[rant] Oppo dog-lovers...I need help

"Bourbon&JellyBeans" (bourbonandjellybeans) 04/15/2016 at 10:22 • Filed to: None

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[rant]

My girlfriend of six years and I just got a dog from a rescue two weeks ago. He’s a 2-year-old St. Bernard/Great Pyrenees mix named Taz. When we brought Taz home, we knew that he’d be a handful. The rescue warned us that he was possessive over his owners (something I’ve yet to see play out) and over his food (this I’ve seen firsthand). They told us that he bit a dog walker when he was in a foster home about a month ago because the dog walker tried to take a toy from him. But they also said great things about him - he is loving, he loves to cuddle, he is playful, he’s great with other dogs, etc. So, with all that in mind, I thought it wouldn’t be so bad...I would just refrain from taking his toys/food away from him (why would I do that anyways?) and make sure we train him well.

But holy crap is it more than that. Everyday since we’ve gotten him, we’ve made sure to take him on a 30-60 min. walk and play fetch with him 2 or 3 times a day to burn some energy off. But no matter what we do, he always screams across the house like he has a Saturn V rocket crammed up his ass. He’s broken nearly everything in the house that can be broken. He’s just about ruined the couch from jumping onto it at Mach 2.8. This morning he was so hyper that he ran at me full speed ahead and rammed me in the knee. Why? I don’t fucking know.

On that note, he is just kind of dumb...he crosses right in front of my legs on walks so I either accidentally kick him in the head or step on his paw. One would think that after getting a running shoe to the temple once or twice you’d stop walking in front of me. But no, he does it at least 10 times on a walk. Yesterday he hurt himself because he got so excited that we were about to go on a walk that he did some sort of back flip maneuver in which he landed on his shoulder which consequently made him limp for 15 minutes or so. When my girlfriend came home yesterday, he ran head first into a wall because he was running so fast to greet her.

We make sure to give him tons of attention and training. We’ve trained him fairly well with the “down” command (teaching the dog to get down when he jumps on you). He also knows “sit” and “roll over” (the latter being fairly useless). Like I said, we walk him daily and play with him outside.

But apart from him being dumb, he actually scares me sometimes. Like the “man, this dog might tear my face off” kind of scary. He’s bitten both me and my girlfriend and my girlfriend’s mom (who was dog sitting one day last week) for various reasons. He...and I’m not kidding...bites me in the ass if I walk away from him. He’s also bitten me in the hands, arms, and legs. He doesn’t bite hard enough to leave a mark, but it’s still unnerving. He’s a bigger dog and probably could take a finger if he really wanted to. He seems ungrateful as well. Like I can feed him and two seconds later he bites me in the ass or the leg as I’m walking through the house.

Then there’s just how bad he actually is. I know you aren’t supposed to think that your dog does bad things to spite you, but...ugh...I can just see it in his eyes. The other day, I went to go into the bathroom. Since he follows anyone like a shadow, I had to shut the door behind me. So, what does he do on the other side? He pisses on the floor outside of the door. This morning, I went upstairs to shower for ten minutes and what did he do? Knocked the kitchen trashcan (which has a lid) over. I let him outside a couple days ago and watched him from the window. He whined a little because he was outside alone and within no time he flipped the water bowl I put out for him and tried chewing it up.

My girlfriend has allergies, so every morning she sneezes like she just walked through a black pepper factory. If Taz hears anything during the early morning (I’m talking 5-6 o’clock), he starts yelping and barking to be let out of his crate. I thought that I could get past that problem by taking him out to pee at like 5ish and then going back to bed without putting him back in his crate. Nope. Can’t do that either. He found a box of unopened treats on the kitchen counter and ate every single one as we slept.

I’m just finding that I am going to bed in a bad mood because I’m having to constantly correct him or clean up some mess that he’s made and I’m waking up in a bad mood because my girlfriend sneezes and then it’s like the whole house has to get up at 5 in the morning every day of the week.

I really want to love this dog, but he is making it so hard. I feel like I’m slowly starting to resent him, which I know is ridiculous because he is just a dog . But Mary mother of Jesus, I’m losing patience.

To top it off, my foul moods which have been caused by Taz are negatively affecting my relationship with my girlfriend. It’s a stressful time as is because she is a final-year nursing student who is about to take her exit HESI and NCLEX exams (which decide whether or not she will be a nurse after four years of undergrad) and I’m also graduating next month and have been working on a 30-page final paper. So, needless to say, things have been tense. But when she or I try to get work done and - oh look, Taz is breaking that vase over there - or - oh look, Taz just dragged the blanket out of his crate and is eating it. It’s just a lot.

