Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog training - dog behavior

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old May 19th, 2010, 02:03 PM
marjo362 marjo362 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Alberta
Posts: 44
Dog will NOT come in the house!

Ok, so Patches has decided that he does NOT want to come in the house....ever....it has been +30 the last 2 days, and he does not want to come in. At night, he does not want to come in. We spend an hour each night chasing him around the yard to try and get him to come in. We have tried using his toys, treats, bones, etc. He will not come in. Help!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old May 19th, 2010, 02:17 PM
Frenchy's Avatar
Frenchy Frenchy is offline
-
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Quebec
Posts: 30,227
Put a leash on him , get him inside at night , give him treat and praise him each time. After a while , you won't need to leash him.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old May 19th, 2010, 02:19 PM
14+kitties's Avatar
14+kitties 14+kitties is offline
150% PRO S/N
Starcastle Champion, V:force Champion, UFO Shoot Out Champion, Parachute Panic Champion, Mission To Mars Champion, Disc Dash Champion, Crazy Closet Champion, Railway Line Champion, Penguin Pass Champion
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: MYOB
Posts: 15,408
Don't chase him around. He sees that as you trying to play with him. If he starts running stop immediately. He will eventually come to you. As Frenchy says, call him over, put a leash on him, and bring him in.
Maybe he just wants to sleep under the stars but we all know that isn't safe these days with all the kooks out there.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.

We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old May 19th, 2010, 02:20 PM
marjo362 marjo362 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Alberta
Posts: 44
He used to come in no problem. It's after we chase him around the yard for an hour that we can finally grab him to put the leash on him and get him inside.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old May 19th, 2010, 02:32 PM
marjo362 marjo362 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Alberta
Posts: 44
Quote:
Originally Posted by 14+kitties View Post
Don't chase him around. He sees that as you trying to play with him. If he starts running stop immediately. He will eventually come to you. As Frenchy says, call him over, put a leash on him, and bring him in.
Maybe he just wants to sleep under the stars but we all know that isn't safe these days with all the kooks out there.
Thanks, thats part of the problem, I sit on the step of the deck, leash in hand, call him, and he stands there and stares at me....LOL, almost as if to say, nice try lady! LOL
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old May 19th, 2010, 02:46 PM
Dog Dancer's Avatar
Dog Dancer Dog Dancer is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 6,667
Okay, so my suggestion (for what it's worth) would be to go outside and play for a few minutes. Kneel down on the ground with a really yummy treat - something he doesn't get at any other time - and call him to you. Give him the treat and pick him up. Patches doesn't look too big to pick up. If he's spotting the leash and won't come picking him up may work. Otherwise if you can't pick him up, make sure he has a collar on and take him by the collar and bring him in and give him more praise and another treat if you want and maybe play a little bit inside as well so that he doesn't think it's a boring thing to have to go inside. Good luck to you.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old May 19th, 2010, 02:50 PM
marjo362 marjo362 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Alberta
Posts: 44
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Dancer View Post
Okay, so my suggestion (for what it's worth) would be to go outside and play for a few minutes. Kneel down on the ground with a really yummy treat - something he doesn't get at any other time - and call him to you. Give him the treat and pick him up. Patches doesn't look too big to pick up. If he's spotting the leash and won't come picking him up may work. Otherwise if you can't pick him up, make sure he has a collar on and take him by the collar and bring him in and give him more praise and another treat if you want and maybe play a little bit inside as well so that he doesn't think it's a boring thing to have to go inside. Good luck to you.
Thanks! I will try that. He is definately not too big to pick up.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old May 19th, 2010, 03:08 PM
Dog Dancer's Avatar
Dog Dancer Dog Dancer is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 6,667
Oh, I should add that he'll probably catch on to this eventually (or quickly) so you should call him a few times randomly and pick him up, cuddle walk towards the house and then go back to playing again. If you always immediately take him inside he'll stop coming to you even to play. So mix it up for him, then let the play carry on for a few minutes inside if you can so going in is okay. This is probably just a habit that you need to break and eventually he'll get used to coming again when called.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old May 19th, 2010, 10:18 PM
MyBirdIsEvil's Avatar
MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,720
Never ever ever chase. Always wait for the dog to come to you. Chasing will turn into a habit and a huge hassle. Why should he come when he knows you'll chase him and can't catch him? He'll just see that as a good way to get exercise and play a game of chase .

