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Weimaraner Forum |
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Subject :What can I do to stimulate my dog more?..
2009-07-09 16:37:14
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| Maddockson
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She's an 8 month lab mix. We think she has weimaraner and pit bull in her, too. She's not a hyper dog by any means. She's a little couch potato unless it's really nice and warm outside. But lately, she's been becoming VERY defiant and forgetting all her training. She has started to jump up on the couch/bed and when we tell her to get off, she just stares at us. We try pulling her off and she just wags her tail and jumps right back up there. She thinks it's a game or something. I need something to give her more organized stimulation. Ideas???
By the way, she is very healthy, goes for several walks/runs every day, is only crated for 3 hours a day and 8 hours at night, and we don't fill her up on treats or anything like that. |
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Subject :What can I do to stimulate my dog more?..
2009-07-09 16:37:14
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| Stephanos
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I find it INTERESTING, you want to "stimulate" your dog... MORE. Are you bothered she isn't more active? Or are you concerned about the defiance you are seeing? (IMO, far more important.) Your dog at eight months, is just hitting the teenage phase. I suggest you enroll in a formal obedience class. Sounds like she doesn't view you (or is challenging you) as leader of the pack.
If your dog has trouble with the rules, then nip it in the bud, set her up NOT to fail. Close the door to the bedroom, put an expanding coffee mug rack on the couch (or something else uncomfortable like a scat mat.) Don't leave her unattended; tether her to your waist (by leash) when she not crated or outside, or baby-gate her out of certain rooms.
I'd like to leave you some links on becoming or being viewed as the ALPHA (dog). See sources below.
P.S. As to activities, taking your dog to a dog park or a play date with another active similar-size dog, might be advisable, but again FORMAL class-style, obedience would be my primary goal until you see a better behaved dog, more responsive to you. You can look into agility, tracking or flyball (if she likes to retrieve) for organized activities. If she likes to chew, giving her a raw soup bone or a rubber kong (to chew) might also be fun for her. |
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Subject :What can I do to stimulate my dog more?..
2009-07-09 16:37:14
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| Faro
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I would say give her 2 hours of heavy exercise daily because if she really has those 3 breeds in her, she should be one active dog! Also try getting her meeting new dogs, taking her to the dog park, and taking her places with you. We've found out that if we take our puppy with us out to lunch or to a store even for 20 minutes, she's out the rest of the day just because it was so mentally stimulating!
So I would say make her exercise up to 2 hours, give her tons of things to chew on because those are stress relievers and eat up energy, take her out to new places, and have her meeting new people/dogs. Not only will this help with socializing, this will also help with getting him to be more calm and hopefully more responsive to you.
Good luck! |
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Subject :What can I do to stimulate my dog more?..
2009-07-09 16:37:14
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| Urquhart
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Your dog is the right age to be a "bratty teenager" and she's begun to test you to see what the boundaries "really" are. She wants to know how many times she has to get into a forbidden area before you give up and allow her to have her own way. She's also being extra cute to see if she can use that to avoid punishment.
Start cracking down on her a little harder... for instance, when you feed her, make her sit and wait for the food. If she won't do it, she doesn't get fed. Make her wait at all doors before she goes through them, and "take" her toys from her for a few moments before you give them back. She needs to respect your authority because she is not equipped with the understanding to make her own decisions and be safe in a human world. She may whine and cry and be really cute to try and get you to ease up, but don't. She needs to accept that YOU are in charge.
If you want her to get more exercise (boredom DOES contribute to "testing" of boundaries sometimes) look for a doggy daycare where she can play with other dogs. Or, you might see if you can arrange a doggy playdate with someone elses dog at a beach or park. |
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Subject :What can I do to stimulate my dog more?..
2009-07-09 16:37:14
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Subject :What can I do to stimulate my dog more?..
2009-07-09 16:37:14
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| Maddockson
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maybe do a refresher on her basic training, or try and teach her a new trick, buy her a kong and put some peanut butter in it, if you can buy a basic agility set or set up some weave poles and teach her to weave. There is so much you can do to stimulate a dog. Try and teach her hide and seek with her fav toy or just simply play with her, balls, Frisbee's, bones the list goes on |
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