So, Oppos who have dogs, have you had any similar experiences? And if so, how in god’s green dick did you get through it?

[/rant]

Oh, and a ‘65 for your time:

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:28

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He sounds exactly like my dog, Chewie...the difference being that Chewie is a Morkie and weighs 12lbs, where your dog sounds quite a lot larger. You can live with hyperactivity like that when its a small missile running around the house, but I’d imagine it’s different when it’s like a speeding garbage truck.

Is he neutered? If you said so I may have missed it.

itschrome > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:28

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doggy school man. I think both you and the dog need some training on how to live with each other. You’re doing the right things from the sounds of it, but you need to break that dog and let him know he’s in your pack now and not the other way around. No i’m not saying beat the dog but for some people being dominate isn’t a natural trait and that’s ok. But when faced by what sounds like a fairly alpha beast you need to step up your dominance. a good doggy school will teach you how to be the alpha dog and him how to accept his place. Remeber at the end of the day no matter how much you love him and how much you treat him well, you can’t treat him as a equal, it’s not a mean thing, it’s just how dogs are. they need a pack leader and if he’s biting you on the ass (or anywhere) he’s still showing you that “Yeah I’ll get down and roll over but you still my bitch”

CalzoneGolem > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:29

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I’m not a dog lover. We have a dog. I wish we didn’t.

My condolences.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 04/15/2016 at 10:30

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Oops, yeah he is neutered (I cannot even fathom what he must have been liked with testicles). Yep, he’s not as big as a lot of people think, but he’s still 75 lbs so not small. I would say he’s the same size as a female golden retriever (I know that’s a weird comparison but he’s been right next to one and they were the same size).

Tripper > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:33

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The dog is acting that way because he’s not been trained, it’s not his fault. He needs to know who is boss. He walks in front of you on walks, because he does not know that hes supposed to walk beside you. Take him to obedience classes. Rescue dogs can be tough as you never know what they went through prior to being yours. You have to be firm and consistent with your training, it’s also going to take a lot longer than two weeks.

When my fiancee and I first got our puppy, it was tough for both of us but ya gotta put in the work to get a great dog.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > itschrome 04/15/2016 at 10:33

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Yes! He’s verrrrrrry alpha. It’s exactly how you explained it. It’s like he’s telling me, “yeah you better walk me, bitch.” We definitely plan on obedience classes once we both graduate (4 weeks, good god). No time for it right now with all that’s happening. It’s absolutely in the plans, though.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:34

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When we brought home my dog she did the entire “OH MY GOD I MUST DO LAPS AROUND EACH ROOM. SO MUCH ENERGY!!!” You’ll hate to hear me say but that took a month or two for that to go away. We brought in a trainer to help us and by the time she was 2 (we got her at 1.5 years old) she had really mellowed out and any bad habits were gone.

My advice, get a trainer ASAP and he or she will help you mellow Taz out (he will do so with age as well) as well as establish dominance in the household

itschrome > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:36

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there are tons of good dog training video’s out there. wouldn’t hurt to look on amazon to find something. then you can use your play time as training time as long as he’s interacting with you and you reward him for good behavior training and playing can be the same thing.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Tripper 04/15/2016 at 10:36

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Yeah, absolutely. He isn’t our first dog (both of our families have two dogs each) so I know that training takes time and you have to do classes (which we are going to do), but I guess I’m nervous to see if this is really just who he is or if training classes will really change him. I’ll put it this way: this is not the personality that I want to have to live with for the next decade+.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > itschrome 04/15/2016 at 10:37

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Yeah, I’ve been looking on YouTube for advice too! Found some good stuff, and some stuff that made me wonder if the guy talking had ever even seen a dog before. Lol

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 04/15/2016 at 10:38

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Good to hear! I’m glad to hear of a similar dog that’s been reformed!

Stapleface > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:41

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I’m gonna say some stuff you probably don’t want to hear, but I think it’s for the good of the household.

