Help with Brutus Please!

[bckrazy]

Sorry... I was refering to Kim's post.

The second his butt is off the ground, and/or he is showing signs of getting over-stimulated, you should cease all petting/communication/touch, period. Just be very, very consistent and make sure your entire family gives him the same treatment. He will come around! C: Rotties are very smart pups.

[kimlovescats]

Um, I didn't exactly "allow" my dog to plow me over. When you are short and no longer "12 years old" and a large dog comes running full force from behind you, you don't have alot of say in the matter. Also, we had Hampton enrolled in puppy school from the time he was old enough to start. It never settled him down to the point he didn't jump on me. I need my legs, back, knees, and ankles, thank you!

[bckrazy]

Um, I didn't exactly "allow" my dog to plow me over. When you are short and no longer "12 years old" and a large dog comes running full force from behind you, you don't have alot of say in the matter. Also, we had Hampton enrolled in puppy school from the time he was old enough to start. It never settled him down to the point he didn't jump on me. I need my legs, back, knees, and ankles, thank you!

I honestly wasn't questioning rehoming your Husky at all... I'm sure it was in his best interest, and yours, that he was rehomed.

All I was saying was, yes, there are ways in which you can curb the jumping behavior all-together. Tethering to you and implementing the leash to keep the dog completely off of you, for instance. Huge jackpot rewards for sitting to be petted, for instance. There are lots of ways to go about handling it; I don't think stepping on toes directly deals with the issue, at all. If either of my dogs tried to knock me over, that would be the last time they would ever try it, that's for sure.

Especially if it involves your safety & health... I just don't see how hard it could be to teach a dog not to throw him/herself at you. But, maybe I'm unique, in that I've never been bowled over by a dog.

[kimlovescats]

I honestly wasn't questioning rehoming your Husky at all... I'm sure it was in his best interest, and yours, that he was rehomed.

All I was saying was, yes, there are ways in which you can curb the jumping behavior all-together. Tethering to you and implementing the leash to keep the dog completely off of you, for instance. Huge jackpot rewards for sitting to be petted, for instance. There are lots of ways to go about handling it; I don't think stepping on toes directly deals with the issue, at all. If either of my dogs tried to knock me over, that would be the last time they would ever try it, that's for sure.

Especially if it involves your safety & health... I just don't see how hard it could be to teach a dog not to throw him/herself at you. But, maybe I'm unique, in that I've never been bowled over by a dog.

I'm sorry if I took your post the wrong way. I admit, that I am far from a dog expert. My "expertise" lies in cats! I found the "step on the toes" thing online. I have no idea what most of the terms used here even mean, much less how to properly implement them. For instance, tethering and implementing the leash is foreign language to me!

I could certainly use help, as I want the best for my dogs, and I do NOT want to have to rehome another because of my inexperience!

Kim

[critter crazy]

I'm sorry if I took your post the wrong way. I admit, that I am far from a dog expert. My "expertise" lies in cats! I found the "step on the toes" thing online. I have no idea what most of the terms used here even mean, much less how to properly implement them. For instance, tethering and implementing the leash is foreign language to me!

I could certainly use help, as I want the best for my dogs, and I do NOT want to have to rehome another because of my inexperience!

Kim

tethering and Implementing the leash= Having the dog leashed, and with you at all times, so they have no oppurtunity to jump up, or do anything else naughty.

As far as the Toes thing, I have used that one myself, Duke was a horrible Jumper when he was younger, and I have to say that trick worked! Whether it was right or wrong, it worked.

[critter crazy]

Um, I didn't exactly "allow" my dog to plow me over. When you are short and no longer "12 years old" and a large dog comes running full force from behind you, you don't have alot of say in the matter.

Agreed!! Sometimes you have no ontrol!

[Giselle]

I think the point is just that what you allow is what you reinforce. If you allow Brutus to sit and then jump on you to receive praise, that behavior is reinforced. In this case, since you're having a hard time marking the right behavior, I would introduce a clicker. It's a nice way to build up confidence (which will hopefully facilitate in getting rid of the peeing), and it helps you send a clear message to Brutus.

Example: You petting him excites him. He sits, you reach down to reward him, he starts to wiggle his body and you sense he's about to pee. Stop. Walk away. Come back in. Command a "Sit", work on Stay while he's calm, and walk around him like you're inspecting him. Click and treat if he sits and stays. If he's getting too excited, walk away. Completely remove yourself from the situation. If he cannot focus because he so craves your attention, remove yourself. Brutus needs love, but he needs self control first and foremost. Since praise is too much of a reward, use food instead. Some dogs need a lower value reward to keep them in check. Sounds like praise is too much for Brutus, so just revert to plain food rewards. I, too, would implement NILIF. If nothing else, it teaches the dog that he has to work for life's necessities. Hopefully, that message will work with his craving for attention as well.

So, in short, you get what you reinforce. You reinforce what you allow. Prevent the excitement, prevent the urinating, and the behaviors will subside. The trick is how to control and prolong the good behavior. With NILIF and the clicker, your road is tough, but it's paved and waiting for you to tread on it