Will advanced obedience training help this?

[JenBKR]

We are having a few problems with Roscoe...this morning my husband put dinner in the crock pot and by the time I came downstairs, less than a half hour later, Roscoe had knocked it over and enjoyed a feast (and of course left me a big mess to clean up, making me late to work :rolleyes: ). On a few other occasions he has gotten into the garbage, and taken dishes out of the sink to lick them clean. I have a hard time getting mad at him though because he looks at me with those big brown eyes and I melt. Any training tricks to help with this, or would some obedience training help? (We have been considering the training, on the other hand he does know the basics and is generally very good).

[lv4dogs]

Obedience will certainly help, *especially* considering that you are having other issues with Roscoe.
Not only will the classes themselves help but all reputable trainers will also take the time to listen to what problems you have & work with you individually on them.

If I remember correctly you said you just got him a 2-3 months ago? If so did you get him form a shelter or rescue organization? If so they too will (or at least should) help with training and possibly offer free training. I'd contact them too to see what they have to say.

[JenBKR]

Thank you! I did get him from a shelter, and never thought of contacting them. It has been almost 2 months since we got him. I think the training will really help, thanks again!

[lizbud]

Obedience training is always good. Exercise by walking, running,
etc. is another good way to burn off his energy.Plus making sure
there are enough interesting toys around helps too.:)

[ginagt]

Training is always a good idea. It might help in the long run, but in the short term you might have to limit his access to such wonderful things ( like really good smelling food ). What might be the most challanging for you is how Roscoe is getting rewarded for his bad behavior, getting in the trash is food reward, getting in the crock pot another food reward, licking dishes yet again rewarding himself. Think about maybe making it harder for Roscoe to get into the trash maybe a can with a lid, also maybe rinse the dishes so he won't have any reason to help himself. If he is not getting self rewarded he might give up on the bad behavior. Also like has been suggested make sure he has lots of other things to do. Does he have a Kong?? How old is your dog?
Sorry about all the questions I just want to give you the best advice I can.
Good luck.
Gina

[JenBKR]

Originally posted by ginagt
Training is always a good idea. It might help in the long run, but in the short term you might have to limit his access to such wonderful things ( like really good smelling food ). What might be the most challanging for you is how Roscoe is getting rewarded for his bad behavior, getting in the trash is food reward, getting in the crock pot another food reward, licking dishes yet again rewarding himself. Think about maybe making it harder for Roscoe to get into the trash maybe a can with a lid, also maybe rinse the dishes so he won't have any reason to help himself. If he is not getting self rewarded he might give up on the bad behavior. Also like has been suggested make sure he has lots of other things to do. Does he have a Kong?? How old is your dog?
Sorry about all the questions I just want to give you the best advice I can.
Good luck.
Gina

We did take care of the trash, we got a metal can with a lid that he has not (yet!) been able to get into. He only did the dish thing once (usually I am really good about making sure to put the dishes in the dishwasher, or cleaning them, but this time it was a pan that had ground meat in it, and my husband rinsed it a little, but Roscoe could still smell it). What is a Kong? We have thought of training for him before because even the commands that he knows, such as 'sit,' he does not do 100%, but he is pretty good. Actually, much better than we could have hoped for, sometimes when you get a dog from a shelter they are not as wee behaved. He is 3 1/2 and we've had him for about 1 1/2 months. Thanks for your help!

[lv4dogs]

This is a kong: http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.asp

Its the best dog toy ever invented. You are to fill it up with goodies and your dog has to work to get the food out. It keeps them busy as I mentioned in your scratching post. You should use the kong as a special treat only, like everytime you leave the house.
Use your imagination & you can fill the kongs with just about everything & anything. If you look around on their website under tips & advice you'll see a lot of great pages, including recipes. I use a lot of leftovers in mine, mashed potatos with meat chunks, yougurt with fruit, etc... You can even freeze them to make it more challenging & a nice treat on a hot day.
Heres a great thread with some ideas too: http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78341&highlight=kong+recipes

[JenBKR]

