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Scruffy vs Franklin
Hi everyone. We've had Scruffy now for about a week and a half and he is such a love. He is very friendly to humans as well as other dogs he meets on our walks. He shows no signs of aggression at all, I've never heard him growl. The only problem is he seems to have very strong hunting instincts. He always tracks when we walk and when we come upon ducks or rabbits he tries to take off after them. The real problem is that we also have a turtle, Franklin, who we used to let roam the house freely. As you might have guessed Scruffy keeps trying to "get" Franklin and of course this causes Franklin much stress. So, we have limited Franklin's roaming to our computer room and his tank. I don't think this is fair to Franklin but I am not sure what I can do. Any suggestions on how we can end the hostilites and broker peace among the dog and the turtle?
Of course there's hope! There is always hope - particularly for people like you who recognize they need assistance and then go do it instead of waiting for the dog to somehow fix his own behavior. Enjoy the training - it really is fun! :-)
Peek and Jaybay, Thank you for your comments. Jaybay, you were very helpful, you give me some hope that we can teach Scruffy to get along with Franklin. I am kind of meek and quiet so I think it may be in my best interest to hire a trainer to come in and show me and the girls how to effectively discipline him. As it stands now my 10 year old can't hold his leash because he gets on a scent trail and is too strong for her. Thanks again.
It can take a while to deal with a dog with a strong prey drive, but it's certainly not impossible. I've got 2 birds and 2 dogs, and it didn't take but about 3 weeks before they could all be trusted together in the same room with the birds out of their cages. Same was true of the 2 dogs we had previously.
First, as peek mentioned, you'll need to start thinking of yourself as a disciplinarian. I don't mean harshness or cruelty, more like a strong leader who makes it clear what is acceptable and what is not. When you go on walks, make you dog sit and wait at the door (on leash) until you go first and invite him out. Our new Dal (well, new in January anyway!) was a terrible door-bolter. After a couple of crazy escapes, I got down to work with him on the leash. Within a week, no more door bolting.
Doc also has the same tracking issues on walks. I swear, if dogs can have ADD he's got it! If we allow him to get his nose to the ground, it's really hard to get his attention back on us and the work we want him to do. Therefore, the walk actually starts before we go out the door. Do not let your dog get fixated on a scent on the ground. Keep the leash short and keep him moving forward. If he is motivated by food, say his name while you walk, and the second his head swivels toward you, give him a small treat. Have a picture in your mind of what you want the walk to look like. Most people make the mistake of using a too-long leash that allows the dog to do whatever he wants. Not good unless you have a naturally happy-go-lucky, low prey drive dog. Probably something between a 4 and 6 foot leash would be more than adequate for all but the giant dogs. Keep his head up, and his attention on you. You'll know when he's thinking about jumping at a critter when his head, ears and tail go up. That's when you want to correct him - right when he's thinking about it.
If you've never taken a dog to a basic obedience class, now is a great time to start. Check out some of the classes at your local PetSmart (if you have one nearby) and see what you think. If there is to be peace with the turtle, you have to do the basic obedience work. Specifically regarding the turtle, put him in a safe cage and "set up" your dog for his misbehavior with the turtle. Keep the dog on a leash and have him sit near the cage. This is where you really need to understand dog body language. Just like on the walk, the second he gets that obsessive, large-pupiled, intent look on his face with ears and tail up, correct him. The goal is to have him lay down next to the caged turtle and ignore him. That puts the turtle on a higher level in the pack than the dog is. You may have to do this exercise once or a hundred times - just depends on how strong of a personality you're working with. The point is not to get discouraged and keep on doing the exercise.
Looks like I probably wrote too much, so feel free to ask for clarification! :-)
First, as peek mentioned, you'll need to start thinking of yourself as a disciplinarian. I don't mean harshness or cruelty, more like a strong leader who makes it clear what is acceptable and what is not. When you go on walks, make you dog sit and wait at the door (on leash) until you go first and invite him out. Our new Dal (well, new in January anyway!) was a terrible door-bolter. After a couple of crazy escapes, I got down to work with him on the leash. Within a week, no more door bolting.
Doc also has the same tracking issues on walks. I swear, if dogs can have ADD he's got it! If we allow him to get his nose to the ground, it's really hard to get his attention back on us and the work we want him to do. Therefore, the walk actually starts before we go out the door. Do not let your dog get fixated on a scent on the ground. Keep the leash short and keep him moving forward. If he is motivated by food, say his name while you walk, and the second his head swivels toward you, give him a small treat. Have a picture in your mind of what you want the walk to look like. Most people make the mistake of using a too-long leash that allows the dog to do whatever he wants. Not good unless you have a naturally happy-go-lucky, low prey drive dog. Probably something between a 4 and 6 foot leash would be more than adequate for all but the giant dogs. Keep his head up, and his attention on you. You'll know when he's thinking about jumping at a critter when his head, ears and tail go up. That's when you want to correct him - right when he's thinking about it.
If you've never taken a dog to a basic obedience class, now is a great time to start. Check out some of the classes at your local PetSmart (if you have one nearby) and see what you think. If there is to be peace with the turtle, you have to do the basic obedience work. Specifically regarding the turtle, put him in a safe cage and "set up" your dog for his misbehavior with the turtle. Keep the dog on a leash and have him sit near the cage. This is where you really need to understand dog body language. Just like on the walk, the second he gets that obsessive, large-pupiled, intent look on his face with ears and tail up, correct him. The goal is to have him lay down next to the caged turtle and ignore him. That puts the turtle on a higher level in the pack than the dog is. You may have to do this exercise once or a hundred times - just depends on how strong of a personality you're working with. The point is not to get discouraged and keep on doing the exercise.
Looks like I probably wrote too much, so feel free to ask for clarification! :-)
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