I was playing with my dogs tonight and ended up playing fetch with Bea for a bit while Gus watched (he was not tethered or anything, he was just next to me,
not in the action.) After a couple of minutes, Bea was running back to me with the toy and Gus ran up to her and jumped on her, trying to get her to play with
him. Nothing about how he approached her worried me. It all seemed normal. But, I felt like Gus was trying to find a way to stop Bea from getting all of my
attention. It was like he was interrupting our game on purpose. I say this in part because sometimes (ok, often) when I am petting Bea and giving her
attention, Gus will start biting her ears and trying to get her to play. In those instances I really feel like this is his way of stopping me from giving Bea
attention, so I push Gus away and ignore him for a few moments and continue to pet Bea. (These would be times when it would be wonderful to have a really good
PLACE!) Then I invite him for some attention so I can be in charge of attention-getting. So, do you think in tonight's situation that Gus was being rude?
Would you just allow the dogs to work it out and play if they want, or would you correct Gus somehow and play a few more rounds of fetch with Bea without
letting Gus interfere?
0 Kudo
Do you consider this rude dog behavior?
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 BeaAndGus |
Do you consider this rude dog behavior? |
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Posts: 237 07/22/08 10:34 PM |
Rachel
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Underdog |
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Posts: 1660 07/22/08 11:25 PM Trainer/Senior Member |
or would you correct Gus somehow and play a few more rounds of fetch with Bea without letting Gus interfere?Yes, I would direct Gus to a down/stay etc. and continue the game with Bea. Dogs can work out some things between one another but not my attention or my commands etc. Is it rude? Nah, just dogs. He wanted in on it and he can be once he complies with some direction from you. IMHO.
Leaders (dog or human) are calm and clear. If you get frustrated you've proved to the dog your neither calm, clear nor a leader.
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Naturepainter |
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Posts: 5225 07/25/08 7:11 AM Trainer/Moderator |
I agree, and putting one dog in a Down Stay while playing with the other (and vice versa) is a great way to make time to practice Stay (which, face it,
isn't so exciting to practice).
For starts, I'd tether the dog that's in the Stay, and start out with relatively calm play with the other one, going back frequently to reward the dog in the Stay. I also practice Stays this way, while doing a training session with the other dog. |
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BeaAndGus |
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Posts: 237 07/25/08 7:19 AM |
Thanks for the advice. I will give it a try. I feel like I am seeing a lot of pushy behavior from both my dogs right now, mostly in the form of insisting they
get pet/attention, which tends to include trying to push the other dog out of the way. I have been meaning to practice longer down stays, too. For the dog that
is tethered, should I have him or her on a long lead as well, so I can correct her from where I am playing with the other dog?
Rachel
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Naturepainter |
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Posts: 5225 07/25/08 7:25 AM Trainer/Moderator |
A second lead or long line would be helpful. Just guide him calmly back into a down at first, since this will be challenging for him (or her). No
"corrections" until they've had a chance to learn that Stay still means stay in this new and more challenging situation.
When one tries to push the other out of the way, that would be a good time to use the "Go!" that we worked on. Banishment for pushy behavior should get the message through nicely. |
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SW845 |
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Posts: 16299 07/25/08 8:42 AM Professional Trainer/Owns Board |
Also, dogs running around chasing things is a high stim situation so everyone likely to be a bit pushier/excited.
I'm just trying to imagine a young dog who just "hangs out near you" while his housebuddy plays fetch...
Sarah Wilson
Your dog can change but you have to change first. |
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BeaAndGus |
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Posts: 237 07/25/08 9:56 AM |
Gus is a bit strange about fetch. I get the sense he likes to play fetch alone, without having to compete with another dog. He will almost never chase a stick
or toy at the park unless the only other dogs present are Bea and their friend Sparky. At home (inside) he loves to play fetch and is very good at dropping the
item at my feet. Sometimes both Bea and Gus chase after the item being thrown, but usually just one of them goes for it and the other one waits. I don't
know how they figure out who is fetching and who is waiting.
Also, we are at my parents house and not at home. There are two other dogs here and other people and the whole dynamic throws Gus a bit out of whack. The other two dogs just sit on their couch and watch when my dogs play, so it isn't additional competition, but it is more to be aware of. That being said, Gus loves to play fetch in this house (huge open floor plan!) but I guess sometimes he just sits next to me for a while waiting for...?
Rachel
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