hall table

[Turniphead1]

Fair play Spicy. I think you have taken on board the comments of posters on this thread.

A word of caution - Easter can be a potentially dangerous time for those with that combination of ill trained DHs, dogs and chocolate eggs...

Good luck with him.

[Sunnywithshowers]

:)

[SpicyPear]

UPDATE: Thanks for all your input, although some of it was a bit harsh. I do feel a bit better that I am not the only one with some of these problems.

I have decided to give him another chance as it's become clear that it will be quite difficult to find a suitable home and I would feel very bad about him being bounced around from house to house. I've put some new boundaries in place and we are having fewer accidents so fingers crossed. I have also looked into a behaviourist but they would only accept him if he referred himself and it was very expensive.

[Turniphead1]

Good idea 70. And you can tell the kids he's " gone to live on a lovely farm with lots of space to roam" á la Monica & Ross's dog in Friends.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Spicy just take him out somewhere quiet in the car and he'll think he's going for a lovely day out.
He'll be so excited thinking he's going for a walk and a pub treat that you can leave him there and he won't realise you've dumped relocated him.
Remember to remove any identifying evidence (like his name/address/phone number).
Someone will take pity on him don't worry.You know it's for the best.

I tried rehoming mine back to his irresponsible back street breeder. She'd already moved onto looking after the next batch bred by her female .
Bugger found his way back home

[EasyToEatTiger]

My dh is growly and yappy. When he barks all the other dogs bark with him. He has delusions of being in control so needs to be in a home where all ideas appear to be his own. Only good ideas. He thrives on love and attention and is well enough trained and socialised that he is not an embarrassment. In the right environment he would be a joy.

[D0oinMeCleanin]

DH is fine using only one word, which wouldn't matter anyway, Devil Dog is quite smart and will respond if the right word is used even if it is followed with a string of meaningless words. It's using the right words that he has issue with, down/off, in/out/outside are all interchangeable in DH's mind and "sit down" means the same as sit, as opposed to sit, down. He gets very annoyed when Devil Dog sits and then lies down when he asks him to "Sit down so I can out you lead on, why have you laid down? You're laying on your collar now. UP, come on get UP. What are you doing? How I can put your lead on when you are balancing like that up on two legs like a Meekat? Come on now, sit down, no, sit down, don't lie down. Why are you behaving this way? You don't do it for her when she puts your lead on."

And training is some magical thing that the dog will automatically fully understand and it will apply to all situations, everywhere.....

"Noooo, you've eat the meatballs, why have you done that? You're not supposed to steal food of the table. D0oin, he's eat the meatballs, I put them here, on the table, he's eaten them. You told me he knows not to take food from the table" "The footstool, you use as a coffee table, eejit, I taught him not to take food from the footstool because you asked me to, remember?" "But it's the same thing" "Not to him it's not. He. Is. Only. A. Dog."

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

I actually wrote out a list of commands, followed by detailed bloody instructions on how to use them.
You have to be very specific with LittleDog, more than one word baffles him. But DH will insist that "wait there, sit there and wait there" is going to work. LittleDog looks at him blankly, he has no idea what he is meant to do so decides that must mean "run about chasing your tail"

Littledogs recall is sketchy at the best of times. Apparently DH would rather chase him about a field saying "time to go home, come on, time to put your lead on"
Rather than "come LittleDog" which is what actually works.

[D0oinMeCleanin]

I'll swap.

I also have the same problem as Tantrums. When we had puppy we had regular 2am conversations of "Puppy, you are on my side of the bed again. You're supposed to have been trained to sleep at the foot of the bed aren't you? Why are you on my side? I want to go to bed now. Please move. Get down. DOWN. Puppy GET DOWN! Go to the end! END, puppy END! DOWN! DOWN! Why are you growling at me? Stop growling at me! DOWN!" "He is already laying down ffs, try OFF, that is the command we have used since he arrived here four months ago and what the fook is END meant to mean? Point to where you want him to move to and say 'here, settle', like I showed you last night and the night before that and the one before that..."

Even with dogs we have had for over 4 years he still does not get it, as demonstrated this morning...

DH: "What is the dog doing?"
Me: "You're in the hall, with your coat on"
DH: "So?"
Me: "He thinks you're taking him out"
DH: "But you trained him not to rush through doors didn't you?"
Me: "Yes, to stop him rushing him out when we were coming in, when you are going out you are supposed to put him in the dining room before you get your coat on and then stand in front of the leash rack fannying about, it's been that way since we got the dog almost five years ago..."
DH "Dog IN..., IN, FFS GET IN"
Me: "He's trying to GET IN but you won't let him past your legs. IN is into the living room, the dining room is OUT, the dining room has been OUT for almost five years...."

