Puppy won’t obey after training

[caitmott626]

I have an 11 month old male Boston Terrier named Mac who is as wild as can be and sweet when he wants to be. He does so well with training and has passed the pre-school training so far. Once training is over though it’s out the window. One problem we’re having with him is him trying to play “keep away”. We’ve had this problem before when he was younger and I just eliminated the items he would steal and that pretty much solved it. But now he will do it for attention and will snag anything around him and run away and there’s also times it’s with toys that he ended up ripping and is running away to eat it. I tell him drop it and nothing. Off he goes. I’m not sure what to do. I know I’m not suppose to chase him but I don’t want him swallowing the toy. I’ll even go to get a piece of kibble(because any actual treat seems to upset his stomach, I’ve even tried cooked chicken and it still upset his stomach) and he still won’t drop the toy. He just continues to play keep away from me. It’s frustrating.

There’s also no rest time for Mac unless he’s in his crate. Outside of the crate he HAS to be doing something, no matter how tired he is from the activities we do. If he’s not chewing on a toy on the couch he’s walking around looking for something to do. Which leads to my next problem. When he gets bored and wants my attention he will bite my feet or hands while we’re on the couch together. I calmly tell him no but that doesn’t work. I’ll leave the room and leave him in the other room behind the baby gate to show that him biting me isn’t a positive thing but when I come right back in the room he’s back to biting my feet again. I’m at a loss on what I'm doing wrong and what I need to be working with him on. Any advice would be great!!

[JMFS]

I feel your frustration with the constant moving. That would be Momo - he doesn't know the meaning of rest, even in his crate. At night he moves around the room, though he Used to sleep. I think the aches and pains of aging are starting to catch up. Anyway, before I get too distracted . . . my point is, I completely understand. That inability to settle is maddening sometimes!

 

How does he do with drop it when he's Not being a little stinker and running away with the goods? How does he respond to squeaky toys, and have you tried a flirt pole? If he's receptive to the movement of a flirt pole you might be able to distract him from making off with his ill gotten goods, or if he likes the squeaks that might distract him as well. Chasing after him will definitely reinforce the behavior because chase is fun in canine eyes. What might he do if you tell him, "okay, bye," and walk into another room when he's trying to play keep away? I know you don't want him to eat the toy, but it could be worth a try just to see what he does. Or, and this is going to sound crazy, but what if you do something unexpected like start waving your hands in the air and whistling or making some other noise to get his attention? Sometimes we have to make utter fools of ourselves to break these guys of their wicked ways. Thankfully it's not a permanent state of being and after a few rounds they usually catch on.

 

Have you tried cracker type treats, such as Goldfish - the Pepperidge farms snack. That's what I started both Momo and Gertrude with and usually we humans eat saltines or bread when our bellies are upset so I'm wondering if it might apply here.

 

When he's nipping you on the couch, have you tried putting him on the floor? I'm not sure if he can jump up on the couch, but if he can you will likely have to repeat that numerous times before he learns bite = floor. Or what about turning your back on him when he starts his rambunctious behavior on the couch? For me that's a difficult motion, but you might be more agile so it's worth throwing it out there as an option.

 

I hope that gives you a little something to chew on for now.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

More than not obeying after training, I am thinking Mac is struggling with applying what he has learned in other contexts. Many dogs learn fairly easily to leave and drop items they may have not much interest in and in a controlled training setting, but they may struggle when they have access to items they find particularly valuable or in contexts where they are overstimulated. This is very normal, and the more we train around distractions and in certain contexts, the more the dog learns to apply what he has learned in those contexts. However, it's important to do so gradually.

 

So let's say for instance that Mac has learned to drop a ball, we then want to the start applying the training to other items of interest as well so to generalize the training to other items. It might be a good idea to change the rules of the game though. When Mac grabs something, how about you moving away and having Mac come to you for a tasty treat given in exchange for dropping?

 

It may be worthy for the purpose of practicing, setting up some "cold trials," leaving around only toys that cannot be swallowed in one setting and that are considered difficult to destroy for safety. To further help set your dog for success, it also helps to initially start limiting the training to only one room so that he cannot gain access to any other items. Toys that may be difficult to destroy and swallow in one setting may include Kongs, Nylabones, Goughuts and West Paw Zogoflex Tux toys.

