Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Training

Training with Java is going pretty well.  Here is  a video of  the wobble board and the tunnel from  yesterday.

She is very different from Miley.  Not over the top on the outside but still maybe on the inside. LOL We have still having lots of problems getting any extended time on a down or a wait. Im thinking maybe she just doesnt understand what I want.  She is a sweet and lovable dog.  My only concern is sometimes she reacts by barking like crazy at people or dogs.  This weekend at the seminar there was a dog crated under  the tent area. There were also these big propane heaters, the tall silver ones , under there too.  When we walked but Java just started going crazy barking.  I think it was at the dog but I guess it could have been the heaters.  So I worked on clicking and treating until we could walk by calmly.  Then yesterday I took her to the park and worked on getting her to walk by the dogs in the dog park with out reacting. She did pretty good. Only barking at one dog who came running to the fence. ( we didnt go in the dog park, we stayed on the outside of the fence).  Then we walked in the regular  part of the  park. She did ok. Some people we passed without problems. Some people, mostly with dogs, she barked at.  The worse reaction was to a little boy riding a push scooter. She sounds mean, barking and growling. The little boy stopped and I asked if she could smell his scooter. She calmed down but I dont like the reaction.  Yesterday I worked on her reaction to the scooter. We have one from when Stephanie was little.  She was a little nervous around it  but once I started riding it,she wanted to chase me and come with me.  But when I called the boy over from across the street to ride the scooter, she went crazy barking at him.  I want to post the video but Im to scared to. It would be public and I dont want to get a bunch of crazy comment from people I dont know.  Sometimes people can be over the top with there reaction to things.

Ok, I decided to post a small clip of her reaction to the boy running over to us. (its just the first time he came over) I didnt handle it very well.  The video is longer and we worked over and over on him coming over and her not barking.   Maybe it was him running over that was the trigger. I dont know.  It took until the 3rd or 4th time for her not to react to him coming over. 
The other thing I  just realized is  that the dogs have been fence fighting with the dogs next door. Those dogs have been there so Im not sure why thats happening either. Ugh.  I can call Java off the fence line but I dont want her doing it at all. Ive been working on click and treat for good behavior but the next time the dogs are out there, it starts up again.  So Sunday I was over the whole thing and I happened to be outside raking leaves when they all went crazy. I kept bringing the rake down and hitting it on the ground and saying "no" in the meanest voice I have. ( Im sure the neighbor thought I was a manic)  But it worked and on there dogs too. LOL So when Java backed off, I would praise her, if she came toward the fence she got a stern "no". It seem to work but I cant always be there when it starts.  Im thinking about temporally fencing off that area so Java and Guiness cant get over there otherwise she will always have to be on leash when she goes out there. 
This all sounds so bad and most things are really good. I just have this one problem with her and its just going to take time for me to fix it.

11 comments:

Sara said...

Chewy starts maniacal barking at moving objects (like rakes,wheelbarrows, etc). Kudos to you for working on it...I just put the rake away instead. LOL.

corbinwooten said...

I couldn't get your video of Java on the table to work :( Darn.

I do have a little experience with what you see happening with Java. Bentley is really bad about it. I wish I had addressed it when he was younger (we got him at 7 months) but we had no idea what to do. We tried a lot of things--some I'm not proud of--but the best thing that I've found is the Gentle Leader.

The best part about it is that it can help you get control of Java and redirect her to reward her. Since it controls her head, it is also better for them since they put so much pressure on their necks by barking and lunging. Anyways, the premise is that as she starts to react you redirect her towards you, and reward for any attention.

Anyways--I know you're doing a great job working on it, just wanted to let you know the one thing that we've tried that has made a difference with Bentley.

Diana said...

Sorry about the video not working. I reloading it and will repost it in a few minutes. Thanks

Dawn said...

When we were in beginning agility Katie was afraid of the teeter, so they brought out the wobble board. She was so frightened of it that she shut down for the rest of the class. LOL...Katie also barks hysterically at anything moving including the vacuum, kids on the road, cars, horses etc. You're good to try to get it under control while she's young. It doesn't get any better as they get older, that's for sure!

Chris and Ricky said...

Java looks amazing in the video! She is so coordinated and fast and happy to play with you. You are doing a great job with her!

Ricky was/is like Java with anything that moves and fence running too. I did not address it in the right ways when he was a puppy so it has been very difficult to manage. Good for you for working on this with Java now! Good luck and keep trying.

Unknown said...

Eva still barks at people randomly if they walk past our house and she just can't bear with any moving objects with sounds, be it cars, bikes, trucks or vacuum cleaners. I'm still working on her, sometimes she listens to me but sometimes, she completely ignores me.

You're doing a great job on the little girlie!

vici whisner said...

First of, I have total puppy envy. What a cutie pie. You are so lucky.

But of course, with the good, comes the bad. Darn these little ones, they will drive us to drink.

Fin is a reactive barker, so is Tazz. I generally try to avoid situations (a manner of management). I did all the things they tell you to do, but still if I don't manage, both of mine will react. Not only is it discouraging, but it is embarassing. But the honest truth is you've got what you've got, you love what you got, and you'll work through it.

I try to give my dogs something else to do. hand touch, sit, down, etc. Control unleashed has a bunch of good exercises.

Good luck with your little girl. Love, love watching her grow up!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, you should see (hear) Hannah. She is really afraid of bicycles, but she doesn't bark at them. Just about everything else that moves, she barks. Its annoying, and like the others, I wish I would have addressed it sooner.
Diane

Sophie said...

Lola is reactive in a similiar way to Java - she's stimulated by fast movement and sound. (Her reactivity started with kids and a particular 'type' of dog, and then generalised.) I can't recommend Look At That! games and Behavioural Adjustment Training enough; Lola's come a long way doing a LOT of repetitions of that.

Regarding the fence fighting, you should definitely make it so that they can't access the area whilst you aren't there. Otherwise they'll still be practising the behaviour.

That video of Java on the wobble board and in the tunnel is just TOO cute - and very familiar! Lola is just as excitable as she is.

Anonymous said...

Haha! I love that even your Chi is a blue merle!

Is that a piece of pvc pipe on the bottom of your wobble board? How did you attach it? I'm trying to get my students to make their own wobble boards but so far, they just want to borrow mine :-)

I think it's important to keep Java under threshold when you're working with reactivity to noise and movement. That way she can practice *good* behavior rather than accidentally creating a behavior chain of bark-at-the-scary-thing-then-turn-around-and-get-a-treat.

Either way, you've got a bunch of really cute dogs!

Diana said...

No the wobble board has a square box attched to the underside. The box is made by 2 X 4's and is 9inches by 6 inchs. Then I stuck a jolly ball in the square to make it wobble.