First, you kind of have to dogproof the house. I Know it sucks, and that you were there first, but no amount of training will help with him being a BIG, clumsy oaf of a dog. They just aren’t a super graceful dog bread. You have to remove the things that he can break (although he’s already taken fairly good care of that

As for the stealing the food on the counter, what I had to do with my dog who counter surfed was just to be sure there’s never anything out that he could eat. No amount of training was helping, so since I eliminated the temptation I eliminated the behavior. As for him making messes when you were in the bathroom, it could have just been coincidence that he had to go.

Him nipping you is something that needs to be dealt with though. He needs to understand that he can’t do that. You will have to be firm with him and make him understand that this is unacceptable behavior. His chewing of the water bowl is him being bored. And a dog that big has a LOT of energy. You need to make him run, a lot, to get him good and tired.

Do you have any toys for him? My dogs can’t have plush toys because they destroy them, but they can have chew toys. For someone like him who is a power chewer, the best thing I’ve seen are the black Kong and Kong Balls. No other Kong product will keep up with him. Also, a way to get him to settle down is to give him a long lasting chew toy, like an Antler. They aren’t cheap, but they usually last a pretty long time.

The food aggression might not be something that you can ultimately fix. Some dogs just can’t get over that, but I think you can lessen it. I’ve had some success with food aggressive dogs in the past by feeding them slowly out of my hand. With a dog this big, obviously you have to be careful, but it is something that you might be able to improve, at least a little bit.

itschrome > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:42

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Also one thing you can start on. You said food is an issue with him which is a great place to start. Work on the sitting and staying command, incorporate that into dinner time. Make his food and keep it above him till he’s sitting and being a good boy at a distance away from you. Like 5 feet. then place the bowl down for him, but do not do that if he starts to move. place it back on the counter and make him sit/stay. then place the food down when he’s being good, don;t let him rush for it. make him sit and stay a moment, then let him eat. No this is NOT easy but it shows that you are the packs provider and you will be the first to eat and he eats when you tell him too. it’s simple but dominate. the same goes for toys, make him sit and stay before you throw a toy and if you can make him wait to go get it. not long just a moment, enough to prove a point. and when he is being good make sure you do something rewarding, give him a toy to play with or a good positive rub down or even a snack (less snacks).

interstate366, now In The Industry > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:43

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My Lab was the same way. He just had no training before I rescued him (although it appeared he was housebroken because he’s never intentionally gone in the house). It took a lot of patience and training but he settled down.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:49

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:(

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:52

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My dog Otis is half pyrnees half border collie, He was a very challenging puppy, but it got better, someone offered the thought that mixed working breeds can have confused personalities, (otis both herds children, and guarddogs very loudly, and he barks at black people, so embarrassed, but the neighbors are cool about it) Sounds like the ass biting is Taz thinking he’s in charge. We had an old Kerry blue terrier, he had multiple screws loose in the brain, and was unfathomably stupid. We put off getting a puppy, not wanting it to learn crazy from the crazy dog. One day, a friend came by with his new 7 week old black lab puppy from a farm litter. So as it goes about 40 minutes later I was driving out to the farm for one of my own.

Getting him a puppy seemed to fix most of what was wrong with him, when the tiny puppy went to sleep on his bed, he stood overtop like a tent for an hour. He didn’t know what to do, but our elderly, crazy, male dog became a wonderful mother. And he was seriously an awful dog, With only 4 thought in his head eat, shit, bark, bite crotch. I’m not advocating adding puppies to the hectic mix, but that’s how it went down in our house. Now that Puppy is elderly and she don’t take no shit from Otis, and she was happy to have a fun puppy come to play, but NOT amused when she figured out he was staying. So you never know. Good luck, I love big dumb dogs so I hope you find a solution with yours.

Tripper > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:55

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You’ve got to nip that behavior in the bud then, training will work it’s just tough especially with big dogs. A good friend of mine has a cane corso that reached 110lbs before he was a year old, and he was baaaaad. Biting, jumping up on people, running away, you name it. He’s almost 2 now, 140lbs, but the difference is when I come over now he sits next to the door when I come in. Then he waits and looks to his owner to say that it’s ok to shake my hand. Total 180 because of training.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a huge pushover with dogs. Our Boxer listens to my fiancee much better than he listens to me because she is firm and consistent. I generally let him get away with everything because we’re pals. Then when he does something bad and I get upset, he doesn’t understand because I never reprimand him for the little things.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Stapleface 04/15/2016 at 10:56

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We have a few toys for him: a Kong, a little tire, a tug-of-war rope that he loves, and a tennis ball that we use for playing fetch. On the note of playing fetch, he almost always ends up getting too aggressive. Sometimes if I’ll throw the ball, he’ll continue running towards me and either ram me or nip my leg. It makes me not want to play with him and has stopped us from continuing to play once or twice.

