Marble Posted April 10, 2003 Posted April 10, 2003 Hey- Just wanted to let all of you who have been so helpful with my problems with Dresden know that I finally found that magic key for training her. She was learning things but would not do them even though I knew that she was knew exactly what to do. We were trying to teach her to "go lie down'' while we were eating.........and she kept bothering, bugging, and annyoying us. So I (after seven months of trying to work with the little punk) thought maybe I'd try a spray bottle. So the next time she came in I told her to go lie down, she did not listen so I told her again and sprayed her with the water........I've never had to tell her go lie down twice since. It is absolutely amazing, never have I seen her do anything that quickly. So when we have visitors and she won't stop bothering them because she does not respect them I give them the spray bottle and have them tell her go lie down, just the mere sight of it is all she needs and she's gone. This morning I was trying to eat while reading on the sofa, before she'd be jumping all over me and sticking her nose in my face and being really annoying, I told her go lie down and she went immediately and laid down in another room. She's also developed this habit of barking at the phantoms :) through the front door, I always look and the only thing I ever see is, if anything, a bird or something. I've been telling her quiet and trying to praise her when she only stops barking but she stops for like a eighth of a second. So now I tell her quiet and she knows she might get sprayed so she shuts up almost right away. This is a dog who would stand there for forever and bark her head off and never be quiet when I told her to.......... Like I said I'm dumbfounded, first that she's so terrified of water being sprayed at her-she loves the creek and loved the ocean and is really good during a bath- and second that she is actually responding to a reinforcer, I mean I've tried everthing..........Anyway, it is amazing to be making so much progress with her and to have her behaving like an almost normal dog :) I'm so grateful that something finally worked :) Like I've said before, thanks for all your help.........Thought maybe someone else could use this too.......It also works really well when she steals stuff :) Quote
Hobbit Posted April 10, 2003 Posted April 10, 2003 That is wonderful. Glad you finally found something that worked!! Hum....are you sure she isnt' just tricking you? You know, lulling you into a false sense of security? :lol: :lol: Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 10, 2003 Posted April 10, 2003 Thats great its working for you. One thing though, I wouldnt let anyone else use the spray bottle. You want your dog to see YOU as the alpha, not your guests. Quote
mouseatthebusstop Posted April 10, 2003 Posted April 10, 2003 Hum....are you sure she isnt' just tricking you? You know, lulling you into a false sense of security? YOUR SO FUNNY :D LOL Quote
courtnek Posted April 11, 2003 Posted April 11, 2003 I envy you - you spray water at my dogs and the male tries to steal the bottle, the female bites at the water and thinks its a game.....labs.... water-dogs-from-he** - LOL :D Quote
bk_blue Posted April 11, 2003 Posted April 11, 2003 That's great news, Marble! :D Would it work if all family members (ie all alpha over dog) used the spray bottle? Quote
Marble Posted April 11, 2003 Author Posted April 11, 2003 Yeah, I'm REALLY happy about this progress, after all the frustration and wondering if I was going to have to find another home for her (no one in their RIGHT mind would have taken her though). I don't know if I told you all but at one point after having her for like four months she was still so amazingly horrid that I decided since she was still a puppy and had that as an excuse that I was going to give her four more months to improve and if she was still really bad I was going to try to find someone with a really big farm for her to run on and a lot of patience, but she started improving somewhat during the next month and she started improving dramatically two months ago. However yes I am also being very selective about who uses the bottle and what for. I only let guests who are close friends or family even hold it and they have not had to spray her yet, not once. She still likes to jump on my dad but he likes to get her all worked up by making really crazy noises and doing other nutty stuff :roll: so I'm not too worried about that, she knows not to jump on anyone else but that's still something we're working on........ Hobbit- you should see how amazing her coat looks having been on Diamond for several months, her color is much richer and she's reallly really shiny. She's also I think, going to get as big as a smallish Doberman, judging by how tall she's going to be when her legs grow to match her body.......and yes, I know she probably has a lot more tricks up her sleeve (mataphorically speaking :) ) so I'm always on guard.....:) Courtnek- Yeah I know what you mean, we've had four labs and one of them always managed to escape our yard and sneak over to our favorite neighbors yard and lie in their pretty little golfish pond......it was very embarassing. That's partly why I'm so suprised that spraying water does anything to Dresden, it never occured to me that it would work as a deterrent/reinforcer with a dog......... BK- I am trying to have all the family members help with this training thing with the bottle, it's also occured to me that when my oldest brother comes with his four young children to teach them how to use it (with close supervision of course) so she starts being more careful with children...What does Blitz think about water? Oh wait, I remember something about your sister in law or someone having to drag him out of some mud pit :D Quote
courtnek Posted April 12, 2003 Posted April 12, 2003 Courtnek- Yeah I know what you mean, we've had four labs and one of them always managed to escape our yard and sneak over to our favorite neighbors yard and lie in their pretty little golfish pond......it was very embarassing. That's partly why I'm so suprised that spraying water does anything to Dresden, it never occured to me that it would work as a deterrent/reinforcer with a dog......... LOL = I believe that originally they were bred with goldfish genes - all they want to do is be in the water, and given the chance they'll eat till they burst.... :D Quote
imported_Debbie Posted April 12, 2003 Posted April 12, 2003 courtnek napisał(a):I envy you - you spray water at my dogs and the male tries to steal the bottle, the female bites at the water and thinks its a game.....labs.... water-dogs-from-he** - LOL :D Courtnek, LOL I have two Jack Russell Terriers that just go a distance away and make me chase them with it ! Then they bark at the spray bottle, the little "terrorists" :wink: :drinking: Quote
bk_blue Posted April 12, 2003 Posted April 12, 2003 Marble napisał(a):What does Blitz think about water? Oh wait, I remember something about your sister in law or someone having to drag him out of some mud pit :D Yeah that sums it up. Blitz LIKES water and mud and getting dirty, he never used to, the little princess, but now he just wades right in. I really have no idea if a spray bottle would work to deter him from playing up. I remember when he had fleas I used a natural remedy in a spray bottle and sprayed it on his coat but I think he hated that because of the pongy lemongrass rather than the water. :wink: Quote
Prairie_Gurl Posted April 13, 2003 Posted April 13, 2003 When I squirt Shadow with water... it's a reward for her. She loves it, or sometimes doesn't give a damn about it... depends on her mood. Rocky on the other paw (ha ha... anyone catch that?? Yes, I know that was lame..) hates water.... but loves mud puddles. DOGS!!! lol. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.