Dear fellow dog-lovers
I'm trying to make a long story short but I'm looking for help with two dogs I've rescued in the last few years.
I am Honey's third owner - she is a golden spaniel (not cocker), about five
years old; I've had her for four years. Badger is two, a terrier-cross and I've had him for a year.
Honey, who I like to think of as my angel, who "rescued" me a year after my
divorce, quickly became the alpha in my house. She is very clever; does well
at training - agility and obedience - but is easily distracted. She stayed
with my ex-husband and his golden spaniel and springer spaniel for eight
months when I moved to another city and struggled to find the right
accommodation for us. I visited the dogs monthly until I found a home here for Honey and I. I adopted Badger when I was looking for company for her about two months after we were reunited. They get on well but Honey is very bossy, possessive of me (other dogs can't come near me when we're out) and has always produced a lot of growling and aggressive behaviour towards other animlals when she's had a bone or a chewy treat - she tries to keep everything for herself. Badger seldom chews a bone unless she's had it first.
Badger has not been successfully homed before. His entire litter was rescued
when they were two days old. He moved between shelters and was possibly
mishandled by a youngster somewhere along the line. He was very snappy at
about 7/8 months old and no-one could handle him. I saw him at the shelter I
was volunteering at and didn't go near him because of the bite warning. When he first joined us about six months later he was very aggressive towards anybody who came to my door and often to visitors once they were inside. That has improved but we still have to be very careful. He's mostly a very gentle, loving dog - and the neighbours concede a brilliant watch dog.
I have stopped letting the dogs sleep on my bed (although I let them in for
an early morning snooze); they are inside dogs so have access to the couches (especially when we're not there) and have their own soft cushions too. This has got Badger's attempts at dominant behaviour under control.
We also do the eating out of their bowl thing which really helps. They eat a
fresh/raw diet of beef, chicken, oats, eggs, veg and bones.
I also don't pander to Honey's requests to play anymore and keep their toy box out of reach.
Problem areas:
We do the 5-minute rule thing - Badger has learned quickly. It takes Honey a
long time to settle unless I sit still or pretend to nap. I keep putting her
in a room and closing the door as long as she barks (anticipating a walk or
demanding attention from me). We have a very difficult neighbour who can
only take so much - but of course there are lots of other barking dogs in
the neighbourhood too! If we don't walk them, they are impossible on day two so we haven't been strict about preventing walks until behaviour changes!
Lately, we've noticed Honey seems to be stopping Badger from entering the
house through the dog flap once he's outside. I've made a den for him
outside to compensate against the very cold, wet winter, which he seems to
seek out now until I or my boyfriend get home. Even when we're home he'll
bark to be escorted inside or past her if she's blocking his way.
Honey's barking (when she starts she can't stop) has upset the neighbours as
well as Badger so we've worked hard at getting that under control. She was
fine when it was just the two of us and she had my undivided attention.
Unfortunately, when out walking Honey's barking is a trigger for Badger to
bite and we've had some close calls and one big hospital bill. They are only
off lead if there's nobody else around or we're on the mountain when they
don't bother about other people and not so much about the other dogs.
Growling at the dogs doesn't have much effect on them. They take notice but
don't always change behaviour. Shaking pebbles in a jar at Honey stops her
barking but turns Badger into a nervous wreck just at the sound of it.
Both dogs ignore treats when out walking. They can be well behaved at home
and will work for treats but not out on a walk. They both pull for scents
and other animals and if they're going in a direction they really want eg.
up the mountain. They know what heel means and have learned to change
direction on command; the pulling has improved but it's not right yet.
Badger simply sits and doesn't move or lies down if he doesn't like my
choice of direction. It takes some persuading to get him moving again.
I can't train in the morning as Honey barks in excitement. Daylight is only
an hour when I get home so I don't have enough time to wait for barking to
stop, train and walk! She barks if I'm working with Badger too and I have to
keep her inside while I'm out with him.
You'll probably say I'm not being strict or consistent enough. I'm really
looking for a better idea of a routine I think. Or any other methods I
haven't come across yet.
For those of you who manage to read to the end of this, I look forward to your input.
Debbie