Otherwise, all of the food that he can get has been put into cabinets, so that’s all taken care of.

He’s definitely house trained - he pooed in the house a few times when we first got him but I definitely chalk that up to nerves. He didn’t mark (pee) in the house at all except for that once...so, could have been that he just decided that he really had to go.

He definitely has separation anxiety. When I have to leave the house I can hear him crying all the way to my car in the driveway. I have been trying to keep my exits very low-key (I don’t say “I’ll be back” or “bye bye” or anything) and I’ve been praising him every time I come home, so maybe that’ll change eventually. But I know that that’s a mental thing that will take a while.

Montalvo > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:56

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It seems like you got the wrong kind of dog for your life style. I commend you on picking up a rescue dog but you can’t take on a St. Bernard that easy. To help burn off energy on walks I would put saddle bags on him and use them to carry water or just put weights in it. They are working dogs which means they REALLY need to work. Simple walks and fetch just is not going to cut it and they really need the space. Not sure if this is your first dog but if it is you most likely bit off more than you can chew.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 10:58

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Both of these breeds watch over livestock which includes both protecting them and herding them. The nipping behavior and the cutting behavior (crossing your path) are his way of trying to keep you in line and direct you to where he thinks you need to go. The biggest problem to his way of thinking is that you don’t follow directions well.

Dominance in a pack determines who is in charge. It sounds like he’s the boss. You need to fix that. Part of the solution is active training. Don’t just walk him - he needs a job to do .

I’ve always had big dogs, but I’ve rarely had the problems you are describing. It’s harder when you are dealing with an older rescue because you don’t know what they’ve been through. It takes a lot of work to break them of their bad habits and both you and your girlfriend must agree upon and enforce the rules. The first step is getting some training for you, your girlfriend, and your dog. Yes, the training is as much about teaching you the right way to handle things as it is about training the dog in the appropriate behaviors.

Do this and everyone will be much happier in the end.

jariten1781 > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:00

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Yeah, lots of experience...my wife and I used to routinely (and still occasionally) rehab aggressive dogs...you’ve got way too many compounding issues to really create a plan on an internet thread though. Consider a trainer.

To start, though, and to get through y’alls exam period I’d consider using a negative reinforcement regimen. This is not a long term solution (well, unless you want a skittish fearful dog) but it’s the best way to get behavior under control now and you need to solve the mouthing problem quickly or it’ll be a liability. I’ve had good luck pairing them with audio queues...get some sort of button activated noise making contraption (novelty electronic buzzers are fine) and pair it with an effective reinforcement (e-collar, spray bottle, mist collar whatever). On bad behavior sound the audio cue then if it continues apply the reinforcement. Fairly quickly they’ll learn the cue and it will be sufficient to stop the behavior. Be 100% consistent. Leave a room or the crate as a safe zone (ie correction collar comes off when closing the door and comes on as soon as it is opened). Once you have the time to dedicate you’ll want to wean off the negative reinforcement and establish a positive audio cue and rewards for positive behavior which is the best way to get long lasting results, but that takes much longer.

Good e-collars will have a built in audio (or vibration) cue along with varying degrees of correction, some also have positive reinforcement cues...that’s how I’d go on an aggressive large dog, but some folks are morally opposed to them.

For the walks consider doing high collar training. Pinch collars are the most effective method. Your goal is to get him walking on one side only and parallel to you. Extending leads are bad as is inconsistent allowances to sniff and explore.

But really it comes down to time and consistency. Buckle down for the long haul and don’t let mishaps affect you. You are looking for improving behavior/less incidents not perfect behavior/no incidents.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Montalvo 04/15/2016 at 11:00

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Not my first. When I lived with my parents, they had (and currently have) two boxers and had another who died at age 2 of a heart defect. I was looking at the doggie backpacks last night and I think that’s probably our best bet. We go to my girlfriend’s parents house nearly every weekend and they have six acres which is nice for him to be able to run around like a madman. But when we are home in the city, it’s a little harder.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/15/2016 at 11:02

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Thanks for the advice! I guess I’ll just need to buy a cow too now, my girlfriend would actually love that. Hahaha! But seriously, I agree with you in that I think that once he realizes that he’s not the alpha, then things will change!

