Josh, I missed this statement that Connie quoted. Why do you think she's hyperventilating?

Not sitting on the couch is respect- Alpha gets the best/highest spots to sit. This is still fine, but does she actually avoid you? You may have just overdone the alpha stuff when she was just a little tyke...like Connie said, the beauty of dogs is they're forgiving and regardless, this can be changed.

I appreciate everyone's feedback on the situation so far.

I forgot to mention, that when my step-father comes home, it's like the world ends and she greets him like there is no tomorrow. When he comes home, it's like I don't even exists.

 Quote:

Not sitting on the couch is respect- Alpha gets the best/highest spots to sit. This is still fine, but does she actually avoid you? You may have just overdone the alpha stuff when she was just a little tyke...like Connie said, the beauty of dogs is they're forgiving and regardless, this can be changed.

Good point.. I can sort of see this, and I must have overdone the alpha stuff when she was a puppy.

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After you've played with her, do some marker training with her, and use really good treats (like real pieces of meat or cheese, chopped into small pieces). If you are not familiar with marker training, here is a link to a good article here, and another link to Ed's new marker training DVD. A great command to work on for bond-building is 'Watch me!', and can be taugh in a session or two. Keep your training sessions short and fun, and always end on a positive note...

I always work on Marker training. I always train with positive reinforcement. She is extremely food motivated and will do anything for good. I mark all her sits and stays and whatever command with a YES and then a release command like "OK"

She is fairly good in the yard with me on recalls, but I am starting to notice that when I do a recall, it's not like a "Holy cow, I should get back," She looks at me and walks slowly.. Almost like she is scared. But, when I have food, it's like holy cow i never see her run this fast.

I have obviously made mistakes over the past 17 months that I have had her. I am a huge fan of Ceasar Millan and the Leerburg site.

Could it be possible that I spend too much time with her and that is why she doesn't quite care when I come home.

And as you can see, I am a huge overanalyzer, but I want to improve on my mistakes. This is my first puppy/dog after not being able to have one for all my life, and I enjoy her company, but it's almost like this really isn't what I envisioned. My friends have dogs that just lie on the couch with them and watch TV or snuggle up next to them. My Dog will not even come in my bedroom. If you can imagine, I waited my whole life to have a dog, and it's almost like not what I envisioned. That's all..

That's because the no jumping/being a spaz rule doesn't automatically translate to new people.

My pup knows when I come home to wait quietly in her crate until I get changed into my "backyard" clothes. Then she comes tearing out and has a happy party (sans jumping).

When other people come over (like my mother, for example) she is an obnoxious jumper until taught not to. Each new person is a new training challenge.

BTW, mind doesn't like getting on the furniture with me either.
It's because she knows her place in the pack, and it feels awkward for her on the furniture.

If I intice her onto the furniture, she'll lay with me for about 45 seconds, and then get down. She doesn't like it.


Edited by (12/16/2008 04:08 PM)
Edit reason: BTW added

 Quote: josh goldfarb

I always work on Marker training. I always train with positive reinforcement. She is extremely food motivated and will do anything for good. I mark all her sits and stays and whatever command with a YES and then a release command like "OK"

She is fairly good in the yard with me on recalls, but I am starting to notice that when I do a recall, it's not like a "Holy cow, I should get back," She looks at me and walks slowly.. Almost like she is scared. But, when I have food, it's like holy cow i never see her run this fast. .... Could it be possible that I spend too much time with her and that is why she doesn't quite care when I come home. ...

I have a question. How does she know when you have no food reward on the recall?

Can you tell me exactly how you taught, say, the recall?



eta
I am asking this because I suspect a little (fixable) wrong turn in your marker work.

Rewards are different from bribes. Let's back up.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (12/16/2008 04:06 PM)
Edit reason: e.t.a.

Besides looking at whether you have maybe used food rewards as bribes (exhibiting it, or maybe giving yourself away with movements towards your food rewards with your hand), can you also tell me if you used the recall to end an outing or a game or to take back a toy for the day, or maybe for a correction, during the teaching?

I ask this because I am thinking that maybe the dog now perceives a difference between "good" (for her) recall (resulting in reward and praise) and possibly-bad recall (game over, no praise, etc.).

P.S. I do want to tell you that your relationship with your dog can change. And while it may seem that these recall questions are one small part, I think there's a great possibility that method is method, and seeing it in the training of one behavior will be just as illuminating as seeing it in the training of any other behavior.

In my house it is known as "Dog in ass". Everywhere I go my dog is up my butt. God forbid I close the door to the bathroom, she thinks I might jump out the bathroom window and leave her forever. Believe me, it gets real old after a short while. Everytime I turn around, I have a dog under my feet (this is why I LOVE their kennels).

try to go back to when she was younger,great her with treats,go down to her level and be happy to be home, show it its ok to be happy, but do except the thing when she was a puppy, what every it was that made you put her in control. She is doing what you wanted, now you want someting else.So she will be confussed for a while.Dont change it again as she will start to respond with confusion on all things. Not good, more problems will come,like kids chose your battles.

 Quote: Laura Dobson

God forbid I close the door to the bathroom, she thinks I might jump out the bathroom window and leave her forever.

I know how you feel. I don't even HAVE a window in my bathroom, and yet still, she is convinced I will escape through a hidden door to never return.

I agree with the others, I think you have a well-behaved dog.

I think some of it has to do with your dogs personality. Currently we own 17 dogs. The majority of them want to be near me all the time. {The in my butt dogs )} Then I have some that act like your dog. I don't take offense to the behavior I know it's just their personality. One of my main working dogs would not give me the time of day unless I was working her. I never thought she really "loved" me until she got older. Now she will lie close to me on the couch or in bed and is more affectionate. But for 7 years she pretty much ignored me unless we were working.

It does make me a little sad when a few of my dogs love my husband more than me. I feed and work the entire kennel and when he comes home it's like I don't exist!
It's like people, each have their own little personalities and as long as your dog does not fear you I think you have nothing to worry about.

 Quote: josh goldfarb

.... My Dog will not even come in my bedroom. ...

 Quote: josh goldfarb

... She is fairly good in the yard with me on recalls, but I am starting to notice that when I do a recall, it's not like a "Holy cow, I should get back," She looks at me and walks slowly.. Almost like she is scared. But, when I have food, it's like holy cow i never see her run this fast.

 Quote: josh goldfarb

.... she will not sit near me or on the couch and almost like she is hyperventilating at times.

It seems to me that these concerns need to be addressed before the greeting thing.

I think that there is a good chance that a training mishap or command confusion have affected your bond.

It would be good, I think, to figure out what this was/is. I think it would also be good to go back to basic obedience with marker training done in short, upbeat, no-corrections sessions, with high-value treats (used as rewards rather than bribes); I think that this is a confidence-builder and that the sharing of good times is a bond-strengthener. I'd probably start doing this right away, and keep the sessions so short and so upbeat that the dog wants more when it's over.