cushner@ttidcb.UUCP (Jeffrey Cushner) (07/19/85)
Let's see if I can help, shed some light, etc. etc. on your problems.
Not knowing what Bonnie's past history is (before you got her), it's
difficult to really put my finger on the "definitive problem" but I'll
try my best.
You say "anytime she gets loose". A question that immediately comes to
mind is: Why isn't she always? Why do you keep her confined to one
room? The answer to that question may explain some of the problems.
I notice you also said that she will submissively urinate when you grab
her. That in addition to saying that you never go near her due to her
odor might account for part of the problem. Imagine, if you will, a
dog that was never petted, and all of a sudden was grabbed. If I was
a dog, I would probably be so excited, scared, happy, nervous, etc. that
I would probably do the same thing!
If she is trying to get out from wherever she is, it's probably because
she's not happy there. If she's not happy she's probably anxious.
If she's anxious, and tries to get out and is caught, she's probably
got some feelings that she's got to get out and dogs can't hold feelings
in.
Consider correction: Do you praise her after you scold when she's doing
what you want her to do? Do you show her an alternative behavior when
she does something wrong. Correction without praise is not correction
it's punishment. A dog can only turn out worse with punishment. Don't
assume your dog knows what she's allowed to do and what makes you happy.
Show her! A well adjusted dog will feel that she belongs, is loved,
feels good about herself, and if corrected, knows that it is her behavior,
not herself that is wrong. It's up to you to give Bonnie the type of
leadership she deserves and needs.
The type of smell you mention is usually caused by bacteria multiplying
on the skin. In order to breed, bacteria need warm, moist, conditions.
Dogs, however do not sweat on their skin. Do you know where they _do_
sweat? (hint: 2 places, answer at end)
The smell probably is caused by a skin condition which has caused the
skin to crack and ooze. The actual sores can be very small and not
noticable to the untrained eye. I would recommend you see a vet
the problem.
The housebreaking problem is one that your dogs will never do successfully
as long as you leave the newspaper down and don't neutralize the urine
odor that remains on the floor.
If you want to housebreak, not paper train your dogs, you _must_ confine
them to a small area. We're talking crates here. Also you must limit
the times they eat and drink. When you take them out, take them under
control, on lead, to a spot, the same spot, every time and wait for them
to "go". give them a command, what ever you want. (ie. "Go potty" or
for the provocative of you "Shit Dog!") When they do it, (this is the
key) praise, praise, praise, praise!!
BTW, the reason that Bonnie has missed is that the smell (from where she
missed previously) is still away from the paper, neutralize the smell
from where you don't want her to go and she will probably hit ground
zero.
This is not the end all answer to the problems you relate, in fact, I'm
only scratching the surface but I hope you can get something from it.
One more thing: Take an hour sometime to think what your dogs really
want, whether you are giving it to them and what you could do from
your actions to improve the situation.
Good Luck,
--
==============================================================================
Jeff Cushner @
Citicorp-TTI
Santa Monica CA 90405
(213) 450-9111 x2273
{randvax,trwrb,vortex,philabs}!ttidca!ttidcb!cushner
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*********************************************************************ned@SCIRTP.UUCP (Ned Robie) (07/22/85)
> You say "anytime she gets loose". A question that immediately comes to > mind is: Why isn't she always? Why do you keep her confined to one > room? Because she's not housebroken, and her smell tends to diffuse. The room she stays in is not that small and we do let her free outside often during the day. Also, the other dog stays in that room too (when she's inside) and keeps her company. (I did say all this in the original posting, didn't I?) > I notice you also said that she will submissively urinate when you grab > her. That in addition to saying that you never go near her due to her > odor might account for part of the problem. Imagine, if you will, a > dog that was never petted, and all of a sudden was grabbed. We DO pet her but rarely cuddle her. We also talk to her throughout the day. > If she is trying to get out from wherever she is, it's probably because > she's not happy there. She doesn't try to get out (unless she sees the cat). She seems very content in her room. When the gate is (accidently left) opened I believe it's natural for her to go out and explore and run around. I don't think it's necessarily because she dislikes where she is. > Consider correction: Do you praise her after you scold when she's doing > what you want her to do? Do you show her an alternative behavior when > she does something wrong. The only thing we scold her for is barking at uncalled for times (the phone rings, someone enters the front door, etc.) How do we praise her for not barking? > The housebreaking problem is one that your dogs will never do successfully > as long as you leave the newspaper down and don't neutralize the urine > odor that remains on the floor. The room is cleaned with Pinesol daily. We'll try removing the newspaper and working with her outside, as you suggest. Thanks for the help! -- Ned Robie