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:03

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Here’s a picture for those interested!

Stapleface > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:04

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Separation anxiety is tough. One of my dogs had it really bad. He broke two crates getting out of them because he had it so bad. We also couldn't keep a single blind all the way down in the house because he needed to see out of all of the windows. A suggestion to at least keep him occupied and have him less anxious is to give him something to occupy him. A lot of dog friends I know will stuff a kong with yogurt/peanut butter/cottage cheese and kibble and freeze it. It calms down the dog for a while as they're busy working on cleaning that Kong out. The caveat, of course, is that if you do this you should reduce the amount you're feeding him the other times of the day, as he could pack on some weight this way.

Alfalfa > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:05

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Most of what I have to say has been covered, but one more bit that I haven’t seen mentioned is other dogs. Do you know how well he does with other dogs? That could really help get some energy out. If the other dog is well trained, it can even help your dogs training along seeing how it’s done.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Stapleface 04/15/2016 at 11:06

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Good advice! We stuff his Kong with peanut butter, which keeps him busy at night but does little to keep him when one of us leaves (as soon as he sees me put shoes on or hears the jingling of car keys, he starts going crazy). I had pretty bad separation anxiety as a toddler/young child so I know where he is coming from!

Montalvo > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:07

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Good lord, a St. Bernard in a city is definitely like a bull in a China shop. Also Boxers are so freaking adorable.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Alfalfa 04/15/2016 at 11:09

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Oddly, he seems to ignore other dogs. On walks, he walks right past other dogs without barking or pulling me to them. When we took him to my girlfriend’s mom’s house, he didn’t seem to want to play nor did he seem to want to chase the cat around. I thought that this was kind of weird but its better than outright aggression.

MUSASHI66 > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:11

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1. Exercise. What you are giving him is not nearly enough for a shepherd breed. He needs an hour or more of off-leash running, chasing balls, playing with other high energy dogs. Ride a bicycle and walk him that way until he can’t go any longer. You have to find a way to get some energy out of him, otherwise, all of this will continue. We take our little monster - 80lb mix of Weimaraner, Australian cattle dog, Rottweiler, and other stuff DNA test could not determine - to a doggy daycare once a week and he comes so pooped, all he does is sleep for next 12 hours. We got him at 5 months old, and now he is year and half old, and still has tons and tons of energy.

2. Dominance - food aggression, toy aggression, nipping and biting - all exampled of him not seeing any of you as his alpha. You’ve allowed it, and now you have to train it out of him. I have a very alpha 100lbs German Shepherd, 8 years old. I can take food and toys out of his mouth, and I can try to stick my fingers in his mouth but he won’t bite. You MUST get to the same point, especially with a large dog. When my little dog - which happens to be big time alpha as well - shows any aggression to the big dog or me and my wife, I put him down a notch right away - the same moment he does it. I go for his neck, grab a hand full, put him down on his side or his back, put my knee over him, and keep him down until he relaxes and acknowledges my dominance. You just be able to take his food as well without him being aggressive. You must be able to walk him while you are in command, not him.

I don’t want to sound like a dick, so please don’t take it like that, but it sound to me that you got more than you can handle, at the wrong time in your life, and based on your comments, his personality is not what you are after anyway. Even if you train some of the aggression traits out of him, this dog will still require many hours of work per day to not be a big ball of fur(y). You’ve only had him 2 weeks - maybe he needs to go back and find a more adequate family.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:13

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Itschrome had some great advice. My dog is an extreme alpha and as much as I love him and he’ll cuddle up on the couch (only 1 specific couch, he’s not allowed on the nice couch haha) I will not hesitate to snag his collar fast and strong to remind him who’s in charge.

Mine sucks at taking walks, we have a fenced in yard for him to get his energy out.

His food aggression has calmed over the years but we let him eat in his crate so he always feels safe while eating, this is a step we took once we had our son to make sure he didn’t go after it. Our son had to be trained too though, the crate is doggie’s place leave him alone when he’s in there.

they don’t NEED a blanket in their crate, if he’s chewing it up, take it out. DO NOT go to him if he’s in his crate whining. Only tells him you’ll show anytime he whines. It sucks and the first months are the hardest. Keep on him it’ll get better.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 04/15/2016 at 11:20

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He doesn’t tear the blanket up when he’s in his crate so it’s really just a matter of me remembering to close the crate up when he’s not in it. I was thinking about the whining - in the morning he whines and I come down to let him out. I fear that he’ll begin to think that if he whines, I’ll always let him out. I’m not sure what the work-around is here because I of course will always let him out of his crate to pee in the mornings.

