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[chip&mommy]

Ok havent posted in a long time , sorry had a baby lol

Chip is a 5 year old toy poodle

Chip seemed not bothered by our new baby boy , he licks him non stop and always watches him when hes on the floor ..but dam his behavior has changed I find myself saying " no chip" "bad dog" more times in the day then saying my good dog ..he is constantly doing things hes not supposed to for example :

Here is how he is punished
1st offence 5 min in his cage
2nd offence the look and 10 min in his cage
3rd offence fuming look and 30 min in his cage
and so on its worked great


1) he knows hes not allowed in our room , and the min the door is open he sneaks in and knocks over the garbage can destroying every single pcs of tissue into millions of tiny pcs ..( I say no and put him in his cage for 5 min)

2nd He's never been a dog to destroy garbage and yet lately thats all hes doing , getting the baby diapers and eating them (yuck, yuck and yuck) and breaking open any bags we have ready to go outside and will eat anything well thats eatable

3rd He barks at every lil sound and he keeps waking up the baby ,

4th HE STEALS THE BABIES PACIFIER AND HIDES IT

I am at my wits end with this dog , I dont have patience to deal with this now hes almost 5 years old he was trained WTF happ ?? My husband has had enough and is thinking of rehoming him if he dosent change by them 2009 comes around ..I need hepl here

[Kris]

It sounds like boredom and jealousy to me. Is he getting enough exercise? Is he getting enough individual attention when the baby is napping? Dogs, like children will do ANYTHING to get attention, they don't care that it is not happy attention.

As for your husband, if it were mine I would just tell him "This is great practice for parenthood. If you/we can't handle a dog how will you/we handle a child that can't be rehomed?"

[chip&mommy]

Chip is not one for excersise hes quite the lazy dog , since we live on the 3dr floor appt he goes out on the patio with me each time I go out to smoke .. he jumps around pees ect..once hes in the house he runs from one end to the other until hes dead tired lol so hes ok on that part ..

When baby is napping I do my house chores and play with him a lil while im doing it ..but I admit time is pretty short when it comes to cuddles with chip , I feel bad for him but at the end of the day im exsausted and too tired to play with him ..

AS for my husband he has been patient enough ,with our dog and I understand his point of view only diff is I have more patience from being a mother myself but with a baby things are diff they understand us this dog is well some times thick I love him but he aint the brightest crayon in the box

[Shmee]

Congratulations on the birth of your new baby!! Quite the accomplishment indeed. I hope everyone is healthy and happy. As far as Chip is concerned? Well... I'm a big advocate of dog walking myself. I have 2 jack russell's that I take on a loop every morning and on my days off, they also go with me for a second loop at nite. It's been known for ages that dog walking can solve alot of behavior problems that a dog (or you) can be dealing with.
I know that having a new baby is 200times more of a workload than you had before, but, maybe you could put the baby in a carriage and leash up chip and make a loop for your self? Dogs are territorial by nature and patrolling a certain area outside around your home would do a great service fullfilling that need for him. Can you spare 20-30minutes out of the day to do this? If not, it's time to put hubby into action and let him take Chip for a stroll. Or, option(C): When hubby gets home from work, you tell hubby, "Sweety, can you handle the baby for 20minutes while I take Chip for a quick loop?" This will also give you time to put another nail in the...Err I mean have another ciggarrette

As far as putting him in a crate as a punishment?? It's not something I'd do. If the dog views his crate as a punishment, why would he ever want to go into it when you step out of the house for whatever reason? We always made the dogs to believe the crate was a "fun" thing. They actually liked going in it when they were younger as it satisfied that need for a 'den' and also kept them out of trouble, or in your case, OUT of the diaper pail. If you do end encorporating a walk in Chip's daily lifestyle (and yours) he might not feel that bad going in the cage after he gets a walk around the block.

Goodluck.

-Shmee

[chip&mommy]

Thank you for the reply I will defo try to get my hubby to check baby max while I take chip out for a quick walk ..I know deep down it will help him and me loose some pounds !

