This might be the wrong section for this question

[firefoxkatan]

(rather long, just so you know)

as some of you know, I'm in a situation where I live with some roommates and their dogs along with my cat and another cat
it's a full house here

at the time I moved in, I had no where else to go, and a new puppy to look after
I really needed to give her a place to call home, I, on the other hand didn't care where I put my head at night
ok so long story short: I moved in with a coworker and his mom
not to be stereotypical or anything, but he's the kind of guy that lives in his mom's basement and reads comics all day and doesn't have a girlfriend
a real nerd, but then again so am I

anyway, we had all agreed on letting Bindi stay here and everyone agreed to help in training and such

so needless to say, I've had my share of rants about how they 'train' her when I'm not home, I tell them specific instructions on what I'm doing with her and how I want them to do it too, she needs 100% constituency

I come home to either finding she has torn up something because they didn't 'put her to bed' in her crate, they don't give her the training treats I bought just for her, they give her fatty, greasy older dog treats that she now steels from the other dogs when they come in from pottying outside, I have to put her in another room to give her, her treat, they don't treat her when she does potty outside (granted I know you ween them off but not the next day), they let her out of the crate when she cries, when I try to put her to bed, they barge open the door and get upset that I stopped my dog from running out of my room, they said they herd her crying when I hear no such thing and I'm in the same room

not to mention the other dogs here, are not house broken, beg for food, are never disciplined for doing wrong by saying 'no' or even a water bottle squirt, they have their own place at the dinner table and are fed table scraps, and jump on the furniture

I want Bindi to grow up with privilege's, yes, a soft spot to lay by the couch, treats for being good, her own bed to sleep in at night, her own place to play and run around the house like a mad man, but the way they treat the dogs here I am honestly surprised they are all still alive as over weight and smelly as they are

I thankfully have an opportunity to move back home, a room has opened up and I can be gone around April, yesterday was my mom's birthday and I needed to pick up the cake and some flowers, I told them I'd be gone for a moment and when I came home, no one was there and Bindi was let loose in the house, unsupervised

I took her over for a run around the quarter acer yard at my mom's and wore her out good, she was fast asleep when I got her home, I left her in her bed, closed the door and turned out all of the lights, I figured, now was as good of a time as any, to test her with being alone overnight, my boyfriend who lives not to far from my mom's house, invited me over and I let Bindi sleep at home, telling my roommates I would be back later, don't let her out, I'll do it

needless to say, when I came home, she was running around the house and had a few accidents that they had not cleaned up at all, I'm so glad I will be out soon, but I am so worried she will pick up the bad habits here, I know she begs now and she steals the treats and potties in the house when I'm not home, I leave her in her crate and then they just let her out when she cries, when I take her to my mom's she's much more behaved but I still worry, the longer she is here, the more she it learning from them, bad things, what should I do, if this does happen?

(sorry for the long story but I felt it needed to be said)

~Kat

[jessi76]

sounds to me like you and your dog are in a bad situation right now - good for you for recognizing this and taking steps to correct it! I think Bindi will be just fine!

she may of picked up some bad manners, but manners and habits can be changed with time, patience, and as you alredy know, consistent training. Focus on making your move for the better and once settled, focus on implementing a routine for Bindi.

Attending a weekly training class may be helpful to get off to a good start in turning her bad behaviors around. You may learn some new techniques that will be helpful at home.

[jys1011]

Ouch! Sorry for such a terrible situation. It's great that you're movin out soon. Sounds like you & Bindi need a change. Everyone in the house needs to follow the same rules as you & if they're not doing this then poor Bindi will get mixed messages….BUT these dogs are smart they'll know who they can get away with things so I'm sure once Bindi is in his permanent more disciplined home he'll do great!!

I'm sure once you move he'll learn the rules in his new home very quickly!

[Lenora]

I think Bindi is reacting to the stress of the whole situation, and has learned some bad habits along the way because of it. With some consistency of discipline (and getting away from the other dogs) she'll do fine. It will just take time and patience.

[firefoxkatan]

thanks everyone for the support and advice! my mom is great with dogs, we've had many growing up and I feel bad to say it, but most of the time, she would take on all of the dog tasks, as we were all too young to realize what we were doing, I know better now, and I see what can happen when you let your dogs rule your life, and don't take any actions to correct things

it's like a child, you have the well behaved wonderful kids, and then you have rowdy, rude, annoying kids that won't listen to what you say and cry and get whatever they want, because they did it in the past and know it works, eventually the parent or who ever, just gives in

I don't want Bindi to be that kind of dog, when I am around she knows, I am Alpha Dog, I am mommy, and I don't tolerate the rude behavior of the other dogs

one of them jumped onto the windowsill like a cat the other day, no one was home, so I got the squirt bottle out and shot him in the nose he just sat there looking at me, didn't move, make a sound, just stared at me, I did it again, about 6 times before I had to physically move the dog out of the window and then he still didn't understand what I was doing or why

again, I can't wait to move, that'll give me $400 a month that I can actually spend on Bindi, and not rent, I will get her puppy classes and I will work with her everyday, and my mom has agreed to be a good grandma with Bindi and my Nephew Tristin that I will be living with (they share the same birthday, I thought that was cute)

~Kat

[jessi76]

one piece of advice on classes, see if you can observe a class before paying or enrolling. this way you will be able to see what methods are used, how classes are run, how large they are, what level the other dogs are at, etc… always look for classes that use positive reinforcement methods, and are run by a certified trainer who will give you one on one attention if needed.

good luck! keep us posted on the move (and of course, on Bindi) !

[firefoxkatan]

@jessi76:

one piece of advice on classes, see if you can observe a class before paying or enrolling. this way you will be able to see what methods are used, how classes are run, how large they are, what level the other dogs are at, etc… always look for classes that use positive reinforcement methods, and are run by a certified trainer who will give you one on one attention if needed.

good luck! keep us posted on the move (and of course, on Bindi) !

thanks! I wish I could have done some sort of check on my roommates before I moved in anyways, thanks again for the advice! I will pay close attention to the classes, I already seem to have high standards for Bindi as is LOL

~Kat