My Dog Is Going To Kill My Wife
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Sometimes I just growl at Senji when he acts up, and he usually backs off. I don't know what an animal behaviorist would tell you what to do. There's this guy, John Ross, who writes the "Dog Talk" column in our local newspaper. He tells people to say "Naaaaahhhhh" in sort of a low, growly voice.
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First off, can you buy a baby gate that is like a gate so your wife isn't going over the gate but opens it and walks through the gate? We have a gate something like this one: http://www.petedge.com/Four-Paws-Metal-Walk-Thru-Gate-FP57010.pro
Next, enroll in obedience and have your wife attend with She-Ra so they can work on their relationship and consider a private consultation with a behaviorist to start a plan to decrease the behavior. Sit/stay before entering or leaving the room, hand feeding to help your wife's relationship with She-Ra, there are many different things that may be appropriate but it really helps if you can get someone to come in and get a good detailed view of your home and household dynamics.
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Good advice, all.
We've done obedience up to advanced training (she won a few awards), and overall she's a very well behaved dog. I do like the idea of making her sit before going over the fence. That's something we haven't tried, and it makes sense.
lvoss, we have looked at different gates, and that's definitely an option we'll consider down the road, I think. Right now it's more about modifying the behavior (both ours (overreacting) and the dogs (going after the wife)).
I think my sarcasm may have come off as a little too serious. No my wife's life isn't in danger, but her wardrobe is in trouble and occasionally she gets a nip. Overall, She-Ra's very well behaved but DOES behave like a B. There's a time when they want attention and you need to give it to them or they act out. That's what I think this is more than anything. It seems to happen when my wife gets home (before I do) and just wants to change (so she CAN play with the dog). I don't notice it as much at night when I'm there.
A friend also showed me a trick he does with his dog called "Find the Baby". He's established several toys as "babies" that the dog really likes. Whenver their dog (a pug) goes after something they don't want, all the need to do is say "Find the baby!" really excitedly. I tried this recently and while we haven't completely established her "babies" yet, she did stop and look up and head out with me to help find a toy.
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I would still recommend a set of refresher classes, again they make good relationship building time. Nicky has been through many, many sessions of obedience not because he doesn't know it but because it is good for our relationship.
I would also recommend that instead of just rushing up stairs to get changed that your wife try to add some low key things to her routine before going to change. Something as simple as getting a glass of water and quick round of puppy pushups will give She-Ra something else to focus on before your wife goes and changes.
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You could also try a sit & reward over & over again.
Set up a practice session with the dog & your wife (not you!). Have her make the dog sit & when she sits BAM! a treat & wife goes over the gate. Repeat over & over again during each session for about 5-10minutes. She-Ra will eventually realize "hey getting a treat is better then getting a good taste of Mom's leg" :eek: :D :D
Eventually your wife won't need treats so when she has to get past the gate & doesn't have treats she won't need them but just give the dog the command.
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You could also try a sit & reward over & over again.
Set up a practice session with the dog & your wife (not you!). Have her make the dog sit & when she sits BAM! a treat & wife goes over the gate. Repeat over & over again during each session for about 5-10minutes. She-Ra will eventually realize "hey getting a treat is better then getting a good taste of Mom's leg" :eek: :D :D
Eventually your wife won't need treats so when she has to get past the gate & doesn't have treats she won't need them but just give the dog the command.
That's exactly what I want to try. I think we'll buy a small bag of treats and keep them out of sight in the bedroom. She already has no problem sitting for treats. Funny how they pick that one up pretty quickly. :)
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Well really, IMO, Ra-She should sit/stay and not get the treat until she is over the gate…
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Lisa is, I think, right on target. Look at it from She-Ra's point of view. Something large and in charge is coming over the gate to step on her. Making her sit will definitely help as well. Since this is a new behaviour, I would try to retrace my steps to find out why she may be reacting like this. This is MPOV
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We tried some stuff last night. Got a bag of treats (which she saw from the beginning so she knew something was up). I did a couple sits, hand-feeds, and went over the fence. However, as I'm not the one with the problem, my wife is, it was more important to have her do it.
Took some time, there were a couple jump-ups, but eventually she got the dog in a sit/stay, went over the fence without incident, and She-Ra got the treat. There was also an incident where she got up from the sit/stay and hopped up on the gate…no treat for that one.
It's going to take some work, but at least we're moving in some kind of direction on this...
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That's GREAT!!! Just a few more sessions & she'll get it :D She's very smart ya know ;)
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Tucker used to get really angry when he was gated in my kitchen and ANYONE approached the gate. He was basically just pissed off for being gated in. He actually went after me once when I reached over to simply pet him. I imagine this stems from his 'past issues' more than anything. However, time passed and now he's much better. He might still go after someone that isn't me, but I rarely use the gate anymore aside from new visitors and the pizza delivery guy. :) Tucker has the run of the place and is perfectly content.
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Torchsong-
I think you're on the right path. And kudos to you for being committed to making this work. I would suggest one idea. I'd have a "go to place" type command. A bed or mat that your dog will go to and lay down. Make that place a wonderful place for your pup. Pup goes to mat, treats rain down on her. Lots of praise. Slowly increase the duration and distraction while pup is on the mat. Have a command "Where's you place" or "magic mat". This will give your dog something to do while your wife comes over the gate. And if pup is on the magic mat relaxing, it's hard to go into defense mode (as long as the mat is far enough away from the gate).