'Wägen, EPA LOL > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:21

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My wife and I got a rescue. She is a handful, but it’s worth it. You cannot train the dog alone. Seek a pro to help you, preferably someone who has worked with “working dogs” (these are police and sheriff k-9s and the like). They will help you establish dominance and regimen. They also know what tools will yield results in training. Our dog doesn’t care much about a pinch collar. (Note: not a choke collar - those cut off air soliciting a survival response, but a pinch collar mimics how a dog’s mother would grab it on the back of the neck and tell the dog to knock it off - like yuor mom did with your ear. They have a limited action, so it’s important to set it correctly, too loose and the dog won’t feel it, too tight and you will suffocate and/or hurt the dog.) She’s on an e-collar now and reponds pretty well to it. It has cut down on a lot of the needless barking and helped us teach “off” and “leave it.”

I could seriously sit here for days talking about how we learned to handle the dog just as she learned what’s ok, but you seriously just need to go find a good trainer. It’s worth the money and always get the best tools for training your dog. Good pinch collars are sturdy with the end points rounded off - cheap ones bend and are jagged. Good e-collars are medical grade, waterproof devices that stimulate the muscles like what you get at PT at a doctors office (I know, I’ve used the collar on myself and had the stuff on me at PT before). The cheap ones are more like a dry, painful, static shock.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:24

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you have to do it on your terms, even if he whines for half an hour or even an hour. It sucks and it’s a massive pain in the ass to hear him whine and whine. He’ll make it though and then he’ll learn that you let him our when it’s time not when he whines. Buy the girlfriend some ear plugs during her tests so she can sleep lol.

We’re to a point now that we don’t even close the door on our dog’s crate and he sleeps in it all night and doesn’t come out of it until we come out of our bedroom.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 04/15/2016 at 11:26

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Wow, that’s discipline! He hates his crate. I’ve been told not to associate the crate with punishment, so I try not to force him in there but he definitely isn’t going to go on his own (even when lured with a treat). He has never peed in his crate (the rescue noted that too) so it’s possible that I’ll just have to let him cry for a while before being released from now on.

AfromanGTO > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:35

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Hey welcome to the club! My gf and I got two Alaskan Malamute puppies back in January. We/she decided “we” should get two instead of one, so they won’t be lonely. So we picked up both brothers from the litter. It gets better. It takes time for the dog(s) to learn a new routine. Your big dog mix needs to run. He needs to be worn out, so he won’t be as hyper. I am willing to bet he isn’t two, but younger. He could be a year old even. It is hard for most shelters to know the animals exact age. For the nipping get a spray bottle with water in it. Every time he nips you spray him in the face with water. He will stop eventually. For the separation anxiety that takes time too. For the strain on your relationship it will get better. You both are tired and schedules are screwed up. Once you two start getting on a better schedule you’ll be ok. My boys used to wake up right when my gf would go to work, and play from 6:30 until lunch. Now they just roll over when she leaves and sleeps until 9 or 10. The dog will mellow out just give Taz time.

Alfalfa > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:35

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That’s not too odd for herding breeds, actually. Which reminds me if anther point that may have been addressed, is that herding dogs really benefit from having a job to do. These are working dogs, but you don’t need a herd to keep them working. Anything around the house or yard that is important (or at least that you can make him think is important) can be as effective as excercise to keep him reigned in.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:36

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A cow? Maybe a miniature one...

Bourbon&JellyBeans > MUSASHI66 04/15/2016 at 11:36

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The dog, admittedly, was not my idea. But my girlfriend has been wanting a dog forever . My reaction has always been, “no.” But now that we are graduating, I didn’t see a problem with it. In four weeks, my girlfriend will be working part time until she passes her NCLEX (which isn’t until August, I believe). And even after that, she’ll be working 3 days a week and I’ll be working from home. We can provide him with the attention that he needs, it’s only a matter of his bad behavior settling down. I don’t mind really active/energetic dogs. I grew up with boxers! But he has been taking it to a-whole-nother level. I’ll try to be more forceful with him to assert dominance, its something that I’ve been working on. I bought a spray bottle for when he gets really aggressive. I shoot him in the face and it calms him down, but it only works when I have the spray bottle, so like 20% of the time.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > AfromanGTO 04/15/2016 at 11:43