As for the crate I know it sounds dumb but I dont know any other way to show him what hes done it wrong even for barking I tell him no chip and he keeps barking ..I know hes trying to tell me something but I dont need to know my neighbor is leaving to get milk or ect lol

[Carrie]

Ok havent posted in a long time , sorry had a baby lol

Chip is a 5 year old toy poodle

Chip seemed not bothered by our new baby boy , he licks him non stop and always watches him when hes on the floor ..but dam his behavior has changed I find myself saying " no chip" "bad dog" more times in the day then saying my good dog ..he is constantly doing things hes not supposed to for example :

What have you done to teach him the things he IS suppose to do? This is why you're having trouble. He's not a bad dog. He's just a dog acting like a dog. His behavior is perfectly normal for a dog who is untrained, undertrained or under stimulated in a positive way.

Here is how he is punished
1st offence 5 min in his cage
2nd offence the look and 10 min in his cage
3rd offence fuming look and 30 min in his cage
and so on its worked great

Completely beyond a dog's understanding. He can make no connection between that and your human perceptions of his "immoral" transgressions. Dogs are amoral. They don't understand right and wrong the way we do. He can't count and has no clue about his 1st offence, his 2nd offence, 10 minutes or 30 minutes. It's all a miserable eternity to him that makes no sense at all.

Dogs simply do what works for them. If it's fun for them, they'll do it. If they're bored and unexercised, unstimulated mentally, untrained...that's when their behavior gets obnoxious. You may think your dog doesn't need a walk because he's lazy. Dogs will be lazy and lie around if there's nothing else for them to do. What choice do they have? Dogs, by nature move around, scavange, see new sights in different environments. They hear new sounds, smell new smells, meet new people or other dogs. They need walks, some exercise....mental and physical stimulation every day.

1) he knows hes not allowed in our room , and the min the door is open he sneaks in and knocks over the garbage can destroying every single pcs of tissue into millions of tiny pcs ..( I say no and put him in his cage for 5 min)

He does not "know" he's not allowed in your room. He's a dog, just an animal with a little, unconvoluted brain. All these things are a matter of training and you're not training him effectively. The unwanted behaviors that dogs have are due to human failing, not their own. Dogs will act like dogs. They aren't human. They need to be trained and communicated with in a way dogs can understand.

Keep your garbage out of his reach, close your door to your room, supervise him around the baby. If you don't like licking, teach him that it's better to not lick than to lick. Teach him, "leave it."

2nd He's never been a dog to destroy garbage and yet lately thats all hes doing , getting the baby diapers and eating them (yuck, yuck and yuck) and breaking open any bags we have ready to go outside and will eat anything well thats eatable

Dogs are hardwired to be scavanging animals. It's what they do. Reinforcement makes behavior repeat. The dog gets reinforced when he gets something he likes and so it's much more likely that the behavior will be repeated. Put your diapers, garbage bags and anything else you don't want him to get into away. And supervise him enough that you can tell him "leave it" if he's getting something you didn't think of. And give him a preferable alternative right away. (Of course, "leave it" has to be taught and practiced periodically)

3rd He barks at every lil sound and he keeps waking up the baby ,

There are ways to desensatize him to those noises and also teach him to quiet on cue....to teach him that behooves him to stop barking when you ask. There is lots of info online and I think I even wrote out something on bark-quiet training somewhere here.

4th HE STEALS THE BABIES PACIFIER AND HIDES IT

Supervise? Put the baby's pacifier out of his reach? Give him an alternative toy...something much better to him than a pacifier? How about a Kong with some goodies inside? Or an occassonal new toy? Getting mad at him for something he doesn't understand is mistreatment, that is, if you're yelling or scolding him, punishing him and making him feel rotten. Please don't punish him for something that he very simply thinks is fun or tasty. He has no sense of right or wrong. Maybe he's trying to be closer to the baby by having something with his scent or taste on it.

