The following are some ideas that I sent to a friend whose dog ( a six month old puppy) seemed "hyper" to her. I met the dog and, yes, she was active, but not overly hyper. I could calm her down, make her quiet and make her walk quietly beside me. Here are some of the things we discussed:
1) Train her to "timeout" or "go to your rug/bed/crate/etc" . Start with asking her to go to her rug and entice her there with a treat. Whn she is there, have her lie down ("down") and ask her to "stay". Have her stay there for a few seconds and treat her for "go to your rug" or whatever you want as a command. Give lots of praise ("GOOD go to your rug!"). Work on this twice a day for a few minutes (2 or 3) each time. Gradually work up to having her go to the rug without you enticing her. When she will go to the rug by herself, give a bunch of treats and lots of praise. Then work on the down and stay while there. Start again with a few seconds of stay and work up to minutes. You can also just train this from a "down-stay" command. Using a consistent place like a rug , bed or crate will help her know where to time out.
2) Take her out on leash as much as possible wherever you go. As many places as possible. (I wish I could do this with all my dogs!!) I think some of her hyper-ness away from home is due to the novelty of the place and situation, etc. While out do your "sit-stay" and "down-stay". Sit at a bench along a mall and have her just watch the people and things going on. Praise her and talk re-assuringly to her. Work up slowly in intensity of crowds and noise levels- start in a quiet mall and progress from there.
3) Make sure she gets plenty of exercise- although you will find she becomes better and better in-shape over time! If you can't take a 20 minute walk, 5 minutes of obedience and fun training will tire her mentally and physically. The more you can exercise her MIND, the better. All dogs need a job to do. Terriers are hunters and love to go places. Play ball, play hide and seek, play with her and she will tire out.
4) When she does get over -stimulated (and I think that is exactly what most of this is), tell her to "easy" or "calm" and if necessary hold her gently but firmly. Take the source of the stimulation away if you can (ball, toy, etc). Have her "sit-stay" or "down-stay" for 30 seconds.
I think you will be amazed how good she can be and how good I think she wants to be.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Long Lining
Well, I have been very bad in not posting for awhile. Sorry about that! I have quite a few posts "in my head" but need to get them down in "e-ink"! So here goes with one:
If you have never long-lined your dog, it's a real blast! I take my BTs to a 4200 acre park just up the road where we can hike the hill trails or walk the flat ribbon down below. Occasionally I will let my boy, Devlin, go off lead and hunt for ground squirrels. Lately we have been walking the lower ribbon as the upper trails have been pretty soggy. That walking is usually done on a fairly confining 6 foot leash. But today I decided to walk Devlin and Ellie separately and long-line them. This allows them to hunt and run free abit while still being completely under my control. It gives you and your dog some great "one-on-one" time together and it is a great way to practice and perfect your "off lead" commands.
I use either a 20 foot or a 30 foot flat cotton line that is about 1 inch in width and about 1/16 inch thickness. You can get these at most pet stores but also on-line for abit less. Use your regular collar and attach the line to it. Coil the line in 2 foot or so loops which you carry in one hand while you play the line out (and back in) with the other, and start walking!
You play out the line at your pace and can let your dog go as far and as fast as he/she wants and you allow. You will have to lift the line to clear brush and thickets, and you will have to reel in and re-coil the line when your dog slows down or comes back to you. So there is some technique here you need to become familiar with. If you have or want to do some tracking with your dog, the technique is the same.
I use commands like "left", "right", "go find 'em", "here", "that's it" (the end of the line) and other normal commands like "wait", "leave it", etc. With these commands I can guide my dog across a field or through a thicket while they hunt. You can train these commands on a short lead or off lead in your driveway or practice area. Rally is also a great way to train "right" and "left". I train "left turn" and "right turn" on all my walks, even with multiple dogs on lead.
Today I had the pleasure of seeing the rapt joy in my dogs' faces while they were hunting and to feel the pride as they listened and reacted to my verbal commands at 20 feet distance. Try it! You and your dog will love it!
If you have never long-lined your dog, it's a real blast! I take my BTs to a 4200 acre park just up the road where we can hike the hill trails or walk the flat ribbon down below. Occasionally I will let my boy, Devlin, go off lead and hunt for ground squirrels. Lately we have been walking the lower ribbon as the upper trails have been pretty soggy. That walking is usually done on a fairly confining 6 foot leash. But today I decided to walk Devlin and Ellie separately and long-line them. This allows them to hunt and run free abit while still being completely under my control. It gives you and your dog some great "one-on-one" time together and it is a great way to practice and perfect your "off lead" commands.
I use either a 20 foot or a 30 foot flat cotton line that is about 1 inch in width and about 1/16 inch thickness. You can get these at most pet stores but also on-line for abit less. Use your regular collar and attach the line to it. Coil the line in 2 foot or so loops which you carry in one hand while you play the line out (and back in) with the other, and start walking!
You play out the line at your pace and can let your dog go as far and as fast as he/she wants and you allow. You will have to lift the line to clear brush and thickets, and you will have to reel in and re-coil the line when your dog slows down or comes back to you. So there is some technique here you need to become familiar with. If you have or want to do some tracking with your dog, the technique is the same.
I use commands like "left", "right", "go find 'em", "here", "that's it" (the end of the line) and other normal commands like "wait", "leave it", etc. With these commands I can guide my dog across a field or through a thicket while they hunt. You can train these commands on a short lead or off lead in your driveway or practice area. Rally is also a great way to train "right" and "left". I train "left turn" and "right turn" on all my walks, even with multiple dogs on lead.
Today I had the pleasure of seeing the rapt joy in my dogs' faces while they were hunting and to feel the pride as they listened and reacted to my verbal commands at 20 feet distance. Try it! You and your dog will love it!
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