My first grandchild, Michael, is 20 months, and my daughter and son in law live very close so we see them a lot, and I babysit once or twice a week.

Kasey is a huge people dog - he would be a lap dog if he wasn't 85 pounds. He has no problem with Michael at all. They play ball - Kasey rolls it with his nose to Michael and he tosses it back. Michael tries to feed Kasey his snacks, and Kasey gladly cooperates. Michael can accidentally step on Kasey and Kasey just lays there.

But when it comes to me, my husband and my daughter, Kasey is a pain in the neck when Michael is here. If you're on the floor with Michael, then Kasey has to be right there in your lap. He has hurt all of us several times when he's trying to get as close as possible and his big hard head smashes into your face or head.

I can't decide what the best thing to do would be. Do you put Kasey in another room for a while so you can have time playing with Michael without the constant fight for attention from Kasey? or do I spend half my time putting Kasey on down stays across the room and making him lay there and watch the fun (which btw is hard for him - he does the army crawl slowly across the floor in an attempt to eventually get to where we are, so I have to keep putting him back). Maybe there is something else I'm not even thinking of? I admit, I'm not a professional dog trainer! He is CGC trained, and very easy to live with, never does anything he's not suppose to. But when it comes to 'stay' when Michael is here, he fails every time (he will stay even if a squirrel runs across the backyard, but if you're on the floor playing with Michael it's a whole different ballgame!)

What would you do?

(I should add that 80% of the time, Kasey is my shadow. So he does spend most of his time in close proximity to me)

Doesn't sound like jealousy to me (if that WAS a valid dog emotion). Kasey wants to be in the middle of the action. He doesn't seem to want what Michael's getting; he wants to join in.
Sounds like you need better OB, alomg with crate time in another area. Without the strict OB, it's going to do noone any good for Kasey to see what he can't have.

IMHO, you have to decide if you want Kasey to be a part of what's going on. If so, you need to work on that down. If not, another room would be a better option.

Grand kids come first here. Work on the dog's "stay" command. right now the baby is way to high a distraction so you have to build up to that. Start with the baby in the room but maybe in a playpen, etc. If the "stay" works for that then slooooly build to where you can sit next to the baby (no play) and add higher level distractions as you get consistent compliance. from there.
Under supervision I have no problem with my grandkids interacting with the dogs but both dogs and gkids have to earn that right. You have to pick and choose when and where.
Take your time with this. Each time the dog refuses the "stay" command you just reinforce that it can.

A big ditto to Bob with emphasis on this:

" he does the army crawl slowly across the floor in an attempt to eventually get to where we are, so I have to keep putting him back" means he does not stay. I'd probably be proofing that stay, which right now is "well, maybe." And it's reinforced as "well maybe," just like when we recall with no way to reinforce and doubt about compliance.

That playpen as a somewhat lower level of distraction sounds like a great idea!

All JMO! I know you have what it takes. :-)

Thank you all! That's basically what I thought you'd say, but just wanted to pick more experienced brains. I will start working on the stay a lot more in all situations, and then start slowly adding them when Michael is here.

If the dog is doing the "Army crawl" then you've let it go to far.
Do you understand marker training? If so then follow this.
Stay right in front of the dog and mark and reward for the dog staying in place. SLOOOOOLY add time and distance but never at the same time. Eventually you can go out of sight and still expect the dog to hold the down.
Waiting for it to move is letting the dog know it CAN move without your permission. Make it WANT to hold the down with markers.

Bob, I do use marker training so I can do that. He will hold a stay under any other condition - cats, squirrels, running kids, etc. Michael seems to be his biggest temptation - well, us playing with Michael. He army crawls when we are playing on the floor, or when Michael is eating in his high chair! So those are the areas I need to work on.

 Quote: Lori Hall

Bob, I do use marker training so I can do that. He will hold a stay under any other condition - cats, squirrels, running kids, etc. Michael seems to be his biggest temptation - well, us playing with Michael. He army crawls when we are playing on the floor, or when Michael is eating in his high chair! So those are the areas I need to work on.

So you now know you have a Supreme Distraction for proofing!

When doing the training for this and the dog breaks the down/stay, do you just you the negative marker or physically put the dog back and repeat?

If he started to move, I would do my "nope" (negative marker).

http://leerburg.com/markers.htm
in the paragraph entitled So What Exactly Is Marker Training?



PS
I don't actually call anything a stay (or train a stay).... the command is the command until it's over. Down is down. It's very brief at first. As Bob said, duration is never introduced at the same time as distance or distractions, and I take my time adding duration and build up distraction level very gradually too.

Bob Scott might describe more here. He does some very good down-training stuff.


Edited by Connie Sutherland (10/17/2012 04:38 PM)
Edit reason: PS