I am at my wits end with this dog , I dont have patience to deal with this now hes almost 5 years old he was trained WTF happ ?? My husband has had enough and is thinking of rehoming him if he dosent change by them 2009 comes around ..I need hepl here :help2

Dogs aren't trained and then you never have to do another thing. Behavior is never static. There are way too many variables which influence behavior. It's constantly changing. If you don't do anything to keep a dog on track, behavior will regress and change. Change by the time 2009 comes around...Well, that depends on how you and your husband interact with and train him. It doesn't depend on the dog training himself to conform to human culture, to understand human values or morals.

If you don't have the patience to deal with this, then I think your husband is right...he should be rehomed. I understand that a new baby takes a lot of time and tons of your attention. Boy! Do I ever relate to that one. But this little dog, it seems has been left by the wayside. He obviously is needing some attention, the kind that reinforces behavior you want to see, not all this punishment which is completely ineffective and can in fact make things worse. Naturally, he feels abandoned and jealous. He was so important to you before I presume and now, he's taken the back seat. His whole world has changed. There's new tension in his environment and new sights, smells, sounds and a new person. He is most likely stressed at times, bored at times, unsure of what he should do. Saying "no" to him a lot and getting anxious isn't going to show him what to do in a way dogs can relate.

If you want to make things work with your little dog, then you will need to muster patience because anger and frustration will make things worse for him and for you. If you want help with specifics and are able and willing to spend the time and attention it takes, then ask. I am happy to help as I'm sure others here are.

I apologize if I come across as blunt. But it sounds like a wake up call was needed, in spite of how frustrated you are. I do feel for you in this situation. But I feel more sorry for your little, confused dog. I can tell you that years ago, I had a GSD puppy who was a hell raiser, loads of energy and mischief. I had two small children and a home daycare at the time with an additional 2-3 infants and toddlers. I was able to work with my puppy enough that he turned out beautifully. It doesn't take that much time. You don't need big blocks of time or sessions, you can walk when hubby is around to help or go out in the yard for 5 or 10 minutes a couple of times a day and work on some things or in your living room....just regularity, consistency, structure and good, positive reinforcement training methods, which I'd be happy to share with you.

[Punkygirl0101]

Firstly, you said hes lazy..then said he runs from one end of the apartment to the next. Sounds like this dog NEED EXERCISE.He sounds extremely bored to me. Bored dogs=Destructive dogs.
I personally don't think walks are the only thing a dog can do for excercise. I don't walk my dogs, yet my dogs are not bored and destructive. I take my dogs to the dog park, the river for hikes, we play fetch for hours in the backyard. But since your dog does now have a backyard he can go in, he DOES NEED walks!! And everyday, a few times a day preferably.

Crates are NOT meant to be used as punishment for a dog. Crates are supposed to be a safe place for dogs. A den. A place of their own. Crates are great tools to use for training, and many people use them to contain their dog s when they cannot be supervised (No more than 6-8 hours a day though). But they are NOT meant to be a form of punishment. Crates shouldn't not be negative.

[Sentry]

If you have no time to walk him mabye get a teenager from the building to walk him for you.

[chip&mommy]

Ty for the HARSH but much needs advice , yes my dog the back seat on life and thats quite normal heres what hap chip was to remain the baby of the house even though we had our son but when I went into labour earlier and had to have an emergency c-section ..
(my son was in the nicu for 2 months ) it was hard on all of us ..we had no time to come home and spend with pup..he got daily visits from our nieghbor downstairs but thats it , every since then he changed and I dont blame him .

You make it sound so easy to just go out and walk him , it takes a good 20 min to dress baby and then get pup ready top go outside , once hes out he pulls and runs from one end to the other and I cant control him even though hes only 10 lbs he pulls and chokes himself I do know he needs to be trained but I am in no way paying for someone to train him ..I will do it myself after all I bought him hes my responsibility now ..

