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If I go to take out the garbage he gets all worked up though. I have always just let him come with me. I didn't see any harm in him coming with me while I took the garbage out.

Maybe now you do? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Consistency is key.

If you begin to think "what's the harm in letting him outside when he acts like a fool?", realize that intermittent reinforcement of a behavior makes that behavior very resistant to extinction.

If you want that behavior to get stronger, more obnoxious, more persistent, and nearly impossible to get rid of, continue taking him out "just sometimes" when he is acting like a menace.

Why have that, though, if you can reinforce self-control and appropriate behavior instead? No "outside" unless he behaves as you want him to. Pretty simple solution, actually.

T

Hehe, yeah that part is something that I have yet to understand 100% (the following around the house being a problem). At first I thought it's nice, the dog wants to be with me...but at the same time it causes problems when they don't learn to be by themselves as well. I'm not exactly sure WHY, I mean the background in their behavior as to why they do it. Perhaps because they want to keep an eye on their "pack" when they are in charge. If you were a parent and your kids would leave and you couldn't be there to help or didn't know what they were doing you would worry and act up each time they leave. So when they follow you around the house they can keep an eye on you, when you go out the door and leave them in they can't.

My dog's breeder suggested as well to make several rooms in the house closed off to the dog where they are not allowed and even ignoring any unwanted behavior when coming in and out of other rooms, like the bathroom. My dog still likes to follow me around, will lay by the bedroom door or bathroom door, will lay and watch me cooking or will lay by the computer with me and jump up the minute I get up to go with me. I'm not sure how to stop it completely, but she has gotten better about not whining when I'm out of the room, not jumping all over me when I come back in the rooms, etc. My husband has a problem though ignoring her jumping and acting up and sometimes he encourages it, so he always gets that behavior, for me she quietly keeps four paws on the ground. So changing behavior, rewarding whats good, ignoring what's bad/unwanted does show improvement.

But maybe if someone else reads this book or knows something similar they explain more about why exactly this is a problem.

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Hehe, yeah that part is something that I have yet to understand 100% (the following around the house being a problem).

I'm confused. Did I say somewhere that this was a problem? A dog wanting to be near you is completely normal. A dog who behaves like a lunatic to get what he wants is the problem. And frankly, 99.999% of the time, it's not even the dog in this situation that's the problem, it's the person and his/her lack of consistency.

T

exactly. use your attention as a reward for good behavior. use your voice to correct for bad behavior, or just turn your back on the dog, or even leave the room, depending on the situation.

think of your attention as a training treat. tell dog to down/stay. if he doesn't hold it then do "uh-uh" in a growly voice and turn your back or put him back in the down-stay. as soon as he holds the down/stay even a little, shower him with praise and attention. the minute he gets out of it without your release, back to the growly voice or ignoring him. then try again.

you can show him very quickly that down/stay gets him the reward he wants--you--and overexcitement gives him the opposite of what he wants, your disapproval or you ignoring him.

his eagerness for your attention and company is a gift you can use to make him more reliable. once he understands what you want and reliably obeys in anticipation of the gift of your attention, you can move on to intermittent rewards, so that he will hold the down/stay even when you don't give him your attention, hoping that eventually you will.

whenever your dog wants something--to play with other dogs, to go out, to eat, to get attention--use that desire as a tool to shape better behavior. withold and grant his gratification based on his obedience.

for example, i got my dog to drop on command off leash whenever he sees another dog by giving him play time with the other dog as a reward for doing the drop. now he volunteers his own drop without my asking. it's his way of showing he wants to play with the other dog. he knows he must down first, so he cuts to the chase and does it on his own. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

in the same way, your dog hopefully will begin to down/stay on his own whenever he sees you are about to leave, because he has learned that that is the way to get your attention.

Mike and Alicia,

Thanks for the graat advice. I tried the ignoring the dog (as mentioned above) when I came home the last 2 nights. It took a few minutes for him to calm down and then I praised him.

I had one BIG problem though. As I was ignoring him he started doing things he is not allowed to do and normally doesn't do (he jumped up on me, got his legs up on the couch when I sat on it, and he jumped up on the counter when I put my coffee mug on the counter).

I justed ignored him, but I really wanted to correct him for it.

I am going to implement a more regimented morning per the great suggestions above.

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I justed ignored him, but I really wanted to correct him for it.

Matt,
You may get differing opinions on this, but in my world, I would just put the coffee cup back further on the counter and ignore the dog. He's looking for a reaction. When he discovers that the "jumping on the counter" behavior does not work to get your attention, he will abandon it. Correction = attention

Keep in mind also that this insane behavior may get worse before it gets better and do not get discouraged. He will escalate his prior attempts in efforts to get your attention. It's very very important to not reinforce these behaviors at all, or you may never be rid of them.

Keep up the good work!! (as hard as it may be <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
T

hi!!!

we saw this on tv once and tried it and it worked for us. Hopefully it will work for you as well.

We got one of those big soup bones and once they ate the inside, and whenever we would leave we would fill it up with peanut butter. It keeps them busy for a few hours, they even forget we exist!!! hehe.

Also it seems like you go through such a process when you leave. sometimes without even realizing we are making it alittle more dramatic then it should be. ALOT of times i would catch myself shake the keys so it makes that jinggling sound, or hang out by the door while they are following me and say to them "oh it's ok honey bunny, mommy will be back soon, ohhh it's ok don't worry" BUT what I'm really doing is encouraging that behaviour. WHAT I should have done was to ignore them, make them sit elsewhere, and not let them dweel and focus on the fact that I am leaving.

I'm not saying that you are being dramatic, but your dog obviously (sorry im such a bad speller) knows you and knows your action, and he knows the whole pattern, and once he sees that pattern he knows that you are going to leave and i'm assuming he jumps on you and you yell at him and what not, he obvisouly thinks that when you walk out that door you are going to leave him thats why hes acting the way he is. and he doesn't want you to go. in a way its kinda cool because he loves you and wants to be with you haha!!!

So if you ignore him and let him focus on something else he he wont really worry too much about it, and even when you come home from work, don't give him alot of affection IF he is jumpy and excited. wait until hes calmed down. he will soon think that it's jsut a normal thing, that when you walk out that door he has nothing to worry about because you will always come back.

good luck!!