Dog Community

Just don't know what to do...

Posted : 8/14/2006 12:20:10 AM

i love anassa more than anything and she is a family member as far as i'm concerned but lately she has just been annoying me so much and i don't know what to do with her anymore, she is smart, she learnt a lot of commands as a puppy and still knows them all now but she's so hyperactive to the point of it being scary, if i leave her in the laundrey for half an hour, that's where she sleeps, and go and get her she is that hyperactive that she nearly tears me apart, she jumps up , runs in circles, knocks me over and scratches my arms and legs, i tried the thing where you just ingor them and turn your back but then she jumps up on my back and scratches it really badly it bleeds, and i have no protection facing the other way so i can't do it.

she very rarely stays outside but sometimes if it's a warm day she stays out in her little enclosure with a marrow bone for an hour or so and is really quiet, then when i go to get her she's all boysterous again, sometimes she actually sprints around the entire yard so fast i can hardly see her and she nips me as she runs past, i know she's playing but it hurts sometimes, she does this sprinting thing for at least ten minutes too, also, Jeff my husband works all day so when he gets home she's even worse, she actually snorts and grunts as she's running around him and rips into his arms too.

i also try to spend quiet time with her but she has really long legs and she does this thing where her front and back legs sort of move like she's riding a bike and she kicks me in the head, you seriously have to be a good distance away from her to be safe from her legs, she does this every time i try to hug her and iv'e been kicked in the head numourus times, i have no idea how to stop this because any other dog could do it and it wouldn't be a problem it's only because her legs are soooo long, it's almost like she has no idea her legs are long, i know she's only being cute and playing but her legs can do serious damamge, especially to eye's.

i do take her for good walks, walking her on a lead is not really an option, when i take her she needs to go to the beach off the lead or it's like she hasn't been out at all, i also play in the yard with her, she plays fetch and chasey with me which tires her out for about an half hour.

i'm also having trouble getting her to eat, the vet told me she will eat when she's hungry and she does but not enough and she has lost weight, iv'e tried tricking her which sometimes works but generally she's just not interested, she will eat chicken any time i give it to her or ham but it takes a lot to get her to eat kibble.

i always make her sit before she does anything but it doesn't seem to be helping.

i love her more than anything and i would never give up on her, she's my sweety

but recently being with her seems more of a chore and i'm just not enjoying it as much because of her behavior, i feel so bad posting this and have been meaning to for a while but felt like a bad owner, i know none of this is her fault.....i just wish i could fix it so i could enjoy my time with her more because at the moment she just annoys me, except when we are playing in the yard, she's well behaved then.

another thing she does is get really excited when we are close to another dog on a leash, we stopped to talk to a lady once who had a bernease mountain dog, her dog was just laying there calmly but anassa was running around me tying me up with her lead, kicking dirt on me and just being boysterous, the other lady walked off nice and clean....i walked off covered in mud with sore hands from trying to restrain anassa.

she's an english pointer crossed with a irish wolfhound and she'd be about two years old now.

thanks for listening.

felicity

Deb

Posted : 8/14/2006 6:29:32 AM

She's still somewhat a puppy, and she's a mix of two high-energy breeds. She's normal. Sounds like she needs more mental and physical exercise.

felicity

Posted : 8/14/2006 7:59:11 AM

Thanks,

i figured it was normal, both breeds are high energy hunting dogs and i knew that when i brought her home, the physical exersize i can fix and lately i have been playing with her outdoors a lot more, it's been horrible weather, pouring down and she won't go out in the rain for some reason but we have had a few sunny days and on those days i took her out a few times but what else can i do?

she does have toys but she shreds them, i have tried a lot of toys, when i see a dog toy that says indestructable now i just think, you haven't met anassa lol

i don't mind her tearing them up because i figure at least she's enjoying herself but soon she gets sick of them, also, it doesn't seem to matter how much time i spend with her she always wants to be with me 24/7, usually i don't mind, i'm happy to have her by my side but once every now and then i'd love for her to be able to keep herself occpied but she just gets sad and then i feel aweful and go hug her.

she is fine when there's another dog around though and never gets bored, i'm waiting on a maltese puppy at the moment, he will be home in a little over three weeks, when he's fully grown she will be able to hang out with him, i think that will make a difference in her bordeom at least, she is very gentle with little breeds too, she has played with poodles and jack russels and is very good, i think she knows they are small [

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with the rest i think i'll just have to persevere and try to keep her more occupied, she's a darling and it isn't her fault and like you said, she's still very young.

felicity

Susan Robertson

Posted : 8/14/2006 8:51:17 AM

Hi Felicity.....

To me, it sounds like you have an active dog that needs MUCH more exercise than she's currently getting. Dogs like this need exercise daily, regardless of weather, etc...A walk sometimes isn't enough to do the job of tiring her out. You can try a doggie backpack on her with some weight in it (water bottle, heavy book, whatever) so she gets more of a workout.

