Help! My dog is chasing my mouse pointer!
TXJEEPER
OK. This is horrible. I have moved into my fiancee's apartment and her
dachshund has spotted my computer's mouse pointer on the screens. He is
now obsessed with it. He wants nothing more in life than to climb up
here and bite at my screen. He won't even barely eat. We gave him some
ACE and put him in his box (he's box-trained), but he's freaking out in
there and crying like crazy. I don't know what to do. I need help fast.
Important: Please respond to my email at al...@yahoo.com
--
Visit ROCKCRAWLER 4x4 and Off-Road Magazine at http://www.rockcrawler.co
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
J1Boss
>OK. This is horrible. I have moved into my fiancee's apartment and her
>dachshund has spotted my computer's mouse pointer on the screens. He is
>now obsessed with it. He wants nothing more in life than to climb up
>here and bite at my screen. He won't even barely eat. We gave him some
>ACE and put him in his box (he's box-trained), but he's freaking out in
>there and crying like crazy. I don't know what to do. I need help fast.
>Important: Please respond to my email at al...@yahoo.com
>
You gave this little guy ACE because he was bugging you? Geez - a little
overreaction? Shut the door to the computer room, teach him general manners
and the meaning of the word no, and leave the drugs out of it.
Janet Boss
Best Friends Dog Obedience
"Nice Manners for the Family Pet"
"Second-hand dogs AREN'T second-rate"
Filtered Bliss - AHH......
brent
TXJEEPER wrote in message <7v5nr3$2go$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>
>
>OK. This is horrible. I have moved into my fiancee's apartment and her
>dachshund has spotted my computer's mouse pointer on the screens. He is
>now obsessed with it. He wants nothing more in life than to climb up
>here and bite at my screen.
turn the computer off?
Emerald
pointer??
Liz
TXJEEPER
information that may have triggered your response. THe computer is in
the living room and that is my fiances JOB and it's required that it be
on constantly. also, i have been a veterinary assistant for over 5 years
and i decided to give my little guy ace after this had been going on for
five nights and he was completely stressed. no amount of positve
reinforcement is aiding this situation, and my dog has plenty of manners
and know's what no is. this is different- it's unusuallly obsessive
behavior and if you would be interested in helpin us that would be
great- but if you want only to respond with smug condescenidng answers
that doesn't help my little dog at all!!! thank you and have a nice
day.
Jenifer Farrington
> You gave this little guy ACE because he was bugging you? Geez - a
little
> overreaction? Shut the door to the computer room, teach him general
manners
> and the meaning of the word no, and leave the drugs out of it.
>
> Janet Boss
> Best Friends Dog Obedience
> "Nice Manners for the Family Pet"
>
> "Second-hand dogs AREN'T second-rate"
> Filtered Bliss - AHH......
>
--
J1Boss
>information that may have triggered your response.
******** He apparently left a LOT out!
>>THe computer is in
>the living room and that is my fiances JOB and it's required that it be
>on constantly. also, i have been a veterinary assistant for over 5 years
>and i decided to give my little guy ace after this had been going on for
>five nights and he was completely stressed. no amount of positve
>reinforcement is aiding this situation, and my dog has plenty of manners
>and know's what no is.
************ Does he know a solid down-stay? I'd work on teaching him that his
place is either in another room or under the computer table, while your fiance
is working. A "go to your place" command, combined with active play sessions
throughout the day, would be effective if followed through. If he's under the
table, he can't see the cursor.
I understand leaving the computer on all of the time, but how about a "curtain"
to put over the screen when he leaves the workstation unattended? Something
opaque, like felt, or heavier as well, like suede, which would stay put, may be
a good choice.
>>this is different- it's unusuallly obsessive
>behavior and if you would be interested in helpin us that would be
>great- but if you want only to respond with smug condescenidng answers
>that doesn't help my little dog at all!!! thank you and have a nice
>day.
>Jenifer Farrington
********** The answer was in response to a very brief and non-explanatory post.
It didn't mention (as this post doesn't) anything that has been tried, how
actually OBEDIENT the dog is, or any othe information about the situation.
If the dog is truly obedient, than the action shoudl be very simple - a down
stay means he can't be jumping at the screen. If he's not that obedient, work
on those skills.
Jerry Howe
There you go again, telling people to fight with another behavior, rather than
simply extinguish the behavior they are dealing with. Idiot. J>
Jerry Howe
> OK. This is horrible. I have moved into my fiancee's apartment and her
> dachshund has spotted my computer's mouse pointer on the screens. He is
> now obsessed with it. He wants nothing more in life than to climb up
> here and bite at my screen. He won't even barely eat. We gave him some
> ACE and put him in his box (he's box-trained), but he's freaking out in
> there and crying like crazy. I don't know what to do. I need help fast.
> Important: Please respond to my email at al...@yahoo.com
>
> --
> Visit ROCKCRAWLER 4x4 and Off-Road Magazine at http://www.rockcrawler.co
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.
Try this:
Any time we interact in a behavior by telling the dog no, or physically
restrain or correct him, we are becoming part of the behavior, either as a
player or competitor in the dogs mischief.
Using sound as a distraction must always be followed by immediate,
prolonged, non physical praise. Interrupting a behavior with sound should
never be associated with us, as in voicing no, or telling the dog to stop
it.
The behavior should not be distracted with any intervention. We want the
behavior to begin again, so that we may have another opportunity to properly
address the behavior with another sound and praise.
That way, we can completely end a problem while the dog is thinking about
it, and we are prepared to address the issue before it becomes out of
control. The sound must never occur twice in a row from the same direction.