Originally posted by lv4dogs
This is a kong: http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.asp

Its the best dog toy ever invented. You are to fill it up with goodies and your dog has to work to get the food out. It keeps them busy as I mentioned in your scratching post. You should use the kong as a special treat only, like everytime you leave the house.
Use your imagination & you can fill the kongs with just about everything & anything. If you look around on their website under tips & advice you'll see a lot of great pages, including recipes. I use a lot of leftovers in mine, mashed potatos with meat chunks, yougurt with fruit, etc... You can even freeze them to make it more challenging & a nice treat on a hot day.
Heres a great thread with some ideas too: http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78341&highlight=kong+recipes

I am stopping at Petsmart tonight on the way home...I think he'll love that! I see that you did mention it in my other post, I meant to ask then but forgot. Thanks for your help!

[ginagt]

Your dog will love the Kong they are so wonderful. How big is your dog? I have 2 Golden Retriever females so I bought the X-large black Kong ( the black is for bigger more aggressive chewers). I also bought the Kong brand cookies which are wonderful because they don't fall out of the Kong and it takes my dogs HOURS to get just one cookie out. If your dog is bigger and you buy the X Large or bigger Kong be sure you get the Large Kong cookies.

Enjoy!

[JenBKR]

Originally posted by ginagt
Your dog will love the Kong they are so wonderful. How big is your dog? I have 2 Golden Retriever females so I bought the X-large black Kong ( the black is for bigger more aggressive chewers). I also bought the Kong brand cookies which are wonderful because they don't fall out of the Kong and it takes my dogs HOURS to get just one cookie out. If your dog is bigger and you buy the X Large or bigger Kong be sure you get the Large Kong cookies.

Enjoy!

He's big - german shepherd mix. I will have to get the XL black for him. Thank you so much for your help!

[JenBKR]

Ok, I bought the Kong...now how do I get him interested in it? I put the treats in it, but he doesn't seem to really play with it. When I got home yesterday the treats were all still in it. Is there a way to get him interested?

[lv4dogs]

What kind of treats are you using? He may just not like those treats, or like them enough to work at them to get them out.

To try to entice him to eat them (and to use them up so they don't go to waste) try putting a little peanut butter, cream cheese, cottage cheese, yougurt, soft cheese etc... around the treat & in the kong.

Give him a treat seperate, not in the king, see if he likes it?

In your case you want to fill the kong with something special, something he doesn't get often or something he REALLY loves, so unless you do not want to add anything more to kong I'd reccomend you get different treats, ones that he goes nuts over.

I fill mine with all sorts of things, leftovers are GREAT for kong fillers, heck sometimes I cook extra leftovers just for that purpose.

[JenBKR]

Ooh, leftovers is a great idea...he almost never gets table scraps but I can think of tons of stuff he'd like. Thank you!

[lv4dogs]

Originally posted by JenBKR
Ooh, leftovers is a great idea...he almost never gets table scraps but I can think of tons of stuff he'd like. Thank you!

They alos sell the kong stuff fillers in a can (like whip cream cans) but thats mighty expensive.

[ginagt]

Be sure you make it really easy to get the stuff out of the Kong until he gets the hang of it. I would smear some peanutbutter on the outsite around the opening at the bottom and a little on the inside until he figures out the good stuff is inside the Kong.

If you are going to give him left overs be sure to adjust his dog food accordly you don't want to end up with an overweight dog. I use the Kong brand cookies because they last a long time and keep my dogs intrested for hours. You need to get your dog intrested in the Kong before you start making the food diffcult to get out.

[JenBKR]

Maybe I am making it too difficult, or he doesn't realize that there are more treats in there. He seems to like the kong treats. I'll work with him. Thanks for the ideas!

[Lescoop77]

I would keep him in a crate until you are able to be home and keep a close eye on him. Will help keep him out of trouble while you are gone and when you are home you can correct him properly while he is in the act. You have to correct right when they do something wrong or else they don't know why they are being punished/corrected!!!

[Pit Chick]

My only advise is, never trust a dog to watch your food. :D LOL