Tam, Jade and Franky's European Adventure

[ianthebuilder]

Morning tam,, just caught up,, Lol jades a typical bird mate,,, loves treats and is all over the place,, then sleeps a lot! Lolol

 

[Riverbankannie]

Morning folks
Well doggy owners I'm after a little advise this morning because as good as jade us in a lot of ways there's one thing that's starting to drive me nuts and it's effecting the training progress.
She's obsessed with food , she wolfs down her 3 meals like age was never going to see food again and when out for a walk she's just constantly mooching for scraps etc. .to the point it isn't always food she's trying to eat but anything she can get in her mouth.

Trying to teach her things like sitting , lying down fetching a ball etc she's so obsessed with the treat she can't process the command. This seems to be getting worse instead of better at the minute and it's driving me nuts.
First few times we try something she does it but then she just obsesses with the treat.
She's getting fed more than enough so it isn't that shes hungry.

Somebody early on said better not to use food treats for training but have a special toy kept for purpose. Lots of praise reward. Don’t forget you are still in very early days of training and patience will bring rewards for you.

 

[Just smiffy]

Somebody early on said better not to use food treats for training but have a special toy kept for purpose. Lots of praise reward. Don’t forget you are still in very early days of training and patience will bring rewards for you.

Good idea, think of tennis ball like they do with the drug sniffer dogs, very well trained and all they want is a ball to chase..

 

[Val 3 dogs]

Morning Tam, I can't solve your scavenging problems with Jade but may be able to help you slow her down from wolfing her food.
Firstly to help you understand an accept that part of her behavionics a bit more easily : if she was born feral or lived feral before being taken to the rescue kennels where you got her she would have had to be scavenging and wolfing any and evrery thing she could find to stay alive. At this point in time she h
No

 

[Janine]

If you are feeding a biscuit - based food, could you use these as the treats out of the daily allowance? She would then have to work for her dinner

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Northernraider]

Somebody early on said better not to use food treats for training but have a special toy kept for purpose. Lots of praise reward. Don’t forget you are still in very early days of training and patience will bring rewards for you.

Yes the problem is without the food incentive for training she just mooches for it elsewhere.
At the minute trying to get her to come back while off the leash I have to use food incentives as otherwise she is eating anything she finds lying about.
Id rather she was returning to me for the treat than picking up for knows what on the beach and streets.

I know its still early days we will get there hopefully ....just don't want her run over or lost in the meantime.

Been reading a few of the things online so I'm going to try a few of those tips.

Keeping her foccused is the biggest issue

 

[Northernraider]

If you are feeding a biscuit - based food, could you use these as the treats out of the daily allowance? She would then have to work for her dinner

Yes I've just been reading that online so I'm going to try that and try to slow down her eating too as she threw her dinner up the other night because she hadnt chewed a bit of it.

 

[Northernraider]

Good idea, think of tennis ball like they do with the drug sniffer dogs, very well trained and all they want is a ball to chase..

The only problem with jade is she's more interested in sniffing the ground for anything to eat than the ball.
And I mean she will eat anything. .

 

[cornish boy]

Could you split down her meals into two or three smaller amounts and wait until she has finished one before giving her the next? That way she cannot wolf down the entire amount and will come to understand that you provide for her and will not let her starve.

I guess Maslows Hierarchy of needs works for animals as well as humans?

 

[Northernraider]

Could you split down her meals into two or three smaller amounts and wait until she has finished one before giving her the next? That way she cannot wolf down the entire amount and will come to understand that you provide for her and will not let her starve.

I guess Maslows Hierarchy of needs works for animals as well as humans?

I could certainly give that a go

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[PORKSTER]

Giving treats when one performs well doesn't do anyone or anything any good. That's why I'm struggling with my weight

 

[Val 3 dogs]

Sorry about that.
At this point in time that behaviour has formed a large part of her life to date and will have been imprinted on her brain from her first conscious thoughts- she can't help it!
You may be able to modify her wolfing her meals by putting LARGE stones/pebbles in her food bowl so that she has to push them out of the way or rootle underneath them to get at her food .
I think for her training she would benefit from "clicker " training. So as not to turn this into a total doggy thread you should maybe check that out on line ( you will find masses ). It is really simple and effective. Good luck.