Anytime I try to train him I swear he has ADD this dog wont listen to you for more then 5 seconds and its quite annoying to all of us , when he was a pup we would tell him " ah ah " when he was infront of our room so he knew not to come in and we would reward him ..any time he did something good we would reward him and if he did something not so good he would get the " ah ah " and he would stop.. but as soon as he hit 1 year old he went stupid on me ..He lost all his training , started being a dog lol and Ive been trying to train him every since .

We joined a club here wher they train K9 dogs but on week-ends the field is not in use so they let regular dogs have a go at it and chip loved it but after a few months he was attacking all the other dogs so we left ..never actually was doing it ..even walking around the house he would attack other dogs even bigger then him , he is nurtured so I have no clue whats going on in that tiny lil dog brain of his .. Mabey he was what they call " too much breeding " as hes not like any other poodle Ive had ..Im not giving up on him just yet ..BUT the min he dares show his teeth or nip my son hes gone (rehomed)

On Another note he GETS new toys every 3 days as hubby works close to a dog store so he buys him stuff like kongs and other toys and he dont care for those he wants my things ..

I might get yelled at for saying this but " why in gods name do we let these untrained creatures live with us , we have to train them , walk them ect.. there complicated animals and should have never been domesticated I think it would have been muhc better but then again we are humans and we feel the need to rule everything on this earth

[Shmee]

Carrie just took what lookslike 45minutes out of her day to give you detailed instructions on how to salvage your current situation and what problems may arise and possible solutions to them. You're response was less than hopeful. I would suggest you IMMEDIATELY rehome this animal as you, i'm sorry to say, don't seem willing to make the sacrifices it takes to give this dog the skills to become a halfway decent pet. So before things get worse, and with your lack of any training, or will to attain the knowledge on what to do and when to do it, they indeed shall, you need to give him to a family that will make time for him and his needs.
There are books, classes (I'm sure that little petstore where you buy him all his toys would be a great resource of knowledge) and many clubs in major cities like the one you live in, that would happily help you foster him out and give him the home he needs.

I might get yelled at for saying this but " why in gods name do we let these untrained creatures live with us , we have to train them , walk them ect.. there complicated animals and should have never been domesticated I think it would have been muhc better but then again we are humans and we feel the need to rule everything on this earth

Personally speaking? I dont like olives, cats (They're cute, but i'm deathly allergic)or anchovies, so I distance myself from these things. For future reference, dont get another dog until you're ready to accept all that comes with it.

In closing I would encourage you to do the dog the favor of finding him a GOOD home as opposed to "any" home. If you're not willing to take the ball and run with it, as it were, then for Chip's sake, do him this one justice and find a willing owner.

-Shmee

[chip&mommy]

Oh god I didnt want to sound like I dont love my dog or anything I really do and the thought of not having him around even with his behavior would kill me , he's been part of this family for a long time ..and its not fair for me to just give up on him but im so scared that he will remain a problem dog even with everything I try to do to train him ..

Im no master in training a dog but i am in parrots which are more complicated but as im suffering with PND (post natal depression) sometimes i just give up on training him and im regretting it now ..I DO want help on training him I do not want to rehome home without trying .. I AM willing to try anything you ladies and gents tell me too including walking him but im finding it so hard to do that with a baby ..My husband is hardly home work & school so getting baby in his stroller alone is not easy as I have to go down 3 floors then up again ..I have a baby carrier but dont know how easy it will be to pick up poop and bend down .. I WILL however try

Im truly sorry if I sounded like a idiot who dosent care about her animals I do im just scared im doomed to live with an untrained dog for the rest of my life ..

HOW do i become the pack leader in the house ? honestly im sorry if i offended anyone I didnt mean too im just over whelmed thats all ..

[Punkygirl0101]

he pulls and chokes himself

Get him a harness

I might get yelled at for saying this but " why in gods name do we let these untrained creatures live with us , we have to train them , walk them ect.. there complicated animals and should have never been domesticated I think it would have been muhc better but then again we are humans and we feel the need to rule everything on this earth

If YOU cannot handle training a dog, then you should never have gotten one. Dogs are NOT right for everyone. So many people don't realize how much work a dog is. They are another life, they are a life that WE need to take charge of. Not everyone is fit to own a dog.


