Just a quickie, dumb question

[MrsBoats]

Since you guys have been super, super helpful with my serious issues with training Sam....I have a question about some thing which is just a pain in the behind.

When we break out Sam's leash and collar, he gets SOOOOOOO excited he can barely contain himself. He freaks out...his butt is going so hard and fast he physically cannot sit down. Imagine him doing this as I'm trying to get the collar on him. I'm convinced I'm going to break a finger trying to get his prong collar on him one of these days.

When Mr. Boats is home, I have to have his 250+ lbs holding and pinning Sam down so I can get the collar on him. Once we get the collar on him, Sam settles right down. I've tried putting him in a down stay to get it on him, then he is like dead weight and he rolls over on his back. That's equally as much of a pain in the butt as trying to get it on him when he's freaking out. Sit/stay works for about a second until I touch him with the prong.

Would ignoring him and ditching the idea of going somewhere work? This is something he's always done but it seems it has gotten worse over the past couple of months now that he goes more places and especially the obedience club.

Thanks in advance!:D

[Judi W]

Just hold absolutely dead still with the collar in your hands, he'll stop spinning, then start up again as you reach towards his neck. Bring your hands back to you waist and hold dead still again. Do this over and over till he figures it out. (he will) Then when he catches on to why the collar is not going on his neck he'll learn to hold still for that length of time.

[MrsBoats]

Judi,

Thanks....that would probably work much better than me muttering things (which I know I can't repeat here) at Sam in between sit/stay attempts.

I feel like I should send you something for all the help you've given me!:D

[Judi W]

Letting me know it works will do. You cannot win a wrestling match with a Rottweiler. You CAN win a patience match.

[MrsBoats]

You cannot win a wrestling match with a Rottweiler.

Oh I know that....especially since I only have about 20 lbs advantage with Sam. That's why I have to break out my secret weapon...the weight lifter husband. :D But, since he's at work half of the month....I have to use my own devices the rest of the time. :p

[RottiMomCT]

Originally posted by MrsBoats
When we break out Sam's leash and collar, he gets SOOOOOOO excited he can barely contain himself. He freaks out...his butt is going so hard and fast he physically cannot sit down. Imagine him doing this as I'm trying to get the collar on him.

Ben is the same way...when he HEARS the tags on his collar jingle - he is instantly awake and ready to go anywhere! He jumps, practically INTO the collar, and will run back and forth to the door, jumping into the door like he's trying to break it down! I just stand there (trying REALLY HARD not to laugh) until he settles down. Each time, it takes less and less time for him to realize that he's not going anywhere until he relaxes. He knows tha collar means a ride in the car, and 99% of the time, a ride in the car is to a fun place where he gets to see his friends...even a trip to the vet is fun for him - he LOVES the vet tech there!

As for the prong collar, I put that on him in the car. He'll stand still for that, otherwise, I get out of the car and walk away for a minute (people must think I'm nuts talking to my dog as I walk away from the car!). I go back, and he sits still as I put the collar on him. His leash is on the buckle collar until I get the prong on him, then it's on the prong, just in case he decides to try to jump out the door, but we've got the 'wait' command pretty well perfected, so I don't think he'd try to bolt, but I don't want to risk it...

I started teaching him the 'settle down' command but I found it easier just to put him in a 'sit' and 'wait' as I put the collar on him...I give him a treat as I put the buckled collar over his head...I put my hand thru the collar and as he takes the treat, the collar goes over his head with my other hand.

[Roscoe's dad]

Guido used to go spastic like that also. I would make her sit until I had the leash on. If she would start ozzing around I would put her back were she was supposed to be and the leash did not go on until she calmed down and stayed were she was supposed to be.

[MrsBoats]

Originally posted by RottiMomCT



As for the prong collar, I put that on him in the car. on him. His leash is on the buckle collar until I get the prong on him, then it's on the prong

That may work too....I might try that today when we go for our walk. Wish me luck!!! :D

[CDN]

I dont mean to be repetitive but my male did this as well no matter what I said he didn't listen.

But to me this is real simple, my dog didn't respect me enough to listen...niether does yours.

With about 6 weeks of professional training(not specific to this problem) his respect level for me has grown considerably, and going crazy with the leash just doesn't happen any more.

CDN

[WorkinDogz]

I have to disagree with you this time CDN.