 

[Southdowners]

I wonder if her obsession with food is due to her being a rescue. She may well have had to forage for food in the past and not know where her next meal was coming from. Our dog is the opposite - we sometimes have to tell him that the cats will steal it if he doesn’t eat up! When we train him his reward is toys - which is is fixated on.

I’d keep using food food as a reward. Whatever the dog sees as worth working for is the way to go... in my opinion

 

[Northernraider]

I wonder if her obsession with food is due to her being a rescue. She may well have had to forage for food in the past and not know where her next meal was coming from. Our dog is the opposite - we sometimes have to tell him that the cats will steal it if he doesn’t eat up! When we train him his reward is toys - which is is fixated on.

I’d keep using food food as a reward. Whatever the dog sees as worth working for is the way to go... in my opinion

I've no idea although I suspect she's been with a family before being abandoned ...someone had definately started to train her with the toilet etc. And in the rescue place there were huge bowls of food they just grazed on.
I initially thought she just loved all the smells when we were out but it's more looking for food to eat now ....you'd think she never got fed. And trying to get her to come when she's found something is almost impossible at times she's constantly pulling on the lead to try and get to things to eat.
You take her out to pee and her main priority is looking for things to eat lol.

Problem is you think she's sniffing for somewhere to pee or poo but she isn't she's sniffing for things to eat.

Frustrating


But with everything else she's still very good doesn't do toilet in the van or chew etc ....so it's just this part we have to get past ....its frustrating but I've read a few things online now so will try those and see

 

[Reallyretired]

Any rescued dog may have had to scavenge for food at some time in its life. We had a rescued Newfoundland once who would eat anything he could find. I once saw him swallow a whole dead rabbit headfirst, been dead a while I expect.
To balance that it builds up their resistance, never knew him to be ill and lived to a ripe old age.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Podney]

It’s good she’s hungry. She’s growing,and when you were growing you ate twice what you eat now.
A hungry dog is easier to train than one that is not interested in food.
Get a balance between letting her off the lead to forage and on the lead.....both with rewards. All the dogs I’ve had over nearly forty years have been well fed,but not overweight,and they’ve all picked up all sorts of crap to eat

 

[reckless]

Roly's the same Tam. It's good she'll do the commands for a very teeny tiny (just a taste) high value reward given at the right time. High value is something better than her normal food eg cooked chicken. Right now I'm slow baking liver in the oven to practice recall but I'll obviously only give her a little at a time. Have a variety so she doesn't get bored.

We also feel training sessions are like feeding time at the zoo but we're seeing results so be patient. Make training a game and lots and lots of praise.

For wolfing the food try scatter feeding at least some of her meal. This mimics natural behaviour. Roly loves to chase her kibble down the hall! Sometimes she plays with it as if it's alive or takes it into her crate like a treasure.

She'll also eat anything, it's normal if annoying. At the moment everywhere we go it's clumps of mown grass which makes for some interesting pick-ups This morning she was chewing a big fat bumble bee

You're doing really well, don't stress, she'll change as she settles more and matures.

Karen

 

[Northernraider]

Roly's the same Tam. It's good she'll do the commands for a very teeny tiny (just a taste) high value reward given at the right time. High value is something better than her normal food eg cooked chicken. Right now I'm slow baking liver in the oven to practice recall but I'll obviously only give her a little at a time. Have a variety so she doesn't get bored.

We also feel training sessions are like feeding time at the zoo but we're seeing results so be patient. Make training a game and lots and lots of praise.

For wolfing the food try scatter feeding at least some of her meal. This mimics natural behaviour. Roly loves to chase her kibble down the hall! Sometimes she plays with it as if it's alive or takes it into her crate like a treasure.

She'll also eat anything, it's normal if annoying. At the moment everywhere we go it's clumps of mown grass which makes for some interesting pick-ups This morning she was chewing a big fat bumble bee

You're doing really well, don't stress, she'll change as she settles more and matures.