You need to seek out a trainer, or a new home where someone will take the time (And this is a 24/7 thing..you HAVE to be consistent with training) to properly train this dog.

[Carrie]

First, I'm very sorry you're suffering from PND. Are you seeing your doctor about it? I do hope that subsides before long. It is probably skewing your out look on things and making you feel over whelmed, where that doesn't have to be.

To re-create a healthy, happy and functional relationship with your dog, you must give up the idea that you have to be a pack leader persay. Your dog knows you're a human and not a dog. You can not emmulate another dog. Dogs are designed...hard wired to live and get along with humans. It's in their evolutionary make-up. You do need to be a good teacher and guide. But that comes NOT from punishment, not from putting a dog on his back and making him feel defensive and frightened. It does not come from bossing him around, scolding, getting frantic. All those things undermine your leadership ability. Don't think that your dog's behavior depends on some ambiguous, non-descript label as "pack leader." (Have you been watching Cesar Milan by any chance?) If so, change the channel. Your dogs behavior is obedient to only one thing: The laws of learning behavior. And you can learn about dog behavior and how they think and learn and what specifically to do to teach your dog certain behaviors.

If this were a big dog, I'd hesitate to recommend walking with him and your baby in a stroller at the same time. But being a toy Poodle is unlikely to cause any injury like a big dog could if he pulled you over.

Taking a walk with your baby and your dog should be a pleasant experience; fresh air, a little exercise and just being in a different environment for a while. It would help you with your depression. If it's cold, bundle the baby up and go out once a day. Make yourself do it, for your baby, the dog and yourself. If you can't carry the stroller down the stairs, then maybe a carrier. If you bend down to pick up poo, use your legs and keep your back fairly upright so you don't spill the baby out. LOL. I think a stroller would be easiest if you can get it down the stairs. I use to have a very light weight, simple kind that was so easy. It just folded together in a snap and was about 5 Lbs, if that. Also, don't use a collar on your dog. Use a harness so his trachea and neck don't get injured by pulling. And we'll discuss how to help with that later if you wish. That can be practiced in side here and there. And they also make a no pull harness which attaches from the front called a Halti harness. I'll find you the website if you wish.

My mother took me for a walk every day where I grew up in N.J. Rain, shine or snow. I took a nap out on our screened porch in a carraige in the middle of winter...snow piled up outside. She'd bundle me up well and believed in cool, fresh air. I slept like a baby. LOL. I grew up to be the hardiest, healthiest person...I barely ever even catch a cold. I learned to love nature, as we'd pick up fall leaves and look at the pretty colors, examine earth worms, see neighbor dogs. I just loved and learned an appreciation for all things in nature. And I am very grateful that my Mother and Father encourged this. It has enriched my life indescribably. It's probably why I chose to live where I do now...in the extreme north panhandle of Idaho in the mountains. I have a wilderness all around me and have acreage of my own. There is wild life all around and beautiful forests. There are hiking trails galore and each one has it's own individual character to it. This is where I love to walk with my dogs. But if you don't have that, then find someplace to go that is pretty and safe. Look for the little things that give you small pleasures. It's the little things that count the most.

Try not to view these problems with your dog so seriuosly. It's not the end of the world. There are so many worse things to worry about. Put things into perspective. He's a dog being the only way he knows how to be....and that is a dog. Nothing more. He has no hidden agenda, no spite, no deliberate plans to irritate you. He has his reasons and they're dog reasons, which we've discussed.

If you truly want help, a bunch of us here can give you ideas on specific problem areas. Let's break those down into smaller parts....prioritize so the things that bother you the most are dealt with first. And along the way, there are some concepts that you should learn and some bad habits to get out of so your training will be more effective. Make things easy on yourself and impliment management. Management is different than training. For example, put that garbage out of his reach. I use baby locks on my cabinet where my garbage is because my Chihuahua, Jose` figured out how to open the cabinet and get into the garbage. I didn't get mad. I got even and got the locks. LOL. Keep other stuff that you don't want him to get into out of reach, just like you'll have to do with your baby soon. When you eliminate some of the problems by management, you can get on with the task of training other more interesting things.

