[nagdu] Improving house behaviors of ENERGETIC dogs

[Julie J.]

On puzzle toys...it depends on the dog and the toy as to whether or not they 
immediately get what to do.  I have several toys here that I'd call puzzle 
toys.  One was a fabric cube with balls in it.  It was destroyed long ago. 
With that one all I had to do was to show Monty the toy and put the balls in 
while he was looking.   He understood and would play with it after that.  I 
should have supervised more closely though.  that's why it is no longer.

the toy that has the little cups with the treats underneath he took longer 
to understand.  However treats were involved so he was highly motivated to 
figure it out.  Belle was not so treat motivated and she had a different 
attitude toward trying new things.  She required a lot more help to figure 
it out.  Monty will get frustrated with things if he can't figure it out, 
but it will give it a very good try first.  Jetta watched Monty do the toy 
and she got it right away.

The toys I have here that you stuff food/treats into and they can play with 
independently, they all have figured those out entirely alone and very 
quickly.  The main thing with those is to make sure they don't roll under 
the couch or something.  the dogs get very frustrated when their treats are 
just out of reach.

I think the thing to watch for with the puzzle toys is the level of 
frustration your dog is experiencing.  It should be challenging to the point 
where they are still actively engaged with the toy, trying new approaches, 
but if it crosses into serious frustration then a bit of assistance is in 
order.

About being overly excited when you first come home...I think this is pretty 
normal.  He's been putting in a lot of energy at being good.  He needs to 
let loose...sort of like when you come home from a long day and just want to 
kick off your shoes, turn up the music and dance around the house.  Or maybe 
I'm the only one who feels that excited to be home?  *smile* If it only 
lasts 10  or 20 minutes, I'd probably let my dog have at it, as long as he 
wasn't in danger of breaking stuff.   I don't think it's stress as in a 
problem, but stress as in applied pressure that he needs to release, if that 
makes any sense.

When people come over and he gets super excited, I'm guessing that is purely 
over excitement.   Training will help.  If I know people are coming over I 
generally put both Monty and Jetta in their crates.  after the people have 
been here for 5 or 10 minutes I will let the dogs out.  they are able to 
remember their manners at that point.

Good luck!
Julie
Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now 
available! Get the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
-----Original Message----- 
From: Julie McGinnity via nagdu
Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2015 7:26 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Julie McGinnity
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Improving house behaviors of ENERGETIC dogs

Hi all,

Great suggestions!  :)

Julie, I looked at dog puzzles today when I was picking up a toy for
him.  I like them, but I am afraid he will destroy one.  Do dogs
usually understand what they're supposed to do with the dog puzzle
pretty quickly?  I think he would but have never seen a dog with one,
so I have misgivings...  I think I will try peanutbutter in his cong.
They suggested I freeze it and maybe include some of his dry dog food
too.

Debbie, I do let him run in circles.  I am happy to let him do this.
And I do agree that sometimes the high energy stuff gets to be too
much for both me and Billy Bob.  One of the things that his trainer
told me was that he is like a little kid sometimes; when he needs to
go to bed and be calm, he can act more energetic and refuse to listen.
That is when we don't allow playing, and he goes in his crate.

Julie, actually, yes, he gets the craziest after we come home and the
harness comes off.  The other time he goes the most insane is when
people come over.

Raven, I would let him play with other dogs and used to let my first
dog run in my dorm hallway when I lived in one with her.  But I have
neither hall nor stairs outside this building.  We don't even really
have a lawn...  And it wouldn't be safe for him to run out here, since
we have had problems with littering--and I mean glass on the ground
among other things.  I don't like my dogs to run in yards unless I can
chase them or I have a person to watch what they're doing.  Too much
experience with a dog who could throw up at the slightest strangeness
in her stomach.  So that rule I doubt I will ever break, but I would
love a place to take him on long line, especially so I could work on
his recall.  I think a leasure walk might be good.  I used to allow a
friend to run with him, but due to some of the work issues were
experiencing last year, I don't feel comfortable doing that yet.  But
I can certainly take him on walks or even jogs.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has had to deal with this!

On 8/16/15, Raven Tolliver via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I personally am in favor of bending the rules a bit. I believe in
> letting my dog be a dog, as long as he abides by my rules. I have let
> him free-run, and I have let him run off leash in our yard, friends'
> yards, my college's athletic field, and the play areas at LDB.
> However, he has a solid off-leash recall. Nine times out of 10, he
> comes running when I call him. Of course, I ensured that this was
> established before I let him off leash anywhere. And fortunately, my
> puppy-raisers did the same, so it was easy to train.
>
> Letting your dog run off leash, or at least on a long line, and
> allowing them to play with other dogs provides them with ways to burn
> off steam.
>
> When I lived in my college dorm and apartment, I played with the
> Golden Guy in the hallways, running up and down the halls and the
> stairs, playing fetch, and practicing recalls indoors, putting him in
> a sit-stay down the hall while I walked to the other end, and calling
> him to me. No one ever had an issue with us playing in the halls or
> stairwells.
>
>
> On days where we don't work much or at all, I take the Golden Guy for
> 4-5 mile walks. Not that you have to walk that far, but going for
> leisure walks might also help. The Golden Guy really likes being
> outside, and going for long walks allows him to get in good exercise
> and burn off steam. I usually walk him out of harness during 80% of
> the walk, and I let him walk on a long leash ahead of me. If I ask him
> to heel, he does, so his loose-leash skills haven't been affected by
> this at all.
> --
> Raven
> Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
> www.1am-editing.com
>
> You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
> have or what you do.
>
> Naturally-reared guide dogs
> https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs
>
> On 8/16/15, Julie J. via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> I just had another idea about this behavior...does Bill by chance do most
>> of
>>
>> this super energetic behavior when you first arrive home and take him out
>> of
>>
>> harness?
>>
>> Julie
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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-- 
Julie McGinnity
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri second vice president,
National Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President
graduate, Guiding Eyes for the Blind 2008, 2014
"For we walk by faith, not by sight"
2 Cor. 7

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