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This is good stuff to hear. Yes, I tell people that I didn’t really want a dog and my girlfriend really wanted a dog, so we compromised, met in the middle, and got a dog. I am beginning to think he’s younger than they led on too - he reminds me so much of a puppy even though he fully grown. I am thinking somewhere in between 1-2. I have a spray bottle for him for when he gets aggressive (its actually therapeutic for me, I must admit). I want him to get to the point where he can sleep in the living room without me having to crate him, but we are no where near that point yet (especially with him finding things to chew/eat when nobody’s looking).

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:44

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yeah you gotta let him cry it out.

By the way that “cry it out” sucks even more with a kid and the same rules apply, you’re always going to feel like shit while they’re crying, human or dog, but you gotta do it.

He’s a maniac in his own ways, but at least he sleeps like he should. Only reason I lock him in during the day is to keep the UPS/Post man from crapping his pants. He barks his head off when he can see people. He’s been real good about not eating stuff too as he got older, I can’t believe how well he does with my 3 year old’s toys everywhere.

BorkBorkBjork > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:52

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Working dog dominance issues. My aunt had a Great Pyrenees with the same issues. Be prepared, you are going to have to get physical with the dog. My aunt literally had to sit on her dogs head to make it be submissive. You will probably want to start with grabbing the dog by it’s scruff and throwing it a few feet whenever it nips or bites. The key is NOT to hurt the dog, but to make it feel weaker than you (the dog may yelp, but more out of surpise than pain). Hitting or kicking will just hurt the dog, and make all of your problems WAY worse. Make sure to follow up any action with a strong, single word, vocal command. This will take time, so be patient. I had a very stubborn Aussie a while back that took 3 weeks to break. He was absolutely stoic the whole time, until one day he just broke. Best trained dog I ever had from that day forth.

MUSASHI66 > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 11:53

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Well, have you seen what a big dog does to a little dog when they are annoying? Have you seen what a puppy does to a smaller puppy when they play? None of them have a spray bottle - they all have teeth and mouth and they go for the neck, they go for a take down, they get on top, and they assert dominance. Also, the less dominant dog always goes down always exposes a belly and relaxes, and the big dogs stops right away. My little dog doesn’t fuck with me because I am his alpha that put him down every time he tried to go up the status ladder. He won’t bite me and he goes crazy when I want to play with him. On the other hand my wife’s arm is covered in bruises from playing with him - he nibbles harder on her (and she bruises easier).

1. Exercise him hard

2. Show him you (and the girlfriend) are the alpha

3. Train him, a lot.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > MUSASHI66 04/15/2016 at 11:58

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When he does finally calm down, he rolls over with his tongue drooped out of his mouth. So, I take that as a sign. He’s not overly aggressive all the time - he just gets into fits, you know? For instance, on our walks, even though he pulls ahead of me sometimes, if I give the leash a swift tug, he comes back to beside me. Sometimes we walk and I have to hold a lot of the leash in my hand because there’s so much slack in it. It’s as if he gets a hair up his ass sometimes. It could be related to his old life, I think.

MUSASHI66 > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 12:05

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Whatever happens, I wish you good luck.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > MUSASHI66 04/15/2016 at 12:11

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Thank you for all the advice!

AfromanGTO > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 13:16

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It sounds like he is still teething. He may even be less than a year. Get him some hard chew toys. My boys destroyed two tables. Finally their puppy teeth are falling out, and they don’t chew on anything really anymore.

After a few nights of continous good sleep you and your gf will feel better.

Give him time, and you’ll have a great dog.

Danger > Bourbon&JellyBeans 04/15/2016 at 14:39

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These are my opinions. My mutt for your time:

Maybe work a treadmill session in? Regular dog exercise doesn’t sound like it will work with him. More professional training from a good source might help too. If there were months or years of a bad situation, abuse or issues, you’re looking at months or years to correct it. Stay firm, bribe him with food or treats to get take toys away safely, keep reinforcing the good things.

Danger > Danger 04/15/2016 at 14:41

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Also, spray watr bottle for aggression, giant rope or ATV tire from Amazon for a chew toy, and all of this stuff takes a long time, but is worth it.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Danger 04/15/2016 at 16:44

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Thanks for the tips. Very cute dog!