Karen

Thanks I'm glad someone else is feeling the frustration lol ....its difficult trying not to get stressed when she won't come when off the lead especially if there's danger about.
I think it's just perseverance and we will get there ....or I'll be in the Looney bin lol.

I think it's partly my fault as I have been letting her sniff and scavenge too much and now I'm trying to get her to walk properly not pull to sit and lie down etc and she's rebelling but will just have to make a point of doing it every walk till she realises I'm no pushover

 

[Podney]

Thanks I'm glad someone else is feeling the frustration lol ....its difficult trying not to get stressed when she won't come when off the lead especially if there's danger about.
I think it's just perseverance and we will get there ....or I'll be in the Looney bin lol.

I think it's partly my fault as I have been letting her sniff and scavenge too much and now I'm trying to get her to walk properly not pull to sit and lie down etc and she's rebelling but will just have to make a point of doing it every walk till she realises I'm no pushover

She will realise you are not a pushover as long as you remember dogs are a pack animal and You are the leader of the pack.........not just a friend to play with or the food giver.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Thanks I'm glad someone else is feeling the frustration lol ....its difficult trying not to get stressed when she won't come when off the lead especially if there's danger about.
I think it's just perseverance and we will get there ....or I'll be in the Looney bin lol.

I think it's partly my fault as I have been letting her sniff and scavenge too much and now I'm trying to get her to walk properly not pull to sit and lie down etc and she's rebelling but will just have to make a point of doing it every walk till she realises I'm no pushover

Everything takes time, just persevere.

When I trained Harry it was with high value rewards, frankfurters in his case but tiny pieces, they smell and taste good and he didn't have them any other time. He also didn't get the reward until he'd done exactly what I wanted and you have to keep praising her all the time, over and over again. Don't lose your cool because otherwise she won't want to come back, sit down, pee etc. You've both bonded so well but she's testing the boundaries, so stay consistent, same command, same voice, same small reward when she does it right, and praise praise praise.

Its harder for you than it was for us, you effectively have one room, whereas we had a house and enclosed garden, but you could try recall in the van if she's at one end and you're at the other, even if she's having a snooze - you could also consider having a long lead for her outside to work on recall rather than having her off lead because she's not daft, she knows you can't actually get her if she decides she's not ready yet.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Four of us]

No need for despondency. You're both still settling in together and making great progress. We got one of our dogs from a rescue when she was almost a year old and had already had two homes. She wolfed her food and scavanged for anything going. It gradually reduced but she was always very food-focussed. If she's putting on weight she must be getting enough but young dogs are like teenagers.....hollow legs!

When it comes to training remember she's still very young so little and often is the way. And if you're at all unsure keep her on her lead for the time being. I watch with admiration people whose dogs trot alongside them near traffic. I lost a young dog many years ago and now never let mine off lead near traffic or other dangers. However well trained I'm not confident they would remember if a cat/rabbit/squirrel catches their attention.

It might also be that as she is beginning to feel safe with you she is trying to exert herself. So remember you're the pack leader, but a kind one! X

 

[Northernraider]

Everything takes time, just persevere.

When I trained Harry it was with high value rewards, frankfurters in his case but tiny pieces, they smell and taste good and he didn't have them any other time. He also didn't get the reward until he'd done exactly what I wanted and you have to keep praising her all the time, over and over again. Don't lose your cool because otherwise she won't want to come back, sit down, pee etc. You've both bonded so well but she's testing the boundaries, so stay consistent, same command, same voice, same small reward when she does it right, and praise praise praise.

Its harder for you than it was for us, you effectively have one room, whereas we had a house and enclosed garden, but you could try recall in the van if she's at one end and you're at the other, even if she's having a snooze - you could also consider having a long lead for her outside to work on recall rather than having her off lead because she's not daft, she knows you can't actually get her if she decides she's not ready yet.

