Doggy Drive-by of Senior Citizens

[JMFS]

At first I thought this was a Momo thing because he's all boy and pays little heed to manners. Gertrude does the Same thing, though, and I need to nip it in the bud. Here's the scenario:

 

I take Abbi out with the "big" dogs so she can go potty. The "big" dogs are to wait at the door so I can get Abbi in position and stand next to her in an attempt to act as a barracade. I give the "big" dogs the okay to come outside and they Tear out of the door (which I'm totally okay with in the back yard). As they're kicking up the grass and dirt they Always run Right next to Abbi. Why?! I know they see her - otherwise they wouldn't go by that spot because it's not their normal routine. If I move away from Abbi those two maniacs will continue to run right next to her Or they've even jumped over her, and they don't always clear their mark causing Abbi to fall.

 

Obviously the best course is management - just don't have them out at the same time - and that's what I normally do, but occasionally I have to take them all out together in the interest of time saving. I just can't figure out why, with a freaking half acre to run around, they have to molest poor old arthritic Abbi in her Tiny spot near the door. It's worse if I'm not standing guard over her. Momo will actually do a hockey skater type stop and turn right next to her. If he's not spraying her with dirt and grass he's sending her tumbling (rude and painful to the poor little one!).

 

I Thought Gertrude might have better manners, but she proved me wrong a moment ago. I took her out the front door where she's made to Walk out to the edge of the entry and wait for me before progressing. Then we Walk to a specific spot on the sidewalk, which is when I give her the release to go do her thing. This time Abbi was sitting in the yard, doing Abbi stuff, and Gertie suddenly Zooms right past Abbi. She doesn't get as close as Momo, but it's still a jerk move.

 

Any ideas on how to get them to ignore Abbi when everyone's hanging out together?

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Jennifer,

You canine crew is so full or personality! I love reading your stories about their interactions, they are always so rich of details! Poor Abbi though, it must feel challenging at times to share the home with two younger dogs full of energy.

 

As to why Momo and Gertrude act this, way, until that day dogs can talk, we can't really never know exactly may be going on in their minds, but we can sometimes make some assumptions.

 

Sounds like Momo may have trained Gertude to join in the fun in harassing Abbi!

 

Interestingly, when we ask our dogs to hold a stay and then release them, what dogs do next, is usually what they find the most interesting and rewarding thing to do. Here's the thing: I think dogs love to be free to move about and just do as they please, so holding a stay takes a good level of impulse control. While they are holding the stay, and exercising great restraint, in the meanwhile, I think they are focusing on what they can do right next once they are released.

 

Often times, dogs celebrate their re-newed freedom by enthusiastically romping around and I think this is what his happening with your dogs. On top of having a little "party" they are likely heading to where Abbi is because while holding the stay, they are likely dying to know what she may have found. Many times, when dogs see another dog sniff around, they want to be informed all about it. Since Abbi is the oldest and even a bit frail, there may also be a little competition going on sort of like "let's see what she found and see if there's anything good there we can steal from her" and that may lead to them pushing her out of the way and inspect that area.

 

Just like when having toys, dogs want to have what the other dog has, so they may just want to "own" a little bit of her space and check it out for themselves. Once they get the idea, then they leave her alone and go on with their own business.

 

Of course, this is just an assumption. Other ideas that come to mind is that since they are separated for a little bit, their strongest desire is to check her out again and gain some info about what she may have done. I once did a little experiment and separated Petra and Kaiser for a little bit when training, and the first thing they did once re-united, was to sniff each others' mouths as if investigated whether they were were fed treats and maybe even what type they were.

 

There was a study done about this and it revealed that, when dogs touch noses, they are not just saying 'hello' but are actually investigating each other about their recent meals. 'Have you found any goodies around?" They likely deduce a whole lot from just a little whiff of their breath.

 

So what can be done?

 

I am thinking of various options to trigger a "detour":

 

-You can try to pique their interest into something else. For example, let's say Abbi is out and they are holding their stay, you can start doing something that might be more interesting. With many dogs, I have found that just pretending to dig with my feet evokes their interest and engages them into starting digging too. If you have an area where they are allowed to dig, you can try this method by shuffling your feet around, making it sound and look like fun, and releasing them in hopes they'll come join you. You can even set this up as a routine, release them and say in a fun tone of voice: "let's dig!" This may give them a bout of zoomies, hopefully without involving Abbi.

 

-You can try to make sudden movements to grab their attention (not too evident as to not break their stay) and then release them and start running around. (Word of caution- I am not sure if your dogs ever got into fights from being in a too excited state, so avoid this if they are the types to redirect on each other when hyped up.)

 

-You can do a stay followed by a group recall so that they come towards you, but you might want to skip reinforcement with toys/treats to prevent fights between your dogs since Momo has a tendency to resource guard, just verbal praise and perhaps a game of them chasing you (again if they don't get too revved up which may revert into a fight) However, the drawback of this is that Abbi may want to join in the fun too if she's isn't too achy.

 

-You can place something in the yard that may make them curious and warrant investigation. Like a colorful opened umbrella placed on the ground or a flag, but this would require you to get inventive and always place something new or different.

 

-And then, just like you pointed out, you can just manage the situation and just take them out separately-which is likely the easiest option.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

Yes, Momo is a little excitable. I can't give him too much praise or he falls over himself saying, "omg, omg, I did a thing, yes! I did. A. Thing. Rejoice!" And then there I am thinking, "so much for getting him into a down, now he's running around like a hooligan."

 

I'm pleased you like my stories - I know I get chatty sometimes and I do try to curb myself so as not to take over conversations. I enjoy writing and when we add dogs to the mix I tend to go over my threshold. :D

 

I like the idea of putting something more interesting, or at least different than, Abbi out in the yard. They'd absolutely take that bait.

 

Mo will definitely start a fight if there's food involved, but excitement isn't an issue. They'll even fetch together (well, okay, Gertie plops down with the ball, gets distracted, then Mo gets it from her and brings it to me - she's a work in progress for the "bring it back" part) without issues. It Was funny yesterday when I let them out. Gertie totally faked Momo out and that made him growl. I think he truly got frustrated that she feigned going straight and switched at the last second. Poor tailless Momo couldn't pivot quickly enough and kept going straight. :D I swear I saw Gertrude smirk when he growled! Nutjobs.

 

I can do treats as long as I have each dog on separate sides of me, and don't drop the treats. Getting their attention while they're zipping through the yard is quite the challenge, though, so that gives us squad goals to work on.

 

Now you've got me thinking. Perhaps if I let Abbi out After the "big" kids are already frolicking they may be less inclined to check out her lounging area. Or, at least, it may take them longer to notice and that may be just enough time for Abbi to do her business.

 

Thank you, as always, for the input! Have a great turkey day - I'll be peeling then mashing up 12 pounds of potatoes tomorrow (it's only 9 people, but I like to have leftovers!) so I'm calling it a night.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

It surely would be interesting seeing what happens if you take Abbi out after your other two dogs are out and about and busy. But then again, they might just go straight to greet her perhaps if they haven't found anything else that's more interesting to investigate/engage in but maybe they won't be too over enthusiastic.

 

Happy turkey day to you as well!