Anyone good with dog training?

[shotokansho]

Hi everyone.

My dog Tish is driving me bonkers, I love her to pieces but she has had me so stressed that I have considered to re-home her. I could never do that of course because she's my babe. She is a small dog, a cross terrier of some type and she is 4 years old. I have had her from a puppy and her erratic behaviour is getting worse.
Firstly she goes beserk at the TV. This may sound funny but I can't watch a football game because she tries to get the ball and chase the players. She barks and whines all the way through the match. She hates the go compare man and goes mad when he is on tele. She will also go mad at the Tv at the local news music, running horses and dogs. Then there is the vaccum, she hates it and goes crazy when ever I turn it on. She also chases shadows on the floors and walls. She actually bites the floor where the shadow is. Finally she barks her head off at the sound of motorbikes driving past. All the while she chases her tail, going round and round and round, she is extremely intense.
As I say she is driving me mad, I have tried putting her out of the room but she just does it in the hallway instead, chasing her tail, barking and running up and down, I think she is actually insane! I walk her for an hour a day where she has a good run chasing her ball. I'm out of ideas now, I was wondering if any of you could help?

Kez xx

[daintydi]

Hi,
watch the "dog whisperer" hes amazing.......or read one of his books.
There might be some stuff on you tube. he deals with dogs like yours all the time, and gets them them to stop their compulsive behaviour (thats what they are)in minutes! give it a go......what is there to lose! Have fun!

[Tish]

Hmmm.. could the clue be in the name kez? Us Tish's are quite highly strung, lol.
I have two dogs and they both do some of the above but not to an extent where it drives me mad.
I would suggest looking up the dog whisperer on line or even consider getting Tish a friend to kep her company and (hopefully) out of mischief. My first dog used to get a bit bored until we got another puppy and now she loves to have a playmate. I have a poodle x and a miniature poodle so luckily they don't moult or need too much feeding. x

[teez]

im afraid its learnt behaviour,,our willow,, jack russel,,is the same with dogs on the tele,,also as soon as the last bit of the chase comes on he gets restless cos i watch the chase then do his dinner,,when i say learnt,,when your dog did it the first time i bet you laughed ,,holds hand up i confess i did this,,they see you laugh or if it bugged you shout ,,love the attention so do it again,,if you shout they take it your barking,,so of course bark louder,,distract your dog,,does your dog ahve a favourite toy a ball or something if so when it starts barking pick up the ball and throw it,,if the toy doesnt work try holding a treat in your hand get your dog to sit and be quiet so as the dogs quiet give the reward ,,thus rewarding good behaviour ,,this works with willow,,but have to confess i still laugh when he trys to get the lions or some other critter off the tele

[Elen]

I agree with teez re it being learned behaviour and distracting onto the ball instead.

Please stear clear of the dog whisperer his methods are outdated and in some cases down right dangerous.

Do a search on google for dogpages, this is a useful forum for gaining understanding of this kind of behaviour.

[Pipkin]

Hi there,

Have considered training classes? I take my dog and they're fantastic. I find it a really good environment for dogs to learn in and, if you choose a good class, they'll really know their stuff and guide you.

The hard work is between the classes and the effort you have to put in but it's worth it.

Good luck

Pip x

[shotokansho]

Thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions. The good thing about Tish is that she never chews anything up and she never has and she doesn't poo or wee in the house. She just seems to have tons and tons of energy. I understand about the learned behaviour, I have two children and I know they find it hilarious when she behaves in this way.
Thanks again everyone, I will do some research.

Kez xx

[PolkaDots]

Hi Kez,

I too strongly advise against watching the Dog Whisperer and buying his books. The man is a plague on dog training. Look at Positive Training Methods/Reward-Based Training, Victoria Stilwell is a famous advocate of this approach. The Dogs Trust website has lots of excellent factsheets that will give you tips on modifying the unwanted behaviours (I can't post links yet, but you can check them out here if you pop it into your browser): dogstrust.org.uk/az/factsheetsanddownloads/default.aspx#.UINARWl_UUc

You can also find an APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) approved training class here: apdt.co.uk/local_dog_trainers.asp

It's always best to go with APDT as unfortunately there are unscrupulous dog trainers out there who subscribe to outdated, harmful methods, and charge you for the 'privilege'. It'll be harder work with an older dog, but worth it when you start seeing results.

Best of luck!

[Anxious_gal]

Does she get walked? Sounds like she has too much energy.
Dogs like jobs to do. The breed is a hunting dog so it would explain her love of barking and chasing.

[debbsi]

I would agree with avoiding the dog whisperer.
We had some problems with our 3 year old dog (well with our 6 yr old too but can only train one at a time) and started training class a few months ago, it's made a huge difference jus socialising him. He's also calmed down a lot and developed a lovely closeness with us rather than just our other dog.