No need for despondency. You're both still settling in together and making great progress. We got one of our dogs from a rescue when she was almost a year old and had already had two homes. She wolfed her food and scavanged for anything going. It gradually reduced but she was always very food-focussed. If she's putting on weight she must be getting enough but young dogs are like teenagers.....hollow legs!

When it comes to training remember she's still very young so little and often is the way. And if you're at all unsure keep her on her lead for the time being. I watch with admiration people whose dogs trot alongside them near traffic. I lost a young dog many years ago and now never let mine off lead near traffic or other dangers. However well trained I'm not confident they would remember if a cat/rabbit/squirrel catches their attention.

It might also be that as she is beginning to feel safe with you she is trying to exert herself. So remember you're the pack leader, but a kind one! X

Yes you both raise similar and good points. I think I need to keep her on the lead for the next few days or week and practice the recall , walking properly , sit etc.
I do have an extending lead so it's best to get her doing it on the lead first as I do worry she will get hit by a car or a bike as she just wants to jump on everyone and sniff everything.

I think because she's generally been so good I've taken my eye off the ball a little and she's trying it on.

 

[Northernraider]

Well on another note since I arrived on this spot on Tuesday I've been cycling from where I'm parked along the full length of the beach to the nature park and back twice a day once with jade in the basket and once without her.

I decided today to measure the distance on my phone app for exercising and it turns out it's just short of 9km from here to there so 18km return twice a day means I've been cycling 36km daily aswell as our 2 or 3 walks.
I've also been making use of the outside gym equipment along the way

As a result I've lost 4lb this week so I'm really chuffed.

I've also got the start of a good tan so overall I'm quite pleased with myself.

 

[reckless]

PM sent re doggy

Well done with weight loss and feeling generally smug.

 

[Shrimp]

Well done with loosing the weight & the tan....Tam!!!!
You’ll have to re-assert yourself with madam and remember she’s still a baby and she will try just about anything on!! Nip it in the bud now.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[busby]

Morning folks
Well doggy owners I'm after a little advise this morning because as good as jade us in a lot of ways there's one thing that's starting to drive me nuts and it's effecting the training progress.
She's obsessed with food , she wolfs down her 3 meals like age was never going to see food again and when out for a walk she's just constantly mooching for scraps etc. .to the point it isn't always food she's trying to eat but anything she can get in her mouth.

Trying to teach her things like sitting , lying down fetching a ball etc she's so obsessed with the treat she can't process the command. This seems to be getting worse instead of better at the minute and it's driving me nuts.
First few times we try something she does it but then she just obsesses with the treat.
She's getting fed more than enough so it isn't that shes hungry.

Like i said earlier i never trained my dogs with treats,,,my opinion and lots will disagree but with six dogs at one time they all behaved,,came back when shouted,,sat when told to and were never a problem. Once over 6 months old i only fed them once a day,,,they were never overweight,,and 4 of the 6 lived to really good ages,,,BUSBY..

 

[busby]

Yes I've just been reading that online so I'm going to try that and try to slow down her eating too as she threw her dinner up the other night because she hadnt chewed a bit of it.

My Alsatian that i found as a stray at about a year old was like that,,severely underweight and ate so fast she was always sick for the first week..I think she then realised that she would be fed at the same time every evening and eat normarly after that,,Lived until she was over 14,,BUSBY..

 

[Just smiffy]

My girls generally respond to a gold credit card.....

 

[Shrimp]

Just remembered, when we first had G-JRT from rescue home she was a stray, so nothing known about her-she was never bothered about food in a bowl but out walking with her on a lead you’d look round & find her with a lump of bread or something she’d picked up!
She soon got out of the habit tho, think it’s probably connected to insecurities.

 

[Northernraider]

There's a lovely Spanish lady who cycles around all the motorhome spots here everyday selling fruit and veg ....i generally get a few things of her cause I think it's better than the supermarkets so today I got a lovely watermelon a kilo of tomatoes 3 peppers and a half dozen mini cucumbers 6€ in total

Just made a lovely ommelete for dinner with tomatoes pepper some chorizo onion and a little cheese. ...mmmm was amazing

Now watermelon for after.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}