Personally, I'd get her under control before I'd bring another dog into the situation. Bad habits can "jump" from dog to dog. A well behaved dog will be an excellent role model for a new addition, but a mis-behaving dog will only make your life more miserable as you try to keep up with all the work a new puppy brings. Puppies are a HUGE undertaking and require tons of work and time. If Annassa isn't respecting you as pack leader now, it may only get worse and you'll have 2 dogs that don't respect you and make your home unenjoyable.

Currently, she's controlling you. She knows what "look" to give and then you go give her attention on HER terms. Think of her like if you were raising a small child. (I don't mean treat a dog like a human!) But, would you allow a child to run the household and do what he/she pleases? I doubt it. She needs limitations and clear rules to fiollow. Dogs are smart, but they get confused if we send them mixed signals and they have no real leader to follow. Has she ever had obedience training? She would benefit from some formal training, and it would be fun for both of you to work towards a goal. Just my 2c!!

mudpuppy

Posted : 8/14/2006 10:00:49 AM

Can you get hold of a book by Suzanne Clothier, Understanding and Teaching Self-Control? It's really cheap, $5 or so. I think you and your dog might benefit from reading it.

Xerxes

Posted : 8/14/2006 2:34:45 PM

I just wanted to say that exercise is your best friend here. A tired dog is a happy dog. Keep her exercised and work on her learned behaviors. This will help reinforce your position as the leader, and will keep her energy level at a more manageable place.

Deb

Posted : 8/14/2006 5:09:37 PM

Exercise is really important, but with sporting breeds there is a danger in creating a "triathelete"--too much (more than 1 hour a day) exercise can train a dog to need and expect increasing time intervals.

Mental exercise: training is more exhausting than just running. Train, freeshape, bones, kongs, all food should be worked for out of a food ball or some other toy, etc. Anyone have links for this stuff?

felicity

Posted : 8/14/2006 7:01:34 PM

Mastuff,

i thought she may need more exersize....lately the weather has been shocking, we actually had a small hurricane in Australind and are getting the effects of it out here too, i can't even get her to go out when it's raining a little bit, this weather would freak her out.

i'll look into a doggy backback because that would give her more of a workout, when i take her for an off leash run, she sprints for over half an hour, she's that fast that if she bumps into me, and she has a few times, she knocks me off my feet. even after a few runs like this a day she still wants more and i work which makes it hard to taker her for a heap of walks every day, which is why i have been playing with her more in the yard, it takes a long time but it does eventually wear her out and she lays down looking happy but not too long after, she's excited again, lol

i can't really afford to go to dog training, is there any books that are really good that you could recomend?

with the maltese, i have already brought him.....he won't be playing with her until he's fully grown so it should be okay if i can get her under control while he's still young.

you said she needs limitations and clear rules to follow, what type of limitations and rules? at the moment, she is only allowed to do things after she has sat down but even when she's sitting her butt is wriggling and sometimes she just takes off before i say "okay".

Thankyou all for your help, i'm going to see if i can find that book on self control now, i shoudl be able to find it on ebay.

i do love her, more than anything, i guess i just get frustrated with her sometimes.

felicity

Susan Robertson

Posted : 8/14/2006 7:24:05 PM

Felicity.....It sounds like you are trying to do everything you can! I know you're here looking for suggestions. By limitations and rules I am referring to you. What type of household rules do you want your dog to abide by? Is she allowed full access to all of your home?? Is she allowed on furniture?? Rules when eating? Meaning, when and where she eats. If you have clear guidelines you want her to follow, and I'm sure you do as most people do, she'll understand more of what type of behavior is acceptable by you. But, you have to be consistant. Just like a small child needs to learn acceptable behaviors in life. You might want to rope in her privleges while she's in her 2 yr old state of mind!!

Having her calm down and sit before a reward is good. You are rewarding her "good" behavior. You can't allow her to jump all over you. She doesn't respect you as her leader. She is basically running the show and making you miserable. When she's behaving badly, I'd try ignoring her. Walk away and give no eye contact or speak to her. If she receives NO attention whatsoever from you, it may start to curb this wild, jumping. You mentioned hugging her and being kicked in the head. You know, most dogs don't like being hugged. Some tolerate it, but they don't love it. It's not a natural behavior to them. They don't do it to each other. I wouldn't hug her if she was kicking me.

As for the eating.......she will not starve herself. It's not a natural thing to do. Find something she likes and stick with it. They don't need variety. Keep a food schedule and stick to it. That's part of the boundaries and limitations. You aren't running an all night diner! Trust me, she'll eat. If your vet found no reason for her not eating, then it's behavioral, not physical. I wouldn't worry.