 

Now, practicing with brand new toys is difficult because they are considered very valuable, but if your dog has access to some of these toys most of the time, they should be easy to practice "drop its" with. And if you do happen to purchase new toys, you can use them to practice "drop its" by asking your dog to drop a toy that he has had most of the time and presenting the new toy you have hidden behind your back in exchange.

 

Now, the value of the treat is important. It has to greatly surpass the value of the item and the value of playing keep away. Things can get challenging with dogs who get upset tummies though. There are treats for dogs with upset tummies that may help (such as some made with pumpkin, banana or oatmeal or there are "tummy treats" that offer probiotics). If you do a simple search on Amazon such as "dog digestive treats," you may find some, but ask your vet for help to play it safe.

 

If we are using kibble, to trade, how about rather than offering just one piece, tossing several in different directions in a fun, "catch the kibble" game? or presenting his filled up bowl (that you have prepared in advance purposely for the training?).

 

Training how to play "hide and seek" can turn out helpful for dogs used to playing "keep away." If we make the game extra rewarding, we can use it to our advantage to "change the rules of the game" and apply it as needed in specific contexts. So when the dog grabs and item, rather than chasing the dog, we can try rushing the opposite direction, disappear from view and say something in an excited, fun tone to initiate searching, and then once the dog reaches us, we can ask a "drop it" to provide a super rewarding reward. Some dogs are so enthusiastic to play the game, they just happen to drop the item even prior to start looking for the owner so eventually there's no need to say 'drop it" in the first place!

 

Here is a link to how to teach the game of hide and seek:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/hide-and-seek/

 

Here are some other tips/ideas:

 

-One word of caution on the drop it command: you need to do refresher sessions every now and then to keep it from getting rusty. Also, consider that a drop it command is important, but so is the leave it command.

 

-Ideally, it would therefore be better to train a dog to "leave it" rather than "drop it." If we can interrupt the behavior before it occurs and reward that greatly, we may break the whole behavior chain of grabbing something and taking off.

-Since many dogs who want to play keep away, do so to engage their owners and get them to pay attention to them, it's important to provide lots of exercise and brain games during the day.

 

-With management (not leaving around items that can be torn apart), no longer running after the dog, providing only safer toys and lots of practice and increased mental stimulation and training, we should see a decrease in the need to want to play the keep away game.

 

-One important caveat to keep in mind: many dogs like to play the keep away game, but some dogs aren't really playing or some dogs may be playing until they get ahold of something really valuable and things then turn serious.

 

These dogs have a serious intent to grab the stolen item and keep it out of your reach. Keep-away may start as an innocent game but some dogs may become more and more protective especially if you manage to remove the item from them over and over. One day, a dog may just run off with the item, the next he may be growling and baring his teeth to tell you off. Please be careful! Trying to grab the item back may be dangerous and things get worse when employing aversion-based methods such as scolding the dog and grabbing his mouth to remove the item. So this warrants a disclaimer.

 

Disclaimer: Behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog ever shows or has ever shown aggressive displays towards you in the past, please report to a dog behavior professional using force-free methods

Edited July 19, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

At 11 months, your dog is at the peak time of doggy adolescence. This is a trying time for many dog owners, but fortunately, there are many ways to tackle it. Here is a read on doggy adolescence: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

If there are peak times when you notice your dog starts to play keep away or tries to nip when you are on the couch, it may help to provide some interactive solutions to keep him occupied. How about tiring him out in the yard, taking him on a walk or filling a Kong Wobbler with a portion of his daily ration just prior? Many dogs who want to play keep away or start nipping when owners sit on the couch are just trying to communicate a need for attention and desire for more interaction. In many cases, these behaviors occur when owners come home from work. Often, providing them with some activity before sitting on the couch and also during (like making a new habit of sitting on the couch and asking the dog to go to his mat to enjoy a stuffed Kong or emptying a Kong wobbler may help).

 

However, (and this may be your case) some dogs may be cranky and tired, but they just never know how to stop. These dogs often receive enough exercise and mental stimulation but they remain overstimulated and don't know how to turn off their "on" button. These dogs can be helped by crating them next to the couch and providing them with a safe chew toy or a stuffed Kong to keep busy until they eventually fall asleep. Covering the crate with a blanket may help some dogs if they tend to sleep lightly or have a hard time falling asleep because they are so attentive to their owner's minimum movements.

Edited July 19, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[cammidge]

I also feel that freedom has to be earned. It's not a right, it's a privilege. Put him on the leash and use that to control him.