My 6 mos Malinois goes after them with a vengeance. Anything with wheels as well the lawn mower and snowblower scares me, if she ever went at them. She will get in front of appliances and not let them move and bite them (wheels etc) if they do. Phoeeys, No, Ah Ah, etc don't work. She always has to be crated when I utilize any of these tools even though she will alarm bark if she can hear them.

She seems to have mellowed a wee bit in this regard since 4 mos but it is still a annoyance. Is this a puppy stage or something to be really concerned about. I don't want her to get injured some day. How would you attempt to correct this behaviour?

I have the same problem with a nine month old GSD. I've ordered Ed's DVD on training with an E Collar and am thinking the ecollar is my last best hope! I too would be interested in other folks experiences and ideas about correcting this behavior!

I have a manchester terrier who used to attack the vaccuum. What we did was have someone hold her on a leash while the other vaccuumed, and as soon as she started going after it, we'd give her a strong "Leave it" and then distract her with a bunch of commands, sit, down, etc. We started doing this with the vaccuum off but moving around, and then starting doing this while it was turned on. Anyway, after doing this a few times, she no longer chases the vaccuum, she just eyes it, but once we give the leave it command, she retreats to another part of the house.

Don't know if that'll work with a mal though, my girl doesn't have much prey drive. Manchester terriers were used for ratting, the last time my girl saw a rodent, she wagged her tail.

Doesn't Cesar Milan fix a dog who has a similar problem as this dog? I'll try to find a clip.

If I had to guess what Cesar would do - I'd correct him for the first sign of a reaction to the noise, then once he is calm around the noise (and will no longer bark and get upset but be calm and submissive in a down position), I would let him SEE the object & correct for misbehavior towards the object. Once he is in control around the object, I'd MOVE the object around and proof him. Correction should be a quick stern verbal + collar or touch/grab, like Cesar does.
How's that sound?

Or train a "leave it" command- search for it on the forum. That works too.

Alison Voore

 Quote: alison voore

If I had to guess what Cesar would do - I'd correct him for the first sign of a reaction to the noise, then once he is calm around the noise (and will no longer bark and get upset but be calm and submissive in a down position), I would let him SEE the object & correct for misbehavior towards the object. Once he is in control around the object, I'd MOVE the object around and proof him. Correction should be a quick stern verbal + collar or touch/grab, like Cesar does.
How's that sound?

Or train a "leave it" command- search for it on the forum. That works too.

 Quote:

Leave it

works for the most part in the house with brooms and vacumms, kid's wheeled toys.

It is the outside stuff that is the real pressing problem. Especially power tools like gas leaf blowers (irritation) whipper snippers (possible injury) or Snowblowers, lawnmowers. (possible death) The problem with the tools is the loudness no "leave it" would ever get heard.

It is getting the correction through to her outside with everything happening, she is so fast a collar correction or touch grab is for the most part not feasable. Her recall etc all goes out the window plus I know I don't want to apply a correction on a recall, you have to get her in the act. All I see is a e-collar $$ Or she has to be in the crate in the truck when I shovel snow as she drives the world and me crazy. I have been trying to show her all the tools and desensitise her but she still wants to go on the offensive...

Pick your battles

If the 'thing' can cause death - my dogs aren't anywhere near it. (I've heard of a GSD that lost a leg to a chainsaw ... )

If it's something that is really important that they are around then work on it slowly. You can feed the dog near it while it's off and then work up from there. You can correct the dog for 'going after it' - but look at what "it" is and really decided if you need to - kwim?

My older two are scared to death of the Air Compressor in the garage (and yes, I saw the Dog Whisperer where they worked on this exact issue - except there is no way it's MY fault because I can't even hear it!). They have an aversion to low noises. Can I spend hours training it out of them - sure, I suppose - but do I really need to??

Now, if they were chasing my car up the driveway that would be a different story. Pick your battles!

OK, I'll start by saying I don't have a Malinois ! But my GSD acted that way in the beginning w/a vacuum. I'm not a trainer but this was a simple thing that worked w/my dog:

Told him NO, corrected w/a soft pop of the collar (he's a soft dog) and kept on vacuuming w/him in the room. I did not take him away from the offending object because I wanted him to get used to the idea that the vacuum was here to stay!! He was going to have to live with it and I didn't want the burden of having the dog be a complete kook around the thing.

In the beginning I had to stop every 30 seconds or so and correct him but my persistance paid off and in a very short time, I was able to vacuum unassisted . As he got better with this I brought the vacuum closer to him and eventually vacuumed HIM! So he and the vacuum are now best of friends!

After I posted I saw Lee's post...my dog is scared of the heater in our basement. When it turns itself on, he won't go downstairs before me (I do not have a dominant dog so I don't need to practice the me before him thing). Anyway, when I finally realized what was spooking him once in a while, I said, "It's OK" and he immediately went downstairs first. My dog absolutely knows this means It's Really OK! He trusts me. I think all dogs should learn that phrase. Just make sure it really, really is OK when you tell him it is !

I assume she is off leash when sh e is outside and her recall goes out the window... Don't have her off leash until she is trained. If she is in your yard, walk up to her and grab her collar. Or let her in your yard with a long line on + supervision.
Yes the leave-it command would be hard to hear under those circumstances, but I think the firm correction and making her be relaxed and submissive is better in general anyway.
I bet you have been reading alot of Ed's articles (if not, you should). So much info, so little time! They talk alot about teaching your dog that you are the leader in order to gain respect and obedience. That's not a little trick- it's something you HAVE TO DO, with a malinois especially. (cesar milan teaches the same) You'll notice wonderful results after that is clear to your dog.
Oh yes, like Judy said, persistence!

Alison Voore

Yes she is off leash in the back yard it is 75' x 80' fenched in usually for supervised exercise, into a dog run if she is not supervised. For example I have the pup outside with me while I shovel snow off the walkway and steps so it is kind of hard to shovel and hold the dog's lead. Maybe I should get one of those leads that allow an attachment for the dog to me?

To be clear I don't run the dangereous tools around the dog. Only with the PTO off in transit from shed to garage has she made advances on those machines... My fear is if she is inside and one of the kids lets her outside. As I usually have ear protection on so it would'nt surprise me for her to rip up and around and try to bite the snowblower augers or something silly like that, she is that fast!

I like the idea of a longer lead but then that same lead gets tangled up in the same machine that's what I'd be afraid of. For the most part I'm 'it' at home with the power tools and the dog. So finding the help from the kids is next to impossible.

I've been all along trying to desensitise her. Though we had a milestone today, the nanny was able to vacumm the whole house without a bother. But then I brought out a bee mop to clean up some snow I tracked in 'the pup wanted to get it' So I am saying "leave it" and holding the mop up to her and letting her snif it but every time I put it on the ground and mopped she went at it yet again.

I guess it is persistence persistence desensitize for the next year or so! Plus be hyper vigilant of making sure the pup is put away if I have to blow snow or mow the lawn.

I don't think this is fear motivated thing, as more of a obsessive thing about the movement (prey drive) and or noise.