Re: Dustroast is picking up bad habits!

Katie B — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:14:45 GMT

[quote user="Sal the 1st"]

[quote user="Katietaz"]

Tread gently with FIL though, after all you have to live there.

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Would agree with this - whatever compromise you do or dont reach when you are living in somebody elses home sometimes you just have to put up with it and stay schtum or risk a real battle you may regret

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Exactly my problem. Spike is a collie cross, can't sit still, shakes with anxiety and he fixates on balls, he has so many bad vices but he is a lovely boy, I love him like my own but I just don't want Dust picking up bad habits when he has never had any of them. Mainly worried about the crying at the door for a wee and being ignored and also them overfeeding him. I weigh his food at the start of the day but it's the treats. I love my fils as they have really helped us but just feel like my opinion isn't warranted in regards to my own animal. They do mean well though.

Re: Dustroast is picking up bad habits!

Sal the 1st — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:41:21 GMT

[quote user="Katietaz"]

Tread gently with FIL though, after all you have to live there.

[/quote]

Re: Dustroast is picking up bad habits!

Katie Mansfield — Sun, 01 May 2011 08:57:54 GMT

Blimey must be playing on your mind if you're typing this at 2am!!!!

Might be able to help with the barking (poss). We have a border collie, Konni, who barks - a lot. She's a rescue, used to be a stray. Watching the way she acts we think it's possible she spent a lot of time tied up just watching things - she has a really strong "collie eye" and if she fixates on something you cannot get through to her at all. We also wonder if she chewed through a rope she was on to escape as if you tie her anywhere she pulls back and attempts to chew the lead. We don't do that any more, no leaving her outside shops or the school, cause it causes her stress. When we first got her we couldn't carry anything long (eg garden rake, washing line prop) or she'd bark, show teeth and run rings round you attempting to nip. She also refused to walk past white transit vans (difficult cos we've got one!). Solved most of her probelms except the constant barking, which is work in progress.

Konni's extremely nervous and also barks/snarls at other dogs on the street and if I walk her with my Beagle, Chloe, it sets Chloe off as well. From watching them I get the impression, other dog coming towards us, Konni scared, barks. Chloe thinks "there must be something to be scared of", barks as well. Other dog goes - problem solved (reward) and so it continues. Like you and Dust if I walk Chloe alone, no problem, in fact she welcomes other dogs. They now get walked seperately. Some days, if Konni's been particularly stressed, we don't take her out at all as she is so nervous and walking her really seems to upset her, so she gets a lot of football and bit of obedience training in the garden instead to burn off energy.

We got Konni a DAP defuser which is next to her bed. Seems to have chilled her out a bit in that she no longer spends the entire day barking. We have tried telling her off - makes her bark even more (raised stress level - "why's my owner stessed?"). Tried teaching "speak" / "quiet", got her excited, more barking. (Tried treats when she was quiet but she'd sit next to us and bark for a treat!). She likes to spend her time in the kitchen and when she's quiet that's fine. If she starts barking we now call her into the lounge for a calm, gentle pat and to sit with us. That seems to be working. What we've done with Konni may help your FIL's dog too. You don't say what breed your FILs dog is - some bark a lot anyway, eg terriers. However, even terrier barking can be channelled elsewhere by providing them with stimulating things to do - Kongs, sandpit digging, etc. Do you think his dog is stressed out like Konni and that's what's causing his barking/agression trouble?

I would ask your FIL not to walk Dust but leave it until you get home from work to prevent him picking up the barking at other dogs habit. You don't have to lay blame at his dog's door, you could say you just wanna spend time with your own dog. Take some of his dinner with you on walks and do "watch me" if he goes to bark at another dog (or anything else for that matter) and give a bit of food when he ignores whatever it is.

I should imagine they left Dust barking to go out as they've probably become so used to their own dog barking it just washes over their heads. Not very helpful, but you could try saying that Dust only ever barks for a reason.

As for FIL feeding prawn crackers - I would tell him how long it's taken you to get Dust's weight down and ask if he could give him treats from his dinner bowl, please, and not left-overs from the family meal.You could even get his dinner ready before you go to work so they've got an idea of what ration is there for him during the day.

Dunno if any of that will help you, but I hope so. It is really difficult to comment on a situation I haven't personally witnessed. Tread gently with FIL though, after all you have to live there.

Good luck :)

K x