Again, it doesn't take a huge amount of time at all. It's mostly how you interact with him throughout the day. You need to calm down and stop hollering at him. Stop thinking what kind of punishement to use and focusing solely on the bad behavior. Start focusing on what you would like to see...what you want him TO DO instead....and we'll work on how to achieve that.

So, go ahead and break some of these things down for us. Let's take one or two at a time and tackle the problem in a systematic, logical way.

[Sentry]

I very much sympathize with you. I too had a baby in the NICU and it sounds to me like you are very stressed. I understand PND, been there! I would take the opertunity to use you dog as a stress relief. Spend a few dollars on yummy treats. Don't wory about the training right now. Bond with your dog again by sitting quiet and giving lots of love and treats. Do this to relieve your stress and regain his trust. A few minutes here and a few there, you will notice he will pay more attention to you. Once this starts quietly get him to sit before the love fest. The next day ask him to sit and do a down. Lots of love and treats! Continue adding quiet but simple comands and soon you will se a difference. Don't stress, breath, you both are feeding off all the change and stress.
Get a quick walk in a day if you can, if not a quiet game of fetch while the baby sleeps. Spend a few minutes a day hiding treats for the poodle to find. A quiet game of hide and seek works well too. I know you are extreemly busy but take the time for the both of you. I had a boxer that was really unsettled when we went through our trouble with our baby. He was anxiety ridden that we would leave again, we never had issues with him before that point. After I spent time just sitting with him daily for 5 minutes here and there, he calmed right back down.
As far as being a problem dog, have you had his thyroid checked? Throid imbalance can cause temperment problems. Also there are a lot of good training books for problem dogs. Have you ever used clicker training? A good quiet tool when baby's sleeping too. Also look up Doggy Zen on google, hopefully some of these things will help. A list below is a good place to start. Good Luck!

Welcome to Dogwise.com - Dog Books a good site for finding dog training books

Clicking with Your Dog - by Peggy Tillman
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training by Pamela Dennison
Bones Would Rain from the Sky by Suzanne Clothier
For The Love of a Dog by Patricia McConnell

[Carrie]

Originally Posted by Sentry

I very much sympathize with you. I too had a baby in the NICU and it sounds to me like you are very stressed. I understand PND, been there! I would take the opertunity to use you dog as a stress relief. Spend a few dollars on yummy treats. Don't wory about the training right now. Bond with your dog again by sitting quiet and giving lots of love and treats. Do this to relieve your stress and regain his trust. A few minutes here and a few there, you will notice he will pay more attention to you. Once this starts quietly get him to sit before the love fest. The next day ask him to sit and do a down. Lots of love and treats! Continue adding quiet but simple comands and soon you will se a difference. Don't stress, breath, you both are feeding off all the change and stress.
Get a quick walk in a day if you can, if not a quiet game of fetch while the baby sleeps. Spend a few minutes a day hiding treats for the poodle to find. A quiet game of hide and seek works well too. I know you are extreemly busy but take the time for the both of you. I had a boxer that was really unsettled when we went through our trouble with our baby. He was anxiety ridden that we would leave again, we never had issues with him before that point. After I spent time just sitting with him daily for 5 minutes here and there, he calmed right back down.
As far as being a problem dog, have you had his thyroid checked? Throid imbalance can cause temperment problems. Also there are a lot of good training books for problem dogs. Have you ever used clicker training? A good quiet tool when baby's sleeping too. Also look up Doggy Zen on google, hopefully some of these things will help. A list below is a good place to start. Good Luck!

Welcome to Dogwise.com - Dog Books a good site for finding dog training books

Clicking with Your Dog - by Peggy Tillman
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training by Pamela Dennison
Bones Would Rain from the Sky by Suzanne Clothier
For The Love of a Dog by Patricia McConnell

Great advice Sentry.