In other words, if you snapped your fingers in front of the dog to stop him
from chewing on your shoelace, you'd praise him for five to fifteen seconds
immediately upon snapping your fingers.
The behavior will hopefully resume, and the next sound of the snap of your
fingers must come from behind the dog, or even from a friend assisting from
across the room, from a soda can with a few pennies in it, or any source of
sound (except our voice!), followed by prolonged non physical praise, until
the dog is no longer thinking about the behavior or resumes it.
The third interruption of the behavior usually gets the message across, and
the dog will think about the behavior for just a moment before engaging in
it once again for the fourth and last time... That split second thinking
about engaging in the behavior requires praise. Do not react to it with a
challenge of shouting no, or physically removing the temptation.
That moment of thinking about resuming the behavior and the praise it earns
him will validate the prior interruptions of that behavior.
The dog then needs to test it out, to be sure that the same behavior will be
dealt with in exactly the same manner. They will usually make a fourth
attempt at the behavior, and if you follow through appropriately, he will
learn not to do that behavior anymore. But only on the one shoelace! He must
take that
behavior to other instances to fully cease the desire for the behavior.
The behavior will not be completely broken until he has taken the process of
elimination to the second, third, and fourth opportunity to explore that
behavior. And, even at that, you may need to repeat the process in four
completely different places. That means that the worst behavior may need up
to sixty-four properly timed interruptions and praise. Usually it happens
much quicker than that.
Breaking a behavior in this manner reduces stress, takes us out of the
position of negative enforcer or competitor or playmate, and allows the dog
to extinguish a behavior because he simply doesn't get any satisfaction from
it. The other secret is giving the dog a payoff for every time they look at
you. Each time you
notice eye contact from your dog, you must praise him orally, to prevent his
idle mind from doing the devils work.
You can get all the information you need to properly handle and train your
dog without force, fear, confrontation, scolding, or punishment in the Wits'
End Dog Training Method manual available for FREE at:
http://www.doggydoright.com
;-) DRAINING THE SWAMP, AND RELOCATING THE GATORS... J>>>
"CUSTOM WILL RECONCILE PEOPLE TO ANY ATROCITY." G.B. Shaw.
"I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the
greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious
truth if it would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which
they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, proudly taught to others,
and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their
lives."
Leo Tolstoy
Is it any wonder that the following sig file has generated more
complaints to my personal email than any other controversial post I have
made to date, bar none?:
caveat
If you have to do things to your dog to train him, that you would
rather not have to do, then you shouldn't be doing them. If you
have a dog trainer that tells you to jerk your dog around, choke him,
pinch his ears, or twist his toes, shock, shake, slap, scold, hit, or
punish him in any manner, that corrections are appropriate, that the
dog won't think of you as the punisher, or that corrections are not
harmful, or if they can't train your dog to do what you want, look for a
trainer that knows Howe.
Sincerely,
Jerry Howe,
Wits' End Dog Training
Witse...@aol.com
http://www.doggydoright.com
Nature, to be mastered, must be obeyed.
-Francis Bacon-
There are terrible people who, instead of solving a problem,
bungle it and make it more difficult for all who come after. Who
ever can't hit the nail on the head should, please, not hit at all.
-Nietzsche-
The abilities to think, rationalize and solve problems are learned
qualities.
The Wits' End Dog Training Method challenges the learning
centers in the dogs brain. These centers, once challenged, develop
and continue to grow exponentially, to make him smarter.
The Wits' End Dog Training method capitalizes on praising split
seconds of canine thought, strategy, and timing, not mindless hours of
forced repetition, constant corrections, and scolding.
-Jerry Howe-
Jerry Howe
I forgot to mention your other best advice, avoiding the behavior, before fighting
with the dog about something else.
What makes you think that pulling the blinds down, hiding everything you don't want
the dog to touch, picking everything up, putting everything away, and barricading,
and blocking off the dog from everything, and crating the dog for two years, is
useful or desirable advice?
You are totally incompetent, and have no right TAKING MONEY for abusing dogs and
giving your idiotic advice, or working with live animals and complicating the
problems for the people that love them and need HELP... Get out of this business
before you cause any more harm than you already have committed. J>>>
DogStar716
>don't want
>the dog to touch, picking everything up, putting everything away, and
>barricading,
>and blocking off the dog from everything, and crating the dog for two years,
>is
>useful or desirable advice?
>
Hmmm. Maybe because it is totally non confrontational? That IS your pet
method, is it not?
Dogstar716
Come see Gunnars Life: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/Gunnar
"Stupidity is a fact of life." - Jerry Howe
OldDog1
DogStar716 wrote in message <19991028133911.28490.00001834@ng-
>
>Hmmm. Maybe because it is totally non confrontational? That IS your pet
>method, is it not?
>
>
>Dogstar716
>Come see Gunnars Life: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/Gunnar
BadddddaaaaabaBING.......snap Clap. went the trap. Seems like she's
gotcha
Jer-jer.
Jerry Howe
> >What makes you think that pulling the blinds down, hiding everything you
> >don't want
> >the dog to touch, picking everything up, putting everything away, and
> >barricading,
> >and blocking off the dog from everything, and crating the dog for two years,
> >is
> >useful or desirable advice?
> >
>
> Hmmm. Maybe because it is totally non confrontational? That IS your pet
> method, is it not?
>
> Dogstar716
> Come see Gunnars Life: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/Gunnar
>
> "Stupidity is a fact of life." - Jerry Howe
No, my method involves training the specific problem, not avoiding it. Non
confrontational does not mean IGNORE or AVOID the problem, it means using
APPROPRIATE training methods. J>