What I would do is let him out on a long line (I use the lunge lines for horses. Cheaper and easier on the hands. Or you can make one out of soft nylon or cotton rope and cut it to your own length.). When you go out to get him don't say anything. Go out and step on or grab the long line so he can't get away. Tell him to come and pull him toward you while kneeling down and calling him in a high pitched pleasant voice, rewarding with a big treat when he gets there and then take him inside. Give another treat and lots of praise as soon as he hits the door. That way coming to you will be a pleasant experience, and you'll also start to reinforce recall.

Dogdancers suggestion about not always bringing him inside when you call is good too. You can teach recall at random times and then release him to play afterward. Just make sure that when you give a recall command you can bring him to you with a longline or leash.

Never ever ever use an actual recall command such as come when you cannot reinforce it. He'll learn he can ignore your recall. If he's not on a longline you can't reinforce it because you're having to chase him.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old May 20th, 2010, 07:46 AM
NEPEANDOGS NEPEANDOGS is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 18
Lightbulb Bird calls

This is going to sound weird, but sometimes, when nothing else seems to work, my three year old Shar Pei, Sophie (who also wants to Stay Out All The Time, because there's so many more squirrels to be chased outside than inside) will respond to my bird imitations.

I noticed this last year, because on our walks I like to amuse myself by imitating the birds I hear - crows, chickadees, robins, etc.

Whenever I started to imitate a bird, Sophie's ears pricked right up, and she would turn and stare at me, and do that head-swivel thing that dogs do, and she would get excited. The more I would do it the more she liked it.

Out of desperation a while back when I couldn't get her to come to me, I did my "crow" imitation, and she ran right to me, her tail wagging, no problem.

Other sounds also seem to work - the other night I wanted her to come into the bathroom so I could give her a wash, and I tried imitating the sound my cats make when they are talking to each other, and that worked to, until she figured out that I wanted to wash her.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old May 20th, 2010, 05:11 PM
MyBirdIsEvil's Avatar
MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,720
Quote:
Originally Posted by NEPEANDOGS View Post
This is going to sound weird, but sometimes, when nothing else seems to work, my three year old Shar Pei, Sophie (who also wants to Stay Out All The Time, because there's so many more squirrels to be chased outside than inside) will respond to my bird imitations.

I noticed this last year, because on our walks I like to amuse myself by imitating the birds I hear - crows, chickadees, robins, etc.

Whenever I started to imitate a bird, Sophie's ears pricked right up, and she would turn and stare at me, and do that head-swivel thing that dogs do, and she would get excited. The more I would do it the more she liked it.

Out of desperation a while back when I couldn't get her to come to me, I did my "crow" imitation, and she ran right to me, her tail wagging, no problem.

Other sounds also seem to work - the other night I wanted her to come into the bathroom so I could give her a wash, and I tried imitating the sound my cats make when they are talking to each other, and that worked to, until she figured out that I wanted to wash her.
What you're talking about is the dog being conditioned to come to certain sounds. Since she's interested in birds she thinks when she gets there there will be a bird, and this excites her. This conditioning can be from reinforcement with a reward (getting treats when they show up to the sound) or even instinct. Instinctually a dog may know that something will be found if they follow a noise or smell, such as a prey item.

This is the same principle that makes training with a whistle or any other noise or command work. You make a noise, the dog comes and is rewarded with something they like (such as a treat, toy, etc.). So you can take it into your own hands just by rewarding when she comes to that noise .

It's also the same reason animals will often come to the sound of a food bag or food being poured into a bowl, or a can opener, etc.. They know when they hear this sound food will or might come soon afterward, and many animals are driven by instinct to find high value items like food.

You don't even have to give the item every single time, and eventually not at all. With the food pouring/can opener example, they do not need to get food every time to follow the noise. They just have been conditioned to know that that noise is often followed by something good.

Last edited by MyBirdIsEvil; May 20th, 2010 at 05:16 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old May 20th, 2010, 05:24 PM
MyBirdIsEvil's Avatar
MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,720
I just realized I forgot to mention another recall training tactic that works well.

You and another family member stand at opposite ends of a room or yard. One person calls the dog and rewards when the dog shows up. Now the other person calls the dog and rewards when the dog shows up. It becomes a game and in the process the dog gets some exercise and mental stimulation. You don't have to do this very long or until it gets tedious for you and the dog. Just a few times once a day will start reinforcing that coming to people = good things. Just make sure to end the training session on the dog accomplishing the task. Don't stop the session when the dog gets bored and decides to run off and do his own thing. Try to end the training session BEFORE the dog gets bored.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old May 21st, 2010, 11:12 AM
Dog Dancer's Avatar
Dog Dancer Dog Dancer is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 6,667
Good point about the long line MBIE. I forgot about that, the last time I did serious training was with Shadow who is 13 now.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:39 PM.