This issue Mrs. Boats is having isn't an issue of a lack of respect IMHO.....it's a matter of him being in excitement overload.....and since Mrs. Boat wasn't consistant (little tiny glare at ya there Mrs. Boats :D ) and would either wrestle him (or have Mr. Boats wrestle him) or attempt to collar and leash a moving target.....

What Mrs. Boats shoulda done...and can still do (:D) is stand there with your hands on your hips (like you're giving Mr. Boats a little tiny glare) and let the boy wiggle till the lightbulb comes on and he says "Oh Maybe I should sit still cause she ain't movin' real fast to go on my walk while I'm wigglin'"

Of course Mrs. Boats will use her "Sit" command (and stay if she uses that) and since the little darling has been conditioned properly BY Mrs Boats; Sam doesn't move, wiggle, scoot, shift or otherwise break the square sit position.......

Inside of a week; with no busting, wrestling, hammering or anything more than a reinforcement of a command by NOT rewarding it (by putting the collar and leash on) until the dog is SITTING STILL just like he does with every other sit command he receives.........I'm putting my money on Mrs. Boats. She'll see a dramatic difference. :)

[CDN]

This dog has learned that it is ok... or some kind of a game to have a spaze attack every time Mrs Boats comes Home.

This is a learned behaviour.

If you want to call it excitement overload or a lack of respect for the wishes of the owner is kind of a moot point. The equation should be- owner speaks, dog listens.

I hope I am not speaking out of turn, this simply has been my experience. When my kids don't do as they are told I deam it as a lack of respect, so I simply trensended this line of thought to my dog.

I think that the methods of modifying this behaviour are good ones, and I wish you the best of luck.

CDN

[MrsBoats]

Sam is getting better with the leash blitzkrieg. I've been using the tactic that Judi suggested with some success. I think Sam is catching on finally. WD has faith in me, I know she does! If I got through what I was dealing with this fall with the obedience stuff...I can deal with this. :D

I'm going to second what WD said and say it's overload. You say either phrase "Do you wanna go for a ride?" or "Do you wanna go to school?" and Sam is off like the Tazmanian Devil. We HAVE to spell "r-i-d-e, w-a-l-k, t-r-u-c-k, and j-e-e-p" or he freaks. He's learned to equate the leash with any of the above. I think I have a good grip on lack of respect as I dealt with that earlier this year with him. The leash/collar issue isn't that.

WD...yeah, I probably deserved that glare! I should have given a big glare to Mr. Boats last night! He set my work back on me. It's getting close to the time of leaving for school and he yells out "ARE YOU GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL?" right after he gets a good grip on Sam. He kept saying it over and over! I thought that poor dog was going to explode in his arms. He said that Sam was so exicted he was shaking while he was holding on to him for me. Thank god he's playing Mr. Coast Guardsman this weekend. Hopefully, I won't have to head back to square one.

[CDN]

I'm sorry, Mrs Boats

But respectfully speaking if you tell your dog to sit stay and he doesn't there is a lack of respect and more training is needed it's that simple.

Believe me I was in your situation, I felt the same way you did. "My dog respects me I've done training etc etc!!!!!!"

But through working with a top notch personal trainer my eyes were opened up wide.

You may have solved some of your problems with the level of training you have attained to date..and you are commended..but it is obvious to me that more is needed.

If you do not want to refer to it as a lack of respect that is fine, but I hope you recognize that your dog needs to become more subordinate to you, and training in all facets not just this specific problem is necessary.

CDN

[MrsBoats]

Originally posted by Judi W
Letting me know it works will do.

Well Judi...it's working like a charm. Today, I told Sam to sit and started to approach him with the collar. So far so good. The collar touched him and he started to get up. As soon as his butt left the ground, the collar left his neck. He looked at me and sat down again on his own. We went through this process about 6-7 times. Each time he sat was a little bit longer. But I think he knows that he's supposed to be sitting when the collar is going on because each time he sat down after the collar came off, I didn't tell him to. WD....I threw that GLARE in there too when his butt left the floor.

Once again you guys are awesome....hands down. Thank god for this webpage....you almost make owning a rottie easy....almost. :D

[WorkinDogz]

Oh you better believe I have faith in you. :D :D

You took the out-of-control-bull-by-the-horns with some pretty serious stuff.......this is a CAKE WALK.....small potatoes......nada-big-deal-at-all little monkey wrench.

Be consistant......and slap a prong on that hubby of yours when he's naughty.....LOL :) Couple of self-corrections and he'll be back to minding his manners.....LOL