I've tried retraining him. I've even left lists of commands on the fridge, there was a spreadsheet at one point. I've taught the dogs sign language, Devil Dog pre-empts most cues, all you have to do is look at him, look at where you want him to be and he'll move, even then DH still cannot manage it. It's hopeless, rehoming is the only option.

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

Ok sorry, I don't want to swap anymore.

Fake accents? No no no.

At least my DH lectures the dog in a normal voice

3am. LittleDog why are you on my bed? You are pushing me out. LittleDog I just want to go to sleep, why can't you sleep in your own bed? Please go and sleep in your bed. tantrums your dog is on the bed and he won't get off.

I open one eye, mutter "LittleDog,off."
LittleDog gets off and goes to his bed.

its not bloody hard

[LadyTurmoil]

you're a funny, witty lot, great laughs

[lotsofdogshere]

fabulous thread, made me larf out loud. I'm sitting in bed with some toast, and the dogs. DH is saying I've turned slobbish since I retired - yes indeedy. I don't want to re-home Dh as I've spent so long on positive training. I found he really didn't respond well to dominance theory and much better to treats.

[PuggyMum]

Chuckling at this thread! I'm not feeling witty enough tonight to add but made me smile!

[Sunnywithshowers]

I rehomed my former husband some years ago OP. However, his habits were really much more serious so I gave him back to his breeder.

I hear he has a lovely new home now where he is much happier.

[gymmummy64]

Turnip I agree, shocking levels of dripping. If Spicy's training ability is as poor as her ability to outline a concise yet comprehensive summary of the situation then I can see how she ended up in this mess.

I'm sure the behavourists will be along soon with their expertise, but might this be one of the rare occasions where aversive techniques are appropriate?

[Megsdaughter]

Please do not threaten to send back to breeder.

DDIL threatened to do this.

I moved house.

Didnt tell her where to.

Took me 30 years to home him with a nice friendly assertive young lady.

I DONT WANT HIM BACK!

[Turniphead1]

Spicypear - you really are drip-feeding now in an attempt to get this creature rehomed. There was NO mention of this fake accent problem in your initial posts. Have you ever had any indication that he might start using the fake accents near children or frail people?

I am unclear how clicker training could work to reduce that potentially deal-breaking habit. Perhaps one of the behaviourists could advise?

[elastamum]

Whe I took doodle one to puppy classes the trainer there did suggest that she ought to run a class for husbands - but I think she meant to teach then to train the dog!

[SpicyPear]

This could work - he doesn't lecture the dogs!

But he might also have an extremely annoying habit of yelling "Oi!" in a mockney accent or "Non!" in a French one when the puppy is naughty

[elastamum]

PMSL laughing at lecturing the dog. I distinctly remember my now rehomed H doing this and then complaining when our very smart labradoodle pup just looked blankly back at him

[mistlethrush]

Tantrums - I thought I was going to have to send DH to dog training classes with mistledog when we first got her as he also seemed completely unable to grasp the simple commands (that he needed to use). Luckily, however, something clicked and he suddenly got the idea. Unfortunately I don't know what the trigger was or I would share it with you. However, he is managing to remember the rules with mistlehound now and I haven't had to retrain him again, despite the length of time between dog adoptions. Perhaps the positive rewards of actually getting the dog to do what was asked rather than it staring whilst lectured it ineffectually made the difference?

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

Can't we just so a swap?

My DH is wonderful at putting food away. after BigDog ate his bowl of spaghetti bolognese and garlic bread the first day we bought him home

He is pretty much toilet trained. He knows his place in the pack so no need for any training, he waits til I say so before eating, lets me in the door first etc.

The only thing he cannot do is understand that none of the 3 dogs speak English.
So it's an actual waste of time to stand there saying "oh LittleDog please get off my chair, I want to sit there. Why are you still there. I want to sit down. tantrums I thought you said this dog was trained, why won't he get off my chair?"

7 years of trying to teach him that you have to use one word commands like OFF, instead of bloody lengthy, useless conversation has failed miserably.

[NormaSpoonOeufEggcher]

So sorry I can't help. I already have one. He is very well trained, but takes some work, and wouldn't tollerate another competing for my attention.