I didn't realize you are from Australia, so I apologize for the weather advice! No clue as to what your weather is doing right about now!! [

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felicity

Posted : 8/14/2006 8:05:29 PM

Thankyou [

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Okay, i want her to only come upstairs when she's asked to, at the moment she will mostly stay downstairs until she's called but sometimes i will see her sneak in giving me a very sheepish look because she knows she's not allowed up and i will tell her off, but then she just keeps on doing it lol

i would also like her to relax when we see other dogs on walks and stop crying everytime she's left alone for a minute.

other than that i guess i just don't want her to be so excited all the time, it's like she's been drinking too much coffee, she seriously has more energy than any dog iv'e met and it's never ending but i know how to fix that problem...exersize....i wish i had one of those greyhound tracks for her, that would wear her out.

how can i make her calm down? i have tried making her sit and waiting for her to calm down but she just wiggles and looks like she's about to leap onto me and i have waited for a pretty long time

i will try the ignoring thing with her today, so how long do i have to do that for? does it have to be all the time or only at cetain times?

sorry for all the questions lol, i really appreciate your help.

felicity

felicity

felicity

Posted : 8/14/2006 8:13:48 PM

i forgot to mention, she doesn't only do the windmilling action with her legs when i'm hugging her, she does it when she's laying on the couch when my husband or i are sitting next to her or even the floor, and she bites while she does this, sometimes she even gets that excited that she completely rolls over and then i have to watch out for her legs when they come down.

she also does it when she's laying down and i'm patting her, she may be calm for a second but then she starts kicking me....she acts playful when she does this so i'm assuming it's a form of play for her and she wants me to join in but it;s scary and annoying...not to mention it hurts really bad if she gets my in the face.

good thing i don't have a mastiff like you, a breed that size would overwhelm me.

felicity

Xerxes

Posted : 8/14/2006 9:37:29 PM

i'll look into a doggy backback because that would give her more of a workout, when i take her for an off leash run, she sprints for over half an hour, she's that fast that if she bumps into me, and she has a few times, she knocks me off my feet

This is a classic sighthound way of using play to establishdominant behavior. She can avoid you, she chooses not to. She creates the collision because you are too slow and since you fall, you're obviously not strong enough. (I'm speaking sighthound here, not saying this to belittle you.)

IMO you need to begin a NILIF protocol and obedience classes. Once a sighthound feels that it is the leader, it is very difficult to convince them otherwise. Sighthounds are very intelligent, and if she's got IW in her, you've got a very large, intelligent and stubborn dog on your hands. If she sees weakness, she'll exploit it every chance she gets.

Brad Higgins

Posted : 8/14/2006 11:25:39 PM

Felicity,

I work with overly excited dogs often. What you describe is not uncommon. If you are willing to take the dog for a controlled walk, you can fix it today. The dog will choose to calm down, walk with you and stop when you stop. Has to do with leadership and mutual respect. You don't have to say a word.

If you're interested in learning how to do it, let me know.

mudpuppy

Posted : 8/15/2006 8:34:28 AM

other than that i guess i just don't want her to be so excited all the time, it's like she's been drinking too much coffee, she seriously has more energy than any dog iv'e met and it's never ending but i know how to fix that problem...exersize....i wish i had one of those greyhound tracks for her, that would wear her out.

how can i make her calm down? i have tried making her sit and waiting for her to calm down but she just wiggles and looks like she's about to leap onto me and i have waited for a pretty long time

I don't really think you have a leadership problem. You have a hyper, under-exercised dog who has never learned how to control herself or how to focus.
1) what do you feed her? many commercial foods are chock-full of sugar and other chemicals that can cause dogs to act like they are maniacs. I once fed some Mighty Dog to my dogs, and they acted liked they'd been given uppers. It was shocking, especially considering how little of the stuff they had eaten.
2) at least two hours of full-out running every day. Incorporate obedience and focus exercises into these runs-- put a long line on the dog to maintain control, and at random ask for the dog to pay attention to you and obey a simple obedience command. Reward reward reward. Throw a frisbee or ball as her reward if she likes such things, that'll help exercise her.
3) NILIF program. This is a simple concept-- anything the dog might want, such as petting, release from the laundry room, a walk, dinner, a treat, the dog has to control herself and obey a command from you before she gets it. So she's in the laundry room and you're coming to let her out. Ask her to sit. If she's leaping and flinging herself about, she doesn't come out. Even if it takes her three days to calm down, she doesn't come out until she sits.
4) watch for good behavior on her part and reward. This is hard for people to do, because dogs quietly lying are hard to notice, while dogs flinging themselves on you are.
5) if she's being obnoxious, ignore her. No eye contact, no pushing her away, no saying NO. Many dogs consider any kind of attention to be a reward.

mudpuppy

Posted : 8/15/2006 8:36:07 AM

oh, and please stay away from anyone who suggests you dominate or punish your dog. These methods will simply "shut down" your dog. A temporary fix at best.